Environmental Law in Kenya

How can Environmental Law be effectively enforced in Kenya? For environmental law to be effectively enacted in Kenya their needs to be emphasis on the need for a universal environmental ethic. There needs to be a concern on the ability to provide information that changes behaviour towards the environment i. e. not stopping at awareness creation but to also go through education & advocacy. This led to the enactment of the Environmental Management and Coordination Act. (EMCA).With the enactment of the EMCA, the fundamental principles on the environment espoused in various multilateral environmental agreements and intellectual discourse were incorporated into Kenyan law. Therefore it is based on the recognition that improved co ordination of the diverse sectoral initiatives is necessary for better management of the environment. To facilitate a coordinated approach to environmental management, EMCA establishes several organs as discussed below which help in the effective enforcement of e nvironmental law: ) National Environmental Council It is responsible for policy formulation and directing, setting national goals and objectives, determining policy and priorities for the protection of the environment and the promotion of cooperation among the public and private bodies engaged in environmental protection programmes. The council is responsible in regards to international treaties, conventions and agreements relating to the management of the environment to which Kenya is a party or should be a party.i) National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) It is responsible for the following: (a) Co-ordinate the various environmental management activities being undertake by the lead agencies and promote the integration of environmental considerations Into development policies, plans, programmes and projects with a view to ensuring the proper management and rational utilization of environmental resources on a sustainable yield basis for the improvement of he quality of hum an life in Kenya; (b) Take stock of the natural resources in Kenya and their utilization and conservation; (c) Establish and review in consultation with the relevant lead agencies, land use guidelines; (d) Examine land use patterns to determine their impact on the quality and quantity of natural resources. (e) Carry out surveys which will assist in the proper management and conservation of the environment; (f) Advise the government on legislative and other measures for the management of the environment or the implementation of relevant international conventions, treaties and agreements in the field of environment,g) advise the government on regional and international environmental conventions, treaties and agreements to which Kenya should be a party and follow up the implementation of such of such agreements where Kenya is party; (h) Undertake and co-ordinate research, investigation and surveys in the field of Environment and collect collate and disseminate information about the fin dings Of such research, investigation or survey; I) mobilize and monitor the use of financial and human resources for environmental Management; (J) identify projects and programs or types of projects and programs, plans and policies for which environmental audit or environmental monitoring must be conducted under this Act; (k) Initiate and evolve procedures and safeguards for the prevention of accidents Which may cause environmental degradation and evolve remedial measures where Accidents occur; l) Monitor and assess activities, including activities being carried out by relevant lead Agencies, in order to ensure that the environment is not degraded by such activities, environmental management objectives are adhered to and adequate early warning on impending environmental emergency is given;(m) Undertake, in co-operation with relevant lead agencies, programmes intended to enhance environmental education and public awareness about the need for sound Environmental management as well as for enlisting public support and encouraging the effort made by other entities in that regard; (n) Publish and disseminate manuals, codes or guidelines relating to environmental Management and prevention and abatement of environmental degradation; (n) Render advice and technical support, where possible, to entities engaged in natural Resource management and environmental protection so as to enable them to carry out Their responsibilities satisfactorily; o) Prepare and issue an annual report on the state of the environment in Kenya and in This regard may direct any lead agency to prepare and submit to it a report on the state Of the sector of the environment under the administration of that lead agency; (p) Perform such other functions as the Government may assign to the Authority or As are incidental or conducive to the excise by the Authority of any or all of the functions provided under this Act. iii) Provincial and District committees The committee is responsible for the followi ng: A) is responsible for the proper management of the environment within the province or district in respect of which they are appointed. (b) Perform such additional functions as are prescribed by this Act or as may, from time to time, be assigned by the Minister by notice in the Gazette.There are certain mechanisms that are set in place for the protection and conservation of the environment, framework environmental laws also provide for the management of specific environmental aspects, whether they are of a sect oral nature or of cross sectoral nature or both. These mechanisms include: -Environmental Impact Assessment This is a tool that helps those involved in decision making concerning development programmes or projects to make their decisions based on knowledge of the likely impacts that will be caused on the environment, whether negative or positive. Whether the impacts are negative and likely to result in significant harm, decision makers will be able to decide what kind of m itigating measures should be taken to eliminate or minimise the harm. Therefore the EIA is an anticipatory and where there is harm, a preventive mechanism. By using theEIA both environmental and economic benefits can be achieved such as reduced cost and time of project implementation and design, avoiding treatment/ clean up costs and impacts of law and regulations. -Environmental auditing and monitoring This is a process that assesses the nature and extent of environmental concerns at an existing facility or any other site where the existence of industrial pollution problems is identified or anticipated. Enforcement of Environmental Law Most environmental enforcement strategies derive from legal requirements that must be met by individuals, facilities whose operations or activities may cause undesirable environmental impacts. These environmental impacts are an essential foundation for environmental and public health protection.Environmental actions may include applying one or a comb ination of the following actions: †¢ Inspections and monitoring to determine the compliance status of the regulated community and to detect and to respond to violations. †¢ Negotiations with violators or facility managers to develop mutually agreeable schedules and approaches for achieving compliance. †¢ Awareness creation to sensitise the regulated community on the requirements to be met †¢ Taking legal action where necessary to compel compliance and: †¢ Compliance promotion among the regulated community. 2. Discuss why health and safety laws are necessary for any worker? Health and safety may be perceived as an investment or loss within an organization.Accidents happen and it is imperative for organizations to strive towards a ‘zero’ rate because they can prove very expensive if a company is deemed liable. Employers may be expected to invest a relatively minimal initial outlay for risk assessment and hazard identification procedures – w hich may or may not require consultancy fees, installation of modern equipment or staff training – but in reality these can all be viewed as an investment rather than a loss and there is no arguing with the fact that an injury free workplace is a safe workplace. All employers were required to ensure, in so far as ‘reasonably practical’, the safety, health and welfare at work of their employees and to carry out an annual review of safety statements specifying how it is managed.On the other hand, employees are obliged to co-operate with their employer and report any circumstances that may pose a serious threat to health and safety. In the opinion of Hoyle (2004), â€Å"Accident prevention is primarily the responsibility of individual workers. † The promotion of health and safety within an organization can be seen as an investment. If employees keep healthy, their productivity will be good and this can promote profits. With safety the same applies. In a safe environment there are fewer injuries, more productivity, more profits and less worker compensation insurance premiums, etc. The financial implications of accidents and ill-health are often overlooked or underestimated, especially relating to absenteeism.Apart from still having to pay the absent employee’s wages, employers could also be faced