Tax Management Information System

Tax Management Information System Literature Review Internet is a very powerful platform that connect people from all around the world. Taiwan has employed the Internet as an enabler to speed up public services online and has earned a top ranking worldwide for its achievements [14]. Almost all government agencies operate with internet facilities and have their own websites. IT is often perceived as the great enabler of service innovation [14]. As innovative of nature of government’s application of relevant technologies to service delivery remained unexplored, public sector need a framework that applies service innovation studies. Innovation is defined as the implementation of a conscious process of change to gain certain effects or results [14]. Innovation evaluation should be based on citizen satisfaction and the creation of citizen needs rather than in terms of profit making. The basic principles of service delivery include the processes per see, co-operation, trust and social acceptance [14].We need to make the best use of the web’s potential as a means of improving public services will create innovation patterns in cyberspace. With introduction of e-government services, it will attract potential user to use the new delivery system.Public service sector is consider to be able to possess a distinctive style of innovation as these large organizations have higher shares of professional staff and conduct their own research and development. There are five types of innovation which consist of Innovation involving changes in characteristics and design of service products and production process, delivery innovation, administrative and organizational innovations, conceptual innovation and system interaction innovations. All the five types innovations need a new way, new strategies, improved solution to be able to interact with other organizations and knowledge bases. E-government initiatives use the Internet to reallocate private resources to public services [14]. In cyberspace, online services create new markets that differ from traditional services along two primary dimensions: the degree of service separability and the type of benefit offered [14]. The service must be produced and consumed at the same time. The separability feature becomes the main difference between e-services and traditional services where the latter feature interactivity or are co-terminal [14]. Citizen can complete their payments procedures without leaving home. As a core benefit, citizen can complete multi-part task without the need to visit various government agencies, which eventually will save them a lot of time. Government websites gave citizen greater accessibility to government information and greater convenience, while aiming also to overcome jurisdictional divisions through seamless service initiatives [14]. Single window format can accommodate an owner-delivered approach, shared delivery through integration or delegated delivery through an intergovernmental service utility. Area of focus are technology innovation, administrative innovation and new market creation. The portal cannot be considered as innovation if it only provides online information and forms for download [14]. Strength of market creation and website structure This tells us that Government agencies need to bring their operation online with innovation in order to serve their citizen better in any possible way. Innovation is important in portal design structure as it will attract more citizen to join. Tax Education in Distance Learning Self assessment system (SAS) is introduced to educate taxpayer with fundamental tax knowledge. To determine tax liabilities, taxpayer need to comply with public rulings and tax law issued by Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRBM). Taxpayer with tax knowledge will able to accurately assess their tax liability. Tax education only applicable to accounting undergraduates. Undergraduates that are non-accounting, who are the future taxpayers need to be equipped with tax knowledge as well. This will enable them to be more confident in planning their tax affairs [15]. It will helps in improve voluntary compliance and reduce inaccuracy of tax return. An online survey was conducted to collect data on whether Non-accounting undergraduates have sufficient tax knowledge and should they enrolled under the electronic distance learning program known as e-PJJ. Result shows that 45.2% fill their tax return by themselves while 54.8% need help from their spouse. Result of Respondents level for score of Tax Knowledge Types of instructional method was also in the survey question and the result shows most respondents prefer online learning than compared to traditional method of face to face learning. Online learning has the flexibility of time and place which best suits the working adults [15]. For topics that need to be covered in the tax education shows respondent interested to learn more about personal taxation and tax planning for an individual. They were aware of the importance of claiming reliefs, rebates and tax planning in computing their chargeable income and determining an accurate tax liabilities [15]. Result of Respondents preferred Tax Instructional Method Result of Respondents preferred tax topics All result shows that respondents need to be equipped with tax knowledge and to be aware of provision and changes in tax laws. Online tax education is much prefer by most respondent shows that traditional instruction method is no longer popular in era of technology. Online education is a must in order for future or current tax-payers to be equipped with the fundamental of tax knowledge so that they will be able to handle and determine an accurate tax liabilities. E-Government in Australia In Australia, National Electronic Conveyancing