The Concept of Mentorship Essay Example For Students

The Concept of Mentorship Essay In the following assignment the author will critically explore, discuss, reflect upon and evaluate mentorship within clinical nursing placements. With particular reference to learning disabilities and respite care, the author will look at the needs and benefits of mentorship, as well as the problems and constraints, especially being in such a specialised service. The author will explore the area of orientation, looking at why it is such an important aspect of the whole placement area. Once these aspects have been explored, the author will go on to discuss the placement, the problems that have been encountered throughout and the ways in which these can be addressed effectively, to ensure that they are reduced and expelled as much as possible. We will write a custom essay on The Concept of Mentorship specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Any names and places used throughout the assignment have been changed to ensure anonymity and maintain confidentiality at all times, adhering to data protection. The concept of mentorship was originally introduced in the 1970s in America. It was fully embraced and bought over to the UK as a formal support system in the late 1980s (Learning Disability Practice, 2006, 9, 3, 16-18). At that time, nursing was predominately carried out by females. It was these females that identified the lack of, and need of a formal support system within the profession. The role of mentorship has been explored by many authors and theorists since the introduction of it into the nursing profession. In 1982, Zwolski stated that mentorship is seen as a broader, longer term relationship, aimed at guiding the student towards an established place in the profession. This was later backed up by Armitage and Burnard in 1991, arguing that a deeper understanding of the role and functions associated with a . .iable. (www.NursingTimes.net 2008) Under the NMC guidelines, standards to support learning and assessment (2006), all nurses must mentor at least 2 students every 3 years. However not all nurses have acquired the knowledge, skills and attributes required to be an effective mentor. (NMC 2006). The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) discovered that the main reason for a student to have an inadequate placement is the lack of access to mentors, due to sickness, annual leave or other reasons. This consequently leads to a lack of consistency when setting goals, reviewing progress and assessing learning objectives at the final interview (RCN). Other reasons include short staffing – leading to overstretched staff not having time for students, being left to learn for themselves, thus meaning students arent given the opportunities to learn and expand upon their experiences.

Gay Anti-Discrimination Cases essays

Gay Anti-Discrimination Cases essays "If Bowers said it was constitutional to criminalize homosexual conduct," as the argument goes, "how can Evans, without even discussing Bowers, find unconstitutional the lesser step of simply prohibiting anti-discrimination provisions that protect homosexuals?" Though Romer held that animus was an impermissible justification for a Colorado law which denied homosexuals the right to have laws passed protecting them from discrimination, the statute at issue in this case, and Bowers v. Hardwick, is not based on animus against persons, but rather on a legitimate state interest in promoting sexual morality. As a result, Romer described the formation of a structural caste system created on the basis of sexual orientation which was deemed unconstitutional. In contrast, Bowers pertained to governing forms of behavior considered constitutional under "light" scrutiny. The foremost concern in Romer, Amendment 2 to Colorados state constitution, would have established constitutional restraints that would disallow any municipality or other local government to pass gay rights statutes. In Romer, the Court held on Equal Protection grounds that Amendment 2 discriminated against homosexuals merely on the basis of animus, which is an impermissible basis for legislation of any kind. Romer did not apply strict scrutiny to the Colorado amendment. Rather, the Courts opinion held that Amendment 2 was impermissible even under the light tests of rational relatedness to legitimate government purposes. The Court wrote that homosexuals are put in a solitary class without the availability of legal protection. Though there was no fundamental right at issue, the classification of persons into classes was found to itself be at odds with the American constitutional tradition. At the end of the Romer opinion, the Court added that in addition to the far-reaching defi ciencies of Amendment...

