Internet Piracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Internet Piracy - Essay Example The Internet is a vast repository of music, movies, games and software. As the access to the Internet increases, the rate of piracy also increases. People with access to the Internet can download computer software, music or movies and other copyrighted material in digitalized form; and copy, replicate and sell it on the black market. All these activities constitute physical forms of piracy. Nevertheless, in developed nations, although people have widespread access to the Internet, the piracy rate is on the decline (Assenova). There is a direct relationship between such physical piracy and the Internet. Piracy has affected the international music industry. The proliferation of the Internet has made file – sharing and unauthorized downloading of music, very simple. Software pirates invented new technologies and tools to share music over the Internet. For instance, Napster introduced peer – to – peer technology that posed a serious threat to the music industry. It d ecreased the sale of legitimate music works, which caused the music industry to sustain severe financial losses (Mcclintock). Piracy did not stop at this and extended its depredations to the movie industry. The latter implemented several programs to protect itself from piracy, and the major movie companies launched joint campaigns against movie piracy, and made a number of efforts to enhance public awareness about piracy. These companies conducted antipiracy campaigns in university campuses and colleges across the US (Mcclintock).

Native American educational traditions passed Essay Example for Free

Native American educational traditions passed Essay Before contact with Europeans, Native Americans developed an effective system of informal education call aboriginal education. The system included transmitting knowledge, values, skills, attitudes, and dispositions to the next generation in real world settings such as the farm, at home, or on the hunting ground. Education was viewed as a way to beautify and sharpen the next generation and prepare them to take over the mantle of leadership. The purpose of education was for an immediate induction of the next generation into society and preparation for adulthood. Education was for introducing society with all its institutions, taboos, mores, and functions to the individual. Also, education was intended for making the individual a part of the totality of the social consciousness. Native American education delineated social responsibility, skill orientation, political participation, and spiritual and moral values. The cardinal goals of Native American education were to develop the individual’s latent physical skills and character, inculcate respect for elders and those in authority in the individual, and help the individual acquire specific vocational training (Franklin, 1979). Native American education was also for developing a healthy attitude toward honest labor, developing a sense of belonging and encouraging active participation in community activities. Both boys and girls had equal access to education. Boys were taught by their fathers, uncles, grandfathers, and other male elders. Girls were instructed by their mothers, aunts, grandmothers, female elders and other members of their families. Sometimes, both boys and girls received instruction at the feet of either male or female elders (Mould, 2004). There were barely any dropouts and the community ensured that every child received a full education. Youth appropriate information and knowledge was not hidden from any child. Several teaching strategies, including storytelling, were utilized to pass on knowledge and culture to the youth. In fact, Mould (2004) believed that storytelling was a sacred and vital part of a Native American youth’s education. Knowledge and culture were passed down orally, â€Å"crafted into stories that would instruct, inspire, provoke, question, challenge, and entertain† (Mould, 2004). Often, the youth would gather together to listen to the elders as they related the knowledge once entrusted to them when they were children (Mould, 2004). The philosophy of education was that of the development of the individual as well as the whole society (Johnson et al. , 2005). Educational philosophy also emphasized the importance of nature. The pursuit of knowledge and happiness were subordinated to a respect for the whole universe. According to Johnson, knowledge was equated with an understanding of one’s place in the natural order of things and educators were encouraged to study and teach the physical and social world by examining the natural relationships that exist among things, animals, and humans. Studying ideas in the abstract or as independent entities was not considered as important as understanding the relationships among ideas and physical reality. The essential components of an educational experience included hands on learning, making connections, holding discussions, taking field trips, and celebrations of the moment (Johnson et al. , 2005). These highly effective teaching methods were utilized by adults to transmit culture to or educate the next generation. The youth learned at their own pace and barely competed against one another. The youth were taught to be supportive and nurturing of one another in the learning process. As a result of the holistic education that all youth were exposed to in the period before their contact with Europeans, there were barely any miseducated Native American children. At the time of European contact with Native Americans (from 1492), an advanced system of informal/aboriginal education had been developed by Native Americans as noted earlier. That system was misunderstood by Europeans who thus made efforts to impose their formal system of education on Native Americans. After contact with Europeans, formal education for Native Americans was initially conducted by missionaries and private individuals until the 1830s. There were increased European government efforts to formally educate Native Americans after the passage of the Indian Removal Act (1830) which forced Native Americans onto reservations (Tozer 2009). The purpose of formal education of Native Americans, as far as Europeans were concerned, was forced acculturation or assimilation to European culture (Tozer 2009). The aim of the European system of education was to â€Å"civilize†, Christianize, and Europeanize the Native Americans in European-controlled schools. To achieve this purpose and aim, many Native American children were forcibly removed from their homes and enrolled in European-controlled schools. By 1887, about 14,300 Native American children were enrolled in 227 schools run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs or by religious groups (Tozer 2009). The schools were operated based on an Anglo-conformity assimilationist approach. The Anglo-conformity assimilationist approach included the following: 1) Educating the Native Americans away from their culture due to the philosophy of Europeanization or Christianization or â€Å"civilizing† of the Native American through education; 2) Intensive efforts were made to destroy extant Native American cultures by excluding Native American cultures from the school curriculum; 3) Concerted efforts were made to prevent Native American students from following their own culture; and 4) Native American students were punished for speaking their native languages (Feagin Feagin, 2003). This approach motivated European American educators to force Native American students into boarding schools where it was believed that it would be easier and much more effective to Europeanize, Christianize, and â€Å"civilize† them. Students were forced to dress like Europeans, convert to Christianity, and take European names. Students who refused to conform were severely punished. The effects of the Anglo-conformity assimilationist approach on Native Americans cannot be overemphasized. Many of them lost or became confused about their cultural identity. Some tended to know a lot more about European culture, history, philosophy, and languages than about their own culture, history, philosophy, and languages. Europeanization, Christianization and â€Å"civilizing† of Native Americans through formal education seriously undermined the very foundation of Native American cultures and alienated many Native Americans from their own cultures and environment. Formal education forced many Native Americans to absorb European lifestyles and led to individualism as well as serious weakening of traditional authority structure and kin group solidarity. Many Native Americans lost faith in their own cultures and civilizations and absorbed those of Europeans. Some have neither fully adopted European culture nor fully embraced Native American culture and consequently swing between the two in a state of cultural confusion. Eurocentric education has been a miseducation of Native Americans as has been for all minority groups in the United States. These and many other political, social and economic effects of formal education on Native Americans have permeated Native American cultures till today. European American teachers and administrators have blamed Native American educational problems on cultural differences. This is known as cultural deficit theory. According to cultural deficit theorists, disjuncture’s or differences or deficits between the culture of the home and the culture of the school are the reasons for the poor academic achievement of non-European students (Johnson et al. , 2005). European American schools focus only on the dominant culture and expect all students to operate as if they are members of the dominant culture, giving an advantage to students from the dominant group and a disadvantage to those from minority groups (Johnson et al., 2005). What cultural deficit theorists advocate is that students from minority groups, including Native American students, must reject their own cultural patterns and absorb European American cultural patterns in order to be successful in school. Thus, in an effort to assist their students to be high achievers in school, many European American teachers have attempted to make their students â€Å"less Native American† by educating them away from their own cultures and imposing Anglo-European culture on them. Many schools and textbooks exclude Native American experiences and their immeasurable contributions to this society and the rest of the world and provide little to nothing to assist Native American children identify with their own cultures. From the 1930s some boarding schools were replaced by day schools closer to reservations and a bilingual policy of educating Native American students in both Native American languages and the English language was discussed (Feagin Feagin, 2003). Since the 1960s, organized protest has led to increased government involvement and aid for primary, adult, and vocational education for Native Americans on and off the reservations. Federal and local governments have focused more attention on local public schools (outside the reservations) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schools in the reservations. For greater inclusion of Native Americans in their own education, Native American advisory boards have been organized in mainstream public schools. More Native Americans have been added to school faculty and staff. Native American art, dances, and languages have been included in the school curriculum. The central curriculum taught in both BIA and mainstream schools have remained the same from colonial times until recently. The curriculum indoctrinates Native American children with the same European American values as in the past (Feagin Feagin, 2003). In many reservations today however, there are efforts to reverse this by teaching students in Native American languages and culture from the early years of their education. In the Choctaw Reservation in Choctaw, Mississippi for example, students are taught in the Chahta and English languages in the first three years of formal schooling and in the English language from the fourth grade onwards. Throughout their schooling to the high school level, they are taught and exposed to Choctaw culture and encouraged to speak the Chahta language in and outside of school. One of the essences of the Annual Choctaw Indian Fair is to educate both the youth and adults in Choctaw cultural practices and traditions and to transmit Choctaw culture to the next generation. The author of this article, who happens to be an African and from a continent which has had similar experiences as those of Native Americans, greatly applauds the new forms of formal education among Native Americans on the reservations, which include an integration of the Native American system before their contact with Europeans and aspects of the European system as a way of preserving what is left of Native American cultures, preparing contemporary Native American youth for their real world settings, and meeting the needs of Native Americans. The large scale migration of many Native Americans to the cities since the 1950s has led to a decline in the number of children in BIA schools. By the early 1990s less than ten percent (10%) of Native American children attended BIA schools (Feagin Feagin, 2003). Today, most Native American children attend mainstream local public schools due to the fact that majority of Native Americans live off reservations with their children (United States Census Bureau, 2001). The mainstream educational system has however failed to meet the needs of Native American students. The failure stems from the absence of a Native American perspective in the curricula, the loss of Native American languages, the shift away from Native American spiritual values, and the racist and discriminatory activities of many European American teachers and administrators (Feagin Feagin, 2003; Schaefer, 2004). Perhaps, mainstream educators could borrow the new forms of formal education being practiced on the reservations which seem to much better meet the needs of Native American students rather than continually imposing the Eurocentric system which has not worked for Native Americans. With regard to higher education, since the 1960s, many mainstream colleges have established Native American Studies centers to provide facilities for the study of Native American issues (Feagin Feagin, 2003). By the late 1990s, more than 134,000 Native Americans were enrolled in colleges and universities throughout the United States (Schaeffer, 2004). Majority of the students attended predominantly European American public colleges and universities. Some of the students were not very successful due to the ingrained racist and discriminatory practices in those institutions. Consequently, many Native American students dropped out of those institutions. In general, Native American formal educational attainment has remained lower than that of the general population due to the Eurocentricity of the educational system. By 1990, less than two-thirds of Native Americans over the age of twenty-five were high school graduates compared to three-fourths of all Americans in that age range. Native American students in mainstream schools are disproportionately placed in special education classrooms. The proportion of Native American students who drop out after tenth-grade is 36%, the highest of any racial or ethnic group and more than twice that of European Americans (Schaeffer, 2004). In view of the aforementioned issues in education among Native Americans, a Department of Education Task Force organized in the late 1990s recommended the following for addressing Native American educational issues: implementation of multicultural curricula that inculcate respect for Native American history and culture, and establishment of programs that guarantee that Native American students learn English well. The task force assumed that if Native American students learn English very well then they will be successful in school, an assumption which is traced to the cultural deficit theory discussed above. Today, many Native American students attend Native American-controlled community colleges. The community colleges integrate Native American history and culture into courses. More attention is given to students and their cultures in the Native American-controlled educational institutions. Native Americans had established an effective educational system which ensured the smooth transmission of their cultures to the next generation before their contact with Europeans. The system included passing on of knowledge, values, attitudes, skills, and dispositions required for successful functioning of every individual in real world settings. Access to education was denied neither to male nor female while all children were taught to support and nurture one another and not necessarily compete against one another in the learning process. Learning was undergirded philosophically by a reverence for nature and a sense of humans’ responsibility to nature (Johnson et al. , 2005). The arrival of Europeans from 1492 onwards led to the imposition of a Eurocentric educational system which was underpinned by an Anglo-conformist assimilationist approach discussed above. This approach included educating Native Americans away from their cultures as a way of rendering them â€Å"less Native American† and more European American. The Anglo-conformist assimilationist approach in the formal education of Native Americans has left many of them miseducated and quite confused about their cultural identity. The political, economic and social impact of the European aim of Europeanizing, Christianizing and â€Å"civilizing† Native Americans through formal education are discussed at length in a paper presented by the author at the National Association of Native American Studies Conference in 2004. Fortunately, today, Native American leaders are successfully making efforts to reverse the adverse effects of the imposed Eurocentric educational system by synthesizing traditional Native American educational practices with European American practices. Works Citied Feagin, J. R. and Feagin, C. B. (2003). Racial and ethnic relations. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice- Hall Johnson, J. A. ; Dupuis, V. L. ; Musial, D. ; Hall, G. E. ; and Gollnick, D. M. (2005). Introduction to the foundations of American education. Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon. Mould, T. (2004). Choctaw tales. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. Schaefer, R. T. (2004). Racial and ethnic groups. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Steven Tozer (2009) School and Society : Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. McGraw- Hil Publishing Company.

Network setup solutions :: essays research papers

WoodCarvings Inc. Solution 1: To use charter pipeline Desktop: IBM ThinkCentre A50 8148 Main Features †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.4GHz Intel Celeron †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  256MB RAM †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  40GB HDD †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  CD-ROM †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10/100/1000 Ethernet †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Windows XP Pro Price: $500.00 per desktop (125 users) Printer: IBM InfoPrint 1332n - printer - B/W – laser Main Features †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B/W †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  laser †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Legal (8.5 in x 14 in) †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in) †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1200 dpi x 1200 dpi †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  up to 35 ppm †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  capacity: 350 sheets †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  USB †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10/100Base-TX Price: $1,100.00 per printer (5 printers, 20 users per printer)) 24 ports Main Features †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  24-port 10/100/1000BASE-T (RJ-45) Gigabit Ethernet Web Smart managed rackmountable switch with 2 Combo SFP Expansion Slots Price: $467.00 per switch (5 switches 20 users per switch) Licensing: Select License 6.0 highlights: Microsoft Select License 6.0 provides volume licenses for medium- and large-sized businesses. With a minimum forecast of 1500 points over three years, you will receive a volume price level for each pool of products selected (Applications, Systems and Servers) based on this forecast. Each product pool within the Select License program has a point value assigned which enables customers to determine the price level for each product pool. The Symantec Elite Program is a contractual plan that allows companies to leverage your purchasing power with a consistent price band over the term of the contract. Depending on their needs, customers can choose the Commit option to immediately maximize your two year volume discounts via an up-front purchasing commitment. Or they can choose the Forecast two year purchasing model to minimize initial outlays for their licensing requirements. Total Price: Desktops: $500.00*125= $62,500.00 Printers: $1,100.00*5= $ 5,500.00 Switches $467.00*5= $2,335.00 (Also the price of charter pipeline, and your licensing) Total Price: $70.335.00 Solution 2: To use DSL We are going to use the same desktops, printers, and switches so the price will not change from solution 1, which was $70,335.00. Only difference is we are using DSL as our current ISP. Solution 3: Wireless We are going to use the same desktop as in solution 1 and 2 which was the IBM Think Centre A50 8148 which cost $500.00 per desktop (125 users) The same printer is being used also, the IBM Info Print 1332n Printer-B/W-laser which cost $1,100.