System (NECS) was introduced by Australian State and Territory Government in 2005. All conveyancing deal like conveyancers, legal practitioners, financial institutions, mortgage processors are available with NECS online. The system will allow users to provide, secure, certify and sign documentation [16]. NECS will serve as a useful model for other areas of commercial, governmental and social activity. This will allow Australian government may better achieve its strategic goals in developing a modern economy and remain among leaders in this area [16]. The purpose of NECS is to develop a national online conveyancing system. The issuance of Digital Signature Certificates issued under the Australian Government Gatekeeper Framework which will ensure authentication and prevent repudiation [16]. Reserve Bank’s Information and Transfer System (RITS) will get financial settlement with disbursements received and cleared for reuse. Duty and Tax Payments will be received electronically by The State and Territory Revenue Offices as cleared funds from settlement through National Electronic Conveyancing System. Four stages involve in the development of NECS which are extensive stakeholder consultation, building the system with its protocols and features, all issues must be tackled to ready the system and conversion process must be ready for government, financial institutions and other participants to transfer what they want to do with new NECS system. Five Frameworks were introduced which consist of Enabling legislation, Authorization issued by a JA to an ELNO, Operating Requirements, Participation Agreement and Participation Rules and Inter-governmental Arrangements. All the frameworks introduces were to provide the infrastructure upon which the promise of a more efficient, transparent and effective system of electronic conveyancing becomes a reality [16]. Australia NECS system will be beneficial to the citizen in the way when dealing with government. All possible issues had been tackle well when the system was implemented. The system is secure with digital signature which citizen won’t worried when transaction is being done through the system. Design of Tax Management Information System Tax income is very important for national economy. With the new tax system introduced, there will be conflicts between new and old taxation measures. It is necessary to establish a powerful, efficient, secure, stable, shared and controllable tax management information system to raise tax collection ratio, to enhance efficiency of the execution of tax law, to improve taxation service, and to reduce the taxation cost, so as to strengthen tax collection management, to provide high quality comprehensive service for taxpayers, and reliable reference for macro-economic decisions [17]. The content of system can be summarized as â€Å"one platform, two steps, three covers and four systems†. One platform means to develop a centralized technical platform with network hardware and software. Two steps means need to gradually realize the centralized data process in the state and provincial administration of taxation. Three covers means extend the system gradually cover all taxation items, tax management key parts and to be able to connect with relevant departments. Four systems is to develop four information management system respectively for main operation which consist of collection and exchange of information, administration and decision support. Tax management information system include four organically-combined subsystems built on centralized technical platform which include tax management system. Tax management system mainly dealing with tax operations, internal and external tax administrative management, taxation decision system dealing with economic supervision, forecasting and analysis. Four subsystems consist of Tax operation system, Tax administrative management system, Decision support system and External information system. Tax operation system includes six parts for inspection, collection, punishment, management, execution and relief. Tax administrative management system includes seven parts, documentary process, knowledge management, HR management, financial management, logistic guarantee, supervision an auxiliary office. Decision support system is mainly for inquiry, analysis, supervision and forecasting of tax management. External information system is mainly for collection and transmission of external information. Operation flow of tax management information system Tax management information system is an integrated system and will be designed on the basis of â€Å"one network, one platform and one set of data standard† [17]. General Framework of Tax Management Information System All data can be shared with just single input and all operation will be display on a centralized interface, the assessment can be done thoroughly with the entire system. There are four implementation strategy of the system which include the strategy to assembling units and â€Å"building blocks†, to construct tax application system with three-layer structure, to construct a common data exchange platform and to construct scientific and reasonable common unit platform. Three layer systematic structure With introduced of new tax measures, an efficient, stable, secure and controllable tax management system need to be develop to improve taxpayer tax knowledge, enhance efficiency of execution of tax law, to improve taxation service and to provide high quality service to taxpayer. With three layer separation structure, it will minimize redundancy of data and functions and hence accurate and correct data can be delivered to taxpayer. E-Tax Invoice System using web service technology in Thailand Online Employment Management System Based on Data Mining Graduate online Employment Management System is developed