The Body of Lies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Body of Lies - Essay Example According to Hoffman, terrorists are now going back to traditional if not Stone Age technique of communication. Because of this fact, Hoffman has to rely more on Ferris’ operation and human intelligence. Roger Ferris met the head of the Jordanian GID named Hani Salaam and they had an agreement to help each other in finding Al-Saleem. But whatever agreement they have to each other, they are still bound to their responsibilities to their own countries. Hoffman was able to discover an Al-Saleem safe house and immediately contacted Ferris to check and watch the place closely. However, without Ferris’ permission, Hoffman conducted another operation which blew the whole safe house operation and ended up with Ferris bitten by dogs. It was this time when he met Aisha whom he eventually developed romantic interest. Another bombing was reported in Amsterdam which killed 75 people at the least. One of the men in the Al-Saleem safe house was recognized by Hani as Karami and compell ed him to become their asset in the Al Qaeda terrorist using his mother as Hani’s assurance for his cooperation. Hoffman wanted Karami to be interrogated by the CIA but Hani refuses to hand him over. Without the consent of both Hani and Ferris, Hoffman contacted Ferris’ new subordinate and instructed him to bring him Karami. Because of this, the safe house was blown and Ferris was blamed by Hani and instructed to leave Jordan. Hoffman and Ferris eventually thought that the only way to track Al-Saleem is to create another terrorist group that will threaten Al-Saleem’s ego and power. They planned and staged an attack and used a Jordanian architect named Omar Sadiki as the terrorist cell leader. But Ferris’ plan was made known to Al-Saleem when Sadiki was caught by his man and tortured. After which, Aisha was then kidnapped and while Ferris tried to recover her, he fell into the hands of Al-Saleem just across the border in Syria. He was interrogated and when he was about to be killed, Hani came to a rescue and Al-Saleem was arrested by the group. Hani admitted to Ferris that it was them who kidnapped Aisha to have a deal with Al-Saleem in exchange of Ferris. The movie ended with Ferris quitting the CIA and chose to stay in Jordan while leaving the audience the thought if he was going to reconcile with Aisha. The movie was not really about the politics or war but instead, the Body of Lies involved double-crosses and did not really have anything to say about the War on Terror. But this movie about Iraq war is something that offers good thriller standards. The movie offered moments of suspense but it offers more on how Ferris communicated with people and tries to gain information on the sought after terrorist Al-Saleem. In Markert’s (2011) book, the film Body of Lies belongs to the fictional features belatedly appear. According to Markert (2011), the films from 2001 to 2010 were mostly documentaries and films depicting villains suc h as Osama Bin Laden and revolving on the World Trade Center bombing. Several fictional films involving wars on Iraq and Afghanistan were made such as this film. However, this film did not involve Bin Laden or Hussein who were the favourite villains in the post-9/11 films.  

The Education of Professionals Research Proposal

The Education of Professionals - Research Proposal Example According to Hall [(1968) as cited by Fertig (2003)], professionalism can be associated with the performance of the professional in his or her most individual capacity. Hall (1968) identified the role of the professional academic as embodying a belief in serving the public and a sense of autonomy and commitment towards his or her respective profession. This view is also shared by Engel (1970) who regarded professionalism amongst academics as focussing on individuality in the actions and the decision-making process. Exworthy & Halford (1999) have stressed the impact of tighter accountability control within Higher Education particularly for the professionals within the HE sector in order to achieve efficiency [as cited by Fertig (2003)]. In this vein, this paper explores how this has affected the concept of professionalism in Higher Education. The Changing Meaning of Professionals and Professionalism It is true to a large extent that the modern notions of professionals and professionalism have changed considerably due to the changing notions of these concepts over time. As stated in Fertig (2003), Robson (1998) and Harper (2000) share the view that there is a pronounced trend of professional management within the Higher Education sector in England where a distinction can be drawn with and the 'professional' paradigms There is also a pronounced trend of specialization within the professions which is reflected in the way the modern courses and teaching are structured.. This is demonstrated by Koehn (1994:150) for whom professional ethics are â€Å"an institutionalized expression of prevailing public morality†. Abbott (1988) has argued that professionalism and higher professional education share a deep bond. Ethics and Professionalism The problem of ethics within the education of the professions comes in where there is a problem of â€Å"specialization† providing the ability to ask for high fees and higher rewards which some academics have sought to pacify as necessary for the public interest (Abbott, 1988).

