The Scope And Limitation Of The Study An Example

The Scope And Limitation Of The Study An Example The current traditional help desk mechanisms used in UUM-CAS postgraduate help desk department at UUM are no longer enough to support the increase of the interactions between the users and the technical support employees because There is no standard and organized process for handling the users requests. This paper proposes a technical support system that can help students, staff and even lecturers at UUM Postgraduate CAS department to freely interact with the customer service employees by sending their requests and inquiries through a web-based help desk system. In the other side, this proposed system will also increase the productivity of the employees of the customer service department since each specific ticket or problem will received by a specific group of the technical support employees. In order to achieve that , we are going to use a problem tracking technique . This technique will enable the users (students, staff or lecturer) to send their inquiries to the proper person in the customer service department. Also this technique will aim to track the problem or ticket of the users until it gets their direction to the proper person of the customer service employees who will try to solve it within a convenient time. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.0 Background Nowadays, a technical support service plays a main role in a Universitys ability to assist their students , staff and lecturers who really need some information and technical support guides. In the meanwhile , Educational institutions face the challenge of providing technical support to faculty, staff, and students for answering their questions and responding to their inquiries and problems with a suitable solutions and within a convenient time. (Cruess, 2002 and Niedzwiecki Peterson, 2002). Moreover, The main goal of customer service is to provide better overall service to the customer when they contact the customer service employees, either through email, or a phone call. We want to make sure that everyone is satisfied with the first answer they receive with a correct solution in a timely manner. We want to be proactive and resolve as many issues as we can before the customer even notices that something may have gone wrong. The customer should notice an improvement in the turnarou nd time when a help request is submitted, as well as a reduction in the number of times they have to ask for help until he/she gets the solution. (Schauer Thompson, 2004). This proposed study will make an enhancement in the current technical support mechanism used by the UUM Postgraduate technical support department. It will be conducted based on Problem Tracking Technique which help to ensure consistent and quality support, track the information and problems that come into the Help Desk and assign or forward the problems to the appropriate workgroup and follow-up to make sure the problems were corrected. Problem statement Previously, by using the traditional help desk tools, the web interface was just a simple interface with an engine for generating an e-mail to our support staff. When an e-mail is sent to the [emailprotected] for example, different staff will receive it. This sometimes resulted in duplication of work since multiple people could work on the same ticket or email, or no one would handle it since some groups would assume other groups or individuals would be handling a certain email. There was no standard and organized process for handling the users requests. Sometimes no one responded right away and other times multiple people did, showing that we were not very coordinated. The same thing happens when using a traditional phone call as a tool of communicating with the customer service (Schauer Thompson, 2004). Also Recently, there have been increasing number of interactions between users and customer service employees online. Therefore employees must take great deal of time to process in quiries from customers through the Internet (Iwai, Iida, Akiyoshi Komoda, 2010). In this research we are going to concentrate on the UUM Postgraduate CAS department to be as a domain of our study. In the meanwhile, students, staff and lecturers at UUM Postgraduate CAS department have always been able to submit problem reports via e-mail, or by phone. That is still true, but the question is : How effective is the use of these tools? In fact , The current campus help desk has become the hub of support with the many spokes of user services centered on it (Cruess, 2002). Students, staff and lectures do not have to be waited and passed on from one technical support employee to another until they get the answer of their problem or inquiry. In addition, once the student sends his/her problem to the help desk department by email , it will take long time until it gets solved. Because the ticket will not send immediately to the proper person that he/she is aware of the problem that has already been sent .In this case, the number of times that they have to ask for help will increase . As a consequence, and based on the points that we mentioned previously, we proposed a web-based help desk system that can be used as a bridge between the users (students, staff, lecturer) and the technical support employee at UUM Postgraduate CAS department. In order to provide consistent and quality support to the students, staff and lecturers. In the proposed system we are going to use a problem tracking technique to track the information and problems that come from the customers into the Help Desk. In addition, assign or forward the problems to the appropriate workgroup and make sure that the problems are solved. Research Questions Based on the problem statement mentioned before, the following questions are constructed: What are the Limitations of the current UUM Postgraduate CAS help desk system? What are the techniques that we are going to use during the developing stage of the prototype of Postgraduate UUM help desk system? How can we evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system? Research Objectives The main objective of this study is to enhance the current technical support of UUM Postgraduate department by developing an organized and significant web-based technical support system based on a problem tracking technique. In order To achieve this main objective, some sub-objectives can be formulated: To identify limitations of the current help desk system. To design and develop a prototype web-based help desk system based on problem tracking technique. To evaluate the prototype web-based help desk system based on problem tracking technique among the users. Significance of the study The proposed model will provide a significant and flexible way of communicating between the customer service at UUM and their users. Here are some significant and beneficial achievements that the proposed system is expected to provide: The system can assist the students in postgraduate department to find the solutions for routine questions through FAQ part and manage its requests by using problem tracking technique. The system will help the university to build a strong relationship with their students. Increase the productivity of the employees at work and provide faster and more convenient services to their students, staff or lecturers. All the users requests will directly send to the proper department of the customer service for finding a solution instead of sending all requests to one customer service department and then this department will try to find the suitable person who can answer the incoming request, and here we waste the time. Thus, we expect from this system to enhance the previous customer services tools and make it more effective and organized. Scope and limitation of the study This study will focus on developing a web-based help desk system using a problem tracking technique for Postgraduate UUM-CAS department at UUM. This system will let users (staff, students or lecturers) to freely interact with the technical support employees who have the ability to answer all problems related to the postgraduate services provided by the UUM-CAS. In addition, UUM-CAS postgraduate students can navigate FAQ section which contains a groups of frequently asked questions that are related to UUM-CAS Postgraduate department at UUM and they can find their problem or inquiry there. Moreover, the proposed system will help the students, lecturers, and staff at UUM-CAS postgraduate department to see the latest UUM-CAS postgraduate news and articles added by the technical support employees. The prototype to be developed is based on problem tracking technique. Organization Of The Report This report consists of six chapters which will cover the designing and the developing online help desk system for UUM-CAS postgraduate department at UUM. Here is an overview of the content of each presented chapter: Chapter One: this chapter introduces the problem, gives an overview about the study and describes the needs of help desk systems in the educational sectors. This chapter also discusses the scope of the study, the significance of the study and its objectives. Chapter Two: this chapter covers the literature review which is the previous related works that been done before. Moreover, this chapter represents relevant information for understanding the study more. Chapter Three: this chapter explains the details of the selected methodology that we are going to use in the project. Chapter Four: this chapter discusses about the prototype development and the implementation of the online help desk system for UUM-CAS postgraduate department at UUM. Chapter Five: this chapter discusses the evaluation process of the proposed help desk system. Chapter Six: this chapter discusses the conclusion, recommendations and future works to improve this study. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction This chapter discusses the relevant help desk researches that had been done before by researchers. Moreover, this chapter presents the current techniques used by UUM-CAS technical support department also it presents the techniques that we are going to use in the proposed study including problem tracking technique. In addition , it discusses the previous researches that had been done before using this techniques. Definition of Online Help Desk System Online Helpdesk as defined by Donna Knapp in a Guide to Customer Service Skill and Helpdesk Professional is a single point of contact within a company for managing customers problem and request and providing solution oriented support services (Knapp, 2009). Online help desk is also define a Help Desk as a formal organization that provides support functions to users of the companys product, services, or technology (Wooten, 2001). Another definition has been defined by Albin who said Technical support is a service. Its about assisting pertaining to technology, especially regarding computers. It is also has to do with providing acceptable, effective and efficient resolutions(Albin, 2002). As a consequence, Helpdesk is usually known as a department within a company that responds to users technical questions or inquires. Background of Online Help Desk Often the term Helpdesk is used for internal support within the organization or for external support groups. Educational Institutions need to provide high quality of customer service and support to respond to the users inquires and problems within a convenient time . A well designed Help Desk product should have the ability for the support customer to be part of the solution by offering a searchable knowledge base of common support issues and questions and a way for customers/users to easily create their own support tickets. With a web based interface, most users are able to navigate simple web forms with fairly high success rates to submit a trouble ticket or find answers to frequently asked questions or common problems. The helpdesk is responsible for bringing an organizations resources together in order to provide its customers with quality support and service (Czengel, 2001 and Vanderlip, 2004). Thus, to be able to choose the right techniques and to use them effectively in the he lp desk system, you have to understand what customers want. Knowing this will help you make sense of the techniques youll be looking at (Bacal, 2005). Benefits of Online Help Desk System Web-based support offers an extremely wide variety of benefits. These will vary depending on factors such as the generation of the support site, the tools employed, the profile of the customer base, the services offered, and so on. Benefits typically originate from two aspects of support: Self-service Single source access The benefits of self-service On a Web-based support site, self-service refers to all information, functions, and services that customers can take advantage of on their own, without having to contact a support representative. Users might view or download information or seminars, search for solutions in a knowledge base, download a software upgrade, or check on the progress of their support log. The primary benefit of self-service is the ability to offer customers some form of support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These extended hours of support come at no additional cost. The self-service functions you offer on your site would be available around the clock. Another significant benefit of self-service is the reduction in calls to the staffed support area. This means the more calls you are able to divert from your support area to your Web-based support site, the more benefits you will gain. This can achieved by specifying FAQ part in the system which contains the most frequently asked questions which eat up mo st of technical support employees time (Czengel, 2001). The Benefits of Single Source Access A Web-based support site that contains documents such as Knowledge base, FAQs, News, and so onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦This documents will provide users with a single source access to the service provided by the institute or the organization. Implementing Online Helpdesk System, management can have a single point of contact with the users and resolve their problems (Czengel, 2001). In addition to the two benefits that we have mentioned before there are some other important benefits of using Online Helpdesk Systems and they are as follows: Improved help desk service quality as all inquiries or problems are immediately taken action timely identification, diagnosis and resolution of problem Improved user or customer satisfaction. Providing existing users or customers with knowledge and FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) concerning the educational institutions services. 24-hour availability which means that the system is available always to receive the problems or inquiries from the users at any time and in any day. Troubleshooting features gives users or customers the ability to solve many support problems on their own. This tool provides the users or customer with an easy way of connecting with the technical support employees and within a convenient time. Serves as a tool for tracking and recording helpdesk inquiries, which provides a knowledge base of resolutions to previous calls concerning similar issues. The Potential Pitfalls of Web-based Support The potential pitfalls in Web-based support come from poor planning and implementation. A site that offers little actual value to the customers or users, no matter how visually perfect it is, is worthless. Sites that are difficult to navigate, that contain out-of-date information, that do not offer help for the most common problems, that are designed at too advanced or too simple a level for the customer base they support all fall into the worthless category. You can spend a fortune on support tools, but if you havent done a thorough job in planning and implementation, your support site will fail and you will get no payback on what you invested. Customers/users will go to alternatives such as telephone support, and getting them back to the Internet would be difficult (Czengel, 2001). Web-Based Application Web application known as an online communication services that client can access through their computer or handheld devices, this communication can be optimized via network support such as the Internet or an intranet (Grove, 2009). Problem Tracking Technique There are many researches had been done before using a Problem Tracking Technique. This technique had been used in order to improve the efficiency of using help desk systems by the users. One of the research that had been already done is a help desk system that had proposed for The Information Technology Services Department in North Dakota State University . The system allows them to track problems by assigned person, assigned group, for a specific user and many other ways. They can generate ad hoc reports to analyze problems that have occurred over a set period of time or by department as needed. Thus, For a help desk to be effective and efficient, it needs to have a proper set of tools. These tools are used to manage the incoming calls, monitor servers and network connections, track problems as they enter the help desk and are transferred to other support units, being able to view the end users screen, documentation, training and many others. User Part Once the user did not find the solution of his /her problem in the FAQ part, he/she is going to use the ticketing system which is one of the system functionality. The user will create a new ticket and include his/her inquiry or problem within this ticket. The process of creating new ticket includes several steps. At the beginning the customers must choose the section that the faced problem belongs to. For example students fees section or registration section. After that, the customer will enter his/her personal information and he can specify a priority to his/her ticket for example urgent or normal .The customer can attach a file with his/her ticket in order to explain his/her problem more (Edwards, 2010 and Kayako, 2009). Technical support employees part After the user completes the process of sending his/her ticket to the suitable group of the technical support employees, here comes the role of technical support employees to respond to this ticket .Each ticket has a status which can be Open, Waiting for reply or Closed .Once the user creates his/her new ticket and sends it to the technical support employees, the status of his/her ticket will be automatically Open since it is a new ticket. Thats mean it needs a reply from the technical support employees. After one of the technical support employees replies this ticket, he/she will change the status of this ticket to be Waiting for reply which means the ticket has been replied by the suitable technical support employee and its status now is Waiting the user to send another reply if the first answer that he/she already got is not clear enough. Suppose that the customer needs more explanation or more details about his/her problem, then after he/she got the reply from the customer servic e, the user can change the status of this ticket from Waiting for reply to be Open and send it again with his/her new inquiry to the customer service employees. The status of the ticket will automatically become closed after a period of time called DUE which is specified by the administrator of the system and it is defined as the maximum time that the ticket will be remained in case of waiting for a response from the user. That means after the expiration of this time, the status of the ticket will be closed. After this time called DUE the ticket will be closed and it will become as a read-only ticket from the side of users. In other words, the problem has been solved and does not need any reply anymore. The last thing that we want to indicate that imagine that a user has sent a ticket to the technical support employees through the system and lets answer this question: what will happen if the ticket still in the queue of the tickets queue without any answers from any technical suppor t employee? In fact this case is the worst case that it might make the user in the status of waiting for reply through unlimited time. In order to handle this problem, In the proposed system there is a part for administrators which enable the help desk managers or administrators to monitor and manage the process of ticketing system. They can view the tickets that no one has answer it and assign it to the suitable technical support employee. (Edwards, 2010; Schauer Thompson, 2004; and Kayako, 2009). Building up FAQ Building up FAQ is also an important task of help desk. The purpose of building up the FAQ is to reduce the number of inquiries that come from users. Users can browse the FAQ pages and clear up their unfamiliar matters before they send emails or tickets to the help desk employees. Help desk employees also can analyze inquiry records, construct questions and add them to the FAQ part. For example, if the help desk employees see that there are questions that come out from users several times, then they can simply organize these questions by added them to the proper