Annotated Bibliography (rough draft) Essay

In the passage â€Å"Shitty First Drafts† by Anne Lamott from Bird by Bird, the author promotes that â€Å"shitty first drafts† are the key to most successful pieces of writing. Lamott indicates that most writers have â€Å"shitty first drafts† and that â€Å"all good writers write them†(21.) In order to have a good piece of writing one must vomit all of their ideas onto paper. Lamott’s friend calls it the down draft (25.) In this draft you should get all your thoughts down, even if you sound like a child (22.) The first draft isn’t going to make much sense but it doesn’t matter because no one is going to see it(23.) With this â€Å"down draft† you can edit it and organize your thoughts into the up draft (25.) â€Å"The up draft† is where you take all the good things from â€Å"the down draft† and write an organized draft that makes much more sense. â€Å"You try to say what you have to say more accurately†(25.) After that comes he dental draft, a draft where you nit-pick and refine every aspect of the writing, like how a dentist would â€Å"check every tooth, to see if it were loose or cramped or decayed†(25,26.) Hopefully the final product is a â€Å"healthy† piece of writing. Lamott successfully argued that a â€Å"shitty first draft† is the beginning to a great piece of writing so you just â€Å"need to start somewhere†(25,26.)

The Role of Madness in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

The novella Heart of Darkness was written by the British novelist Joseph Conrad and appeared, before its publication in 1902, as a three-part series in Blackwood’s Magazine. This frame tale or â€Å"story within a story† follows the lead character Charlie Marlow as he describes his adventures to a group of men aboard a ship. It also tells of an earlier event in Marlow’s life, at a time when he was working as a steamboat captain in a country whose name is not specified in the book. The story provides readers with a glimpse into the mind and soul of Marlow as he travels through the literal â€Å"Heart of Darkness† and comes face-to-face with the atrocities of racism and slavery. Marlow’s predecessor, the government-employed ivory agent Kurtz, dominates the natives through violence and coercion. When the two men finally meet, Marlow recognizes in Kurtz a mere shell of a man, the substance and soul of which has been devoured by the contempt of his own morals. This realization propels Marlow to scrutinize his own virtues and to decide whether or not to compromise them for the sake of wealth. The novella revolves around three central themes: â€Å"the hypocrisy of imperialism, madness as a result of imperialism, and the absurdity of evil† (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/heart/facts.html, 2006a). In Heart of Darkness, madness is closely associated with the concept of imperialism. In the text, Africa is presented as a cause and catalyst for diseases of the body and of the mind. Madness also serves two functions in the novella. First, it functions as â€Å"an ironic device to engage the reader’s sympathies† (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/heart/themes.html, 2006b). As Marlow is informed from the beginning, the ivory agent Kurtz is â€Å"mad†. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that this madness is relative; that madness in the context of the setting in which the characters move is quite hard to define. This causes the reader to develop a feeling of sympathy towards Kurtz and a sense of doubt and mistrust towards the Company. It also propels Marlow, who was initially suspicious of Kurtz, to sympathize with him. Madness also serves to create the â€Å"necessity of social fictions† (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/heart/themes.html, 2006b). Even though rationales and social norms are strewn throughout Heart of Darkness, they are ultimately proved to be utterly false and even causative of evil. However, they are indispensable in the quest of providing a sense of personal security and harmony among groups. In Heart of Darkness, madness is the result of having been detached from one’s own social realm and being permitted to become the lone arbitrator of one’s own actions. Therefore, madness is associated not only with supreme power and moral genius but to man’s primary and deep-seated imperfection: the character of Kurtz answers to no one but himself, and this proves too much for any one person to tolerate. In Heart of Darkness, Kurtz proves unable to resolve the contradictions between his own moral beliefs and cultural assumptions and subsequently sinks into madness when he begins to identify with the natives. Marlow says that Kurtz had gone mad because his soul â€Å"Being along in the wilderness,†¦ had looked into itself, and by heavens! I tell you, it had gone mad.† (http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/eng109/HeartSG.htm). This is in contrast to Kurtz’s nature of being power-hungry. The madness begins when Kurtz, who is mad with power provided by his absolute control over his domain, begins to succumb to the lure of the wilderness and the native people. He goes mad when his greed clashes with his growing affinity towards the natives. The subsequent moral dilemma proves too much for him. Marlow, in his recounting of his adventures, says that the moment of the native ceremony was the moment when he realized that Kurtz had gone mad when he went alone into the wilderness, when his spirit had been left alone with itself. Marlow recognizes that Kurtz is under the spell of the wilderness and tries to understand what had drawn Kurtz into â€Å"the edge of the forest†¦ towards the throb of drums, the drone of weird incantations;†¦ beguiled his unlawful soul†¦ beyond the bounds of permitted aspiration† (http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/eng109/HeartSG.htm). Marlow, who is uninterested with wealth or advancement in the Company, is focused chiefly on keeping his sanity amidst the madness in his surroundings. Nevertheless, his experiences leave him broken and distressed. The physical and mental torment he was forced to endure proved to be too much for him. Through Kurtz, Marlow had been drawn into the horror as well. When Kurtz says his last words, â€Å"The horror! The horror!† (http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/eng109/HeartSG.htm), Marlow was forced to face death. The experience leaves him bewildered and disturbed. He tells the group that when the natives buried Kurtz, they had almost buried him as well. When he returns to the city from which he came, Marlow finds the people there stupid and he continues to dwell on Kurtz and the remnants of the life Kurtz had left behind. When he goes to visit Kurtz’s fiancà ©, he feels the presence of Kurtz’s spirit entering the house with him. As Marlow proceeds into the fiancà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s house, he imagines the natives dancing around their ceremonial fires, and hears Kurtz’s voice discussing ivory. Madness, as a theme in Heart of Darkness, serves to reinforce the fact that when given absolute power over himself and those under his influence, man is susceptible to his own dark nature. Work Cited Conrad, J. (1899). Heart of Darkness. In Davis, et. al. Eds. (1995). Western Literature in a World Context Volume 2: The Enlightenment throughout the Present. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Retrieved from on November 15, 2006. Sparknotes. (2006a). Heart of Darkness Study Guide. Sparknotes: Today’s Most Popular Study Guides from Barnes & Noble. Retrieved from on November 14, 2006. Sparknotes. (2006b). Heart of Darkness Study Guide: Themes, Motifs and Symbols. Sparknotes: Today’s Most Popular Study Guides from Barnes & Noble. Retrieved from on November 14, 2006.

Great Gatsby- theme essays

Great Gatsby- theme essays The strong theme The American Dream, is shaped and created with these important components in mind, materialism, selfishness, and social standing. Materialism plays one of the key components in the theme of The Great Gatsby. Nick gives a great opinion of how money corrupts, "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made" Each of the characters show his or hers devotion towards what they each cherish. Daisy cherishes money and Gatsby realizes it. The novel clearly implies that, rich girls do not marry poor boys. Since Gatsby thinks money can bring him happiness, he buys the fanciest cars, the largest house, and the nicest clothes. He has the best of everything. He has everything except the one thing he actually wants, Daisy. Gatsby shows a need and greed for Daisys love. Oh, you want too much! She cried to Gatsby. I love you now- isnt that enough? I cant help whats past... That quote illustrates the selfishness Gatsbys character possesses, when confronted with the fact that Daisy could love someone besides himself. Tom Buchannen, Daisys husband, shows his greed by taking advantage of his broken marriage by having an affair. Daisys greed is far more shallow, she marries a man she pretends to love because of the content in his wallet, cheats on him, and hurts the one person that actually loves her. Social standing is what helps define why some of the certain characters might act in the ways they did. Jay Gatsby past was discovered to be poor; hence the reason Daisy, a rich girl, did not marry him. But instead married into the highest position, old money. Which in that standing there is only one way to look, thats down at people, new m...

Stages of Societal Development essays

Stages of Societal Development essays In the history of human societal development, the relationship between society and population are important elements that determine the development or stagnation of a society towards progress. It is chronicled in history that the emergence of the Industrial Revolution gave birth to population growth, as well as different movements that improved economic and social progress in human civilization. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the study of population growth with respect to society is illustrated in Thomas Malthus' theory of population, discussed in his famous discourse in 1798, An Essay on the Principle of Population. In his theory of population, Malthus discussed how an increase in population could result to a decrease in the food supply. For Malthus, this would happen because population rate increases at a geometric rate while food supply increase only at an arithmetic rate. This means that as population increases, food supply (economic resources) decrease and it would not be able to support the growing demand of the increasing number of people. Almost two centuries after Malthus' revolutionary proposal on the relation between society and population, Frank Notestein conceived his Theory of Demographic Transition in 1945. In his theory, Notestein posits that societal development is related with population growth, and identifies three stages of demographic transition in societies. The first stage, called the pre-industrial stage, is characterized by high birth rate and death rate. The second stage (transitional stage) has greater birth rates and lower death rates, and the third stage is identified as the industrial stage, wherein there is a decrease in both birth rate and death rate of a society. Modern theories on demographic transition adds another stage in the process, identified as the fourth, or post-industrial stage, where birth rate is equal to the death rate, which means that there is already a zero population gr...

History of Feral Rabbits in Australia

History of Feral Rabbits in Australia Rabbits are an invasive species that has caused immense ecological devastation to the continent of Australia for over 150 years. They procreate with uncontrollable velocity, consume cropland like locusts, and contribute significantly to soil erosion. Although some of the governments rabbit eradication methods have been successful in controlling their spread, the overall rabbit population in Australia is still well beyond sustainable means. History of Rabbits in Australia In 1859, a man named Thomas Austin, a landowner in Winchelsea, Victoria imported 24 wild rabbits from England and released them into the wild for sport hunting. Within a number of years, those 24 rabbits multiplied into millions. By the 1920s, less than 70 years since its introduction, the rabbit population in Australia ballooned to an estimated 10 billion, reproducing at a rate of 18 to 30 per single female rabbit per year. The rabbits started to migrate across Australia at a rate of 80 miles a year. After destroying two million acres of Victorias floral lands, they traversed across the states of New South Wales, South Australia, and Queensland. By 1890, rabbits were spotted all the way in Western Australia. Australia is an ideal location for the prolific rabbit. The winters are mild, so they are able to breed nearly year-round. There is an abundance of land with limited industrial development. Natural low vegetation provides them with shelter and food, and years of geographic isolation has left the continent with no natural predator for this new invasive species. Currently, the rabbit inhabits around 2.5 million square miles of Australia with an estimated population of over 200 million. Feral Australian Rabbits as Ecological Problem Despite its size, much of Australia is arid and not fully fit for agriculture. What fertile soil the continent has is now threatened by the rabbit. Excessive grazing by the rabbit has diminished vegetative cover, allowing wind to erode away top soil. Soil erosion affects revegetation and water absorption. Land with limited top soil can also lead to agricultural run-off and increased salinity. The livestock industry in Australia has been widely affected by the rabbit. As food yields decrease, so does the cattle and sheep population. To compensate, many farmers extend their livestock range and diet, farming a wider expanse of the land and thus further contributing to the problem. The agricultural industry in Australia has lost billions of dollars from the direct and indirect effects of the rabbit infestation. The introduction of the rabbit has also strained the native wildlife of Australia. Rabbits have been blamed for the destruction of the eremophila plant and various species of trees. Because rabbits will feed on seedlings, many trees are never able to reproduce, leading to local extinction. Additionally, due to direct competition for food and habitat, the population of many native animals such as the greater bilby and the pig-footed bandicoot has declined dramatically. Feral Rabbit Control Measures For much of the 19th century, the most common methods of feral rabbit control have been trapping and shooting. But between 1901 and 1907, the Australian government went with a national approach by building three rabbit-proof fences to protect the pastoral lands of Western Australia. The first fence stretched 1,138 miles vertically down the entire western side of the continent, starting from a point near Cape Keravdren in the north and ending in Starvation Harbor in the south. It is considered to be the worlds longest continuous standing fence. The second fence was built roughly parallel to the first, 55 - 100 miles further west, branching off from the original to the southern coast, stretching 724 miles. The final fence extends 160 miles horizontally from the second to the western coast of the country. Despite the enormity of the project, the fence was deemed unsuccessful, since many rabbits traversed over to the protected side during the construction period. Additionally, many have dug their way through the fence, as well. The Australian government also experimented with biological methods to control the feral rabbit population. In 1950, mosquitoes and fleas carrying the myxoma virus were released into the wild. This virus, found in South America, only affects rabbits. The release was highly successful, as an estimated 90-99 percent of the rabbit population in Australia was wiped out. Unfortunately, because mosquitoes and fleas do not typically inhabit arid areas, many of the rabbits living in the continents interior were not affected. A small percentage of the population also developed a natural genetic immunity to the virus and they continued to reproduce. Today, only about 40 percent of rabbits are still susceptible to this disease. To combat the reduced effectiveness of myxoma, flies carrying a rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD), was released in Australia in 1995. Unlike myxoma, RHD is able to infiltrate the arid areas. The disease helped reduced rabbit populations by 90 percent in arid zones. However, like myxomatosis, RHD is still limited by geography. Since its host is a fly, this disease has very little impact on the cooler, higher rainfall regions of coastal Australia where flies are less prevalent. Moreover, rabbits are beginning to develop resistance to this disease, as well. Today, many farmers still use conventional means of eradicating rabbits from their land. Although the rabbit population is a fraction of what it was in the early 1920s, it continues to burden the countrys eco- and agricultural systems. They have lived on Australia for over 150-years and until a perfect virus can be found, theyll probably be there for several hundred more. References Australia Government: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (2011, May 27). Feral Animals in Australia. Retrieved from: environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive-species/feral-animals-australiaABC Science (2009, April 09). Australias battle with the bunny. Retrieved from: abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/04/08/2538860.htmBroomhall, F.H. The Longest Fence in the World. Carlisle, Western Australia: Hesperian Press, 1991

Campaign evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Campaign evaluation - Essay Example Due to the importance of this function it is no longer acceptable for companies not to evaluate the effectiveness of its public relations efforts. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and analyze evaluation of public relations in the corporate world. The public relations of a company are divided into five primary functions. The five functions of public relations are: press relations, product publicity, lobbying, counseling, and corporate communication (Kotler). Public companies spend millions of dollars each year on public relations. A manager is supposed to evaluate the performance of the company and optimize the utilization of the resources of a firm. When a manager is faced with an investment decision for a new project the professional evaluates the viability of the project utilizing qualitative and quantitative techniques such as return on investment, payback period, and net present value. After the project is selected the manager monitors the performance of the project throughout its lifetime. If this is done for production project it seems absurd that the marketing profession is not placing any importance in evaluating a business function that represents a significant expense and utilization of company resources. According to McNamara (2006) the three primary reasons companies are not performing evaluation of public relations are lack of budget, lack of time, and lack of managerial demand. In the marketing profession there is a debate on what should be generally accepted ways to evaluate the effectiveness of public relations towards the results of a company. This debate seems a bit unfair because public relation is not an exact science. I don’t believe that public relation needs to have a framework such as other business disciplines have established. The accounting profession depends on the generally accepted accounting principles for accounting information to be consistent and

