Brand message placement and print circulation Coursework

Brand message placement and print circulation - Coursework Example The printed press is also losing ground to the internet. People prefer to read their news online than to read them from newspapers and magazine. Due to this tendency advertisers have realized that digital media is the wave of the future. There are different ways in which companies can advertize their products online. Companies can use different online strategies such email advertising, online classified ads, banners, links, and search engine placement among other popular strategies. The cost of advertising online is much cheaper than the traditional media channels. Another advantage of online advertising is that companies can target their audience better. For example a company that sells sporting goods can advertise in specialized sporting websites such as espn.com or yahoo sports. The internet also has the capability to track better the results of an advertising campaign. If a company invests in search engine ads and pays for 10,000 hits, the advertiser will receive the amount of views that it paid

World Peace Essay Example for Free

World Peace Essay Every leader in the world aims to find a lasting solution to the problems that beset our planet but so far, peace on earth has continued to be an elusive dream. There are many movements, conferences, brotherhoods and fraternities all over the world that promotes the idea of world peace. Philosophers, theologians, politicians, and other great thinkers from the past up to the present have offered so many formulas and ideas for achieving peace but no one has yet came up with a solid answer to the question. Why is world peace so difficult to achieve? Perhaps the answer lies within our self. What have we done to make the world a better place to live in? How have we treated our brothers and our neighbors? If we look at the philosophies and teachings of great men and the number of world peace movements that have risen out of nowhere, the issue assumes even more layers and textures than the original idea. [pic] Is it possible to achieve world peace? Some great thinkers believe so. But if you are asking whether it can possibly happen in our lifetime, then that is something no one can answer. Only time can tell. But as long as everybody makes a conscious effort to work for it, then maybe we stand a chance of seeing the first signs of world peace happening. There are different ideas as to what constitutes world peace. Some people think it is the resolution of conflict that will bring about world peace. Others think that absence of hunger, deprivation or social justice would be a sign that world peace is finally happening. It is like looking at the forest without seeing the trees instead of the other way around. The perennial question will always be where to start. If we take time to read the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Confucius or take a few minutes to look at the Bible, the common denominator lies with the â€Å"Golden Rule† which teaches â€Å"not to do unto others what we do not want others to do unto us†. This teaching rings true even today when we look at how people are treated in some parts of the world. War, violence, famine and social injustices are all handmaids of the devil. If we strive to treat other people like a brother, living harmoniously with one another, treating each other justly and fairly, there would be no conflict and the rest follows. For this reason, in order to achieve world peace, we have to start with ourselves. We have to be agents of change and ambassadors of good will. We should learn to live with our neighbors peacefully and do business with each other fairly and honestly. When we start with doing good to other people, we can inspire others to do the same. By paying the good deeds forward, we can multiply the number of people we touch with our goodwill and eventually it will spread and infect others. We cannot expect peace in the world unless we give that which in our heart we are prepared to sacrifice.

Professionalism and Ethics in Counselling

Professionalism and Ethics in Counselling My understanding of professionalism is having the discipline to be aware of and work to a set of values made up of legal statutes, of professional body frameworks and guidelines and of employer policies, frameworks and guidelines, which together detail expected conduct. Those statutes, policies, frameworks and guidelines should be used to identify roles and responsibilities which in turn define boundaries. The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), of which I am a student member, is the largest professional body in the UK for counselling and psychotherapy and lays down what standards of conduct counsellors, service users and the public expect at a national level. If a counsellor or therapist is a member of a professional body, he or she will be bound by a code of professional ethics framework or in the case of the BACP, the ethical framework†¦it recognises that choices are often not clear-cut, and that sometimes difficult decisions need to be made that, even when taken in good faith, may have unpredictable and unwanted outcomes (Merry, 2002:11) Professionalism and ethics both relate to proper conduct. I view the ethical framework as a list of qualities for how the counsellor should be and a list of behaviours for what the counsellor should do and not do. Examples of the desired attitudes include possessing empathy, sincerity, integrity, resilience, respect, humility, competence, fairness, wisdom and courage. Examples of the desired behaviours include fidelity, autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice and self-respect. The BACP produced the ethical framework to protect both the client and counsellor through good practice in counselling and psychotherapy. It sets out a series of professional and personal values, underlying principles and moral qualities which reflect my attributes as a trainee counsellor in order to promote a safe and professional environment, one where I could enable clients to allow trust to develop within our relationship. I abide by the BACP guidance on good practice which is concerned with client safety, counsellor responsibility and accountability, clear contracting and my competence as a trainee counsellor. It provides information for what counsellors are expected to do and sanctions for consequences of malpractice. I have chosen a hypothetical ethical dilemma, albeit a realistic one, relevant to my chosen placement at The Truce YMCA in Lancaster. A sixteen year old female client presents with news of her parents having separated two weeks previously. She lives with her mum who is drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and who is not coping with the day to day duties of looking after the clients nine year old brother, who is now mostly in the clients care. No other meals are being provided other than school dinners and no money is being allocated to them for food. Last night the clients mum pushed the client against the wall and the client has a head injury. The client asks me not to tell anyone. The ethical dilemma here is that my client has disclosed a Child Protection issue and asked me to maintain the confidentiality aspect of the contract. There are several implications, professionally I must breach confidentiality as there would be no way that I could hold that information, my integrity would be conflicted. I would have a professional obligation that would be impossible for me to ignore. However, by breaching confidentiality this could have severe consequences for the client, myself (our relationship), and the clients family. A question I need to ask myself is: What are our statutory duties and responsibilities? We  have a duty under the Children Act 1989 to safeguard and protect children who may be suffering from abuse. This may be physical, sexual, emotional or as a result of neglect http://www.tameside.gov.uk/childprotection/parentinfo#t2 date accessed, 21st April 2010 The YMCA has put together a procedure flow chart and as part of my training I have been made aware of it. It is a clear example of my role, responsibilities and boundaries. Safeguarding means doing everything you can to protect children and young people from harm. A safeguard is a measure to help reduce the risk of children and young people being harmed. http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/trainingandconsultancy/consultancy/cst/safe_communities_toolkit_english_wdf70126.pdf date accessed, 19th April 2010 The disclosure demands to be sensitively, sincerely and respectfully explored in order to honour the principle of non-maleficence because every child matters. As a trainee counsellor I have an ethical responsibility to strive to mitigate any harm caused to a client even when the harm is unavoidable or unintended (BACP, 2007:03) There are several implications: I am aware that the principle of fidelity requires a responsibility to honour the trust that has been placed in me as a trainee counsellor and that how I move the process forward from this point could alter how the client and I may or may not work together in the future. Without confidentiality and empathy there is potential to harm the relationship, and as Bond (1993:46) states that, responsibilities to the client are the foremost concern of the counsellor. The justification of counselling rests on this work being undertaken in a counsellor-client relationship. Where as a trainee counsellor can I find guidance on consent and disclosure? I could check against the BACP guidelines, with my casework supervisor, my managerial supervisor, the agencies codes of practice and policies, my tutors and Social Services. To avoid the possibility of prosecution I need to respect my role and abide by the BACP guidance on good practice which is concerned with client safety, counsellor responsibility and accountability, clear contracting and my competence as a trainee counsellor. Professional accountability is also key in ensuring public protection and allows the Profession to move forward enjoying the public confidence in the services provided http://www.bacp.co.uk/prof_conduct/ 4th February 2010 The principle of beneficence involves acting in the clients best interest and maintaining the standards of competence and knowledge expected for members who continue to both personally and professionally develop by using supervision for support. As I am working within an agency I am expected, as a member of the BACP, to have ongoing regular supervision for my work with a clinical supervisor and with my managerial supervisor. Supervisors, managers and counsellors have a responsibility to maintain and enhance good practice, to protect clients from poor practice (promoting their wellbeing) and for the counsellor to acquire the attitudes, skills and knowledge required for each of their roles raising awareness and ensuring the fair treatment of all clients and the uniqueness of individual people regarding culture differences, gender or disabilities which involves the principle respect of justice. When considering what action to take the first step I would take would be to explore what the client had told me by clarifying what had been said in order to check out my understanding with the client. It is important to identify that there is a problem and if so I would then work out whose problem it was and in this case it would be the clients. Yet I would be responsible to her, myself and accountable up the chain of command within the organisation. By setting the contract provided by The YMCA clearly so that it is understood by the client there is less chance of misunderstandings and more chance of boundaries being clear at the onset. The agreement of a contract protects both the client and the counsellor. It proves that each party has agreed their responsibilities and boundaries and that they each know where they stand in the counselling process in relation to their obligations to each other. I would need to refer back to the initial contract to remind the client about our agreement that would be in place between us. I would have competently explained at the time that should harm to self or others be disclosed to me that I would need to breach confidentiality. I would use appropriate language for a sixteen year old to understand and include her in the process. I would respect the principle of respect for autonomy by discussing the necessity of safeguarding her, protecting her and her younger brother and, with her consent, chec king whether the child protection officer would be available to enter the room to work it through all together by understanding my job roles and responsibilities and working within my training and experience competently I could deliver a professional level of service that promotes safety and both at the same time being fully aware that she has choices and human rights too. Although I could have a conflict of interest in that I would have to breach confidentiality†¦ Human Rights Act 1998 Article 8.1 Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence. Article 8.2 There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except as such as in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others (Bond, 2010:158). †¦I would protect myself from litigation as I have a duty to observe the Code of Professional Conduct and the other guidelines issued by the BACP. Not all laws are perfect, the problem is that laws are often generalised and open to some interpretation and thats where they can be exploited. The law regarding sixteen year olds (child versus Gillick competent versus adult) and the obligation of Social Services to look after somebody until eighteen years of age is not black and white. Somebody planning to go to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland to end their life is within their own rights and it would be an example of a case where a counsellor could respect the clients dignity. At the first available chance I had I would follow the example of a child protection form, from my safeguarding policy and guidelines provided by the organisation and make very clear, accurate, brief, factual notes of who said what, when it was said, where it was said and the nature of the concern. I would bear in mind that the notes could be read by the client herself and if I was required to write a report for court I would be aware that I have not been trained to write such a report and seek advice. According to Pollecoff, et al. (2002:58) Counsellors and psychotherapists are in a unique position when asked to give evidence†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦unlike other professionals, they do not necessarily keep detailed notes of each session held with a client†¦Problems can arise regarding client confidentiality in the context of presenting reports or giving evidence. I would file the notes confidentially and each client has a code to be used for anonymity purposes, store for six months, once the case is closed, then they are destroyed. Bond (2010:158) suggests The Data Protection Act 1998†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦covers a wide range of requirements to do with record-keeping. I would call my case supervisor and I would explain what has happened, what I did (discussed with line manager and or referral to Child Protection Officer etc.) and ask him if there is anything else I should have done or could do. Working within a multi agency can be useful as it can meet the needs of young people more effectively. Confidentiality procedures are in place and consent must be given by the person concerned and must be present when consented information is shared. There are exceptional circumstances. At the same time how I present myself and interact with people (language, appearance, actions and interactions) influence impressions. There are informal expectations and continuing with both professional and personal development (supervision). Questions like What does the BACP say about this? are what I need to ask myself in during my evaluation in order to do the right thing and knowing how important it is to not do the wrong thing because that could cause damage to more than the client in the room. I hope that I have demonstrated that I understand that there is a need to act within the law at all times but in a way that provides as much support and protection as possible towards the client first and foremost, towards myself and towards the organisational structure and the profession itself. It is not always a case of knowing what to do to as an expert, but it seems to be a case of knowing what to do next and who to go to in order to get the answers needed.