based on data mining. Research is mainly focus on management level and technical level. At management level, this system should be in accord with the application demand characteristics of college employment management; at technical level, this system should adopt an advanced and applicable software development mode and process [15]. The main objective of this system are centers on management demand, takes relatively perfect and prominent management function realization. The development of information technology makes every aspect of the whole society located in the state of interacting information and meanwhile it faces the application requirements of reducing cost and improving management and service level and therefore choosing a suitable development mode should fully consider ever-increasing management and service demands [15]. SQL Server200 is chosen as database management system because it is the more popular enterprise database. The design and implementation of database are not merely a part of management information system and its functions are almost the core of management information system, because from management content, its core is data storage and management [15]. Database interrelated logic data set stored in certain organization way but it does not refer to the sum of several files. It implies the re-organization among data files and file records, it have relatively high independence of program, data and serves multiple users or applications programs in least repetition to realize data sharing. Online Employment system based on Data Mining has various function which consist of user login, user management, data input, inquiry function, statistical function and database management. Site Diagram of graduate online management system Data is the core of system operation [15]. To ensure security of data, system has automatic data backup function at the server end. Artificial recovery is system administrators use new backup data artificially to recover data when server data is destroyed. Graduate online management system makes a lot of repeated and miscellaneous work handled automatically and managed orderly by computer. The system ensure the consistency, accuracy and timeliness of data, provide real-time, dynamic, accurate and complete employment information, ensure college employment management quality and provide a highly digital, normalized and scientific employment management information and processing platform for colleges [15]. Online Montessori Management System Easy Montessori Manager is developed for all the schools that are using Montessori approach in Malaysia. The objective of Easy Montessori Manager is to provide Montessori curriculums and modules which are fit inside this portal to help the teachers to monitor their children’s developments [14]. From survey collected, result shows there is a need to develop an online Montessori module system for teachers and principals of Montessori pre-schools in Malaysia [14]. The System EMM is developed specially for teachers and administrators of Montessori preschools. It has two main features, the Montessori module and the management module [14]. The Montessori methods cover three techniques, Motor education, Sensory education and Language [14]. The Montessori module contains the Montessori methods, the method guidelines, children performance analysis and progress report. The Management module contains features such as registration, timetables and attendance records. This project methodology uses Rational Unified Process (RUP) as Software Engineering Process. It provides a disciplined approach to assigning tasks and responsibilities within a development organization. RUP goal is to ensure the production of high-quality software that meets the needs of its end-users, within a predictable schedule and budget [14]. Workflow of RUP Easy Montessori Manager is divided into two modules which are Montessori module which provide child monitoring system and General Preschool Management System module that helps the school administrator, principals and teachers to manage the school administrations. This system act as a guideline for teachers and child monitoring system for parents.

Fyffes Case Study

IntroductionFyffes are an Irish company founded in 1888 that specialise in fruit production. The company is said to be â€Å"world famous† according to the Fyffes website, one reason being that their bananas were the first branded fruit in the world (Fyffes, 2013). Fyffes are the oldest fruit brand in the world and are headquartered in Dublin. The company began in London, soon to become the most popular banana brand in the world, the organisation was born into the marketplace devoid of competition.Their â€Å"blue label bananas† allowed them to become unique and furthermore dominators of the fruit market. Today, their main product is the banana, although they also produce other fruits including the Fyffes Gold Pineapples and Fyffes melons. Fyffes currently market their produce in Europe and the United States and are involved in the production, procurement, shipping, ripening, distribution and marketing of bananas, pineapples and melons.SWOT Analysis of Fyffes.StrengthsF yffes have several strengths such as a large brand portfolio that is very well recognized. Furthermore they have a strong brand recognition among both customers and institutions, that allows them to penetrate new markets and also hold a large share in existing markets. They operate a vertically integrated supply chain that allow economies of scale in fruit in both sourcing and distribution. (Fyffes,2013) There strong market position allows them with a lot bargaining power in the market. They have a large number of supply chain activities that include ; Production, procurement, shipping, ripening and the distribution and marketing of bananas