White-tailed Deer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

White-tailed Deer - Research Paper Example It has a brownish gray body with white hairs on the under side of the tail. During summer its color is reddish brown. Today the white tailed deer population is 18 million (pp. 5-11). They are found in deserts, swarms, farmlands, prairies. They mostly prefer living in open lands near the rivers and streams. As described in Zwaschka (1999), an adult male deer grows 41 inches tall and weigh about 160 pounds.(72 kgs) Female deer (doe) is smaller in size and they weigh 40-90 kgs on an average. The weight of white tailed deer varies from region to region. They live up to 10-20 years. It is herbivore and its feeding hours are in the early morning and late after noon. Its diet changes depending on the habitat and the season (pp. 4-10). It is a shy and cautious animal. They are good runners, leapers and swimmers. In alarming situations they flag their tails and run. The bucks alone have antlers that grow annually and fall off in the winter. Female deer gives birth to one to three young ones a t a time, usually in the May or June. Their gestation period is 7 months. They are nocturnal and crepuscular animals. They are preyed up on by bobcats, coyotes and mountain lions. The scientific classification of white tailed deer; Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Cervidae Subfamily: Capreolinae Genus: Odocoileus Species: O. virginianus (Source: Squam Lakes Natural Science Center). Life Cycle The breeding season or rut extends from October to January though the majority occurs in October- November. Both bucks and does are seen active and they get out of their nocturnal habits during the breeding season. Patent (2004) describes the life cycle of white deer; the bucks rub their well developed antlers against big trees to mark their territories. These signs are called rubs. Bucks often fight with each other using antlers but fatal injuries are rare. During winter they shed off their antlers. But, antlers grow very fast, and those which grow will be stronger than the previous ones. (pp. 5-11). Antlers get their nourishment from a highly vascularized membrane called velvet which dries off which is rubbed against trees and shrubs. Fully grown antlers mark the breeding season for the bucks. Fawns are born after a 200 day gestation period. Two to three fawns are born in one litter. For the first few weeks the doe hides the fawns by themselves. The fawns have a spotted coat for the first 3-4 months but it is lost when the first winter comes. As described in National Geography website, when the mother goes in search of food the fawns lay flat on the ground quietly among the grass. They are scent free for few weeks to safe guard themselves from predators. Deer reproduces quickly and can over populate the area. To keep check on their numbers natural predators like bobcats and coyotes play a significant role (National Geography). Structure and function The organ system of the white tailed deer is same as that of any mammal. But its digestive system requires special mention. The front of the upper jaw bone does not have any teeth like other mammals. Teeth are replaced with a resilient pad which is in contact with the lower incisors. As Deal (2010) illustrates, they have 32 teeth. 8 incisors, 12 pre molars and 12 molars. They have a four chambered stomach. This ruminant stomach enables the deer to collect large quantity of food at a time, chew and digest it later. The deer pushes its food with its tongue to the back of the mouth where it is chewed. It is chewed just enough to swallow (p. 139). Then it is passed to the gullet of the stomach. The stomach is compartmentalized to four sections. They are the rumen, reticulum,

Analysis of Mise En Scene Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Mise En Scene - Essay Example This essay examines the mise-en-scene in this closing sequence. The closing sequence of Chinatown begins with Jack Gittes (Jack Nicholson) conversing with Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway). The two characters are featured in a medium close-up, with their bodies cut-off. While the film’s plot is highly complex and entangled, at its core it is a strong character piece. The minimalist mise-en-scene of this conversation, with the two characters featured alone in the foreground highlights the film’s strong character-centered nature. It’s also notable that Jack retains the bandage from earlier in the film, as this is symbolic of his ultimate fallibility in comparison to Mulwray almost angelic quality. This minimalist conversation scene cuts to a montage of shots of Chinatown. The city is depicted through neon lights that shine brightly in an all-dark background. The effect is powerful as the neon lights take on a sort of Las Vegas like feel where the outward brightness seems to conceal a sinister interior. The film’s nighttime setting further accentuates its neo-noir conventions. Indeed, this becomes a predominant thematic element as the final film sequence unravels. Not only is the scene shrouded entirely in darkness, but so are the characters. Only on brief occasions does director Polanski allow the street lights to shine on their faces. When Evelyn Mulwray appears she is also featured in black. The only character in white is Noah Cross. In these regards, the film’s mise-en-scene is playing with the noir notion of morality; the two protagonists are shrouded in black, and Cross, the antagonist, is featured in white. This leads the viewer to question the filmâ€℠¢s moral center and further destabilizes the viewer. This moral ambiguity is mirrored in the plot as Jack is handcuffed to the car even while attempting to reveal to the police that Cross is the murderer and villain. Ultimately, the

What does a geomatic engineer do in his career and what are the future Essay

What does a geomatic engineer do in his career and what are the future prospectus of this career - Essay Example Most of the tasks and activities of the geomatic engineers are integrally linked with civil engineering. Such tasks include but are not limited to mapping for the construction projects, control surveys, and preparation of design and layout of the urban subdivisions and public infrastructure. The graduates of geomatics engineering make use of a diverse array of technologically advanced tools such as the equipment of Global Positioning System (GPS), digital total stations, computer-based geographic information systems (GIS), and digital aerial imagery done with the help of satellites. The level of education required to serve as a geomatic engineer varies from one organization and country to another. However, in general, highly qualified and educated geomatic engineers get more and better opportunities of employment like positions in academic and research organizations. Generally, a four year degree is required to be able to survey the oil and gas sites. Geomatic engineers design system s in order to gather locational data. Design and use of these systems is critical for a wide range of applications including scientific surveys and navigation systems in cars. In the field of geomatic engineering, advanced degrees are also available as geomatic engineering integrates a variety of disciplines like mathematics, geology, and surveying. Locational data includes physical maps’ underpinning so that navigational information and different types of data based on map can be obtained. These maps provide the details of geology, meteorology, and demography of different areas. Using this information, geomatic engineers design systems to obtain and record the information. Many of these systems interact with the systems of GPS as well as other points of reference that are used for accurate recording of the data. Utilization of these systems is often part of the job of a geomatic engineer. Employment opportunities for the geomatic engineers exist in the private companies, gov ernment agencies, and other non-profit organizations which are involved in such activities as spatial design and surveying. A geomatic engineer may be required to work as a team member in the operation of exploration of oil and gas. In such tasks, the geomatic engineer is asked to collect the location information, mark the data that is relevant, and make sure that he prepares a map recording all information, materials, and features of interest required to prepared the background on the survey location. These survey teams often get the help and participation of other engineers in the tasks of preparation of the home sites, collection of data for research, and involvement in research and development based on location. In order to achieve this, geomatic engineers require an in-depth understanding of the location data and spatial relations as well as the discipline in which the data would be utilized so that reliable and useful knowledge can be created. As a geomatic engineer, an indivi dual can serve in different sorts of technical positions that include but are not limited to photographic image processing, global positioning, satellite image processing, remote sensing, three-dimensional computer visualization, management of land and natural resources, spatial data infrastructure, surveying, and mapping. There is a variety of career pathways for a geomatic engineer to select from. They can choose to specialize in cadastral or land surveying, engineering surveying, positioning, mining, remote sensing, and topography. In addition to them, a variety of other areas of specialization are available. A cadastral or land

European Sovereign Debt Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

European Sovereign Debt Crisis - Essay Example In addition, the crisis led to a downtown in the equity market and increased demand for gold because of loss of confidence in the Euro by investors. The states within the European market should learn from the consequences of sovereign default so that their economic condition is kept at check. To prevent debt crises, various financial institutions and policy makers in countries have used policies and strategies of stabilizing the economy, which include regulation of financial credit and national balance sheet management. Introduction The world economy is controlled by various financial and political forces, which should be regulated to avoid sovereign debt crises and defaults. The European Sovereign Debt Crisis illustrates the failure of financial institutions, which stretched across the world. Governments, which face such crises, may announce sovereign default leading to economic consequences. This paper gives a critical discussion of the European Foreign Debt Crisis of 2010/2011, it s impact in the bond market and the lessons, which the Eurozone states would learn, from sovereign defaulters such as Russia and Argentina. A critical analysis of the effectiveness of economic policies and the impact of sovereign debt crises on the financial landscape is also provided in this paper. Part A: European Sovereign Debt Crisis The recent European Sovereign Debt Crisis of 2010/2011 has many features in common with the financial stresses experienced in the early 1990s in the world economy. The features of the sovereign debt crises such as low risk on premiums, long duration of credit growth, abundant liquidity, high asset prices, strong leveraging, and real estate bubbles are experienced in the European Sovereign Debt Crisis which began in 2008 with the collapse of the banking system of Iceland. As a result, there is a lot of uncertainty of banks on the creditworthiness of the institutions in which they had heavily invested. As a result, there is reduced investments by bank s in various institutions in the United Kingdom as demonstrated by Brearley (2010, p. 36). Moreover the recent European Sovereign Debt Crisis has caused a big liquidity problem among the European banks. Because of the liquidity problem, the European banks are failing to rollover their debts. The European Sovereign Debt Crisis may be viewed as a mere liquidity problem by policy makers and financial institutions like the previous crises which would cause eventual collapse of the financial institutions. Estenssoro (2010, p. 4), explains the beginning of the recent European Foreign Debt Crisis by showing that the emergency concerned with the solvency of various financial institutions in Europe demonstrated a serious economic problem policy makers thought that it was unlikely for the financial systems in Europe to fail. From the point of view of Blundell-Wignall and Slovik (2010, p. 12), the European economy was believed to be immune to the financial turbulences because it was considered to be thriving through the good financial positions of businesses and households in addition to the growth in export. In September 2008 when the recent crisis began, these perceptions changed drastically with evaporation of valuations of the financial firms, which caused panic within the stock markets. At this point, the collapse of the financial institutions became a real threat to the stakeholders of the financial and manufacturing sectors. The sovereign debt

What does a geomatic engineer do in his career and what are the future Essay

What does a geomatic engineer do in his career and what are the future prospectus of this career - Essay Example Most of the tasks and activities of the geomatic engineers are integrally linked with civil engineering. Such tasks include but are not limited to mapping for the construction projects, control surveys, and preparation of design and layout of the urban subdivisions and public infrastructure. The graduates of geomatics engineering make use of a diverse array of technologically advanced tools such as the equipment of Global Positioning System (GPS), digital total stations, computer-based geographic information systems (GIS), and digital aerial imagery done with the help of satellites. The level of education required to serve as a geomatic engineer varies from one organization and country to another. However, in general, highly qualified and educated geomatic engineers get more and better opportunities of employment like positions in academic and research organizations. Generally, a four year degree is required to be able to survey the oil and gas sites. Geomatic engineers design system s in order to gather locational data. Design and use of these systems is critical for a wide range of applications including scientific surveys and navigation systems in cars. In the field of geomatic engineering, advanced degrees are also available as geomatic engineering integrates a variety of disciplines like mathematics, geology, and surveying. Locational data includes physical maps’ underpinning so that navigational information and different types of data based on map can be obtained. These maps provide the details of geology, meteorology, and demography of different areas. Using this information, geomatic engineers design systems to obtain and record the information. Many of these systems interact with the systems of GPS as well as other points of reference that are used for accurate recording of the data. Utilization of these systems is often part of the job of a geomatic engineer. Employment opportunities for the geomatic engineers exist in the private companies, gov ernment agencies, and other non-profit organizations which are involved in such activities as spatial design and surveying. A geomatic engineer may be required to work as a team member in the operation of exploration of oil and gas. In such tasks, the geomatic engineer is asked to collect the location information, mark the data that is relevant, and make sure that he prepares a map recording all information, materials, and features of interest required to prepared the background on the survey location. These survey teams often get the help and participation of other engineers in the tasks of preparation of the home sites, collection of data for research, and involvement in research and development based on location. In order to achieve this, geomatic engineers require an in-depth understanding of the location data and spatial relations as well as the discipline in which the data would be utilized so that reliable and useful knowledge can be created. As a geomatic engineer, an indivi dual can serve in different sorts of technical positions that include but are not limited to photographic image processing, global positioning, satellite image processing, remote sensing, three-dimensional computer visualization, management of land and natural resources, spatial data infrastructure, surveying, and mapping. There is a variety of career pathways for a geomatic engineer to select from. They can choose to specialize in cadastral or land surveying, engineering surveying, positioning, mining, remote sensing, and topography. In addition to them, a variety of other areas of specialization are available. A cadastral or land

Business Forecasting and Data Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Forecasting and Data Analysis - Essay Example For the chart above, in order to improve the chart’s usefulness, the firms included in the graph are those with total weekly labor hours below 100,000. The few firms (approximately 10) which had total labor hours at more than 100,000 were not included. The graph shows that there is no systematic change in overall management score based on total labor hours. To determine if variations one variable changes in tandem with another variable, the correlation may be used. In this case, SPSS was used to determine Pearson correlation; a correlation statistic of higher than 0.50 is considered moderately strong, and the closer the coefficient is to 1.0, the stronger the correlation. For all three instances above, correlation coefficients are weak because none of them exceeded 0.50 nor approached the maximum of 1.0. In all cases, however, results are significant at the 0.01 level. This means that while the correlations of all three variables with management score are significant, the variations attributed to them are not very large. In conducting the regression analysis, the intention is to predict the value of a dependent variable if the values of predictor variables are known. The problem given seeks to determine whether or not variations in total sales among firms may be determined based on firm ownership, assets, management score, and weekly labor hours. Because there are four predictor variables, multivariate regression will be used. The assumptions on which the regression is based are that the variables are normally distributed and that there is a linear relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The model summary table below shows that the model has an R-value (representing simple correlation) of 0.914, indicating a high degree of correlation.  

Graphic Organizers Essay Example for Free

Graphic Organizers Essay Graphic organizers are wonderful tools for learners of all abilities in all grades. They help students to visually and clearly organize their opinions and ideas. Students are enabled to see connections and relationships between information, facts and terms. For ELL students and struggling readers, this is particularly useful because it aids with language issues and challenges in comprehension these students struggle with. It visually provides them with a broad picture of this corpus of information they are trying to learn as opposed to words and language. Introducing and organizing instructional content can be done in a fun and simple way. I would begin with a simple fun math lesson that is on a more personal level. To introduce the lesson; the first step should describe to the students the lesson’s purpose (how to budget within your means), then explain its components (reason, solve problems, communicate, computation) and finally model its use (3 column chart) together with the class. This will ensure students comprehend the material they are learning. The 5th grade class would be instructed to divide into 3 groups of 6. Each group will be assigned a budget of $60.00. I would then hand out menus to each group from a popular fast food restaurant (Wendy’s). Students in each group will order any item off the menu for lunch but within their group budget. They will itemize their choices on their worksheet and include quantity and total amounts. Students will be aware that all deluxe meals come with french fries and a drink. Any state tax will not be configured for this lesson. Together we will input the information collected from each group onto the organizer. We will analyze, compare and discuss the decisions each group made with their selections and how well they managed their budget. The graphic organizer will also help them reflect individually as they see the information unfold from this valuable tool. It is important for students to learn the concept of managing money and to learn to live within their means.

