Practical Formula To Australian Taxation Law -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Practical Formula To Australian Taxation Law? Answer: Introducation Coleman and Sadiq (2013) has defined a fringe benefit as a additional benefit which is supplementary to the salary or money wage of the employee such as private health care or a car provided by the company. A fringe benefit tax as defined by the Australian Taxation office is a tax which is imposed on the employers when they provide certain benefits to their employer which also includes their associates and family members. The benefit may be a part or additional to the wages and salary package of the employee. The Fringe benefit tax is calculated separately from income tax on the taxable value of the fringe benefits which have been provided from 1st April to 31st March (Pope 2016). The Fringe benefits Tax assessment Act 1986 sets out provisions towards the assessment of tax in relation to fringe benefits in Australia. In the case of John Holland Group Pty Ltd Anor v. Commissioner of Taxation [2015] FCAFC 82 it had been stated by the court that a fringe benefit only exists where there is a employment relationship between the parties (Pyrmont 2014). According to the provisions of sub section 7(1) of the FBTAA a car fringe benefits exists where at any time in relation to the employees employment a car is held by the employee in person and is applied towards private use by the employee or their associate or is taken for the purpose of being eligible for private use of the employee or their associates. In addition the car has been provided by the employer of his associate as per subsection 7(2) (Feld 2016). Section 8 of the FBTAA provides for a few exceptions in relation to the assessment of fringe benefit taxes. However they are not applicable in the situation. Section 9 of the FBTAA provides the process known as statutory formula method which is used to calculate the taxable value of fringe benefit of the car. The cost of the car is considered in relation to computation under this method. In addition the method does not consider the time for which the car is used for public and private use Bloom and Joyce 2014). Section 10 A and 10B of the FBTAA is provides provisions in relation to calculating the taxable value of fringe benefits by considering the operating cost method. This method is also known as the operating cost method and here the separation of public and private use is considered with computing the tax. The base value of the car is multiplied by a legal rate of 20% which is provided subsequent to the 2016 budget. After the computation of FBT the method which provides a lower value is considered towards the assessment. Sub-Section 11(1) of the FBTAA deals with the provisions in relation to the calculation of depreciation towards the taxable value of car fringe benefits. A legal rate of 25% is applied to calculate the deemed depreciation. Sub-Section 11(2) of the FBTAA deals with the provisions in relation to the calculation of interest towards the taxable value of car fringe benefits. A legal rate of 5.65% is applied to calculate the deemed interest(Murphy and Higgins 2014). Application Here according to the provisions of Section 7 of the FBTAA the car which has been provided by Shiny Homes Pty Ltd to Charlie is evidently assessable for fringe Benefit tax as it has been provided for personal use. Both the methods provided in section 7 and 10A, 10B have to be applied in order to compute the table value if fringe benefits of the car. Statutory method In the given situation a lower amount of fringe benefit tax is derived by the application of the method under section 9 of the ITAA. The employer would also be liable to pay tax on the honeymoon accommodation provided by the employee. However car parking fringe benefits would not have to be applied in the situation in relation to section 39A of the FBTA as the parking has been done on the cost of the employee and not in the place owned as the employer. Income tax is different from capital gain tax and therefore the change of tree wanted by them and for which they have sold their house in Melbourne and purchased a property is central Victoria would not be subjected to the provisions of Income Tax under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1977 (Cth). Section 6.5 of the ITAA sets out provisions in relation to income according to the ordinary concept and under the provisions of this section the income which is gained by Allan as a locum doctor and Betty who is a part time accountant would be assessable for income tax computation. Allan because of his popularity within his profession receives various gifts from his clients. These gifts are in from of Food, cakes and wine. The food and cake received by hi would not be considered wile assessing his income as they do not exceed the commercial value required to be considered. However the wine which is worth $360 would be considered for assessment of tax as its commercial value is above the maximum exempted value under the ITAA provisions (Kenny 2013) This part provided rules which are used to differentiate between a business and a hobby. It had been ruled in the case of Cooper Books Pty Ltd vs. Commissioner of Taxation of Commonwealth of Australia that when a person makes profit through the virtue of a hobby activity such profit is liable to be assessed for income tax (Woellneret al. 2014). Further Taxation Ruling TR 97/11, provides guidelines to differentiate between a hobby and a business. According to the ruling when the intention of a person while conducting an activity is of a commercial nature it is a business and when the nature is non-commercial it is a hobby. The person indulging in an activity to make profit makes such activity a business and was the person does not have the want of making profit the activity is a hobby. The existence