Agency 17: Publishing and Teaching Agency
The seventeenth in the community is the Publishing and Teaching Agency. It is the second agency in the Business Processes Bureau, which also includes Agency 16 (Accounting) and Agency 18 (Metrics).
The Publishing and Teaching Agency facilitates printing and publishing services. Additionally, the agency provides online library services in the community. The agency therefore plays a critical role in disseminating knowledge.
The agency facilitates the services of part-time educators, who have other businesses or commitments, but also have tutor/instructor businesses, offering courses relevant to their profession or nature of business.
The Publishing and Teaching Agency receives funds in the form of investment from the Capital Bank Agency (agency 8), which it then uses for its operations, including providing chargeable services to participants. The agency also uses these funds to pay and down payments for any loans it may need to procure assets. From the revenues the agency generates, it is able to honor its obligations, such as loan repayments, as well as paying a return to the Capital Bank for capital invested. Like other community agencies, therefore, the Publishing and Teaching Agency is geared to operate with a profit motive, while delivering quality and affordable services.
What does the agency do?
The Publishing and Teaching Agency works through its automated system, as well as contractors who are either hired by the agency to help it deliver services, or by participants who seek help on tasks specific to the agency. The agency presidency provides the necessary strategic direction, which is implemented by the bureau presidencies. The agency’s duties include:
The agency performs the following duties:
- Publishing and library services
- Facilitating part-time educators
- Facilitating quarterly conferences
Publishing
Publishing refers to the process of making information available to the public. It can be digital, such as the making of information public through digital platforms, or printing. Publishing is an elaborate process that starts with the origination of an idea, engagement with publishers, writing, editing, proofreading, typesetting, and marketing. This process is usually tedious and time-consuming and may end up leaving authors unable to achieve the success they need, while readers are unable to enjoy the message the author intended to communicate properly.
Modern technological tools, including AI, have eased the processes, by automating many aspects of the process. For instance, AI can deliver a manuscript, automate typesetting. In addition, authors use automation to link up with contractors who work as editors or proofreaders. This means that the overall time and costs taken to produce literature are much shorter, and result in superior products. The Publishing and Teaching Agency will offer these services through its automated system at a cost, while directing participants to contractors who can help with various aspects of their work.
The agency also assists in the mass reproduction of text and images. It coordinates the process by connecting those who need material printed with printers through its automated system, while also connecting printing specialists who work as contractors with their clients. Printing equipment is owned by the Asset Leasing Agency. The Publishing and Teaching Agency coordinates the printing process to ensure that unique aspects of printing are well taken into account.
The Publishing and Teaching Agency handles the community’s library services.All library services are online, with books and other reading, and audio-visual material being accessed through an agency-facilitated and contractor-operated platform.
Part time educators
The Publishing and Teaching Agency facilitates part-time teachers, who are otherwise running businesses besides teaching. In many cases, these part-time educators could be mothers to young children, and prefer to stay close to their young ones, while engaging in a gainful activity. In other cases, business owners have valuable information which they can give to others. Others could be experts in their fields.
The services of part time educators are harmonized with those of full time educators. This ensures that the community’s plat-based education system runs smoothly, and that learners can easily plan their education, incorporating both types of educators in their studies. The agency assists learners by advising them, and enabling them to get a holistic education which also gives them value for money.
Part-time educators still abide by the 3Rs rule of the education system, whereby students take a maximum of three 45-minute classes. One lesson covers reading, another, writing, and another, math. All academic endeavors are designed to incorporate all three aspects.
Quarterly conferences
Quarterly conferences are community-wide meetings held every quarter, on the last week of that quarter. The conferences are attended by community public servants, apart from branch presidencies. Agency presidents make presentations to the other public servants, in proceedings that are streamed live and can be listened to by participants.
There are four conferences happening concurrently. Attendance to a conference is based on the demographic a public servant represents. Building 17, which also houses the Publishing and Teaching Agency’s offices, holds two of the conferences in its assembly hall. Those representing single males (C) have their conference in the assembly hall’s lower court, while single females (D) are in the same assembly hall’s upper court.
The other assembly hall is in building 5 (Life Planning Agency offices are based here). Here, partnered males (C) have their conferences in the assembly hall’s lower court, while partnered females (D) have the upper court.
The Publishing and Teaching Agency plans the conferences that happen in its building. This does not include things like refreshments or transport, which each public servant settles from their own resources. It may include things like presentation equipment, as well as leasing the assembly hall from agency 6, which owns all public buildings.