Coding for Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Essay -- Coding Heart Failur

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is defined as a clinical syndrome in which the heart fails to propel blood forward normally, resulting in congestion in the pulmonary and/or systemic circulation and diminished blood flow to the tissues due to reduced cardiac output. (Berkow, M.D.) The result is that the heart does not pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. CHF can be caused by a variety of conditions that affect the heart such as: diseases or substances that weaken the heart muscle such as heart attacks, infections, or toxins; diseases that cause stiffening of the heart muscle such as hemochromatosis, amyloidosis, coronary artery disease, and long term hypertension; and diseases that increase the oxygen demand by the body tissue beyond the capability of the heart to deliver oxygen-rich blood as in hyperthyroidism or anemia. (Kulick, M.D., and Shiel Jr., M.D.) CHF can affect many different organs including the heart, lungs, liver, intestines, and subcutaneous tissues. Sy mptoms of CHF are widely varied but may include fatigue, edema especially of the ankles and legs, shortness of breath with minimal exertion, and inability to lay flat due to reduced respiratory capacity. Increased urination may occur, especially at night, and due to accumulations of fluid in the liver and intestines nausea, abdominal pain and decreased appetite may result. (Kulick, M.D., and Shiel Jr., M.D.) Although CHF is an equal opportunity disease, there are some differences noted between men and women, one of which is that women tend to develop CHF later in life than men. Women more frequently develop diastolic heart failure rather than systolic. Women often suffer more noticeable shortness of breath and swelling of the ankles than do men, and in g... ...eases- Clinical Modification. 9th Rev., 6th Ed. 1. USA: Ingenix, 2010. Print. Ingenix, Inc., Staff. "Challenges for Coding Heart Failure." Advance for Health Information Professionals. 22 May 2007: n. page. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. Kulick, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I., D.L., and W.C. Shiel Jr., M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.R., eds. MedicineNet.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov 2011. . Starling, M.D., Randall C. The Cleveland Clinic Guide to Heart Failure. New York, NY: Kaplan, 2009. Print. unknown, . "Need to query for acute CHF lessened, thanks to new Coding Clinic." HC Pro. N.p., 30 Oct 2008. Web. 20 Nov 2011. .

Derrick Bell’s “Space Traders” Essay

In looking at Derrick Bell’s â€Å"The Space Traders† as an allegory, the characters personify the abstract subjects of late twentieth-century racial politics. In the text the politics of the United States revolves around anti-black thinking, and many white subjects believe that all the environmental and economical problems in the U.S. is due to the black race. Secondly, â€Å"the space trade† comprehends Bell’s concept of â€Å"the permanence of racism† in the Unites States. Bell believes that â€Å"the space trade† is somewhat familiar to the first African slave trade, and that these two events occur because of â€Å"the permanence of racism† in our society and the structures that allow this repetition to exist. In this essay I will discuss the political positions of the subjects in â€Å"The Space Traders† and the extent in which they personify late twentieth-century racial politics, and then analyze â€Å"the space tradeâ⠂¬  and comprehend it with Bell’s belief in â€Å"the permanence of racism† in the United States. In â€Å"The Space Traders†, Gleason Golightly, a black economics professor who is an unofficial cabinet member of the president, believes that black people need to stand on their own feet. Although he always has good intentions for the black race, he is considered an Uncle Tom by the black community because of his political positions. In â€Å"The Space Traders†, Golightly says, â€Å"As you know, Mr. President, I have supported this administration’s policies that have led to the repeal of some civil rights laws, to invalidation of most affirmative action programs, and to severe reduction in appropriations for public assistance. To put it mildly, the positions of mine that have received a great deal of media attention, have not been well received in African-American communities. Even so, I have been willing to be a ‘good soldier’ for the Party even though I am condemned as an Uncle Tom by my people. I sincerely believe that black people needed to stand up on their own feet, free of special protection by civil rights laws, the suffocating burden of welfare checks, and the stigmatizing influence of affirmative action programs. In helping you undermine these policies, I realized that your reasons for doing so differed from mine. And yet I went along.† Bell personifies Golightly as a black neo-conservative in late twentieth-century racial politics, and because of his conservative beliefs and his continuous support of anti-black views, he is not respected by black subjects. The  aliens in â€Å"The Space Traders† also play a critical role in demonstrating the racial politics that exist in the late twentieth-century. Their actions are similar to that of capitalists because they are only interested in their own needs and wants. Their supremacy in attaining their wants, the African-Americans, is demonstrated when their head alien spoke and looked similar to former Preside nt Reagan. Bell states, â€Å"Then came the second surprise. The leaders of this vast armada could speak English. Moreover, they spoke in the familiar comforting tones of former President Reagan, having dubbed his recorded voice into a computerized language-translation system.† The aliens did their marketing research on what appeals to Americans, and they realized that Reagan’s image, monotone voice, and simple speech is persuasive to white Americans and it reflects what Americans want to see and hear. This persuasiveness inevitably enabled the aliens to take all black subjects back to their land. The white cabinet members also play significant roles in â€Å"The Space Traders†. The cabinet members are anti-black activists who disregard the Bill of Rights, and believe that â€Å"the space trade† would guarantee that America would conquer its present problems and be lead to prosperity for at least the next century. In â€Å"The Space Traders†, Helen Hipmeyer, Secretary of Health and Human Services, says, â€Å"A large percentage of blacks rely on welfare and other social services. Their departure would ease substantially the burden on our state and national budgets. Why, the cost of caring for black AIDS victims alone has been ex traordinary†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hipmeyer strongly believes that black Americans are the reason for all the social and economical problems in the U.S., and that with their departure the nation’s problems could substantially diminish. The Attorney General also believes the aliens offer should be accepted. When speaking to the cabinet members he states, â€Å"Mr. President, I think we could put together a legislative package modeled on the Selective Service Act of 1918. Courts have uniformly upheld this statue and its predecessors as being well within congressional power to exact enforced military duty at home or abroad by United States citizens. While I don’t see any constitutional problems, there would like be quite a debate in Congress. But if the mail they are receiving is anything like ours, then the pressure for passage will be irresistible.† How can the Attorney General not see a constitutional problem with â€Å"the space trade†? In my opinion, the fact that the Attorney  General, and the other white cabinet members, disregard the constitution and are willing to release the blacks without knowing what will come of them, solidifies their lack of ethics and the extent in which politics in the U.S. revolves around anti-black thinking. In â€Å"The Space Traders† the political positions of the characters enables one to determine the extent in which racial politics exists in this country, and the text also analyzes â€Å"the space trade† and comprehends it with Bell’s concept of â€Å"the permanence of racism† in the U.S. In â€Å"The Space Traders†, Bell is able to analyze â€Å"the permanence of racism† by calling attention to the similarities between the past and present history of the United States. He believes that â€Å"the space trade† is very similar to the first African slave trade, and that racism has existed in this country since the founding of the nation to the late twentieth-century. When the White House and Congress first received phone calls and faxes regarding â€Å"the space trade† it was evident that anti-black thinking was a common characteristic of many white subjects. Bell writes, â€Å"At least a third of the flood of phone calls and faxes urging quick acceptance of the offer expressed the view that what the nation would give up its African-American citizens – was a worthwhile as what it would receive. The statement accurately reflected relations at the dawn of the new century. The President had, like his predecessors for the last generation, successfully exploited racial fears and hostility in his election campaign. There had been complaints, of course, but those from his political opponents sounded like sour grapes. They, too, had tried to minimize the input of blacks so as not to frighten away white voters.† This inhumane decision, demonstrated by the white race, to banish all blacks without knowing where they will go solidifies the fact that whites will never allow the black race to become part of the American people. This unethical act toward black Americans allows the reader to understand that racism will continue to exist in the American culture, and that inhumane acts toward man can indeed exist. If the aliens wanted the white race would America be so willing to release them? Absolutely not!! In my opinion, the major motivation for this country is for blacks to not have anything whites do, and by accepting â€Å"the space trade† offer that goal would be accomplished. The fact that the offer was even  considered was unconstitutional, but it just reiterates the reality that throughout American history blacks have always been hated. Professor Golightly was aware of this hatred toward black subjects, and when he spoke to the cabinet members after the trade had been offered he said, â€Å"It is a mark of just how far out of the mainstream black people are that this proposition is given any serious consideration. Were the Space Traders attracted by and asking to trade any other group – white women with red hair and green eyes, for example – a horrified public would order the visitors off the planet without a moment’s hesitation. The revulsion would not be less because the number of persons with those physical characteristics are surely fewer than the twenty million black citizens you are ready to condemn to intergalactic exile†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bell’s concept of â€Å"the permanence of racism† in the U.S. is comprehended by â€Å"the space trade†, and by looking at â€Å"The Space Traders† as an allegory, one is able to understand that American is not about the will of the people but about who has the power and guns. In â€Å"The Space Traders†, there is a direct correlation between the abstract subjects of late twentieth-century racial politics, and Bell’s concept of â€Å"the permanence of racism† in the United States. Bell’s ability to symbolize the characters in â€Å"The Space Traders†, allows his readers to comprehend his belief that racism will always exist in America. In conclusion, it is my belief that a color line will always exist in the U.S. between white and black subjects, and that this country’s political and social structure is centered on the will of the white race.

Ambiguity of Human Love

Ambiguity of Human Love Ambiguity of Human Love Love among human beings has been an elusive concept for as long as humanity itself. In Shirley Jacksons story, The Lottery the mystery of love is invested in the villagers quest to murder anyone from their village in the name of fulfilling a tradition. Surprisingly, even children are ready to forsake the love for their mother if it happens to pick a marked paper. In Raymond Carvers What We Talk about When We Talk about Love, one cannot fail to notice the mystery of love. Two couples, probably in a foreign country, passionately talk about love while enjoying a drink until darkness sets in. Interestingly, the two couples do not have similar time spent in their marriage yet, each couple seems to exhibit a kind of love to each other that is indifference to the time. This paper compares The Lotterys and What We Talk about When We Talk about Loves portrayal of human nature through love and how the authors have used theme, point of view, characterization, plot, and symbolism to achieve the unified effect of their stories. Human Nature about Love in the Two Short Stories The Lottery brings out a strange and mysterious human view of love, especially during the season of celebrating the annual lottery competition. The villagers seem to be in love with each other. This specifically happens at the family level throughout the year until the season for celebrating annual lottery comes, when everyone turns against each other. No one is safe from the villagers quest to murder each year. Around this time, it is harvest time and the village is expecting pumper harvest, yet one of them must die first. It is a tradition that the villagers do not know its origin even though they passionately observe it each year. Mrs. Tessie Hutchison who is this years victim cries that the practice is not fair even as the thirsty villagers, including her husband and children, descend on her with stones for picking a marked paper. Since it is a practice that the reverie so much, they do not question the validity of their actions, except their remembrance to use stones in their execution. No one is safe during this time as anyone, irrespective of gender or age, could become a victim. On this occasion, a young girls love for a fellow girl named Nancy is revealed when she loudly whispers that she hopes it was not her friend. This indicates the kind of feeling that villagers have over the victims of this ritualistic practice, yet they cannot question it. The Lottery uses irony and suspense to bring out how human beings have misconstrued the view of love. While the village initially seems to be unified and expectant of a good harvest, it must perform an annual ritual whose seriousness comes out when Mrs. Tessie Hutchinson cries, It isnt fair, it isnt fair and Mr. Summers calls, all right, folks.Lets finish quickly. The Old Man Warner spices it up when he bellows at every one, come on, come on, everyone. (Jackson 20). An example of daily incidences that compares with the story the Lottery are the regular killings in most of the Arab countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, and Iraq where women who are suspected of having committed adultery are executed in the public, mostly through stoning. The husbands of these women pretend to love them, until their ritualistic desire to kill is aroused in them and decides that their wives are adulterous. For such women, the act may be unfair but that is what fate has decided for them, and there is no escaping the hand of fate. People in those societies, including women, have accepted this practice and only come to sympathize with their fellow women when it becomes apparent that they are going to die. In the What We Talk about When We Talk about Love, the couple, Mel and Terri, has found love in each other although they seem to have enjoyed their first love. For instance, Terris former husband Ed was abusive and tried to poison his wife, yet Terri is honest about that she loved him despite of all that. Ed finally killed himself when he realized that his wife had eloped away with another man. Terris definition of love is not accepted by everyone, but she seems to bring out the most logical explanation of falling in love. On the other hand, Nick, the narrator and Laura are a young couple, only eighteen months in marriage and they share their fantasies about love, while also enjoying a drink. The setting is lovely, as it sets out the theme of love that the two couples are discussing, but it blurs off until darkness sets in with increasing jumbled views of the two couples about love. In this story, people are committed to the extent of contemplating murder in the name of love. For instance Tessies former husband Ed tries to kill Tessie before killing himself. Mel, despite his vast education - he is a cardiologist and, therefore, ought to understand matters of the heart - is ready to kill his former wife with a swarm of bees. The daily experiences of this illustration are the normal cases of suicide, sometimes of highly respected people in the society after their love goes jinxed. Conclusion In conclusion, the two stories lay side by side the mystery of love where people have failed to understand what love is to the extent of wanting to kill in the name of love. In the Lottery, love is not enough to protect someone from the fate of an old traditional practice.