with additional wages for replacement staff, overtime and lost time spent on investigations and meetings, increased costs due to reduced productivity, possible contract penalties and external consultancy fees, all of which can add up to substantial hidden costs (TSSA). In fact, organizations with active training programmers in health and safety – such as OHSAS 18001 – have many advantages, including fewer work-related injuries and lower healthcare costs, improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, lower insurance premiums and compensation claims and a higher rate of worker retention and employee satisfaction. Workers’ compensation claims due to workplace accidents and occupational ill-health appear in the papers every day. And costs facing organizations include investigation time, wages paid for lost time, clerical time, decreased output of injured worker upon return and the loss of business and goodwill.Unfortunately, in smaller firms where major injury rates tend to be higher, conviction could ruin a company. Many small organizations harbor a negative view of the business benefits of corporate and social responsibility. They see the implementation and maintenance of appropriate operational standards as a waste of time, money and staff resources because of the required controls, practices and procedures and other overheads which they regard as a drain on their limited resources. While some employers may see health and safety as a loss, this will only occur when an organization has failed to take reasonable steps to prevent injury and non-injury accidents and ill-health. The advantages of revent ive policies can be financially beneficial, an added investment is that they ‘can also consist of benefits that are harder to express in money, such as morale, productivity or quality gain. ’ Nevertheless, employers must undertake suitable and sufficient assessment of risks to health and safety in their workplace and appropriate arrangements must be made to review preventive and protective measures, assess their efficacy and level of legal compliance and establish a sound health and safety culture. A risk assessment is a hazard identification process to identify what could cause harm to people. It forms part of the preparation of a Safety Statement and helps employers to manage the health and safety of their employees.Employers are legally required to do everything that is ‘reasonably practicable’ to ensure that identified hazards will not injure anyone. They should also ensure that all employees are familiar with the relevant contents of the Safety Stateme nt, especially when revisions have been made. Improving health and safety need not cost the employer a lot of money. Even changing the way a particular task is performed can reduce the risk of injury. For example, placing anti-slip material on a slippery floor is a relatively inexpensive precaution when compared to the financial implications of a bad fall. Any safety measures introduced â€Å"need only be proportional to the real risks involved and should be sufficient to control, eliminate or minimize any risk of injury† (ibid).Managing health and safety in the workplace is not just a legal requirement, it also makes commercial sense. Many investors closely monitor health and safety performance with a view to increasing investment opportunities. Simple and relatively inexpensive steps like arranging courses such as First Aid, Manual Handling, Fire and Electrical Safety, Health and Safety and Stress Management, etc. for all employees is most definitely a good investment for a ny forward-looking organization and the potential dividends for both staff and employees are immeasurable REFERENCES Environmental Management and Coordination Act 2000 Okidi et al, Environmental Governance in Kenya: Implementing the Framework law. East African Publishers, 2008

Education in Evolution: from Freire’s Bank Clerk to Problem Poser

Our portrait as students is an evolution of experiences of continuous life’s challenges and disasters. In our childhood, we consider our parents the first teachers. In the process of growing and maturing, we join the educational world going to school at the same time that we are introduced to the school of life. As scholars, we have experienced Freire’s two educational methods – bank-clerk and problem-posing.It is true that the educator would decide what method to employ, however, at the end, most of us, including the students depicted in ancient and modern literature, would choose to be critical thinkers and exhibit Freire’s â€Å"Emerging Consciousness†, opening the door to creativity, critical and a revolutionary learning process. Usually, the beginning of our education starts at home; our parents are the first ones who teach us how to behave with manners and cultural customs. The education that we received at home can be different for everybody and the reason is different cultures, languages, and religion.The way our parents and families teach us can be defined as coalition of bank clerk and problem posing methods, the parents are the teachers and we are the students, sometimes the parents use the â€Å"banking† concept, they talk and give commands and the students just listen and accept the commands. As Freire declares Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor. Instead of communicating, the teacher issues communiques and makes deposits which students patiently receive, memorize, and repeat.This is the â€Å"banking† concept of education, in which the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits (Freire 72). Freire tells us that using â€Å"banking† education, the parents become narrators and the children just containers to be filled with the parents’ knowl edge. Pedagogy of the Oppressed emphasizes that communication between parents and children, doesn’t exist in a â€Å"banking† education. â€Å"Banking† education means suppression and by suppression, children are limited to extend their learning process by being filled by the parents’ ideas.But do the parents realize that using a bank-clerk method minimizes or annuls their children’s creative power? Some parents do not realize it, they become oppressors and their children the oppressed. They consider their children inexperienced and ignorant. The parents think that their children have to learn what they teach them without asking or questioning anything, this way they would be integrated into the society accepting the passive role imposed on them. Strepsiades can be a good example of a father using â€Å"banking† education. Strepsiades wants his son to join the Thinkery to learn the two logics to save him from his debts.In the beginning, Phei dippides does not want to join the Thinkery because he believes that people from the Thinkery are crazy and what is taught is a fraud. Finally, Strepsiades persuades Pheidippides and he joins the Thinkery. Strepsiades claims â€Å"So tutor him in your two logics – traditional Philosophical Logic and that flashy modern sophistic logic they call Immoral because it’s so wonderfully wicked. In any case, if he can’t master both logics, I insist that he learn the Immoral Kind of argument† (The Clouds 66). Strepsiades does not question Socrates methods, he tells Socrates to take his son as his student and teach him the two logics.Stresiades does not care whatever it would take for Pheidippides to learn the two logics. Stresiades sees Pheidippides just as tool that would server the purpose of avoiding to pay his debts. Pheidippides is the oppressed and he can not question or criticize any method that they would use in the Thinkery to teach him the two logics. How ever, other parents like mine, using a coalition of both educational methods, sometimes talk in a mandatory way and nothing is negotiable; as Colonel Graff, the head of the battle school, does with Ender.Occasionally, my parents talk to me as a friend in a rational way, sharing their experiences and exposing their problems. As equal human beings, we reach the communication between teacher and student; in the process of learning from each other we expose Freire’s â€Å"emerging consciousness†. We do not see parents just as an authority, we see them as friends, together, through dialogue, critical criteria, and creativity we develop a problem-posing education.In Ender’s case, he is the third child of the Wiggin’s family; he knows that he could not stay with his biological parents, his instincts push him toward new experiences and the discovery of new things. He leaves his parents in an early age to join a battle school. Beginning on that day, Colonel Graff acts as Ender’s father at the school and Ender’s life would not be the same again. Like Ender, I felt the same attraction when I first joined culinary school at age of 13, leaving my family far away to experience one of the biggest challenges in my life.I would be alone in a place where everything and everybody was unknown to me. This life experience was a vital part of my educational journey. As Freire believes â€Å"Students, as they are increasingly posed with problems relating to themselves in the world and with the world, will feel increasingly challenged and obligated to respond to that challenge† (Freire 81). Freire thinks that when we find