How the Publishing and Teaching Agency works
Background on presidencies
Every presidency in the community is a four-member entity whose members represent one of the four major demographic groups, also known as divisions: partnered males (A), partnered females (B), single females (C), and single males (D). However, a president serves the whole community in their role, rather than only their demographic. Presidents’ diversity and commitment to serve all is provided for in the community bylaws and ensures that all access services without any discrimination.
These four major demographics are evenly split in a normal society. Each group accounts for between 23 and 27% of the population, with regular fluctuations as people’s status changes. The community appreciates that discrimination across all social categories happens based on people’s status as partnered or single, other social categorizations notwithstanding; partnered males are likelier to dominate other demographics, especially single males and single females.
The community’s infrastructure promotes equal access to economic and social resources and opportunities. The composition of the community as a whole and those who serve it in the community public service is closely monitored to prevent numerical domination, which can lead to nepotism or unequal access.
The recruitment to be a participant, and to serve in the public service carefully considers other social categorizations, to ensure racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual groups are well represented in the community as they are in the society in which a community operates. These considerations inform the constitution of the community public service. The diversity in community public service, which is provided by bylaws, is aimed at creating a community that is blind to all other considerations besides service to participants. The service is therefore designed to be free of discrimination.
Agency presidency, demographic presidency, and bureau board
The Publishing and Teacching Agency is served by an agency presidency, comprised of 4 presidents from the four major demographics, which handles strategy formulation and adjustment, as well as formulating and communicating operational procedures for the agency. Additionally, the presidency facilitates the setting up of the agency’s automated system and adjusts it as necessary to better achieve its goals.
As part of the Business Processes Bureau, the agency presidency forms a bureau board with agency presidencies serving the Accounting and Metrics agencies. The board acts as a check and monitoring tool for individual presidents and agencies, especially when decisions have far-reaching implications for the community.
Within the bureau board, three presidents from the same demographic form a demographic presidency. There are four such presidencies in the bureau. The demographic presidency performs an advisory role to presidencies and agencies regarding a particular demographic; it does not have operational or executive authority. The demographic presidency also plays an important role in the mentorship and training of new presidents.
| Demographic presidency A | Demographic presidency B | Demographic presidency C | Demographic presidency D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agency presidency, Accounting(16) | 16A | 16B | 16C | 16D |
| Agency presidency, Publishing and Teaching (17) | 17A | 17B | 17C | 17D |
| Agency presidency, Metrics (18) | 18A | 18B | 18C | 18D |
Business Processes Bureau presidencies
The three agencies in the Business Processes Bureau are served by 24 business processes bureau presidencies. Each presidency serves one district. The presidencies carry out the operational duties of each agency. They interact with community public servants and contractors. They also observe the workings of the automated system as participants and contractors interact with it. Based on their observations and interactions, bureau presidencies advise the agency presidencies on changes that need to be made to the system and its strategic approach.
Since each presidency has four presidents (partnered males – A, partnered females – B, single partnered females – C, and single males – D), there are a total of 96 presidents serving the bureau.
Limited partners and branch presidencies
Limited partners and dependents
A limited partner is the basic unit in the community. A limited person, usually above 18 years old, but sometimes as young as 16, has been admitted into the community and has invested $20,000 as partnership interest, for which they earn a return. This is regarded as one unit of partnership interest.
Over time, a limited partner can add more units of partnership interest, as their business prospers. The more partnership interest units a limited partner has, the more the return they receive from the Capital Bank.
A dependent is a minor, or a person living with a disability, under the care of a limited partner. In some instances, a dependent may be a fit adult, who for various reasons is supported by community agencies, and assigned by contract to a limited partner. Limited partners are responsible for any legal agreements that their dependents enter into, either with community agencies or other participants, and therefore have the right of attorney.
Together, limited partners and dependents are referred to as participants. Participants who are dependents, because they are still minors, can start a business when they reach 12 years of age. This allows them to save up and invest $20,000 into the community by their 18th birthday, and possibly as early as 16.
Limited partners and their dependents reside in apartments (village buildings). Each apartment has 4 floors, with each floor containing 16 apartments. Each floor has floor has 7 – 12 limited partners, with each limited partner having 1 – 3 dependents. Each floor therefore has around 25 residents. With four floors, each building has approximately 100 residents. An apartment building also forms a branch.