Media in Society and Culture Essay Example

Media in Society and Culture Essay Example Media in Society and Culture Essay Media in Society and Culture Essay What is the role and influence of the media in modern society? How does it contribute to, create, direct or represent that societys culture? Consideration of the role, influence and development of the Media in Society and Culture involves addressing fundamental questions about Culture and Society themselves. The insight of various thinkers into the social and cultural role of the media has been underwritten by presuppositions which are, in turn, informed by points of view on what constitutes society and culture. How do we conceive of a society? Is it an organic whole, more than the sum of its individual members? Do we see society in terms of a number of social groups, organized in terms of class, economic activity, access to and control of forms of power, knowledge and beliefs? How also do we conceive of the concept of Culture? As a set of rituals, practices, beliefs and values which are shared by a whole society? As the expression of the interests and values of particular social groups? Or as a combination of all the individual practices, beliefs and forms of behaviour? Amongst wentieth century sociologists, anthropologists and cultural critics the discussion of the Media has been underwritten by the attempt to answer these questions, principally because of the nature and scope of the mass media itself, its influence as a powerful force for maintaining social cohesion, for constructing or reproducing social consciousness, as a mediator of values and beliefs, and as the major sources of information and means of information control within modern societies. Approaches to the role of the media within twentieth century society have been ominated by one principal approach, the Mass Society approach. Drawing from the 19th century tradition of social and cultural criticism, which includes such figures as J. S. Mill, de Tocqueville, Matthew Arnold and Nietzsche, this tradition views modern society in terms of an abstract, often unspecified definition of society as a whole, within which modern society is viewed as a mass society, divided between elites (economic, cultural, political, intellectual), and the remainder of the mass society. In part this approach can be seen as a response to the perceived decline in ocial standards, moral values and cultural integrity that come about with a mass society. In terms of the Media this tradition of cultural and social analysis has been predominantly pessimistic in tone, viewing the media as a major agent of standardization, alienation and cause of widespread cultural uniformity. Key twentieth century figures within this tradition have included F. R. Leavis and T. S. Eliot, who perceive the Media as a major threat to an established and elite cultural heritage, Civilisation, and purveyors of forms of massiflcation and inferior cultural nd standardization. In America also the tradition has been extremely influential, with Mass Communications research being deployed in order to show how the media was responsible for creating a new society of conformity, alienation, standardization, and declining intellectual and cultural standards, a civilization of game-snows ana soap operas. I ne empnasls wnlcn cnaracterlzes tnls approacn to the media is predominantly moral and psychological, critical and humanist, dependent on a humanist and Universalist perspective. For this tradition the key uestions, as regards the media, are: does the Media lead to the degeneration or the development of culture? Does it promote standards of cultural and intellectual conformity? In what ways can the individual resist the forces which promote psychic alienation, moral mediocrity, and suburban uniformity? Studies such as The Lonely Crowd and The Hidden Persuaders advanced this predominantly critical view of the media within society. The issue of the role of the social role of the media is inextricably connected with issues of Culture, because the media is a major contributor to the cultural forms ithin society. However, this immediately poses the question, what do we mean by culture? Arguments about what Culture is, if it can be defined as any one thing, have been central to the discussion of the role and influence of the media in society. The media are certainly the most influential mediators, representers and purveyors of values, beliefs and social practices within society. They produce our collective identity; they reflect or reproduce our sense of collective national identity, speaking for society as a whole. An alternative viewpoint is to see the media as speaking for only dominant social groups and cultural values. A composite view is the cultural pluralist view, that the media has the task of reflecting or representing the contrasting cultural perspectives and cultures within a society, such as those of ethnic minorities and religious faiths. Arguments about the role of Channel Four are very relevant here. The argument about the cultural role of the media has been dominated by the argument that it is the media which produces popular culture, for a mass udience, as distinct from serious culture for a discriminating audience. The whole area of Popular or Mass Culture is extremely contentious, for the terms are often taken to signify low-brow cultural products, designed for an undemanding and indiscriminating mass audience, who uncritically watch or read for the purposes of escapism, titillation, and confirmation of personal prejudices and wishfulfilment. Certain critics take the argument further, identifying mass culture with working class culture, possible with the accompanying lament that a more uthentic, valuable and various working class folk culture has been lost, to be replaced by a culture of quiz shows and soaps. The advent of new forms of broadcasting, especially cable and satellite television, as with videos, has raised similar issues of cultural mediocrity and pandering to the masses. However, does Popular or Mass culture necessarily implies a decline in cultural standards? Note the medias role in popularizing or introducing High culture to a Mass Audience. Following on from this is the vexed issue of whether or not the media audience is imply passive, uncritically consuming the versions, values and beliefs which the media present as the audiences own? Or is the audience to be regarded, rather, as discriminating, critical, and actively involved in negotiating, retrieving or rejecting the meanings ana values proaucea Dy tne meala? s tne meala alrect, renect or create popular taste and values? Does the media give us the culture we want or the culture we deserve? In constructing answers to these questions we are also constructing answers to wider questions about ideology, social consciousness, and our own beliefs and values.

Racism on the Goldfields essays

Racism on the Goldfields essays For a few short years, from the beginning of the 1850s to the early 60s, thousands of people flocked to Australia. The ships that brought them often swung empty at their moorings as both crews and passengers swarmed inland toward makeshift camps. The lure was gold. With so many immigrants from different countries assembled on the goldfields, it wasn't long until threats to social stability were magnified in the form of racism. One of the main driving forces behind this racism was competition on the goldfields. For example, initial racism centred on gold-seekers from the United States. With their experience gained on the Californian goldfields, the Americans were active and successful in Australia, not only in finding gold but in business too. This created some unease, especially from the British who had claimed Australia as theirs. Foreigners like the Americans were constantly arriving on their land to search for gold at potential places they had not discovered themselves. Subsequently, the British were not happy with these gold-seekers and racism based largely on fear of competition erupted. Originally, most of the racism on the goldfields involved the British's disquiet over the presence of diggers from the United States and other foreigners as they arrived, which had their own concerns about competition. However, this changed when the Chinese arrived. The Chinese, like so many others, came to Australia to dig for gold because there were problems in their own land. Although they only numbered about 1-3% of the Australian population, the racism that resulted towards them was quite intense. The Chinese looked different, they dressed differently and they ate different food from the Europeans. In addition, the Chinese digger living on the goldfields was usually not a 'free' man like the European. Most of the Chinese diggers were hired workers, paying off a debt at home by digging gold for someone else. They didn't get drun...

Website Redesign Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Website Redesign - Assignment Example From this study it is clear that as a professional Information Communication Technologist, the reporter would like to inform you that he needs to redesign the website’s ‘About Us’ and ‘Salon Team’ sections. As part of his responsibility, the reporter would like to urge your office to consider my suggestion to redesign the website so as to make it more appealing to the visitors.This paper discusses that in the author's opinion, might be disastrous for the company. Therefore, he kindly requests you to allow him to redesign these sections by using appropriate and large fonts and spacing, change the coloring and use more clear and conspicuous photos. He also suggests that these sections should be changed because they have a lot of grammar mistakes that if left as they are, can damage the reputation of the company. Therefore, he suggests that all the grammar mistakes should be corrected. Moreover, the sections are so wordy.meg a lot of unnecessary words we re used when it was being designed. For this reason, the reporter proposes that the wording structure need to be corrected. Any unnecessary words should be removed so as to make the website precise, readable, attractive and comprehendible. This, in the reporter's opinion, is the only way through which the website would be eye-catching and appealing to the target audience who is known for loving attractive things.  Ã‚  

Religion and fanaticism in The Kite Runner Essay

Religion and fanaticism in The Kite Runner - Essay Example n is like the biblical David in his childhood, but he takes on a martyr’s ending perhaps to preserve the sainthood the author assigns him (Hosseini 54). These characteristics then set a base for description of some of the celebrated aspects of the Islamic religion. One of the aspects is adherence to love, forgiveness, redemption, and sacrifice to achieve or show honor for the first three mentioned aspects. All these beliefs derive from Allah’s ability to forgive and love even those who out rightly and knowingly transgress against him. Instances where the actions of a character are as a result of religious grounding include Hassan forgiving Amir for the things he did to him. He later on sacrificed his life protecting Amir’s Property while he was hiding from the Taliban in America a clear sign of forgiveness. Courage is also a vital character â€Å"requirement† in the Islamic religion. Some analysts’ confer that, the Islamic religion places women who stay home to protect their families at the same level as men who do not war for the cause of the religion. Amir, the Main character and narrator, lacks courage , and this puts him in an awkward position even with his father (Hosseini 76). Amir’s lack of courage causes him to do awful things. He betrays Hassan’s honor by failing to help him and then cunningly getting rid of him to avoid the guilt. These circumstances lead to the emergence of yet another theme associated with the Islamic faith, redemption. Amir wallows in feelings of guilt from as early as twelve years. Amir, in addition to his cowardice, has not tried to seek redemption. The author explores this theme by relaying that the narrator attributes unfortunate events to punishment. Amir punishes himself in several ways during the course of this book. For instance, he marries a tainted woman because of his personal guilt for his past actions. When Sohrab attempts suicide Amir cries out to Allah let this not be fate! All the while, Amir subtly commits

Qualitative Interface evaluation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Qualitative Interface evaluation - Assignment Example In this regard, some authors have provided guidelines and methods for developing and evaluating graphical user interfaces (GUI) and web designs. Some of the guidelines and methods for evaluating a website are given below: i. Heuristic Evaluation ii. Cognitive Walk-through iii. Pluralistic Walkthrough iv. Summative Evaluation v. Formative Evaluation Apple Web Design Guideline vi. IBM Web Design Guidelines vii. Library of Congress World Wide Web Style viii. Yale Web Style Guide Selection and Justification of Two Methods In this paper, I have evaluated a website having URL: http://www.thorpepark.com/, using two of the above usability methods for evaluating a website. The first method that I have chosen for evaluation of the website is Heuristic Evaluation, developed by Jakob Nielson, it is the most increasingly used method for evaluation and improvement of user interface designs. As per a study on comparison of four techniques of evaluation, the largest number of problems in a website ( more than 50 %) were found by the method of heuristic evaluation, this include most severe as well as least severe. Four to Five (4-5) user interface evaluators (experts) are required, in order to evaluate a website by this method, but as far as this assignment is individual, therefore, the website has only been evaluated by me. The second method that I have chosen in this paper in order to evaluate the said website is Cognitive Walkthrough, a method for identifying and fixing errors that transpire when browsing and searching for information on a website. This method helps defining and evaluating goals, assumptions and tasks in users’ perspective. The cognitive walkthrough focuses on the user’s tasks, user interface design, user’s experience and how fast the user can learn the functions/tasks. Furthermore, this method uses fewer resources in terms of human, equipment and time. I chose both of above methods, for not only the advantages given above but also they a re poles apart from each other and we are expecting to have diverse results. Furthermore, these methods are used to evaluate the accessibility, usability and adaptability of the website, interface evaluation, with both perspectives user’s as well as website and its behavior. The browser that I have used in this paper is the Internet explorer version 9. Furthermore, I have given below the URL of the pages that I have included in this paper for evaluation. Heuristic Evaluation Technique In order to evaluate the website through the heuristic evaluation technique, I have used set of criteria mentioned by Jakob Nielsen heuristic. Sundry aspects of the website were reviewed, violations identified, and severity ratings assigned to the evaluated issues. It is based on a permutation of occurrence, impact, and determination of usability problem. The ratings of the Nielson follow a 0 to 4 scale and map to the following information. 0 = I don’t agree that this is a usability probl em at all 1 = Cosmetic problem only: need not be fixed unless extra time is available on project 2 = Minor usability problem: fixing this should be given low priority 3 = Major usability problem: important to fix, so should be given high priority 4 = Usability catastrophe: imperative to fix this before product can be released Following are the ten (10) set

How does King Louis XIV's History Reflect Through Buildings, Arches, Research Paper

How does King Louis XIV's History Reflect Through Buildings, Arches, and Statues in Paris - Research Paper Example The changes introduced by King Louis XIV in building were to replace the current styles in architecture: ornate rococo dominated in the design of market buildings, hospitals and hotels. He adopted the modern floor plans, and a well planned logic was behind all those changes. The exteriors of buildings were composed of large, regularly shaped blocks, and the walls of buildings were plain, with no architectural extravagancies. The Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture was also established under his rule, and the king took measures to promote the work of art and architecture (Blunt). The Louvre and the palace of Versailles were the projects that were supervised by the king himself. They were considered to be the most glamorous building, and even today the architecture of Paris is largely defined by the period of the Sun King’s rule. The king brought the concept of absolute monarchy in the country, which also reflected in his way of life. In contrast with the aristocratic mindse t, he was fond of making portraits and statues of his own and had a great taste for making arches in Paris. The King reconstructed the Louvre in 1663 and created the Apollo Temples, the name of which resonated with the Louis XVI’s nickname: Appollo means ‘the god of sun,’ and hence his alias ‘the Sun King’ (Blunt). In spite of all the money that was spent on wars and winning those wars, the art under the rule of Louis flourished like it had never flourished before. He sponsored many great architects, artists and sculptures and promoted the French Classicism. Classicism was the style in architecture in which more focus was put on logic and the order of patterns. It focused more on the right use of colors than on adorning the building with painting (Shennan). The king... The research paper attempts to describe and discuss the history of the King of France King Louis XIV and explores his huge impact and interest in buildings, arches, and statues in Paris. This paper mentiones Paris as an architectural pearl due to the styles of buildings and statues that were built according to the old styles, such as French Baroque that is a style in architecture which was evolved under the reign of Louis XIV and then spread out into all the European countries. Classicism that was also analyzed in the paper has dominated in the design of buildings in Paris and was the preferred style in the seventeenth century. The king’s approach to architecture reflected his political clout. The research paper describes how the king recognized the importance of the city as it represented the power of the king. Artistic productivity was one of the defining characteristics of Louis XIV’s reign as he led the country to its cultural greatness through the patronage of the architectural development. Before his reign, Rome was considered as the artistic capital of Europe, but closer to the end of his rule, Paris had became the European centre of art. When concluding the efforts of King Louis, it should be mentioned that he had to demonstrate his power to other countries, which motivated to develop interest in fostering the creation of buildings that are still considered to be the greatest achievement of his reign. These glamorous buildings, arches and statues will remain the center of attraction in Paris for many centuries to come.