of an employment relationship in an activity prima faice makes it a business. A person usually does not invest much in a hobby but invest to a high extent In the case of Martin v. FC of T (1953) it had been ruled by the court that lone activities cannot be considered for the purpose of making tax assessment (Willbanks 2015). It has been provided that the hobby of making marmalade has been turned into a business as it has become famous with the neighbors. A stall had been opened by her which constitutes recurring business. Thus the profit which is earned by them in relation to the sales would be eligible for being considered towards the assessment of their income under the provisions of ITAA. A barter transaction with respect to the provisions of section 25(1) of the ITAA is to be considered the same as any cash or credit transaction which assessing it under income tax implications as well as for GST purpose. The case of .C. of T. v. Cooke Sherden 1980 also provides the same rule which has been stated by the above discussed section (Oestreich and Keane 2016). Thus the activity which has been indulged into by Allan and Betty in from of a Barter system would be subjected to the same tax consequences under the provisions of GSTR 1999 and the ITAA. Reference List: Bloom, I.M. and Joyce, K.F., 2014.Federal Taxation of Estates, Trusts, and Gifts. LexisNexis. Brownlee, W.E., 2016.Federal Taxation in Australia. Cambridge University Press. Coleman, C. and Sadiq, K. (n.d.).2013Principles of taxation law 2013. Feld, A., 2016. Federal Taxation of State Tax Credits. Finkelstein, M., 2014. Cases on Federal Taxation (Book Review). Kenny, P. 2013.Australian tax 2013. Chatswood, N.S.W.: LexisNexis Butterworths. Morgan, A., Mortimer, C. and Pinto, D. 2013.A practical introduction to Australian taxation law. North Ryde [N.S.W.]: CCH Australia. Murphy, K.E. and Higgins, M., 2014.Concepts in Federal Taxation 2015. Cengage Learning. Nossaman, W.L. and Wyatt Jr, J.L., 2016. Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates.TRUST ADMINISTRATION AND TAXATION,2. Oestreich, N. and Keane, M., 2016. ACCTG 503 Federal Taxation of Individuals. Pope, T.R., 2016.Pearson's Federal Taxation: 2017 Comprehensive. Prentice Hall. Pyrmont,2014 NSW Australian Taxation Law Cases. Thomson Reuters. Schenk, D.H., 2016.Federal Taxation of S Corporations. Law Journal Press. Willbanks, S.J., 2015.Federal taxation of wealth transfers: cases and problems. Wolters Kluwer Law Business. Woellner, R. 2013.Australian taxation law 2012. North Ryde [N.S.W.]: CCH Australia. Woellner, R., Barkoczy, S., Murphy, S., Evans, C. and Pinto, D. 2014 (n.d.).Australian taxation law.

Conflict and Negotiation Organization

Question: Discuss about the Conflict and Negotiation Organization. Answer: Introduction Conflict and negotiation are elements that are inevitable among partners, employees and the general public in every part of the business operations (Amatruda, 2006). They bring about change in the organization as different ideas and opinions of individuals are considered and appropriate decisions made to the structure of the firm. In conflict resolution, negotiation is crucial. Winning negotiations results to new ideas being developed thus stimulating creativity and innovation (Amatruda, 2006). It also leads to loyalty and efficient. Unsolved conflicts lead to resource wastage, an adverse climate in the enterprise and break down group cohesion. Before resolving a conflict using the negotiation, consideration of various factors is important such as; the willingness of the parties to participate, the unpredictability of the possible outcomes and the means of influence by the negotiator (Brinson, Jeffrey Fisher, 2009). Definitions of terms Conflict refers to the disagreement or opposition between individuals or the groups that exist within a given organization set up (Black, 2010). It may result in either negative outcomes or positive possibilities. Conflicts always arise when people have differing goals and objectives, beliefs, ideas or theories about the operations of the enterprise (David, Ronald, 2006, p. 359-390). For example, when the workers in the firm are advocating for a higher pay and the management fails to meet their needs, conflict emerges. There are various types of conflict, namely: the intrapersonal, interpersonal, intra-group, intergroup and inter-organizational conflicts. The intrapersonal conflict involves the internal argument within an individual's mind on different thoughts, emotions and values (David, Ronald, 2006, p. 359-390). Apparently, conflict may come up when one is choosing a career path, or making simple decisions such as whether to go for lunch or not. Also, when the role and responsibilities of a person differ with his community values and customs, opposition emerges. Interpersonal conflict refers to the disagreement between an individual with the co-workers or with the management and business owners (Sinaceur Tiedens, 2006). The varied personalities result in differing choices and opinions among employees. It is important that they resolve it as it eventually leads to personal growth and enhances the relationship with others. Intra-group conflict emerges within a team when there are incompatibilities and misunderstandings between the members of the group. It is due to the tension that arises from the different personalities, views and ideas when making decisions on the business activities (Shelton Darling, 2011). Intergroup conflict occurs among the various teams within an organization. For exa mple, the set goals for a sales department may differ from those of a customer relation department. Competition for resources between agencies also results in intergroup conflict. Besides, negotiation is a technique that involves discussion among individuals to get the acceptable solution to a particular conflict (Black, 2010). It is a process that aims