Features of Karakoram Glacier Surges

Features of Karakoram Glacier Surges What are the typical features of Karakoram glacier surges? The Karakoram is part of a complex of mountain ranges at the centre of Asia, where the borders of five countries all converge (Editors of Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, 2016). Glacial surges are glacial advances at velocities up to one hundred times faster than usual (Sinha and Ravindra, 2012, p. 38). When examining Karakoram glacier surges it appears they are different to other surge clusters in the world. The surges tend to be brief events, with exceptionally high velocities, initiation and termination phases are rapid and the surges do not seem to be seasonally controlled (Quincey et al., 2015, p. 1299). One typical feature of Karakoram glacier surges is that they are short-lived events, usually lasting 3-5 years. When Drenmang Glacier surged in 1930 and 1977 both events only lasted a year (Hewitt, 2007, p. 185) and a Shakesiga Glacier surge in the 2000s only lasted 1-2 years (Quincey et al., 2015, p. 1298). Their brief nature means there have been a huge number of surges over the last 150 years. There have been 34 surges since the 1860s involving 23 glaciers. Four tributaries of Panmah Glacier have surged in less than a decade, three in quick succession between 2001 and 2005. Since 1985, 13 surges have occurred in Karakoram, more than in any comparable period since the 1850s. (Hewitt, 2007, p. 181). Although Karakoram glacier surges are generally short-lived, they are actually longer surge events when compared to surges in Alaska. Another typical feature of Karakoram glacier surges is their extremely high velocities, usually reaching 2km a-1. The Bualtar glacier experienced a mean surface velocity of 2.77 km a-1 during a 1986 surge, compared with a 146m a-1 surge during the previous summer (Copland et al., 2009, pp. 1-2). Between 2006 and 2007, the North Gasherbrum glacier surge had a velocity wave of 3km a-1 and, the peak velocity advanced from 15.5 to 18.5 km (Mayer et al., 2011, p. 908). In the case of the Braldu surge between 2013 and 2014, there was a clear velocity wave of approximately 2 km a-1 (Quincey et al., 2015, p. 1293). These velocities are the most likely cause of what makes the surge such a quick event. The Karakoram surge velocities are faster than other surge velocities across the world, where the velocities tend to reach only a few thousand m a-1. A third feature of Karakoram glacier surges is their rapid initiation and termination phases, lasting months to years. Surge initiation and termination phases refer to the start and end of the surge. Termination occurs after the surge, when the glacier has become virtually stagnant (Singh, Singh, and Haritashya, 2011, pp. 416-417). During the late summer of 2009 the Shakesiga Glacier flowed at 400 m a-1, but reached its maximum velocity of 2000 m a-1 by midsummer of 2010, indicating the initiation phase took place during winter. Shakesiga surge decelerated to 1100 m a-1 and terminated during the early winter of 2010 (Quincey et al., 2015, pp. 1292-1293). However, Alaskan glacial surges have a much more abrupt termination phase than initiation phase, tending to last several days as opposed to months (Quincey et al., 2015, p. 1297). A final typical feature of Karakoram glacier surges is that they do not seem to be seasonally controlled. Surges usually initiate during winter months when drainage efficiency is low and terminate during summer months, when drainage efficiency is high (Quincey et al., 2015, p. 1288). However, this is not the case in the Karakoram region as surges have initiated and terminated in irregular months. The Skamri Glacier initiation phase took place more toward the summer season than the winter and the Shakesiga surge initiated and terminated during winter months (Quincey et al., 2015, pp. 1292-1293). This suggest that Karakoram surges are thermally rather than hydrologically controlled, coinciding with high-altitude warming from long-term precipitation and accumulation patterns (Quincey et al., 2015, p. 1290). If Karakoram glacier surges are thermally controlled it may explain why their features are different to other surge areas in the world. The features of Karakoram glacier surges are an anomaly when compared to other surge areas in the world, such as Alaska, although they do share many similarities with Svalbard glacier surges. Their characteristics have led many geographers to the conclusion that they are thermally controlled and this could be a possible cause of their differences compared with other glacier surges. Yet the dominant surge mechanism still remains unclear. Reference List Copland, L., Pope, S., Bishop, M.P., Shroder, J.F., Clendon, P., Bush, A., Kamp, U., Seong, Y.B. and Owen, L.A. (2009) Glacier velocities across the central Karakoram, Annals of Glaciology, 50(52), pp. 41-49. doi: 10.3189/172756409789624229. Editors of Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica (2016) Karakoram range | mountains, Asia, in Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/Karakoram-Range (Accessed: 10 October 2016). Hewitt, K. (2007) Tributary glacier surges: An exceptional concentration at Panmah glacier, Karakoram Himalaya, Journal of Glaciology, 53(181), pp. 181-188. doi: 10.3189/172756507782202829. Mayer, C., Fowler, A.C., Lambrecht, A. and Scharrer, K. (2011) A surge of north Gasherbrum glacier, Karakoram, china, Journal of Glaciology, 57(205), pp. 904-916. doi: 10.3189/002214311798043834. Quincey, D.J., Glasser, N.F., Cook, S.J. and Luckman, A. (2015) Heterogeneity in Karakoram glacier surges, Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 120(7), pp. 1288-1300. doi: 10.1002/2015jf003515. Singh, V.P., Singh, P. and Haritashya, U.K. (eds.) (2011) Encyclopedia of snow, ice and glaciers. Dordrecht: Springer Verlag. Sinha, R. and Ravindra, R. (eds.) (2012) Earth system processes and disaster management. Germany: Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH Co. K.

Aristotles Poetics: Complexity and Pleasure in Tragedy Essay -- Arist

Aristotle's Poetics: Complexity and Pleasure in Tragedy Aristotle 384-322 BC First, the instinct of imitation is implanted in man from childhood, one difference between him and other animals being that he is the most imitative of living creatures, and through imitation learns his earliest lessons; and no less universal is the pleasure felt in things imitated. We have evidence of this in the facts of experience. Objects which in themselves we view with pain, we delight to contemplate when reproduced with minute fidelity Poetics Chapter 1V In his Poetics [1] Aristotle classifies plot into two types: simple [haplos], and complex [peplegmenos]. The simple plot is defined as a unified construct of necessary and probable actions accompanied by a change of fortune. The complex plot, says Aristotle, is accompanied by two other features, namely; peripeteia or reversal, and anagnorisis, or recognition. It is this which Aristotle feels is the best kind of tragic plot, in that it provides the best possibility of delivering tragic pleasure. Before we look at the distinctive features of the complex plot, it would perhaps be instructive to examine those features which it shares with the simple plot. The unity of structure recommended by Aristotle includes the tripartite division of the plot into the beginning, the middle and the end, as well as the unities of time and action. He stresses unified action, where all action in the plot carries a definite link to other actions, and subsequent actions are the necessary and probable outcomes of the former. Necessary and probable are terms which recur throughout the Poetics. They stand for the universality of poetry in that they point to how or what actions should logically be in a gi... ...ost imitative of living creatures, and through imitation learns his earliest lessons; and no less universal is the pleasure felt in things imitated. We have evidence of this in the facts of experience. Objects which in themselves we view with pain, we delight to contemplate when reproduced with minute fidelity: such as the forms of the most ignoble animals and of dead bodies. The cause of this again is, that to learn gives the liveliest pleasure, not only to philosophers but to men in general; whose capacity, however, of learning is more limited. Thus the reason why men enjoy seeing a likeness is, that in contemplating it they find themselves learning or inferring, and saying perhaps, 'Ah, that is he.' For if you happen not to have seen the original, the pleasure will be due not to the imitation as such, but to the execution, the coloring, or some such other cause.'

How Time is expressed in Bill Viola’s ‘Room for St John of the Cross Essay

This video and sound installation by Bill Viola, ‘Room for St John of the Cross’, speaks of the concept of time in a number of different ways. It consists of a black cubicle in the centre of a darkened space. A small window reveals the interior of the cell which is a softly lit space containing only a table with a pitcher, a water glass and a video monitor. Projected behind the cell is a moving image of mountains with storm clouds accompanied by the sounds of a storm. A voice whispers in Spanish some of St John’s poetry. St John, a poet and mystic was imprisoned for 9 months in 1577 in a cell so small he could not stand within it. During his imprisonment he wrote mystical poetry concerned with transcending events and barriers in search of the Son of God, poetry that has been handed down to us in the modern day, so his poetry could be said to transcend time. The cell a three dimensional object, represents the fourth dimension, that of time, 9 months of his life. This is the period a child spends in the womb, curled and unable to stand, before birth. The mountains would perhaps represent eternity as they are so unchanging. The moving clouds show that time is passing, but the storm may signify chaos of the earliest period of creation. The clouds could also represent an ability to rise above the events of each day – which included regular beatings. The water and the light within the cell could represent the eternal life giving power of God, which St John found each day. God moved upon the face of the waters freshly each day, creating order out of the chaos in which he found his life to be. In ‘The Dark Night’ which may be one of the poems composed during this period he wrote ’all things ceased; I went out from myself, leaving my cares. ’ (as translated by Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez,) Despite severe oppression, deprivations and physical difficulties, he was in ecstasy and time was forgotten. Works Cited Electronic Sources Kavanaugh K, an d Rodriguez, O. ( translators) Carmelite. com Our Saints, The Collected Works of St John of the Cross http://www. carmelite. com/saints/john/works/cn_6. q` 6th February 2008 Room for St John of the Cross 1983 http://www. sfmoma. org/espace/viola/BV05. html 6th February 2008

First Time in College Essay

College is extremely different from high school – creating new friends, dealing with more school work, and being responsible. In some ways it can be a good thing but it can be a frightful thing as well. It is one of the biggest challenges most teenagers will encounter to be successful in life. After all those four years of high school, it is now the time to join the ranks of the high school graduates who have chosen to achieve a higher education. Some might think it is very exciting while others might have a different opinion about it. Regardless of how they feel, being able to attend college is the primary step to the real world. As what Jason Rich, author of The Everything College Survival Book, has mentioned, â€Å"This is the time when you are making that life transition from living at home with your parents to becoming an adult.† It is most likely that these intimidating words will haunt a high school graduate’s mind until the first day of college. Still, there are plenty of ways to deal with the hardships a student may face while walking into college the first time. One of the foremost things on any student’s mind is that you do not know anyone, unless you have a couple of friends that decided to take the same program as you. The thing is, so does everyone else! You can see this as the perfect opportunity to meet and make new friends that can help you get through this last chapter of your studying days. Like everybody else, many students are nervous and no one talks to anyone on the first day of classes. However, students try to overcome that fear and take a risk. In the end it will all be worth it and as each semester passes by, most of them might become the best of friends or even roommates if they live away from home. If for some reason it does not work out during the first week, try to attend on-campus events or sign up for extracurricular activities. This way you can meet and connect with a bunch of great people, not only from your program but also from the entire school. Another difficulty many students may deal with is feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work they may receive during the first month. During those 30 days, the course load is much harder compared to the amount of work in high school. For example, on the first day, the professor has already designated an assignment that will be due in the next couple of classes. In addition to that, another instructor from a different class might say there will be a test on the same day the assignment is due. Hearing this right after a long summer break will definitely overwhelm a student’s mind, especially if he has come directly out of high school. Therefore, before the stress keeps piling up, students may have to find a way to make adjustments to their old study habits. A great deal of effort must be put in each of their work and must not waste time. After all, no one would spend a huge amount of money on college just to fail. In addition, going to college will expose you to brand new freedoms that require a higher level of maturity and responsibility. In comparison to high school, no one is going to check if you have done your homework or if you have studied for a major test. If the instructor says when the due date is going to be, that is the only day you can submit your work and there will be no exceptions; unless there is an emergency then that will be a different story. There is a very limited opportunity that an instructor will take his time assisting hundreds of students. Although college life is about meeting new people, it is extremely important to know your boundaries and do not let your social life interfere with your studies. Managing your time well and being able to organize properly will be a great help to be able to go through college without a problem. As previously mentioned, there are various differences between high school and college. Attending classes could become more difficult due to the unusual atmosphere and having more independence. However, despite the numerous challenges that come with having a fresh start in college, believing that you belong is the best way to overcome them. Given the time to adjust to all the changes, sooner or later, students will start to feel right at home in the new environment. College will be a way to help students shape their individuality and prepare them for the worst possible scenarios in the competitive world. Thus, high school graduates that decided to cross the bridge to attend college are one step closer to become successful in life.

Factors Leading to Social Illness Among Teenagers Essay

Teenagers nowadays are very different with teenagers before then. Today,teenagers are getting wilder and tend to have more fun than they should.Rotten teenagers smoked, drink alcohols before they reach maturity, goclubbing and partying, have sex before marriage, involved in drugs, and a lotmore unhealthy activities that are not only useless and wasting their time butare also affecting their health. When asked, why do teenagers love this kind of lifestyle, their answerwould be easy, â€Å"Because this is the way teenagers of this era lived†. How sad itis to think about the social ills among teenagers these days. They preferred to be‘in the crowd’ rather than focussing on how to excel brilliantly in theirexaminations.One of the factors of why social ills are getting worse among teenagersthese days is less attention by their parents. This is a major issue. Today’sparents are very busy focussing on their careers until sometimes they seem toforget their responsibilities as parents. Children who feel lonely due to the lack of time spent with their parents will find new ways to live up their life. They start tosmoke, take drugs and socialising. Once they reach adolescence, children startto abuse the freedom that their parents give to them and become a ‘wild child’. Problems happening inside the home could also lead to social ills amongteenagers. Teenagers are easily stressed and depressed with the situation athome. They could be emotionally affected by divorcing of parents, death of family members, pressure by family to maintain good results, and many moreproblems. Because of too much tension, teenagers have the tendency to involvethemselves in the social ills, in order to release their stress and depression.Another factor that also causes the social ills to get worse is the influencesby friends. A teenager may have chosen wrong friends for him. Friends with badreputation and attitude problems will surely influence their friends to join themand have the blast of dating, clubbing, partying, drinking alcohols and manymore social activities that could ruin the innocence of a child. It is very easy toinfluence teenagers on trying new things as at this stage of life, they are still notvery sure of life and have the feeling of wanting to experience every single newthing in life if possible. Therefore, it is very easy to ‘pull’ teenagers into the worldof social ills. This issue must be looked into seriously as young generation of today arethe leaders of tomorrow. How could they lead the country in the future if theycontinue to mingle in social ills which will eventually destroy themselvesphysically and mentally? Serious actions should be taken immediately byparents, teachers, schools, societies and authorities to stop this issue fromgetting worse. Teenagers should be taught the real meaning of life. They need tochange for the sake of better and brighter future of the world.