group of FAQ section so the users can find it there before they send a new question which is already exists at FAQ section (Iwai, Iida, Akiyoshi Komoda, 2010 and Kayako, 2009). UUM-CAS help desk mechanisms In the meanwhile, the current technical support mechanisms used by UUM-CAS postgraduate technical support department are still limited to phone call and email as a way of communicating between users and the technical support employees. Generally, the disadvantages of using this current techniques are divided into two parts based on email or phone call. The first part of disadvantages are the problems of using phone call as a tool of providing the technical support service. The first problem of using the phone call is that the technical support employees are not always the same who answer the phone. Which means, every time you talk to different technical support employee, you should explain your problem again and again until you get the solution of your problem. The second issue of using a phone call is the wasted time that the user should wait since he/she may pass on from one technical support employee to another until he/she gets the answer of his/her problem or inquiry. The third issue appears during the registration time while the pressure on the technical support center is more comparison to other time and especially on using phone call. At that time, the user should wait on the phone until he/she can talk to the customer service employees since the phone is busy. From the other side, there are some issues comes from using the email as a way of interacting between the users and the customer service employees. First of all, it takes long time from the customer service employees side until they solve the issues since the problem will not be received from the proper technical support employee who has an infrastructure about the problem that had been sent by the users. The second thing is multiple people could work on the same email or no one would handle it since some customer service employees will assume that other employees would handle it. Thus, and as we can see there is no standard and organized way of handling with the users inquiries and problems. Chapter Summary The analysis of literature review had broadened the scope of Online Helpdesk issues. The information and findings collected form this chapter is used as a guidance to develop the Online Helpdesk system. By reviewing the UUM-CAS postgraduate help desk case study, we can conclude that helpdesk system plays an important role in the educational institutions. This chapter has also demonstrated the importance of helpdesk system in the context of UUM-CAS postgraduate help desk department. CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Introduction This chapter discusses the adopted methodology which applied to achieve the objectives of the study in designing and developing the proposed web-based help desk system for UUM-CAS help desk department. Research Methodology Research methodology plays a very important role to proceed and carry out with the whole all research study. Moreover, it is very important to choose the suitable methodology for your study in order to achieve the objectives of the study. In general, a lot of studies that had been done before use the research methodology to achieve many purposes such as gathering data and information, development and evaluation (Refsdal, 2008 Schmuller, 2002). Besides that, Research methodology step makes us fully awareness about the requirements of our study and the problem statement of the research. Thus, The methodology of this research the we are going to apply is based on the five general research steps that are proposed by Vaishnavi Kuechler. These steps includes the awareness of problems, suggestions, development, evaluation, and the conclusion of the research as they are illustrated in the Figure 3.1. The awareness of problems In this step, some important information had been gathered about the current problems and limitations of using the current traditional help desk mechanisms at UUM-CAS help desk department. This can be achieved by interviewing the students, lectures, and staff to see what are the disadvantages of using the current customer service in order to overcome it. Moreover, we can use some beneficial instruments such as questionnaire. In addition, we can collect some information from some related work that had been done before by other researchers. Thus, This step aims to identify the problems and come out with a significant and more organized solution. Suggestions The second step of the methodology of this research is to suggest building a web-based application based on problem tracking technique in order to enhance the current technical support tools used by UUM-CAS help desk department. In this phase, some flow charts and some Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams will be used to design the proposed prototype. The Figure 3.2 illustrates briefly the technical support operation of the proposed system: Figure 3.2: Diagram explains the proposed system Design Pattern Design patterns describe how objects communicate without become entangled in each others data models and methods. Keeping this separation has always been an objective of good OO programming, and if you have been trying to keep objects minding their own business, you are probably using some of the common design patterns already (Cooper, 2002). Why Design Pattern? Why do we need to use design pattern? Nowadays computers programs is becoming more complicated, for this reason it is important to have a way of making building software easier and less complexity. For example, SQL Server and Oracle are become the most common databases used in the meanwhile . Lets imagine that we are working in a software company and we already developed a costly system using SQL Server database and because of a certain reason the company wants to change its database server into Oracle. Does that mean we want to ignore everything has been built and start building our new system from scratch? The answer is no of course. By using a design pattern we will be able to build a system which rebuilding ability exists. As a result, we just need to change the part of code which deals with SQL Server with Oracle one. Design pattern has divided the system into layer each layer has its own job starting from the View layer and ending with the database layer and the figure 3.4 belo w is really express what i just mentioned. If we ignore using design pattern in our system , then our system simply will miss the usability technique. As the figure 3.5 shows that we should not ignore the Business tier and dealing directly with the data tier if we do so then it is hard to make changes in the application. Thus, In this case and if we want to change in one place, then we should change in many other places that are related to the change instead of make the changes in one place by using the organized design patterns. To explain how does the design pattern technique work, lets take the following scenario : Once the system has started, it will collect some configurations from configuration file about the connection string of the database and the name of Business Logic Layer DLL (BLL). That means the connection with the database will not establish until the business layer successfully retrieved the configuration from the configuration file. Business Logic Layer is responsible for retrieves data from the data layer, so the business logic layer plays the role of mediator between presentation layer and database layer. IDAL (Interface Data Access Layer) is an interface that we just need to deal with it regardless the type of database that the system works with. Hardware Requirements Of The System Since the proposed system is a web-based application, so to run the system on the web environment we need a web application server that can handle the requests that come from the users of the proposed help desk system. In addition to the web server, To run the system on the web server, it has to have the minimum hardware characteristics that enable the web server from installing dot net features such as dot net framework which is necessary to run the application on the web server smoothly and successfully. Software Requirements Of The System As we mentioned in the hardware requirements of the system, we need to install the dot net framework on the web server since the developing environment of the proposed system is Microsoft Visual Studio and this framework is necessary to run the application successfully on the server. Besides that, a web browser application is necessary to be installed which is the middle tool that will make the connection with the system application which is running on the server side. User Requirements Of The System Generally, The user of the proposed system is divided into three categories. That is, UUM users (student and lecturer), technical support employee, and administrator. Each group of the system has its role based on its authority of using the system. Since the proposed system consists of three parts ( User, Technical support employee, Administrator) , each group of the users can use the suitable part based on their authority. UUM users can use the user part of the system to submit the problems as a tickets to the customer service employees. In addition, they can see the latest news and articles added by the customer service employees and download the files that are related to UUM-CAS. While the technical support employees are responsible to respond to the tickets that come from the user part, in addition to manage the articles, news and download sections in the user part. The last part is the administrator which is responsible to manage the technical support part throw adding new group in addition to manage the technical support employees. Development A software development process is a process to build a software product or to enhance an existing one. Moreover, the Development stage of the research methodology is the most significant stage in our study since it represents the answer o

How terrorism affect our economy Essay