at reaching an alternative that benefits all. The various steps considered in the negotiation process are the preparation and planning. Secondly, the definition of ground rules for the conflict, followed by the clarification and justification of the problem and decisions made. The bargaining and problem-solving steps follow and finally, the closure and implementation of the effective solution (Brinson, Jeffrey Fisher, 2009). Theories and models of conflict and negotiation The common theories include individual differences, Motivational approach, Cognitive approach, Cooperative model, Principled Negotiation Human Needs Model by John Burton (David Ariel, 2008). Individual differences approach involves personal characteristics of the negotiator and the parties in a disagreement. The theory argues that all persons should put aside their beliefs, cultures customs and norms and focus on achieving a solution to their conflict (David Ariel, 2008). Motivational approach refers to the aspirations and goals of an individual that influence the conflict resolution process. The resulting outcomes always depend on what motivated the negotiator and the parties to resolve the disagreements (Joppa, et al. 2009). In addition, Cognitive approach asserts that the negotiator should have the ability to scrutinize events outlined in the negotiation plan and come up with actions that can aid in making appropriate judgments (Zafonte and Paul, 2008). Also, the cooperative mod el which was developed by Morton Deutsch where he argued that the nature of the dispute and the goals of the disputing parties should be evaluated in the negotiation process. Cooperative sharing of ideas brings an environment of trust, and as a result, an appropriate solution can be determined (Cambridge, 2009). Principled Negotiation is a model that was founded by Roger Fisher and William Ury. He advocated that the following four principles enhance the conflict resolution process. They include separating the problem from the parties. Then focus on the each person's interests and create various options for the solution and finally ensure that the agreement bases on the organizational objectives. Human Needs Model by John Burton focuses on the identification of the needs of an individual that causes conflict to enhance their accommodation in the negotiation process (Raiffa, 2007). However, the above theories and models have failed to explain the conditions that may affect conflict resolution success or failure. The theorists focus only on the processes of coming up with an alternative solution for the conflict (Dincyurek Civelek, 2008). Therefore factors such as the significant psychological obstacles, the sense of urgency, the authority to decide, willingness to compromise external factors favorable to settlement and the resources required for the process should be evaluated in detail. Also, the identification of a solution to the challenges that reduce the effectiveness of the resolution such as lack of time to convince others and parties who are not ready to accommodate the interests of the different group is equally essential. It is a tool used to help individuals understand themselves and also their relationships with others in an organization (Dincyurek Civelek, 2008, p. 3-4). In the Johari Window, people establish a list from which they select adjectives that describe their personalities. The four quadrants of the window include the open or arena that consists of traits that the individual player and the peers know (O'Hara Erin, 2009). The hidden or faade includes adjectives selected by the person but are not recognized by the peers. The blind spot that represents data known by the peers but the subject is not aware of them. Lastly is the unknown which involve behaviors that no one understands them. From the window, it is apparent that we have different personalities that we know or we are not aware of that can result in conflicts in the organization. Thomas Khilman Conflict Questionnaire (TKI) This tool has thirty pairs of statements. The framing of the questions is in a way that respondents chose between alternative A and B and then use to evaluate an individual's behavior in conflicting occasions. A persons behavior and attitude towards others are described basing on assertiveness and cooperativeness. The five conflict modes used are, avoiding, accommodating, competing, collaborating and compromising (Cambridge, 2009). As discussed in the theories these five modes are used to identify the nature of the conflict. In this tool, five factors are used to describe the human personality. They include the openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The test gives a person more insight into how they react to different situations (Tschannen, 2009). ESCI The individuals' behavior is measured on a 360 degrees view to create a competitive advantage in the firms. It aids innovation and teamwork since the ESCI differentiates average performers from the outstanding ones. The ESCI Competency Scale lists various traits and abilities of a person such as emotional self-awareness and self-control, adaptability, achievement orientation and conflict management (Jackson, 2009). The above four tools help in identifying personal strengths such as self-awareness and improved communications. Also, the tools aid in the realization of what one posses and sensing others interests and perspectives. The weaknesses identified include: The inability to venture into group dynamics, the fear of sharing ideas and opinions with co-workers and failure of determining a groups emotional currents and the power relationships. Lastly, failure of self-disclosure and observing how others perceive our behaviors is another weakness (Seeley, et al. 2007). Areas of improvement From the knowledge I have gained concerning conflict and negotiation, the following key areas need to be improved. First