Case study on Biochemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case study on Biochemistry - Essay Example When the cycle is incomplete, and the product is not formed, the function of the organism cannot properly take place. Without enzymes, the reactions needed for biological processes of the body would take at a slower rate or fail to take place. This is detrimental to the well-being of the organism involved. One of the most important enzymatic actions is the breakdown of fructose. This is a simple sugar found in some of foods such as fruit and honey. This is essential as it plays an immense role in supply of energy for the body. However, fructose is not a direct source of energy, but enzymes are required to breakdown fructose into a reliable energy. After eating, catabolism of fructose takes place through fructolysis. The process begins with the enzyme fructokinase and produces fructose 1-phosphate as a product. The second step is enhanced by aldose. This enzyme breaks down fructose 1-phosphate into two products: dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and glyceraldehydes. The products enter the process of glycolysis to ensure the body gets its energy requirement and extra glucose. The absence of enzymes necessary for the breakdown of fructose leads to poor response of the body with repeated ingestion of foods containing fructose (NLM, 2011). Explain how a deficiency in aldolase B can be responsible for hereditary fructose intolerance. Aldolase B plays a significant role in the breakdown of fructose. The absence of the enzyme leads to accumulation of fructose-1-phosphate in the liver cells (NLM, 2011). The accumulation of this substance is toxic, and overtime leads to the death of liver cells (Breakspear Medical Group Ltd, n.d.). Additionally, fructose-1-phosphate fails to release the phosphate group required for repeated ATP production and control of stored sugar (NLM, 2011). Several defects arise due to death of liver cells and low number of phosphate groups. They include hypoglycemia, liver abnormalities, and other forms of hereditary fructose intolerance (NLM, 2011 ). Provide clearly labeled diagrams to demonstrate: Diagram lock and key models of enzymatic activity. Diagram showing how enzymes function as a lock and key. Diagram the effect of enzymes on activation energy. Discuss the specific substrate acted on by aldolase B. Enzymes are usually specific in nature. They only act to a unique substrate. Aldolase B also demonstrates this uniqueness. Fructose-1-phosphate (F1P) is acted upon by aldolase B. This is the only enzyme that binds on F1P as its substrate. The breakdown leads to the formation of two products that are further metabolized to produce glucose, lactate and uric acid (NLM, 2011). Explain the role of aldolase B in the breakdown of fructose. Aldose B plays an essential role in the breakdown of fructose. The enzyme breaks down fructose-1-phosphate into dihydrooxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and glyceraldehydes (NLM, 2011). The two products enter the process of glycolisis to answer to body requirements for energy, or increased level of glucose. B. Case two Explain what would happen to the amount of energy available to a cell if the entire Cori cycle occurred and remained within that single cell (i.e., a muscle cell). In the skeletal muscles, there are few mitochondria, and yet they consume a lot of energy. This leads to depletion of oxygen and the muscles are forced to operate without oxygen. The Cori cycle is essential as it links this process with gluconeogenesis in the liver. This means that the lactate produced by the muscle cells travels through the blood into the liver

Your assignment is to identify what you regard as the chief ethical Essay

Your assignment is to identify what you regard as the chief ethical problems in your professional life. Then determine a method of arriving at the best solutions to these problems - Essay Example For instance, I do sometimes come across employees checking their own email accounts during the time they should be working for the organization. There also happen to be employees who happen to be organizational bullies and do not desist from harassing their subordinates and colleagues while being engaged in the day to day activities in the organization. Sometimes, I also come across instances when my juniors engage in fraudulent behavior that happens to be considered a major ethical breach. In such instances, where the acts and decisions of individual employees amount to a larger organizational loss, I do adhere to utilitarian ethics while acting. If the working of an individual employee harms the well being and viability of the larger organizational environment, I seldom hesitate from taking a swift and decisive action against such employees (Schminke, 1998, p. 141. If the issue happens to be minor like checking of personal email, I issue a swift warning to the concerned employee. In case of graver acts like a fraud, I make it a point to take a serious decision against the concerned employee, so that it would deter the other employees from indulging in unethical behavior while serving the organization. Employee working conditions do present major ethical dilemmas for most of the managers and I do not happen to be an exception. Many a times, I come across situations, when the working conditions of the employees happen to be less than satisfactory. I also have to grapple with situations when I feel that a particular employee is not being paid in consonance with the time and efforts being put by one. In such scenarios I believe that utilitarian ethics do not serve me well while taking decisions to ameliorate the situation. In such situations I take ethical decisions that involve opting for the nobler hypothesis amongst the range of available approaches and possibilities. While taking decisions I make

The Evolution of Automobiles from fossile fuels to hybrid and electric Research Paper

The Evolution of Automobiles from fossile fuels to hybrid and electric - Research Paper Example (Bruno 499-534) However, the car that many researchers agree began the move from using horse and buggies can be attributed to Karl Friedrich Benz, who invented the first true automobile with his innovative gasoline powered internal combustion engine between 1885 and 1886. His German patent for this three wheeled, four-cycle automobile was, DRP no. 37435. (Bruno 499-534) Between 1885 and 1903, there were several successful designs marketed in the United States, one of these was first Oldsmobile, the Curved Dash produced between 1900 and 1904. (GM) Henry Ford is among the most well-known of the automobile innovators with his launching of the Ford Motor Company in 1903 and subsequent use of the process including standardized parts and mass production of the Model T. From this point on automobiles became more efficient and widely used. The modern fossil fuel powered car is more fuel-efficient in many areas then many of the older cars that were produced; however, this is not by much. â₠¬Å"According to Ford, the Model T – which began mass-production in 1913 – averaged a fairly healthy 25 miles to the gallon. Nonetheless, by 1923, the year the study begins, the average fuel efficiency of the entire US fleet was 14 mpg.† (Mulcahy 1) According to the article, fuel efficiency has only improved an average of three miles per gallon. This means that unless we switch over to electric or hybrid vehicles we could see serious problems with the planets ecosystem. â€Å"Many of the environmental problems our country faces today result from our fossil fuel dependence. These impacts include global warming, air quality deterioration, oil spills, and acid rain.† (Clean Energy 2) Even though electric cars were used from almost the beginning, they have not been in widespread use until recently. With an increasing awareness of the world around us has come the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels. New technology using hydrogen fuel cells allow a much better , cleaner approach to the question regarding our environment around us. Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that can be used to power nearly every end-use energy needed. (Hydrogen Fuel Cells) In 2007, General Motors (GM) unveiled a hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered version of its Chevrolet Volt concept, a family of electric cars that get a portion of their energy from being plugged into the electrical grid. (Bullis) Currently in the United States, there are several various hybrids and electric vehicles available for purchase, some of these are very small and some are transport trucks. Because too much use of fossil fuels can be bad for the environment the change to hybrid fuels and electric vehicles will be a good thing for the world. Beginning in 2009 several new cars became available. â€Å"Though a few electric cars and plug-in hybrids are currently available on the market, several new models including the Nissan LEAF, Chevrolet Volt, and Mitsubishi i MiEV are scheduled to hit the s treets in the near future. Toyota, creator of the popular Prius hybrid, has thus far declined to deliver a fully electric car.† (Timeline: History of the Car) We should see improvements in hybrid and electric cars over the next several decades and will likely see greater use until the fossil fuel cars are eventually no longer used. Works

Are we free or determined Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Are we free or determined - Research Paper Example On the contrary, when people talk about freedom to do something, it is constructive freedom (Fromm 12). It is, therefore, reasonable to argue that freedom can as well be determined by the objective of the people at a particular time. On the other hand, to be determined is the opposite of being free. Being determined primarily means that the people cannot act out of free will since they are controlled by some socio-political systems. This paper seeks to address the question on freedom and human determination in light of the views of Descartes Rene, Erich Fromm, and James Rachels and Stuart Rachels. In his 1994 book, German-born psychologist and prominent sociologist Erich Fromm looks into the dynamic link between man and the concept of freedom. Fromm addresses the concept of freedom from both the positive and negative side. The sociologist gives the relationship between man and freedom a psycho-sociological approach. His point of reference is the promotion of Nazism in German and Euro pe at large. According to the psychologist, the negative sense of freedom refers to any freewill associated with emancipation. Emancipation involves struggles by a nation to overcome undesirable management by some government or social organization. The struggle colonies were involved in during the freedom struggle is the most apt illustration of this freedom. According to Fromm, this freedom can be disastrous if it does not contain significant aspect of the positive sense of freedom (Fromm 21). In his opinion, Fromm thinks that fighting for emancipation is not a way of running away from trouble but rather a way of moving from one trouble to another. This way, human beings are said to be running away from freedom because doing away with an unwanted government will lead to the creation of another rule that is the same as the former. The sociologist explains that the manner in which Adolf Hitler rose to power can be explained by the struggle for emancipation, without bearing in mind wh at exactly is suitable for a country (Fromm 34). By Hitler rising to power, the Germans had not solved a problem. In any case, they had left a terrible situation and plunged their country into more serious problems. The rise of capitalism made human beings realize that they could work independently to determine their futures. They realized that they were being transformed into slaves whose work was to meet socio-economical duties. At this point, people stopped thinking of the idea of going to a state office, which was characterized by unnecessary red tape management, as being viable. It is at this point that human beings began focusing on self employment and identity management. According to Fromm, it is during this time that people realized the need for open and liberalized thinking. Employing such individualized ideas affected people’s perceptions of religion (Fromm 56). People began to develop individuated thoughts about the Supreme Being. It is for this simple reason that up to this day, some people still question the existence of God. Still, the churches and other religious institutions influence people’s thoughts on the existence of God and various religious doctrines. Fromm explains that the human race is not free. Like Rachels and Rachels in their book Problem Form Philosophy, he argues that the human race is influenced and determined by various socio-political structures and systems. The sociologist

Final term paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Final term paper - Essay Example Natural resources like water supplies, fisheries, forests, mineral products, timber, and even the air should be maintained sustainably so these resources can recover and be renewable for years to come. It is an imperative need to use natural resources in a wise and prudent way for survival. Richard Buckminster Fuller is a famous inventor, systems theorist, designer, architect, and more notably, also a futurist who once remarked that â€Å"normal Man is designed to be a success and the Universe gets designed to support that success. Man is essential to the success of the Universe itself† (Fuller, 1967). From Fuller’s perspective, Man and Universe are co-existent and need each other for support and success. Man should achieve success via the Universe and the Universe requires Man to make it a better place. The Universe and Man exist in synergy and through their interaction each becomes successful; there is a mutually beneficial relationship and this Fuller quote indicates or implies a symbiosis. In other words, it connotes the impression Man is designed for success and it is only up to him to secure that success. The default mode for Man is to be successful and any failure is again up to him only; there is no one to blame but Man if something goes horribly wrong. Fuller’s thinking is Manifested in his architectural designs. Discussion Although Richard Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) has Many great contributions to science, design, engineering, and architecture, his most famous and iconic design is the geodesic dome which is composed of a shell- or lattice-structure superimposed with a network of spheres or circles on the surface of a much larger sphere. This design is reminiscent of an eggshell which is considered as one of Nature’s most efficient designs ever because it maximizes its utility and at the same minimizes the use of raw materials or natural resources to achieve a utilitarian design. In other words, it extracts and exploits natural resources at Man’s disposal but minimizes damage to the environment by using only what is required as absolutely necessary. The Universe provides Man with the natural resources he or she requires for survival and success. The Universe provides Man for all his basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing by providing him with all forms of material things and the energy required to transform these things. Natural resources such as water and land enable Man to become creative in ways so he or she can make use of them to become socially and economically successful. A normal Man would take advantage of the resources offered by the Universe to catapult him or her to success but this is to be taken not literally but only figuratively. Man should use his or her resources wisely. The wise of use of resources is conceptualized and evidenced by the development of geodesics which is the scientific and academic discipline involving the study of how to form an enclosed space that is strong, lightweight, curved or spherical in shape that gives a rare stability to a structure and more importantly, provides or encloses the greatest volume with a least surface area required; in other words, this design makes good use of the

John D. Rockefeller Essay Example for Free

John D. Rockefeller Essay John D. Rockefeller was born July 8th, 1893, in New York. Even from an early stage in John’s life, he had a great understandment of how money worked. According to a biography from PBS, â€Å"He loaned a local farmer $50 at 7% interest payable in one year, at the age of 12.† During the late 1800’s John D. Rockefeller monopolized the oil industry. Rockefeller then became a multimillionaire. As Rockefeller started to leave the industry of oil, he then began to refine the city he loved, Manhattan. During the early to middle 1900’s Rockefeller decided to give back to his beloved city, by creating the Rockefeller center. Completed in 1933, the center was open for business, and ready to revamp the city of Manhattan. According to TopOFTheRockernyc.com, â€Å"Rockefeller Center and the observation deck were his gifts to Manhattan- a place for locals and visitors to marvel at the city he loved.† During the 1950’s many things were going on at the Rockefeller center, the starting of the soon to be hit talk show The Today Show, broadcasted live from the 30 rock, one of four of the plazas in the Rockefeller center. Also during the construction of the first of four developed-office buildings, the Time life building in 1957, Marilyn Monroe Dedicated the â€Å"sidewalk superintendents’ club† to oversee the construction site. According to RockefellerCenter.com, â€Å"The entertainment facet of Rockefeller Center was definitely making a name for itself.† Through all the money and power John. D. Rockefeller had, he never lost his humble start. As Rockefeller once said â€Å"If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.†