Stepping out Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Stepping out - Essay Example n expressing their desires.  It should not be surprising then that quite a majority of females have once had these desires without the public knowledge, which makes them either lesbians or bisexuals. Recent studies have also indicated that the contemporary society is getting more comfortable with the concept of lesbianism and homosexuality, (Schroeder 5-6) as opposed to several years ago. Lesbians have a right to pursue their feeling just as anybody else, and their sexual orientation is purely informed by the fact that females are emotional beings. Many lesbians have developed their sexual orientations because of both physical and mental reasons (Walker et al 391). Traditionally, women have felt a need to have much more satisfying relationships that are based on trust, love and understanding. However, this  has not been gotten in heterosexual relationships as many women consider them unsatisfactory; females understand each other’s needs more than men do. Because of this disconnect, females tend to turn to fellow females for emotional and sexual gratification. Given that sexual orientation is discovered rather than decided at birth, it must be understood if a female’s sexual orientation is towards fellow females than towards males as is the norm, accepting one’s sexuality is more helpful than denial as it may lead to multiple psychological problems. For instance, the stigmatization of lesbianism may cause psychological trauma to lesbians, which has far reached repercussions in their later lives (Hilton and Szymanski 292-293). In this regard, lesbians must be given the love and support of family, friends and society without discrimination; moreover, it should also be acknowledged that lesbianism does not destabilize the norm of heterosexual relationships in any way as opposed to the fears of those who reject it. Lesbianism in any case should be looked at as an alternative form of relationship to females, rather than being ostracized in society. Lesbians have