Terrorism and terrorist activates are never intended to target an economy directly, instead it is designed to scare people who, overwhelmed by there trepidation destroy there own economy. The pliant economy of United States was misjudged in contrast with the September 11 terrorist attacks. Despite an estimated $120 billion of damage and a great deal of anxiety, one year following the 9/11 attacks considerable recovery was recorded in U. S economy. A disagreement between the Economists world wide has been shaping up over the affects of terrorism on the economy of USA, many feel that because acts of terrorism are usually aimed towards small portions of the stock of capital of a country so effect on economic activity are not very large(Enders and Sandler 2006). On the other hand, consciences of terrorism on the economy under pragmatic estimation suggest large and long term affects (Terrorism and the World Economy 40). If we review the federal budgets between FY 1998 and FY 2001 $ 48. 3 billion where available in surplus. Attacks of September 11 originated a blow to the economy of Manhattan, but not to that of Boston or Chicago. Terrorism creates a pessimistic affect on industries like air travel, hotels and insurance at large, but if we review economy’s overall performance, investment and demand shifted to other industries-especially when Federal Reserve eased credit in order to calm post-Sept. 11 markets. The immediate and the fore most impact that originate due to terrorism is the development of Paranoia attitude towards the economy through restrictive air travel and raising uncertainty, economy is drifting into a phase of recession. U. S economy has been diminishing even further after U. S invasion in Afghanistan and Iraq. Another way terrorism affected our economy is the lift in oil price which proved to be an economic jolt over the American nation who is now linking this oil situation with the upcoming elections and political agenda of American presidential candidates. The most direct damage that terrorism brought to our financial system is the deficit of U. S. government budget, which was a record of 413 billion dollars in 2004. A slight drop of $198 billion in deficit is being predicted by CBO for FY 2009 which is expected to increase moderately by 2010. If we analyze the reports released by CBO we will realize the shocking increase in the expenditure of war on terrorism over the last few years, federal finances for the department of home land security, and ever mounting cost of government beneficial social sachems such as medical & health care and social security has halted economical development. Economists are predicting an inevitable increase in red ink taxation; this is resulting in an increasing cost of housing and other basic amenities which is ultimately decreasing the consumption power of an American. (CBO) Terrorism creates a general sense of insecurity, this brings a huge expanse on U. S federal budget in shape of home land security dept, Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that federal resources devoted to homeland security activities were a total of about $41 billion in 2004, roughly double the amount allocated to those activities before September 11, By 2007 Spending for the Department of Homeland Security increased by about 6 percent, to $42. 7 billion this money was required to further strengthen the borders and aviation security. General Seance of insecurity also slowed the pace of economic growth in 2007; economists strongly feel that it will slacken further in 2008. According to CBO, the consistent problems in the housing and financial markets and the high price of oil has curbed spending on household and businesses this is also ensuing decrease in the growth of GDP. Laws and policies developed to control terrorism has overwrought federal resources to a total of $2. 9 trillion for 2008, while the revenue will total $2.7 trillion, which will result in budget deficit of $219 billion, this situation will be worsening with the additional $30 billion required to sustain military activates in Iraq and Afghanistan. (CBO 10) As a consequence American nation is facing a decline in funds allocation for national health dept, education, and Environment protection, the 2007 financial budget favored spending on defense which brought an overall decline in resources allocated for developing U. S social welfare programs Another worrying line of attack in which terrorism is affecting U. S economy is the current decline of the U. S dollar. By 2007, an 8% decline was recorded in U. S dollar’s performance in index compared to its six largest trading partners. According to the predictions made by Stephen Malyon, (a currency strategist at Scotia Capital in Toronto) the current weakness in dollar should persist for the first two quarters of the current financial year, while a rise of $1. 55 in Euro against dollar was also anticipated by him. (Ellis 2008) Terrorism creates an anxiety in the midst of American people who quite frequently hear about terrorist threats and the on going war on terrorism, while a general sense of insecurity has detained the business community, and this has created a lack of confidence among the main stream investors. Terrorism has also put the burden of humongous expense that the nation had to face in shape of Dept of home land security, ever since Sept 11, while this dept controls almost all issues related to national security and U. S intelligence, an increase in the federal resources and funds devoted towards this department, and as a consequence every year a considerable decline is recorded in social benefits such as education and national health care. Other affects of terrorism on American economy at large are the red ink taxes, increase in oil cost and the decline in dollar value; all of this is contributing towards decreasing the purchase power of an average American. Economists worldwide agree that the negative aspects and the decline in U. S economy is the cost that USA is paying for the war on terrorism. More over a large number of political & economical analyst feel that the issue of terrorism is being propagated by the American presidential candidates in there political agendas which is a major cause of nervousness among the nation. Many argue today about United States aggressive strategy to counter terrorism has been a mistake and think that a defensive strategy would have been a more appropriate choice in terms of the affects of terrorism on U. S economy. Work Cited; †¢ Enders Walter and Todd Sandler. The Political Economy of Terrorism. 1st ed. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University, 2006. †¢ Abadie, Gardeazabal. â€Å"Terrorism and the World Economy. † (2007): 40. †¢ Orszag, Peter R. United States, CBO. The Budget and Economic Outlook:Fiscal Years 2008-2017. Washington, DC: CBO, 2007. †¢ Ellis, David. â€Å"Dollar’s slide. † It’s the economy, stupid (2008 )

Facts, Fiction and Topics to Write a Profile Essay on

Facts, Fiction and Topics to Write a Profile Essay on Sure, you'll be reading profile essays of famous individuals, and it's quite possible your own story will be very much different. Since profile writers aren't writing technical manuals or textbooks, they can select to define only terms that readers will need to know to follow what's going on. You may require assistance from experienced writers, that's the reason why we offer cheap essay writing service. The subject is at the crux of your essay the one that you pick will establish the results of the readers' experience. Books, magazines, and journals are some examples you may use. As tempting as it might appear to skip past the extra info and go straight to the list of persuasive essay topics, don't do it. Some topics are very general, while some are specific. Conflict doesn't need to be heated or serious to earn a piece entertaining or authenticit simply needs to be present. You may discover that a number of the topics can be adapted to suit almost any sort of writing assignment. Curriculum proposal topics is a means to try. The Ugly Secret of Topics to Write a Profile Essay on The term profile usually means that you ought to describe and uncover all the hidden facets of someone or something. Sooner or later, a profile essay indicates the importance of the individual. In an instance of personality profile essay, you may use a brief story or a conversation. Profile writing involves disparate pieces of the brain in order to make an emotionally involving piece. What You Don't Know About Top ics to Write a Profile Essay on Aprofile essay is a kind of essay that centers a specific individual, place, or thing. As a way to compose a successful essay on somebody's interview, you should understand how to write it. If you're allowed to select a topic yourself, you ought to choose something interesting that it is possible to write about. Note the method by which the introduction is on this issue or the person being interviewed. An outline is a rather thorough plan of the essay. A profile essay should consist of specific thoughts and details as an alternative to generalizations. A proposal essay is extremely straightforward to comprehend. Profile essays, such as other essays, follow a specific structure. Inside my experience, descriptive essays are only difficult in regards to deciding just what things to write about. Writing a profile essay becomes a very simple task whenever you're prepared. It gives you the freedom to handpick the subject of your preference. The question most would love to ask is the way to begin a profile essay. Tip It's fine to let the individual you're profiling read your essay should they need to, but don't forget that the last say in the way the essay is worded belongs to you. There are 3 primary pieces of a profile essay. The very first point to be done in order to learn about writing good essays is to read great examples. Go through the instructions given in college to make sure your profile essay meets the perfect standards. This profile essay example for college should offer you a notion of the way to write. A profile essay is regarded to be the absolute most challenging essay to write, just with the appropriate resources and data, it turns into a walk in the park. Your profile essay ought to be a thorough picture of the individual interviewed or the place or an occasion. You may also google how to compose a profile essay example to observe how other students build up an excellent composition of the te xt. Students are occasionally advised to check out profiling samples accomplished by professionals. They lead busy lives and often forget about an upcoming deadline. The ways they should be taught about their health. The Principles of Topics to Write a Profile Essay on You Will be Able to Benefit From Starting Right Away Observe the method by which the profile essays are written employing the very first person voice. Thus, it's important knowing how to compose a profile. Profiles present an outstanding deal of factual detail about their subject. A profile is a particular sort of research undertaking.

