Super Bowl Commercial 2014 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Super Bowl Commercial 2014 - Essay Example In less than ten seconds, each scene tells a story of a thousand words. There is no mention of the brand name or image of the Microsoft logo throughout the commercial until the very end of the commercial. I believe the commercial brings out the personality of Microsoft. Microsoft strives to invent and develop amazing computer software that caters for not only ordinary people, but people with specific or special needs also. Technology has made life simpler and better. Technology has made people’s dreams a reality and Microsoft is at the forefront of such initiatives. The Super bowl 2014 Apple Inc commercial a competitor of Microsoft known for its IOS operating systems and OS X computer software did not have such a creative well thought through commercial (O’Grady, 2014). The Apple Inc commercial concentrated on their product iPhone and not a broader perspective of what they are all about. The Microsoft commercial was far more superior in terms of quality and was able to market Microsoft as a brand that cares and not a brand that wants to sell only. My favorite spot in the Microsoft commercial was a scene showing a small girl jumping up and down and screaming from seeing her father probably through Skype. It brings out the aspect of how technology builds relationships. The Super bowl Microsoft Commercial 2014 was

In-band or out-of-band SAN appliances Essay Example for Free

In-band or out-of-band SAN appliances Essay Out-of band SAN appliances allow for independent flow of data between servers and storages since it does not function within the data path (InfoWorld, 2001). In addition, execution of management functions by these appliances is independent of application servers, a factor which dictates for having host drives. This has the implication that the positioning of an out-band SAN appliance posses performance concerns in the system (InfoWorld, 2001). Another implication is that increase in the number of server in such a system complicates administration issues. Still, out-of band SAN appliances have its meta-data and control operations separate from the data path. This coupled with the need for having a driver at each host frees the host to engage only in transferring data to and from the storage. Nevertheless, this configuration has the advantage of caching due to the request time delays involved in linking data path information and the appliance for processing. On the other hand, in-band SAN appliances employ a single device for executing all the basic storage management functions namely; data path, control operations, and meta-data management (Kornfeld, 2001). This has the implication that no additional driver software is needed in the host. Also, this enhances scalability of the SAN system. However, this limits the application of in-band SAN appliances in a busy SAN since both meta-data and control operations share the same data path. Despite this, in-band SAN appliances enjoy the privilege of allowing for caching and clustering (InfoWorld, 2001). In addition, being a single device, in-band SAN appliances boast of low cost of implementation and ease of administration (Kornfeld, 2001). Therefore, both in-band and out-of-band SAN appliances have advantages as well as disadvantages. Considerations before choice of a SAN appliance should thus be based on the needs in the particular organization.

Societies Influences :: essays research papers

Societies Influence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Society seems to influence all ages by poisioning our minds with lies and aggression. Aggression and hockey have gone together as long as sports have been around, be it the players themselves, to the parents, coaches, friends, they just seem to be an inseparable part of each other. The term violence is defined as physical assualt based on total disregard for the well being of self and others, or the intent to injure another person. Hockey seems to be promoting violence by broadcasting it all over the world advertising it to all children. There is no room for violence in our great game from my prospective. I have been around this game my entire life and I don’t believe we need to make violence a part of it. I have seen to many injuries, to many concusions, broken wrists and broken faces. I have seen twelve year old kids trying to kick each other with skates on. All this is a mentality, that is taught to us hockey players. This lesson is to be rutheless to a nyone and everyone. I remember my very fist lesson I was in my first year in the rep system. I was fourteen and at that age I was very large for my size. My ncoach between the first and second period told me that if I didn’t go out there and lay a bone crushing body check that I was going to sit next game. He believed that all I was good for was to be violent. I was fourteen scared out of my mind and my next shift I went out there and just crushed a player from the opposing team. From that point on all my coach wanted me to do for the rest of the season was fight. That year when I was fourteen I fought over twenty times in that season because of the surrounding pressure. The worst year of my life and I never ever want to see or hear of a player put in that position I was in. The game of hockey has always been violent to an extent like any other sport but in our up and coming society it seems that violence is influencing our game of hockey. In conclusion, I believe that if hockey the sport should continue we as a society should stop putting pressure on our children and friends and just let them have fun.

Essay --

Carla Molina December 19th, 2013 Period.8 Judicial Review Research ‘ Case One: â€Å"Georgia .vs. Randolph† Summary This case is about Scott Randolph, who’s home was searched without a warrant. Due to this â€Å"corrupted† search, police ended up finding cocaine in his home. As a matter of fact both Randolph and his wife Janet Randolph were present during the search, it’s stated that Randolph’s wife gave permission to search the house. However Randolph denied to give that consistent, but police believed that the wife’s permission was all they needed. After the encounter with the drugs, Randolph was arrested for drug possession. This case was taken to trail and both the appellate court and Georgie Supreme court believed that the search of Randolph's home was unconstitutional. Key Details & Ideas Majority Opinion: Said by Justice David Souter â€Å" In the majority opinion, compared the reasonableness of such a search to a more casual interaction.† He believes that the co-occupants consent is not valid because their was the refusal of an other occupant. Beside on the Fourth Amendment it states that â€Å" a valid warrantless entry and search of a premises when the police obtain the voluntary consent of an occupant who shares, or is reasonably believed to share, common authority over the property, and no present co-tenant objects.† Dissenting Opinion Said by Justice Scalia â€Å" It is an act of responsible citi... .... Madison was applied to this decision because the actions committed were unconstitutional. According to the Supreme Court the 8th Amendment was broken because the District Court of Appeal was giving a cruel and unusual punishment to Graham. The 8th amendment claus does not allow a juvenile offender to be sentenced to life in jail without a parole for a non-homicidal crime. Therefore Terrance could not fall through with this punishment. Opinion In my opinion, I actually agree with the court decision because yes although he did committed a crime, to be sentenced for life at young age is pretty harsh. I do agree that he should pay for his consequences but not to that extreme. They should honestly come up with a plan that suits his crime. Plus he has the right of the 8th Amendment, to not condone a cruel punishment if it does not suit the crime in which he committed.