Impact of the Civil War on the South of America

Impact of the Civil War on the South of America What was new about the New South? The following will discuss what, if anything was new about the New South that emerged in the United States after 1877. Prior to the American Civil War the old South had predominantly been an agrarian economy in which blacks were slaves who had worked on the cotton plantations, factories, or had been domestic servants. Cotton had been the major commodity of the economy, which had mainly been exported to Britain. The American Civil War had been fought over the issue of slavery and whether the Southern States had the right to cede from the United States to preserve the institution of slavery (Hobsbawm, 1975 p.184). The Civil War brought social and economic changes to the South. Its cotton exports had been drastically reduced, its agricultural and industrial output declined sharply, whilst much of its infrastructure was destroyed. During the civil war President Lincoln had proclaimed the emancipation of all slaves, whilst blacks had fought with distinction on the Union side. The devastat ion brought to the South by the civil war meant that a period of reconstruction was needed afterwards. Leading white Southerners such as Henry Grady called for a New South. The blacks that were freed, as a result of the Confederate States losing the civil war, also anticipated a New South. The blacks in the Southern States expected their lives to be better following the Union’s victory and the era of reconstruction. In many respects strong arguments can be made that their lives got worse rather than better. Du Bois for one contended that blacks â€Å"had fought slavery to save democracy and then lost democracy in a new and vaster slavery† (Du Bois, 1935 Chapter 1). The result of the American Civil War in theory was that the four and a half million blacks in the United States were all free and equal with the white population. However, the end of the Reconstruction made those equal rights a mockery in the New South (Brogan, 1999, p.348). That the New South was not a new place for the better for its black population was due to the way in which the American Civil War ended. Lincoln’s assassination was the South’s revenge for losing the War. Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson was less capable of ensuring that the South changed in ways that benefited its black population. From his presidency onwards, the North did very little to ensure Southern blacks had any meaningful rights (Brogan, 1999, p.348). Southern blacks were only able to exercise their political rights whilst the Union forces remained in the South, those rights ceased to exist in reality once the South was left to run itself. The suppression of Southern blacks was arguably worse once they had been formally freed than when they had been slaves. Racial discrimination, the fear of violence and poverty meant that the New South was no better than the Old South had been (Hobsbawm, 1975, p.143). Neither the South in general or its repressed bla ck population in particular, gained as much from the United States rapid industrialisation from the 1870s onwards as the North did (Hobsbawm, 1987, p.35). In the New South there was a strong desire amongst the defeated Confederate States to make its black population subject to its strict political and economic controls for as long as possible. The abolition of slavery had not seen the end of the cotton plantations. However, jobs and better pay were given to the whites rather than blacks. Blacks were given the lowest paid jobs and they could be punished for not taking them. For many blacks the newness of the New South was the increased harshness of the discrimination they were subjected to. Whilst the whites in the New South had been unable to defeat the Union during the American Civil War, they were in a position to make life very unpleasant for the black population of the New South. Much discrimination was given legality through the ‘Black Codes’ of the Southern legislatures that severely restricted the rights of former slaves. Slavery had, in many respects, been restored in a less obvious form (Brogan, 1999, p.352). Thos e blacks that tried to exercise their legal rights found legal and political obstacles placed in front of them, which effectively deprived them of all those rights. They also faced violence and intimidation on a regular basis (Bradbury Temperley, 1998, p.153). The Southern states were able to prevent the Constitutional Amendments that abolished slavery and gave freed slaves their rights having a positive impact as they were responsible for their enforcement, rather than the national government (Murphy et al, 2001, p.315). States such as Louisiana had no intention of giving blacks any rights on the grounds it was unconstitutional to do so (Du Bois, 1935, p.454). A series of measures which were known as Jim Crow laws were used by the Southern States to segregate and repress their black populations. Although they claimed the segregated services were of equal quality, this was a sham to excuse neglecting their black communities (Cobb, 1992). Overall Jim Crow Laws delayed the economic d evelopment of the New South, whilst they institutionalised racial discrimination and segregation. The cost of providing segregated services lowered the quality of education, housing, and transport in the New South. Segregation had even been endorsed by the Supreme Court as long as services were of equal quality, which few bothered to check. Such discrimination was contrary to the way Henry Grady believed the New South should have developed. Grady argued that the best way to industrialise the New South was to treat blacks as equal partners rather than inferiors. Therefore social justice and equality were just as important as capital and machinery in building the New South (Mauk Oakland, 1995 p. 108). Grady believed that the New South would be the perfect democracy as long blacks were treated equally. The civil war had been an opportunity for the South to stop its outdated reliance on slavery and cotton (Harris, 1890 p. 15). Segregation, as well as being morally questionable, kept th e South relatively poor and backward in relation to the rest of the country (Hobsbawm, 1975 p.184). Poverty was a new feature of the New South. Poverty paradoxically enough had not been an issue for blacks in the South when they had been slaves. Although, they had no freedom, slaves were provided with basic levels of accommodation and food, on the logical basis that unhealthy slaves did not work as well as healthy ones. Southern slave owners had generally treated their slaves well enough for their numbers to increase at the same rate as the white population (Bradbury Temperley, 1998 p. 153). Defenders of slavery had maintained that it kept the Southern states economically competitive, kept the black population at subsistence, whilst ensuring that all white men could find paid work (Brogan, 1999, p.371). Poverty, as freed slaves found to their cost, was as restrictive of their freedom as actual shackles had been. Freed slaves had to compete with whites to gain jobs. Poverty was closely linked with racial discrimination, in that whites were given better jobs and better working condi tions, even when there were better-qualified blacks to do the jobs. Discrimination in the provision of education, housing and medical care also contributed to keep the blacks repressed and in poverty (Cobb, 1992). Blacks were disenfranchised by their poverty, whereas loopholes were used to ensure that poor whites kept the vote (Hobsbawm, 1987, p.24). Another new feature of the New South was the increased levels of urbanisation. Cities such as New Orleans and Birmingham increased in size during the reconstruction era. The urbanisation of the New South was result of the industrial expansion encouraged by the Southern states and the migration of people trying to escape rural poverty. Migrating to the cities did not reduce racial discrimination and it barely increased opportunities for black people. Birmingham was the only city to achieve industrialisation on a major scale in the New South. The South was economically held back by its deliberately uneducated blacks and its under educated whites (Brogan, 1999, p.372). Southern blacks had also migrated to northern cities such as New York to increase their opportunities and to escape racial discrimination. The North was still prone to such discrimination even if it did give greater opportunity and blacks faced lower threats of violence. The Southern states had been motivated to enact the ‘Black