Payroll System - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 23 Words: 6797 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/09/22 Category Advertising Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? Colegio de San Juan de Letran – Calamba Calamba City Computerized Payroll System Camacho, Juliet C. Cartano. Merriane Vi S. Valdez, Charmaine A. A Thesis Proposal Submitted to Ms. Precious A. Daytia In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in ENG 113 Scientific Paper Writing For the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology 17 March 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Background of the Study 1. 2 Overview of the Current State of technology 1. 3 Objectives of the Study 1. 2. 1General Objectives 1. 2. 2 Specific Objectives 1. Significance of the Study 1. 5 Scope and Limitations Chapter II REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE 2. 1 Review of Related Literature 2. 1. 1 Review of Related Foreign Literature 2. 1. 2 Review of Related Local Literature 2. 2 Review of Related Studies 2. 2. 1 Review of Related Local Studies 2. 2. 2 Review of Related Foreign Studies 2. 3 Conceptual Framework 2. 4 Operational Definition of Terms Chapter III METHODOLOGY 3. 1 Project Planning and Management 3. 2 Project Design 3. 3 Project Development 3. 4 Testing and Evaluation Procedures CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Background of the study Processing payroll can be one of the most complex tasks facing an organization. Aside from simply paying employees, companies will need to file taxes, submit reports and process year-end data for tax-reporting purposes. These problems are being encountered by several organizations. The manual payroll system they are currently using calculates the payroll for each pay period entirely on paper. They will need to calculate taxes, over time, under time and any other applicable deductions and additions to each employee’s actual earnings. The problem with the manual payroll system is if ever one had committed mistakes, whatever input was made from the start will automatically affect the whole calculations, and it will probably consume a lot of time to repeat the whole process again. In addition, there is high poss ibility that there will be mistakes when processing payroll manually. For example, when one had calculated a wrong amount of tax to be deducted and the result is higher than the supposed total salary, it can be very costly and a big problem of the business Overview of the Current State of technology Manual computation of salaries given to the employees, deductions and withholding taxes, are some of the stressful works the system currently implements. These works are very critical and costly to the employer or owner of the company due to errors brought by wrong computation of salaries, the â€Å"cheating machine† which is the Time Clock, and also the calculation of the net pay the employee shall receive tfor his work reduced by the amount that she should pay for tax together with the SSS and Pag-Ibig. The manual payroll system cc calculated the payroll for each pay period entirely on paper. They will need to calculate taxes, over time, under time and any other applicable deductions and additions to each employee’s actual earnings. The problem with the manual payroll system is if ever one had committed mistakes, whatever input was made from the start will automatically affect the whole calculations, and it will probably consume a lot of time to repeat the whole process again. The current solution being implemented by most companies with regards to manual computation is still unidentified or unchanged. They still stick to manual computation with the application of double, and maybe triple checking of its computation to make sure that their computation is accurate and precise to prevent doubtful costs and losses. As people all know, having the bundy clock as the source of data is not trustworthy. Anyone can â€Å"time-in† an absent employee if he/she wants to or absent employee asked his co-employee which is not supposed to be-right salary the employee should receive. It’s just like paying for an employee who really hasnâ€℠¢t done his job. A computerized payroll system has a Log-In information as well as Log-Out information to prevent semi-ghost employees. Wages depending on the hours of work will be given to the employee. Cheating will be lessened and maybe gone because of the much more monitored time for hours of work. Calculations for the net pay lessen by deductions and others can easily be determined through the help of the computerized payroll system. Taxes and other more are easily decreased to the employee’s salary. Computation tables report (SSS Contribution table, Witholding tax table, etc. are not needed at all when you have determine the reduction to your employee’s salaries because it is programmed automatically in the payroll system. Objectives of the Study General Objective The main objective of this study is to develop a Computerized Payroll System to ensure that the payroll processes are adequately controlled, maintained its accuracy, and effectively and efficiently o perated. Specific Objective †¢ To develop a module that will process the payroll transactions for the purpose of computing and paying an employee. †¢ To develop a module that will secure the employee’s payroll information. To develop a module that will automatically print the pay slip so the employee can easily check the deductions in their salary. Significance of the Study A certain advantages and benefits are to be observed to those who will be using the new system. For the Company The system will simplify monthly preparation of payroll. It has a faster and less resource consuming generation of pay slip. It also ensures integrity of the payroll data and information. For the Accountant The system will allow faster and more accurate computation of payroll. The system will lessen the time spent by the accountant in payroll processing. For the Employee The system provides employee’s timely, accurate automated generation of pay slip. The pay slip includes bre akdown of details of hours worked and deductions. Scope and Limitations of the Study This study focused on computerized computation of the payroll, employee’s personal information, pay slip which can be printed with its breakdown of details, employee’s detail will be secured to avoid unnecessary changes, and automatic generation of payroll summary. This study limited only to the system run only on Windows not lower than Windows 98, limited numbers of users can only access, system is not capable of adding another employee position, user still have to input each employee’s hours manually, and system has to be updated whenever new tax laws go into effect. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The researchers proposed the Computerized Payroll System, which are based on some studies that can help to come up with a good result. One of this is about database which is primary form of storage in both today’s online and offline worlds. Databases are used to store different t ypes of information; however, you must understand the concepts and theories of why databases are used and how they are created. Conquering what databases are, and the several varieties of database designs are what this article intends to introduce. You will not find advanced database theory anywhere. The most basic of database concepts, or the building blocks are what we must all first master. Thanks to the World Wide Web, databases of all kinds have found themselves in the spotlight as the technology emerges as quite an effective means for storing and managing data. Database developers hold a unique and specific realm of skills not common to most computing professionals. Because of this, salaries for database administrators (especially those who offer Oracle skills) are quite good. An in-depth knowledge of database systems and design is essential for the future of technology and the continued emergence of data processing applications. Why databases were created? Databases keep t rack of, and organize, data. Data is the essence of any business or organization. The processing of data keeps companies rolling down the road of business at an increasingly speedy rate. A database is sometimes referred to as a â€Å"DBMS†, or Database Management System. Microsoft Access, for example, is a DBMS, along with Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL and Oracle. DBMSs, however, have not enjoyed an existence of flawless execution. In fact, many years ago, some databases were simply infeasible. Databases use queries. Queries interact with the database to extract, insert and delete records, or otherwise work with the databases data. As with any process the computer must complete, it takes some processing resources. Databases, however, happen to take a lot more resources that a typical application, as queries can become rather large. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Preparing a payroll slip needs a lot of work and time. The preparation of payroll employees needs the application of doub le, and maybe triple checking of its computation to make sure that their computation is accurate and to come up with a succeeding payroll slip. The conceptual paradigm represents how a particular output occurred from the processed input. INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT [pic] Proposed Payroll System In this proposed study, information about employee’s records such as daily attendance, daily computed hours, end of period computed hours, employee’s frequently report (e. g. punctuality, tardiness, absences, over time) and printing of pay slip will result and avoid errors and mistakes are possible with a computerized system. INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT [pic] Existing Payroll System Chapter II REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATUTRE Data gathering is an initial step necessary to continue designing a system. Gathered information is considered necessary to start the development of the system for a certain business establishment. Related literatures such as books, magazines, news papers, periodi cals, local and foreign dissertations are great source of ideas and concepts related in system designing 2. 1 Review of Related Literature 2. 1. 