Saturday, December 28, 2019

Using the JSON Gem in Ruby

Its easy to jump into parsing and generating JSON in Ruby with the json gem. It provides an API for parsing JSON from text as well as generating JSON text from arbitrary Ruby objects. Its easily the most used JSON library in Ruby. Installing the JSON Gem On Ruby 1.8.7, youll need to install a gem. However, in Ruby 1.9.2, the json gem is bundled with the core Ruby distribution. So, if youre using 1.9.2, youre probably all set. If youre on 1.8.7, youll need to install a gem. Before you install the JSON gem, first realize that this gem is distributed in two variants. Simply installing this gem with gem install json will install the C extension variant. This requires a C compiler to install, and may not be available or appropriate on all systems. Though if you can install this version, you should. If you cant install the C extension version, you should gem install json_pure instead. This is the same gem implemented in pure Ruby. It should run everywhere that Ruby code runs, on all platforms and on a variety of interpreters. However, its considerably slower than the C extension version. Once installed, there are a few ways to require this gem. A require json (after a prerequisite require rubygems if needed) will require whichever variant is available and will prefer the C extension variant if both are installed. A require json/pure will explicitly require the pure variant, and a require json/ext will explicitly require the C extension variant. Parsing JSON Before we start, lets define some simple JSON to parse. JSON is typically generated by web applications and can be quite daunting, with deep hierarchies that are difficult to navigate. Well start with something simple. The top level of this document is a hash, the first two keys hold strings and the last two keys hold arrays of strings. So parsing this is quite simple. Assuming this JSON is stored in a file called employees.json, you can parse this into a Ruby object like so. And this programs output. Note that if youre running this program on Ruby 1.8.7, the order the keys are retrieved from the hash is not necessarily the same order theyre inserted. So your output may appear out of order. The empls object itself is just a hash. Nothing special about it. It has 4 keys, just as the JSON document had. Two of the keys are strings, and two are arrays of strings. No surprises, the JSON was faithfully transcribed in Ruby objects for your perusal. And thats about all you need to know about parsing JSON. There are some issues that come up, but those will be covered in a later article. For just about every case, you simply read a JSON document from a file or over HTTP and feed it to JSON.parse.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

The American Dream in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

American Hustle Our big brothers, Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Jefferson, have advanced the state of this fraternity. We began as just pledges in the ÃŽ £ÃŽ ©ÃŽ ² fraternity, but with the passing of time we proved our worth and became kappa leaders. Our battle to become a national power representing the Greek life was hard fought, from our battles with our Greek brothers in the South, to the battles with our rivals across the sea. Oppression is the hazing process needed to become an American. American society has you all fooled! They preach words of freedom and opportunity, while little did you know the whole system is rigged. Opportunity does not open its doors to the immigrant from Italy who wants to establish and continue his/her†¦show more content†¦Incoming immigrants can not even help improve the state of our country because their level of education isn’t respected. Although we escaped European oppression, we are still under the European wing of influence, shown by our similar hierarchical social systems. Much like the royal families in Europe, America has set families who are in charge. The average Joe cannot simply grow up to become a successful person because of the oppression they face from the likes of the Trump’s, Bush’s, and Mccain’s. They must fight and work hard every day just to gain the opportunity to escape the oppression they face on a daily basis. Minorities can not be lazy, or casual about life. In fact the hardest occupations in the world are held by first generation Americans. Their immigrant parents give up everything just so they can have the means to succeed. Anything besides obtaining a respectable title is considered a failure and this is a lot of pressure to be placed on the shoulders of a mere human. Most men in the world share two goals, making a family and providing for that family. Ordinarily thos e men would accomplish these goals in an honest respectable manner, but in a country where being a criminal has greater implications of being successful, it is not uncommon to find men that lied, cheated, and stole to make a living. Jordan Belfort, the posterboy of the American Dream, went from a nobody from Queens, New York, to a billionaire tycoon of the American stock market.Show MoreRelatedAmerican Dream : The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1280 Words   |  6 PagesProfessor Ludwig 10 November 2014 American Dream The ideal American Dream is that every citizen in the U.S. may have a promising future, happiness, a family, and health. Some reach the American Dream, and some settle for less. People who do not obtain any type of American Dream cannot truly be happy because their life is not truly fulfilled, which does not satisfy their ambition. Jay Gatsby, a young man who over came poverty, and achieved the ideal American Dream but fell in love with a young ladyRead MoreThe American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald1129 Words   |  5 Pageseconomy began to soar, and the notion of the American dream began to take effect. The American Dream is the idea that anyone can come from any background and no matter who they are, if they work hard and stay true to themselves, they can achieve their dreams. The Great Gatsby, set in the early twenties, displays that socio-economic