Thursday, January 30, 2020

Different Types of Documents Produced in a Business Environment Essay Example for Free

Different Types of Documents Produced in a Business Environment Essay The different formats in which text may be presented are font typefaces, headings, font size, effects (bold, italics, underlined), colours and text boxes. We can format text in paragraphs, tables and columns. We can add bullet points, headers and footers. We can also add tables, graphs, diagrams and flowcharts as a clear way to represent data and processes. 1. 3 Explain the purpose and benefits of producing high quality and attractive documents The documents you produce for your organisation are an image of representation of your organisation. So it creates an impression on the reader about the standards of the organisation. A good quality document that looks good to the audience can gain more customers and increase the company’s reputation. The quality of your documents is a reflection on you. 2. 3 Describe different types of technology available for inputting, formatting, and editing text and their main features A keyboard and mouse would be the main technology to insert text into a computer. When using a keyboard you press the specific key for each character that needs inputting, and this is transferred on to the computer screen, in a word processing program. A mouse helps you navigate on the computer screen to select the programs to select the programs to open and view and type the text. Another form of inputting could be copying and pasting information from the internet or another document. You could even use a scanner to input text and transfer documents into the computer. Within the Microsoft Word package, you have the following tools to format the text to make it look high quality: -WordArt: this includes effects such as shadows, outlines, colours, gradients, and 3D effects that can be added to a word or phrase. WordArt can also bend, stretch, rotate, or modify the shape of the text. -Page layout: the arrangement of text, images and other objects on a page. -Columns: this is a vertical division of text on a page, usually found in the layout of booklets, newspapers, magazines and leaflets. -Paragraphs: usually a distinct, short section on a document/ piece of writing, usually with a single theme. -Headers and footers: A header or footer is text or graphics that is usually printed at the top or bottom of every page in a document. A header is printed in the top margin; a footer is printed in the bottom margin. The types of technology that are available to edit text are: -Spell check: a computer program that identifies possible misspellings in a block of text by comparing the text with a database of the correct spellings. -Grammar check: this is a tool on Microsoft programs that gives you helpful hints to improve your sentence structure. -Find and replace: this is a function that allows you to search for a particular word in a document and replace it if you need to rename more than one word. 3. Explain the benefits of agreeing the purpose, content, style and deadlines for producing documents. The audience of a document is the group of people for who it is written for. Therefore, documents should be designed to meet the needs of the expected audience. You need to know the purpose of the document so you know what and how to produce it, for example, if it is advertising for young people you would want it to be eye catching and in a style that will appeal to them. It is important to agree the content so you can obtain the information, plan and organise the layout. Deadlines are important so you can plan other work around it and complete the document on time. 3. 2 Outline different ways of organising content for documents. To organise the content you require for a document, you first need to find out how the document is to be presented and the information that is to be included. But ways you could organise content could be: -Bullet points -Alphabetical ordering -Chronological order -Headings -Text -Graphs -Text boxes You should then store all the information needed safely and with clear file names. 3. Outline ways of integrating and laying out text and non-text. Text and non text can be integrated easily with Microsoft Word or Publisher. There are many ways of laying out a document, using columns, graphics, and blocks of text, headings, background colours, images and white space and wrap text around; which helps you to work around with its different features to get a consistent format. Also there are other office applications that help with integrating and laying out text and non-text, for example, Excel and PowerPoint, help with integrating text and non-text in spread sheets and slides. Many organisations use a logo on all their printed materials and their documents often have a very specific style. This will be achieved by always using the same fonts, font sizes, text and page colours and page layout. 3. 4 Describe ways of checking finished documents for accuracy – including spelling, grammar and punctuation – and correctness, and the purpose of doing so. When you have finished creating a document, you should review and check it thoroughly before sending or printing the document. Word documents have a spell check function, however even using spell check might not be completely accurate, therefore using a grammar check on the document as well, will be more beneficial. After doing the spell and grammar checks, you could ask another colleague to proof read your work – having a proof reader can help highlight problems as they are a fresh set of eyes that have not read the document. Re-reading the documents several days after completing, may refresh your mind to notice any corrections and adjustments. It is beneficial to compare the final version with original notes and rough drafts. All of these checks are to ensure that your document that you want to make is fit for purpose and correct before showing to a senior member of staff or production of the document. 3. 5 Explain the purpose of storing documents safely and securely, and ways of doing so. Any document with any sensitive information should always be stored safely; electronically or physically. For example, -A filing cabinet which can be locked, as it may be required for future use/reference. Storing confidential documents electronically should always be stored with password protection, on a safe and secure operating system. -Locking your computer if you’re leaving your desk, even if it is for just a few minutes. -Being aware who is around you or your desk when dealing with documents with confidential information on. 3. 6 Explain the purpose of confidentiality and data protection when preparing documents. Any form of personal information held about a person within a company is protected under the Data Protection Act; this means all data should be kept confidential. This is significant to ensure nobody will be able to get the data and pass the information on. Confidentiality is very important when preparing documents, because Oxfordshire County Council is involved with a lot of personal data: †¢Full names †¢Contact details (addresses and phone numbers) †¢Records When preparing documents we need to be aware of what we are including in the document, for example if you are adding a photograph, do you have the right permission to use it? As a company, in order to protect the users and the owner, confidentiality must be observed. 3. Explain the purpose and benefits of meeting deadlines. If deadlines are valued and meeting those deadlines is enforced, expectations are consistent. It is important that you produce your work to the best possible standard in order to meet the requirements of the person setting the task. This will show you are responsible and trustworthy and you can be relied upon to get things completed. You may not know who else might be waiting for your work; it could have to be passed on to someone else. This may cause problems and delays in the workplace and could affect team relationships.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Micromotives and Macrobehavior Essay -- essays research papers