Current Trends in Business Communication Essay

Business Communication Trends In business today, communication is very important. Communication holds the business together. With technology increasing in today’s business environment businesses are losing that one on one relationship with their customers. Technology is taking over where years ago the businesses had a face-to-face interaction with businesses. What will happen if these trends keep evolving will no one in business have anymore face-to-face conversations. In my business environment we must communicate all the time without communication, we could have a disaster. Everyone in the business environment needs to be involved in the communication they need to know what is going on, what we are doing wrong, and what our customers’ needs and wants are of their products. Therefore, being a detail planner I need to keep all the supervisors updated on what products we will be running, and what products will be going on backorder. Most of the time if a product is going on backorder I am normally waiting on purchased parts to come in house. I need to keep in touch and communicate with the purchasing agent to find out when they will be available for me to pack. Our purchased parts come in and depending on the part, some of them may have to be tested and they go on test I need to make sure that these parts are available at the time I need to run the job. Therefore, I need communicate with incoming so they put the parts on test as soon as they come in the building. I also need to communicate with the engineer to make sure that all the blueprints for the product and all tools needed are ready and available to run. In my type of business, I am communicating all the time with many people of the business. When communicating I use E- mail a lot to give everyone one a heads up on what I need to run the lot. When needing answers right away I use same time, which is similar to instant messenger so if the person is at their desk we can get an answer right away. This means of communication comes in handy so you do not hold up the production lines. Trends in Current and Previous Workplaces Since I have been at my job for 27 years, I guess I will have to go with the trends in my workplace. Since I have started at B. Braun in 1983, we did not have much of any technology we did all inventory by hand and by using, excel sheets. As years went by, we now have all our inventory system in SAP. SAP generates our orders all the way down to sub assemblies. This way each Master Planner knows when to schedule their order so the full product will be ready to ship by the due date. This technology has increased production about 80%. We also all have E-mail our own computers and are able to access SAP anytime of the day. Our systems are also connected in all our other plants such as Malaysia, Germany, and the Dominican Republic so we can converse with our major companies. We do not actually use a video cam with these companies but we definitely have phone conferences with them. Our Sales representatives still go out to the hospitals to show our products and talk to the doctors on sight. We also have training personnel that go on sight to train the doctors and nurses on the right way to use are products. Since I started at B. Braun, we have come a long way with Technology. We do not do physical inventory anymore we do things called cycle counts all through the year to make sure that our inventory is accurate. The other thing is every process that we are doing is now becoming automated we are using more machines for our processes to eliminate the people needed for the manufacturing floor. We still have many processes that are not automated but they are telling us that down the road they are expecting everything to be automated. Message types from these Trends I figure that eventually technology will take over the business there will be fewer workers and more machines to do the job of humans. Many people will be out of a job with technology taking over. There will also be less human contact with customers and customers will feel that the company does not care about their business and go elsewhere for their products. In business even though technology is one of the biggest things, we still need that face-to-face interaction with our customers. Businesses need that one on one relationship to keep them as customers. However, technology is good but only to a extent keeping that interaction with your customers helps to generate more sales. Word a mouth is the best advertising that a business can have and helps to improve your sales.

People Watching Too Much Tv Essays

People Watching Too Much Tv Essays People Watching Too Much Tv Essay People Watching Too Much Tv Essay In the modern competitive market, it is imperative for organizations and institutions to utilize available resources efficiently to be ahead of the competitors. Highly skilled employees are in high demand by various organizations to increase productivity. Consequently, human resources must be carefully managed through recruitment, selection and onboarding (Hernandez amp; Connor, 2010).Therefore, this essay will discuss the importance of recruitment, selection and onboarding in an organization. Recruitment refers to the process of seeking out candidates for employment and motivating them to apply for posts in an organization (Hernandez amp; Connor, 2010). It involves attracting potential employees to express their interest in working for the organization. It creates a pool of applicants from which the right candidates can be selected. This can take place through advertisement in print media, radio and television, or online advertisements. It is the first link between job seekers and e mployers.Recruitment is a significant process because it discovers the sources of manpower to meet the staffing requirements of the organization (Dowell, 2010). Effective measures must be laid down in order to attract the best manpower by outlining the requirements of the position and qualifications. This will lead to the employment of only those individuals with the desired skills, which can add value to the organization. Once the applicants express their interest, selection exercise takes place. Selection is the process of choosing and determining the applicants with higher possibility of succeeding in a job (Hernandez amp; Connor, 2010).It involves picking applicants with appropriate qualifications and the required competency for a given task. The candidates undergo a preliminary interview or screening before selection tests and finally the selection interview. The objective of selection exercise is to gather, organize and evaluate relevant information and assess each candidate i n order to foretell applicant’s job performance (Dowell, 2010). The applicants acquire information, which assists them in judging whether they wish to accept the job or not.This ensures employment of the right individuals to avoid high employee turnover and the costs that come with it. Onboarding refers to the process of assisting new employees to become productive members of an institution (Hernandez amp; Connor, 2010). It involves orientating, assimilating and integrating the employee into the institution. It enhances the effectiveness by receiving and preparing new workers for various tasks. The employee becomes comfortable and fully operational in the new environment within a short time. A well onboarding program enhances retaining of employees in the organization (Dowell, 2010).In conclusion, recruitment, selection, and onboarding are pertinent processes in an organization. These ensure employment of the best talents from a large pool of candidates. This increases employ ee’s productivity placing the organization at the top of the competition. References Dowell, B. E. (2010). Strategy-driven talent management: a leadership imperative. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass. Hernandez, S. R. , amp; Connor, S. J. (2010). Strategic human resources management in health services organizations (3rd ed. ). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.

Abnormal DNA Methylation in the Human Genome essays

Abnormal DNA Methylation in the Human Genome essays The methylation of DNA serves as one of the most crucial epigenetic modifications of modern day genetics. Methylation and demethylation of DNA have profound effects on cellular differentiation and processes such as transcription, gene expression, chromatin structure, and suppression of invasive and unwanted genes. Many enzymes work coherently to regulate methylation activity, one of the main being DNA methyltransferase. Any disruptions in the methyltransferase pathway can lead to the modification of regular DNA methylation. The modification of these processes can lead to fatal diseases and various types of cancer. The two patterns in which atypical DNA methylation fall are hypermethylation and hypomethylation. Relevantly, the cancer genome is quite regularly marked by the hypermethylation of specific genes simultaneous to the decrease in 5-methyl cytosine levels (hypomethylation). Hypermethylation refers to the over methylation of some genes which results in the repression of transcription. Hypomethylation is a decrease in the methylation of cytosine and adenosine residues in DNA. The decrease in methylation causes the reduction of imprinting and the instability of chromosomal structure. Both patterns of abnormalities of DNA methylation can result in irregulation of gene transcription, which can ultimately lead to the development cancer; however, due to its characteristic of being reversible, modulation of methylation and methyltransferase is an ideal theraputic and epigenetic target for the various cancers that originate from it. DNA methylation was first discovered in 1948, and ever since, has generated a substantial amount of controversy as a result of trying to decipher its significance. The methylation of DNA is a covalent modification which results in the addition of a methyl group to 'the 5th carbon of the cytosine ring. Most of the methylation occurs in the CpG dinucelotide; however, since there can be up to 1...