involves avoiding negative responses to peoples opinions. Secondly stop placing blames and takes ownership of the problem that arises (Cloke and Goldsmith, 2009). These are essentials skills that will help in managing conflicts with colleagues. Below is a personal development prepared regarding conflicts and resolution. Personal development plan Strengths The ability to manage time effectively, flexible with lesson schedules and am excellent in ensuring that my performance improves after every year. I am also strong when it comes to identifying risks and foreseeing problems before they arise. Weaknesses Being a leader and manager has many challenges, and therefore, it is important to identify various weaknesses that are portrayed by a person. First, is balancing between institutional and family life. Lack of the skills of substitution of tasks given to the individual interests is my other weakness. Also, I am weak at developing a practical problem-solving approach to ensure collaboration among team members. Part 2- Goals setting Focus on conflict and resolution to get a deeper analysis and understanding of it Learn to remain calm and reason first before handling any sort of conflicts. Use meetings to enable me to gain self-confidence and ability to share ideas Engage with a broad range of people to enhance my communications. Be able to develop my emotional intelligence Involvement in public speaking workshops Part 3 Personal/ interpersonal skills My personal skills include self-confidence and the assertiveness in handling daily challenges. Pa rt-4 Personal Objectives To ensure I establish good relationship with colleagues to foster a sharing environment. To always stay flexible and optimistic to every situation and always respond to conflicting situations with confidence. Analyzing situations before establishing a course of action to take in a conflict situation. Being the first to enhance communication among parties to bring unity to conflicting individuals as this will assist to repair the damaged emotions resulted by conflicts. Creating solutions through brainstorming with ideas to generate needful ideas. Recommendations Establishment of effective communication skills that help in understanding others ideas and opinions. Ensure that there are better working relationships among people in the organization Support negotiation training in dispute resolutions. Encourage individuals always to identify their areas of improvement for the career development. Conclusion In conclusion, active conflict negotiation in the firm results in improved solutions and strengthened relationships. Understanding of the diagnostic tools promotes interpersonal skills among individuals and as a result better performance of the operations in a company. All people have to develop self-development plans that will aid in the achievement of the set goals and objectives. However, before thinking about ways of conflict resolution, it is important to establish strategies that can help overcome the causes and sources of conflicts. References Amatruda, J.W. (2006.) Conflict Resolution and Social Skill Development with Children Mary: Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama Sociometry, Vol. 58, No. 4, Brinson, J. A., Jeffrey, A Fisher, T. (2009). Cross-Cultural Conflict Resolution in the Schools: Some Practical Intervention Strategies for Counselors. A Journal of Counseling and Development, JCD, Vol. 82, No. 3, Black, K. (2010). Adolescence: Fall 2010 Gender Differences in Adolescents' Behavior during Conflict Resolution Tasks with Best Friends, Vol. 35, No. 139 Cambridge, (2009).CDA Collaborative Learning Projects: Reflecting on Peace Practice Participant, Training Manual, Online edition. Retrieved on 25th January, 2017, from: https: Cloke, K. and Goldsmith, J., (2009). Resolving Conflicts at Work: A Complete Guide for Everyone on the Job. San Francisco David, B. Ariel C., (2008) Toward a Strategic Theory of Workplace Conflict Management, Ohio St. J. Disp. Resolution, 24(1), 143-190. David, B Ronald L. S. (2006) Managing Organizational Conflicts, in the Sage Handbook of Conflict Communication: Integrating Theory. Research, and Practice: Sage Publications, 359-390. Dincyurek, S. Civelek, A. H. (2008). Summer-Fall 2008: The Determination of the Conflict Resolution Strategies of University Students That They Use When They Have Conflicts with People The Behavior Analyst Today, Vol. 9, p. 3-4, Jackson, P. (2009). The interpersonal effects of emotions in negotiations: a motivated information processing approach. Soc. Psychol. Joppa and Eleonora, N. (2009). Aiding Violence or Peace? The impact of foreign aid on the risk ofcivil conflict in sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Development Economics 88: 301313. O'Hara Erin, A. (2009). Spring 2009 Group-Conflict Resolution: Sources of Resistance to Reconciliation Law and Contemporary Problems, Vol. 72, No. 2, Raiffa, H. (2007). Negotiation Analysis: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Cambridge London, UK. Sinaceur, M. Tiedens, L.Z. (2006). Get mad and get more than even: when and why anger expression is effective in negotiations. J. Exp. Soc. Psychol. Seeley, E., Gardner W Thompson, L. (2007). The role of the self-concept and social context in determining the behavior of power-holders: self-construal in intergroup vs. dyadic dispute resolution negotiations. Shelton, C. D Darling, J. R. (2011). From Chaos to Order: Exploring New Frontiers in Conflict Management Organization Development Journal. Tschannen, M. (2009). Spring 2009: The Effects of a State-Wide Conflict Management Initiative in Schools American Secondary Education, Vol. 29, No. 3, Zafonte, M. and Paul, A. S. (2008). "Shared beliefs and imposed interdependencies as determinants of ally networks in overlapping subsystems." Journal of Theoretical Politics.

MLA Formatting Essay Sample - Get Yours Now!