challenges in our life, that relate to ourselves, we develop the power to perceive critically the way of our existence in the world and in which we find ourselves; becoming teachers-students and students-teachers.Graff enforces â€Å"banking† education on Ender, manipulating, isolating, and limiting his existenc e in the school. Graff believes We could be wiped out and it would adjust, it would get on with the next step in evolution. But humanity doesn’t want to die. As a species, we have evolved to survive. And the way we do it is by straining a straining and, at last, every few generations, giving birth to genius. The one who invents the wheel. And light. And flight. The one who builds a city, a nation, an empire. (Ender’s Game 35). Graff explains to Ender why they chose him to join the battle school.He tells Ender that they expect him to be a hero and save humanity. As a tutor and teacher. Graff, being a bank-clerk, pushes Ender to his limits, but Ender’s reaction is different, the more they challenge and isolate him the more he awakes his emerging consciousness. Ender soon becomes the best strategist and leader of the battle school. On the other hand, Pecola’s story is totally different from Ender’s. Pecola bears the blame for the sins, crimes, mistake s or misfortunes of her parents, she suffers abuses from her parents, and people at the school even the cashier from the grocery store that sees through her.She is treated as a marginal person who does not fit in to white people’s view of what beauty means for society. For Pecola, beauty means to have blue eyes. Pecola feels As long as she looked the way she did, as long as she was ugly, she would have to stay with these people. Somehow she belonged to them. Long hours she sat looking in the mirror, trying to discover the secret of the ugliness, the ugliness that made her ignored or despised at school, by teachers and classmates alike. She was the only member of her class who sat alone at a double desk. The blues eye 45). Pecola does not like the world of isolation and oblivion where she lives. She associates black with ugliness. She tries to find an answer to why people ignore and despised her at the school and at home. She thinks that the solution for all her problems is to get blue eyes, and for her blue eyes are synonymous of acceptance and beauty. Unfortunately Pecola’s experiences at the school are not pleasant, fortunately, we join the educational world going to the school, and enjoying the adbantanges of education.The school of life together with the other educations helps us to improve our civilization. In this process, we find educators that would choose the â€Å"banking† system or the problem posing method. In my experience, some of the professors that I had in the past, used â€Å"banking† system; they would become transmitters and we would be the receptors. Most of the time with this kind of education you learn whatever the teacher tells you to learn, but in a short period of time this information would disappear. With a problem-posing education there is a relationship between professor and student.The class would become more active and teacher and student would become subjects of the educational process and humanism, they would learn from each other. Freire believes Those who use the â€Å"banking† approach, knowingly or unknowingly (for there are innumerable well-intentioned bank-clerk teachers who do not realize that they are serving only to dehumanize), fail to perceive that the deposits themselves contain contradictions about reality. But, sooner or later, these contradictions may lead formerly passive students to turn against their domestication and the attempt to domesticate reality.They may discover through existential experience that their present way of life is irreconcilable with their vocation to become fully human (Freire 75). Freire tells us that sometimes bank-clerk teachers do not realize that this method affects the students. It limits their thinking capability to be critical, to be creative and to develop new theories or ideas. He also tells us that the contradictions about reality sometimes may lead the passive students to awake their consciousness and to go against thei r teachers and the â€Å"banking† method in order to become fully human.For example, Ender usually is pushed to his limits by Graff who uses a â€Å"banking† method, isolating him from the rest of the students, challenging and changing the rules always. But Ender never surrenders, he answers his teachers in a problem poser way solving all the challenges using his emerging consciousness. It is true that at a certain point, Ender believes â€Å"It’s the teachers, they’re the enemy. They get us to fight each other, to hate each other. The game is everything. Win win win. It amounts to nothing† (Ender’s game 108).Eventually, Ender sees the teachers as his enemies and the game as nothing, which he demonstrates through such actions as his at the battle against two armies. As Freire says the contradictions about reality, leads the passive students to turn against the domesticate reality. Ender declares â€Å"I’m trapped here, Ender thought, trapped at the End of the World with no way out. And he knew at last the sour taste that had come to him, despite all his successes in the Battle School. It was despair† (Ender’s Game 141).Ender tells us how he feels about being manipulated and also about lacking control over his own life. He fears the possibility of running out of ideas and not being able to win. He is worried because he has a huge responsibility. He is the last hope of the humanity. He knows that if he wants to win against the Buggers he has to learn more about them, he has to learn how to love his enemies, this way he finds their weaknesses and he uses this strategy to destroy them. However, Ender and Pheidippides are from different genres and belong to distant eras.Pheidippides in the Thinkery is exposed to radical thinkers like Sophistry and by highly imaginative thinkers like Socrates. Above all, this creates repercussion, undermining traditional values and corrupting the moral of youths. Sohpist ry is a clear example of a problem poser method and he teaches Pheidippides that the principles of a society, such as justice and truth, are just concepts that can be adapted or interpreted to the needs of society. After he graduates from the Socrates’ Thinkery, Pheidippides believes that he is a new man.Using his emerging consciousness he thinks that with this power he can challenge everybody and everything. Pheidippides points out â€Å"But now, now that Socrates has made a fresh Pheidippides of me, now that my daily diet is Philosophy, Profundity, Subtlety, and Science, I propose to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt the philosophical propriety of beating my Father† (The clouds 103). Pheidippides emerging consciousness allows him to break and create his own rules, he says that his father deserves the beating because his father ordered him to play a lyre and sing a song even when Pheidippides did not wish to do it.His father keeps ordering things and Pheidippides did not agree with his father’s wishes, consequently he beat his father. Pheidippides justifies his acts telling his father that he beats him because he loves him and he says that for him loving and beating are synonymous. Pheidippides emerging consciousness makes him a bully. Never mind Pheidippides, Pecola’s classmates torment and abuse her for being black and ugly, she is also raped by her father, and eventually she becomes pregnant by him.Although the baby dies, her mother treats her coldly, as she thinks Pecola is ugly and is ashamed of her. Pecola becomes a martyr, she just wants to disappear from this world. She thinks that she is responsible for all bad things that happen in the world. Claudia who is Pocola’s friend comments The damage done was total. She spent her days, her tendril, sap-green days, walking up and down, up and down, her head jerking to the beat of a drummer so distant only she could hear. Elbows bent, hands on shoulders, she flailed her arm s like a bird in an eternal, grotesquely futile effort to fly.Beating the air, a winged but grounded bird, intent on the blue void it could not reach—could not even see—but which filled the valleys of the mind. (The bluest eye 204). Claudia describes Pecola who has lost her mind. Pecola is force farther into her fantasy world, which is her defense against violence and cruelty. The school of life awakes Pecola’s emerging consciousness in a different way from the other students, instead to expose to the world and confront the challenges; she drives herself into a state of madness over the blue eyes.Tired of a dark and sad world she decides to disconnect with the reality and she creates her world, with her own rules and friends where everything is beautiful and perfect, where she has the bluest eyes. It is true, that our emerging consciousness is the result of our different educations that is based on a problem-poser method, it does not serve the concern of the opp ressor. Freire thinks as revolutionaries, we perceive the world as a reality in the process of evolution instead of a static reality. Therefore we should strive for a humanist society.

