IT Solutions for Small and Medium

IT Solutions for Small and Medium Introduction The Internet of Things (Internet of Things) will grow over the next years in application and adoption. As it grows, its associated technologies will also have to undergo major advancements to accommodate customization and scaling needs of the Internet of Things. For example, privacy, security and semantic interoperability are all features that need further attention.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on IT Solutions for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, other IT advancements like cloud technologies and big data, as well as future networks like in the case of proposed 5G will also have to be considered when contemplating the adoption of the Internet of Things now and in the medium-term. For Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the IT solutions combined with the Internet of Things promise to enhance competitiveness and to make the daily running of businesses easy. E nhancement will come through better customer relationships, better supply chain management and relationships, as well as the provision of an affordable innovative avenue that translates to better services and products. However, the uptake of cloud computing, big data analytics, the Internet of Things, among other features faces the hurdle of overcoming sceptical thoughts about the advancements and their actual need for SMEs (Ruggieri Nikookar 2013). Research mythology The findings of this research come from a secondary literature review guided by the papers title. The researcher relied on internet sources for publications that discuss the present and past features of SMEs adoption of the novel IT features. It also relied on published research findings from other scholars to make deductions and to inform the analysis part of the paper. Application of theory/methods This paper will rely on the theories about diffusion as they apply to technology adoption in reviewing the various rese arch reports and industry reports on the use of technologies. The various states of technology adoption are awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, and adoption. The provided states allow practitioners to categorize a country, institution, or sector according to its stage of adoption. Alternatively, adoption could be categorized in the form of two categories; the innovators and the imitators. This would apply to the users of the technology and its creators. SMEs that are innovators would be those that base their decision to embrace the solution independently. Meanwhile, the imitators would be the ones that are influenced by other firms and industry trends to adopt the given technologies.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), behavioural intentions rely on the attitude about the likelihood that a given behaviour will lea d to an expected outcome. At the same time, it will depend on the subjective review of associated risks of the behaviour and the benefits of the outcomes. In this respect, when looking at an SME as a social entity, its behaviour of adoption will depend on its attitude or the known features of adopting, as well as the expected outcomes and the risk associated with the uptake compared to its benefits (Al-Qirim (ed.) 2004). The use of the TPB is informed in part by the fact that in SMEs, the business owners mostly behave like individual decision-makers. At the same time, the secondary literature available shows that new technology adoption, behaviour of SMEs is similar to a person’s processing of adopting technologies. However, in the business case, social influence would translate to influences happening in the competitive environment, such as the need to grow competitiveness or to catch up with the competition (Dahnil et al. 2014). Lastly, the Task-Technology Fit Theory is als o useful in explaining the adoption of technologies. According to the theory, the task and technology characteristic will affect its suitability and performance when used by humans and compatibility affects adoption (Dahnil et al. 2014). Findings A requirement of cloud computing is that the infrastructure must have access to data anywhere, anytime, and on any devices at a level that meets the minimum threshold of quality service. In many European countries and in North America, a high number of individuals have access to broadband and almost all corporate entities are hooked to broadband internet services. The existence of a network of connected individuals and companies provides the market requirement for cloud computing and offers demand for the service (Kloch, Petersen Madsen 2011).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on IT Solutions for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For cloud compu ting to make sense, it has to be combined with broadband and for SMEs; the inclusion of e-commerce makes the uptake more exiting in the business sense. According to Kloch, Petersen and Madsen (2011), there is a huge number of SMEs that still apply manual billing systems, like the use of Excel-like systems. Such SMEs are also ill equipped in their respective IT departments, such that they are unable to embrace advances in the automation of their systems. As a result, they spend most of their human resources on their manual system. For the society, which includes businesses of all sizes, to benefit from the possibilities of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), the applied processes must be efficient. In this regard, there is a need for ease of maintenance, flexibility, and scalability to a worldwide platform. A possible solution has been to remove the hardware limitations caused by the geographical and physical needs of hardware for computing. Instead, solutions are offer ed by cloud computing, which serves as the necessary infrastructure upon which other normal business system services lay (Kloch, Petersen Madsen 2011). In Hong Kong, the existence of an excellent and affordable ICT infrastructure that supports the delivery of secure e-services and the development of the local ICT industry has been instrumental in facilitating the update of cloud computing, big data analytics, and the Internet of Things (So 2013). In addition, market liberalisation has allowed internet access to penetrate throughout the population at an affordable price. In such a geographically small area, in comparison to the mainland China, the broadband penetration is 85 per cent (So 2013). On the other hand, Hong Kong enjoys a mobile penetration rate of 231 per cent, which makes it one of the highest in the world. Typical speeds for users are about 10 Mbps, while peak speeds reach more than 60 Mbps (So 2013). Now and then, SMEs have to deal with the fact that technology comes a long in a way that is so profound, powerful, and universal, such that it changes the way of doing business totally (Ramsey et al. 2003). In theory, the top performing SMEs are the ones that embrace ICT in all their operations.