Ellen Gates Starr Biography

Ellen Gates Starr Biography Ellen Starr was born in Illinois in 1859.  Her father encouraged her in thinking about democracy and social responsibility, and his sister, Ellen’s aunt Eliza Starr, encouraged her to pursue higher education.  There were few women’s colleges, especially in the Midwest; in 1877, Ellen Starr began her studies at Rockford Female Seminary with a curriculum equivalent to that of many men’s colleges. In her first year of study at Rockford Female Seminary, Ellen Starr met and became close friends with Jane Addams.  Ellen Starr left after a year, when her family could no longer afford to pay tuition.  She became a teacher in Mount Morris, Illinois, in 1878, and the following year at a girls’ school in Chicago.  She also read such authors as Charles Dickens and John Ruskin and began shaping her own ideas about labor and other social reforms, and, following her aunt’s lead, about art as well. Jane Addams Her friend, Jane Addams, meanwhile, graduated from Rockford Seminary in 1881, tried to attend a Woman’s Medical College, but left in ill health.  She toured Europe and lived for a while in Baltimore, all the while feeling restless and bored and wanting to apply her education.  She decided to return to Europe for another trip and invited her friend Ellen Starr to go with her. Hull House On that trip, Addams and Starr visited Toynbee Settlement Hall and London’s East End.  Jane had the vision of starting a similar settlement house in America and talked Starr into joining her.  They decided on Chicago, where Starr had been teaching and found an old mansion that had become used for storage, originally owned by the Hull family – thus, Hull House.  They took up residence on September 18, 1889, and began â€Å"settling† in with the neighbors, to experiment with how to best serve the people there, mostly poor and working-class families. Ellen Starr led reading groups and lectures, on the principle that education would help uplift the poor and those who worked at low wages. She taught labor reform ideas, but also literature and art. She organized art exhibits. In 1894, she founded the Chicago Public School Art Society to get art into public school classrooms.  She traveled to London to learn bookbinding, becoming an advocate for the handicrafts as a source of pride and meaning.  She tried to open a book bindery at Hull House, but it was one of the failed experiments. Labor Reform She also became more involved in labor issues in the area, involving immigrants, child labor and safety in the factories and sweatshops in the neighborhood. In 1896, Starr joined the garment workers’ strike in support of the workers. She was a founding member of the Chicago chapter of the Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL) in 1904.  In that organization, she, like many other educated women, worked in solidarity with the often-uneducated women factory workers, supporting their strikes, helping them file complaints, raising funds for food and milk, writing articles and otherwise publicizing their conditions to the wider world. In 1914, in a strike against Henrici Restaurant, Starr was among those arrested for disorderly conduct. She was charged with interfering with a police officer, who claimed she had used violence against him and â€Å"tried to frighten him† by telling him to â€Å"leave them girls be!†Ã‚  She, a frail woman of at best a hundred pounds, did not look to those in court like someone who could frighten a policeman from his duties, and she was acquitted. Socialism After 1916, Starr was less active in such confrontational situations. While Jane Addams generally did not get involved in partisan politics, Starr joined the Socialist Party in 1911 and was a candidate in the 19th ward for the alderman’s seat on the Socialist ticket.  As a woman and a Socialist, she did not expect to win but used her campaign to draw connections between her Christianity and Socialism and to advocate for more fair working conditions and treatment of all.  She was active with the Socialists until 1928. Religious Conversion Addams and Starr disagreed about religion, as Starr moved from her Unitarian roots in a spiritual journey that took her to conversion to Roman Catholicism in 1920. Later Life She withdrew from public view as her health grew poorer.  A spinal abscess led to surgery in 1929, and she was paralyzed after the operation.  Hull House was not equipped or staffed for the level of care that she needed, so she moved to the Convent of the Holy Child in Suffern, New York. She was able to read and paint and maintain a correspondence, remaining at the convent until her death in 1940. Ellen Gates Starr Facts Known for:  co-founder of Chicago’s Hull House, with Jane AddamsOccupation:  settlement house worker, teacher, reformerDates:  March 19, 1859 - 1940Also known as: Ellen StarrReligion: Unitarian, then Roman CatholicOrganizations:  Hull House, Women’s Trade Union LeagueEducation: Rockford Female Seminary Family Mother: Susan Gates ChildsFather: Caleb Allen Starr, farmer, businessman, active in the GrangeAunt: Eliza Allen Starr, art scholar

Wal-Mart Competitive Advantages Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wal-Mart Competitive Advantages - Case Study Example The researcher states that the discounted retail giant Wal-Mart has many of the competitive advantages that have made the company such a market leader for years now. The rural market strategy that the company has undertaken has clearly helped the company to attain increased market share. The other advantage of Wal-Mart has been the age of its stores. In the year 1990, merely 10% of Wal-Mart stores were more than 8 years old whereas K-Mart, the prime competitor of Wal-Mart had 85% of stores aged above 8 years. The distribution capability is another prominent competitive advantage for Wal-Mart. In their distribution system, they have cross-docking, inside out location strategy which is very much helpful to grow their business in overseas. This is one of the cost saving methods and they can easily reach their customer satisfaction level. The workforce culture of Wal-Mart is a customer-oriented strategy which is motivated by monetary contribution as well as belief in the Wal-Mart culture . This tends to move faster in response and flexibility to the changing demand. Strong corporate culture is very much needed to apply this strategy. Wal-Mart pursued to search for technological competitive improvements. Recently, Wal-Mart set up an electronic data exchange with more than 3,600 retailers with the purpose of receiving orders as well as to interact electronically. The plan has been extended with the purpose of developing, forecasting, shipping, and planning. Even though information costs are larger than competitors but the benefits of inventory cost reduction and also increased sales, compensate the cost appreciably as well as serve Wal-Mart with important competitive advantage. The distribution system of Wal-Mart is enormous and too tough to be replicated by the competitors when anybody considers the electronic connection of sales as well as inventory information across the world.

Media and the International Olympic Movement Essay

Media and the International Olympic Movement - Essay Example Los Angeles placed the bid for hosting the 2016 Olympics, battling Tokyo, London, New York, Chicago, Paris, Madrid and Moscow for the honor. London was chosen as the host city for the 2012 games, receiving 54 of 104 votes by members of the International Olympic Committee. Interestingly, Atlanta has not submitted bids for hosting of Summer Olympic games Since 1996, while Los Angeles has submitted bids for several Olympic games. This could be due to the fact that the City of Atlanta invested so much money into building infrastructure, facilities and the relocation of public housing that it has yet to realize the kind of revenue that was expected to be generated by hosting the games in 1996. Atlanta was also plagued by the negative publicity surrounding the bombing that occurred in the nearby Olympic Village. New of the event made headlines globally for three consecutive weeks, and continued periodically for an extended period of time. Los Angeles city officials, on the other hand, plan ned for such events and other possible catastrophes or emergencies. It secured extra space for medical treatment facilities and extra public service workers to handle crime and traffic issues. The 1984 Summer Olympic Games went well without any major mishaps or negative newsworthy events. It can be argued that chance comes into play here. Emergencies that are unexpected tend to occur while those that are planned for do not.

Human growth and development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human growth and development - Essay Example Severe stress usually happen when the job is lost whereby the individual is situated with a family relationship or when an individual has to take another job which he or she perceives to be below his or her dignity and competence. Many resort to alcohol as coping mechanism while a number suffer depression. Another common stressor is strained relationships which drives many people to depression and to some point, even suicide. This usually involves divorce in the case of middle age adults and romantic break ups in the case of early adults. This is more stressful with middle aged adults because the stakes are higher such as consideration of the children, division of assets, alimony etch. Stressed early and middle adult typically resort to indulging in anti depressant substance such as alcohol or pills (valium etch.) to forget their problems. And to some extent, many seek professional help to enable them to cope with the