1 Review of Related Foreign Literature Payroll Payroll is a paymaster’s or employer’s list of those entitled to receive compensation at a given time and of the amounts due to each. (Gove, 1993) Payroll control in recent years salaries, wages and fringe benefits have risen steadily. In the hospitality service industries this rise, which has out-paced increases in industrial wages been a result of greater unionization, federal and state minimum wage legislation and realization on the part of operators that in order to attract and hold better employee wages are necessary. (Fay, Rhoads Rosenblatt, 1971) Payroll is extremely complex. In a large organization, it is one of the most complex procedures in operation. All levels of government impose payroll taxes of one sort or another; regulations and rates are constantly changing, with the result that a payroll system usually requires frequent modification. Payroll processing is one area in which the law imposes not only a fine but a jail sentence for willful negligence in maintaining adequate records. As with any law, ignorance is no excuse. The responsibility is on the system analyst to keep current in this area. (Bodnar Hopwoul, 2001) Payroll System The Payroll System maintains a record on each employee in your company, storing such information as name and address, Social Security number, deductions, pay type, pay period; and a month, quarter, and year to date record of each employees pay and deductions. The system uses these records to calculate the payroll, including all deductions for each employee, print checks, and print reports and government forms. The paycheck records can optionally be loaded with hours and pay by the Labor Distribution system. Alternately, they can optionally be loaded with hours by the Time Clock system. Four types of info rmation files are pooled to calculate the payroll and prepare reports: †¢ The Payroll Control file, which tells the Payroll System which General Ledger accounts its various entries, should be posted to. It is created and maintained by the Control file maintenance program. The Tax Information file, which contains tables for federal, state, and local taxes. It also contains the General Ledger accounts for the state and local entities. It is created and maintained by the Tax file maintenance program. †¢ The Employee Master file, which includes the employees pay rate, type of pay, number of exemptions, and so forth. It is created and maintained by the Employee file maintenance program. †¢ The Employee Deduction file, which (optionally) defines adjustments, up to eight miscellaneous earnings, and up to twenty misc. deductions for each employee. It is created and maintained by the Deduction file maintenance program (https://www. starrcs. com/soft/am/proview. htm) Purpose s of Payroll System The purposes of a payroll application are to calculate the pay due employees, to print paychecks, and to maintain cumulative earnings records. In theory, an organization could process transactions by the cash disbursements application in the expenditure cycle. In practice, however, most process them by a separate payroll system for two reasons. Accountants sometimes consider the payroll cycle to be a part of the purchase cycle. The payroll cycle can also be integrated into the production cycle in manufacturing firms. However, treating the payroll cycle as separate from both purchasing and production cycles helps us highlight some of its interesting and unique characteristics. Designing and implementing a full-pledged integrated human resources payroll system is a complex undertaking to which entire books have been devoted. All but the very smallest manufacturing, merchandising, and service firms have payroll cycle activity. In service and merchandising firms, payroll cost appears an expense item on the income statement. In manufacturing firms, the portion of payroll expenditures that is related to manufacturing activities becomes a part of the cost of goods manufactured. This cost appears on the financial statements on the cost of goods sold and in the cost of finished goods and work in progress inventories. (Perry Schneider, 2001) First, payroll systems must withhold amounts for deductions and taxes and summarize these in cumulative earnings reports. Such withholding and reporting are unnecessary when processing purchases transactions in the expenditure cycle. Second, payroll systems produce paychecks made out to employees. This makes fraud payroll systems easier to conceal than in those systems that produce checks for vendors. Establishing a separate system for payroll allows greater control over these transactions. (Boockholdt, 1996) Even the most meticulous and experienced human resources professionals find that handling payro ll can be a headache. Slap on potential stiff penalties for tax filing omissions, and now we are suddenly talking about a full-blown, financially induced migraine. In addition, the person who handles your payroll system needs to keep up to date on changes in personnel, deadlines, and tax requirements on an ongoing basis. Payroll outsourcing can be an affordable way. A payroll service can be a timesaving and cost-effective alternative to internal processing. Even if payroll expenses are quite stable, companies with more than 10 employees may find that the time saved by an outsourcing payroll system easily makes up for the low costs. Payroll services include the practices of making accurate and timely payments to State employees and organizations on their behalf; Meeting information requirements of governmental and non-governmental organizations; managing payroll operations in a cost-effective manner. The primary customers are State employees. They benefit in the process because the company is the one responsible in much of the activities such as; paying them accurately and on-time; maintaining an accurate and confidential record of their employment payment history; Helping them understand their payments, benefits and deductions; Helping them pay their bills and meet other financial obligations; Helping them save for the future. (https://www. osc. state. ny. us/payroll/index. htm) Different companies benefit from the use of outsourcing payroll management service. It asserts that outsourcing non-core business functions is a strategy that aims to reduce costs, improve efficiency and increase the productivity of the workforce. It mentions some of the advantages of offloading tasks to payroll services firms including lower costs, greater accuracy and more labor hours to concentrate on what really counts. Moreover, Rod Friedman of Stonefield Josephson provides a checklist for companies that are considering hiring a payroll outsourcer (Fortune, September, 200 3). Types of Payroll Systems Processing payroll can be one of the most complex tasks facing an organization. Besides simply paying your employees, you will need to file taxes, submit reports and process year-end data for tax-reporting purposes. To determine the best payroll system for your company, consider the following points: 1) Three basic types of payroll systems. a) Manual payroll means that you, or another employee within your company, calculate the payroll each pay period entirely on paper. You will need to calculate taxes, insurance, 401K, and any other applicable deductions in addition to each employees actual earnings. The advantage of using a manual system is that it is very inexpensive, with virtually no start-up costs. The disadvantage is that whatever you save on start-up costs will probably be eaten up by the amount of time it takes to process payroll. In addition, its very easy to make mistakes when processing payroll manually, and the penalty for mistakes, es pecially mistakes in taxing, can be very costly. b) Computerized payroll system. Many companies offer computer software that will assist you in processing payroll. You will need to input information for each employee when he is hired, but after that, the software will calculate taxes and other deductions automatically. The advantage of this type of system is numerous fewer potential mistakes and less time spent processing payroll. In addition, employees can be trained to run the program more easily, so you wont need to depend on just one person to process payroll. The disadvantages are that you still have to input each employees hours manually, and the software has to be updated annually or whenever new tax laws go into effect. There can also be additional charges if the software has to be configured specifically for your business. c) Payroll system with an external payroll service. Companies will process your payroll for you, including submitting all necessary tax payments a nd generating year-end reports. Although this is the most expensive type of payroll system, it can pay for itself in larger companies, which might otherwise have to hire a full-time employee dedicated to processing payroll. A payroll service may also offer a direct-deposit option to your employees, which is very popular. When you are researching payroll services, check to see what services they offer, and if the reports that they provide to you are helpful. If not, see if they can customize their services to better suit your needs. Another important consideration is to find a payroll service that is bonded. This protects you from liability in the case of mishandled finances. Check with any potential payroll services to be certain that they will pay any applicable penalties if they make mistakes in remitting tax payments, and that they can re-process payroll quickly if there are mistakes. The main disadvantage to this system, besides the higher cost, is that security can be an iss ue if your payroll computer is on the same network as all of the other computers in your company. To avoid this, you should have a computer which is used only for payroll that can go online without using the same connection as your other computers. Also, keep in mind that you will still have to transmit employee payment information to the payroll service each pay period. If your payroll is quite complex for example, if you have many employees at different pay rates, and on different pay scales, possibly even with different insurance packages from which to choose, you may spend a lot of time processing payroll, and on trying to keep up with changes. Such a task may be better suited to an external payroll service. However, be certain that you understand what is included in your basic fee, and what is considered extra. (https://www. howtodothings. com/business/a3975-how-to-choose-payroll-systems. html) Payroll software: Automated payroll software advantages Automated payroll is simple compared to manual data collection and processing. †¢ Simplified data entry saves time and helps reduce errors. Automated payroll can make employee record setup easier and faster with templates that can be modified for each individual. Processing pay runs is a snap compared to manual systems. Streamline the process of recording, collecting, reviewing, and approving timesheet data with online self-service options delivered through a personalized Web portal. Automated payroll processing helps eliminate many routine transactions, freeing staff to focus on higher priorities. †¢ Direct deposit saves time for everyone. Automated payrolls systems can provide reliable, confidential direct deposit of payroll checks to unlimited accounts and financial institutions, as well as split deposits between multiple bank accounts. Employees will be happy to save the hassle of having to deposit their checks at the bank, and there will be less chance for lost or stolen checks. Plus, your company can offer the convenience of direct deposit with minimal overhead costs. †¢ Employee self-help tools help enhances productivity across the board. Online self-service options enable employees to quickly and easily update their own personal information, enroll in direct deposit, view vacation