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The reason for this theory is that the services and systems under ICT provide a business with competitive advantages, which are distinctive in the first instance, but they become common after wide adoption. Even then, the businesses that are left out of the ICT bandwagon cannot match efficiencies and scalability enjoyed by their counterparts that are already seeking more robust ICT features to improve their production processes and service delivery, as well as customer and supply chain relations (Ramsey et al. 2003). In 2003, according to research by Ramsey et al. (2003), most SMEs in European countries were not using ICTs, such as the Internet for commercial transactions. They were missing out on the benefits of e-business and the upstream or downstream application. In North Ireland, 83 per cent of business respondents mentioned that they had no strategy for including the Internet or ICT in general as part of their marketing strategy (Ramsey et al. 2003). On the other hand, overwhe lming evidence also presented by Ramsey et al. (2003) shows that despite the numerous possibilities of ICT and the different levels of maturity for e-commerce usages, most SMEs have low-level requirements and they follow non-linear path. Unfortunately, at the time, available models were weak in theoretical underpinning, even though they obliged to the principles of e-business. Nevertheless, most SMEs were subjected to heavy usage of their scarce resources on these models (Ramsey et al. 2003). Zhuge (2011) helps to link human intelligence and control to the advancement of intelligent information processing technologies and their various uses. The research notes that unlike humans, machines can only process pre-designed algorithms and data structures in the cyber space. They cannot move beyond the cyberspace to learn thinking rules or know the effect of linking. Neither can they explain what happens when computing results are added to physical, psychological, and social laws. Neverthe less, researchers, developers, and practitioners are advancing their knowledge and applications that link various spaces to create a complex space, where cyber space is only a part of it. A consequence of such integration is the development of cyber-physical-psychological-socio-mental environment (Zhuge 2011). Indeed, Zhuge (2011) points out the possibilities of linking various spaces to realize a human-machine environment uniting society, cyberspace, and nature. Here, patterns of social individuals’ movements are collected and analysed to reflect the status of the individual or a society. With these patterns, it is possible to provide appropriate services to users and to make the right decisions to change a given status. Thus, the application of the interconnections is helpful to both organizations delivering goods and services and consumers of the goods and services, as it increases understandings of entire systems of components of the system. According to Mui (2012), SMEs adopt business intelligence products and services for growth, differentiation, and agility. They are able to understand their businesses and make better decisions, which should lead to more sustainable growth together with differentiating pursuits and agility. This is what Zhuge (2010) theoretically presumed when contemplating the effect of super networked spaces. Cloud technologies that incorporate in-memory computing allow businesses to obtain immediate answers through a remarkable increase in the speed of analytics. They also get real-time access and deeper insight as they can interrogate a large scope of granular data. Moreover, the solutions are simpler and more cost-effective because the IT complexity burden is low (Mui 2012). With big data analytics, it is possible to employ in-database, predictive algorithms to obtain various insights into internal and external business trends. At the same time, SMEs can access open source algorithms that directly integrate into their big da ta analytics systems, such that they would not have to incur additional programming and customization costs. Moreover, it is possible to embed specific or entire components of the big data analytics framework to existing business platforms and extend the obtained business intelligence into company reports, with delivery options of the information happening real-time to companywide communication channels, such as alerts to smartphones (Mui 2012). The European Commission (2013a) evaluated the current adoption, plans of adoption, and drivers or barriers of big data usage by EU companies. The report shows that big data include hardware and software integration, organization, management, and analysis with the presentation of data that is massive in volume of data and is varied in the breadth of data sources and formats (European Commission 2013a). In addition, there is a velocity characterized by a high speed at which information arrival, analysis and delivery happen, and value character ized by cost of technology and utility (European Commission 2013a). When considering adoption of big data, SMEs have to invest in the following features either as services provided by intermediary companies or as an in-house solution. They need the infrastructure, which includes storage systems, servers, and data centre networking. They also need software to manage and organize data, software to analyse and discover, as well as decision support and automation software. Other than that, companies implementing big data technologies need business consulting services, business process outsources, and other outsourcing services for IT and IT project based. They may also demand support and training services for big data implementations (European Commission 2013a). According to Miller and Mork (2013), SMEs require a plan that considers the entire continuum of big data application from the begging of data collection to the final decision based on the data collected. Thus, the biggest benefi t arises when all stakeholders in the continuum integrate big data solutions. After a decade of the Ramsey et al. (2003) research that reported limited uptake of ICT by SMEs, the European Commission (2013b) report quotes a 29 per cent figure for European companies that are ready for big data uptake. At the same time, a majority of business included in the survey content that they need to re-asses their current information management processes to meet the challenges of data growth. Nevertheless, big data adoption is still in its infancy at 6.2 per cent for SMEs, with 10 to 250 employees (European Commission 2013b). However, from the same survey, trends show that adoption among SMEs will increase significantly due to vertical integration along the supply chain and in particular industries, such as financial, oil and gas, telecom, computers, and electronics where data processing needs are high. Drivers of adoption include the data explosion witnessed in recent years. In fact, compared to 2003 when Ramsey et al. (2003) made their report, 2013 witnessed an extraordinary increase in internet usage and data transfers. The world now creates about 2.5 quintillion bytes of data daily (Xia et al. 2012). Today, sources of data include social media, digital imaging and video, smart meters, non-traditional networked smart devices, and machine to machine communication in factories. IT vendors are also producing tools for collection, storage, and analysis to meet the emerging needs of dealing with the data. Consumers and customers are also becoming more connected and demand access and availability of ready-to-use information. As consumers demand personalization, they are ceding more privacy to enterprises. Now data and personalization is not only happening in traditional environments