MLA Formatting Essay Sample - Get Yours Now!If you want to get the most out of your MLA (Master of Arts in Literary Studies) degree, you will be well served by using a Mla Formatting Essay Sample. This is a very comprehensive article that gives you all the tools you need to create an impressive masterwork. The entire process is completely explained in detail so that you can really impress your professors and students.Mla is one of the toughest subjects to study, as well as to put together an impressive piece of work for your thesis or course. I know that it can be a tough job, but with a good Mla Formatting Essay Sample, you will be well on your way to achieving your goal. So, what are you waiting for? Get out your computer and get your MLA Formatting Essay Sample!How do you go about doing this? Well, let's start with an essay. You don't have to write something that is very sophisticated, but just a basic, well-written one is enough to get a good impression.A good sample will take yo u through a few sentences at a time and then go on to show you the actual writer's view of what the person thinks about a particular topic. And, one good point about the Mla Formatting Essay Sample is that it will give you a brief description of the issues, which must be discussed. You can check this out for yourself by going to the link that I gave.In this Mla Formatting Essay Sample, you will see the following: a reading of a work, the author's personal views, his opinions and criticism, and a list of details about the writer's area of interest. You will also be given the information that describes the discipline the author is interested in. This is one of the most important points. It will help you identify what your topic is, which is the base on which you will start from.As you know, your professor will look very favourably on your work if you are able to give a good, comprehensive and fair analysis of the works that you have studied. This is because the objective of the profes sor is to assess your knowledge, skill and ability. This is how you will do that. All you have to do is to present the best possible piece of writing that can win you a good grade and prove to be well-grounded in the subject.So, get your Mla Formatting Essay Sample and see how you can impress your professors, make a good impression on your fellow students, and make a good impression on the committee that is reviewing your work. Just like that, you can improve your chances of getting accepted into the college that you want to go to. With that, what could be a better beginning for your life!

Veterans Health Administration System Development Lifecycle

Problem Statement It has been noted that shortcomings in the Veteran Health Administration (VHA) system that systematic issues affecting the Return on Investment (ROI) may be due to improper adherence to the steps in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This document presents key areas of the SDLC that may be behind the shortcomings and recommends a root cause analysis study.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Veterans Health Administration System Development Lifecycle specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Context The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is series of steps that play an integral role in the production of software. The cycle includes system engineering, software requirements analysis, systems analysis and design, generation of code, testing and maintenance (Lewis 26). Based on reports from the PE Lessons Learned team, it has been reported that during development of the VHA system systematic i ssues suggest poor adherence to the SDLC. In turn this may be responsible for poor Return on Investment (ROI) for the project. Because of this several areas have been identified that could be the reason behind the poor performance of the project. Concept Initiation Issues attributed to poor adherence to the SDLC of the VHA system can be traced to concept initiation. Evidence in support of this is identified in the GAO report which highlights the fact that despite spending large sums on money and time on the VA project implementation is yet to be done on many of the projects. It has been observed that an estimated $127 million has been spent on this project over a period of nine years. It should be noted that of this amount $62 million of the amount was to be spent on planning, management support development equipment and environment. It has also been noted that the department also paid a further $65 million to the contractor to develop the replacement scheduling system. It should be noted that prior to initiation of the project the VA system relied on an outpatient scheduling system that was over 25 years old. Given that in 2009, VA terminated the contract supporting the development of a suitable scheduling project one can understand why so many defects still exist in the system. His is because if the scheduling system is so significant, the VA should have first developed this system before undertaking other systems. As a result of this poor planning it was noted that the project was still plagued by a number of defects that VA and the contractor were unable to resolve.Advertising Looking for assessment on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It has therefore been concluded that it is likely that VA did not adequately plan its acquisition of the scheduling application. This can be traced to the fact that one of the best practices in development of software is to closely align software projec ts with business or organizational goals (ISACA 116). Concept Definition Another shortcoming that is attributable to lack of adherence to the SDLC is observed when considering concept definition. This is because an SDLC can be broken into three main stages namely, definition, construction and the implementation phases (Tan and Sheps 296). In the definition phase, the project team attempts to provide a detailed explanation of what the system is expected to accomplish. It is based on these requirements that the software engineering specialists develop the proposed solution (Tan and Sheps 296). It is therefore clear that an incomplete or unsuitable concept definition will most likely result in a system with degraded performance. At this point it is also important to mention that definition also involves feasibility study which is essential to the proposed system. The objective of the feasibility study is to point out if the project is absolutely necessary and if the organization is abl e to complete the software project envisioned (Tan and Sheps 296). Based on the VHA case it appears evident that a complete feasibility study was not undertaken and as a result a poor system was developed. In addition to that another important question that can be traced to the feasibility study is related to the Enterprise Architecture (EA). Based on the feasibility study it should have been noted that the Enterprise Architecture to support such a system was absent. This in turn would have suggested the need to develop suitable architecture. The feasibility study should have identified the lack of the required architecture to manage the project. In this case the development of the suitable architecture should have arisen and been addressed accordingly. Concept Planning It has already been established that during the development of a software project the project team goes through a series of steps to ensure success of the product.