Limited partners and unit
A limited partner is the basic unit in the community. A limited partner, usually above 18 years old, but sometimes as young as 16, has been admitted into the community and has invested $20,000 as partnership interest, for which they earn a return from the Capital Bank Agency, which invests other community agencies. This is regarded as one unit of partnership interest. Over time, a limited partner can add more units of partnership interest, as their business prospers. The more partnership interest units a limited partner has, the more the return they receive from the agency.
A dependent is a minor, or a person living with a disability, under the care of a limited partner, and who has, in any of these cases, given their power of attorney to the limited partner. In some instances, a dependent may be a fit adult, who for various reasons is supported by community agencies, and assigned by contract to a limited partner. Limited partners are responsible for any legal agreements that their dependents enter into, either with community agencies or other participants. Together, limited partners and dependents are referred to as participants.
Participants who are dependents, because they are still minors, can start a business when they reach 12 years of age. This allows them to save up and invest $20,000 into the community by their 18th birthday, and possibly as early as 16. Limited partners and their dependents reside in apartment buildings (village buildings). Each apartment building has five floors, with four containing apartments. An apartment building also forms a branch.
Captains and branch presidencies
Of the approximately 100 residents in a branch, around 40 of them are limited partners.They are divided into 4 units, each of which has 10 limited partners and their dependents. The limited partner membership in a unit is diverse, containing different social groups that are reflective of the society within which a community operates.
Additionally, a unit contains members of the four main demographics: partnered males (A), partnered females (B), single females (C), and single males (D).
The 4 demographics in the branch form 4 groups, as follows:
- Group 1: partnered males and females
- Group 2: single females and males
- Group 3: partnered and single males
- Group 4: partnered and single females
Within each group, there are different subsets, known as classes, based primarily on age. There is a class for Nursery (0-2), toddlers (3 – 5), young children (6-9), pre-teens (10-12), teens (13-18), young adults (19-31), adults (32-72), and empty nesters (73+).
| Meeting week | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 | Class 4 | Class 5 | Class 6 | Class 7 | Class 8 |
| Week 1 and 3 | All partnered adults | All single adults | Teen boys and girls | Pre -teens | Young children | Toddlers | Nursery | |
| Week 2 and 4 | All males | All females | Teen boys | Teen girls |
Further details on the composition of units, groups, classes, and branches, and their meeting schedules, is detailed here.
Recruitment and diversity
Captains are responsible for recruiting limited partners into the community through their council and by extension, branch. A captain does not recruit limited partners only from their demographic. Instead, they work to ensure that their recruits are diverse, considering social categorizations, gender, and social status, in addition to demographic groups.
Captains work in concert with their fellow captains in the branch presidency, and other presidencies in a village and district to ensure that the district is as diverse as possible. They are guided by present data on how diverse their district, village, and branch are, and what needs to be focused on to improve. They are also guided by community bylaws, which expressly require diversity as shown by demographic data about a population from which the community intends to recruit limited partners.
The captain serves as a service extension of the Residential and Mediation Agency, though they also act as an interface between participants and other community agencies. For agencies that do not have bureau presidencies, such agencies in the Economic and Public Administration Bureaus, captains come in handy in helping participants navigate these agencies’ automated system and other relevant tools used by the agency to deliver services.
The automated system is designed to help participants with all the help they need in matters related to various agencies, including the Residential and Mediation Agency. However, should they run into problems, captains assist them in navigating the system, or direct them to relevant contractors who help them at a fee.
Automated system
The Publishing and Teaching Agency relies on an automated system to serve the community. The automated system is two-pronged. On one hand, it helps participants in publishing, while on the other, it ensures that library services are easily accessible to all participants.
A large chunk of library services is provided online through virtual libraries. Every participant is automatically a member of the community library system, and pays an annual subscription fee. In turn, they access a large collection of books in the agency’s automated system. the actual running of the online library is performed by contractors hired by the agency. Contractors are supported and monitored by business processes presidencies.
The automated system will also assist authors in having their material published digitally or otherwise. The agency will set up systems that automate tasks such as typesetting, editing, proofreading, and any other aspect of publishing. The agency will also use the system to assist content creators in reaching their clients.
Contractors
The Publishing and Teaching Agency’s roles require contractors to assist in instances where participants are unable to navigate the system and get what they need, or the system needs to be monitored for improvement. In both instances, the agency maintains a database of contractors for various services that participants and agencies need.