Down's Syndrome into a Mainstream Primary Literature review

Down's Syndrome into a Mainstream Primary - Literature review Example Down syndrome accounts for around 5-6% of intellectual retardation, though the mental retardation in children with Down syndrome is mostly mild or moderate. There are some characteristics that make a child with this disorder easily recognizable. Children suffering from Down syndrome or mongolism as it was traditionally referred are known to have a small body stature, protruding tongue, as a result of having a small oral cavity, thick folds in the corners of their eyes and having a low muscle tone. The condition is noticed in a child either during birth or in a prenatal screening. However, the physical conditions in children suffering from this condition differs greatly, with some children with Down syndrome requiring a higher level of medical attention while some just leads a normal life (Down, 1999 p259). Though the Down syndrome condition cannot be treated, health problems related to it can be treated, more so when they are recognized earlier before a child is born and help the chi ld to lead a better life. The condition is related to a delay in the cognitive ability of the child and a slow rate of their physical growth (Beck, 1999 p24). Facial characteristics are the most common of the observable features in a child suffering from Down syndrome. ... bstantial good care, that entails good family support, enrichment therapies and child’s tutoring, children with such a condition can live a better live and advance in their intellectual field to the point of completing high school level or even advancing to post secondary education (Dweck, 1999 p17). This is necessary to make the individuals lead a more normal life, while even indulging in paid employment. Such children suffering from such a disorder are highly prone to some health problems. These include obesity, recurrent ear infections, sleep apnea, and congenital heart defects. Such health problems mostly attack children suffering from the disorder, serving to worsen their lives, if not properly contained at the right stages, since they may lead to complete hearing loss, a lack of sleep and fatal heart diseases. There is therefore a great need to contain the disease, in order to enable the children born with such a disorder to live a better live. This can be afforded throu gh granting the child a suitable care right from their birth, throughout schooling and in their lives after. Thus, the role of a parent and guardian, as well as of other child caretakers and the teachers is a very vital part of the life of a child suffering from this disorder, in making their lives worth living (Wishart, 2001 p64). There are some effective teaching methods that can be implored to integrate a child with Down's syndrome into a mainstream primary school in Ireland. For teachers to apply such effective methods, they need to understand the education needs of such children, learning the severity of such conditions on the child’s cognitive and hearing ability as well as the degree of mental retardation associated with the child (Kingsley & Levitz, 1994 p72). A higher number of

Reading reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Reading reflection - Essay Example According to McLean, ethics and morality is a key ingredient of not only article editing but also the acquisition of information for the same (182). These critical aspects serve to establish and maintain not only the reputation of an individual journalist but also his /her employer. Persuasion of these modalities establishes a strong sense of trust from the audience to the reporter. Newspaper articles readers are aspiring to reading news from credible sources; those made by individual journalists or stations that practice and or embrace workplace ethical codes of conduct. The justification of the conclusion so made draws from the rationale of establishing a strong ethical perspective in journalism work. It is beyond reasonable doubt that any story that is aired live or written as a newspaper article should exhibit high levels of accuracy in factual data; journalist should not merely write stories. Besides, precision is critical for any piece of report; it means directly pinpointing the issue under discussion. Journalists must also establish a balance between justifiable and unjustifiable stories before

How does King Louis XIV's History Reflect Through Buildings, Arches, Research Paper

How does King Louis XIV's History Reflect Through Buildings, Arches, and Statues in Paris - Research Paper Example The changes introduced by King Louis XIV in building were to replace the current styles in architecture: ornate rococo dominated in the design of market buildings, hospitals and hotels. He adopted the modern floor plans, and a well planned logic was behind all those changes. The exteriors of buildings were composed of large, regularly shaped blocks, and the walls of buildings were plain, with no architectural extravagancies. The Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture was also established under his rule, and the king took measures to promote the work of art and architecture (Blunt). The Louvre and the palace of Versailles were the projects that were supervised by the king himself. They were considered to be the most glamorous building, and even today the architecture of Paris is largely defined by the period of the Sun King’s rule. The king brought the concept of absolute monarchy in the country, which also reflected in his way of life. In contrast with the aristocratic mindse t, he was fond of making portraits and statues of his own and had a great taste for making arches in Paris. The King reconstructed the Louvre in 1663 and created the Apollo Temples, the name of which resonated with the Louis XVI’s nickname: Appollo means ‘the god of sun,’ and hence his alias ‘the Sun King’ (Blunt). In spite of all the money that was spent on wars and winning those wars, the art under the rule of Louis flourished like it had never flourished before. He sponsored many great architects, artists and sculptures and promoted the French Classicism. Classicism was the style in architecture in which more focus was put on logic and the order of patterns. It focused more on the right use of colors than on adorning the building with painting (Shennan). The king... The research paper attempts to describe and discuss the history of the King of France King Louis XIV and explores his huge impact and interest in buildings, arches, and statues in Paris. This paper mentiones Paris as an architectural pearl due to the styles of buildings and statues that were built according to the old styles, such as French Baroque that is a style in architecture which was evolved under the reign of Louis XIV and then spread out into all the European countries. Classicism that was also analyzed in the paper has dominated in the design of buildings in Paris and was the preferred style in the seventeenth century. The king’s approach to architecture reflected his political clout. The research paper describes how the king recognized the importance of the city as it represented the power of the king. Artistic productivity was one of the defining characteristics of Louis XIV’s reign as he led the country to its cultural greatness through the patronage of the architectural development. Before his reign, Rome was considered as the artistic capital of Europe, but closer to the end of his rule, Paris had became the European centre of art. When concluding the efforts of King Louis, it should be mentioned that he had to demonstrate his power to other countries, which motivated to develop interest in fostering the creation of buildings that are still considered to be the greatest achievement of his reign. These glamorous buildings, arches and statues will remain the center of attraction in Paris for many centuries to come.

Reading reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Reading reflection - Essay Example According to McLean, ethics and morality is a key ingredient of not only article editing but also the acquisition of information for the same (182). These critical aspects serve to establish and maintain not only the reputation of an individual journalist but also his /her employer. Persuasion of these modalities establishes a strong sense of trust from the audience to the reporter. Newspaper articles readers are aspiring to reading news from credible sources; those made by individual journalists or stations that practice and or embrace workplace ethical codes of conduct. The justification of the conclusion so made draws from the rationale of establishing a strong ethical perspective in journalism work. It is beyond reasonable doubt that any story that is aired live or written as a newspaper article should exhibit high levels of accuracy in factual data; journalist should not merely write stories. Besides, precision is critical for any piece of report; it means directly pinpointing the issue under discussion. Journalists must also establish a balance between justifiable and unjustifiable stories before

Partnership and Limited Liability Partnership Organization Essay Example for Free