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sa mple on Veterans Health Administration System Development Lifecycle specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In a good software project the development team will allow the organization to review progress periodically. It is believed that these reviews play a crucial role in the development process. This is because reviews present opportunities to identify errors and inconsistency (Tan 201). Such reviews provide developers with an opportunity to plan, correct and re-plan the project as it progresses. In the development of the VHA System it is possible for one to assume that such planning in relation to the concept was not done. For this reason it is evident that due to poor acquisition strategies led to solutions that do not satisfy the stakeholder needs. In addition to that it is noted that due to poor planning there were numerous delays in the project schedule. Also evident in the project is the lack of communication and absence of meetings between the participants. This appears to be a reason behind the delays in completion. It has been suggested that in similar projects the participation by both the users and the project team helps to keep the project on track (Tan 201). Based on this reason, the numerous delays suggest that there was poor execution of the planning stage. Development In the production of software solutions the development stage normally involves the translation of user requirements to code (Langer 221). The code produced during this stage relies heavily on the amount of time dedicated to the definition and planning stages of the SDLC. Therefore, if there were major flaws in definition and planning phases the product produced will certainly contain these flaws. In this stage of the SDLC, the software is also tested to provide data on its performance vis-Ã  -vis the requirements (Langer 221). It has been reported that due to the fact that VA did not ensure requirements were complete and sufficiently d etailed, it was thus unable to guide the development of the scheduling system. It is reported based on guidance that the use of disciplined processes for definition and management can help reduce risks associated with developing a system that does not meet user needs. Based on the failures associated with the system it is possible to infer that VA did not adhere to this practice. It is also essential that requirements should be well defined and documented by the team to make development an easier task. The move to abandon the scheduling system and begin afresh suggests that not only was the contractor in appropriate, the requirements were not properly defined and documented. Implementation During this stage in the development of software a number of tasks are undertaken. These tasks are important because they vet and review the requirements (Kostojohn, Paulen and Johnson 96). There are a number of approaches that can be utilized during development. In this stage the program will als o be tested for integration.Advertising Looking for assessment on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It has been observed that the VA approach to the performance of testing increased the risk that the system would not perform as expected. This is because best practices suggest testing activities should be incremental in nature. This is because incremental testing will uncover minor issue which in turn may affect the overall performance of the system. This allows for early detection and correction of software errors. This leads to use of less time and resources in correcting errors. It has been noted that instead of using the best practice approach to testing, the VA chose a high risk approach of undertaking all testing activity concurrently instead of incrementally. This is based n information provided by project officials that indicated stage to testing on all 12 versions of the scheduling application began before stage one testing was completed. It has been mentioned that stage two testing began 78 days before stage one testing of the same version was completed. It is even mentio ned in a further two cases that stage two testing began even before stage one testing. It has been further pointed out that the first alpha version had 370 defects that were of critical, major or average severity. However, the department proceeded with these tests even when the departmental criteria for commencing stage two testing indicated that all such defects were to be resolved before stage two testing began. To deal with this issue caused by the defects the VA hired a second contactor to deal with the defects. However, almost two years after commencing stage two testing 87 defects still remained unresolved. Scheduling project officials reported that they ignored the departmental testing guidance and approved stage two testing. Based on this it has been suggested that if the VA is to succeed in its new initiative it is critical that the project adhere to testing guidelines to ensure prompt problem resolution. Operations and Maintenance It has been reported that a significant am ount of money spent system development goes into maintenance. For this reason there are a wide number of maintenance activities that can be undertaken on an information system. Corrective maintenance involves the repair of design and programming errors (Dixit 412). Adaptive maintenance involves the modification of the system to changes in the operating environment. Perfective maintenance is meant to evolve a system and take advantage of existing opportunities (Dixit 412). There is also preventive maintenance, which is performed with a view to providing safety from future problems. Upon analysis of the VHA system the changes made to the RTLS implementations suggests that the system was poorly maintained. Evidence of this is in the observation that non conformities led to difficulty in data retrieval, viewing and analysis. Based on this information it is possible to suggest that other than poor requirements definition there was poor maintenance. This is because such inconsistencies sh ould have been identified upon implementation and rectified using corrective maintenance measures. Close out The final step in a software project is the closeout phase. This stage entails performing actions that effectively conclude a software project (Rittinghouse 157). In this stage the project team holds a post mortem meeting with the stakeholders. After this meeting, a report of the meeting is produced. It is expected that the report will act as a road map for future activity involving the project (Rittinghouse 157). In the case of the VHA system due to inconsistencies and performance issues it is still not possible to complete this stage. This position suggests a need to take remedial action and conclude the project. Recommendations Based on the position revealed by the findings of this report the PE team will undertake investigations to identify shortfalls in the VA project. This position is due to the various high-level issues identified in this report. It has already been no ted that poor requirements definition led the project to failure due to the fact that the project did not fully capture the organizations goals. It