Much of the bureau’s work is automated. However, instances may arise where partixipants are unable to access these services. In other instances, participants may prefer a person rather than. system. For instance, an author may prefer workking with a proof-reader to an automated system, feeling that another person will better understand the tone and dynamics of the book. Contractors work with bureau presidencies in this process. Bureau presidencies then recommend any changes needed to the agency presidency, which then executes them, through the system, or contractors.
Some aspects of publishing are not easily automatable. Editing, and proofreading, frequently require a human touch, so that a work of literature can easily connect with the audience. The Publishing and Teaching Agency has a register of contractors that shows contractors who are experts in these fields and provides means through which they can easily connect with their clients and content creators.
Interagency collaboration
The 24 community agencies form three columns, of 8 agencies each. The Publishing and Teaching Agency is part of the second column. Agencies do not collaborate as much along columns as they do within their bureau. However, there is still significant collaboration between agencies in a column. For instance, the Publishing and Teaching Agency coordinates with the Bylaws Agency (agency 10) to ensure that IT infrastructure is secure from cyber-attacks. The two agencies also work to ensure the use of information conforms with the community’s bylaws.
The Publishing and Teaching Agency works with the Legal Affairs Agency (agency 14) in ensuring that its operations are within the law. The agency also collaborates with the Marketing Agency (agency 20) to help businesses and agencies use information about their clients so that they can formulate and execute effective marketing strategies.
The Publishing and Teaching Agency coordinates with the Life Planning Agency, which also handles education, on access to the online library. The Life Planning Agency provides valuable input on what material can be posted in the library that will help participants’ education objectives.
Presidencies’ offices, meetings, and quarterly conferences
Offices
The permanent offices of the Publishing and Teaching Agency presidency are in building 17, on the western side. On the eastern side, the trustee and the Regulatory Bureau presidencies that serve the Publishing and Teaching Agency, as well as District 17, have their offices.
Trustees and the regulatory bureau presidencies alternate their offices. Trustees have the offices in building 17 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while the bureau presidencies use the offices on Mondays and Wednesdays, as shown in this timetable:
| Building 5/ Life Planning Agency | Building 17/ Publishing and Teaching Agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Trustee presidency | Regulatory Bureau presidency |
| Tuesday | Regulatory Bureau presidency | Trustee presidency |
| Wednesday | Trustee presidency | Regulatory Bureau presidency |
| Thursday | Regulatory Bureau presidency | Trustee presidency |
The Business Processes Bureau’s bureau presidencies have offices on the first floor of every district building, with each of the 24 presidencies occupying offices in one building. This graphic shows District Building 17’s first-floor layout, with offices for the agency presidency, trustees, and various bureau presidencies indicated.
Working hours and meetings
Agency presidents, trustees, and regulatory agency presidents work in their offices on a full-time basis. To allow for this, they are required to be at least 50 years of age, be experts in NewVistas concepts, an be semi or fully retired from their business. This allows them to dedicate much of their productive time to serving the community.
Other presidencies work from Monday to Thursday, from 8 – 8:45 AM. their offices are converted for this purpose, and can thereafter be used for other activities, such as office space for participants, hotel rooms and hospital consultation rooms. On Thursday, the whole presidency (four presidents serving A, B, C, and D) meets for a 45-minute meeting from 9:00 to 9:45 in the morning.
On the last Friday of each quarter, between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM, each demographic presidency meets. The three-member presidency discusses common bureau matters that are of interest to the demographic they serve. On Saturday, again between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM, the whole board meets, where the presidents present their input from the previous day’s demographic presidency meeting, and prepare for the quarterly conference. The aim is to have a cohesive presentation during the quarterly conference but tailored to specific demographic interests.
Quarterly conferences
Quarterly conferences are held on the last Sunday of each quarter, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with a lunch break in between. During quarterly conferences, each demographic presidency sits together in the same row.
Quarterly conferences are held in District Buildings 5 and 17. Each building has a lower and higher assembly court. The different demographic groups use the assembly courts as follows:
| Building | Assembly court | Demographic |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Lower court | Partnered males (A) |
| 5 | Higher court | Partnered females (B) |
| 17 | Lower court | Single females (C) |
| 17 | Higher court | Single males (D) |
Each of the four assembly courts has seats for 480 presidents representing the respective demographic. In the diagram below each of the 4 courts is illustrated. The ceiling of each court has an elliptical arch that enables agency presidents, who are the only ones who make a presentation during the conference, to speak without the need to amplify their voice. The 480 seats are easily rotatable to enable presidents to face whoever is speaking.