Partnership and Limited Liability Partnership Organization Essay Introduction This is a report that shows a comparison between both Partnership and Limited Liability Partnership organization and to advise Mr. Tan on the business organization that is more likely to fit his needs for setting up a new consulting business. For this particular project, our group assumed that Mr. Tan used to be an accountant working for a big accounting firm and is now looking to set up a small accounting consultancy business. 1Process Required to Setup Business Organization Below are the processes to setting up a partnership and a limited liability partnership business organization respectively: 1.1Partnership Firstly, the partners have to fill with the Registrar an application for approval and reservation of partnership name. After the application is being approved, a partnership is required to be registered online via BizFile with ACRA through a professional business registration firm if both of the partners are not local citizen. The partnership must have at least two partners for registration. Following are the information needed: 1) Proposed name of the Partnership 2) Particulars of the partners/managers (foreign passport or Singapore ID) 3) Residential address of the partners/managers 4) Consent to Act as Manager and Statement of Non Disqualification to Act as Manager 5) If partner is a company: Registration details of the company 6) Singaporean or PR must pay Medisave 7) Declaration of compliance ACRA will then send an email of notification confirming the registration. A  business profile containing the registration details can be obtained as a softcopy via email from ACRA upon successful registration. Softcopies are usually sufficient to all purposes in Singapore. (enterAsia Information Services Pte Ltd, 2010) 1.2Limited Liability Partnership Firstly, the partners have to fill with the Registrar an application for approval and reservation of LLP name. After the application is being approved, an LLP is required to be registered online via BizFile with ACRA through a professional business registration. Following are the information needed: 1) Proposed name of the Limited Liability Partnership 2) Particulars of the LLP partners/managers (foreign passport or Singapore ID) 3) Residential address of the LLP partners/managers 4) Consent to Act as Manager and Statement of Non Disqualification to Act as Manager 5) If partner is a company: Registration details of the company 6) Declaration of compliance ACRA will then send an email of notification confirming the Singapore LLP registration. A business profile containing the registration details can be obtained as a softcopy via email from ACRA upon successful registration of the LLP. Softcopies are usually sufficient to all purposes in Singapore. (enterAsia Information Services Pte Ltd, 2010) 2Legal Characteristics of Each of the Business Organizations 2.1The Characteristics of Partnership (ASSAR, 2011) Two or more persons: Partnership involves business by a group of persons. There must be at least two persons to bring partnership into existence. Although there is no maximum number required in the Partnership Act, the Companies Act has placed a maximum limit 20 people in a business. A company must be registered if there are more than 20 people in the business. Contractual Relation: A partnership is a contractual relationship arising out of an agreement among the partners, a person does not become a partner out of his status as is the case in joint family. Persons entering in partnership must be competent to enter into a contract as it is essential, and the agreement among partners may be oral or in writing. A written agreement or deed is preferred because it helps in resolving some disputes among partners later on. Lawful Business: A partnership agreement only exists in a lawful business. Sharing of profits: An agreement among partners must include the sharing of profits and losses. A charitable trust cannot be called partnership because there is no sharing of profits. Profit sharing is only a superficial evidence of partnership but not a conclusive proof. The employees of a business may also share profits but they are not the partners. No Separate Legal Existence: A partnership firm is not a legal entity of its own. This means that the firm and the partners are one and the same. A firm is only a name to the collective name of partners and no firm can exist without partners. The rights and liabilities of the partners are the rights and liabilities of the firm. Management of the firm vests in partners who are its owners also. Unlimited Liability: Every individual partner is liable jointly and severally for the obligations of the partnership firm. Therefore, if assets of the business are not sufficient to meet the liabilities of creditors then private property of partners can be used to meet them. The creditors can claim their dues from anyone or all the partners. If these liabilities are met by one partner then he is entitled to receive rateable contributions from other partners. Restriction on Transfer of Shares: No partner can transfer his shares to an outsider without the unanimous consent of all other partners. It is based on the principle that a partner being an agent of the firm cannot delegate his authority unilaterally to outsiders. Utmost Good Faith: The very basis of partnership business is good faith and mutual trust. Each and every partner should act honestly and fairly in the conduct of business. A firm cannot be run if there is suspicion among partners. Partners must have faith in each other for running the business smoothly. 2.2The Characteristics of Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) A limited liability partnership is a business structures that operates similar to a partnership organizational structure. The difference is the limited personal liability afforded to each member of the company. Each partner is responsible for their own actions while conducting business. LLPs are tailored for professionals, such as doctors, lawyers and accountants. (Howell, 2012) Every Partner Equal: Each partner is an equal member in a LLP company. They decide together on various company issues, such as the name of the business, where it is located and how it is going to be operated. Partners also share equally in the profits and losses of the business. The number of people in LLP must not exceed 20. Limited Liability Protection: Each partner in this type of company is protected against the actions of the other partners which results in a lawsuit. For example, if one partner is subject of a malpractice claim and loses in court and have to pay damages, the other partners are not held financially responsible. However, partners in a LLP are liable for the obligations of the company such as loans used to purchase equipment and utility expenses. Pass Through Taxation of Profits: A limited liability partnership company is taxed similar to a business formed under the partnership and sole proprietorship organizational structures by a process called pass-through taxation. The company profits are not taxed at the company level but instead  are passed through to the partners to be reported on their individual tax returns. This prevents the double taxation that occurs in corporations where profits are taxed at the company and shareholder levels. 3Advantages and Disadvantages of Partnership and LLP 3.1Partnership Advantages of Partnership 1. Capital: Due to the nature of the business, the partners would contribute their share of capital to start up the business. Hence, the more partners there are, the higher the amount they could put into the business. This would give the partners better flexibility and greater potential for growth. It also means more potential profit, which would be equally shared between the partners. 2. Flexibility: It is generally easier to form, manage and run a Partnership. There are fewer restrictions in a partnership than in companies, in terms of the laws governing the formation. As the partners have the only say in the way the business is run without the interference of shareholders, they are far more flexible in terms of management, as long as all the partners can agree. 3. Shared Responsibility: Partners would be able to share the responsibility of the running of the business. This would allow the partners to make the most of their abilities and potential. Instead of dividing the management and taking equal shares of each business tasks, they would be able to divide the work according to their skills. Thus, if one partner is good with figures, they could deal with the book keeping and accounts, while the other partners might have different niche areas and specialize in different tasks. 4. Decision Making: Partners share the decision making and can help each other out when needed. With more partners means more brainstorming could be in place and the information they came out with could be picked out for  business ideas and for the solving of problems that the business may encounter. (Adrain, 2010) Disadvantages of Partnership 1. Disagreements: One of the most common disadvantages of partnership is the possibility of disagreements between the partners. People often have mixed ideas on how the business should be run, the task arrangements and are picky about what the best interests of the business are. All these might lead to arguments which might not only endanger the business, but also the relationship of those involved. That is why it is always preferred to draft a deed of partnership during the formation period to ensure that all partners are aware of what are in place in case of disputes and prepare for the procedures if a partnership is dissolved. 2. Agreement: As the partnership is jointly run, it is crucial that all the partners agree with decisions that are being made. This means that in some situations there is less freedom with regards to the management of the business. This is especially so compared to sole traders, where the sole trader need not seek agreement from anyone but himself. 3. Liability: Ordinary Partnerships are subject to unlimited liability, which means that each of the partners shares the liability and financial risks of the business equally. This might put of the idea of partnership for some people, as they might not want to take the risk. 4. Profit sharing: As partners share the profits equally, it can lead to inconsistency where one or more partners are not contributing a fair share of effort into the running or management of the business, but still reaping equal rewards. 3.2Limited Liability Partnership Advantages of Limited Liability Partnership (Janus Corporate Solutions, 2008) 1. Separate Legal Identity: A limited liability partnership has a separate legal identity. They can own properties, at the same time they can  enter into contracts, and sue or be sued in its’ own name. 2. Limited personal liability: The partners of the limited liability partnership will not be held personally liable for any business debts incurred by the limited liability partnership or the wrongful acts of their partners. A partner may, however, be held personally liable for claims from losses resulting from his own misconducts or omission. 3. Perpetual succession: Any changes in the limited liability partnership (e.g. resignation or death of its partners) do not affect its existence, rights or liabilities. 4. Ease of compliance: Compliance requirements are more complex than sole proprietorship but simpler than a private limited company. Disadvantages of Limited Liability Partnership (Janus Corporate Solutions, 2008) 1. Formation of limited liability partnership requires a minimum number of 2 partners at all times. 2. Individual partners can commit the partnership to formal business agreements without the consent of their partners. 3. Limited liability partnership lacks the ease of ownership transfer and investment that a company structure provides. 4. There are no corporate tax benefits: Tax exemptions are available to private limited companies but are not available to limited liability partnerships. A limited liability partnership is treated as tax transparent which means that limited liability partnerships are not taxed as an entity. Instead each partner is taxed on their share of the profits as per the personal income tax rates. 4Analysis on Choosing the Business Organization Since Mr. Tan is setting up a business for accountancy consulting, he should  opt for a Limited Liability Partnership organization instead of a Partnership. Mr. Tan is currently new to the business world, and might not have found a partner he could fully trust yet; therefore it is also to his advantage if his partner were to act wrongfully or if there is a change in partners, since in LLPs, partners are not liable for losses to outsiders arising from acts of another partner as compared to an unlimited liability if he were to go into a Partnership. In addition, the LLP is also not subject to full financial reporting and disclosure requirements, such as those on capital contributions and changes to capital (ACRA, 2005). This is an advantage to Mr. Tan’s business. Since the business is small, minor changes to capital will not have to be subjected to full reporting and disclosure. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, LLPs are tailored for accountants. With that, our group is certain that Limited Liability Partnership Organization will meet the needs of Mr. Tan’s new consultancy business. Bibliography ACRA. (2005, May). Retrieved February 5, 2012, from ACRA Legal Digest Issue 8: http://www.acra.gov.sg/NR/rdonlyres/4B52C6B6-E89B-4DC3-A72C-A9C4BC62AAAB/10278/ACRA_LDI_08.pdf Adrain. (2010). The company warehouse. Retrieved 2012, from The company warehouse: http://blog.thecompanywarehouse.co.uk/2010/03/01/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-partnership/ ASSAR, R. (2011). Publish Your Articles. Retrieved February 2012, 6, from PublishYourArticles.org: http://www.publishyourarticles.org/knowledge-hub/business-studies/what-are-th e-characteristics-of-partnership.html enterAsia Information Services Pte Ltd. (2010). entersingaporebusiness. Retrieved Feb 05, 2012, from LTD Singapore: Setting up a limited liability partnership (LLP) in Singapore: http://www.entersingaporebusiness.info/limited-liability-partnership.php enterAsia Information Services Pte Ltd. (2010). How to set up a partnership in Singapore. Retrieved Feb 05, 2012, from entersingaporebusiness: http://www.entersingaporebusiness.info/partnership.php Howell, R. (2012). Hearst Communications Inc. Retrieved February 6, 2012, from Hearst Communications Inc.: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/characteristics-limited-liability-partnership-3729.html Janus Corporate Solutions. (2008). Singapore Limited Liability (LLP) Registration. Retrieved February 4, 2012, from guidemesingapore: http://www.guidemesingapore.com/incorporation/other/singapore-llp-registration-guide