power is obtained through inheritance, forming an aristocracy of power and wealth. The Great Gatsby, written by F . Scott Fitzgerald, demonstrates how geography and locationRead MoreThe American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald1082 Words   |  5 PagesThe 1920’s was a time of great change to both the country lived in as well as the goals and ambitions that were sought after by the average person. During this time, priorities shifted from family and religion to success and spontaneous living. The American dream, itself, changed into a self centered and ongoing personal goal that was the leading priority in most people’s lives. This new age of carelessness and naivety encompasses much of what this earlier period is remembered for. In additionRead More The American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald2776 Words   |  12 PagesIntroduction The â€Å"Great Gatsby† is a very twisted and convoluted novel which was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It has been written in late 1925, the characters in the novel focus upon a fictional town of West Egg. The plot of the story depends over the mystifying millionaire, Jay Gatsby, who has an impetuous enthusiasm for one of the most beautiful women in town, Daisy Buchanan. The theme of the novel focuses upon the American Dream that shares the experiences of the revival of the World WarRead MoreThe American Dream : F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby1329 Words   |  6 PagesAn American Illusion After the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was implemented in America, many immigrants from China, Japan, and India were stripped of their pursuit of the American Dream at Angel Island. The immigration station’s detainment of these rejected dreamers destroyed stories before they could happen. These stories of opportunity and the fulfillment of the American Dream make America what it is today. For instance, many immigrants today who are lucky enough to settle into America enterRead More Corruption of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1438 Words   |  6 Pages Broken Dreams and Fallen Themes In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs the use of characters, themes, and symbolism to convey the idea of the American Dream and its corruption through the aspects of wealth, family, and status. In regards to wealth and success, Fitzgerald makes clear the growing corruption of the American Dream by using Gatsby himself as a symbol for the corrupted dream throughout the text. In addition, when portraying the family the characters in Great Gatsby are used to exposeRead MoreThe American Dream : F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby1362 Words   |  6 PagesGatsby Corrupted Dream The American Dream is originally thought to be about how hard work can lead one person from poorness to richness with the right amount of effort put in. The American Dream can have different meaning to different people but at the end they are all trying to achieve a goal. The American Dream usually requires hard work and dedication. But cheating your way to success can change a person. An example of a distorted American Dream would be F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great GatsbyRead MoreCorruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald855 Words   |  4 Pages In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald gives the reader a glimpse into the life of the high class during the 1920’s through the eyes of a man named Nick Carraway. Through the narrators dealings with high society, Fitzgerald demonstrates how modern values have transformed the American dreams ideas into a scheme for materialistic power and he reveals how the world of high society lacks any sense of morals or consequence. In order to support his message, Fitzgerald presents the originalRead MoreCorrupted American Dream in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1389 Words   |  6 Pagesit corrupted them as they set to reach the American dream by acquiring wealth for the only purpose to pursue pleasure. The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald showing that no one is unaffected by the corruption. This novel is seen through the eyes of Nick Carraway, who moves from the mid-west to west-egg to chase his American dream. He observes the people and events around him as he follows the attempts of his neighbor Jay Gatsby, to gain back Daisy Buchanan’s love. ThroughRead MoreCorrupting the American Dream in The Great Gatsby† by F. Scott Fitzgerald869 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel, â€Å"The Great Gatsby† by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author establishes materialism and wealth as a corruption to the American dream. The American dream embodies the idea of self-sufficient, honest and intelligent individual with a happy successful life. It is also the idea of the pursuit of happiness but Daisy Buchanan a wealthy aristocrat goes after the empty pursuit of pleasure, portraying her character as a disillusionment of the American dream and how much it lost its good values. The

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Accounting Systems in an Effective Manner †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Accounting Systems In An Effective Manner? Answer: Introduction The concept of the accounting software is based on the working over the payroll system, with the inventory analysis and handling the different modules which are important for the proper evaluation of the financial system. There are small business systems which can easily cut the administration with the setting of the new functionality which is based on handling the system software as well as the security of the data. The solutions are related to work on the secured data feedback where the company uses the NetBank and Xero to handle the reconciliation of the transactions with the saving of the time and money. (Batiz, 2017). Different customers need to work on the applications of the data feed where the forms are set with the business customers that request the data through the NetBank. Here, the implementation