has been suggested that this may have arisen because the users and the team did not collaborate adequately in the requirements analysis. Another issue with the project can be attributed to poor financial planning which saw the project utilize a large amount of financial resources and produce a faulty product. It would appear that there was an inadequate definition of requirements and milestones that may have guided the project to success. In addition to that it has also been identified that there is a need for improvement in project management within the organization. This comes to light due to the fact that approval for step two testing came from within the organization. As such it is hoped that the information contained in this report can be used as a basis for further investigation in budgeting, planning, requirements analysis, testin g and change management within the organization. Works Cited Dixit, J. B. Structured Systems Analysis and Design. New Delhi: Laxmi Publications (P) Ltd., 2007. Print. ISACA. CGEIT Review Manual 2011. Printed in the USA: ISACA, 2011. Print. Kostojohn, S., Brian Paulen, and Mathew Johnson. CRM Fundamentals. New York: Springer, 2011. Print. Langer, Arthur M. Guide to Software Development: Designing and Managing the Lifecycle. London: Springer, 2012. Print. Lewis, Jeremy. Sdlc 100 success secrets: Software Development Lifecycle (sdlc) 100 most asked questions. Brisbane: Lulu.com, 2008. Print. Rittinghouse, John W. Managing Software Deliverables: a software development management methodology. Burlington: Digital Press, 2004. Print. Tan, Joseph K. H., and Samuel Barry Sheps. Health Decision Support Systems. Maryland: Aspen Publishers Inc., 1998. Print. Tan, Joseph K. H. Adaptive Health Management Information Systems: Concepts, Cases and Practical Applications. Sudbury, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2010. Print. This assessment on Veterans Health Administration System Development Lifecycle was written and submitted by user Isiah D. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Take Home Exam Spring Essay Example

Take Home Exam Spring Essay Example Take Home Exam Spring Essay Take Home Exam Spring Essay The Case of Chris Cunningham Elizabeth Stoves was the president of Stoves Industries, an amalgamation of several small companies in the electrical parts industry. She and her husband had inherited part of the group from her father-in-law, and Stoves, an engineer, elected to run the company while her husband pursued a separate career as a dental surgeon. In addition to the inheritance, Stoves had purchased three other companies to create the present Stoves Industries. Only 31 years old, Stoves was a dynamic individual, full of ideas and drive. In he period of one year, she made Stoves Industries into a profitable organization known for its aggressiveness. Stoves integrated the four companies into a unified organization by merging the individual management groups into one unit. Some individuals in each organization lost their jobs at the time of purchase, and, in other instances, executives of the newly purchased companies resigned because of difficulties in working for such a young and driving boss. The four plants continued as individual man picturing units of the company, and together employed approximately 475 production workers. Problems arose in integrating the sales staffs, because the original companies had competed with each other, and, the sales clerks had overlapping territories. This was gradually being worked out; but the salespeople were permitted to keep their own pre-existing customers, which made it difficult TTT assign exclusive territories to each salesperson. The sales staff included 17 sales representatives and the director, who had been with the original Stoves company as sales manager. He knew Elizabeth Stoves well and was a trusted lieutenant, but served as little more than formal head of the sales force. He voted most of his time and energy to routine direction and coordination o the sales team. Stoves herself provided the active leadership. Stoves herself hired the 18th and newest sales representative, Chris Cunningham, who had been one of Stoves college classmates. Cunningham shared some of Stoves drive and enthusiasm to succeed and soon justified Stoves choice with a sensational sales record. Despite this sales success, Cunningham represented a thorny problem for Stoves. She described the problem in the following fashion: l hired Chris because we knew and admired each other in our college days. Chris was always a leader on campus, and we had worked well together in campus affairs. Chris was just the kind of person I wanted in this organizationa lot of drive and originality, combined with tremendous Loyola The way I operate, I need a loyal organization of people who will pitch right IR on the projects we develop. Chris has already been proven a top-notch performer and will probably be our best salesperson in a year or two. Could one ask for anything better than that? Here is where the problem comes in. Chris is the sort of person who has absolutely no respect for organization. A hot order will come in, for example, and Chris will go straight to the plant with it and raise hell until that order is delivered. It does not make any difference that our production schedule has been knocked to pieces. The order is out, and Chris has a satisfied customer. Of course, that sort of thing gets repeat business and does show well on Chris sales record. However, it has made running our plants a constant headache. Production staff are not the only people who felt Cunningham impact on operations. Chris gets mixed up with our engineering department on new designs and as even made the purchasing department furious by pressuring them to hurry supplies on special orders. You can just imagine how the rest of the organization feels about all this. The other salespeople are pretty upset that their orders get pushed aside-?and are probably a bit jealous, too. The production people, the engineers, the purchasing agent, and most of the rest of the staff have constantly complained to me about how Chris irritates them. On a personal level, the staff say they like Chris a lot but that they just cannot work with such a troublemaker in the organization. Eave talked with Chris many times about this. I have tried raising hell over the issue, pleading for change, and patient and rational discussion. For maybe a week after one of these sessions, Chris seems like a reformed character, everyone relaxes a bit, and then bangfew go again in the same old pattern. Suppose that in many ways Chris is just like mel must admit I would probably be inclined to act in much the same way. You see, have a lot of sympathy for Chris point of view. Hank you can see now what my problem is. Should I fire Chris and lose a star salesperson? That does not make too much sense. In fact, Chris is probably the person who should be our sales director, if not immediately at least in a few years. But without the ability to get along with the organization, to understand the meaning of channels and procedures, Chris is not only a valuable and talented addition to the company, but a liability as well. Should I take a chance on things eventually working out and Chris getting educated to the organization? Should put on a lot of pressure and force a change?