like call centres and mobile applications, but also on cars and domestic appliances in the Internet of Things. But, as hinted earlier, resistance to share personal and proprietary data and inform ation will remain hindrances for the adoption and full utilization of cloud computing, big data, social media, and the Internet of Things. For SMEs, the lack of time and resources to study trends and opportunities and threats serves as a barrier for uptake of the IT innovations. Language differences make data analysis complex, just like differences in national regulations on privacy and data usage also complicate matters for SMEs seeking to fully utilize the novelty of the various technologies. According to Duhnil et al. (2014), social media is among the most popular novel IT technologies embraced by SMEs across the world. Social media has become a fresh tool for marketing communication. It fits well with the need to deploy rapid and dynamic campaigns for businesses that are already using other forms of electronic media. Its adoption is helped by the social uptake of the technology and service, which now make it relevant for both businesses and customers (Michaelidou, Siamagka Chri stodoulides 2011). Social media marketing is now a subset of marketing, where the marketing practices, information, and ideas spread through social media online. Nevertheless, social media marketing and usage are not social marketing. The latter is the bigger environment within which the former falls into (Dahnil et al. 2014). End users remain a major factor in influencing the adoption of social media by SMEs; a second influencing factor is the technological orientation of the SMEs, which determines just how compatible the intended adoption will be. A third reason is the management when looked at from the business environment perspective (Durkin, McGowan McKeown 2013). Critical analysis The uptake of cloud computing, big data analytics, and the Internet of Things among SMEs globally has not been very successful in the past decade, as it would be expected. Part of the reason, as elaborated in the findings of this paper, is the misalignment of risk and costs with the expected benefit s of the technologies. As the European Commission (2013a) report stated, the uptake was more in bigger companies than in SMEs, which would be partly attributed to the accessibility of technology. The findings have also shown that SMEs have discontinued systems that would benefit most SMEs in integration, but the integration would be too costly. In this respect, it is not surprising to see that there are many research reports on SME adoption of social media compared to the Internet of Things, Big Data analytics, and Cloud Computing. During the research, this researcher encountered many pointers to social media usage by SMEs, especially in their marketing efforts. It explains why the other features of IT developments have not caught up with business owners. The reason is that they do not directly affect the customer as much as social media does. Most help in the backend, thus they are not readily considered as revenue generating opportunities for the small and medium firms. As Mui (20 12) and Zhuge (2011) showed, the uptake of networked based implementation, such as big data analytics and the Internet of Things depend more on the level of vertical integration. Thus, when one compares firms operating in highly integrated industries, such as the financial sectors, one is most likely to find SMEs that embrace cloud technologies and big data, while those in manufacturing chains may not have deep linkages with vertical partners other than basic business process relations (Schwertner 2013). The limited uptake among SMEs of the mentioned technologies is changing rapidly because the cost of not catching up to the competition is rising. The demand for efficient and usable systems for handling data will also increase among all business sizes, thus SMEs are not spared. As the report by So (2013) on Hong Kong highlighted, and as Zhuge (2011) also contemplated, the future will see the connection of various spaces to realize a multi-networked environment where data gathering a nd analysis will be key to survival and understanding. Thus, SMEs will undoubtedly have to adopt at a faster rate than they currently do. Limitation and implications This research was restricted in scope by relying on secondary literature. It does not provide new information other than the analysis due to the lack of primary data sources as part of its limitation. Another limitation of the research would be the existence of errors in the researches and reports consulted for the study, or biases exist in the scholars’ analysis of their findings. Nevertheless, the paper serves as an important contribution that brings together the analysis of big data, the Internet of Things, cloud computing and social media in one report. Thus, practitioners will be able to get insights at a glance. Lastly, the recommendation to SME owners is that they should embrace these technologies as a matter of survival. Reference List Al-Qirim, N (ed.) 2004, Electronic commerce in small to medium-sized e nterprises, Idea Group Publishing, Hershey. Dahnil, MI, Marzuki, KM, Langgat, J Fabeil, NF 2014, Factors influencing SMEs adoption of social media marketing, Procedia Social and Behavioral Science, vol 148, pp. 119-126. Durkin, M, McGowan, P McKeown, N 2013, Exploring social media adoption in small to medium-sized enterprises in Ireland, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol 20, no. 4, pp. 716-734. European Commission 2013a, Business opportunities: Big data, Report, EC. European Commission 2013b, Horizon 2020 Work programme 2014-2015, http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal4/doc/call/h2020/common/1587758-05i._ict_wp_2014-2015_en.pdf. Kloch, C, Petersen, EB Madsen, OB 2011, Cloud based infrastructure, the new business possibilities and barriers, Wireless Personal Communications, vol 58, no. 1, pp. 17-30. Michaelidou, N, Siamagka, NT Christodoulides, G 2011, Usage, barriers and measurement of social media marketing: An exploratory investigation of sm all and medium B2B brands, Industrial Marketing Management, vol 40, no. 7, pp. 1153-1159. Miller, HG Mork, P 2013, From data to decisions: A value chain for big data, IT Professional, Jan-Feb 2013, pp. 57-59. Mui, E 2012, Do small businesses have big data needs?, Ecosystem Channels Product Marketing at SAP, SAP AG. Ramsey, E, Ibbotson, P, Bell, J Gray, B 2003, E-opportunities of service sector SMEs: an Irish cross-border study, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol 10, no. 3, p. 250. Ruggieri, M Nikookar, H 2013, Internet of things: Converging technologies for smart environments and integrated ecosystems, River Publishers, Aalborg. Schwertner, K 2013, Modern Information Technology (IT): Factor for business efficiency and business driver, Journal of Modern Accounting and Auditing, vol 9, no. 8, pp. 1131-1139. So, G 2013, Public consultation on 2014 digital 21 strategy, Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, Hong Kong. Xia, F, Yang, LT, Wang, L Vinel, A 201 2, Internet of Things, International Journal of Communication Systems, vol 25, no. 9, pp. 1101-1102. Zhuge, H 2011, Semantic linking through spaces for cyber-physical-socio intelligence: A methodolgy, Artificial Intelligence, vol 5, no. 6, pp. 988-1019.