is set with the business struggle where the stay of the finances is based on delivery of the simple functionality with making the lives of the people easy and comfortable. Organization Structure of Commonwealth Bank The company has been able to set the multinational bank with the business that is across in the different countries. It is seen that there are the different variety of the financial services which are for the retailing and for handling the management of funds through the superannuation, insurance and the investment. There are different policies where the insurance needs to be done mainly through exercising the different constitutes that mainly respond to the expansion of the immigration program. (Boateng, 2016). Operations issues which are related to AIS The issues are related to the accounting error where the CBA has been working on the ERP which is based on the accounting software. There have been issues related to the loss of the data of the customer and the ATM not working in an efficient manner. ERP System The company makes the use of Xero which is considered to be the best software for handling the improvement and the processing of the system with the secured success and connection. The research is based on how the transactions are done and how is it possible to connect to the bank account with the accounting software. (Alzab et al., 2017). CBA is working on delivering the faster bank feeds with the focus on the improvement of the tight and secured connection. The company can use the cloud-based applications with easy management of the plans to work on the cloud-based technology in the coming time. The ERP system also helps in easily handling the data transactions with the savings in the accounts, loan accounts, and the other term deposits. There is a possibility to also work on handling the different forms of the transactions with the amount that is spent mainly for the updating and the reconciliation of the data accounts. The software also can work on the information standards along with handling the control of the cash flow with enabling the business to be set in a proper manner, with better decisions that are made for it. (Fanning et al., 2016). The AIS systems work on the standards to work on the records and the processing of the data where the modules are set for the payroll management and the inventory standards which are setup for the creation of the in-house system. Flowchart The sales procedure is based on reviewing the requests that have been made for a quote. For this, it is important to focus on the needs as well as the preparation of the quote for an order that will help in determining the requirement for the company. The workflow is divided into the vendors, receiving agents and the superintendent, buyer agent and the owner. This procedure has been set with Xero software which includes the processing and the benefits depending upon the services of the bank. (Majekodunmi et al., 2016). Possible problems As per the analysis, it has been seen that there are different companies which are facing the issues related to the software of the Xero system, where there is a possibility of bringing the false data to the company or linking of the bank accounts to their account. The most trusted employees do not tend to delete the data of the previous employees and connect their bank account to their ID so that all the money is floating to their account. Along with this, some users tend to use the network connection for working on the system. The software never gives the full access to the user or the rights, and so the user uses the system at a very lower pattern in nature. Hence, for this, there are connections which are set to the failure which takes a longer time to recovery as well. (Bak, 2017). The best solution to all the problems is to work on the different changes where the user can easily work on the file with the destinations to handle the system on the local driver. There are forms where the user could easily maintain the privacy of the system which is only possible through the update of the data and deleting all the other irrelevant files. AIS packages The Accounting software has been set in 1959 where the people of IBM helped in setting up the system. Here, the focus has been mainly on the generation of the reports and working towards the development of the relational databases. This comes from the computers where the companies have also started to work on the investment with the development which is effective for the monetary development in the company. (Fanning et al., 2016). The functionality and the system flexibility is based on the financial processes and the functioning that could easily be handled through the decision processes. The Peachtree introduced the working with the expansions based on the integrated office suites. The structure is based on the working with the spreadsheets as well as the other processor where there is a need to focus on quickening the process of the product in 1983. Here, the forms are set for the accounting applications with certain friendly applications. (De Jong et al., 2016). The MYOB is consi dered to be acquiring the company with the focus on handling the Australian accounting software in a proper manner. As per the research, it has been seen that Xero has been the NewZealand Accounting company which mainly focus on conducting the business with the small and the larger number of the organizations. Here, the standards are based on working for the adoption of the accounting software with the standards to reduce the paperwork. Market Size It has been seen that the market of the AIS is increasing with time. There are people with 1622 in number where there is management through the investors, creditors and the tax authorities. The functional activities are based on the auditing with the management accounting that includes the auditing as well as the financial reporting of the modules. The ERP of the system is based on providing with the lower cost software packages that work mainly on choosing the ERP system with the setting of the enterprise resource planning. (Bergin, 2016). The communication