Each of the four courts has an identical arrangement and number of seats. The exact arrangement of each court can therefore be illustrated using one court, in this case, building 5’s lower court that is used by partnered males (A).
Some additional notes/definitions from an earlier version of this page:
- To ensure the accuracy and completeness of data, modern organizations extensively train personnel on data entry and accountability for data uploaded unto the system. Organizations also have protocols to follow which ensure information is well input, and that personnel only have the necessary rights to manipulate data. In the community, however, most data processing, apart from primary data upload by participants, will be automated. The agency will deploy blockchain technology to ensure data is not manipulated by unauthorized parties, and that there any manipulation is traceable (Sutherland, C. 3 Strategies to Maintain Data Integrity. 17 12 2018. electronic. 26 05 2019.).
- The community’s competitive advantage and long-term survival will be dependent on among other things, its approach to learning, knowledge management, and how it manages big data. Modern organizations have increasingly discovered the links between productivity and growth on one hand, and information processing efficiency (Ekambaram, A., et al. “The role of big data and knowledge management in improving projects and project-based organizations.” Procedia Computer Science 138.2018 (2018): 851-858.)
- Through the easy access to information, participants and agencies alike will be able to reach better and well-informed decisions. This approach has been used in government, where, to promote transparency and accountability, information that concerns the citizens is easily accessible and disseminated. Complete and accurate information about agencies and participants will be critical in ensuring that other agencies – including the banks – are able to make the contributions expected of them in the community (Dawes, S. “Stewardship and Usefulness: Policy Principles for Information-Based Transparency.” Government Information Quarterly 27.4 (2010): 377-383.).
- The data validation process ensures that information processed thereafter is of high quality. The process ensures that whatever is processed and later stored fulfills the needs of the entity. The Data Management Agency will validate data validation through a well-documented process, including checks for completeness, accuracy, complexity, and usefulness of information collected. This is especially important due to the issues associated with big data, including data management challenges (di-Zio, M. Methodology for data validation 1.0. Informational. Brussels: Essnet Validat Foundation, 2016.)
- Aggregated data is easy to organize, and therefore analyses. Data aggregation involves using various statistical, mathematical and probability functions to manipulate data in a way that enables more uniform analysis (Chan, H. Secure Distributed Data Aggregation. Boston: Now Publishers, 2011.).
- There exists a “communication gap” between developers of security systems and the users. This means that, in many cases, organizations are vulnerable to threats before they are provided with the necessary tools to fight them. The Data Management Agency should be in a place to anticipate threats, and prepare responses before they occur (Al-Hassan, M. and A. Adjei-Quaye. “Information Security in an Organization.” International Journal of Computer 24.1 (2017): 100-116.).
- The community data’s security will be enhanced by the use of blockchain, making it easy to trace data manipulation and access instances (Taylor, P. “A systematic literature review of blockchain cybersecurity.” Digital Communications and Networks (2019): 1-10.).
- The vast majority of cyber-attacks occur due to human error, suggesting that with better training and vigilance, most of them could be avoided. At the same time, only a few organizations are well equipped to handle a sophisticated cyber-attack, whose response would include both effective security systems, and a vigilance community. Training goes a long way in avoiding such threats, as well as building the capacity of individual participants’ security systems, so that they can withstand such cyber-attacks (Fraudwatch. What is Cyber Security Awareness Training and Why is it so Important? 21 12 2018. 26 05 2019.).
- Decision support tools and systems thrive when there is enough data to process, and arrive at quality conclusions. The Data Management Agency will supply complete and accurate information, while also training the relevant parties on how they can harness DSS to improve decision-making (Abdolhamidzadeh, B. “Perspectives in the Development and Application of DSS for Domino Assessment.” Domino Effects in the Process Industries (2013): 296-323.).
- As organizations become dependent on technology for financial reporting, they open up another vulnerability from cyber-criminals. The coordination between the two agencies will involve improving accounting systems in use by community agencies and participants to safeguard themselves from loss (ANSI. “the financial management of cyber risk.” 2010.).
- Data sharing is governed by various laws, which aim to protect individuals and companies, depending on the nature of the information – financial, health-related, etc. Sharing information may sometimes require the informed consent of the participant, in which instances the Legal Services Agency will offer the required legal advice (Yip, C., N. Han and B. Sng. “Legal and ethical issues in research.” Indian Journal of Anaesthesia 20.9 (2016): 684–688.).