but also melons and pineapples.WeaknessesFyffes lack in the scale of operations when compared to their competitors ; Chiquita Brands, Dole foods and Fresh Del Monte produce. They are somewhat dependent on european market, but this has greatly improved since 2008 when  there 51% of their revenue came from the eurozone. There competitors have sig nificantly bigger distribution and marketing channels along with greater financial resources. This can be seen in 2013 revenues were Fyffes is listed fourth behind Dole food, Fresh Del Monte, Chiquita and Total Produce. (Fyffes,2013)OpportunitiesA company acquisition may help enhance pineapple production. This would increase production and supply. Fyffes have identified their weakness of lack of scale and made progress by establishing a network(s) across Germany. This includes both distribution and ripening centres. Fyffes have been paying a tariff on bananas imported in to the european union since 2006 due to the European Union banana import regulation. This has given competitors importing from other regions the upper hand. However the EU have agreed to reduce this tariff on latin american bananas in stages, when this fully implemented this could reduce Fyffes’ operating costs significantly. (ibid)ThreatsFyffes have strong competition across all their product lines, competit ion include global companies as listed previously but also agricultural cooperatives and foreign government sponsored producers. Further to this competitor companies have larger financial resources allowing them more purchasing power along with more capital to expand and improve. (ibid)Target CountryAs the huge demand for bananas and tropical fruits in Europe constantly increases Fyffes have found themselves sourcing throughout The Tropics,Caribbean and countries in Central America for example Costa Rica and Columbia. With the European Union being the largest consumer importer for bananas, it is Fyffes target market. In Britain alone over 5 billion bananas are consumed each year, hence why they are the 4th largest importer bananas in the world and one of Fyffes major target countries. They have a strong competitive advantage as the British market is one they know very well and can use this against other companies such as Chiquita who are a  Latin American company.Another target co untry for Fyffes is Germany being the 2nd largest importer of bananas in the world.Fyffes can easily trade with Germany as it is within the European Union.Although the United States are the number one largest importers for bananas it is unlikely that they would be able to compete with the firms from South America. Companies such as Del Monte,Dole Food Company and Bonita are the largest banana firms in the US and dominate the market.As bananas are only produced in countries with a very specific climate such as The Carribean or The Tropics they’re target countries are the places where the fruit cannot be readily grown and must be imported.â€Å"Bananas and pineapples are grown in countries of the tropics – Africa, Latin America, Caribbean, Pacific etc. Many countries produce bananas as a staple food and only around 20% of all bananas that are produced are actually exported.Most bananas and pineapples sold on the British market are exported from Latin America, and increa singly West Africa, as companies relocate in search of ever ‘cheaper' fruit, pursuing a ‘Race to the Bottom' in terms of social and environmental standards.† (www.Bananalink.org.uk 2013)Products Selected to Go InternationalHeadquartered in Dublin, Fyffes has expanded greatly and is now operating in several different regions including the United Kingdom, mainland Europe, U.S.A. along with Central and South America. With Fyffes being one of the largest fruit companies in the world, their internationally distributed products include bananas, melons, pineapples and the newly added product that is plantains.Fyffes are renowned on a world stage for being the most notable distributor and seller of bananas. Operating in a vast amount of countries in the Caribbean and South America, as of 2012 Fyffes was the â€Å"largest importer of Fairtrade bananas into the European Union† (Fyffes, 2012). These bananas are sourced from countries such Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil, P eru and the Ivory Coast. After the bananas have been harvested and washed they are palletised for shipping in temperature controlled holds.Fyffes have marketed their bananas from the standpoint that they are nutritionally beneficial to all. They preach the biological benefits of their products whether it is through their website, general advertising or through they’re labelling etc. They boast the fact that â€Å"bananas are known as the energy fruit because they provide a quick-but-sustained energy boost in a natural, nutritious and easily digestible form† as well as the rather low caloric count of just 95 kcal per banana. Much of the same marketing is used for their pineapples. Fyffes’ ‘Gold Pineapples’ are described as â€Å"Supersweet† (Fyffes.com, 2013) and is sourced mainly from Ecuador, Panama and Costa Rica. These are packaged and distributed around the world.The pineapples are shipped in condition controlled vessels to ensure an appr opriate balance of sugar and acidity is maintained. Once again Fyffes market their product based on the nutritional benefits. They declare that their â€Å"Supersweet† pineapples contain â€Å"three times more vitamin C than traditional pineapples† along with their low fat content and the presence of digestive enzymes (Fyffes.com, 2013). Fyffes third main product is their variety of melons. Fyffes’ selection includes a range of both summer and winter melons. The summer melons include galia, watermelons and cantaloupe.The winter melons include watermelons, honeydew and cantaloupe. They