Micromotive is the inner motivation that leads us in performing particular acts. Those decisions are to pursue peoples’ own self interest, unintentionally lead to contradict with other people’s acts. Chasing that idea of human nature T. Shelling gives us variable results of how micromotives can guide the society in the world of externalities. Economists tend to rely on A. Smith’s â€Å"Wealth of nation† where he talks about invisible hand theorem† according to which people seek to promote their own self interests in the society and also promote the interest of society. (McConnel, B.). Schelling in his paper presents things from different angle. He convinces us that individual actions can lead to surprising results as an aggregate. In our society people selfishly follow their own interests not considering the results those may have on others: either positive or negative. For instance Wright Brothers have invented the first airplane. That is a great example of positive spillover. Inventers chase their own interest on the first place, but in the long term they have contributed into societal progress. Therefore now we can get to the destination faster and easier. An example of negative externality is someone who refuses to pay the taxes to the government. To save money acts on his own interest behalf, when at the same time his action doesn’t benefit societal â€Å"bank†. That behavior could decrease future potentials for societal development if left ungoverned. Shelling introduces coordi...

Monday, January 13, 2020

St. Johns River, North Florida

The St. Johns I have had many experiences with the St. Johns River in my life. For as long as I can remember I have lived less than a mile from this river. Every activity from boating, to canoeing, or fishing I have done in the river, and every time the water has seemed clean. Over the years the St. Johns River has acquired a bad reputation for being nasty or dangerous. Anything from flesh eating bacteria from algal blooms to bull sharks have been rumored to be lurking in its waters. Though some of these rumors are true and some of them are false, one will not die upon touching the water. However, the St.Johns does need some extra attention based on tests, past and current programs, and the fish population. Many tests performed on the river reflect that the water is relatively clean. State officials over Volusia and Seminole counties have noticed that there is the potential for a water shortage in the next couple years due to population increases. If nothing is done, the ground water in this area will run out. A plan is being proposed to use surface water from the St. Johns River to supplement the ground water. State officials believe they can filter the water from the St. Johns of bacteria and use this water for drinking water. Ann Givens) The fact that the state is considering using the water in the St. Johns for drinking water shows that the water quality is good. If there were severe algal blooms, the state would not consider trying to filter the water. Many tests performed on the river are in response to the paper mills present on the river. There is one mill in particular addressed on Rice Creek outside of Palatka. The waste water from these paper mills is dumped from pipes into the river. Ten years ago these mills were forced to upgrade their equipment due to a toxin being released called Dioxin.Dioxin is chemical that can cause cancer produced by the chlorine reactions in the mill. The older equipment was believed to be allowing this toxin to flow into the St. Johns River. Two years ago another test was done on the Rice Creek and traces of Dioxin are still present. The general belief is that Dioxin has remained in creek residue. (Patterson, S. ) Tests similar to this are done throughout the river. The residue remaining from the Dioxin is only present in Rice Creek and is not present throughout the water system. This effort to control the Dioxin shows progress.Scientists identified that the Dioxin was present and the source and took severe action to eliminate the expansion of Dioxin. Though this effort was necessary and applauded, efforts now need to be made toward eliminating the remaining residue and removing Dioxin from the river completely. Many programs and funds have been devoted to improving the water of the St. Johns River. A major act proposed in the 1970’s was the Clean Water Act of 1972. The Clean Water Act forced Floridians to find bodies of water that are impaired due to higher nitrogen levels.Once established, the state had to institute total maximum daily loads for each of these bodies of water. The total maximum daily load (TMDL) is established â€Å"based on the maximum amount of pollutant that the water body can assimilate without exceeding water quality standards. †( Lynette, M. ) This act made progress in reducing the level of nitrogen being added in the river. Though this act passed in 1972 the problem is still present. Over the years, Florida has seen 80,000 acres of its wetlands developed. (Littlepage, R. L. This results in less water present in the system and more nitrogen in the ground water from people fertilizing their yards. If the population in central Florida continues to expand and the wetlands continue to disappear, the presence of algal blooms and the reduction of the fish population will never stop. The water removed and nitrogen added will continue to