Management Systems in a Call Centre

Management Systems in a Call Centre ABSTRACT: Call centers are most common mean by which the Organizations can reach out to their customers and this explains their rapid growth. Many projects have been focused on call centers in order to explain their management and performance from different perspective. In this project, I have attempted to identify the two main perspectives and to explore the effective use of performance management systems found in a call centre to improve the performance of a call agents. This project was conducted in a sit-up ltd based in west Acton London, while I was working as a contact centre 1st line manager and as a customer services Team leader,. The project involved semi-structured interviews with thirty call agents and three IT employees. The analysis of the data was based on the management techniques and performance of a call centre agents on daily basis . Information systems present were standard and up to date which could also be found in any call centre and the working condition is a common issu e found in most literature. Hence the highlight of this project is on the fact that there is still the need for human interaction with information systems. We have focused on that issue that The people aspect of the call centre is been ignored, hence organizations are producing burnt out employees which in long terms could have a diverse effect on the organization despite the implementation of up to date and functional information systems. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Firstly, I want to express my profound gratitude to the one and only Almighty God Who in His infinite mercies blessed me with this opportunity of undergoing learning at work partnership programme , M.A Computer and Business studies. Thank you all for your guidance throughout the academic year. Words are not enough to express my feelings . I want to specially thank and dedicate this project to my parents.. I want to thank Dr. Howard cowte, who taught me to believe in myself and in my work because he never let me off with a poor argument. Thank you again. Finally, I want to thank all my friends for their words of encouragement, support and friendship. Specially when I was going through hard times with my health. The CALL CENTRES. INTRODUCTION: dynaTrace is the innovator and emerging leader in application performance management (APM). The company offers the only continuous APM system on the market one that can monitor all transactions at all times and one that is used by all key contributors to application performance architects, development, test and production. Industry leaders such as UBS, Salesforce.com, Renault, EnerNOC, Fidelity, and Thomson Reuters use dynaTraces patent pending technology to gain deep visibility into application performance, identify problems sooner and reduce the mean time to repair issues by 90%. Leading companies rely on dynaTrace to proactively prevent performance problems from happening and quickly resolve those that do occur saving time, money and resources. Call centers are part of out daily life today as ATMs, self-service supermarkets and internet shopping (ebay). All of which are new age service delivery systems that the customer at large has had to accept and live with (Mahesh and Kasturi, 2006). Call centres are being used by many organizations in a wider contexts, hence the variations in their operations range from strategic purpose to the nature of technology used and finally to management style and priorities (Taylor and Bain, 2001). According to Calvert (2001), he observed that based on the several researches done on call centres, about 95% of call centres are reported to supply information to customers and about 74% process complaints. Hence it can be concluded that the 3 main drivers for call centres indentified are Improve customer services to retain their clients base. Gain new customers and after sales service. Reduce cost as compare to face to face clients and also to improve efficiency. A call centre in general, is regarded as an interface between customers and an organizations system (Information Systems and performance systems), in order to complete a well specified transaction such as generate sales; provide solutions to existing clients or advice on quite complex and technical issues like broadband support for their internet clients . Over the years, the advancement of IT, product and process knowledge as well as customer information are set into the system which has helped to reduce cost of training. This has therefore ensured core-service modules to be standardized; customized and at the same time has enabled the front line staff or call agents to concentrate on the customer and their interaction (Frenkel et al, 1998). Therefore, the purpose of this project is to explore the work environment of the call agent with respect to performance management systems, customer services and information systems. Highlighting the challenges they are constantly faced with, wh en executing their duties. Project was done while observing the performance and management in many departments of sit-up ltd, RESEARCH FOCUS This project was focused to explore the effective use of performance management systems in a call centre of sit-up ltd. The main questions this project seeks to investigate are daily tasks and targets: What are the working conditions in todays call centres and the call agents are subjected to? How do performance management systems affect the call centre working environment from the call agents? perspective? How does the work environment affect the agent emotionally? THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES. The main aims and objectives for this project include: Identify the state-of-the-art performance management system in the call centre used in the organisation under study. This would enable us to understand the level of advancement of information systems in the organisation. Investigate the use of performance management systems in a call centre. Explore and determine the extent to how performance management system affects the working conditions of the call agent both in terms of the peroformance and improvements . In highlighting the issues and challenges the call agents encounter, it would provide an insight of the job description of a call agent from the call agents? perspective. This project also intends to bring more awareness to management regarding the issues and challenges the call agents are constantly faced with. A good knowledge of this would enable them effectively identify and address any form of resistance that may arise from the call agents. This could be done by offering adequate training and support in the use of the performance management systems. As well as improving communication with the call agents which could affect the work environment, making it more conducive. This in turn enhances better performance from the call agents and also for the management to reduce cost in hiring new agents on the floor and continuous monitoring from management and HR point of view. RESEARCH APPROACH. This project was based on learning at work method where many employees were observed and different management techniques were applied in order to improve their daily performance. This approach was found appropriate because it is concerned with understanding performance management systems from the social context, the social processes by which it was developed and construed by people and finally how it influences and is influenced by its social settings. Many employees were interviewed while generating data and statistics as call centres always have high level of absences and sicknesses. This was an easy approach to obtain information from number of employees and departments. Answers to complex questions and sensitive information which the respondents might be reluctant to give. Project Summary. This project is structured into many chapters in order to spread the information in easy and understandable way as outlined below: Call Centre This chapter is an introduction of the project highlighting the research area with a presentation of the aims and objectives of the research. Literature Review This chapter is a critical review of existing literature on call centre. It also discusses different theories and perspectives relating to the call centre. It also discusses the use of performance management systems within the context of this project. Theory and Research Methodology This chapter discusses the theory chosen for the analysis of the case, research approach and the rationale behind the methods chosen for this research. It also highlighted the research design. Project findings This chapter presents the case study, the findings from the semi-structured interviews conducted in the organization using the chosen theory as the conceptual lens for the discussion. Conclusion This chapter is an evaluation of the research findings with a reflection on its implications for practice. It also suggests some recommendations for future research. SUMMARY. This chapter has provided an introduction of call centre, identifying the focus area. It also stated the aims and objectives of this project as well as the research approach. It also presented a brief outline of the structure of the project. LITERATURE REVIEW. INTRODUCTION This chapter presents a critical review of existing literature on call centres. It discusses different theories and perspectives found in literature. This chapter also discusses the different uses of management techniques in a call centre in terms of management and the call agents. CALL CENTRES Call centre operations have become a norm in all sectors of the economy such as retailing, telecommunication, the entertainment industry (Taylor et al, 2002). They are a rapidly growing channel for service and sales delivery particularly in the financial service and telecommunication industry. These centres enable retail customers to transact business by telephone either using programmed information technology such as automatic voice response systems or through employees manipulating software to assist in answering queries resolving problems or selling products (Frenkel et al, 1998). Hence, growing number of organizations use call centres as a means of communicating with their customers directly (De Ruyter and Wetzels, 2000); managing customer complaints and maintaining customer loyalty (Pontes and O?Brien, 2000). However, despite the rapid emergence of technological innovations that have been developed to change and enhance the business processes in organisations, the call centre is still basically defined by the integration of the telephone and computer technologies (Taylor and Bain, 1999). In more details, the definition of a call centre is a dedicated operation in which computer utilizing employees receive inbound or make outbound telephone calls. These calls made or received are controlled by an Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) or a predictive dialling system. In other words, a call centre is therefore characterized by the integration of the telephone and Voice Response Units (VDU) technologies using recorded messages; Inter-active Voice Recognition (IVR) which enables customers interact with the information systems via telephone keys and speech recognition systems which enables a two-way communication between the computer and the customer using synthetic speech messages (Schalk and Van Rijckevorsel, 2007). A key feature of the call centre labour process is the integration of the telephone and the VDU technologies. Central to inbound operations is the ACD system which receives the incoming calls and automatically channels them to the available agents according to programmed instructions hence removing the need for the switchboard operators. In the case where there is no available agent to receive the call, the calls are stacked and distributed in sequence as the agents become available. Although the system can only stack a certain number of calls after which it automatically drops the calls. The agents take the calls automatically through the headset and their main assignment is to resolve the basic problems of a customer. On the other hand, for the outbound operations, it is largely based on telesales or telemarketing. The predictive dialling system works its way through the databases of their customer phone numbers and as programmed automatically dials the number of the customer as selected by the agent. At this point all the information of the customer is retrieved and displayed on the screen so as enable the agent have well info rmed communication. Their main job function is selling and advertising a particular product or service (Fernie and Metcalf, 1997). The common and defining call centre labour process is the ability for the operators to scan and interpret information on the VDU screens, manipulate their keyboards, retrieve data and at the same time communicate with the customer. Therefore, it is the integration of the telephone and computer technologies which both structures the labour process. This process also generates extreme levels of surveillance, monitoring and speed up which are manifest in a call centre. Recent technological developments are sought to minimize the wasteful manual operations and maximize the real time agents spend with customers hence this both speeds up and intensifies the work as the time gaps between calls are progressively reduced (Schalk and Van Rijckevorsel, 2007). In the author?s opinion, despite all these advancements in technologies, there is still the aspect of the h uman interaction. Employees? performance data as an instance which is either electronically displayed or in hard prints still requires human interpretation. Managers and team leaders based on the results can then take appropriate actions such as discipline or coach an underperforming agent. Hence it can be said that a call centre is a combination of technology driven measurements and human supervisors to interpret these results. CALL CENTRES AND THEORIES. In literature, there are two main theories seen to be dominant in the discussion of call centres: Foucauldian electronic panopticon which has been based on the labour process theory (Fernie and Metcalf, 1997). This is based on the preoccupation of an individual?s subjectivity which has masked the importance of a collective, trade unions organization which is a more developed form of resistance. This attempts to provide insight into the complexity of work organization and the way it is experienced by the call agents. Emotional labour which is based on the emotional labour theory (Hochschild, 1983). This requires an individual to induce or suppress their feelings in order to sustain the outward countenance that produces the proper state of mind in others. This provides insight and better understanding of how call agents in most cases have to define their outer expression so as to smile down the phone. These two theories further are explained in the chapter three. PERSPECIVES OF CALL CENTRES Literature has generally presented two distinct perspectives of call centres. First of all, there is the perspective presented by publicists who have portrayed exciting images of a call centre. It portrays a high level of co-operative teamwork among the employees, the call agents? work under very relaxed conditions and very professional in their interactions with their customers. The agents are said to smile down the phone after conversing with each customer (Taylor and Bain, 1999). However, there is the other perspective presented by Fernie and Metcalf (1998) that portrays the call centre based on the Bentham?s panopticon. It emphasizes the constraining nature of work setting described as the electronic sweatshop or panoptical wired cage (Frenkel, 1998). Based on this view, employees are connected to information technology that automatically allocates work, facilitates its completion and monitors employee performance. In other words, work is conducted in relative isolation from other colleagues but under the constant gaze of management who are responsible for structuring and interpreting the electronic information. Work can therefore be regarded as deskilled and monotonous. They claim that the constant surveillance of the supervisors on the agents has enabled them have total control over the agents which eliminates any form of resistance from the call agents. Hence call centres have been referred to as dark satanic mills or new sweatshops. However, it is worth noting that their perspective was not based from a range of studies carried out on call centres but rather it was primarily based on payment systems of which they studied a call centre. CALL CENTRES AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS One main indication of call centres is in most cases defined in terms of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) they make use of rather than by any specific outputs they create (Frenkel et al, 1998; Taylor and Bain, 1999). Systems such as the Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) that places inbound calls in a queue and allocates them to the agents, speech recognition systems as well as screen capture are example of systems found in a call centre. But information systems has also increased the control and surveillance of calls (which could either be inbound or outbound), the agent that?s handles the call and virtually every activity they perform on real time basis (Robinson and Clive, 2006). Hence it is argued that technology found in call centres constitutes a version of technical control. According to Callaghan and Thompson (2001), technology tends to control speed through ensuring that call agents are aware of queue numbers and average waiting times. In such instances, managerial control is seen to be evident through the use of such technologies and could at the same time produce employee resistance. However, ICT has the potential to create skilled and enabled workforce (Fernie et al, 1998, and Kinnie et al, 2000). In such a situation, the improved employee independence may be resulted through the creation of alternative socio-technical systems within the call centre. This could be exhibited with self-managed work teams who have the tendency to produce more customized outputs when the dynamics of empowerment displaces the reality of control (Batt and Moynihan, 2004). This can be regarded as another concept of the call centre which is referred to as the semi-professional empowered worker (Winslow and Bramer, 1994). In this setting work is increasingly customized to the needs of the customer. The agent uses IT to seamlessly identify and render service to the customer and appropriate software assists in on-the-job learning thereby improving the agent ?s knowledge and skills. Based on the labour process, systems implemented in the call centre are based on the expected result. According to Edward (1979) cited in Russell (2007), who first classified ICT as technological control, in agreement to this Callaghan and Thompson (2001), also argue the fact that management deliberately choose a technology that is designed in such a way as to limit the worker?s independence, hence are almost seen as part of the machine (technology) which continuously directs calls at them. This was represented in the expression of Taylor and Bain (1999) stating „the assembly line in the head?, where technology supports the formulation of specific targets of which workers are held accountable for (Taylor and Bain, 2001). Another aspect of technologies in a call centre is the organizational culture or behaviour. This is an attempt in understanding how new technologies affect the (re)organization of work. Barleys (1990), emphasized the need for researche rs to focus more on how new technologies are incorporated into the everyday working lives of the organizational members. His argument was that a particular system could have different effects in various departments or jobs. This draws attention to the organizational theory which is based on the behaviour of users when a new technology is implemented focusing on how they establish patterns to either conform or deviate from the intentions of the designers (Russell, 2007). This aspect is outside the scope of this dissertation. Technology can therefore be regarded as a solution that bridges the sales and marketing functions to improve targeting efforts. In other cases, it can be viewed as a tool that is specifically for a one-to one customer interaction which is regarded as the sole responsibility of the sales/service; call centres or marketing departments (Peppers, 2000). But on the overall, it should neither be regarded as just a mere technology nor application but rather a cross-func tional , customer-driven, technology-integration business process management strategy that aims at increasing and maximising relationships which also encompasses the entire organisation. This is often referred to as Customer Relation Management (CRM) (Goldenberg, 2000). Literature has shown that CRM is based on the interaction of: People: this refers to the people working with the system and are