are high in vitamins A and C and contain digestive fibre. The countries in which they are in grown in include Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica. As previously mentioned, Fyffes introduced what are known as ‘fruit snacks’ in the form of plantains chips. The plantain is a variation of the banana and is being marketed as a variation to potato chipsEntry Modes UtilisedFyf fes have been exporting to the UK for the last 120 years from its base in Ireland. The first step Fyffes took after exporting to the UK was to export to EU member states. This was a low risk natural progression for Fyffes as the EU operate a free trading policy within member states and many of the original member states have a similar demographic as that of Ireland and the UK.These markets had similar demand as their climates were not susceptible to growing bananas and this proved to be a venture that increased the recognition of the blue label brand and maximised the use of current  resources as well therefore proving highly profitable. In 1995 to expand on its European distribution channels Fyffes entered into a venture with the Windward Island Banana Development and Exporting Company (WIBDECO), and bought out Geest Bananas which were a major competitor in the British market (Bananalink, 2013). In 2005 the company entered into a strategic alliance with the Turbana Corporation in order to expand its market reach and develop its US market share.As Fyffes grows and increases its market share larger economies of scale are allowed for. Fyffes buy most of their fruit from farms in Belize, Panama and Costa Rica, it does however own about 6,000 acres of land in Costa Rica as well as smaller farms in Panama and Belize (Carswell, 2013).The company is hoping that by 2014 they will grow 60 per cent of the pineapples they sell. A recent development in the containers used to keep the fruit fresh while shipping means that the fruit could be kept fresh for 35 days of shipping, far longer than the current 23. Fyffes are hoping this will allow them to export their fruit from their Central American headquarters in Costa Rica to growing markets in Russia and the Middle East.Resource Commitmentâ€Å"Resource commitment refers to the level of dedicated assets – physical or human – that cannot be transferred from one country to another without loss of economic val ue†. An example of this may be that a firm adapt its product and resources to suit the needs of the host importing company (Petersen, 1999). This essentially may result in increased revenue in that specific area but may not help revenue figures as a whole for the firm. Fyffes has continuously shown resource commitment to several different foreign markets.Due to the very nature of the fruit business Fyffes was technically always an import-export business. As an Irish company selling tropical fruit there was always a need for shipping the fruit from the likes of Costa Rica and Panama. Therefore these resources were already owned by the company. In order to grow their exports Fyffes had to expand on these resources. Fyffes were the first company to properly transport their fruit on their ships. They changed from just transporting the fruit in bunches to using proper containers on board, this was key to shipping the fruit further afield.Alasdair MaCleod, head of Fyffes in their Ce ntral American base said that  only once in his 20 years in the business had he lost an entire shipload of fruit as a result of a ripe box of bananas prematurely ripening others on board the ship. As mentioned previously Fyffes hope to further improve their shipping containers and therefore advance into more new markets. This is a resource commitment that is sure to pay off . (Carswell, 2013)Environmental Factors Impacting on InternationalizationThere are four main environmental factors that can impact the internationalization of a company. These are the competitive, legal, political and economic environments. It is imperative that a company must overcome these obstacles in the marketplace in order to establish internationalization of their firm. For fyffes, their competitive environment struck them first in the late 1920s.Their first competitor, Jamaica Bananas Producers Ltd, began to sell their fruit in large amounts to the British market. Fyffes counteracted by branding their f ruit to enable recognition of their bananas. The blue Fyffes label then became iconic, it was their major selling point. Henry Stockery CEO of Fyffes in 1929 said that,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"today people are asking for the ‘Blue Label’ bananas†.The popularity of their ‘blue labeled bananas’ allowed them to dominate the banana market and to wipe out all of their competitors.With regards to the legal, political and economic aspect, according to Fyffes website, it states that,   Ã¢â‚¬Å"fyffes is aware of the social and environmental issues associated with the products that it sources and sells†. (Fyffes, 2013).They follow a strict code of practices in order to produce their product at the highest quality and approved ethical standards. Furthermore, Fyffes is said to be â€Å"pro-active† with matters such as environmental impact and fair labour prices by heavily participating in industry forums on social, ethical, health and safety and environmental is sues.Success (or otherwise) ExperiencedBeing one of the worlds most prominent fruit distributors, Fyffes has enjoyed an overwhelming amount of success since its founding all those years ago in 1888. Not only are they still in existence, but they have still maintained their image as one of the fruit industry’s big guns. A huge contributing factor to their success was tapping into the retail supermarket area and producing at a large scale.