Bandura Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bandura - Essay Example Bandura has provided a framework for the understanding of behavior of individuals through his social learning theory, which has recently been renamed as the social cognitive theory. Bandura clearly suggests that human behavior is learned, and that this learning process is through observation. This process of human learning can be seen in his own words â€Å"Of the many cues that influence behavior, at any point in time, none is more common than the actions of others†. (Bandura, 1986, p.206). The social cognitive theory explains overt behavior displayed by an individual in terms of the motivational factors and the self-regulatory mechanisms involved in the behavior of the individual. This theory implies that human behavior is a result of a learning process. This learning according to the theory is called observational learning. This learning process need not be the result of self-experiences, but through vicarious learning, by observing the behavior of others, and the consequences of their behavior. This focus on learning through observation is the unique and distinctive feature of Bandura’s theory. According to Bandura most human behavior is the result of learning through example either intentionally or by accident, and then patterning behavior on what has been learnt. The advantage of this learning process is that unnecessary errors are eliminated. The strength of Bandura’s theory is that it is founded on observations made, has been proven through objecti ve experiments with children. Many of the children behavior patterns mimic those of their parents, and is the result of observed learning of the behavioral patterns of the parents and the benefits that it offers. Bandura postulates that there are four component processes that act within the observer at the time of exposure to a model of behavior. The initial component is the attentional process. Unless attention is paid by the subject to the model observational learning does not take place, and

Critique of quantative research article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critique of quantative research article - Essay Example In HFHS, the candidate is evaluated using their reaction to a human like a mannequin that responds to external stimuli like a real patient would. The study used two other evaluation methods to augment the results of VTV and HFHS in relation to critical thinking. These were the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) and California Critical Thinking Skill Test (CCTST). CCTDI and CCTST join the link between physical performance and the mental capacity engaged in this type of response. The study aims at establishing if there is a link between critical thinking and the overall performance of a practicing nurse in the real world clinical situations. This is done by comparing the performance scores in HFHS and VTV assessments and determining if there is a relationship between simulations based performances and critical thinking. In the nursing profession, there is the need for a high degree of competency in handling medical situations and emergencies. How a nurse respond s to a situation is meaningful for a patient’s recovery or their demise. The proper identification of a problem and the appropriate subsequent response to the problem is linked to how effective that person is at handling such situations, and it has been linked to a person’s state of mind. ... The assessment of critical thinking through the use of question and answer methods fail to bring out the actual capability of a nurse in a real clinical situation. They do help to gauge their cognitive abilities, but do not show their level performance, in a practical scenario, where their actions and judgments are required immediately to save a life. The development of simulated assessment methods present a better method of assessing the performance of an individual, and it makes it easier for them to provide rationale, for their actions because simulations engage multiple sensory pathways making them dynamic, thus giving the nurse a variety of options to choose from, in regards to the one that is best suited for the situation at hand. Videotape vignettes (VTV) is an assessment method that requires a test candidate to watch a video where an actor assumes the condition of a patient suffering from a specific ailment and the candidate writes down how they would respond in such a situat ion and reasons supporting their decisions. In the assessment method of High fidelity Human Simulation (HFHS), the candidate is exposed to controlled experimental type scenario where a human like mannequin that can respond to external stimuli is programmed to mimic a person who is suffering from a certain ailment. The candidate’s performance is evaluated by gauging how they handle the ‘patient’ and what type of actions they initiate to mitigate the unfolding situation. To be able to gauge the critical thinking capacity of candidate accurately, these assessments are coupled to California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) and California Critical Thinking Skill Test (CCTST) as a way of trying to create a link between

Bandura Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bandura - Essay Example Bandura has provided a framework for the understanding of behavior of individuals through his social learning theory, which has recently been renamed as the social cognitive theory. Bandura clearly suggests that human behavior is learned, and that this learning process is through observation. This process of human learning can be seen in his own words â€Å"Of the many cues that influence behavior, at any point in time, none is more common than the actions of others†. (Bandura, 1986, p.206). The social cognitive theory explains overt behavior displayed by an individual in terms of the motivational factors and the self-regulatory mechanisms involved in the behavior of the individual. This theory implies that human behavior is a result of a learning process. This learning according to the theory is called observational learning. This learning process need not be the result of self-experiences, but through vicarious learning, by observing the behavior of others, and the consequences of their behavior. This focus on learning through observation is the unique and distinctive feature of Bandura’s theory. According to Bandura most human behavior is the result of learning through example either intentionally or by accident, and then patterning behavior on what has been learnt. The advantage of this learning process is that unnecessary errors are eliminated. The strength of Bandura’s theory is that it is founded on observations made, has been proven through objecti ve experiments with children. Many of the children behavior patterns mimic those of their parents, and is the result of observed learning of the behavioral patterns of the parents and the benefits that it offers. Bandura postulates that there are four component processes that act within the observer at the time of exposure to a model of behavior. The initial component is the attentional process. Unless attention is paid by the subject to the model observational learning does not take place, and

The importance of accounting information Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

The importance of accounting information - Essay Example This research will begin with the definition of accounting as the process of â€Å"identifying, measuring and communicating economic information to permit informed judgments and decisions† by the users of the information. Hence accounting information is very useful to its various users as it helps them to make informed and calculated decisions. All stakeholders of an organization including the shareholders are potential users of accounting information. Following are some of the user of this information: decision makers inside the organization (such as the directors, managers, etc.), employees, shareholders, customers, lenders, shareholders, suppliers, etc. Traditionally anybody who is interested in the activities and performance of an organization is a stakeholder. Accounting information is useful to different users in a different way. Accounting information such as cash inflows, expenses, fixed assets, liabilities, operating profits, can be used by decision makers inside an o rganization to make critical decisions such as future investments, pricing strategies, expansion plans, etc. Employees of an organization can use accounting information to analyze the financial and commercial success of a company and in turn understand the security with respect to the job that the organization promises. Lenders and suppliers can use the information to analyze the financial health of the company before lending loans and materials to the organizations.