Megaraptor - Facts and Figures

Megaraptor - Facts and Figures Name: Megaraptor (Greek for giant thief); pronounced MEG-ah-rap-tore Habitat: Plains and woodlands of South America Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (90-85 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 25 feet long and 1-2 tons Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; bipedal posture; long, single claws on front hands About Megaraptor Like another impressively named beast, Gigantoraptor, Megaraptor has been a bit oversold, in that this large, carnivorous dinosaur wasnt technically a true raptor. When the scattered fossils of Megaraptor were discovered in Argentina in the late 1990s, paleontologists were impressed by a single, foot-long claw, which they assumed was located on this dinosaurs hind feethence its classification as a raptor (and one that would have been even bigger than the biggest raptor yet identified, Utahraptor). On closer analysis, though, it turned out that Megaraptor was actually a large theropod closely related to Allosaurus and Neovenator, and that those single, oversized claws were located on its hands rather than its feet. Sealing the deal, Megaraptor has proved to be similar in appearance to another large theropod from Australia, Australovenator, a hint that Australia may have been connected to South America later into the Cretaceous period than was previously thought. Its place in the dinosaur bestiary aside, what was Megaraptor actually like? Well, it wouldnt be surprising if this South American dinosaur was covered with feathers (at least during some stage of its life cycle), and it almost certainly subsisted on the small, skittery ornithopods of its late Cretaceous ecosystem, or perhaps even on newborn titanosaurs. Megaraptor may also have encountered, or even preyed on, one of the few true raptors of South America, the appropriately named Austroraptor (which only weighed about 500 pounds, or a quarter of Megaraptors size).

Race & ethnicity Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Race & ethnicity - Term Paper Example Take for instance, the African Americans, badge of identity is their black skin color. However, this characteristic does not fully identify members of a particular race because of the notion of inter-marriage. For instance, there is a high rate of inter-marriages amongst members of different races such as blacks, and whites, and this interferes with their genetic characteristics. On this basis therefore, race is a societal issue, and can compose of people who have a share dialect, and experience. In America for instance, race explains why people of African descent were forced to work as slaves, deny them some of their rights and basic freedom (Flax, 51). The federal government for instance, enacted some legislation to deny African American some benefits that citizens of the Union had. Take an example of the naturalization act, which came into existence in 1790. The aim of this law was to deny people of African descent the citizenship status of America. Other racial laws include, the national origins act of 1924, and the Chinese exclusion act of 1882 (Flax, 32). The national origins act was meant to regulate the number of immigrant coming into the United States of America. The target of the law was the Jews, the Eastern and Western Europeans, the Indians and Asians. On this basis therefore, we can argue that other racial groups were also a target of the American government, and people. Despite these aspects, African Americans are the people who suffered most under the policies of the Federal government. This is due to slavery and other discriminative tendencies from the white people and the government. Racism still continues to dominate the American social life and Bell Hook agrees with this notion. Hook (23) observes that racialism is even on the minds of the educated white people. She denotes that in a cultural conference she attended, there were arrangements denoting the supremacy of the white men (Hook, 33). This was depicted on the people who were invited t o talk in the conference; and the different manner in which the organizers of the meeting handled white and black speakers. This was a clear indication of people who came from a white race, looking down upon people of different races, and this attitude instilled fear in her. Therefore, this paper analyzes how African Americans suffered from racialism in United States of America. It starts by analyzing the impact of slavery upon African-Americans, the human rights movement that advocated for an equal opportunity, and the various laws that the Federal government enacted to solve the problem of racialism in United States of America. The conclusion of this paper is a summary of the major points found in it. African American Experiences with Racialism: African Americans began their stay in United States of America as slaves for purposes of supporting an economic system that did not benefit them in whatever circumstances. This is because they did not enjoy the benefits of a naturalized ci tizen. The naturalization act of 1790 prevented anybody who was not a white person from gaining citizenship, by naturalization. Due to their status as slaves, African Americans could not vote, could not hold any political or administrative office, could not serve on a jury, or could not own any property. Slaves were not allowed to speak before their master, or before a congregation of white people. Bell Hooks denotes, in one of her

Assignment 2-2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

2-2 - Assignment Example It catapulted the lead star, Miley Cyrus, to up roaring fame. Still the success of these concerts and movies perplex me, not because I have forgotten my own teenage years, but because the â€Å"it† girl of the moment sparks no diamonds to me. How about Michael Jackson? Boy is he famous! He practically basked in fame (and fortune) for all of his life. His shocking death caused so much heartache to the world who watched him as he grew from the cute black boy singing ABC with his other brothers to the man who surprised all of us with his powerful dance moves and not to mention, white skin. I am one of those people. I grew up dancing to his songs. Thriller is my favorite. I’ve always heard it in radios back in the days. How ironic is it that though I grew up with that song I haven’t seen the video; not until his death. I was one of the millions who viewed his music videos while feeling the pang of his death. I was one of the thousands who first lined up in theaters to watch Michael Jackson show his perfect moves once again. George Lucas would pass as brilliant in my dictionary for having created Star Wars and the iconic Jedi’s weapon: the lightsaber. It comprises of a metal hilt that is the base of a blade of energy. It can practically cut through anything but is deflected by another lightsaber. Along with the blue, red, or green laser-like sword is a vibrating sound developed by sound engineer Ben Burtt. Having been able to follow the Star Wars movies it’s such a joy to play the part of a strong Jedi wielding that lightsaber and humming that distinct sound. Lightsabers are definitely

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry Essay Example for Free

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry Essay Ferry is considered one of the greatest lyrical poems of all time. In Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, Walt Whitman uses connotative diction, prying questions, and critical reader engagement to convey a feeling of connection and unity of people through time. By using these certain rhetoric strategies, Whitman creates a piece of poetry that seems to be timeless. Whitman carefully chooses certain words and phrases that really highlight his intentions to connect himself and others readers throughout time. In part 2 of the poem, Walt chooses the words â€Å"simple† and â€Å"compact† to describe a â€Å"scheme† in which we are all â€Å"disintegrated†. These words, precise and carefully chosen, attribute to the great lyricism of the poem. A scheme that is simple is a scheme that we can all live by. And a compact, simple scheme connotes togetherness. Whitman continues to say we’re all disintegrated, but part of the scheme. Being disintegrated could also means we are all little pieces of the same body, or scheme Another simple rhetoric strategy imposed by Whitman to convey a sense of unity between he and the reader is reader engagement. Whitman involves and engages the ready by asking the reader questions, and relating to the reader. By effectively asking questions, Whitman suggest to readers from past and future times that maybe there is not much that separates them. â€Å"What is it then between us? What is the count of scores or hundreds of years between us? The use of these rhetoric strategies are just a few the devices that makes Walt Whitman’s â€Å"Crossing the Brooklyn Ferry† a timeless masterpiece.

