the amount of electrical resistance) of the vari- ables of a problem and provides solutions in a graphic representation (such as an oscillo- scope pattern). For most data processing applications today, digital computers are used.
2. In video, the variation of an electrical signal to represent the original image or sound that is being processed and reproduced. 3. In
analysis 34 andragogical e-learning
multimedia, information and communication technology that uses a continuous scale that is incompatible with digital computers. Data are stored and retrieved as a continuous signal rather than in bits (e.g., videocassette and audiocassette recorders and tapes).
analysis Assessments performed by an orga- nization or its work units to provide a basis for decision making. Overall organization analysis provides the guidance needed by management to achieve key business results and attain strategic goals and objectives.
analysis exercise Used in assessment centers and other screening and selection strategies.
Participants are given information on a situa- tion and asked to recommend appropriate courses of action. Exercises test ability to sift through information, determine critical facts, come to a conclusion, and present a logical argument to support the conclusion.
analysis of variance A statistical means of determining the proportion of explained vari- ance or dispersion between and among treat- ment (experimental) and control groups. In general, the technique helps users to discrim- inate between causality and mere chance. The complexity of the methodology precludes a cookbook description of its calculation. Com- puter programs are available to perform the calculations.
analyst recommendation A professional opinion as to whether an investor should buy or sell stock. Also used as a means of promot- ing buying or selling decisions that have already been made. Reputable analysts can move the price of stock just by issuing a report or adjusting an estimate of earnings.
analytical decision See logical decision.
analytical skills The ability to use logic and inquiry and past experience, research, or experimentation to get the information needed to solve problems, make decisions, innovate, and evaluate. Analytical skills can also be used to clarify objectives, separate the judgment and idea generation phases of creative endeavor, provide cues for association, dis- cover relationships, and examine similarities and differences. They involve observing, lis- tening, diagnosing, analyzing, and assessing situations together with the ability to predict directions that situations are likely to take.
They include the ability to reason both deduc- tively and inductively.
analytical survey A research methodology in which data collected in a polling survey are subjected to statistical analysis to determine whether there are similarities, differences, or relationships between and among groups.
analytical thinking The ability to differenti- ate between unimportant and critical details, recognize discrepancies and variances between facts, and draw correct inferences and conclusions from information.
analytics Use of software tools to analyze col- lected information to help top management make better business decisions. Rapidly becoming a part of many human resource sys- tems. Software may include workforce ana- lytics, benchmarking tools, and scorecards.
anatomical gift Designation of the use of an organ (heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, cornea, skin, and so on) or donation of the body for medical use following death. May be arranged by completion of special forms or entered in a will, or (in some states) the authorization may be inscribed on the donor’s driver’s license.
anchoring The disposition of people to look back to their spiritual foundations to recapture what was soothing and supporting and use it to moor themselves securely in the future.
Attributed to Faith Popcorn and Lys Marigold, Clicking: 16 Trends to Future Fit Your Life, Your Work, and Your Business.
ancillary benefits Include such employee benefits as dental care, dependent care, home care, prepaid legal plans, prescription drugs, and vision care. Also called additional bene- fits, corollary benefits, and fringe benefits.
ancillary medical benefits Dental benefits, home care, speech/hearing benefits, prescrip- tion drug benefits, vision care.
ancillary probate Additional probate done in another state where, for example, the decedent owned real estate in his or her name alone.
ancillary services Medical services such as laboratory tests, radiology, physical therapy, and inhalation therapy provided in conjunc- tion with medical or hospital care. Also called support services.
andragogical e-learning E-learning designed to meet the needs and hold the interest and
andragogic learning 35 Annuitants Protection Act of 1994
attention of adults. It is learner-centered, focuses on the acquisition of content that is job- and task-oriented, and allows students to control their own learning experiences. It asks these questions: “What do you want to learn?”
and “How and when do you want to learn?”
andragogic learning See andragogy; didactic learning; pedagogic learning.
andragogy A way of looking at adult learning.
It views adults as needing to be self-directing;
as having interests and experiences that can provide a sound basis for learning. It also con- siders their need to know or to do to fulfill their role in society as linked to their readiness to learn; their orientation to learning as life-, work-, and problem-centered rather than sub- ject-centered; and their motivation to learn as directed by internal factors such as self- esteem rather than by external rewards. Attrib- uted to Malcolm Knowles, a member of the Human Resources Development Hall of Fame.
anecdotal Process information that lacks spe- cific and objective methods, measures, and evaluative factors. Relies primarily on obser- vation and description of individual activities rather than on systematic processes.
anecdotal records Individual records that emphasize items and episodes of behavior and performance that are important to the evalua- tion and development of employees, clients, and trainees. Trainers, supervisors, counse- lors, and medical and health providers may maintain such records. In addition to being confidential, factual, and objective, such records should include significant items of conduct and performance, not be limited to substandard behavior or performance, and report positive and constructive episodes.
anesthesia Drugs administered by a specially trained physician or nurse before surgery to block pain.
angel An individual, usually over the age of 40 and affluent, who provides start-up funding (venture capital) for a business undertaking mainly for excitement and challenge.
angina pectoris Pain or tightness in the chest (sometimes radiating to other parts of the upper body) that occurs when the arteries are partially blocked, resulting in temporary reduction of the blood supply to the heart.
angiogram A medical diagnostic procedure in which a catheter is threaded through an artery into the heart, a dye is injected, and an x-ray is taken. The procedure shows blockages in the arteries of the heart.
angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhib- itors Prescription medications that ease pressure inside blood vessels so the heart does not have to pump as hard. Often prescribed for congestive heart failure.
animation A means of describing (or view- ing) and clarifying a visible or invisible pro- cess or procedure — a situation in which an element changes or evolves over time — to facilitate comprehension of the relationships between events.
ankylosing spondylitis A type of arthritis, it affects an estimated 300,000 Americans, usu- ally young men. It is a spinal inflammation that can spread throughout the body.
annual exclusion The $10,000 per year, per gift allowed by law that an individual can give to another and incur no federal tax liability.
annual leave The number of hours, days, or weeks of vacation with pay allowed employ- ees by an organization. Based on length of service with the organization, it ranges from 1 week to 6 weeks per year, but the most com- mon vacation period is 2 weeks.
annual percentage rate (APR) The percent- age rate charged by lending institutions, such as banks, for loans of all types.
annual percentage yield (APY) The average amount of monthly interest paid to investors over a 1-year period, expressed as a percentage.
annuitant A former employee who receives a monthly or annual payment for services ren- dered upon retirement for which he or she made weekly or monthly contributions while employed.
Annuitants Protection Act of 1994 Techni- cally, an amendment to the Employee Retire- ment Income Security Act of 1974. Gives retirees and the Secretary of Labor the right to sue their former employers to obtain relief from ERISA violations involving the purchase of annuities following the termination of a pension plan. The legislation was considered by the Secretary of Labor and many members of Congress as a first step toward correcting erroneous interpretations of ERISA, which
annuity 36 antitakeover statutes
have had the effect of narrowing the rights and remedies made available to participants and beneficiaries under the law.
annuity 1. Specified amounts of income paid