regarded as the building block for customer relationship, Business process: this defines the overall business goal of the organisation Technology: this is an enabler for achieving remarkable improvement in the performance of the organisation (Chen and Popovich, 2003). These interactions are represented in the diagram below Diagram 2.1 The CRM Model (Chen and Popovich, 2003). CALL CENTRE AND MANAGEMENT In general, academic literatures on call centre have focused on employment, relationship and the labour process. A significant number of these literatures have focused largely on managerial perspective in terms of operations and performance. Call centres are people intensive operations and the management of the frontline employees otherwise referred to as the call agents has been identified as one of the biggest challenges for call centre managers (Houlihan, 2002). Call centres potentially contribute to customer satisfaction and retention but most organizations still fail to exploit full strategic value out of their call centre operations (Mahesh and kasturi, 2006). Traditionally service management models recommend that Organisations focus on three areas which include: Defining a service strategy Ensuring the service delivery systems are user friendly Managing for customer- oriented people especially on the frontline (Gilson and khandelwal, 2005). These models further argue that it is important for the components strategy, operations and people are all compatible but most literature show an indication of incompatibility. CHALLENGES OF MANAGERS/SUPERVISORS IN A CALL CENTRE Managers are faced with a number of challenges of which the most common and prevalent ones include: The conflict of quality versus quantity: In call centres, this conflict is at the core of many other related problems (Frenkel et al, 1998; Callaghan and Thompson 2002 dean, 2002). Measurement of both quantity and quality in most cases is based on performance. Research has shown that although management values quality, they tend to focus more on measurement and statistics which is as a result of the large amount of information provided to them. Information provided to them such as the number of calls per agent; the percentage of calls answered within a specified time frame; the average speed calls are answered, hence the shift of attention to quantity (Robinson and Clive, 2006). This has attributed to the high reliance on information systems to govern the pace of work in the call centre, provide the means to access the work of the call agents as well as monitor them. Information system can therefore be said to have shaped the social and organizational structure of the call centre (C alloghan and Thompson, 2001). But the negative consequence of this especially on the call agents include exhaustion, stress which should be of great concern to management. Organizations stress the need for customer satisfaction and have an overall strategic intent to acquire and retain their customers through high quality interfaces or interaction. But it has been observed that the aspect of quality in some case is given low priority than the efficiency of processing customer interactions (number of calls) at call centres (Mahesh and kasturi, 2006). Mahesh (1995) commented on the tendency of most organizations to move from high labour intensity and customization position of professional services to standardization and low labour intensity service. The origin of such problems could be traced back to the genesis of call centres and the reason for their rapid growth which is to reduce cost and increase efficiencies. The conflict of Control versus Empowerment: this is another common conflict observed in the call centre. According to Houlihan (2002), the orthodox design of the call centre is rooted in a control paradigm. Early literature on call centres abound with keywords such as blue-collar work; taylorism; battery farming; mental assembly line; worker resistance control and emotional labour (Fernie and Metcalf, 1997; knights and McCabe, 1998). Recent literature on the other hand has indicated the need for empowerment in service, but organisations specifically in the call centre still ignore this despite the fact that studies have indicated positive outcomes from increased empowerment. Empirical data also shows that call agents perceive themselves as less empowered than other workers in traditional office environment (Holdsworth and Cartwright, 2003). Thus the control paradigm of call centres seems to extend to the area of job design as well. Researchers also argue that the frontline agents pla y a critical role in service delivery in which their skills, knowledge motivation and loyalty are important factors to be managed by the organization (Sergeant and Frenkel, 2000). But the mass production model used at many call centres for operational efficiency assumes that jobs can be designed to be turn-over proof with workers as replaceable parts (Batt and Moynihan, 2002). Hence Wallace et al, 2000 labelled this as sacrificial HR strategy. Other common problems management is faced with in the call centre according to Taylor and Bain (1999) include: High rates of absence due to sickness High labour turnover Problem with motivating and keeping the employees committed to their jobs Lack of promotion opportunities especially in flat organisational structures. Loss of staff following investments in training. CALL AGENTS AND JOB STRUCTURE The general basic idea of a call centre operator or call agent is any worker with a telephone and a computer. This has led organisations in an attempt to differentiate their operations and services, come up with names such as Customer Service Centre or Customer Satisfaction. Various literatures have shown that agents usually work in large, open-plan offices seated in cubicles that are divided shoulder-high partitions. They are wired or connected to an integrated telephone and a computer system when they put on their headphones. In the researcher?s opinion, the job function of a call agent is basically to: Provide customers with detailed product and procedures involved Process customer transactions Attend to customer queries in an approachable, accurate and timely manner. Deliver standard service at all times to customer when interacting with them which is usually in accordance to specified service standards (scripts). In a call centre, the use of scripts either in the form of typewritten prompt or on screen template is an attempt to structure the speech of workers into a series of predictable and regulated routine queries and responses (Taylor and Bain, 1999). This could be regarded as another distinct feature of the call centre in terms of Communication between an agent and a customer. The call agents are expected to read and enter data into the computer system that is networked within the organization while interacting with the customer. This enables any other employee to easily access and retrieves the customer?s profile as well as their record history. Other expectations of call agents in relation to their work include: The call agent is expected to acquire and use lower-order and higher-order contextual knowledge in accomplishing their task (Deery et al, 2002). The lower-order contextual knowledge is knowledge about the company information; specific products; procedures; software practices an d people which may be in other departments on whom the call agents depend on for updated information as well as solution for more complex problems of the customer. While the higher- order is basically a deeper understanding of the lower, although this is not acquired during training but rather it is as a result of experience. Agents with such knowledge are seen to be more confident when dealing with the customers. But it should be noted that most of the knowledge required by the agents is embedded as information either as hard copy reference manuals or available online. The call agent is expected to display some skills when executing their duties. These skills include the computer skills which have to do with inputting data; word processing and navigating through several systems. The other skill is the social skill which is used mainly when relating to customers and other staff. A lot of attention is paid to the latter skill than the former because the social skill involves the abil ity to remain calm under pressure especially when faced with a continuous stream of customer calls; positive and tactful attitude when executing their duties as well as not getting personally engaged which protects them from customer abuse (Kinnie et al, 2000). In general, the call agent has to be systematic; creative and know who to depend on for more complex customer queries. Call centre jobs are highly specialized and simplified, thus there is a high level of division of labour which has its advantages. But there are also disadvantages such as low task variety (monotony of work), low task complexity, low utilization of educational qualification which are most times overlooked. Call agents are known to have no influence or control over their work in terms of the pace of their work (duration of calls, how many calls they receive) and also the planning and organisation of their work. These disadvantages are some of the factors that lead to depression among call agents and monotony o f their work is one of the most frequent reasons call agents quit their jobs (Deery et al, 2002). SUMMARY This chapter has defined discussed what a call centre is and highlighted the different perspectives of call centres found in literature. It identified the theories on which the analysis of this dissertation is based on, although it is further explained in the next chapter. It also discussed the call centre from different points of views such as technology which mentioned the fact that it still requires human interaction for any organisation to achieve its maximum potential, management who determine the work pace of the call centre. Although highlighting the challenges they are faced with, it also identified areas where they need to place more attention (i.e. control vs. empowerment). Lastly it discussed the general idea of call agents? job descriptions. This has served as a background to further explore in this research the working conditions of the call centre and determine the effect of information systems on their jobs. THEORY AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY INTRODUCTION This chapter discusses the research approach adopted for this research based on the chosen theory. It also highlights the research methodolo Management Systems in a Call Centre Management Systems in a Call Centre ABSTRACT: Call centers are most common mean by which the Organizations can reach out to their customers and this explains their rapid growth. Many projects have been focused on call centers in order to explain their management and performance from different perspective. In this project, I have attempted to identify the two main perspectives and to explore the effective use of performance management systems found in a call centre to improve the performance of a call agents. This project was conducted in a sit-up ltd based in west Acton London, while I was working as a contact centre 1st line manager and as a customer services Team leader,. The project involved semi-structured interviews with thirty call agents and three IT employees. The analysis of the data was based on the management techniques and performance of a call centre agents on daily basis . Information systems present were standard and up to date which could also be found in any call centre and the working condition is a common issu e found in most literature. Hence the highlight of this project is on the fact that there is still the need for human interaction with information systems. We have focused on that issue that The people aspect of the call centre is been ignored, hence organizations are producing burnt out employees which in long terms could have a diverse effect on the organization despite the implementation of up to date and functional information systems. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Firstly, I want to express my profound gratitude to the one and only Almighty God Who in His infinite mercies blessed me with this opportunity of undergoing learning at work partnership programme , M.A Computer and Business studies. Thank you all for your guidance throughout the academic year. Words are not enough to express my feelings . I want to specially thank and dedicate this project to my parents.. I want to thank Dr. Howard cowte, who taught me to believe in myself and in my work because he never let me off with a poor argument. Thank you again. Finally, I want to thank all my friends for their words of encouragement, support and friendship. Specially when I was going through hard times with my health. The CALL CENTRES. INTRODUCTION: dynaTrace is the innovator and emerging leader in application performance management (APM). The company offers the only continuous APM system on the market one that can monitor all transactions at all times and one that is used by all key contributors to application performance architects, development, test and production. Industry leaders such as UBS, Salesforce.com, Renault, EnerNOC, Fidelity, and Thomson Reuters use dynaTraces patent pending technology to gain deep visibility into application performance, identify problems sooner and reduce the mean time to repair issues by 90%. Leading companies rely on dynaTrace to proactively prevent performance problems from happening and quickly resolve those that do occur saving time, money and resources. Call centers are part of out daily life today as ATMs, self-service supermarkets and internet shopping (ebay). All of which are new age service delivery systems that the customer at large has had to accept and live with (Mahesh and Kasturi, 2006). Call centres are being used by many organizations in a wider contexts, hence the variations in their operations range from strategic purpose to the nature of technology used and finally to management style and priorities (Taylor and Bain, 2001). According to Calvert (2001), he observed that based on the several researches done on call centres, about 95% of call centres are reported to supply information to customers and about 74% process complaints. Hence it can be concluded that the 3 main drivers for call centres indentified are Improve customer services to retain their clients base. Gain new customers and after sales service. Reduce cost as compare to face to face clients and also to improve efficiency. A call centre in general, is regarded as an interface between customers and an organizations system (Information Systems and performance systems), in order to complete a well specified transaction such as generate sales; provide solutions to existing clients or advice on quite complex and technical issues like broadband support for their internet clients . Over the years, the advancement of IT, product and process knowledge as well as customer information are set into the system which has helped to reduce cost of training. This has therefore ensured core-service modules to be standardized; customized and at the same time has enabled the front line staff or call agents to concentrate on the customer and their interaction (Frenkel et al, 1998). Therefore, the purpose of this project is to explore the work environment of the call agent with respect to performance management systems, customer services and information systems. Highlighting the challenges they are constantly faced with, wh en executing their duties. Project was done while observing the performance and management in many departments of sit-up ltd, RESEARCH FOCUS This project was focused to explore the effective use of performance management systems in a call centre of sit-up ltd. The main questions this project seeks to investigate are daily tasks and targets: What are the working conditions in todays call centres and the call agents are subjected to? How do performance management systems affect the call centre working environment from the call agents? perspective? How does the work environment affect the agent emotionally? THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES. The main aims and objectives for this project include: Identify the state-of-the-art performance management system in the call centre used in the organisation under study. This would enable us to understand the level of advancement of information systems in the organisation. Investigate the use of performance management systems in a call centre. Explore and determine the extent to how performance management system affects the working conditions of the call agent both in terms of the peroformance and improvements . In highlighting the issues and challenges the call agents encounter, it would provide an insight of the job description of a call agent from the call agents? perspective. This project also intends to bring more awareness to management regarding the issues and challenges the call agents are constantly faced with. A good knowledge of this would enable them effectively identify and address any form of resistance that may arise from the call agents. This could be done by offering adequate training and support in the use of the performance management systems. As well as improving communication with the call agents which could affect the work environment, making it more conducive. This in turn enhances better performance from the call agents and also for the management to reduce cost in hiring new agents on the floor and continuous monitoring from management and HR point of view. RESEARCH APPROACH. This project was based on learning at work method where many employees were observed and different management techniques were applied in order to improve their daily performance. This approach was found appropriate because it is concerned with understanding performance management systems from the social context, the social processes by which it was developed and construed by people and finally how it influences and is influenced by its social settings. Many employees were interviewed while generating data and statistics as call centres always have high level of absences and sicknesses. This was an easy approach to obtain information from number of employees and departments. Answers to complex questions and sensitive information which the respondents might be reluctant to give. Project Summary. This project is structured into many chapters in order to spread the information in easy and understandable way as outlined below: Call Centre This chapter is an introduction of the project highlighting the research area with a presentation of the aims and objectives of the research. Literature Review This chapter is a critical review of existing literature on call centre. It also discusses different theories and perspectives relating to the call centre. It also discusses the use of performance management systems within the context of this project. Theory and Research Methodology This chapter discusses the theory chosen for the analysis of the case, research approach and the rationale behind the methods chosen for this research. It also highlighted the research design. Project findings This chapter presents the case study, the findings from the semi-structured interviews conducted in the organization using the chosen theory as the conceptual lens for the discussion. Conclusion This chapter is an evaluation of the research findings with a reflection on its implications for practice. It also suggests some recommendations for future research. SUMMARY. This chapter has provided an introduction of call centre, identifying the focus area. It also stated the aims and objectives of this project as well as the research approach. It also presented a brief outline of the structure of the project. LITERATURE REVIEW. INTRODUCTION This chapter presents a critical review of existing literature on call centres. It discusses different theories and perspectives found in literature. This chapter also discusses the different uses of management techniques in a call centre in terms of management and the call agents. CALL CENTRES Call centre operations have become a norm in all sectors of the economy such as retailing, telecommunication, the entertainment industry (Taylor et al, 2002). They are a rapidly growing channel for service and sales delivery particularly in the financial service and telecommunication industry. These centres enable retail customers to transact business by telephone either using programmed information technology such as automatic voice response systems or through employees manipulating software to assist in answering queries resolving problems or selling products (Frenkel et al, 1998). Hence, growing number of organizations use call centres as a means of communicating with their customers directly (De Ruyter and Wetzels, 2000); managing customer complaints and maintaining customer loyalty (Pontes and O?Brien, 2000). However, despite the rapid emergence of technological innovations that have been developed to change and enhance the business processes in