Ecological Hermeneutics Essay -- Science Technology Ecology Papers

To what extent does Hans-Georg Gadamer’s theory of science provide a basis for the articulation of an ecological hermeneutics? As "hermeneutics" is the art of interpretation and understanding, "ecological hermeneutics" is understood as the act of interpreting the impact of technology within the lifeworld. I consider the potential for ecological hermeneutics based upon Gadamer’s theory of science. First, I outline his theory of science. Second, I delineate ecological hermeneutics as an application of this theory. Third, I discuss what can be expected from the act of ecological hermeneutics. Finally, I make some general comments about the affinity between ecological hermeneutics and brute common-sense. Our question is: to what extent does Hans-Georg Gadamer’s theory of science provide a basis for an articulation of an ecological hermeneutics? As "hermeneutics" is the art or activity of interpretation and understanding, "ecological hermeneutics" is to be understood as the activity of interpreting the impact of uses of technology within the context of the lifeworld. (1) Our considerations of the uses of technology (2) include the spheres of scientific research on one hand and industrial production processes on the other, specifically capitalism. The similarity which makes these two spheres felicitous to ecological hermeneutics is their respective detachment from the lifeworld, a detachment which characterizes each of their decision procedures. Gadamer’s hermeneutic enterprise is modeled on a retrieval of the Aristotelian model of science which calls into question the modern notion of ratiocination detached a priori from experience, from the lifeworld. Through this hermeneutic enterprise Gadamer develops a theory of science whic... ...g strategy designed to stimulate sales? (15) Op. cit., trans. David Ross (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984), p. 3. (16) Reason in the Age of Science, p. 8 (17) Ibid., p. 105. Italics mine. (18) In passing it is interesting to note that from the perspective of ecological hermeneutics, such attempts such as Julian Simon’s to discount any aspect of human life which cannot be quantitatively measured are exceedingly tenuous. As he sees it, the "simplest and most accurate measure of health is length of life, summed up as the average life expectancy." But in an effort to remain objective, Simon blatantly overlooks the possibility that life expectancy might have nothing to do with quality of life, as in the cases of terminally ill patients kept alive on respirators. See The Ultimate Resource (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1981), p. 130.

Assessing the Role of Motivation on Employees Essay

In this light the study sets to identify the most ranked factors among the ten motivational factors. The analysis from the empirical findings showed that Job satisfaction† was the most ranked factor for both sub groups that made up the sample survey. However a study from previous researches used in this study showed that different results could be obtained from different groups of already working employees. This study therefore can be seen as an introduction to a more detailed study to be carried by future researchers on the field of employee’s motivation. Background When looking at factors that affect job satisfaction, I find that Agency theory might be helpful as it explains the extent to which organizations need to think of their human resource responsible in producing the output needed by organizations to meet shareholders value. Agency theory is concerned with issues related to the ownership of the firm when that ownership is separated from the day-to-day running of the organization. It assumes that in all but owner- managed organizations the owner or owners (known in agency theory as the â€Å"principal†) of an organization must vest authority to an â€Å"agent†-corporate management- to act on their behalf. The principal recognizes the risk, here and act on the assumption that any agent will look to serve its own as well as the principal interests as it ulfils it contract with that principal. However, this is not the situation in real life situation. As all agents are perceived to be Opportunistic. These approaches are to examine the problems of human exchange derived from the field of finance and economics but they are often applied to the study of shareholders Risk Management (SHRM). Agency theory is therefore used to analyze this conflict in interest between the principal (shareholders of o rganizations) and their agents (leaders of these organizations). Whereby the â€Å"Agents† in keeping with the interest of the shareholders and organizational goals turn to use financial motivational aspects like bonuses, higher payrolls, pensions, sick allowances, risk payments, perks to reward and retained their employees and enhance their performance. There is a strong lobby propounding the view that human resources and their management are the source of competitive advantage for the business, rather than, say, access to capital or use of technology. It is therefore logical to suggest that, attention needs to be paid to the nature of this resource and its management as this will impact on human resource behavior and performance and consequently the performance of the organization. Indeed Boxall and Steeneveld (1999) argue that there is no need to prove the relationship between firm critical influence on performance and labour management as it is self evident that the quality of human resource management is a critical influence on the performance of the firm. Concern for strategic integration, commitment flexibility and quality, has called for attention for employees motivation and retention. Given this perception, the principal in an organization feels unable to predict an agent’s behavior in any given situation and so brings into play various measures to do with incentives in other to tie employee’s needs to those of their organization. Thus getting employee’s identification with respect to the organization, and thus increasing their commitment level. As an approach to mediate the employment contract, elements of human resource strategy (especially those to do with rewards and retention) can offer a way of ensuring an efficient transaction process that enables both parties to get committed towards the fulfillment of each other needs. The fundamental problem, dealt with is what drives or induces people to exploit their potential resources in the way they do in organizations? The issue of motivation and performance are they positively related? By focusing on the financial aspect of motivation problem like bonus system, allowances perks, salaries, etc. By paying attention to the financial aspect of motivation, I intend to probe in to the role this aspect has on enhancing employee’s performance. I believe, financial motivation has become the most concern in today’s organization, and tying to Mallow’s basic needs, non-financial aspect only comes in when financial motivation has failed. Though in some situation, it is being operated side by side. But as a research topic for my thesis I will employ the financial aspects of motivation used by the agents of organization in enhancing their employee’s performance and the extent to which non-financial aspects of motivation turn to enhance employee’s performance. To evaluate the methods of performance motivation in organization in organizing some motivational factors like satisfies and dissatisfies will be used to evaluate how employees motivation is enhanced other than financial aspects of motivation. Problem Statements As a research question, the research seeks to answer what role motivation plays in enhancing performance in organization. This will be possible through analysis of information gathered from students. Hence this thesis is mainly quantitative. * Objectives In trying to find an answer(s) to the research question and on the basis of the above background discussion and research question, the main purposes developed for this thesis is to assess the factors t hat motivate employees to perform best at work. This is done by carrying out a survey in which respondents responding to a survey, ranked the least two most important factor on a list of ten factors, and how these factors influence them. * Limitations and Demarcations The limitation is being considered in relation to the natural explanation to which the researcher has limited the study and the active choices to limit the study area that is financial motivation as a determinant of performance. The study is limited to existing theories and models, and their influence and limitation on performance enhancement. By considering the financial and non-financial aspect of motivation on employees’ performance relating to existing theories and models, I intend to mark a demarcation for the study. Here I have considered limitation in line with the research objective that is the study is limited. I believe that with the changing nature of the work force, recent trends in development, information and technology, the issue of financial motivation becomes consent on one of the most important assets in an organization. A lot has been said on the outside forces of an organization. This research considers the inside forces as a starting point. Ideally, a study of all the explanatory variables will be considered appropriate in order to capture the interactive influences of other variables and thus be able to come up with holistic and generally more acceptable results, of financial motivation and performance. * Definitions Motivation: Motivation by definition refers to what activates, directs human behavior and how this behavior is sustained to achieve a particular goal. Also it can be defined as the set of processes that arouse, direct and maintain human behavior towards attaining some goals. Jones (1955) argues that† Motivation is concerned with how behavior gets started, is energized, is sustained, is directed, and is stopped and what kind of subjective reaction is present in the organization while all this is going on. † Role of financial motivation: The potential role of money is – (1) Conditioned reinforce (2) An incentive which is capable of satisfying needs (3) An anxiety reducer (4) Serves to erase feelings of dissatisfaction Employee satisfaction: This refers to the positive or negative aspects of employee’s altitude towards their jobs or some features of the job. Organizational Goals: A concept, which refers to the focus of attention and decision-making among employees of a sub-unit. Organizing: This involves the complete understanding of the goals of organization, the necessity of proper co-ordination, and the environmental factors that influence the goals and employees within the organization. Employee attitudes: Mental state of readiness for motive arousal.