I Am Sam

Mikaela McMorine October 21st, 2012 Analyzing an Interview Movie: I Am Sam (directed by Jessie Nelson) The individuals involved in the interview are a man diagnosed with Autism (subject S) and a female lawyer (subject R). They are connected through a professional-helping relationship. The incidents leading up to the interview are with regards to a custody battle concerning subject S and his seven year old daughter. His doctors have declared that the intellectual capacity of subject S does not exceed the age of seven.The issue arises when Child Protective Services deem subject S unfit and incapable of raising his daughter due to the fact that he is unable to hold down a steady job and that his daughter will eventually surpass his brain capacity in age. Subject S makes the conscious decision of hiring a lawyer to plead his case. The lawyer in question, or subject R, chooses to provide services to subject S free of charge. During the custody battle, subject S is granted the opportunity to have short, supervised visits with his daughter.Shortly before the occurring of the interview, subject S and his daughter meet, followed by his daughter proposing to go to the park. She lies and tells him that the social worker gave her permission to go with him due to the fact that she did not spend enough time with him and she was crying. Once on their way, she explains to her father that the only possible way for them to be together was to run away. Subject S, makes the concrete decision to find his way to the police station and return his daughter to the social worker.This scene is followed by a court hearing where they call upon subject S’s neighbor as a witness. Earlier on at the start of the movie we see that this neighbor aids subject S in taking proper care of his daughter. Subject S has been promoted in his job from cleaning the restaurant to making the drinks. On the first day of his new position, the restaurant is very busy and subject S begins working too fast , causing him to make a mess and send away some customers. He then attends his court hearing, covered in coffee and still dressed in his work clothes, where he is asked multiple uestions about his ability to care for his daughter. Nearing the end of the hearing, subject S is faced with questions that result in him crying and agreeing with the fact that he is unable to take care of his daughter. After this hearing, he gets to see his daughter for a matter of seconds before she is literally ripped from his very arms. Later, subject S is seen observing his daughter outside of her foster home from a distance with flowers and a card in hand. Then, the foster mom joins the daughter where she explains that her father is supposed to come visit for her birthday that day.Upon seeing the arrival of the foster mom, subject S decides to leave without getting a chance to see his daughter. The young girl waits for her father and hugs her teddy bear with tears in her eyes when he does not show up. After this, subject S is seen in his room banging his head on a miniature piano with the blinds closed. Subsequently, the subject begins making origami figures which he then stacks up to create a wall. Subject R comes to his house and begins to yell at him through the locked door. She explains that she left work early to meet him at his first evaluation only to find out that he did not show.After shouting for a few minutes, she threatens to leave but turns around and kicks down the door. This is the exact moment leading up to the interview. After discussing about the incident the occurred at subject S’s job, he states that he believes his daughter no longer needs him because she has a new family now. Subject R expresses that she disagrees with this notion and that he should never give up trying. The goal of the interview that follows is for subject R to encourage subject S to keep fighting for the custody of his daughter.Sam is the main character in the movie. He is approxima tely 30 years old and has a developmental disability. He has the mental capacity of a seven year old, the same age as his daughter. This has posed a great problem for Sam, as he must now fight for custody of his daughter, with the help of his lawyer, Rita. The problem for Sam is that in a year, his daughter will have developed more intellectually than he ever will, making him unsuitable to raise a child, let alone a young adult in the eyes of the defence. Sam's self-concept is quite complex.There is no doubt in his mind that he is capable of raising his daughter, and providing her with the tender, love and care that she needs. To him, no one understands Lucy as well as he does, nor do they know how to adequately take care of her. As shown in the interview scene, Sam seems to think no one truly understands what it's like to have a mental disability. As he says in the interview, â€Å"You don't know what it's like when you try and you try and you try and you don't ever get there beca use, because you were born perfect and I was born like this. † He also states that, â€Å"People like you (Rita) don't know what it’s like to get hurted†¦ eople like you don't feel anything. † These things were said in a moment of anger and distraught, and it told us a lot about how Sam feels deep down about his disability. Sam's self-concept is not distorted and he strongly believes that he is a stable adult, capable of raising his daughter. Constantly needing to defend his rights throughout the movie, Sam's self-concept becomes evident, and is clearly accurate. According to Sam, being a good parent is about â€Å"constancy and patience and listening and pretending to listen when you can't listen anymore.It's all about love. † Stemming from this, Sam has come to the conclusion that he is an adequate parent, and that Lucy has everything she needs when living with him, and being under his care. Sam knows he is far from being the perfect parent, and he is realistic about it. Being a competent father is a huge part of Sam's self-concept, and he is, which proves that it is accurate. In Sam's case, it is particularly hard to decipher his non-verbal communication from a bodily movement he can't control due to his disability.The first non-verbal cue I noticed was the sucking of his bottom lip, indicating that he felt uneasy and did not know how to react to Rita's tears. Secondly, when Rita raises her voice, we see that Sam instinctively pulled back, with a look of shock written across his face. Thirdly, as Rita starts to regain her calm but is still very sad, we see Sam's eyebrows raise and his mouth start to pout, making him look very sad and empathetic. Fourthly, as he approaches Rita to console her as she begins to cry, Sam uses his fingers to gently pat Rita, as if to say â€Å"I'm here for you, you're not alone. Lastly, Sam gives Rita a hug, which is a clear indicator that Sam sees and reacts to strong feelings, and knows how to act appropriately and comfort someone. Many verbal messages were exchanged during the interview. â€Å"Lucy doesn't need me anymore† is the first thing Sam says that seems to have triggered the exchange between him and Rita.Sam is conveying the fact that he believes Lucy doesn't need him anymore simply because she has a â€Å"new† family, he says this with a great amount of vulnerability in his voice, showing us the thought truly bothers him. The second verbal message that Sam conveys was said with a lot more anger and emotion. †¦ and you're perfect. People like you don't know, people like you don't know what it's like to get hurted, because you don't have feelings. People like you don't feel anything. † In that very moment, Sam is indicating to Rita that he is at his wit's end, and that he feels misunderstood and helpless. Lastly, when Sam says to Rita, â€Å"You're enough. You're much more than enough† we are seeing a completely different side of Sa m, one that is tender, and empathetic and that feels the same pain that Rita was feeling in that moment. His verbal communication is telling us that he knows how to comfort someone.Yes, Sam's non-verbal cues are congruent with his verbal messages. During the interview, Rita was clearly upset, and Sam's nonverbal cues indicated his empathy and uneasiness (i. e: sucking his bottom lip and pouting his mouth) which were congruent with his words