Relationship between Business Strategy and IT Strategy

Relationship between Business Strategy and IT Strategy BUSINESS-IT ALIGNMENT (BITA) The relationship between Business strategy and IT strategy and the influence of organisation culture on this strategic alignment in Saudi firms will form the basis of the research in this research. As such, the literature reviewed here will survey major research and practice in the business-IT strategic alignment domain for the purpose of deriving a research framework, or model, of business-IT strategic alignment that will unite the key principles contained within the literature. The intention is to develop a model simple enough for application that will provide a practical tool both for management and IT practitioners. 2.1 BITA A CHRONLOGICAL HISTORY Study on the strategic alignment concept will soon be reaching a quarter of a decades worth of knowledge. Henderson Sifonis (1988) began studying this notion during the late 80s when alignment emerged from a focus on strategic business planning and long-range IT planning where IT plans were created in support of corporate strategies Chan Reich (2007, p. 298). Nevertheless, strategic alignment has retained its interest and value in the business and IT communities and is still a popular topic today for organisations; perhaps even more so as technological advancement continues to dominate the exchange of information. Not surprisingly, its evolution has followed closely the developmental progress of IT itself which began with the operational era continuing through the re-engineering viewpoint and the new economy as figure 2.1 illustrates: The initial phase, the operational era, was concerned primarily with the operations that an organisation performed and focused on setting up mainframes, managing networks of PCs, and backing up organisational data. IT provided the nuts and bolts to facilitate automation of back-office functions through the development of software and had only a supportive role. Strategic alignment was thus viewed merely as a supporting act for every-day operations with its software applications. The second phase, re-engineering, arose from the increasing trend toward dependency on the automation of business processes by IT which not only offered back-office functions support but the promise of total automation within an organization as a whole through IT software applications. At this stage, IT was still viewed only as a supportive tool with no representation in the business end of an organisation. For example, business managers expressed their system needs which the IT department embraced and went on to develop and deploy a new software application in isolation. These early strategic alignment projects were not always successful. It was discovered that the development of software (with embedded processes) for automation of a business function was no guarantee of improvement over its earlier manual operation, indeed it could end up being more time-consuming and therefore less efficient as operators were not necessarily au fait with the application. There was not a full unde rstanding of what IT could do and how it could enhance a companys position beyond speeding up communications and thereby creating more ‘time for production or interfacing. A ‘Them and Us atmosphere prevailed with the ‘techies in a separate world to the mangers or drivers of the business, neither fully understanding the others needs [elements that are also considered further in the organisation culture aspect of this research and dealt with in the next chapter]. In the 1990s, Baets study of European banks (Baets, 1996) supported the findings of Vitale and colleagues ten years earlier (Vitale et al., 1986) that knowledge of IT had to be on a par with expert business knowledge for the two to create any comprehension and thereby effective application of strategic alignment in organisations. The third phase, new economy, saw IT commanding greater importance and status as organisations began to emerge that were embracing e-commerce. The demands of the new e-business projects required involvement of IT representatives in their management and strategic planning. The implementation of Internet technologies to augment business processes for productivity or profitability improvements brought the role of IT into the spotlight, according it recognition and strategic responsibility. Along with the newly elevated status of the old IT department there was a greater familiarity with technology and its capabilities and the prejudice that had previously scorned the ‘nerds dissipated somewhat as managers and personnel became more knowledgeable and the IT personnel more essential beyond a lab coat and a screwdriver [cf: artifacts causing division, Schein (1992) and Trompenaars (1997) in chapter 3]. Despite the current global economic crisis and the demise of the new economy IT con tinues to assume new responsibilities and organisations have even more need for strategic alignment projects. An IT department in 2010 must manage relations with partners and bear business responsibilities concerned with the development and customisation of software that will improve how a business functions; practice effective project management to control costs and maximise efficiency and ensure that the introduction of any new hardware or software support operations and infrastructure, â€Å" maintaining the crucial corporate data that helps managers throughout the enterprise to make intelligent and informed decisions Hoque (2002, p. 31). Kearns Lederer, (2003) and Seggie et al. (2006) agree that strategic alignment is a means to gain competitive advantage and Sabherwal Chan (2001), Wagner et al. (2005) and Zhou et al. (2008) further add that it improves organisational performance. 2.2 DEFINING BITA Determining a conclusive definition for alignment is as challenging as its function and application. There are many perspectives and multiple definitions including in chronological order: strategic alignment (Henderson and Venkatraman, 1993); harmony (Luftman, 1996); fit (Porter, 1996); bridge (Ciborra, 1997); integration (Weill and Broadbend, 1988); fusion (Smaczny, 2001); IS alignment (Chan et al., 2006; Benbya and McKelvey, 2006) business-IT alignment (Luftman, 2007); and IT alignment (Chan, 2007). It is understandable that there is such diversity as definitions depend on our understanding of language. The semantics involved are precarious because the new technologies are often described in technical terms and applying simplistic synonyms to explain the intention of alignment in the context of business IT in terminology that is understood without associated jargon is very difficult. Overall, the definitions offered, though they have nuances of difference between them, do relate to the improvement of organisational capability through technology. Broadbent and Weills (1993) early definition, purports that it is the degree to which information strategies support, stimulate and/or enable any business strategies. A later definition offered by Reich and Benbasat (1996) asserts much the same but frames it in terms of the missions of the IT and business objectives and plans on both sides. Luftman (2000) was the first to introduce the element of evolution into the definition and argued that it required strength [as the key element] from leadership, senior management and working relationships, combined with a complete understanding of the business and technical environments, fitting prioritisation, mutual trust, and of course, effective communication. Hirschheim and Sabherwals (2001) definition included the idea of a reciprocal arrangement as fundamental to its meaning and stated that alignment was the achieved between strategy and supporting structures that allowed both IS (information systems) and business to function and communica te responsively each way to one another. Most accepted definitions do highlight the alignment dichotomy described by Kearns and Lederer, (2000), where the argument is that the IS plan ought to align with the business plan (ISP-BP) and vice versa (BP-ISP) the business plan ought to align with the IS plan. Each perspective serves to increase the understanding of IT at organisational level and assist the prioritisation of IT projects. Reich and Benbasat (1996) were protagonists of the ISP-BP model, which they declared signified, IS managements comprehension of the business strategy. Whereas Bensaou and Earl (1998) contrarily preferred the BP-ISP alignment model as they believed it assumed a greater understanding on the part of the business comprehension of the IT aspects and thus the plan and the resources would ally more effectively together as a result of this knowledge, understanding and commitment. These elements are believed to be enablers of alignment (Luftman et al., 1999). In the definitions offered some view alignment as a specific happening or event and others regard it is an ongoing process. Duffy (2001) saw BITA as a process of achieving competitive advantage through a developed and sustained business and IT symbiosis. Maes et al. (2000) claimed BITA to be a continuous and continual process that involved management and design sub-processes with conscious and coherent interrelation of all elements and mechanisms within the business/IT relationship offering contribution to the ongoing performance of the organisation. Moodys (2003) definition saw BITA as a form of comprehensive resources management (people/ technology/ outside resources) that provides a set of IT services and capabilities that are in line with the business needs and priorities. And Senn (2003) was assured that each action executed by IT individuals was to focus on the creation and delivery of shareholder/stakeholder value through supporting business operations and/or achieving business goals. 2.3 BITA PERSPECTIVES AND DIMENSIONS With the diversity of definitions offered to explain the meaning of the strategic alignment concept, as outlined in the previous section, there is a need to further explore the differences to discover why there is such variety. Part of the explanation may be that as the concept has evolved it has been closely linked to the evolution of technological capabilities. Attitudes have changed as organisations have adopted new technologies and personnel have become more familiar with their potential and their operation. These dynamics and the evolution of strategic alignment are reflected in the number of conceptualisations and their definitions will be analysed in the context of the differing perspectives afforded to them. BITA with regard to its perception as a strategy, an event, a continuous process, a performance indicator, an assessment tool, a social influence and as an operation will be briefly outlined below to expand on the definitions in the literature from their different dimensi ons. 2.3.1 BITA AS A STRATEGY It has been a tradition for literature to refer to Business-IT alignment as ‘strategic alignment. Considering it in these terms frames it as an intellectual notion rather than something more concrete or practical and as such it can be high-jacked to represent whatever strategy suits the organisation that is considering alignment. There is no harm in referencing alignment in this manner for it allows debate and therefore change, essential for evolution and adopting a ‘strategy suitable to the structure, culture and level of alignment required. By referring to it in this way however, the literature suggests that strategic alignment is dependent on the fit between IT strategy and business strategy, and on how the IS plans are established to support such a fit (Teo and King, 1997). Many authors in the strategic alignment field approach alignment purely at the strategic level, e.g. Baets (1992), Broadbent and Weill (1993), Chan et al. (1997), and Luftman (2003). At the core of their conceptualisations is the notion that business strategy itself must first be analysed and only thereafter be used to determine a complementary IT strategy. In this scenario the business strategy is paramount and the IT strategy contribution secondary, it is a means to an end rather than a means in its own right. However, despite the alignment between business strategy and IT strategy where emphasis is laid on defining IS strategy plans (Benbya and Mckelvey, 2006) strategic alignment continues to be problematical in many organisations. Thus, reaching an agreed definition that details IS strategic plans is important for strategic alignment; however, is it not enough on its own for the achievement of such alignment (van der Zee and de Jong, 1999). 2.3.2 STRUCTURAL TOPOLOGY AFFECTING BITA The literature often takes for granted the strategic element of the concept and delves further into its implications for organisations, concentrating on the behaviour and nature of BITA what it does when you introduce it [and also is a strong feature of the organisational culture types discussed in the following chapter]. This depends largely on what type of a structure into which it is introduced. A formal structure, an informal structure or a hybrid structure, each having its own merits and each being capable of effective function when the circumstances and environment are conducive to the choice made (Brown and Magill, 1994). Against their three identified structures, Earl (1989) identified five potentially suitable structures: centralized, business unit, business venture, decentralised, and federal. Tavakolian (1989) found a direct correlation between competitive and conservative strategies within an environment and the corresponding decentralised or centralised IT structures ev ident in an organisation and this finding is supported to some extent by Bergeron et al. (2001) with the caveat that it is not solely the complexity of structure that impacts performance but that other factors are influential too. Chans (2001) view is that informal structure, â€Å"†¦relationship-based structures that transcend the formal division of labour and coordination of tasks†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Chan, 2001, p67) can be just as effective as formal structure with the human element rather than intellectualised models and processes driving alignment, often with more impact and success than a formal arrangement. Structure, therefore can add a new dimension to the perspective of alignment as it places it in a setting that will impose its own constraints on the practice and execution of alignment exercises and ideals. 2.3.3 BITA AS AN END IN ITSELF For some authors it alignment doesnt seem to ‘do anything rather it is a business unit that lacks the dynamics others see in it. The implication is that it is something that is ‘brought in like an object concrete and physical and recognised by its static end state where some sort of equilibrium is achieved between the IT and business sides in an organisation. In the previous section, some of the definitions only present strategic alignment as an outcome achieved through the employment and adoption of different models, techniques and processes (Ortiz, 2003). Broadbent and Weill (1993), Chan et al. (1997), Luftman (2003) and Reich and Benbasat (1996), also see strategic alignment as something to be arrived at, a destination that is terminated when an optimal situation has been achieved. This may be a misunderstanding of the full meaning as the attitude that having strategic alignment the business married with the technology required for effective fulfillment of objectives cannot stand alone and it would be naà ¯ve to believe that BITA was a panacea for all business problems so perhaps the authors see it as an optimal achievement when all the other factors, or perspectives, also come into play to make BITA a worthwhile ‘thing in itself. 2.3.4 BITA AS A CONTINUING PROCESS If a business is static it will stagnate and if a business wishes to grow, like IT, it must always continue to evolve through a naturally occurring dynamics that are integral to the implementation of policies such as strategic alignment. Baets (1996), Luftman et al. (1999), and Rondinelli (2001) agree that these dynamics require constant monitoring and appropriate adjustment. Therefore, strategic alignment is not something attainable but something constantly in development, as it is variously described by Henderson and Venkatraman (1993), Baets 1996, Maes et al. (2000), Duffy (2001), Moody (2003), and Senn (2004). â€Å"An issue that has remained relatively unchallenged and unquestioned is how to align IT that is relatively fixed once implemented in an organization, with a business strategy and associated information requirements that are constantly in need of adjustment Galliers (2007, p. 228). Even within this perspective there are two schools of thought; the classical school of thought with emphasis on contingency adaptations and the ‘processual approach (Whittington, 1993) that emphasises the importance of addressing internal and power issues, particularly how cultural elements influence the formal elements of rationality and the decision process in strategic alignment and rejects IT as merely an adaptation but gives it greater weight as a resource. Furthermore, practitioners are being advised to adopt a view of strategic alignment as a continual process. In Pearlmans (2004) article advice to CIOs, in summary, is that they should communicate, demonstrate, lead, collaborate, govern and build if they wish to achieve alignment. 2.3.5 BITA FOR PERFORMANCE INDICATION It is the consideration of several authors that strategic alignment is not only a process but also a tool whereby they can reflect on the business value that organisations might possess, or not. In studies analysed the relationship between strategic alignment and competitive advantage or organisational performance were tracked, (Venkatraman, 1989; Sabherwal and Chan, 2001; Kearns and Lederer, 2003; Wagner, 2005; Seggie et al., 2006; Zhou, 2008). Tallon and Kraemer (2003) were responsible for the additional concept of business value being included as an element to the performance indication point of view of strategic alignment and analyse business value by relating it to organisational IT goals and measuring the IT return of investment from a strategic alignment viewpoint. 2.3.6 ASSESSMENT USING BITA In response to the question: `how do organisations know how good their strategic alignment is? different authors have developed Maturity Models (MMs) (de Koning and der Mark, 2002; Duffy, 2001; Luftman, 2003; van der Raadt et al., 2005). MMs describe the development of a specific domain over time. This perspective is in itself a more mature outlook than other perspectives as it has to consider many of the dynamics before being able to construct an effective strategic alignment. Because of the in-built review and evaluation required for this perspective it has to look at all aspects that the alignment may affect. Researchwork and systems are subject to assessment and revision through these maturity models and their monitoring. On the basis of the assessments of those MMs, organisations can fine tune and calibrate their strategic alignment: Identify any alignment-related aspects/processes improvements required to obtain a higher level of strategic alignment maturity. Initiate any change processes to ensure that the identified improvements eventuate. In much the same way, acceptance of the cyclical nature of strategic alignment as posited by Burns (1996) ‘lead-lag model implies assessment in response to intermittent predictable and unpredictable changes as does the ‘punctuated equilibrium model of Sabherwal et al. (2001) where interruptions to stability demand a fresh look at the long term plan and goals of strategic alignment. 2.3.7 BITA AS A SOCIAL INFLUENCE If an organisation intends to work toward achieving strategic alignment it will necessitate communication that will involve negotiation, collaboration and mutual understanding elements not always present a specific organisational structure or culture. This communication can blur the boundaries of traditional or conventional approaches and therefore becomes a driving force behind social attitudes and perceptions. Chan (2002) and Huang and Hu (2007) uphold this view that maintaining effective communication in an organisation will impact on corporate strategic alignment culture. Concord must be developed for effective channels of communication, transparency in the exchange of knowledge and sharing of learning (Hoque, 2002; Daneva and Hu, 2007), and the use of informal communication is just as important a factor for adjustment and control (Mintzberg, 1993; Chan, 2002; vander Raadt et al., 2005), to generate an atmosphere of trust and an effective response to business needs from an IT pe rspective. Reich and Benbasats (2000) study further confirms that strategic alignment is more likely to succeed when business and IT executives have an [importantly] expressed and [understood] shared common vision of ITs contribution. 