â€Å"Our business has evolved to meet the needs of the big retailers and today, 90% of our produce is destined for supermarket.† (Barrett, 2013)Fyffes is Europe’s biggest banana importer with estimated sales of about â‚ ¬1 billion annually, exporting up to 40 million boxes of bananas (roughly 4.5 billion bananas) and 8.5 million boxes of pineapples from farms in Costa Rica, Belize and Panama every year. Ireland accounts for 10 per cent of the company’s exports. They became the first company in their area to place a bra nd on their fruit in 1929. The company’s approach to business in todays market is structured by the same commitment to quality and confidence in the integrity of it’s fruit that prompted the introduction of the pioneering brand label idea.As a company, Fyffes have pledged to carrying out the utmost of fair trade as well as environmentally sustainable production. Innovation is a highly influential factor in relation to Fyffes’ approach carrying out business. â€Å"Fyffes taps container technology to broaden market reach† (Carswell, 2013) This is a recent example of innovation where Fyffes propose the use of a new container system which can preserve fruit for as long as 35 days. This would allow the company to export more produce into Europe, better quality food into Russia and more fruit into the Middle East. Growth in business is something that Fyffes concentrate on every year and they are currently succeeding to do so according to a recent article on the dublin headquartered company.â€Å"The Dublin-headquartered international banana exporter yesterday posted pre-tax profits of â‚ ¬22.2m for the first six months of 2013, a 1.1% increase on the same period last year.† (Percival, 2013) However in 2007, Fyffes suffered an 11% fall in first- half profits because of losses at its melon joint venture in Brazil. This is one of very few examples of occasions of misfired venture for the company, where they suffered a â‚ ¬2.8m loss from their share of a Brazil-based melon producer Nolem. This was an event which was uncharacteristic of the company and it wasn’t ignored, judging by a  statement released at the time. â€Å"Significant internal resources have gone into addressing Nolem’s business in order to deliver an improved result in the forthcoming season† (Guider, 2007).ConclusionFyffes are an excellent example of a public quoted Irish company who have experienced success in international markets. Their innovative use of the blue label way back in 1929 made them the first fruit brand in the market. This was a huge development from Fyffes and has set them up to be the instantly recognisable brand they are today. This is a brand that has loyal customers who associate the Fyffes fruit with reliability, sustainability and most importantly a high quality product. It is this basis that has allowed them to grow into the flourishing business they are today along with their tactful low-risk foreign entry strategy.

Areas of Specialization in Psychology

Areas of Specialization Number |Subjects of study in psychology |Areas of specialization in |Definition and key points of this |Rationale (reason why you matched |Possible research method of | | | |psychology (match with below |specialization (be sure to use |this subject of study with this |study (experimental, | | | |options) |professional sources) |specialization in psychology) |correlational, observational, | | | | | | |case study, interview) and why | | | | | | |this one may fit the best | |1 |Studying the causes of aggression in |Social |Study of how people behave in |Social Psychology would help |I would say experimental, | | |reaction to others in their environment. | |social environments, study how |explain why someone would become |because it is a preferred way to| | | | |friendships develop, what causes |aggressive in their environment. |study behavior. | | | | |aggression and how prejudices are | | | | | | |formed. Argosy University, 2013) | | | |2 |Studying the pe riod when a newborn child |Developmental |Study of human development. |When a child recognizes their |Naturalistic method because | | |recognizes his or her parent. | |Study factors that shape human |parent would be considered a |really the only way to see when | | | | |behavior from birth to |developmental behavior. |a newborn recognizes their | | | | |death. (Argosy University, 2013) | |parent is to observe them. |3 |Sharing some research about the best |Industrial and organizational |Study of factors that affect |Work place stress would affect |Questionnaire because it can | | |strategies to manage work place stress. | |people in organizations. Identify |performance at the work place, |handle and works well for any | | | | |factors that affect performance. |which would fall under this |large group of people. | | | | |Development of employee skills. |category. | | | | |Job analysis. (Argosy University, | | | | | | |2013) | | | |4 |Determining which chemical or |Neuropsycholo gy |Attempt to study the human brain |Seeing what neurotransmitter |Experimental will help show | | |neurotransmitter might be activated when | |and its impact on human behavior. coffee would affect would have to |cause and effect between | | |people use coffee as a memory or | |Would try to figure out what |do with studying the brain and the|variables | | |performance â€Å"enhancer†. | |chemicals or neurotransmitters |effects of certain chemicals on | | | | | |were responsible for our emotions |chemicals or neurotransmitters | | | | | |or something like anxiety. (Argosy | | | | | |University, 2013) | | | |5 |Reviewing the thought process of someone |Cognitive |Study and work with how each |Seeing how someone has come to |Experimental because it can show| | |who has difficulties remembering things | |individual stores, transforms, |have difficulties long-term would |the cause and effect which may | | |long-term. | |uses