aimed at consoling Rita, and making her feel better (i. e: â€Å"You're enough, you're more than enough. †). Sam's consistent use of verbal and non-verbal communication messages reveal a lot about Sam's character, self-concept and abilities. For example, Sam revealed to us that he feels terribly misunderstood by his peers and by Rita.He feels un-capable of getting his point across, resulting in Sam's voice raising and him getting angry. Another instance where we gained insight about Sam was when Rita broke down and started crying, his firs t reaction was to approach her, and gently caress her, showing us that he is very empathetic, understands emotions and knows how to react to them appropriately, which is an important ability. I believe that no emotional barriers were interfering with Sam's ability to communicate his feelings. His disability allows him to be extremely sensitive, empathetic and emotional.He â€Å"feels† more than the average person, and many things in his life affect him immensely. He is passionate, which gained him the ability to fight for his daughter as hard as he did. Actually, Sam believes people do not â€Å"feel† as much as he does, because they don't know how it feels to truly be hurt, like he has. That is why i believe emotional barriers are the least of Sam's problems. Referring to the communication process diagram, I believe there is nothing hindering the communication process. Messages are both being sent and received, and interpreted well and fully. Sam and Rita both share a good communication rocess. Rita walks into Sam’s apartment after breaking down the door unprofessionally. She comes up to Sam to talk about his evaluation that day with Child Protective Services. Sam breaks down in tears and begins to tell her that she doesn’t understand and that she will never know what he is going through. This is when Rita tells Sam that she isn’t perfect and that she does understand how he is feeling; the hurt, the pain and the incapability to fulfil their ambitions. Rita admits to Sam that she is not perfect, that she has a son that hates her and a husband that is cheating on her.At this moment, she is not establishing a professional relationship because she discloses her feelings and emotions to her client. Many factors demonstrate that the interviewer is unable to check her perception at this point in the movie. Due to the fact that she is breaking down in tears and mentally, she cannot take the time to sit down and analyze the situation rationally. At this point in the film she is consumed by the problems that she is having in her home-life and is incapable of putting forth techniques to check her perception of the client’s situation.Rita is very verbally expressive; she does not hide what she is feeling either mentally nor physically. She has built up so many walls lined with hurt, frustration and anger that she had finally hit her breaking point. She expressed everything she was feeling and how mad she has been for so long. At this point she says that realizes that she needs to change her life because she too has made mistakes in the past. Sam tells Rita that people like her have no feelings because people like her are born perfect when Sam was born as he was.This causes her to tear down Sam's origami wall and get close to him and say, â€Å"You think you have it pegged on human suffering? Let me tell you something about people like me. People like me feel lost, little, ugly, and dispensable, people like me have husbands cheating on them with people far more perfect then me. People like me have sons that hate them. † By saying this Rita is making Sam realize that he is not the only one with problems and that she is going through things that are equivalently terrible as losing his daughter.She is testing his ability to have an understanding and empathy for what is going on in her life. At this point in the film Sam’s perception of Rita has dramatically changed. This is caused by the abrupt moment when Rita begins countering her problems with Sam’s (ex: her husband cheating on her and her son hating her, then comparing it to Sam’s problem of losing Lucy). She is testing him to see if he will admit that she is, in fact, un-perfect like Sam himself and everyone else in the world. Rita uses assertiveness when she is communicating with Sam.Her language is direct and honest when explains to Sam that she is not perfect and that people like her feel, lost, little, ugly and dispensable. She uses a firm tone of voice to get her message across and try to make it clear to Sam that no human being is perfect, including herself. Rita uses emotive language when she talks to Sam. She expresses her feelings in a disruptive or controlling way. She isn’t simply telling Sam that she is having a bad day and that she needs to talk, but instead is expresses her anger in a disorderly way.For example, when she storms over to Sam and tears down his origami wall, because what he said had triggered something in her. Rita when communicating also uses a lot of â€Å"I† and â€Å"but† statements. It is obvious that the situation is revolving around her at this point and not the client. She explains to Sam that she knows the way she treats her son is not right, yet she feels she has no choice but to be this way, â€Å"He looks at me with such anger and I hate him then, I know I failed you, I know I’m disappointing you, I know you deserve better. But get in the F***king car†.Rita uses kinesics in an intentional fashion to show Sam that she was irritated and frustrated. She chooses to walk over to the origami wall, knocking it out of her way and intruding Sam's space to make him feel intimidated and uncomfortable. You can clearly see that she is tense and offended at what Sam has said to her. Rita demonstrates individual factors that reveal how she is feeling; the tone of her voice gets really low when she is being serious and reaches a topic that is sensitive to her. Throughout the scene her tone of her voice changes.When she is explaining to Sam that she is far less than perfect, she raises her tone of voice to put emphasis on what she is saying. Rita uses the external factors to her advantage. She intrudes Sam’s personal space to make herself heard. This also exhibits territorialism because by tearing down the origami wall that Sam had made she is clearly stating that she is in control at this moment. Rita also uses Chronemics frequently to regulate her communication. To allow the information to sink in she uses small pauses between statements such as, â€Å"You think you got the market cornered?†¦ on human suffering?†¦Let me tell you something about people like me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Rita’s verbal and non-verbal communication is very congruent. A perfect example would be when Sam says you don’t know Rita turns around and throws her hands in the air saying, â€Å"I don’t know what? † this proves that she is feeling frustrated (her hands thrown up as a sign of giving up due to frustration). Another example is after she knocks down the origami wall she points at Sam and says â€Å"You think you got the market cornered†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this shows that she is directly stating her comment towards him and the pointed finger provides that extra shove towards Sam.When Sam tells Rita that she doesn’t understand him because she was born perfect, her h ead is seen pulled back slightly. Sam begins saying things to her such as, â€Å"People like you don’t know† which results in Rita replying with, â€Å"People like me? † This demonstrates that Rita is effectively listening to what Sam has to say. She uses techniques such as prompting to demonstrate that she has understood what Sam has said. The way that Rita acts throughout the interview is very unprofessional.Examples of this are the way she stormed over to Sam and tore down his origami wall and the way that she speaks to him. She has forgotten that Sam has the mental capacity of a 7 year old and treats their relationship on a much more personal level. She does not keep a professional distance from her client because she opens her heart to him as though the two were friends. She shares with him information about her son and husband, when the focus is supposed to be on Sam and his battle for custody of his daughter. I