2.3.8 BITA AND OPERATIONS Strategic alignment [when it is all-encompassing and embraced by all as part of an organisational culture] necessarily involves organisational issues of communication, structure and, particularly, coordination processes that are operational to the business in specifically performed actions (Wieringa, 2008). Operational strategic alignment consists of aligning the operational activities of IT and business people with each other so that optimal IT support for business requirements is achieved. In this context, Peak and Guynes (2003) put the onus of success on the IT side of the equation, though it does imply some reciprocity in the initial communication of ‘quality requirements and they state that strategic alignment will only be attained when an organisations IT staff can deliver quality information and quality IT products and services to the business side. 2.4 BITA MODELS 2.4.1 MIT90S FRAMEWORK (1991) During the 1980s, research conducted at the world renowned MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) initiated interest in the academic community to the potential of the strategic power of IT. In the attempt to exploit the possibilities revealed in the model from the research it was suggested that radical innovation involving IT investment could carry substantial reward if key elements of strategy, structure, technology, management processes and individuals and their roles were kept in alignment (Morton, 1991). Organisation can be visualised as a set of five forces in dynamic equilibrium subject to external influences from the technological environment and the socio-economic environment. In this view, a core task of general management is to ensure that all five ‘forces (represented by the boxes), can flow without restriction or impediment in order to achieve the organisations goals and objectives. With management at the centre of the model its role is central too. Though some areas might not necessarily be in direct contact with each other they are connected via the management process which plays the principal role and ensures organisational response to shifts in demands from the external variables. 2.4.2 THE HENDERSON AND VENKATRAMAN STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT MODEL (1993) Henderson Venkatramans (1993) strategic model (Figure 2.3) is a widely used four-part illustration favoured by many researchers and organisations for the assessment of the level of alignment in a company. Each of the four parts [quarters] contain three distinct and individuals elements which, when collectively analysed, can be used to define each quarter operationally. These twelve elements- further expanded in Table 1 are used to establish the level and type of alignment within a corporation (Henderson Venkatraman, 1993; Papp, 1995). Table 1 Components of the Strategic Alignment Model Within the model it can be seen how external influences may affect change on either processes [lower sectors] or strategies [upper sectors]. A vertical link couples the upper and lowers sectors and shows the relationship between strategic fit to accommodate strategy with infrastructure. A horizontal link for functional integration shows how IT strategies must adapt as business strategies change, and displays the dependence and required response of each sector upon anothers adaptations particularly in relation to skills and operation. Giving focus to three of the four quarters of the model at a given time can permit a simultaneous address to both strategic fit and functional integration (Papp, 1995; Luftman et al., 1999). The SAM (Strategic Alignment Model) model has proven empirical authenticity and has provided valid conceptual and practical value (Goedvolk et al,. 1997; Avison et al., 2004). Nevertheless, it is subject to confines, eg, the applicability of the SAM model may vary depending on the IT-intensity of an industry and the assumptions expounded might not be relevant to the circumstances (Burn and Szeto, 2000). As mentioned, the model does have recognition and a number of scholars have further elaborated on it (e.g., Luftman et al., 1993). Goedvolk et al.s (1997) extension of the SAM model gave greater focus to technical and architectural attributes. Avison et al.s (2004) addition to the SAM model was able to provide practitioners and academics with further practical ways to attain alignment in their advocacy of examining projects retrospectively to determine alignment. This form of alignment monitoring, can allow pre-emption in a change in strategy and implementation of a new alignment perspective by re-allocation of project resources. The SAM model inspired Maes et al. (2000) to produce a framework that incorporates even more layers pertinent to function and strategy where information providers are separated from the systems providing information in a new information domain representing knowledge, [and exchange of information through] communication and coordination. Their third dimension addresses specific sub-architecture areas. 2.4.3 IS CAPABILITY AND ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCE MODEL (2004) Peppard and Wards model (2004) shows IS capability at the core of everything, inherently affecting competencies and emanating an influence on all areas that interrelate [business strategy/business operations/IT operations and services/IS/IT strategy] and impact upon the organisational performance. Such focus on the importance of this core element demonstrates the value IS capabilities can create and is therefore an organisation-wide responsibility that cannot be delegated to the IS function alone (Peppard et al., 2000). Peppard and Ward (2004) later asserted that though an organisation might envisage an IT based innovative strategy, it will be their IS capabilities that permit such a vision to come to fruition. 2.4.4 CO-EVOLUTIONARY IS ALIGNMENT (2006) By 2006 the model suggested by Benbya and McKelvey (2006) through its graphic presentation appears a more fluid representation suggesting, even visually, that there is more of a flow between relationships in alignment. It still addresses the need to analyse relationships between business and IT (horizontal IS alignment) but introduces a need to merge the views at different levels [strategic/operational/individual] of analysis (vertical IS alignment) through shared understanding and communication. The co-evolutionary IS alignment perspective conveys the necessity for mutual adaptation within a dynamic interplay of co-evolving elements. Co-evolution does not necessarily seek harmony between the elements but a respect for their position and the innovation that may result from the circumstances and environments in which they function. 2.5 ASSESSMENT APPROACHES OF BITA In this section MMs (maturity models) are referred to that have been developed for the assessment of BITA. 2.5.1 DUFFYS MM (2001) Duffys (2001) MM is founded on the principle that a dependable, mutually compatible partnership between IT and business executives is elementary in order to achieve a worthwhile BITA. Without this premise there cannot be a successful desired outcome. Accepting that there is a level of interdependence between IT and business objectives, any schism or division between IT and non-IT areas would sabotage any efforts to establish alignment. This model is arranged about a series of key success drivers (the domains: human resources organisation and management/innovation and renewal strategy/IT/business architecture/IT/business partnership/operational excellence/ROI strategy management) which are operationalised in KPIs (key performance indicators) that each contain five contributory factors aspects designed to address explicit and significant questions within the KPI where it is included. The six domains are briefly explained below: Human resources organisation and management. In this domain reference is made to an organisations personnel and emphasis is given to the importance of workforce recruitment, retention and management by an organisation. Innovation and renewal strategy. The focus here is how innovative an organisation is with an emphasis on currency and validity having a bearing upon understanding when renewal is required to processes and capabilities in an organisation. IT/business architecture. This domain is concerned with the relationship and interaction of entities involved in the information and applications in the business environment of an organisation. IT/business partnership. This domain reflects how the recent upgrading of the role of the IT function affects an organisation â€Å"Technology is critical to business success and this co-dependency drives the need for the IT and non-IT executives to pursue a win/win relationship Duffy (2003, p. 4). Operational excellence. This domain deals with the performance outcomes of the organisation. Duffy recognises that operational excellence can only be achieved if an organisation can recognise the value of ideals embedded in learning and partnerships, and can respond to market demands promptly. ROI strategy and management. This domain investigates the importance of the metrics and processes required for efficient and effective financial management within organisations and accepting IT costs and benefits as having parity with business ones. Duffys six domains address the â€Å"IT and non-IT assertion as well as certain strategic elements within an organisation but there are no explicitly stated maturity levels for them. Instead, Duffy merges the six domains of the model into four BITA scenarios where organisations fall into the following categories: â€Å"uneasy alliance†, â€Å"supplier/consumer relationship†, â€Å"co-dependence/grudging respect†, and â€Å"united we succeed, divided we fail†. These laymans terms are loose at best and though intended to be descriptive only serve to confuse in their interpretation. Such scenarios are the maturity levels in the model. 2.5.2 LUFTMANS MM (2003) Luftmans model (2003) was constructed on the basis of practical experience and research into enablers and inhibitors of alignment (Luftman et al, 1999), incorporating reference to various other models [here listed chronologically and not in order of importance or influence]: Nolans stages of growth model (Nolan, 1979), SAM (Henderson and Venkatraman, 1993) and CMMs (Capability Maturity Model) reach and range concept of (Keen, 1996). Luftmans MM is an endeavour based in six domains (skills/technology scope/partnership/governance/competency measurements/communications) to discover a specific organisations BITA profile. A brief description of each domain follows: Skills: addresses practical human resources issues such as cross-training in IT and business issues regarding the cultural environment and its impact on innovation and organisational change. Technology scope: refers to how much provision of comprehensible and flexible infrastructure comes from IT, the implementation of emergent technol Relationship between Business Strategy and IT Strategy Relationship between Business Strategy and IT Strategy BUSINESS-IT ALIGNMENT (BITA) The relationship between Business strategy and IT strategy and the influence of organisation culture on this strategic alignment in Saudi firms will form the basis of the research in this research. As such, the literature reviewed here will survey major research and practice in the business-IT strategic alignment domain for the purpose of deriving a research framework, or model, of business-IT strategic alignment that will unite the key principles contained within the literature. The intention is to develop a model simple enough for application that will provide a practical tool both for management and IT practitioners. 2.1 BITA A CHRONLOGICAL HISTORY Study on the strategic alignment concept will soon be reaching a quarter of a decades worth of knowledge. Henderson Sifonis (1988) began studying this notion during the late 80s when alignment emerged from a focus on strategic business planning and long-range IT planning where IT plans were created in support of corporate strategies Chan Reich (2007, p. 298). Nevertheless, strategic alignment has retained its interest and value in the business and IT communities and is still a popular topic today for organisations; perhaps even more so as technological advancement continues to dominate the exchange of information. Not surprisingly, its evolution has followed closely the developmental progress of IT itself which began with the operational era continuing through the re-engineering viewpoint and the new economy as figure 2.1 illustrates: The initial phase, the operational era, was concerned primarily with the operations that an organisation performed and focused on setting up mainframes, managing networks of PCs, and backing up organisational data. IT provided the nuts and bolts to facilitate automation of back-office functions through the development of software and had only a supportive role. Strategic alignment was thus viewed merely as a supporting act for every-day operations with its software applications. The second phase, re-engineering, arose from the increasing trend toward dependency on the automation of business processes by IT which not only offered back-office functions support but the promise of total automation within an organization as a whole through IT software applications. At this stage, IT was still viewed only as a supportive tool with no representation in the business end of an organisation. For example, business managers expressed their system needs which the IT department embraced and went on to develop and deploy a new software application in isolation. These early strategic alignment projects were not always successful. It was discovered that the development of software (with embedded processes) for automation of a business function was no guarantee of improvement over its earlier manual operation, indeed it could end up being more time-consuming and therefore less efficient as operators were not necessarily au fait with the application. There was not a full unde rstanding of what IT could do and how it could enhance a companys position beyond speeding up communications and thereby creating more ‘time for production or interfacing. A ‘Them and Us atmosphere prevailed with the ‘techies in a separate world to the mangers or drivers of the business, neither fully understanding the others needs [elements that are also considered further in the organisation culture aspect of this research and dealt with in the next chapter]. In the 1990s, Baets study of European banks (Baets, 1996) supported the findings of Vitale and colleagues ten years earlier (Vitale et al., 1986) that knowledge of IT had to be on a par with expert business knowledge for the two to create any comprehension and thereby effective application of strategic alignment in organisations. The third phase, new economy, saw IT commanding greater importance and status as organisations began to emerge that were embracing e-commerce. The demands of the new e-business projects required involvement of IT representatives in their management and strategic planning. The implementation of Internet technologies to augment business processes for productivity or profitability improvements brought the role of IT into the spotlight, according it recognition and strategic responsibility. Along with the newly elevated status of the old IT department there was a greater familiarity with technology and its capabilities and the prejudice that had previously scorned the ‘nerds dissipated somewhat as managers and personnel became more knowledgeable and the IT personnel more essential beyond a lab coat and a screwdriver [cf: artifacts causing division, Schein (1992) and Trompenaars (1997) in chapter 3]. Despite the current global economic crisis and the demise of the new economy IT con tinues to assume new responsibilities and organisations have even more need for strategic alignment projects. An IT department in 2010 must manage relations with partners and bear business responsibilities concerned with the development and customisation of software that will improve how a business functions; practice effective project management to control costs and maximise efficiency and ensure that the introduction of any new hardware or software support operations and infrastructure, â€Å" maintaining the crucial corporate data that helps managers throughout the enterprise to make intelligent and informed decisions Hoque (2002, p. 31). Kearns Lederer, (2003) and Seggie et al. (2006) agree that strategic alignment is a means to gain competitive advantage and Sabherwal Chan (2001), Wagner et al. (2005) and Zhou et al. (2008) further add that it improves organisational performance. 2.2 DEFINING BITA Determining a conclusive definition for alignment is as challenging as its function and application. There are many perspectives and multiple definitions including in chronological order: strategic alignment (Henderson and Venkatraman, 1993); harmony (Luftman, 1996); fit (Porter, 1996); bridge (Ciborra, 1997); integration (Weill and Broadbend, 1988); fusion (Smaczny, 2001); IS alignment (Chan et al., 2006; Benbya and McKelvey, 2006) business-IT alignment (Luftman, 2007); and IT alignment (Chan, 2007). It is understandable that there is such diversity as definitions depend on our understanding of language. The semantics involved are precarious because the new technologies are often described in technical terms and applying simplistic synonyms to explain the intention of alignment in the context of business IT in terminology that is understood without associated jargon is very difficult. Overall, the definitions offered, though they have nuances of difference between them, do relate to the improvement of organisational capability through technology. Broadbent and Weills (1993) early definition, purports that it is the degree to which information strategies support, stimulate and/or enable any business strategies. A later definition offered by Reich and Benbasat (1996) asserts much the same but frames it in terms of the missions of the IT and business objectives and plans on both sides. Luftman (2000) was the first to introduce the element of evolution into the definition and argued that it required strength [as the key element] from leadership, senior management and working relationships, combined with a complete understanding of the business and technical environments, fitting prioritisation, mutual trust, and of course, effective communication. Hirschheim and Sabherwals (2001) definition included the idea of a reciprocal arrangement as fundamental to its meaning and stated that alignment was the achieved between strategy and supporting structures that allowed both IS (information systems) and business to function and communica te responsively each way to one another. Most accepted definitions do highlight the alignment dichotomy described by Kearns and Lederer, (2000), where the argument is that the IS plan ought to align with the business plan (ISP-BP) and vice versa (BP-ISP) the business plan ought to align with the IS plan. Each perspective serves to increase the understanding of IT at organisational level and assist the prioritisation of IT projects. Reich and Benbasat (1996) were protagonists of the ISP-BP model, which they declared signified, IS managements comprehension of the business strategy. Whereas Bensaou and Earl (1998) contrarily preferred the BP-ISP alignment model as they believed it assumed a greater understanding on the part of the business comprehension of the IT aspects and thus the plan and the resources would ally more effectively together as a result of this knowledge, understanding and commitment. These elements are believed to be enablers of alignment (Luftman et al., 1999). In the definitions offered some view alignment as a specific happening or event and others regard it is an ongoing process. Duffy (2001) saw BITA as a process of achieving competitive advantage through a developed and sustained business and IT symbiosis. Maes et al. (2000) claimed BITA to be a continuous and continual process that involved management and design sub-processes with conscious and coherent interrelation of all elements and mechanisms within the business/IT relationship offering contribution to the ongoing performance of the organisation. Moodys (2003) definition saw BITA as a form of comprehensive resources management (people/ technology/ outside resources) that provides a set of IT services and capabilities that are in line with the business needs and priorities. And Senn (2003) was assured that each action executed by IT individuals was to focus on the creation and delivery of shareholder/stakeholder value through supporting business operations and/or achieving business goals. 