I Miss your Beauty and Vibes Essay

â€Å"A Mixed Tex-Cal marriage,† an article written by the author Jose Burciaga, Texan, tells us about his new life after getting married to a Californian woman, Cecilia. At first, the author tells that he thought that he and his wife have common ideas and beliefs because they were both Chicanos. Then, he shows that he was surprised when he noticed the different customs and ideas he and his wife have because they were from different grounds. They lived for a couple of years in Washington, DC and Alexandra, Virginia, then, they settled in California near the beaches and the soft weather. The writer argues that Texas Chicanos are more attached with their traditions than Californian Chicanos who show more Americanization. After some years, he grew to like California food and drink, but still missed the weather and the smell of Texas. From Burciaga s’ article, I can understand what he went through to get used to Californian traditions. Like him, I also miss my native land. Despite the beauty and extra opportunities in Chicago, my heart still aches for Oran. Oran is a wonderful city located in the northwest of Algeria, known for its beautiful beaches and food. Chicago to me is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with its beautiful tall buildings, green spices. However, Burciaga was satisfied with the weather of California, like he says,† I am totally spoiled and laid-back in Northern Califias†, In contrast it was hard for me in getting used to the cold weather of Chicago. In fact, the difference between Oran and Chicago is evident in weather, beauty, movement and food. First, the weather of Oran is often beautiful and mild. In autumn, when we are on our way to school, the wind blows softly and rapidly as if its spirit is pushing me to be on time. When going back home at 12 pm for lunch the weather is warm, the sun sparkles, the birds sing, we’d think spring has already come. However, most of the autumn nights were horrible because the wind blew strongly; it sounds like bad spirits are trying to unlock the windows. By the winter the rain fell mostly at night, the buildings seem freshly washed and the roads are already dried in the mornings but the weather is cold. Stepping to March, the gardens and forests become green and full of flowers. Once May is over, the summer is already there. The weather is warm but not stifling and the sea at the beaches is sparkling and full of life with many swimmers. This is in contrast to Chicago where the weather is often unacceptable. In the winter, when I am outside, I am afraid that I will lose feeling in my legs when the freezing sensation emerges from the soft snow. Autumn in Chicago is a lovely, pale, orange view with the golden leaves covering the streets. It is disappointing when most of springy days are cloudy and rainy. Fortunately, we can see the mild warm weather during summer in Chicago. Second, Oran is a small, pretty city full of life. From a distance you can see the long green balcony along the city center next to the short pretty buildings engraved from top to bottom. Going through the city center, cafes are already full and active at 9 am and the roads are busy with the noisy cars. I lived in Bir El Djir, a quiet neighborhood 28 Km far from the city center. Bir El Dgir is a luxury neighborhood full of villas. From the window of our kitchen, I could see our beautiful garden and our neighbors’ gardens too, I could also overhear their conversations and shouting. I felt always happy and full of life in this lively environment. It is quite different in Chicago, a big wonderful city with more stillness. Downtown Chicago is a wide stretch of tall buildings, we notice any clutter or cracks in the roads, every building and road is shiny and neat, the luxurious clothes and furniture are apparent from the stores’ wide show cases. Tourists hang their shopping bags; they seem fascinated by the beauty of Chicago. Third,Oran is a city of Haute Cuisine. Along all the big avenues of Oran, the savory sweet smell of pastry travels from the bakeries. Approaching a bakery, our eyes are stunned with the colorful cookies. In front of the showcase, we can’t choose between the attractive pieces of pastry. I remember one of the soft chocolate pastries I once picked, covered with frothy cream; as much as I describe it can tell how it really tastes. Unlike Chicago, the land of immigration, where restaurants offer many food traditions. For example, I have been once in Us’mania , an Indian restaurant, where I tasted Biryani, a tasty spicy rice with chicken. Also, we go often to Pita Inn, a Lebanese restaurant where we like to order Shawarma, a thin long piece of grilled chicken, salad and tomato twisted in a thin bred. I am glad to discover many foreign traditions; I feel that I have visited many countries. In conclusion, Chicago is very cold in the winter, but I appreciate the magical time of snow falling. When skating in the ice rink, I feel like flying in the air. Downtown Chicago, is a magnificent place that i dream to visit every day; however, I always think about the lively activity of Oran and miss the savory pizza and dishes.