create a steeper imbalance. Also with development, central Florida is trying to take water from the St. Johns f or drinking water for their excessively large population.This will just make the nitrogen to water imbalance even steeper. Rules and regulations need to ether be put on wetlands destruction, fertilizer use, and population limits in central Florida based on how many people their water supply can sustain. In 2006 a large sum of money was devoted to the effort of preserving the St. Johns River. Twenty seven million dollars was devoted to reducing the amount of nutrients, like nitrogen, entering the river and increasing standards for companies like Jacksonville Electrical Authority (JEA) who dump into the St. Johns River.The mayor’s office made JEA increase its standards for dumping waste water into the river and expand its programs for reusing water. This would reduce the amount of waste water dumped in the river and reduce the amount of harmful chemicals that enter the river from the JEA plant. (Littlepage, R. L. ) A major concern in the St. Johns is the fish population. The la rgest pollutant in the river is nitrogen from excess fertilizers that flow into the groundwater and into the river. The plant life of the river feed on this nitrogen. More nitrogen then leads to more plants.As the plant population increases problems such as algal blooms on the surface of the water occur. With the algal bloom situation the lower section of the water is blocked or partially blocked from sunlight. This leads to less plant life on the floor of the river and thus less oxygen in the water. With the lack of oxygen the fish population will plummet soon after. In 1994, an experienced bass angler by the name of Doug Gilley did an interview for the Orlando Sentinel. In this article he provided his professional insight on the change destruction of the bass population from 1984 to 1994.Ten years before this article was written, it would be no surprise for him to catch â€Å"10, 20 or even 50 fish in a day. † (Wilson, D) Doug was not the only one who had noticed this drast ic decrease in the bass population. State fisheries agreed with him. They have noticed that the â€Å"large bass almost have disappeared from the river and that the number of mid-sized bass are declining. † (Wilson, D. ) I personally have noticed the decline of fish from the river. My brother and I are avid fisherman and enjoy fishing for just about anything.We lived a quarter of a mile from the river so often we would take my grandfather’s bass boat and go fishing in the river. However, no matter how much we prepared, we would never catch more than maybe one or two fish. This change shows how all the different pollutants are having a large impact on the fish population and if action is not taken species like the largemouth bass could be eliminated from the river. Fishing is not the only recreational activity that takes place in the St. Johns. Activities such as skiing and tubing take place daily during the spring and summer months.These are essential for Floridaâ€⠄¢s economy. When people are going out in their boats, many aspects of the economy are helped. People must buy gas for their boat, food to eat while they are on the boat, and other items. This also attracts tourists. By my house at a local marina, every summer they hosted a wakeboard camp for people to come learn how to wake board. Hundreds of people would come to learn how to wakeboard and have fun in the water. These people bought many things during their stay thus boosting the Florida economy. However, if the water is not maintained and kept clean, events like these cannot occur.Tourists would not be willing to get in the water and would take their business elsewhere thus restricting north Florida’s economy. In closing, the St. Johns River is not dangerous as far swimming and boating are concerned but there are pollutants being dumped into the river that need to be addressed or eliminated. If nothing is done, based on tests done on the water, past and current programs, and the fish population the wildlife, the quality of the St. Johns will continue to plummet. The river damage will become impossible to fix and potentially impossible to swim or use for any recreation.The repercussions of this would be exponential. Water shortages could occur along with Jacksonville losing its appeal as somewhere to live. Citations Page Ann Givens of The Sentinel Staff. (2001, Feb 16). St. Johns River may slake our thirst the St. Johns water district plans to process river water in a three- year test to see if it can be made drinkable. Orlando Sentinel. Lisenby, L. (2007, Jul 11). Growth must be controlled to protect the St. Johns River. Florida Times Union. Littlepage, R. L. (2006, Jan 10). St. Johns River’s health deserves major effort.Florida Times Union. Lynette, M. M. , John, R. W. , & K, R. R. (2004). Nitrogen and phosphorus flux rates from sediment in the lower St. Johns River estuary. Journal of Environmental Quality, 33(4), 1545-1555. Patterson, S. (201 0, Aug 10). With mill pipeline still in doubt, old dioxin haunting rice creek research: Traces of a cancer-causing substance could still exist and be funneled into the St. Johns River. McClatchy – Tribune Business News. Wilson, D. (1994, Sep 09). Veteran angler says bass fishing on St. Johns River deteriorating. Orlando Sentinel.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