is based on handling the integrated modules with the suites of the applications to work on the larger organizations with lower costs. The infrastructure is based on the data that is collected from the different events and stored the information into the database of the system. The accounting information is based on the forms where the clerk tends to enter the details of the invoice and then that is provided to the vendor. It is s een that there is characterization with the handling of the costs as well as the other standards of the several ledgers. The purchase ledgers with the setup of the trial balance are to handle the paperwork with the bookkeepers that tend to take hold of the inputs with the accounts that are generated automatically. (Buckley et al., 2016). Th effectiveness based on the different factors which work on the small and the medium-sized accuracy of the business. There are forms which are seen to take hold of the cloud computing. Leaders in Accounting Software Xero is considered to be the marketing leaders where the companies try to market the accounting software with the cloud computing standards in the market. It has been seen that there is a major focus on handling the standards with the forms where the accounts and the departments are not autonomous, but they can process the units, with maintaining the standards of the accounting books as well. (Brgin, 2016). A proper check is important to take hold of the units with the reconciliation of the annual accounts that will help in handling the errors and the inconsistency. The company like the Commonwealth Bank use the Xero for the implementation of the accounting software as it is considered to be reliable and easily able to work on the standards with-in time ignoring the errors or the inconsistency in the system. Limitations A proper check has been on the issues related to the inconsistency and the system security. For this, there is a need to integrate the applications as the users are not able to handle the third party vendors, and the customers have to work on the faster time to market. The limitations are also related to the fraud systems which needs a certain setup with individual recommendations. Recommendation The company should focus on mainly using the system structure with the cloud computing. There is a need to check on the encryption with the flexibility that will allow to solve the challenges and work on the desktop associated software. (Phang et al., 2016). The strategies are based on working over the threats facing the computing with the authentication measures and the information-centric security that is mainly to predicate the cryptography measures. Here, the forms ae set to evaluate the efficiency of the system with the future cloud accounting software that will lead to the competitive advantage, efficiency and the information security. The use of the firewall security with the Identify Management is based on working towards the standards which are versatile and based on taking hold of the system structures. For this, the focus is also on the decision making processes with the reports mainly to deal with the consolidation and the working of the system. (Bergin, 2016). There are amounts to evaluate the system efficiency with the patterns that relate to the layer which provides the report of the governance and the risk management. Conclusion There has been the detailed analysis of the requirements for the documentation to handle the reports and work on the system patterns where the analysis is about Xero and MYOB can handle the market with the ERP systems. (Seltzer, 2017). The users can evaluate the measures with the information of the system which is designed to handle the input control files as well as the sample master records to check on the processing of the transactions in the system. Reference Alazab, M. and Broadhurst, R., 2017. An Analysis of the Nature of Spam as Cybercrime. InCyber-Physical Security(pp. 251-266). Springer International Publishing. BANK, O., 2017. FAST FACTS. Btiz-Lazo, B., 2017. Between Novelty and Fashion: Risk Management and the Adoption of Computers in Retail Banking. InDecision Taking, Confidence and Risk Management in Banks from Early Modernity to the 20th Century(pp. 189-207). Springer International Publishing. Bergin, J., 2016. Management matters: Financial literacy: A key skill to manage a pharmacy's financial health.AJP: The Australian Journal of Pharmacy,97(1156), p.74. Boateng, A.A., 2016.The effect of computerization on recordkeeping at Offinso Rural Bank(Doctoral dissertation). Buckley, R.P. and Stanley, R., 2016. Protecting the West, Excluding the Rest: The Impact of the AML/CTF Regime on Financial Inclusion in the Pacific, and Potential Responses. De Jong, P., Loudon, G. and Choo, W., 2016. Monitoring Risk in the Financial System Using Time Series Methods. Fanning, K. and Centers, D.P., 2016. Blockchain and its coming impact on financial services.Journal of Corporate Accounting Finance,27(5), pp.53-57. Majekodunmi, D. and Harris, L., 2016, September. Consumers Attitudes Towards Social Media Banking. InConference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society(pp. 717-727). Springer International Publishing. Phang, S. and Pavlovski, C., 2016. Hazards of Biometric Authentication in Practice.INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN INDUSTRY,4(1), pp.34-40. Seltzer, A.J., 2017. Implicit contracts and acquisitions: An econometric case study of the 19th century Australian banking industry.German Journal of Human Resource Management, p.2397002216682463.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Balanced Scorecard Facilities Management free essay sample