Free Essays on Why The North Won The Civil War

Why the North Won the Civil War "In all history, no nation of mere agriculturists ever made successful war against a nation of mechanics. . . .You are bound to fail" -Union officer William Tecumseh Sherman to a Southern friend. The American antebellum South, though steeped in pride and raised in military tradition, was to be no match for the burgeoning superiority of the rapidly developing North in the coming Civil War. The lack of emphasis on manufacturing and commercial interest, stemming from the Southern desire to preserve their traditional agrarian society, surrendered to the North their ability to function independently, much less to wage war. It was neither Northern troops nor generals that won the Civil War, rather Northern guns and industry. From the onset of war, the Union had obvious advantages. Quite simply, the North had large amounts of just about everything that the South did not, boasting resources that the Confederacy had even no means of attaining (See Appendices, Brinkley et al. 415). Sheer manpower ratios were unbelievably one-sided, with only nine of the nation's 31 million inhabitants residing in the seceding states (Angle 7). The Union also had large amounts of land available for growing food crops which served the dual purpose of providing food for its hungry soldiers and money for its ever-growing industries. The South, on the other hand, devoted most of what arable land it had exclusively to its main cash crop: cotton (Catton, The Coming Fury 38). Raw materials were almost entirely concentrated in Northern mines and refining industries. Railroads and telegraph lines, the veritable lifelines of any army, traced paths all across the Northern countryside but left the South isolated, outdated, developed in the form of economic colonialism. The Confederates were and starving (See Appendices). The final death knell for a modern South all too willing to sell what little raw material... Free Essays on Why The North Won The Civil War Free Essays on Why The North Won The Civil War Why the North Won the Civil War "In all history, no nation of mere agriculturists ever made successful war against a nation of mechanics. . . .You are bound to fail" -Union officer William Tecumseh Sherman to a Southern friend. The American antebellum South, though steeped in pride and raised in military tradition, was to be no match for the burgeoning superiority of the rapidly developing North in the coming Civil War. The lack of emphasis on manufacturing and commercial interest, stemming from the Southern desire to preserve their traditional agrarian society, surrendered to the North their ability to function independently, much less to wage war. It was neither Northern troops nor generals that won the Civil War, rather Northern guns and industry. From the onset of war, the Union had obvious advantages. Quite simply, the North had large amounts of just about everything that the South did not, boasting resources that the Confederacy had even no means of attaining (See Appendices, Brinkley et al. 415). Sheer manpower ratios were unbelievably one-sided, with only nine of the nation's 31 million inhabitants residing in the seceding states (Angle 7). The Union also had large amounts of land available for growing food crops which served the dual purpose of providing food for its hungry soldiers and money for its ever-growing industries. The South, on the other hand, devoted most of what arable land it had exclusively to its main cash crop: cotton (Catton, The Coming Fury 38). Raw materials were almost entirely concentrated in Northern mines and refining industries. Railroads and telegraph lines, the veritable lifelines of any army, traced paths all across the Northern countryside but left the South isolated, outdated, developed in the form of economic colonialism. The Confederates were and starving (See Appendices). The final death knell for a modern South all too willing to sell what little raw material...