Victorian Society Essay Example for Free

Victorian Society Essay In the novel Hard Times, Dickens reveals the Victorian Society as apathetic, harsh and depressing. Both the environment and characters are shown to be dark, dull and drab. Dickens uses a variety of techniques to show these. I am going to explore several issues from Dickenss point of view on Victorian Society, including education, marriage, industrialisation, the relationship between the middle class and the working class, and how Dickens uses different methods and techniques to present all these. I will refer to chapters one, two, five, eleven and fifteen while discussing all these different aspects. In chapter 2, Murdering the Innocents, the title immediately tells us that someone is going to react in a certain attitude towards someone else. This is an effective way to start the chapter as it gives a hint to the reader about what will happen in the chapter. Dickens is basically trying to show us as the reader how boring and demanding life was at school in Victorian Society in this chapter. He uses phrases like Girl number twenty unable to define a horse! And Bitzer, your definition of a horse to show how the pupils were being treated by Mr Gradgrind. Mr Gradgrind is described as dictatorial and square which means that he is a tyrannical person and he likes to order people to do things for him because he thinks he has more power than other people. A good example of this is when Mr Gradgrind talks to Sissy Jupe. He asks her for her name and when she replies, he immediately changes her name for her dont call yourself Sissy, call yourself Cecilia. This shows exactly how strict and harsh time was for the pupils. Dickens has chosen the characters very carefully in this novel like the name Mr Gradgrind it basically means he grinds on and on and on about things just like the way he teaches his students. He created this character because he is wanting us to react in a certain emotion and feeling. A good example of this is when Gradgrind talks to Louisa about the marriage proposal, You have been well trained, you are not impulsive, you are not romantic, you are accustomed to view everything from the strong dispassionate ground of reason and calculation. From that ground alone, I know you will view and consider what I am going to communicate. This tells us how Gradgrind brings up Louisa and how hard life is for her. He always tries to fill the pupils with facts waiting to be filled so full of facts and he also tries to take all their imagination and excitement away. When Bitzer explains the definition of a horse quadruped, graminivorous, forty teeth, namely twenty four grinders, four eye teeth and twelve incisive. Here Dickens is trying to show us how the students are being taught and trained by Mr Gradgrind. They are all brought up with facts, facts and facts and they eventually become not impulsive and with no imagination at all. Dickens totally hates the education policy in Victorian Society; he gives a few examples of showing this. In the first paragraph in chapter 1, Dickens shows straight away that life was a misery for the pupils now what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but facts! Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else and root out everything else. This is the principle of which I bring up my own children and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. This dialogue from Mr Gradgrind automatically shows that he doesnt like anything apart from facts and that he is trying to make all these pupils including his own children to follow his footsteps, Facts alone I wanted in life is what Mr Gradgrind believes and tells his students. Another point Dickens tries to tell us is that the pupils dont have their own freedom and individuality, they are known as different numbers instead of their name, girl number 20! This suggests to us that they are being trained and looked after like animals in a zoo. The setting Dickens has chosen in this chapter is in a very plain and dull classroom described as, plain, bare, monotonous vault of a school room This is not a good place for education as it is dull, ray of sunlight which, darting in at one of the bare windows of the intensely whitewashed room. Dickens uses all these different techniques to express his views on education. Dickens shows us that Mr Gandgrind is a bit selfish, demanding and aggressive. He only looks at one point and believes he is always right and other people are wrong, with a rule and a pair of scales, ready to weigh and measure any parcel of human nature and tell you exactly what it comes to. Dickens has used this phrase to describe Mr Gradgrind, and it is a very effective phrase because it creates an image in our heads of how demanding he is and how obsessed with facts he is. Mr Gradgrind thinks his way of educating is excellent but really, he is destroying all the students precious lives and his own children as well, he keeps them in a small private study room and never allows them to see the real world. An example of this is when Louisa and Tom goes and visits the circus, peeping at the circus. Dickens is trying to suggest that Louisa and Tom are sick of their lives and they really want to visit the outside world. They have no other friends at all apart from each other and they can not communicate with any other people outside their house or class, I am sick of my life, Loo. I hate it altogether and I hate everybody except you! This shows how dull and boring their lives were and how bad they were brought up by Mr Gradgrind. When Mr Gradgrind finds out that they were in the circus, he was very furious because he thought circuses were foolish things and wasnt anything to do with facts, Thomas and you to whom the circle of the science is open; Thomas and you, who may be said to be replete with facts; Thomas and you, who have been trained to mathematical exactness; Thomas and you here! In this degraded position! Yet, he is still talking about facts when he is telling them to go home! Dickens really puts a picture in the readers mind that Mr Gradgrind is totally obsessed with FACTS and he finds nothing else interesting or entertaining. Because of Gradgrinds obsession with facts, this has leaded on a huge effect on Louisa. When Louisa got older and older, she became more dispassionate. Even when a marriage proposal was being made, she act as though she didnt care about it and marriage was a huge commitment. Dickens shows an interesting point on marriage. He suggests to us that life was unfair for people who got married and wished to get divorced because there were strict laws to punish them and he also shows that marriage wasnt about real love in many cases. Dickens shows this by using phrases like, there is a law to punish me when Stephen Blackpool asks for advice about ending a marriage with Mr Bounderby because he is sick of his wife and he can not stand it anymore, I cannot beart nommore! Blackpool tries very hard to get divorced and he even pays his wife a lot of money to keep her away from him, I ha paid her to keep awa fra me but it never worked because she kept coming back and coming back. Dickens is trying to suggest that there is no love at all in their marriage and that Stephen Blackpool is really suffering from marriage. Another reason why Blackpool wants to get divorced is so that he could marry Rachel instead, he wishes to be free, to marry the female whom he speaks Dickens is showing us how much Stephen Blackpool loves Rachel here. After the conversation between Blackpool and Bounderby, Bounderby could not help him because Stephen needed a lot of money on order to get divorced and Bounderby wouldnt lend him the money. This chapter reveals that Mr Bounderby is a very law abiding citizen and that he wont go out of his way to help other people. Another interesting point that Dickens suggests about marriage is when Mr Gradgrind talks to Louisa about the marriage proposal. When she hears the news from Gradgrind, she had no emotion at all, she never said a word and without any visible emotion. This suggests that she doesnt care who she gets married to even to the person she hates the most, a good example of this is when Mr Bounderby kisses Louisa on the cheek (Chp 4) and when he left, she immediately rubbed her cheeks furiously, you may cut the piece out with your penknife and I wouldnt cry!