What Are the Environmental Impacts of Hurricane Katrina

Perhaps the longest-lasting impact of Hurricane Katrina was its environmental damage that impacted  public health. Significant amounts of industrial waste and raw sewage spilled directly into New Orleans neighborhoods, and oil spills from offshore rigs, coastal refineries, and even corner gas stations also made their way into residential areas and business districts throughout the region. Contaminated Floodwater Analysts estimate that 7 million gallons of oil spilled throughout the region. The U.S. Coast Guard says much of the spilled oil has been cleaned up or â€Å"naturally dispersed,† but environmentalists fear the initial contamination could devastate the region’s biodiversity and ecological health for many years to come, further devastating the region’s already ailing fisheries, contributing to an economic disaster. Superfund Sites Flooded Meanwhile, flooding at five â€Å"Superfund† sites (heavily polluted industrial sites slated for federal cleanup), and the wholesale destruction along the already infamous â€Å"Cancer Alley† industrial corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, have only served to complicate matters for clean-up officials. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers Hurricane Katrina the biggest disaster it has ever had to handle. Contaminated Groundwater Household hazardous wastes, pesticides, heavy metals, and other toxic chemicals also created a witch’s brew of floodwater that quickly seeped into and contaminated groundwater across hundreds of miles. â€Å"The range of toxic chemicals that may have been released is extensive,† Johns Hopkins University environmental health sciences professor Lynn Goldman told USA Today in 2005. â€Å"We’re talking about metals, persistent chemicals, solvents, materials that have numerous potential health impacts over the long term.† Hurricane Katrina: Environmental Regulations Not Enforced According to Hugh Kaufman, an EPA senior policy analyst, environmental regulations in place to prevent the types of discharges that occurred during Hurricane Katrina were not enforced, making what would have been a bad situation much worse. Unchecked development throughout ecologically sensitive parts of the region put further stress on the environment’s ability to absorb and disperse noxious chemicals. â€Å"Folks down there were living on borrowed time and, unfortunately, time ran out with Katrina,† Kaufman concludes. As Hurricane Katrina Cleanup Continues, Region Braces for Next Wave Recovery efforts first focused on plugging leaks in levies, clearing debris and repairing water and sewer systems. Officials cannot say when they will be able to concentrate on longer-term issues such as treating contaminated soil and groundwater, though the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been deploying Herculean efforts to physically remove tons of contaminated sediment left behind by receding floodwaters.   Ten years later, massive restoration efforts are underway to reinforce the coasts natural defenses against large storms. Yet every spring, residents living near the Gulf Coast keep a wary eye on the forecast, knowing that a new, freshly brewed storm might bear down. With  hurricane seasons  potentially influenced by increasing ocean temperatures due to global warming, it should not be long before the new coastal restoration projects are tested. Edited by Frederic Beaudry