2.3 BITA PERSPECTIVES AND DIMENSIONS With the diversity of definitions offered to explain the meaning of the strategic alignment concept, as outlined in the previous section, there is a need to further explore the differences to discover why there is such variety. Part of the explanation may be that as the concept has evolved it has been closely linked to the evolution of technological capabilities. Attitudes have changed as organisations have adopted new technologies and personnel have become more familiar with their potential and their operation. These dynamics and the evolution of strategic alignment are reflected in the number of conceptualisations and their definitions will be analysed in the context of the differing perspectives afforded to them. BITA with regard to its perception as a strategy, an event, a continuous process, a performance indicator, an assessment tool, a social influence and as an operation will be briefly outlined below to expand on the definitions in the literature from their different dimensi ons. 2.3.1 BITA AS A STRATEGY It has been a tradition for literature to refer to Business-IT alignment as ‘strategic alignment. Considering it in these terms frames it as an intellectual notion rather than something more concrete or practical and as such it can be high-jacked to represent whatever strategy suits the organisation that is considering alignment. There is no harm in referencing alignment in this manner for it allows debate and therefore change, essential for evolution and adopting a ‘strategy suitable to the structure, culture and level of alignment required. By referring to it in this way however, the literature suggests that strategic alignment is dependent on the fit between IT strategy and business strategy, and on how the IS plans are established to support such a fit (Teo and King, 1997). Many authors in the strategic alignment field approach alignment purely at the strategic level, e.g. Baets (1992), Broadbent and Weill (1993), Chan et al. (1997), and Luftman (2003). At the core of their conceptualisations is the notion that business strategy itself must first be analysed and only thereafter be used to determine a complementary IT strategy. In this scenario the business strategy is paramount and the IT strategy contribution secondary, it is a means to an end rather than a means in its own right. However, despite the alignment between business strategy and IT strategy where emphasis is laid on defining IS strategy plans (Benbya and Mckelvey, 2006) strategic alignment continues to be problematical in many organisations. Thus, reaching an agreed definition that details IS strategic plans is important for strategic alignment; however, is it not enough on its own for the achievement of such alignment (van der Zee and de Jong, 1999). 2.3.2 STRUCTURAL TOPOLOGY AFFECTING BITA The literature often takes for granted the strategic element of the concept and delves further into its implications for organisations, concentrating on the behaviour and nature of BITA what it does when you introduce it [and also is a strong feature of the organisational culture types discussed in the following chapter]. This depends largely on what type of a structure into which it is introduced. A formal structure, an informal structure or a hybrid structure, each having its own merits and each being capable of effective function when the circumstances and environment are conducive to the choice made (Brown and Magill, 1994). Against their three identified structures, Earl (1989) identified five potentially suitable structures: centralized, business unit, business venture, decentralised, and federal. Tavakolian (1989) found a direct correlation between competitive and conservative strategies within an environment and the corresponding decentralised or centralised IT structures ev ident in an organisation and this finding is supported to some extent by Bergeron et al. (2001) with the caveat that it is not solely the complexity of structure that impacts performance but that other factors are influential too. Chans (2001) view is that informal structure, â€Å"†¦relationship-based structures that transcend the formal division of labour and coordination of tasks†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Chan, 2001, p67) can be just as effective as formal structure with the human element rather than intellectualised models and processes driving alignment, often with more impact and success than a formal arrangement. Structure, therefore can add a new dimension to the perspective of alignment as it places it in a setting that will impose its own constraints on the practice and execution of alignment exercises and ideals. 2.3.3 BITA AS AN END IN ITSELF For some authors it alignment doesnt seem to ‘do anything rather it is a business unit that lacks the dynamics others see in it. The implication is that it is something that is ‘brought in like an object concrete and physical and recognised by its static end state where some sort of equilibrium is achieved between the IT and business sides in an organisation. In the previous section, some of the definitions only present strategic alignment as an outcome achieved through the employment and adoption of different models, techniques and processes (Ortiz, 2003). Broadbent and Weill (1993), Chan et al. (1997), Luftman (2003) and Reich and Benbasat (1996), also see strategic alignment as something to be arrived at, a destination that is terminated when an optimal situation has been achieved. This may be a misunderstanding of the full meaning as the attitude that having strategic alignment the business married with the technology required for effective fulfillment of objectives cannot stand alone and it would be naà ¯ve to believe that BITA was a panacea for all business problems so perhaps the authors see it as an optimal achievement when all the other factors, or perspectives, also come into play to make BITA a worthwhile ‘thing in itself. 2.3.4 BITA AS A CONTINUING PROCESS If a business is static it will stagnate and if a business wishes to grow, like IT, it must always continue to evolve through a naturally occurring dynamics that are integral to the implementation of policies such as strategic alignment. Baets (1996), Luftman et al. (1999), and Rondinelli (2001) agree that these dynamics require constant monitoring and appropriate adjustment. Therefore, strategic alignment is not something attainable but something constantly in development, as it is variously described by Henderson and Venkatraman (1993), Baets 1996, Maes et al. (2000), Duffy (2001), Moody (2003), and Senn (2004). â€Å"An issue that has remained relatively unchallenged and unquestioned is how to align IT that is relatively fixed once implemented in an organization, with a business strategy and associated information requirements that are constantly in need of adjustment Galliers (2007, p. 228). Even within this perspective there are two schools of thought; the classical school of thought with emphasis on contingency adaptations and the ‘processual approach (Whittington, 1993) that emphasises the importance of addressing internal and power issues, particularly how cultural elements influence the formal elements of rationality and the decision process in strategic alignment and rejects IT as merely an adaptation but gives it greater weight as a resource. Furthermore, practitioners are being advised to adopt a view of strategic alignment as a continual process. In Pearlmans (2004) article advice to CIOs, in summary, is that they should communicate, demonstrate, lead, collaborate, govern and build if they wish to achieve alignment. 2.3.5 BITA FOR PERFORMANCE INDICATION It is the consideration of several authors that strategic alignment is not only a process but also a tool whereby they can reflect on the business value that organisations might possess, or not. In studies analysed the relationship between strategic alignment and competitive advantage or organisational performance were tracked, (Venkatraman, 1989; Sabherwal and Chan, 2001; Kearns and Lederer, 2003; Wagner, 2005; Seggie et al., 2006; Zhou, 2008). Tallon and Kraemer (2003) were responsible for the additional concept of business value being included as an element to the performance indication point of view of strategic alignment and analyse business value by relating it to organisational IT goals and measuring the IT return of investment from a strategic alignment viewpoint. 2.3.6 ASSESSMENT USING BITA In response to the question: `how do organisations know how good their strategic alignment is? different authors have developed Maturity Models (MMs) (de Koning and der Mark, 2002; Duffy, 2001; Luftman, 2003; van der Raadt et al., 2005). MMs describe the development of a specific domain over time. This perspective is in itself a more mature outlook than other perspectives as it has to consider many of the dynamics before being able to construct an effective strategic alignment. Because of the in-built review and evaluation required for this perspective it has to look at all aspects that the alignment may affect. Researchwork and systems are subject to assessment and revision through these maturity models and their monitoring. On the basis of the assessments of those MMs, organisations can fine tune and calibrate their strategic alignment: Identify any alignment-related aspects/processes improvements required to obtain a higher level of strategic alignment maturity. Initiate any change processes to ensure that the identified improvements eventuate. In much the same way, acceptance of the cyclical nature of strategic alignment as posited by Burns (1996) ‘lead-lag model implies assessment in response to intermittent predictable and unpredictable changes as does the ‘punctuated equilibrium model of Sabherwal et al. (2001) where interruptions to stability demand a fresh look at the long term plan and goals of strategic alignment. 2.3.7 BITA AS A SOCIAL INFLUENCE If an organisation intends to work toward achieving strategic alignment it will necessitate communication that will involve negotiation, collaboration and mutual understanding elements not always present a specific organisational structure or culture. This communication can blur the boundaries of traditional or conventional approaches and therefore becomes a driving force behind social attitudes and perceptions. Chan (2002) and Huang and Hu (2007) uphold this view that maintaining effective communication in an organisation will impact on corporate strategic alignment culture. Concord must be developed for effective channels of communication, transparency in the exchange of knowledge and sharing of learning (Hoque, 2002; Daneva and Hu, 2007), and the use of informal communication is just as important a factor for adjustment and control (Mintzberg, 1993; Chan, 2002; vander Raadt et al., 2005), to generate an atmosphere of trust and an effective response to business needs from an IT pe rspective. Reich and Benbasats (2000) study further confirms that strategic alignment is more likely to succeed when business and IT executives have an [importantly] expressed and [understood] shared common vision of ITs contribution. 2.3.8 BITA AND OPERATIONS Strategic alignment [when it is all-encompassing and embraced by all as part of an organisational culture] necessarily involves organisational issues of communication, structure and, particularly, coordination processes that are operational to the business in specifically performed actions (Wieringa, 2008). Operational strategic alignment consists of aligning the operational activities of IT and business people with each other so that optimal IT support for business requirements is achieved. In this context, Peak and Guynes (2003) put the onus of success on the IT side of the equation, though it does imply some reciprocity in the initial communication of ‘quality requirements and they state that strategic alignment will only be attained when an organisations IT staff can deliver quality information and quality IT products and services to the business side. 2.4 BITA MODELS 2.4.1 MIT90S FRAMEWORK (1991) During the 1980s, research conducted at the world renowned MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) initiated interest in the academic community to the potential of the strategic power of IT. In the attempt to exploit the possibilities revealed in the model from the research it was suggested that radical innovation involving IT investment could carry substantial reward if key elements of strategy, structure, technology, management processes and individuals and their roles were kept in alignment (Morton, 1991). Organisation can be visualised as a set of five forces in dynamic equilibrium subject to external influences from the technological environment and the socio-economic environment. In this view, a core task of general management is to ensure that all five ‘forces (represented by the boxes), can flow without restriction or impediment in order to achieve the organisations goals and objectives. With management at the centre of the model its role is central too. Though some areas might not necessarily be in direct contact with each other they are connected via the management process which plays the principal role and ensures organisational response to shifts in demands from the external variables. 2.4.2 THE HENDERSON AND VENKATRAMAN STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT MODEL (1993) Henderson Venkatramans (1993) strategic model (Figure 2.3) is a widely used four-part illustration favoured by many researchers and organisations for the assessment of the level of alignment in a company. Each of the four parts [quarters] contain three distinct and individuals elements which, when collectively analysed, can be used to define each quarter operationally. These twelve elements- further expanded in Table 1 are used to establish the level and type of alignment within a corporation (Henderson Venkatraman, 1993; Papp, 1995). Table 1 Components of the Strategic Alignment Model Within the model it can be seen how external influences may affect change on either processes [lower sectors] or strategies [upper sectors]. A vertical link couples the upper and lowers sectors and shows the relationship between strategic fit to accommodate strategy with infrastructure. A horizontal link for functional integration shows how IT strategies must adapt as business strategies change, and displays the dependence and required response of each sector upon anothers adaptations particularly in relation to skills and operation. Giving focus to three of the four quarters of the model at a given time can permit a simultaneous address to both strategic fit and functional integration (Papp, 1995; Luftman et al., 1999). The SAM (Strategic Alignment Model) model has proven empirical authenticity and has provided valid conceptual and practical value (Goedvolk et al,. 1997; Avison et al., 2004). Nevertheless, it is subject to confines, eg, the applicability of the SAM model may vary depending on the IT-intensity of an industry and the assumptions expounded might not be relevant to the circumstances (Burn and Szeto, 2000). As mentioned, the model does have recognition and a number of scholars have further elaborated on it (e.g., Luftman et al., 1993). Goedvolk et al.s (1997) extension of the SAM model gave greater focus to technical and architectural attributes. Avison et al.s (2004) addition to the SAM model was able to provide practitioners and academics with further practical ways to attain alignment in their advocacy of examining projects retrospectively to determine alignment. This form of alignment monitoring, can allow pre-emption in a change in strategy and implementation of a new alignment perspective by re-allocation of project resources. The SAM model inspired Maes et al. (2000) to produce a framework that incorporates even more layers pertinent to function and strategy where information providers are separated from the systems providing information in a new information domain representing knowledge, [and exchange of information through] communication and coordination. Their third dimension addresses specific sub-architecture areas. 2.4.3 IS CAPABILITY AND ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCE MODEL (2004) Peppard and Wards model (2004) shows IS capability at the core of everything, inherently affecting competencies and emanating an influence on all areas that interrelate [business strategy/business operations/IT operations and services/IS/IT strategy] and impact upon the organisational performance. Such focus on the importance of this core element demonstrates the value IS capabilities can create and is therefore an organisation-wide responsibility that cannot be delegated to the IS function alone (Peppard et al., 2000). Peppard and Ward (2004) later asserted that though an organisation might envisage an IT based innovative strategy, it will be their IS capabilities that permit such a vision to come to fruition. 2.4.4 CO-EVOLUTIONARY IS ALIGNMENT (2006) By 2006 the model suggested by Benbya and McKelvey (2006) through its graphic presentation appears a more fluid representation suggesting, even visually, that there is more of a flow between relationships in alignment. It still addresses the need to analyse relationships between business and IT (horizontal IS alignment) but introduces a need to merge the views at different levels [strategic/operational/individual] of analysis (vertical IS alignment) through shared understanding and communication. The co-evolutionary IS alignment perspective conveys the necessity for mutual adaptation within a dynamic interplay of co-evolving elements. Co-evolution does not necessarily seek harmony between the elements but a respect for their position and the innovation that may result from the circumstances and environments in which they function. 2.5 ASSESSMENT APPROACHES OF BITA In this section MMs (maturity models) are referred to that have been developed for the assessment of BITA. 2.5.1 DUFFYS MM (2001) Duffys (2001) MM is founded on the principle that a dependable, mutually compatible partnership between IT and business executives is elementary in order to achieve a worthwhile BITA. Without this premise there cannot be a successful desired outcome. Accepting that there is a level of interdependence between IT and business objectives, any schism or division between IT and non-IT areas would sabotage any efforts to establish alignment. This model is arranged about a series of key success drivers (the domains: human resources organisation and management/innovation and renewal strategy/IT/business architecture/IT/business partnership/operational excellence/ROI strategy management) which are operationalised in KPIs (key performance indicators) that each contain five contributory factors aspects designed to address explicit and significant questions within the KPI where it is included. The six domains are briefly explained below: Human resources organisation and management. In this domain reference is made to an organisations personnel and emphasis is given to the importance of workforce recruitment, retention and management by an organisation. Innovation and renewal strategy. The focus here is how innovative an organisation is with an emphasis on currency and validity having a bearing upon understanding when renewal is required to processes and capabilities in an organisation. IT/business architecture. This domain is concerned with the relationship and interaction of entities involved in the information and applications in the business environment of an organisation. IT/business partnership. This domain reflects how the recent upgrading of the role of the IT function affects an organisation â€Å"Technology is critical to business success and this co-dependency drives the need for the IT and non-IT executives to pursue a win/win relationship Duffy (2003, p. 4). Operational excellence. This domain deals with the performance outcomes of the organisation. Duffy recognises that operational excellence can only be achieved if an organisation can recognise the value of ideals embedded in learning and partnerships, and can respond to market demands promptly. ROI strategy and management. This domain investigates the importance of the metrics and processes required for efficient and effective financial management within organisations and accepting IT costs and benefits as having parity with business ones. Duffys six domains address the â€Å"IT and non-IT assertion as well as certain strategic elements within an organisation but there are no explicitly stated maturity levels for them. Instead, Duffy merges the six domains of the model into four BITA scenarios where organisations fall into the following categories: â€Å"uneasy alliance†, â€Å"supplier/consumer relationship†, â€Å"co-dependence/grudging respect†, and â€Å"united we succeed, divided we fail†. These laymans terms are loose at best and though intended to be descriptive only serve to confuse in their interpretation. Such scenarios are the maturity levels in the model. 2.5.2 LUFTMANS MM (2003) Luftmans model (2003) was constructed on the basis of practical experience and research into enablers and inhibitors of alignment (Luftman et al, 1999), incorporating reference to various other models [here listed chronologically and not in order of importance or influence]: Nolans stages of growth model (Nolan, 1979), SAM (Henderson and Venkatraman, 1993) and CMMs (Capability Maturity Model) reach and range concept of (Keen, 1996). Luftmans MM is an endeavour based in six domains (skills/technology scope/partnership/governance/competency measurements/communications) to discover a specific organisations BITA profile. A brief description of each domain follows: Skills: addresses practical human resources issues such as cross-training in IT and business issues regarding the cultural environment and its impact on innovation and organisational change. Technology scope: refers to how much provision of comprehensible and flexible infrastructure comes from IT, the implementation of emergent technol