Louis Philippe Sub Brands Marketing Essay

Louis Philippe Sub Brands Marketing Essay Louis Philippe was launched in India in 1989. Celebrating the sophistication of the Indian gentleman, Louis Philippe garments establish that their wearer is a man of infallible taste and class. The brands Franco-Italian lineage, combined with its focus on global fashion gives it indisputable premium and an exclusive image. Today, Louis Philippe is a brand leader in formal and quasi-formal wear. The embellished Crest is a sign that the wearer of a Louis Philippe wardrobe has truly arrived. Today, the Crest is prized even more for its focus on luxury, exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail, establishing that its wearer is truly a member of The Upper Crest. The comfort and perfection of the clothing is also evident in their line of elegant shoes, crafted from the finest leather, and their range of innerwear, sourced from the softest cotton. Louis Philippe garments are available at 125 stores, and at the exclusive LP stores created by famous European architect John Marsala. The brand continues to be the leader in retail sales in all leading menswear and department stores. The retail experience is further augmented by Madura Fashion Lifestyles retail chain Planet Fashion. Louis Philippe also launched sub-brands including LP and Luxure. LP by Louis Philippe has an exciting range of shirts, trousers, T-shirts, suits, jackets and accessories to put together a youthful wardrobe. Luxure, the masterpiece collection, was created to deliver sartorial elegance for the refined connoisseur. Louis Philippe recently made a foray into the footwear segment, offering more than 40 exciting designs, in an unparalleled width in the formals market. Louis Philippe sub brands LP by Louis Philippe http://www.madurafnl.com/brands/images/lp_image.jpg Louis Philippe expanded its offering with the launch of a sub-brand in November 2007. LP by Louis Philippe is aimed at young achievers and upscale urbanites, who demand wardrobe versatility. It ascertains the style mantra for todays generation.   Formals finally get what they have always deserved: style, attitude and panache. The new age formals with hidden styling detail in every single garment: a coloured gusset on the side seam, an innovative trim, or a unique fabric wash. Half the battle is already won with the all-occasion LP wardrobe. Priding itself on being the trendsetter for the cool, stylishly spirited confident youngster who lives today with a confident eye on tomorrow, LP is the brand for those who are in a hurry to make a mark in this world, but will not compromise on either their values or on fun, en route.   The LP line has an exciting range of shirts, trousers, T-shirts, suits, jackets and accessories to put together a youthful wardrobe. Crafted with love and passion, and a fine eye for detail, the collection has been designed by ThincTank New York, a group of ace designers from New York, and the Design laboratory at Bangalore. With two trendy fits in shirts and denims, four styles in trousers and three in suits and jackets, the LP range provides ample options for customising a wardrobe to individual preferences.   Luxure Inspired by Louis Philippe, a monarch of another age, and Art Nouveau, an artistic movement of an era gone by, brand Louis Philippe was born in the United Kingdom in 1965.   A lyrical ode to the tailor, artist, craftsman, all rolled into one, Louis Philippe celebrates the craft of the artisan in true Art Nouveau style. Louis Philippe test-launched the Luxure brand in select stores across India in November 2008. Created to deliver sartorial elegance for the refined connoisseur, the masterpiece collection strengthens brand Louis Philippes promise to deliver excellence to customers who have an appreciation of the finer things in life. With Luxure, consumers have access to exquisite apparel, consummate craftsmanship, luxurious materials and delicate aesthetics, all core to the values and heritage of Louis Philippe. Louis Philippe footwear http://www.madurafnl.com/brands/images/luxure_shoe.jpg Louis Philippe recently made a foray into the footwear segment, offering more than 40 exciting designs, in an unparalleled width in the formals market. The footwear range includes the Classic, the Dress and the Relaxed product lines for style-conscious, comfort-seeking customers. Louis Philippe shoes have been manufactured with the latest know-how of the Italians, who are known for their fine craftsmanship. Louis Philippe shoes undergo 200 different processes of production excellence in order to craft every single masterpiece. Pure leather has been used for both the outer body and the inner lining. The soles are soft and light; some of them constructed with the lightest wood, Masonite. Leather boards have been introduced in the front and back of the shoe to help retain its elegant shape for a long time. Twin material leather sole helps it to breathe and thereby retain freshness for the feet at all times. In order to provide longevity, technical sole construction is introduced in the shoes. TALKIN ABOUT BRAND BUILDING ACTIVITIES Teeing off Indias richest domestic golf tournament   Louis Philippe is a premium brand synonymous with sophistication, style and success, qualities that are essentially associated with golf as well. And in a perfect match between the Madura Fashion Lifestyle brand and the prestigious sport, Louis Philippe has come to be associated with Indias richest domestic golf tournament, the Louis Philippe Cup, held at the KSA Golf Course, Bangalore, between March 5- 10, 2012.   According to Jacob John, Brand Head, Louis Philippe, fan involvement is a key element of the Louis Philippe Cup. We want to build a platform where true golf fans have a chance to play alongside pros, he adds. Pointing out that the values and qualities of Louis Philippe blend with those of golf, he feels this association with the premier sport is a perfect match, and will help the brand to move up to the next rung in the ladder. The Louis Philippe Cup is creating a buzz in Indias 100,000-strong golf community, which is growing phenomenally. The event promised to tee-off greater interest in the sport, raising its profile across India. Louis Philippe presents DIMENSIONS with Vijay Amritraj Louis Philippe, the premium mens clothing brand, in association with CNN-IBN brings you Dimensions with Vijay Amritraj, a first-of-its-kind show in the history of Indian television. This special series presented by Louis Philippe, will be anchored by the legendary tennis player Vijay Amritraj and will feature the brightest global icons that have mesmerised people across the globe with their magic; from sporting legends and business tycoons to supermodels and Hollywood A-listers. http://www.madurafnl.com/images/dimension_vijay_donald.jpg BUSINESS POTENTIAL AND ENVIRONMENT FACTOR ASSESSMENT A Shirt A Louis Philippe Shirt Functional Emotional/Functional Concrete, Rational Conceptual, Perceived Describes What Describes What Who Generic Unique, Distinct Limited life span Unlimited life span Transaction oriented Relationship oriented Easy to copy Cant be copied Luxury Brand Management Protect clients from non-clients. Luxury brand awareness must be superior to its penetration. An object must always be up to par with its brand. Brand Strategy Source Brand Strategy Endorsing Brand Stategy Analysts said the new sub-brands which were launched as a result of the brand getting extended both to new segments as well as to other product classes like footwear would contribute too much of the projected future growth. Despite the phenomenal growth in the sales, the Louis Philippe brand had been facing some problems. The raw material costs associated with apparel making had increased due to the high rates of inflation which the Indian economy had been facing for some years before 2011. Rupee Depreciation Blues Louis Philippe has stepped up local sourcing and reduced imports to protect it from the rupees vagaries. It imports specialty fabrics, trims, finishing and woven garments from China, Indonesia, Italy and Turkey. Imports account for 25 per cent of its fabric needs. This used to be 35 per cent till a few months ago. With the rupee depreciation, imports have become costlier. We have increased domestic sourcing to reduce dependence on imports. If the rupee behaviour continues, we will reduce imports further, says Jacob John, Brand Head. Specialty fabrics The brand has traditionally sourced from mills in Ahmedabad and Chandigarh. Apart from deepening existing ties, Louis Philippe has now found new suppliers in Kolhapur. Many Italian mills have set up units in Kolhapur, says John. But imports cannot be shunned, given that certain specialty fabrics are hard to find in the country. They need a good balance of local and imported fabrics. We are negotiating with suppliers abroad on the price front. While the rupee depreciation has not affected most apparel brands in the country, as they mainly source locally, premium brands which have a high import content face a margin squeeze. The weak rupee forced Louis Philippe to hike retail prices by Rs 100-200 in July, which marked the start of the autumn-winter season. Price hikes Earlier, Louis Philippe shirts were priced between Rs 1,299 and Rs 3,000. Now, the price range is Rs 1,399-Rs 3,500. With the end-of-season sales hogging the limelight in July-August, the real impact of the price hike will be felt this month onwards. There is an overall sluggishness in the market. Hopefully, the festive season will perk things up. We will continue to expand our retail network aggressively. Says Brand Head. In the last one year alone, Louis Philippe added 50 exclusive stores to take its total tally to 135. Louis Philippe expects to grow 15 per cent and touch a retail turnover of Rs 1,000 crore this year. OVERVIEW These new super premium ranges of branded apparel were priced 100 percent higher than the other existing premium brands in the market. The Louis Philippe brand was also extended to cater to the needs of different customer segments. Louis Philippe entered the luxury market for mens formals with the introduction of the Luxure sub brand. Luxure was very successful and contributed to nearly 15 percent of the total revenues in the stores in which it was introduced. Louis Philippe introduced another sub brand called LP for semi-formal clothing for young customers. It also introduced premium footwear for men in the year 2010. The introduction of new sub brands paid off and the sales of Louis Philippe reached Rs. 6.5 billion for the fiscal year ending March. 2011. But Louis Philippe was also facing some challenges in the form of new players entering the market and an increase in excise duties which increased the price of branded apparel. The question to be asked is whether Louis Philippe wil l be able to sustain its growth momentum in future and what the implications are for marketing. The market for branded readymade mens wear was very limited in India till the early 1980s. The growth rates were also very low. One of the main reasons for this was that Indian men were accustomed to buying cloth and getting it stitched as per their custom body measurements. This practice hindered the emergence of national level brands in the apparel business. The market began to change by the mid-1980s and a small market for branded apparel started to emerge. One of the first entrants into this sector was Madura Coats India; a 51 percent subsidiary of the UK-based JP coats. It entered the ready to wear garments business in India through three divisions: Madura Garments (ready to wear clothing), Coats India (threads division), and Madura Textiles (fabric supplier). Madura Garments was acquired by ABG in the year 2000 and later renamed as Madura Fashion and Lifestyle (Madura FL) The Louis Philippe brand was extended into the footwear segment in April 2010. The entry into the footwear sector was aimed at giving more choice in style and needs to Indian customers in the matter of their footwear. The lack of choice in the Indian footwear market had led to many Indians shopping abroad for their footwear needs. Initially, mens shoes were launched in the formal wear sector with 40 unique designs to choose from. Just like its apparel business, the new footwear was launched in the premium and super-premium segments Continuing its growth momentum, sales of the Louis Philippe brand were expected to reach Rs. 8.50 billion by the fiscal year 2011- 2012.