Am Sam Mikaela McMorine October 21st, 2012 Analyzing an Interview Movie: I Am Sam (directed by Jessie Nelson) The individuals involved in the interview are a man diagnosed with Autism (subject S) and a female lawyer (subject R). They are connected through a professional-helping relationship. The incidents leading up to the interview are with regards to a custody battle concerning subject S and his seven year old daughter. His doctors have declared that the intellectual capacity of subject S does not exceed the age of seven.The issue arises when Child Protective Services deem subject S unfit and incapable of raising his daughter due to the fact that he is unable to hold down a steady job and that his daughter will eventually surpass his brain capacity in age. Subject S makes the conscious decision of hiring a lawyer to plead his case. The lawyer in question, or subject R, chooses to provide services to subject S free of charge. During the custody battle, subject S is granted the opportunity to have short, supervised visits with his daughter.Shortly before the occurring of the interview, subject S and his daughter meet, followed by his daughter proposing to go to the park. She lies and tells him that the social worker gave her permission to go with him due to the fact that she did not spend enough time with him and she was crying. Once on their way, she explains to her father that the only possible way for them to be together was to run away. Subject S, makes the concrete decision to find his way to the police station and return his daughter to the social worker.This scene is followed by a court hearing where they call upon subject S’s neighbor as a witness. Earlier on at the start of the movie we see that this neighbor aids subject S in taking proper care of his daughter. Subject S has been promoted in his job from cleaning the restaurant to making the drinks. On the first day of his new position, the restaurant is very busy and subject S begins working too fast , causing him to make a mess and send away some customers. He then attends his court hearing, covered in coffee and still dressed in his work clothes, where he is asked multiple uestions about his ability to care for his daughter. Nearing the end of the hearing, subject S is faced with questions that result in him crying and agreeing with the fact that he is unable to take care of his daughter. After this hearing, he gets to see his daughter for a matter of seconds before she is literally ripped from his very arms. Later, subject S is seen observing his daughter outside of her foster home from a distance with flowers and a card in hand. Then, the foster mom joins the daughter where she explains that her father is supposed to come visit for her birthday that day.Upon seeing the arrival of the foster mom, subject S decides to leave without getting a chance to see his daughter. The young girl waits for her father and hugs her teddy bear with tears in her eyes when he does not show up. After this, subject S is seen in his room banging his head on a miniature piano with the blinds closed. Subsequently, the subject begins making origami figures which he then stacks up to create a wall. Subject R comes to his house and begins to yell at him through the locked door. She explains that she left work early to meet him at his first evaluation only to find out that he did not show.After shouting for a few minutes, she threatens to leave but turns around and kicks down the door. This is the exact moment leading up to the interview. After discussing about the incident the occurred at subject S’s job, he states that he believes his daughter no longer needs him because she has a new family now. Subject R expresses that she disagrees with this notion and that he should never give up trying. The goal of the interview that follows is for subject R to encourage subject S to keep fighting for the custody of his daughter.Sam is the main character in the movie. He is approxima tely 30 years old and has a developmental disability. He has the mental capacity of a seven year old, the same age as his daughter. This has posed a great problem for Sam, as he must now fight for custody of his daughter, with the help of his lawyer, Rita. The problem for Sam is that in a year, his daughter will have developed more intellectually than he ever will, making him unsuitable to raise a child, let alone a young adult in the eyes of the defence. Sam's self-concept is quite complex.There is no doubt in his mind that he is capable of raising his daughter, and providing her with the tender, love and care that she needs. To him, no one understands Lucy as well as he does, nor do they know how to adequately take care of her. As shown in the interview scene, Sam seems to think no one truly understands what it's like to have a mental disability. As he says in the interview, â€Å"You don't know what it's like when you try and you try and you try and you don't ever get there beca use, because you were born perfect and I was born like this. † He also states that, â€Å"People like you (Rita) don't know what it’s like to get hurted†¦ eople like you don't feel anything. † These things were said in a moment of anger and distraught, and it told us a lot about how Sam feels deep down about his disability. Sam's self-concept is not distorted and he strongly believes that he is a stable adult, capable of raising his daughter. Constantly needing to defend his rights throughout the movie, Sam's self-concept becomes evident, and is clearly accurate. According to Sam, being a good parent is about â€Å"constancy and patience and listening and pretending to listen when you can't listen anymore.It's all about love. † Stemming from this, Sam has come to the conclusion that he is an adequate parent, and that Lucy has everything she needs when living with him, and being under his care. Sam knows he is far from being the perfect parent, and he is realistic about it. Being a competent father is a huge part of Sam's self-concept, and he is, which proves that it is accurate. In Sam's case, it is particularly hard to decipher his non-verbal communication from a bodily movement he can't control due to his disability.The first non-verbal cue I noticed was the sucking of his bottom lip, indicating that he felt uneasy and did not know how to react to Rita's tears. Secondly, when Rita raises her voice, we see that Sam instinctively pulled back, with a look of shock written across his face. Thirdly, as Rita starts to regain her calm but is still very sad, we see Sam's eyebrows raise and his mouth start to pout, making him look very sad and empathetic. Fourthly, as he approaches Rita to console her as she begins to cry, Sam uses his fingers to gently pat Rita, as if to say â€Å"I'm here for you, you're not alone. Lastly, Sam gives Rita a hug, which is a clear indicator that Sam sees and reacts to strong feelings, and knows how to act appropriately and comfort someone. Many verbal messages were exchanged during the interview. â€Å"Lucy doesn't need me anymore† is the first thing Sam says that seems to have triggered the exchange between him and Rita.Sam is conveying the fact that he believes Lucy doesn't need him anymore simply because she has a â€Å"new† family, he says this with a great amount of vulnerability in his voice, showing us the thought truly bothers him. The second verbal message that Sam conveys was said with a lot more anger and emotion. †¦ and you're perfect. People like you don't know, people like you don't know what it's like to get hurted, because you don't have feelings. People like you don't feel anything. † In that very moment, Sam is indicating to Rita that he is at his wit's end, and that he feels misunderstood and helpless. Lastly, when Sam says to Rita, â€Å"You're enough. You're much more than enough† we are seeing a completely different side of Sa m, one that is tender, and empathetic and that feels the same pain that Rita was feeling in that moment. His verbal communication is telling us that he knows how to comfort someone.Yes, Sam's non-verbal cues are congruent with his verbal messages. During the interview, Rita was clearly upset, and Sam's nonverbal cues indicated his empathy and uneasiness (i. e: sucking his bottom lip and pouting his mouth) which were congruent with his words aimed