International Shared Services and Outsourcing Advisory Using a balanced scorecard to help measure facilities management performance by Steve Silen, Director, KPMG Advisory Services For nearly 20 years, leading organizations have been using balanced scorecards to strategically measure the financial and non-financial performance of different operational functions within their firms. More recently, they have begun leveraging them to measure the performance of their third-party service providers. In the facilities management (FM) function, use of a balanced scorecard enables companies to evaluate the performance of their external providers against multiple criteria (see Figure 1), help set alignment and focus, identify improvement opportunities, enhance performance reporting, and conduct constructive discussions with their FM providers. Sample balanced scorecard (1 – best, 5 – worst) Evaluation Criteria Cost Customer Satisfaction Service Delivery EHS Performance Compliance Innovation/Continuous Improvement Weight 35 20 20 10 10 5 100 Evaluation Comments Costs were slightly under budget Score based on customer satisfaction survey All SLA requirements were met There were a couple of safety incidents in the cafeteria No fines or violations No initiatives were implemented Weighted Score Score 2 2 1 4 3 5 2. 25 In a sense, the balance scorecard process for FM service providers should be similar to the way in which individual performance is handled – expectations are set, measures to evaluate performance are established, performance is monitored and discussed throughout the year, corrective measures are implemented, and performance is formally documented. â€Å"Just as organizations want their employees to achieve the highest level of performance, they should want the same from their FM service providers. Although there is no set format for balanced scorecards, and they vary from company to company, Figure 1 demonstrates elements many organizations include in those for their FM service providers: †¢ Evaluation criteria – areas measured (e. g. , cost, customer satisfaction, service delivery, safety performance) †¢ Weight placed on each criterion (i. e. , different % for each criterion, totaling 100%) †¢ Evaluation comments – favorable as well as areas for improvement †¢ Evaluation score (e. g. , 1-5 scale) for each criterion and a total weighted score. Note: Evaluation criteria and weights are for illustrative purposes only Shared Services and Outsourcing Advisory / August 2012  © 2012 KPMG International Cooperative (â€Å"KPMG International†). KPMG International provides no client services and is a Swiss entity with which the independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated. NDPPS 104414. SSOA 6245. When to use a balanced scorecard A balanced scorecard should be prepared for each FM service provider only when it makes good business sense to do so, e. g. , when the amount of FM spend is significant, services are frequently performed, or when the provider works on-site full-time. The balanced scorecard approach works extremely well for companies that operate under an integrated facilities management (IFM) – wherein some FM services are selfperformed by one service provider while others are handled by firms with which it has partnered, all in an integrated manner model – because of the multiple service lines and the breadth of the provider’s responsibilities. But it is also very valuable for firms that do not operate under an IFM model. To view year-on-year balanced scorecard trends and determine if performance is improving or not, organizations often use graphics (see Figure 2). Sample score graph Specific evaluation criteria Cost While all firms track actual costs, they should also evaluate cost performance at a more detailed level with weights and scoring definitions assigned to each sub-category to ensure cost-effective service delivery. Figure 3 on the next page is an example of a balanced scorecard for cost. Many organizations find it useful to assess costs not only in aggregate, as in the above example, but also by type of expense. This enables them to zoom in on specific expenses such as maintenance or energy/utilities, and have meaningful discussions with their providers about whether their expectations are being met. Customer satisfaction Measuring the satisfaction level of those receiving FM services is another critical part of the process. Organizations should use a variety of methods to obtain input directly from their internal customers, including periodic email surveys (e. g. , annual/ semi-annual/upon completion of a service), online or paper suggestion boxes, administrative assistant feedback sessions and # of complaints received. A detailed scorecard, similar to the one in the cost category, should be established to measure customer satisfaction. All of these are excellent ways to â€Å"hear the voice of the customer† and identify areas for improvement. Yet care should be taken to develop and administer surveys that capture relevant information without being a burden to complete, and that feedback sessions do not keep participants away from their jobs for too long. Service delivery Proper operational performance is ensured only when providers meet or surpass firms’ service delivery expectations. Thus, organizations should implement a detailed scorecard to assess service delivery performance for each service line. For example, in the maintenance category, the detailed scorecard may look like the example in Figure 4 on the next page and Figure 5 shows an example of a detailed scorecard for food services. Similar to the scorecard examples, organizations should establish detailed scorecards for their other outsourced service lines, such as janitorial services, call center and mailroom. Figure 2 Evaluation criteria – the basics The evaluation criteria on the balanced scorecard should be tailored for each category (e. g. , cost, customer satisfaction, service delivery, etc. ) as well each major service line (e. g., janitorial services, food services, maintenance, etc. ) and the weight should vary to reflect the importance of each criterion to the organization. Firms typically establish scoring definitions and the means by which the scores will be calculated to minimize subjectivity and provide clarity on how performance will be measured. While some organizations use highly detailed scorecard s to thoroughly evaluate each criterion, the â€Å"right† level of detail for any given firm is dependent on multiple variables including that there is a credible and easy process by which to obtain the necessary information.