organisations, the call centre is still basically defined by the integration of the telephone and computer technologies (Taylor and Bain, 1999). In more details, the definition of a call centre is a dedicated operation in which computer utilizing employees receive inbound or make outbound telephone calls. These calls made or received are controlled by an Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) or a predictive dialling system. In other words, a call centre is therefore characterized by the integration of the telephone and Voice Response Units (VDU) technologies using recorded messages; Inter-active Voice Recognition (IVR) which enables customers interact with the information systems via telephone keys and speech recognition systems which enables a two-way communication between the computer and the customer using synthetic speech messages (Schalk and Van Rijckevorsel, 2007). A key feature of the call centre labour process is the integration of the telephone and the VDU technologies. Central to inbound operations is the ACD system which receives the incoming calls and automatically channels them to the available agents according to programmed instructions hence removing the need for the switchboard operators. In the case where there is no available agent to receive the call, the calls are stacked and distributed in sequence as the agents become available. Although the system can only stack a certain number of calls after which it automatically drops the calls. The agents take the calls automatically through the headset and their main assignment is to resolve the basic problems of a customer. On the other hand, for the outbound operations, it is largely based on telesales or telemarketing. The predictive dialling system works its way through the databases of their customer phone numbers and as programmed automatically dials the number of the customer as selected by the agent. At this point all the information of the customer is retrieved and displayed on the screen so as enable the agent have well info rmed communication. Their main job function is selling and advertising a particular product or service (Fernie and Metcalf, 1997). The common and defining call centre labour process is the ability for the operators to scan and interpret information on the VDU screens, manipulate their keyboards, retrieve data and at the same time communicate with the customer. Therefore, it is the integration of the telephone and computer technologies which both structures the labour process. This process also generates extreme levels of surveillance, monitoring and speed up which are manifest in a call centre. Recent technological developments are sought to minimize the wasteful manual operations and maximize the real time agents spend with customers hence this both speeds up and intensifies the work as the time gaps between calls are progressively reduced (Schalk and Van Rijckevorsel, 2007). In the author?s opinion, despite all these advancements in technologies, there is still the aspect of the h uman interaction. Employees? performance data as an instance which is either electronically displayed or in hard prints still requires human interpretation. Managers and team leaders based on the results can then take appropriate actions such as discipline or coach an underperforming agent. Hence it can be said that a call centre is a combination of technology driven measurements and human supervisors to interpret these results. CALL CENTRES AND THEORIES. In literature, there are two main theories seen to be dominant in the discussion of call centres: Foucauldian electronic panopticon which has been based on the labour process theory (Fernie and Metcalf, 1997). This is based on the preoccupation of an individual?s subjectivity which has masked the importance of a collective, trade unions organization which is a more developed form of resistance. This attempts to provide insight into the complexity of work organization and the way it is experienced by the call agents. Emotional labour which is based on the emotional labour theory (Hochschild, 1983). This requires an individual to induce or suppress their feelings in order to sustain the outward countenance that produces the proper state of mind in others. This provides insight and better understanding of how call agents in most cases have to define their outer expression so as to smile down the phone. These two theories further are explained in the chapter three. PERSPECIVES OF CALL CENTRES Literature has generally presented two distinct perspectives of call centres. First of all, there is the perspective presented by publicists who have portrayed exciting images of a call centre. It portrays a high level of co-operative teamwork among the employees, the call agents? work under very relaxed conditions and very professional in their interactions with their customers. The agents are said to smile down the phone after conversing with each customer (Taylor and Bain, 1999). However, there is the other perspective presented by Fernie and Metcalf (1998) that portrays the call centre based on the Bentham?s panopticon. It emphasizes the constraining nature of work setting described as the electronic sweatshop or panoptical wired cage (Frenkel, 1998). Based on this view, employees are connected to information technology that automatically allocates work, facilitates its completion and monitors employee performance. In other words, work is conducted in relative isolation from other colleagues but under the constant gaze of management who are responsible for structuring and interpreting the electronic information. Work can therefore be regarded as deskilled and monotonous. They claim that the constant surveillance of the supervisors on the agents has enabled them have total control over the agents which eliminates any form of resistance from the call agents. Hence call centres have been referred to as dark satanic mills or new sweatshops. However, it is worth noting that their perspective was not based from a range of studies carried out on call centres but rather it was primarily based on payment systems of which they studied a call centre. CALL CENTRES AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS One main indication of call centres is in most cases defined in terms of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) they make use of rather than by any specific outputs they create (Frenkel et al, 1998; Taylor and Bain, 1999). Systems such as the Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) that places inbound calls in a queue and allocates them to the agents, speech recognition systems as well as screen capture are example of systems found in a call centre. But information systems has also increased the control and surveillance of calls (which could either be inbound or outbound), the agent that?s handles the call and virtually every activity they perform on real time basis (Robinson and Clive, 2006). Hence it is argued that technology found in call centres constitutes a version of technical control. According to Callaghan and Thompson (2001), technology tends to control speed through ensuring that call agents are aware of queue numbers and average waiting times. In such instances, managerial control is seen to be evident through the use of such technologies and could at the same time produce employee resistance. However, ICT has the potential to create skilled and enabled workforce (Fernie et al, 1998, and Kinnie et al, 2000). In such a situation, the improved employee independence may be resulted through the creation of alternative socio-technical systems within the call centre. This could be exhibited with self-managed work teams who have the tendency to produce more customized outputs when the dynamics of empowerment displaces the reality of control (Batt and Moynihan, 2004). This can be regarded as another concept of the call centre which is referred to as the semi-professional empowered worker (Winslow and Bramer, 1994). In this setting work is increasingly customized to the needs of the customer. The agent uses IT to seamlessly identify and render service to the customer and appropriate software assists in on-the-job learning thereby improving the agent ?s knowledge and skills. Based on the labour process, systems implemented in the call centre are based on the expected result. According to Edward (1979) cited in Russell (2007), who first classified ICT as technological control, in agreement to this Callaghan and Thompson (2001), also argue the fact that management deliberately choose a technology that is designed in such a way as to limit the worker?s independence, hence are almost seen as part of the machine (technology) which continuously directs calls at them. This was represented in the expression of Taylor and Bain (1999) stating „the assembly line in the head?, where technology supports the formulation of specific targets of which workers are held accountable for (Taylor and Bain, 2001). Another aspect of technologies in a call centre is the organizational culture or behaviour. This is an attempt in understanding how new technologies affect the (re)organization of work. Barleys (1990), emphasized the need for researche rs to focus more on how new technologies are incorporated into the everyday working lives of the organizational members. His argument was that a particular system could have different effects in various departments or jobs. This draws attention to the organizational theory which is based on the behaviour of users when a new technology is implemented focusing on how they establish patterns to either conform or deviate from the intentions of the designers (Russell, 2007). This aspect is outside the scope of this dissertation. Technology can therefore be regarded as a solution that bridges the sales and marketing functions to improve targeting efforts. In other cases, it can be viewed as a tool that is specifically for a one-to one customer interaction which is regarded as the sole responsibility of the sales/service; call centres or marketing departments (Peppers, 2000). But on the overall, it should neither be regarded as just a mere technology nor application but rather a cross-func tional , customer-driven, technology-integration business process management strategy that aims at increasing and maximising relationships which also encompasses the entire organisation. This is often referred to as Customer Relation Management (CRM) (Goldenberg, 2000). Literature has shown that CRM is based on the interaction of: People: this refers to the people working with the system and are regarded as the building block for customer relationship, Business process: this defines the overall business goal of the organisation Technology: this is an enabler for achieving remarkable improvement in the performance of the organisation (Chen and Popovich, 2003). These interactions are represented in the diagram below Diagram 2.1 The CRM Model (Chen and Popovich, 2003). CALL CENTRE AND MANAGEMENT In general, academic literatures on call centre have focused on employment, relationship and the labour process. A significant number of these literatures have focused largely on managerial perspective in terms of operations and performance. Call centres are people intensive operations and the management of the frontline employees otherwise referred to as the call agents has been identified as one of the biggest challenges for call centre managers (Houlihan, 2002). Call centres potentially contribute to customer satisfaction and retention but most organizations still fail to exploit full strategic value out of their call centre operations (Mahesh and kasturi, 2006). Traditionally service management models recommend that Organisations focus on three areas which include: Defining a service strategy Ensuring the service delivery systems are user friendly Managing for customer- oriented people especially on the frontline (Gilson and khandelwal, 2005). These models further argue that it is important for the components strategy, operations and people are all compatible but most literature show an indication of incompatibility. CHALLENGES OF MANAGERS/SUPERVISORS IN A CALL CENTRE Managers are faced with a number of challenges of which the most common and prevalent ones include: The conflict of quality versus quantity: In call centres, this conflict is at the core of many other related problems (Frenkel et al, 1998; Callaghan and Thompson 2002 dean, 2002). Measurement of both quantity and quality in most cases is based on performance. Research has shown that although management values quality, they tend to focus more on measurement and statistics which is as a result of the large amount of information provided to them. Information provided to them such as the number of calls per agent; the percentage of calls answered within a specified time frame; the average speed calls are answered, hence the shift of attention to quantity (Robinson and Clive, 2006). This has attributed to the high reliance on information systems to govern the pace of work in the call centre, provide the means to access the work of the call agents as well as monitor them. Information system can therefore be said to have shaped the social and organizational structure of the call centre (C alloghan and Thompson, 2001). But the negative consequence of this especially on the call agents include exhaustion, stress which should be of great concern to management. Organizations stress the need for customer satisfaction and have an overall strategic intent to acquire and retain their customers through high quality interfaces or interaction. But it has been observed that the aspect of quality in some case is given low priority than the efficiency of processing customer interactions (number of calls) at call centres (Mahesh and kasturi, 2006). Mahesh (1995) commented on the tendency of most organizations to move from high labour intensity and customization position of professional services to standardization and low labour intensity service. The origin of such problems could be traced back to the genesis of call centres and the reason for their rapid growth which is to reduce cost and increase efficiencies. The conflict of Control versus Empowerment: this is another common conflict observed in the call centre. According to Houlihan (2002), the orthodox design of the call centre is rooted in a control paradigm. Early literature on call centres abound with keywords such as blue-collar work; taylorism; battery farming; mental assembly line; worker resistance control and emotional labour (Fernie and Metcalf, 1997; knights and McCabe, 1998). Recent literature on the other hand has indicated the need for empowerment in service, but organisations specifically in the call centre still ignore this despite the fact that studies have indicated positive outcomes from increased empowerment. Empirical data also shows that call agents perceive themselves as less empowered than other workers in traditional office environment (Holdsworth and Cartwright, 2003). Thus the control paradigm of call centres seems to extend to the area of job design as well. Researchers also argue that the frontline agents pla y a critical role in service delivery in which their skills, knowledge motivation and loyalty are important factors to be managed by the organization (Sergeant and Frenkel, 2000). But the mass production model used at many call centres for operational efficiency assumes that jobs can be designed to be turn-over proof with workers as replaceable parts (Batt and Moynihan, 2002). Hence Wallace et al, 2000 labelled this as sacrificial HR strategy. Other common problems management is faced with in the call centre according to Taylor and Bain (1999) include: High rates of absence due to sickness High labour turnover Problem with motivating and keeping the employees committed to their jobs Lack of promotion opportunities especially in flat organisational structures. Loss of staff following investments in training. CALL AGENTS AND JOB STRUCTURE The general basic idea of a call centre operator or call agent is any worker with a telephone and a computer. This has led organisations in an attempt to differentiate their operations and services, come up with names such as Customer Service Centre or Customer Satisfaction. Various literatures have shown that agents usually work in large, open-plan offices seated in cubicles that are divided shoulder-high partitions. They are wired or connected to an integrated telephone and a computer system when they put on their headphones. In the researcher?s opinion, the job function of a call agent is basically to: Provide customers with detailed product and procedures involved Process customer transactions Attend to customer queries in an approachable, accurate and timely manner. Deliver standard service at all times to customer when interacting with them which is usually in accordance to specified service standards (scripts). In a call centre, the use of scripts either in the form of typewritten prompt or on screen template is an attempt to structure the speech of workers into a series of predictable and regulated routine queries and responses (Taylor and Bain, 1999). This could be regarded as another distinct feature of the call centre in terms of Communication between an agent and a customer. The call agents are expected to read and enter data into the computer system that is networked within the organization while interacting with the customer. This enables any other employee to easily access and retrieves the customer?s profile as well as their record history. Other expectations of call agents in relation to their work include: The call agent is expected to acquire and use lower-order and higher-order contextual knowledge in accomplishing their task (Deery et al, 2002). The lower-order contextual knowledge is knowledge about the company information; specific products; procedures; software practices an d people which may be in other departments on whom the call agents depend on for updated information as well as solution for more complex problems of the customer. While the higher- order is basically a deeper understanding of the lower, although this is not acquired during training but rather it is as a result of experience. Agents with such knowledge are seen to be more confident when dealing with the customers. But it should be noted that most of the knowledge required by the agents is embedded as information either as hard copy reference manuals or available online. The call agent is expected to display some skills when executing their duties. These skills include the computer skills which have to do with inputting data; word processing and navigating through several systems. The other skill is the social skill which is used mainly when relating to customers and other staff. A lot of attention is paid to the latter skill than the former because the social skill involves the abil ity to remain calm under pressure especially when faced with a continuous stream of customer calls; positive and tactful attitude when executing their duties as well as not getting personally engaged which protects them from customer abuse (Kinnie et al, 2000). In general, the call agent has to be systematic; creative and know who to depend on for more complex customer queries. Call centre jobs are highly specialized and simplified, thus there is a high level of division of labour which has its advantages. But there are also disadvantages such as low task variety (monotony of work), low task complexity, low utilization of educational qualification which are most times overlooked. Call agents are known to have no influence or control over their work in terms of the pace of their work (duration of calls, how many calls they receive) and also the planning and organisation of their work. These disadvantages are some of the factors that lead to depression among call agents and monotony o f their work is one of the most frequent reasons call agents quit their jobs (Deery et al, 2002). SUMMARY This chapter has defined discussed what a call centre is and highlighted the different perspectives of call centres found in literature. It identified the theories on which the analysis of this dissertation is based on, although it is further explained in the next chapter. It also discussed the call centre from different points of views such as technology which mentioned the fact that it still requires human interaction for any organisation to achieve its maximum potential, management who determine the work pace of the call centre. Although highlighting the challenges they are faced with, it also identified areas where they need to place more attention (i.e. control vs. empowerment). Lastly it discussed the general idea of call agents? job descriptions. This has served as a background to further explore in this research the working conditions of the call centre and determine the effect of information systems on their jobs. THEORY AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY INTRODUCTION This chapter discusses the research approach adopted for this research based on the chosen theory. It also highlights the research methodolo