at consoling Rita, and making her feel better (i. e: â€Å"You're enough, you're more than enough. †). Sam's consistent use of verbal and non-verbal communication messages reveal a lot about Sam's character, self-concept and abilities. For example, Sam revealed to us that he feels terribly misunderstood by his peers and by Rita.He feels un-capable of getting his point across, resulting in Sam's voice raising and him getting angry. Another instance where we gained insight about Sam was when Rita broke down and started crying, his firs t reaction was to approach her, and gently caress her, showing us that he is very empathetic, understands emotions and knows how to react to them appropriately, which is an important ability. I believe that no emotional barriers were interfering with Sam's ability to communicate his feelings. His disability allows him to be extremely sensitive, empathetic and emotional.He â€Å"feels† more than the average person, and many things in his life affect him immensely. He is passionate, which gained him the ability to fight for his daughter as hard as he did. Actually, Sam believes people do not â€Å"feel† as much as he does, because they don't know how it feels to truly be hurt, like he has. That is why i believe emotional barriers are the least of Sam's problems. Referring to the communication process diagram, I believe there is nothing hindering the communication process. Messages are both being sent and received, and interpreted well and fully. Sam and Rita both share a good communication rocess. Rita walks into Sam’s apartment after breaking down the door unprofessionally. She comes up to Sam to talk about his evaluation that day with Child Protective Services. Sam breaks down in tears and begins to tell her that she doesn’t understand and that she will never know what he is going through. This is when Rita tells Sam that she isn’t perfect and that she does understand how he is feeling; the hurt, the pain and the incapability to fulfil their ambitions. Rita admits to Sam that she is not perfect, that she has a son that hates her and a husband that is cheating on her.At this moment, she is not establishing a professional relationship because she discloses her feelings and emotions to her client. Many factors demonstrate that the interviewer is unable to check her perception at this point in the movie. Due to the fact that she is breaking down in tears and mentally, she cannot take the time to sit down and analyze the situation rationally. At this point in the film she is consumed by the problems that she is having in her home-life and is incapable of putting forth techniques to check her perception of the client’s situation.Rita is very verbally expressive; she does not hide what she is feeling either mentally nor physically. She has built up so many walls lined with hurt, frustration and anger that she had finally hit her breaking point. She expressed everything she was feeling and how mad she has been for so long. At this point she says that realizes that she needs to change her life because she too has made mistakes in the past. Sam tells Rita that people like her have no feelings because people like her are born perfect when Sam was born as he was.This causes her to tear down Sam's origami wall and get close to him and say, â€Å"You think you have it pegged on human suffering? Let me tell you something about people like me. People like me feel lost, little, ugly, and dispensable, people like me have husbands cheating on them with people far more perfect then me. People like me have sons that hate them. † By saying this Rita is making Sam realize that he is not the only one with problems and that she is going through things that are equivalently terrible as losing his daughter.She is testing his ability to have an understanding and empathy for what is going on in her life. At this point in the film Sam’s perception of Rita has dramatically changed. This is caused by the abrupt moment when Rita begins countering her problems with Sam’s (ex: her husband cheating on her and her son hating her, then comparing it to Sam’s problem of losing Lucy). She is testing him to see if he will admit that she is, in fact, un-perfect like Sam himself and everyone else in the world. Rita uses assertiveness when she is communicating with Sam.Her language is direct and honest when explains to Sam that she is not perfect and that people like her feel, lost, little, ugly and dispensable. She uses a firm tone of voice to get her message across and try to make it clear to Sam that no human being is perfect, including herself. Rita uses emotive language when she talks to Sam. She expresses her feelings in a disruptive or controlling way. She isn’t simply telling Sam that she is having a bad day and that she needs to talk, but instead is expresses her anger in a disorderly way.For example, when she storms over to Sam and tears down his origami wall, because what he said had triggered something in her. Rita when communicating also uses a lot of â€Å"I† and â€Å"but† statements. It is obvious that the situation is revolving around her at this point and not the client. She explains to Sam that she knows the way she treats her son is not right, yet she feels she has no choice but to be this way, â€Å"He looks at me with such anger and I hate him then, I know I failed you, I know I’m disappointing you, I know you deserve better. But get in the F***king car†.Rita uses kinesics in an intentional fashion to show Sam that she was irritated and frustrated. She chooses to walk over to the origami wall, knocking it out of her way and intruding Sam's space to make him feel intimidated and uncomfortable. You can clearly see that she is tense and offended at what Sam has said to her. Rita demonstrates individual factors that reveal how she is feeling; the tone of her voice gets really low when she is being serious and reaches a topic that is sensitive to her. Throughout the scene her tone of her voice changes.When she is explaining to Sam that she is far less than perfect, she raises her tone of voice to put emphasis on what she is saying. Rita uses the external factors to her advantage. She intrudes Sam’s personal space to make herself heard. This also exhibits territorialism because by tearing down the origami wall that Sam had made she is clearly stating that she is in control at this moment. Rita also uses Chronemics frequently to regulate her communication. To allow the information to sink in she uses small pauses between statements such as, â€Å"You think you got the market cornered?†¦ on human suffering?†¦Let me tell you something about people like me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Rita’s verbal and non-verbal communication is very congruent. A perfect example would be when Sam says you don’t know Rita turns around and throws her hands in the air saying, â€Å"I don’t know what? † this proves that she is feeling frustrated (her hands thrown up as a sign of giving up due to frustration). Another example is after she knocks down the origami wall she points at Sam and says â€Å"You think you got the market cornered†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this shows that she is directly stating her comment towards him and the pointed finger provides that extra shove towards Sam.When Sam tells Rita that she doesn’t understand him because she was born perfect, her h ead is seen pulled back slightly. Sam begins saying things to her such as, â€Å"People like you don’t know† which results in Rita replying with, â€Å"People like me? † This demonstrates that Rita is effectively listening to what Sam has to say. She uses techniques such as prompting to demonstrate that she has understood what Sam has said. The way that Rita acts throughout the interview is very unprofessional.Examples of this are the way she stormed over to Sam and tore down his origami wall and the way that she speaks to him. She has forgotten that Sam has the mental capacity of a 7 year old and treats their relationship on a much more personal level. She does not keep a professional distance from her client because she opens her heart to him as though the two were friends. She shares with him information about her son and husband, when the focus is supposed to be on Sam and his battle for custody of his daughter.