Starvation in midst of plenty Essay -- Health, Diseases, Diabetes

â€Å"Starvation in midst of plenty† is a phrase, often used to describe diabetes. This disease became so widespread and so â€Å"important in its health complications that November 14th has been declared as World Diabetes Day† (Blumer, Rubin, 2009). One of the most common forms of diabetes is Type 2 diabetes or non-insulin dependent Diabetes. More than nine million Canadians live with diabetes or prediabetes according to statistics. Although diabetes has become prevalent in all communities across Canada, the problem has reached an epidemic level among Aboriginal people (Blumer, Rubin, 2009). They have a rate three to five times higher than that of other Canadians (Health Canada). Regarding the high-risk factors as obesity, low level of physical activity, and an unhealthy eating pattern among Aboriginal people, diabetes is a very big concern. Firstly, obese people are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. Approximately 200 years ago, before their first meeting with the Europeans, the Aboriginals enjoyed a simple and healthy lifestyle. They lived nomadically, eating â€Å"seasonal foods native to Canada† (Rosenthal, 2009). Their immune system has built a protective mechanism able to adjust to non-consistent food supply in such a way they used carbohydrates in a very efficient way metabolically (Blumer, Rubin, 2009). This mechanism is called â€Å"the thrifty gene†. Unfortunately, after being introduced a diet high in calories and saturated fat they started to accumulate the extra calories as fat which lead to obesity. Also, traditional foods such as â€Å"wild game, fish, root vegetables, fruit, whale meat, and blubber†, became unavailable during the years due to pollution of water (Rosenthal, 2009). Furthermore, their healthy food was replaced with ... ... professionals try to â€Å"marry the West and North† (Rosenthal, 2009) trying to suit diet and activity to the cultural environment of Aboriginal communities. In conclusion, even though the rate of diabetes is very high all over Canada, Aboriginal people are more endangered, because of their lifestyle. It is proved that diabetes can cause long term complications like heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease etc. The best ways to avoid these diseases are to prevent diabetes by fighting the risk factors through education. Maybe if the programs are more suited to the Aboriginal tradition and culture the effect would be obvious. Fortunately, the gap created between West and North due to cultural and language barriers start to fill up slowly. It is assigned that the rate of diabetes can decrease in the future among Aboriginal people.