time, and submit timesheets. This saves them the time of having to contact staff with requests and details. The system updates requests automatically upon approval, saving time for payroll and other human resources staff. †¢ All payroll information is in one place and accessible at your fingertips. Increase your flexibility and gain more control over your payroll information, keeping track of it easily and maintaining a comprehensive, up-to-date perspective on your payroll expenses. †¢ Taxes are less taxing. Taxes, deductions, and benefits are calculated automatically. You can also manage variable tax deductions for employees working in multiple states. Government r eporting and requirements can be delivered easier and on time. Produce the government reports and other tax statements with little additional administrative cost or trouble, in both printed and magnetic media formats. (https://www. microsoft. com/dynamics/product/automated_payroll. mspx) Programming language A programming language is an artificial language that can be used to write programs which control the behavior of a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages are defined by syntactic and semantic rules which describe their structure and meaning respectively. Many programming languages have some form of written specification of their syntax and semantics; some are defined by an official specification, while others have a dominant implementation. Programming languages are also used to facilitate communication about the task of organizing and manipulating information, and to express algorithms precisely. Some authors restrict the term programming language to those languages that can express all possible algorithms; sometimes the term computer language is used for more limited artificial languages. (https://en. wikipedia. ofg/programminglanguage) Database Management System (DBMS) A DBMS is a complex set of software programs that controls the organization, storage, management, and retrieval of data in a database. DBMS are categorized according to their data structures or types. It is a set of prewritten programs that are used to store, update and retrieve a Database. The DBMS accepts requests for data from the application program and instructs the operating system to transfer the appropriate data. When a DBMS is used, information systems can be changed much more easily as the organizations information requirements change. New categories of data can be added to the database without disruption to the existing system. Organizations may use one kind of DBMS for daily transaction processing and then move the detail onto another computer that u ses another DBMS better suited for random inquiries and analysis. Overall systems design decisions are performed by data administrators and systems analysts. Detailed database design is performed by database administrators. (https://en. wikipedia. ofg/databasemanagementsystem) 2. 1. 2 Review of Related Local Literature Computerized Payroll System The Computerized Payroll System  is a window-based program especially designed to facilitate and simplify the monthly preparation of general payroll and related reports. It is a standard computerized payroll system for use in all offices. It allows faster and more accurate computation of monthly gross income, deductions and net salary. It is faster and less-resource-consuming generation of General Payroll and other payroll related reports. It has Security and integrity of payroll data and information. (https://doh. gov. h/r_ims/cps. htm) There are lots opportunities taken from using information technology. Payroll processing can be mad e more efficient by collecting employee time and attendance data electronically, instead of on paper documents. This can reduce the time, and potential errors, associated with manually recording, verifying, and finally entering employee time and attendance data. For example, badge readers can be used to collect job-time data for production employees. That data is then automatically fed to the payroll processing system. Similarly, electronic time clocks can transmit time and attendance data directly to the payroll-processing program. (Ronney Steinbart, 1997) In relation with the study, it also shows in the how tax work for a payroll system in a company. Under this time keeping system, employee receives a timecard which the time worked is recorded manually by the employee or automatically by a time dock. The timecard is designed to fit various lengths of pay periods. The card provides space to record the hours worked, the rate of pay, deductions, and net pay. The payroll depart ment inserts the handwritten figures to be used in computing total earnings deductions, and net pay for the payroll period. (Bieg, 1999) An adequate records management program coordinates and protects the companies record sharpens the effectiveness of records as a management memory, controls the time, equipment and apace allocated to records, and helps to simplify intra-organizational problems. (Place and Popharm, 1966) The advantage of an adequate record is the possibility that they may be quickly found again. Even smallest office has files, whether they are comprised of correspondence, order bills, card catalogs, blueprint, clippings, bills of lading, tear sheets, electros or checks. (Weeks, 1964) For most office networks, a single file server is more than adequate. This is known as a centralized server. It functions very much like a minicomputer; one unit handles all file serving, with each workstation waiting its turn. If the LAN is designed to handle several different depart ments, then adding more file server to the network is usually more efficient. Payroll clerks, also called payroll technicians, screen timecards for calculating, coding, or other errors. They compute pay by subtracting allotments, including Federal and State taxes and contributions to retirement, insurance, and savings plans, from gross earnings. Increasingly, computers perform these calculations and alert payroll clerks to problems or errors in the data. (https://www. bls. gov/oco/ocos149. htm) Overtime wages must be paid no later than the payday for the next regular payroll period after which the overtime wages were earned. Labor Code Section 204 only the payment of overtime wages may be delayed to the payday of the next following payroll period as the straight time wages must still be paid within the time set forth in the applicable Labor Code section in the pay period in which they were earned; or, in the case of employees who are paid on a weekly, biweekly, or semimonthly basis, not more than seven calendar days following the close of the payroll period. (fhttps://www. dir. gov/dlse/FAQ_Overtime. htm. ) Personal Exemptions: Personal exemptions are arbitrary amounts allowed by law to an individual taxpayer, theoretically, to provide for personal, living and family expenses. â€Å"For each dependent child (not exceeding four) to be claimed by a married person or head of family. In the case of married individuals, only one the spouses can claim the additional exemptions. For legally separated spouses, the additional exemption shall be allowed t the spouse who has legal custody of the child or children (but the total amount for the spouses should not exceed the limit for four)†. (Foz, 2007) 2. 2 Review of Related Studies . 2. 1 Review of Related Local Studies Their study is to â€Å"develop an automated process that will be used for payroll of the department of education that would not only be technically and economically optimal, but would also pave for more efficient, defendable and faster way of transaction. It will benefit the management of the department of education for this system will ease the previous complication they encountered from the older system. (Arizala, 2004) The primary concern of this study was the improvement of payroll and personnel record of James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital. Through studies, computer based payroll and record management system. Their primary objective are: to have a more effective and accessible means of record management preparing a payroll. To minimize the time and reduce the effort in manually computing, to lessen the amount of time in computing deductions due off every employee, to establish a computer based payroll personnel record management system to have system in record keeping so to avoid repetition in reviewing every name on the payroll sheet are their aim (Bayani, 2005). The aim is to develop an automated payroll system that would aid the company in resolving their pay roll activities. As reported, the company was encountering a main problem during their employee logs and payroll activities these problems are: buddy punching, payroll related data and other complicated files are prone to human manipulations and intervention due to slow-security measures miscalculating their employee’s salaries and deduction and thus takes time to finish (Abucayon, 2005). The Norkis Yamaha genuine parts and accessories uses manual approach in managing the attendance of the employees that produces low quality of output due to slow and inaccurate way of computing and recording of time and attendance. The human resource department views it as tiring and burdensome for they have to take time cards just to record the tardiness being made by their employee. Date gathered is encoded to the computer, which will be forwarded to the accounting department for payroll computing, which is also done manually since this study is considering the impact on a feasible co mputerization of the manual Daily Time Record and Payroll system of the company, the proponent are therefore concerned is enhancing their current manual system into a computerized one. These proponents will be using the database approach, which offers a potential advantage compared to a manual system for it integrates, separates data files into a single, logical structure (Agustin, Madrigal, Simbulan, 2002). 2. 2. 2 Review of Related Foreign Studies Payroll System The Crewsoft payroll system is a powerful, user-friendly program that uses of all the best windows features like ‘drag and drop’, sort by column list controls and right mouse button menus. This allows one to work flexibly, efficiently and to customize the programs user interface to suit the way one work. The program is designed specifically for the needs of the global shipping company with multiple tax jurisdictions and is built on the solid foundation of our experience in this market. (Crewsoft Generic Payroll System. 