Q5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Q5 - Essay Example Poorly planned information systems also increase the costs of operation or else the customer requirements may not been met. This leads to dissatisfaction among clients and hence the organization can not maintain competitiveness in the market. Moreover, poor planning also leads to the existence of information systems in the organization that are not in use, not because they are spoiled but because the organization does not need them (Benaroch, 2002). Poor planning leads to failure especially when the organization does not have effective mechanisms for maintenance and supporting the information systems. Without the appropriate plans, the organization might not be capable of maintaining adequate support for consistent working with the system. It might result in to losses and misunderstanding among the MIS staff and the general organizational managers since blameworthiness is usually placed on those involved in the application of information systems rather than the planners. For example, the employees in charge of the control room are blamed for the poor performance of the information systems especially since they interact directly with the clients whose dissatisfaction is often attributed to incompetence among these staff. Such blames are mistaken and are all as a result of poor planning (Tipon et. Al 2001) The choice of the source of decision support systems in an organization is significant to their effectiveness in enhancing organizational performance. The pros of purchasing the DSS from vendors are many. First, the cost of purchasing the DSS is far much lower than in-house development especially due to the fact that the organization does not have to employ experts to develop the systems. The costs that could otherwise be incurred in the organization for developing the systems can be used for other purposes in the organization. On the other hand, outsourcing presents the organization with a wide range of DSS developers applying various technologies, which

Geography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Geography - Essay Example In 1960S, International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna was formed to control and manage fish harvesting in a more sustainable manner. Unfortunately, many nations are not it member and continue to fish it without regard for conservation to make huge profit. The Grand Banks fishing ground along the coast of Newfoundland was regarded as home of cod. In the 1970s, with advancement of new fishing technology, it was fished to reduction. By 1960s, it had drastically dropped to very low quantities leading to the closure of the Grand Banks fishing industry. Passenger pigeons birds became extinct in 1914 (Bedoya 2011). When the Europeans settled in North America this birds used to migrate in large numbers across the sky. The Europeans destroyed their habitant in the forest and hunted them down for food and sold them in the market. They greatly reduced in number by the time hunting limits were enacted. It was too late to save them and soon they became extinct. The Earthâ€℠¢s atmosphere is a common resource shared and polluted by everyone on the planet. The green house gases from industries, transportation and air pollution damages the atmosphere. International agreement like Kyoto Protocol has been formed in attempt to slow global climate warming and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (Hardin 2011). Multiple nations recognized the importance of taking care of it and agreed to look at the long term benefit at the expense of the short-term gain. Population growth is another tragedy of the common. As the population increases the natural resources are depleted. Every person uses air, land, water, and food resources and dividing those resources to around 7 billion people tends to stretch them thinly. Unregulated logging leads to the depletion of tropical rainforests which benefits everyone in the world. Timber producers remove a lot of it and cheaply damaging acres of land. Some part are protected and governed in a proper way for extraction but still i llegal logging takes place especially boundaries of different countries where their law is different on their border. Groundwater in Los Angeles was drawn by the increased population in Los Angeles to an extent of intrusion of saltwater from the nearby Pacific Ocean. Faced by potential of water shortages and depletion of water resources they depended on, a voluntary organization was formed to conserve and manage the groundwater for future use. The ocean is a commonly shared resource throughout the world. No single nation has the power to pass laws that govern and protect the entire nation. Every nation protects the ocean resources along its coastline. The shared space is left to destruction and pollution. Ocean garbage accumulates of circular current or gyres. Many nations let solid waste from lands and ships flow into the ocean (Margulis 2012). The garbage, especially the plastic pollutant, is harmful to every individual because they form a cycle through the food chain. Traffic con gestion is a major problem on the roads. Individuals use the road for their own self interest, some to get to their places of work as fast as possible. Problem occurs when everyone decides to use the road to meet travelling needs. Jam occurs and there is slow movement of vehicles leading to air pollution from idling cars. When there are many vehicles on the public road,