Literature Review on Usability Testing on Academic Electronic Medical Coursework

Literature Review on Usability Testing on Academic Electronic Medical Record Systems - Coursework Example This can be disastrous for patients to the extent of causing avoidable deaths. Users of electronic medical systems are practitioners in the medical field and users of academic medical record systems are those who are being prepared through learning to become qualified and full users of electronic medical records systems. As a result, earlier application usability testing on academic medical records stands to eliminate or minimize errors associated with usability of electronic medical record systems. Implementing usability testing on academic medical records systems creates an environment whereby the health care services practitioners understand electronic medical systems earlier and are adequately prepared for the challenge (s) before them. Academic electronic medical records systems do not have much coverage as relate to usability testing but there is an abundance of literature on usability of electronic medical records systems. An academic application of electronic medical records system is very important in enhancing the knowledge and skills of the medical student for the actual task ahead. Amidst all of the debate revolving around product functions, features, and which product is appropriate for which practice setting, one very important aspect that require to be examined is usability. Usability of a product depends on the combination of its functionality, features, visual appeal as well as the usefulness (Emanuel, et al., 2008). A product must be oriented to the context it applies, and it must take into account the characteristics of its users. Generally, electronic medical records are used for handling medical information vital for patient care and enhance the efficiency as well as accessibility of that information. The same purpose is maintained in academic electronic medical records systems only that it will incorporate those training to become actual users in the future. The importance of testing for usability of academic medical records (EMR) system S tudies on the importance of testing usability of an EMR system, involves examining the role of usability testing as concerns evaluation of an EMR system, identification issues with usability by both beginners and more experienced system users, and effect on efficiency and satisfaction of its users (Corrao, Robinson, Swiernik, & Naeim, 2010). Academic practitioner literatures are confronted with both failed and successful implementations of EMR system. Setting up of EMR systems is always accompanied by technical, economic, organizational and cultural challenges. These studies conclude that apart from reviewing content and features of an EMR system, usability testing has the potential of improving chances of an EMR design being integrated with current workflow and process of business in a clear, transparent and efficient manner. In these studies 90% and above of issues and recommendations for rectification identified by beginners have been found to be credible. However, an interesting finding is that a majority of the users experienced in using previously implemented systems that have not been subject to amplified usability testing, had a higher level of dissatisfaction with efficiency as well as overall functionality but higher general satisfaction than expected. This underscores the importance of testing usability in academic EMR systems. Literature on academic EMR sys

Personal portals for work and play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Personal portals for work and play - Essay Example Following these pages, the advancement in personal portal represented navigation sites such as Yahoo, Infoseek, AOL, Excite, MSN, Lycos, and Netscape Netcenter. These sites offered users an entry platform to web surfing because of the structured navigable interface improving surfing experience. The main personal portals that were used in this era were Google and My Yahoo that offered users access to sports, news, and web searching platforms for free. google provide mechanisms for integration to personal pages of Gmail and Google News increasing their access to information while accessing their emails. The dot com but in the early 2000s saw the disappearance of personal portals with new software and applications. The changes to the personal portal are represented in the use of software and applications in mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and computers. Currently, a lot of personalized software and applications play the role of personal portals providing user’s access to a host of internet information and capabilities that were not available in the early personal portals. Some of this software and applications that have taken the space of early personal portals and revolutionized the mobile internet access market include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, MySpace, MSN, among others. Blogging has also grown over the years and provides users a platform to publish content that is personal, professional, academic, or otherwise to a large audience and receives feedback.

Extend Definition of Secratary Job in Office Essay

Extend Definition of Secratary Job in Office - Essay Example Historically, the word ‘secretary’ has been derived from a Latin word ‘secernere’ which is a synonym for the English word ‘secret’ (Dictionary.com, 2011). Hence, one of the most important duties of a secretary involves handling and managing of classified or confidential information of the office. Who, among us all, can underestimate the role of the secretarial staff at Pentagon or White House! The responsibilities of a company secretary depend upon the size of the firm or company that appoints him/her, the activities undertaken by the company and the expectations of his/her employer(s). Other than that, the basic job of a secretary revolves around documentation, from typing to efficient file keeping and record tracking. Times and again, he/she is asked to record minutes of a meeting and prepare relevant supporting documents to reach to meeting conclusions / decisions. This way, he/she is expected to be both, a fine listener as well as a speedy w riter and typist (Lazary, 1988). The requirements for a secretarial post usually include a typing speed of 70 – 80 WPM (words per minute) and a legible handwriting. Along with that, secretaries are regularly asked to maintain filing systems in a perfectly arranged order. This is important so that the files can be found and accessed easily and quickly, at the time of need. A secretary must be aware of the basic rules filing systems, which include arrangement in accordance to alphabets, numbers, geographic location and subject. Secretaries are also responsible for attending and managing phone calls for their respective employers. During working hours, they are to answer all the calls and must have the clear understanding of which calls need to be dealt by them and which are to be forwarded immediately to their bosses (Lazary, 1988). They should also know what the person on the other side of the cradle will be calling about in case of regular and frequent callers, and must devel op a friendly relationship with them. This is important because they are representing the office on the online and any careless attitude expressed with the calling clients can serve as a blow to the office’s prestige. When it comes to mail reading, it is essential that the secretary is familiar with the standard forms required and used in the office (Macmichael, 2011). For example, if a person wishes to apply for the post of a legal secretary, he/she must have reasonable knowledge of bill, memo, affidavit, mortgage, lease, power of attorney etc. as he / she will not only be using them, but also held responsible for these different documents procurement and supply. Some other commonly assigned tasks include budget allocation, appointments scheduling, travelling arrangements, emails tracking, updating websites etc (Lazary, 1988). In a way, an efficient secretary’s job scope may range from compiling menu for a business lunch to managing corporate level conferencing betwee n business tycoons. The well-trained secretary is an extremely valuable employee to the company if he/she is able to accept the assigned tasks willingly and relieve his/her employer of many management liabilities. Blessed will be the boss whose secretary comes up with the required reference material for the document under discussion. A secretary also has to attend

Vodafone's Indonesian Expansion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

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