The 13 Forms of Insect Antennae

The 13 Forms of Insect Antennae Antennae are movable sensory organs located on the head of most arthropods. All insects have a pair of antennae, but spiders have none. Insect antennae are segmented, and usually located above or between the eyes. How Do Insects Use Antennae? Antennae serve different sensory functions for different insects. In general, the antennae might be used to detect odors and tastes, wind speed and direction, heat and moisture, and even touch. A few insects have auditory insects on their antennae, so theyre involved in hearing.  In some insects, the antennae may even serve a non-sensory function, such as grasping prey. 13 Different Shapes Because antennae serve different functions, their forms vary greatly within the insect world. In all, there are about 13 different antennae shapes, and the form of an insects antennae may be an important key to its identification. Learn to differentiate the forms of insect antennae, and it will help you improve your insect identification skills. Aristate Are Pouch-Like Aristate antennae are pouch-like, with a lateral bristle. Aristate antennae are most notably found in the Diptera (true flies). Capitate Have a Prominent Club or Knob at Their Ends Capitate antennae have a prominent club or knob at their ends. The term capitate derives from the Latin caput, meaning head. Butterflies (Lepidoptera)  often have capitate form antennae. Clavate Have a Gradual Club or Knob The term clavate comes from the Latin  clava, meaning club. Clavate antennae terminate in a gradual club or knob (unlike the capitate antennae, which end with an abrupt, pronounced knob). This antennae form is found most often in beetles, such as in carrion beetles. Filiform Are Slender and Thread-Like The term filiform comes from the Latin filum, meaning thread. Filiform antennae are slender and thread-like in form. Because the segments are of uniform widths, there is no taper to filiform antennae. Examples of insects with filiform antennae include: rock crawlers (order Grylloblattodea)gladiators (order Mantophasmatodea)angel insects (order Zoraptera)cockroaches (order Blattodea) Flabellate Look Like a Folding Paper Fan Flabellate  comes from the Latin flabellum, meaning fan. In flabellate antennae, the terminal segments extend laterally, with long, parallel lobes that lie flat against one another. This feature looks like a folding paper fan. Flabellate (or flabelliform) antennae are found in several insect groups within the Coleoptera, the Hymenoptera, and the Lepidoptera. Geniculate Are Bent or Hinged Sharply Geniculate antennae are bent or hinged sharply, almost like a knee or elbow joint. The term geniculate derives from the Latin genu, meaning knee. Geniculate antennae are found mainly in ants or bees. Lamellate Are Flattened and Nested The term lamellate comes from the Latin lamella, meaning a thin plate or scale. In lamellate antennae, the segments at the tip are flattened and nested, so they look like a folding fan. To see an example of lamellate antennae, look at a scarab beetle. Monofiliform Look Like Strings of Beads Monofiliform comes from the Latin monile, meaning necklace. Moniliform antennae look like strings of beads. The segments are usually spherical, and uniform in size. The termites (order Isoptera) are a good example of insects with moniliform antennae. Pectinate Have a Comb-Like Shape The segments of pectinate antennae are longer on one side, giving each antennae a comb-like shape. Bipectinate antennae look like two-sided combs. The term pectinate derives from the Latin pectin, meaning comb. Pectinate antennae are found mainly in some beetles and sawflies. Plumose Have  a Feathery Appearance The segments of plumose antennae have fine branches, giving them a feathery appearance. The term plumose derives from the Latin pluma, meaning feather. Insects with plumose antennae include some of the true flies, such as mosquitoes, and moths. Serrate Look Like a Saw Blade The segments of serrate antennae are notched or angled on one side, making the antennae look like a saw blade. The term serrate derives from the Latin serra, meaning saw. Serrate antennae are found in some beetles. Setaceous Are Bristle-Shaped The term setaceous comes from the Latin seta, meaning bristle. Setaceous antennae are bristles of insects with setaceous antennae include mayflies (order Ephemeroptera) and dragonflies and damselflies (order Odonata). Stylate Terminate in a Long, Slender Point Stylate  comes from the Latin  stylus, meaning pointed instrument. In stylate antennae, the final segment terminates in a long, slender point, called a style. The style may be hairlike but will extend from the end and never from the side. Stylate antennae are found most notably in certain true flies of the suborder Brachycera (such as robber flies, snipe flies, and bee flies). Source: Triplehorn, Charles A. and Johnson, Norman F. Borror and DeLongs Introduction to the Study of Insects. 7th Edition

Financial reporting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial reporting - Assignment Example rganization is not to simply promote its very own business and increase the ultimate goal of profit figures but, on the other hand, these organization also acknowledges their secondary responsibility towards its society people and environmental affects. The primary purpose of conducting various CSER activities by Company is the clear acknowledgement on the part of the Company that they do care about its society, their peoples, and environment and therefore, is consistently working on the promotion of various subjects of the society including, literature, sports, health, safety and others. CSER involve in incurring some short-term expenses and costs for the organization that do not also provide an instant financial benefit to the business, but instead it provides some qualitative return to the business in the long run. The activities of CSER widely promote many positive and beneficial transformations into the society and environment, in which the organization is performing their operations. With the help of CSER report, the ultimate aim of the business is to signify towards the society that they are the organization which have strict regulations and controls over the various business evils, including, Frauds, Bribery, Political influences and gifts, conflict of interests, compromise of independence issues, tax evasion, unethical business practice, unfair competitive activities, lack of confidentiality of business information and acumen, harassment of human rights and values, discrimination and many others, depending on the structure and needs of the organization. Through, CSER, business organization also wants demonstrate they strictly follow health and safety measures, its code of conduct, regulatory guidelines and are continually striving for improvement in order to accrue lesser and lesser damage to physical environment and nature. ABF Plc’s Corporate Responsibility Report clearly demonstrates that how much importance they are actually giving to the area

Marijuana should be legalized in the united states Essay

Marijuana should be legalized in the united states - Essay Example Diseases like nausea, vomiting, glaucoma etc can be treated effectively with marijuana. Moreover, it can be used a pain reliever, hunger stimulant etc. Even though marijuana has good potential in medical science, it has not achieved the status of a medicine yet in America. FDA has not shown green signal to marijuana yet. It is still included in the list of drugs which are misused for changing moods rather than treating diseases. Roth (2008) has pointed out that â€Å"To date, marijuana is still classified as an illegal Schedule 1 drug by the Controlled Substances Act. It is defined as having "no accepted medical use in treatment in the United States" (Roth). This paper argues in favor of legalization of marijuana in United Sates, after analyzing the arguments in favor and against it. Pundits like Fox Newss Glenn Beck and former judge Andrew Napolitano have joined in the debate, on the pro-legalization side. "You know what, I think its about time we legalize marijuana. Hear me out for a second†¦" Beck told viewers in April. "We have to make a choice in this country. We have to either put people who are smoking marijuana behind bars, or we legalize it. But this little game were playing in the middle is not helping us, and is causing massive violence on our southern border." Even Sarah Palin, whos opposed to legalization, has called pot a relatively "minimal problem," telling Fox Business Network this summer, "I think we need to prioritize our law-enforcement efforts. And if somebodys gonna smoke a joint in their house and not do anybody else harm, then perhaps there are other things our cops should be looking at to engage in and try to clean up some of the other problems that we have in society"(Conant and Maloney) Neither the administration, nor the judiciary has any ideas about what to do with the issue of legalization of marijuana. Instead of conducting a pilot study to learn more about the pros and cons of marijuana use, the