and communicates information. |fall under the catego ry of |be beneficial. | | | | |Works with how we remember things |communicating or storing | | | | | |, and how we decide(Argosy |information. | | | | |University, 2013) | | | |6 |Methods to gain possible diagnoses in |Clinical |Work on diagnosis, understanding, |In order to understand and help |Case study because one could | | |efforts to understand emotional problems. | |and treatment of severe emotional |diagnose emotional problems one |gather a lot of information on a| | | | |problems, mental problems, and |would need to study emotional |case to case basis that would | | | | |behavioral problems but have no |problems. aid in understanding emotional | | | | |medical degree. Don’t rely on | |problems based on people’s | | | | |medicine. | |individual experiences | Use these as the possible specializations to use in the above chart: Clinical psychology or Clinical Psychologists Health psychology Biological psychology or Neuropsychologists Developmental psycholo gy Social and personality Cognitive psychology

Who Is in the 114th Congress

On Tuesday, January 6, 2015, the 114th United States Congress began its session. The congress contains new members recently granted office by voters in 2014 mid-term elections. Who are they? Lets take a look at the race and gender composition of our government representatives. The Washington Post reports that this new congress is about 80 percent male, with the Senate at 80 percent, and the House at 80.6 percent. They are also a cumulative 80 percent white, given that 79.8 percent of the House is white, and a full 94 percent of the Senate is white. In short, the 114th Congress is overwhelmingly composed of white males, which means it is what sociologists call a homogenous population. Trouble is, the US is not a homogenous population. It is rather heterogeneous, which raises questions about the accuracy of this Congress as a democratic representation of our nation. Lets parse the numbers. According to US Census data for 2013, women compose slightly more than half of the national population (50.8 percent), and the racial composition of our population is as follows. White non-Hispanic: 62.6%Hispanic or Latino: 17.1%Black or African American: 13.2%Asian: 5.3%Mixed race: 2.4%American Indian or Alaska Native: 1.2%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.2% Now, lets take a closer look at the racial composition of Congress. White non-Hispanic: House, 79.8%; Senate, 94%Hispanic or Latino: House, 7.8%; Senate, 3%Black or African American: 10.1%, Senate, 2%Asian: House, 2.3%; Senate, 1%Mixed race: 0%American Indian or Alaska Native: 0%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0% The race and gender disparities between the population of the US and this Congress are striking and troubling. Whites are significantly over-represented, while persons of all other races are under-represented. Women, at 50.8 percent of our national population, are also grossly unrepresented among the predominantly male Congress.   Historical data compiled and analyzed by The Washington Post show that Congress is slowly diversifying. Inclusion of women has grown mostly consistently since the dawn of the 20th century, and has grown more sharply since the late 1980s. Similar patterns are seen in racial diversification. One cant deny the positive nature of this kind of progress, however, this is progress at an incredibly slow and simply inadequate rate. It took a full century for women and racial minorities to reach the sad level of under-representation we suffer today. As a nation, we must do better. We must do better because there is so much at stake in who composes our government, like how their race, gender, and class positionality frames their values, world views, and assumptions about what is right and just. How can we seriously address gender discrimination and the chipping away of womens reproductive freedom when those who experience these problems are a minority in Congress? How can we effectively address problems of racism like over-policing, police brutality, over-incarceration, and racist hiring practices when people of color are not adequately represented in Congress?  We cannot expect white men to fix these problems for us because they do not experience them, and see and live their detrimental effects the way that we do.   Lets throw economic class into the mix too. Members of Congress receive an annual salary of $174,000, which puts them in the top bracket of income earners, and far above the median household income of $51,000. The New York Times reported in January 2014 that the median wealth of members of Congress was just over $1 million.  Meanwhile, the median wealth of US households in 2013 was just $81,400 according to Pew Research Center, and half of the US population is in or near poverty. A 2014 Princeton study which analyzed policy initiatives from 1981 to 2002 concluded that the US is no longer a democracy, but is an oligarchy: ruled by a small group of elites. The study conclusively found that most policy initiatives are driven and directed by a select few wealthy individuals who are socially connected to our political representatives. The authors wrote in their report, The central point that emerges from our research is that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence. Is it any wonder that our government has systematically eroded funding for public education, services, and welfare? That Congress will not pass legislation to ensure a living wage for all people? Or, that instead of creating jobs that pay living wages, we have seen a rise in contract, part-time labor devoid of benefits and rights?  This is what happens when the rich and privileged rule at the expense of the majority. Its time for all of us to get in the political game.