2003) The module is designed to process all types of payroll transaction for the purpose of computing and paying an employee. The payroll module provides multiple methods for expensing the payroll cost to the appropriate sub ledger and includes all associated employer burdens. The payroll module is entirely â€Å"user file driven†; defines tall possible categories of earnings, contributions and deduction and their associated computation methods. This means that the system can easily add another earnings, contribution, or deduction code as the payroll processing requirements change without modifying any existing programs within the payroll module. Construction Information System, Inc. 2001) HR and Payroll System Bearingpoint will replace North Carolina’s antiquated 30 years old human resource and payroll computer systems with advanced technology that will eliminate most papers forms and give state employees the ability to view and change personal info rmation online. They will be able to change items such as home address and phone numbers and emergency contact information. State employees will be able to view and print both current and past paycheck retails online. As the systems integrator on the project, Bearingpoint will be responsible for program management and implementation for the new system, which will be built using SAP’s mySAP product. ( Bearingpoint to Install New HR and Payroll System for North Carolina. North Carolina, USA. 2005. ) Attendance System The employee attendance system is designed to automatically add sick leave, personal/business leave, vacation leave and other leave time to the employee’s records. In addition, it will automatically accumulate substitute days for sub teachers for the annual report to the state board of education. If an employee takes more sick leave or other leave time than he/she has accumulated, the system will automatically deduct the corresponding salary amount fro m the next pay, leave status and balances. (Berrien Country Intermediate School District, 2006) Programming Language The program was developed using Visual Basic 6. It provides the needed graphical user interface for easier programming and conceptual interaction between the user and the program itself. Having the interface shown, the needed action buttons are placed where it could be easily accessed by users in a comfortable way. It would also provide a user – friendly impression for the first time users of the program. DBMS (Database Management System) The database of the system relies on Microsoft Access 2007, a database program that enthusiastically supports the Visual Basic program. It would also hold a million records, which is enough for the company. Using a larger and more sophisticated database could only increase the needed memory allocation for the system. Payroll Process This is a financial process of wages, net pay, paid vacations, and deductions for an employe e. Basically, anything that relates to giving money or benefits to an employee. This is one of the more complex tasks in terms of accounting, simply because there are many different accounts, people, and agencies involved in the act of paying an employees salary. 2. 4 Operational Definition of Terms Payroll – the list of the salaries of the employees of Fastel Company. Company – is a contractor company. Fastel Services Incorporated provides telecommunication services. Employee – Employee of the company that will receive a pay slip every pay period. Accountant – An employee that manages the payroll of the company. Pay Slip – A paper given to an employee that includes the details of earnings and deductions within a particular pay period. Computerized Payroll System is a window based program developed to facilitate and simplify the monthly preparation of general payroll of the company. Database A collection of information of the employees of t he company. Visual Basic 6 – A programming language that was used in developing the computerized payroll system of the company. Visual Basic 6 was used because it is good to use in making a software prototype. Microsoft Access 2007 – A database management system that was used in designing the database of the employee of the company. Microsoft Access was used because it is good partner of Visual Basic. Chapter III METHODOLOGY Different kinds of methods are used in conducting the study, from planning and management up to testing and evaluation. 3. 1 Project Planning and Management Preliminary investigation and data gathering is important in a study. These are the steps to be done first to be able to come up with a proposed system. Different methods could be used in researching for the needed data. In this particular study, certain methods are used. Interview Through interviewing the company, the group had able to acquire accurate information needed for the making o f payroll system. Problems occurred in the company’s payroll process are discussed likewise the possible conclusions and solutions to these. Internet Research Data gathering using the internet provide sample problems that possibly occurred in manual payroll system. Also the possible solutions to these are also found in the internet. Some systems with special functionalities related to the study are also discussed in the internet which gave ideas and concepts to the programmer. Book Research Books provide different kinds of data, from payroll systems to the newest programming languages. Historical background is the primary data that could be gathered from books 3. 2 Project Design 3. 2. 1 System Flowchart System flowchart is a flowchart of how the system would possibly operate with the different inputs and processes needed for the system to run in accordance to how the payroll system operates. Figure 3. 2: System Flowchart 3. 2. Data Flow Diagram 3. 2. 2. 1 DFD Existing Sys tem – Context Diagram 3. 2. 2. 2 DFD Existing System – Diagram 0 3. 3 Project Development The group used Prototyping because it can be done quickly. Prototyping is the creation of a working model of various parts of the system at a very early stage, after a relatively short investigation. The model then becomes the starting point from which users can re-examine their expectations and clarify their requirements. A. Preliminary investigation. The group conducted a research to come up with a process that would need modern help or solution to make an operation easy. The company relies on manual filing computation. Computerization of their system would greatly affect their operations. B. Data Gathering. The stage wherein the group gathered or collect important data needed to develop the basic functions of the system such as the computation of salary and other payroll processes. C. Interview. Interviewing the beneficiary of the system gives a broader look for the group. It gives managerial outlook of how the system should run, in accordance to the policy of the company D. Research. Possible problems could arise in the programming process, as well as in the implementation procedure of the program. However, researching gave the group ideas on how to avoid these problems. E. Layout design. In designing or making the interface of the system, the group heeds on how they would like the system looks like. It is important that the end users are at ease with the look of the system. F. System programming. This is the coding of the program using a reliable programming language. G. Testing evaluation. Certain bugs and problems are required to be fixed. Evaluation of system’s acceptability is also a must to show the approval of the possible end user. H. Implementation. The completed development of the proposed system will be implemented by company. The preparation for installing and configuring will be facilitated by the management and users. 3. 4 Testing and Evaluation Procedures Testing and evaluation of the system will be conducted in order to be recognized by possible end user. This procedure will valuate the system’s reliability, accuracy and security. Respondents There will be 30 respondents for testing and evaluation of the program. It includes 20 students, 5 IT professionals, and 5 possible users of the system. Evaluation Instrument The system’s capabilities, design and security will be also evaluated. The purpose is to prove the acceptability of the system. ACCURACY 1. Accuracy of the System – How accurate is the system in accordance to the rate it is being used. 2. Completeness – Is the system complete depending on the need of the management and the payroll itself. 3. Ease of use – Is it easy to use. RELIABILITY 1. Clarity of the interface – Is the lay out user friendly and not cluttering the program itself. . Appropriateness of the system’s options – Are t he options present in the program needed in operations. 3. Clarity of error messages – A program that displays errors that occurs on the running program. 4. Reliability of the system to the data – Is the data being used efficiently by the program itself. SECURITY 1. Capability of the system to protect the information – Are the needed business information protected by the system. 2. Capability of the system to protect the business – Is the business itself being protected by the program. Statistical Treatment of Data Computation of the respondent’s answers to the previous test should be computed with its Mean and Standard Deviation. This shows the total acceptability of the system. Formula of mean and Standard Deviation: Mean = Xn = X1 + X2 + X3 + Xn n Standard Deviation = (X-X) 2 n In evaluation purposes, the respondents filled up a form in which criteria are given with different level of rating for system’s acceptability. 5 – Highl y acceptable The system is highly accepted with its processes and uses passed the criteria for a payroll system. It shows that the system could give a high rate of success in that criterion. 4 – Moderately acceptable The program doesn’t comply as highly as needed for a criterion, yet it still manage to do the needed task or process. It could still be implemented and would still give a satisfactory output of work. 3 – Slightly acceptable The program needs a bit of an upgrade because it doesn’t comply with what the criterion is looking for. It could still be implemented yet the system could not give a satisfactory as needed in the business. 2 Acceptable The program could be doubted in those criteria given this rating. The program doesn’t comply with the needed work it is intended to do. 1 – Not acceptable The program failed to do the work needed for a criterion. |Rating |Equivalent | |4. 1 – 5. 0 |Highly Acceptable | |3. 1 â€⠀œ 4. 0 |Moderately Acceptable | |2. 1 – 3. 0 |Slightly Acceptable | |1. – 2. 0 |Acceptable | |0. 1 – 1. 0 |Not Acceptable | Computerized Payroll System -Fast access of database -Fast processing of payroll slip -Basic Rate -Employees record -Basic Pay -Tardiness -Under Time -Absences -Pag-Ibig -SSS -GSIS -Health Care -Witholding Tax -PERA -bonus -medicare -over time -others Manual Computation of employees’ salary -Long process of payroll -Manual retrieving of records -Time consuming -Basic Rate Tardiness -Under Time -Absences -Pag-Ibig -SSS -GSIS -Health Care -Medicare -Witholding Tax -PERA -bonus -others Monthly Attendance Record Print Monthly Payroll Report Pay Slip Produce Pay Slip Payroll Record Compute Employee Gross Pay Employee Database Employee Master File Monthly Payroll Report 0 FASTEL MANUAL PAYROLL SYSTEM Computed Salary Accounting Department Attendance Record Human Resources Department Employee Record Salary Report Employee Pay Slip Employee Figure 3. 3: Context Diagram of the Existing System Figure 3. 4: Diagram 0 of the Existing System Figure 3. 5: Prototyping Diagram Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Payroll System" essay for you Create order