Codes’ to restrict migration to both Southern and Northern cities (Brogan, 1999, p.363). Unemployment was a more obvious problem in the New South than it had been in the old South. Unemployment and low paid employment in a country with no public welfare provision was a serious problem, especially for blacks that were discriminated against and could not afford the basic necessities of life (Hobsbawm, 1987, p.103). Employers and plantation owners in the New South as a whole tended to keep the relationship between poor blacks and poor whites as unfriendly as possible. Factory and plantation owners feared that that if black and white workers had a good relationship they would form effective trade union movements and threaten the profits of the owners (Lewis, 1994). Discrimination in favour of white workers alienated blacks from them, whilst owners and employers kept control of their workers by threatening to use black workers as strike breakers. Such tactics were effective at preventing the emergence of trade unions but did nothing to improve race relations in the New South (Brogan, 1999, p. 371). The creation of Birmingham, Alabama was a symbol of all that was new in the New South. The place had not existed before 1871, and calling it Birmingham after one of the most industrialised cities in Britain was a statement of intent. Birmingham, Alabama was to be the industrial heart of the New South (Vann Woodward, 1951). Henry Grady himself cited Birmingham as the best example of his plans for a New South, yet historians have argued as to whether the development of Birmingham was similar to the industrial development envisaged by the plantation owners prior to the civil war (Lewis, 1994). Post civil war reconstruction gave the Southern States the opportunity as well as the need to reconstruct their economy. Falling prices for raw cotton meant that plantation owners switched their attention to manufacturing finished cotton products in new cotton mills. Attempts were also made to diversify the Southern economy away from cotton by developing coal, steal, and iron production. During th e reconstruction period the Federal government had tried to enhance the economic prospects of the South by having the railroads rebuilt and extended to improve the transport links with the rest of the United States. Southern plantation owners, investors from the rest of the United States, as well as foreign investors funded industrial development. One feature of the New South did not change from the old South; it was still economically weaker than the North (Spiller et al, 2005 p. 80). The economic changes of the New South only benefited a few plantation and factory owners, some of who became much wealthier than they had been before the civil war (Hobsbawm, 1987 p. 24). A new feature of the New South was the high level of violence directed against the black population by white racists. In the immediate post-civil war period the formation of the Ku Klux Klan demonstrated the popularity for white supremacist ideas in the Southern states. The Ku Klux Klan added murderous intentions to their racist outlooks. The emergence of the Ku Klux Klan led to many thousands of lynchings and murders throughout the New South. Blacks found it very difficult to protect them-selves from racially motivated violence on such a large scale. They received no meaningful levels of protection from the police, the courts or the state authorities, which often sympathised with white supremacist views and were therefore unwilling to take action against the Ku Klux Klan or individual racists. Racism and prejudices were built into the ‘Black Codes’ that made a mockery of the post civil war Constitutional Amendments. The Federal courts and governments were unwilling to i ntervene in the affairs of the New South, as far as the Federal governments was concerned the Constitutional Amendments were fully operative in the South. Nobody in Washington DC seemed to be bothered to act upon the plentiful evidence of racial murders and discrimination in the New South. Between 1887 and 1917 official United States government figures showed that 2,734 blacks were murdered in racially motivated crimes, the vast majority in the New South. Before that period the death toll had been even higher, and only the presence of the Union army before 1877 had prevented further bloodshed (Murphy et al, 2001 p. 320). In some respects there were few new aspects in the New South. The combined effects of the Black Codes and Jim Crow laws meant that the New South restricted the freedoms of freed slaves to such an extent that slavery might as well have been retained. Economic, social, and political restrictions meant that insignificant numbers of blacks could vote in elections, own their land or gain education in the Southern States (Cobb, 1992). Low wages, unemployment, high rents, and direct discrimination were as effective as the Black Codes at keeping black people poor and powerless (Du Bois, 1935 p. 454). It is no wonder that many blacks believed that after reconstruction the New South made their lives worse than before. For them the only difference the old and new South was that they were underpaid for working on other peoples’ land and in other peoples’ factories rather than being paid at all. Only a small number of freed blacks had been able to make successes of their lives befor e the Jim Crow laws began to restrict opportunities. Only 4,000 freed slaves managed to purchase land in the New South, and most of them could not buy enough land to run successful farms (Murphy et al, 2001 p. 316). The New South was not a content place; the whites still fumed at their defeat in the civil war and re-imposed a quasi slavery upon the nominally free blacks (Hobsbawm, 1975 p. 143). Therefore, there were new aspects to the New South, although those aspects were not all positive or progressive in their nature. The Southern States were changed socially and economically as a result of the American Civil War. The economic consequences of the civil war were apparently severe. Agricultural and industrial outputs had been reduced, whilst the infrastructure of the Southern States had been badly damaged in the war. The war had disrupted the export of raw cotton which, had been the basis of the old South’s economy. Plantation owners had claimed that their plantations would be unprofitable with the abolition of slavery, a claim that proved unfounded due to the low wages they paid to white and black workers alike. The freed slaves found that life in the New South was in fact harsher in some respects than slavery. This was due to the increased racism and discrimination that was a new feature or perhaps at least a more obvious feature of the New South. The idea of the New South was promoted by the likes of Grady, as well as the new industrial centres such as Birmingham, Alabama and Atlanta. Overall in the period after 1877 industrial output in the Southern States did increase with the development of cotton mills, coal, steel, and iron production, although it still lagged behind the rest of the United States. Industrial development did not improve the lives of most people in the New South, just factory and plantation owners and the profits of outside investors. The legacy of the civil war was a long and bitter one, with the Southern whites repressing the blacks to compensate for defeat and demonstrate their alleged supremacy. Bibliography Bradbury M Temperley H, (1998) Introduction to American Studies 3rd edition, Longman, London Brogan H, (1999) The Penguin History of the USA, Penguin, London Cobb J C, (1992) The Most Southern Place on Earth: The Mississippi Delta The Origins of Regional Identity, Oxford University Press, Oxford, and New York Du Bois W E B, (1935) Black Reconstruction in America, London Harris J C, (1890) Henry W. Grady: His Life, Writings, and Speeches, Cassell Publishing Co, New York Hobsbawm E, (1975) The Age of Capital 1848-1875, Weidenfeld Nicholson, London Hobsbawm E, (1987) The Age of Empire 1875-1914, Weidenfeld Nicholson, London Lewis (1994) the emergence of Birmingham as a case study of continuity between the antebellum planter class and industrialization in the new south agricultural history (spring 1994) p. 62-79 Lewis (2003) Mauk, D Oakland, J (1995) American Civilization Routledge, London Murphy D, Cooper K Waldron M, (2001). United States1776-1992 Collins, London New south plantation kingdom -the new south writings and speeches of Henry Grady, (1971) The beehive press savannah, Georgia Spiller J, Clancy T, Young S, and Mosley S (2005) The United States 1763 – 2001, Routledge, London

Information Systems and Services Essay -- Essays Papers

Information Systems and Services Question 1 Components of an Information System: Hardware – There are three types of hardware technology - mainframes, minicomputers and microcomputers. Mainframes – The mainframe computer is a very powerful machine designed for large-scale data processing activities. These computers have steadily declined over the last 20 years due to their size, cost of operation and maintenance. Minicomputers – The minicomputer is often referred to as a server. It has the ability to offer networking, speed and power. These computers can be programmed and are much more interactive as well as more user friendly. Although they are still expensive (though not as expensive as the mainframe) they are upgradeable. Microcomputers – The microcomputer is commonly known as the PC (personal computer). It is most commonly used as a desktop computer intended for office or home use. These machines can be placed in fixed locations and connected to peripherals such as printers, scanners etc. The microcomputer is easily upgraded, fairly cheap to upgrade-repair and components can be easily fitted or removed. Software – The most common piece of software associated with an information system is a database. Information is accessed through a database management system, which is defined as one or more computer programs that will allow the user to enter, store, organise, manipulate and retrieve data from the database. Data - Data is derived from both internal and external sources and whilst most external data is readily usable and concrete forms e.g. Bank statements, purchase invoices etc. Data is a routine by product of some routine essential operation such as the production of an invoice or alternatively a special counting. Data are facts obtained by reading, observing, counting and measuring, which are then recorded. Personnel – Information systems personnel usually work in their own department (I.S. Department), which employs computer programmers, systems analysts, computer operators etc. They may also work in other functional departments or areas in a support capacity. The skills required by these personnel will include technical skills, written and verbal communication skills, an understanding of the organisation that they work for and the ability to work with other people. The information systems department has three primar... ...mmediately available or delayed. The information should be available when needed. If it is supplied too late it will be of no use. It is also important that information is communicated through the correct channels so that it arrives at its destination clear and understood. Question 3 INFORMATION FLOWS WITHIN THE SYSTEM. Internal - The internal flows of a system are the data or paper work that is sent internally to other departments within an organisation i.e. making and receiving orders, sending invoices and memos etc. It also helps the different departments to communicate effectively with each other. External - The external flows of information are to whom the organisation is accountable e.g. the government for taxes, suppliers for payment, shareholders for dividends, financial institutions for deposits or withdrawals etc. Electronic - The electronic flows within the system can be anything that requires technology to move data around e.g. e-mail, fax, network messages within a LAN or WAN, bar code scanners, swipe machines etc. Hardcopy - A hardcopy is any thing that is received which is paper based e.g. invoices, purchase order, statements and received faxes.