Play in Childhood Essay

Play is one of the most defining features of childhood in Western society. It is something that all children have in common and what makes a child’s world different from adults. In answering the question, this essay will first examine the different opinions held by theorists as to why children play. I will then look at role play, which is one of the many types of play that children engage in. Finally I will look at children’s play as a social process using examples from other cultures and then briefly consider the reasons that children themselves believe they play. It is wrong to assume that children have always played. Historian, Aries (1962 in Book 1 Understanding Childhood Chapter 2) claimed that childhood was a social construction and that the view of childhood as a separate state did not occur until around the 16th and 17th century – before this, children were economically useful and not valued for the simple joy that children can bring. This was further illustrated by Mayhew (1861 in Book 1 Understanding Childhood Chapter 1), who’s observations from his meeting with the watercress girl led him to state that she had been deprived of her childhood. This was largely due to the fact that the girl’s work responsibilities did not allow time for play and she had no knowledge of parks or anything associated with play. From this it could be deduced that Mayhew felt children should play. Mayhew’s example also showed that play is a social construction, as although it was clear that the ‘watercress girl’ did not play, the fact that Mayhew suggests this is abnormal may simply be constructed from his own opinions that childhood should be a time of play. One of the first attempts to explain the importance of play came from the publication of Emile by Jean Jacques Rousseau in (1762 in Book 3 Understanding Childhood Chapter 1). In this, Rousseau emphasized that childhood should be a time of play and children should have the freedom to do this. For Rousseau, play is consistent with a happy healthy childhood, which is often linked with the romantic discourse. This is in contrast with the Puritan discourse which believes that allowing children to play is a risk to the civilization processes, as this can only be achieved through strict discipline. It also believes parents should be responsible for channeling children’s play into creative forms of work which will help  children to learn morally and intellectually. It is obvious therefore that these theories differ in their approaches to play. For the Romantic perspective – play is a way that children can express themselves, but for the Puritan approach, play is the way throu gh which children learn. Other opinions, such as those from developmentalist’s like as Piaget (1896 – 1980 in Book 3 Understanding Childhood Chapter 1) saw play as an opportunity where children learn, practice and consolidate new skills and furthermore play provides them with a time where failing during a task was not going to have disastrous consequences. Vygotsky’s view on the reason why children play is different (1896-1934 in Book 3 Understanding Childhood Chapter 1) as he believed that play was a crucial part in children’s social development in that it helps them acquire skills to learn to cop-operate with others. Play is also important for children’s cognitive development as children use psychological tools during play such as language and memory. Through play children learn, explore and extend their skills, for example Vygotsky suggested that when children play ‘make-believe’, they can experiment with adult roles and ways of that otherwise wouldn’t’t be possible for them. It is obvious therefore that for Piaget and Vygotsky, the reason children play is to learn. However, psychoanalysts like Freud(1920 in Book 3 Understanding Childhood Chapter 1) were more interested in the significance of play for their emotional development, suggesting that a child’s psyche could be revealed through their play. Freud suggested from his research that play could have a therapeutic effect as it allowed children to rid themselves of negative feelings. Freud’s views were the building block for others like his daughter Anna who set up nursery for children during the second world war and recognised that observing children’s play had potential as a method of diagnosis, as well as being of therapeutic value for children who had experienced emotional trauma in their lives. Similarly, Klein used miniature dolls as resources that children could use to enact out their inner feelings and anxieties. This shows that psychologists such as Klein and both Anna and Sigmund Freud felt that children play to deal with emotional events in their lives. There are several different types of play, but I shall concentrate on role play now and why children engage in this type of play. This has been widely researched by Mead (1934 in Book 3 Understanding Childhood Chapter 1),who felt pretend and make believe situations are crucial for children’s personal development. Through role play, children are able to imagine themselves in other roles which helps their developing sense of identity, and through this children develop a sense of who they are and also how others see them. This was highlighted in Activity 2 (p8 in Book 3 Understanding Childhood Chapter 1) which contained an extract from Bascom’s (1969 in Book 3 Understanding Childhood Chapter 1) research in Nigeria. It involved interviewing a father while his 3 children observed the process and invented a new game from these observations. The activity asked us to think about the significance of this new game. The first child sat on ‘Bascom’s’ chair holding a pen and paper; the second child sat in the ‘interpreter’s’ chair (occupied previous to this by their father) while the third child sat on the bench imitating the ‘informer’. In the example, the second child told the third child to tell the first child about Odua. The third child then replied and from this the second child ‘interpreted’ this and relayed it to the ‘anthropologist’ in a string of meaningless sounds, supposedly echoing the English language. The first child who was meant to be the anthropologist then wrote on the paper and replied in more meaningless sounds, and so the sequence was repeated. The role-play that the Yoruba children undertook involved skilful imitation to impersonate the 3 adults and their gestures, even their language and the sequence of events. A similar study occurred in the UK by Kehily et al (2002in Book 3 Understanding Childhood Chapter 1) whose research was carried out through extensive interviews which were audio taped with children in their school. It was found that children incorporated the tape recorder into their games and discussions often imitating the structure of the interview process, even when they weren’t being recorded. Both of these researches on role play support Meads theory (1934 in Book 3  Understanding Childhood Chapter 1) that children have the ability to observe others and then use these observations to imitate others. The reasons children do this according to Mead is that it helps them to make sense of new and unfamiliar situations. Role play is further explored in video 3 band 3 ‘pretend play’ featuring Melissa and Hadleigh aged 4, playing mummy and baby at nursery school. This example further supports Mead’s claim by showing that pretend play helps children to act out imaginary roles. Perhaps one of the most important features of play is that it is a social process. Thomas Gregor (1977in Book 3 Understanding Childhood Chapter 1) studied children’s games in Mehinaku, Brazil, and believed that games mirrored the structure and values of adult society. He observed a game of teneju itai (women’s sons), this involved children marrying and carving a baby from a lump of earth. The ‘mother’ then mimics cradling the baby, which later dies, and is ‘buried’ in a hole. As early childhood death is a common occurrence for this Brazilian tribe, this game prepares children for the possible death of a sibling or playmate. This game also shows it is non competitive, did not involve hierarchies and did not identify winners or losers. In contrast, in the UK, Laura and Aalliyah (Video 3 band 3) use their imaginations in their role play acting out difficult emotions such as rivalry, conflict and death. These children are in a culture where they are protected from issues such as death and pretend play may offer children a way of exploring themes and issues that are not part of their daily life. Both examples also support Freud’s theory that children use play to act worrying or troublesome situations, and that play is a way in which children can express their feelings. Play, as a social process is not always a positive experience as Mead’s theory seemed to suggest. During play children can have many decisions to make and negotiate such as who can or can’t play, meaning play can sometimes produce power relations and social hierarchies amongst children. This was shown in research by Thorne (1999 in Book 3 Understanding Childhood Chapter 1) who’s observations found that in the games that they played, children  created gender boundaries with single sex friendships, and that children may use play to achieve a position of high status within their group. Furthermore, play helps children’s identities develop as research with boys in Western societies showed that the play which boys engaged in involved language and physicality which was often competitive, and that they engaged in this type of play in order to help them achieve their masculine identity. This was further supported by research by Epstein (1997 in Book 3 Understanding Childhood Chapter 1) which suggested that children engage in skipping rhymes and games such as ‘kiss chase’ in the playground in order to help construct their gender identity. Finally, it was also suggested by Back (1990 in Book 3 Understanding Childhood Chapter 1) that the play that these boys engaged in was not just play for playing sake but was also a method used to test the boundaries of friendship, and to decide who was or was not included in their ‘group’. Finally, as the research so far has been from adults, it is important to consider what children’s views are on why they play. One reason why children play is that it is a time when they can withdraw from reality and create their own fantasy world. This is seen with Joshua, (VIDEO 3 BAND1) who’s favourite type of play seems to be reading. He states that he reads because through doing this he can escape into an imaginary world. He reads, believing it to be important as it broadens his imagination and aids his learning. This example also shows that as well as being a social process, play can also be solitary. This video also shows Tinco who states that he plays at the temple to find peace and freedom which he does not experience in his home village. The reason Sean seems to play is that he enjoys being in the dark tunnel with his friends playing scary, daring games. These examples show simply that children themselves play for reasons such as to learn, find enjoyment and to have peace and freedom away from adults. These examples showed that it is evident all children play but the way they play can vary depending upon culture. This was also highlighted by Opie and Opie (1969) who researched on children’s playground culture which found that  the same rhyming games had been around for a long time, they just varied from culture to culture. We have seen therefore that different approaches have contrasting reasons as to why children play, and furthermore that children have different reasons as to why they play.One type of play which children engage in is role play which has been said to play an important part in the development of children enabling them to make sense of situations and form identities. Furthermore, children play as it is a social process which allows children to act out roles in order to help them make sense of situations around them, enabling them to gain an understanding of how others see them which in turn aids their identity development. REFERENCES Book 1 Understanding Childhood Chapter 2 U212 Understanding Childhood, The Open University, Milton KeynesBook 1 Understanding Childhood Chapter 6 U212 Understanding Childhood, The Open University, Milton KeynesBook 3 Understanding Childhood, Chapter 1 U212 Understanding Childhood, The Open University, Milton KeynesBook 3 Understanding Childhood, Study Guide Audio and Visual notes, Unit 16 U212, The Open University, Milton KeynesBook 3, Understanding Childhood,; Video 3 band 1; My SpaceU212 Understanding Childhood, The Open University. Book 3, Understanding Childhood,; Video 3 band 3; Pretend PlayU212 Understanding Childhood, The Open University.

Paul and Women Essay

The role of women during the early Christian generation has always been contested. Until the present era, despite the increasing and growing advocacy for women rights and equality of gender, there are still a lot of issues and controversies regarding the matter. In the Gospel of Paul, written in the bible’s New Testament, the role of women in the society has been both emancipated and questioned. In Romans 16:1-7, Paul has affirmed the ministry of women by accepting the role of women as servants of the church. In addition to this, Paul has placed women in equal footing to men by mentioning Priscilla, wife of Aquila, for her high status. In the same verses as well, Paul also mentioned fellow female apostles, thus showing that women have been allowed to take their rightful places in the society during the early times (Keener, 2008). Moreover, in Galatians 3:26-28, Paul totally eliminated the distinction between men and women, along with removing the barriers between Jews and Greeks and slaves and free men (Zeolla, 2006). Through these verses, Paul has regarded women as men’s equal. On the other hand, in 1 Corinthians 11:2-15, the covering of women’s head rather put a different emphasis on gender roles and equality. In these passages, a woman is pertained to as a â€Å"glory of man. † And thus, she must cover her hair in order to prevent lustful intentions from other men. Insubordination from this rule renders a woman as an adulteress and vulgar (Keener, 2008). Despite the contradictions presented in the Corinthians verse, Paul has advocated for equality between men and women. Though the covering of women’s head has been treated as a means of women’s succumbing to men’s rule, the passages stated in Corinthians were explained as means in protecting the chastity and reputation of women in public.

Types of Aphasia

Aphasia is a communication disorder. It's a result of damage or injury to language parts of the brain. And it's more common in older adults, particularly those who have had a stroke. Aphasia gets in the way of a person's ability to use or understand words. Aphasia does not impair the person's intelligence. People who have aphasia may have difficulty speaking and finding the â€Å"right† words to complete their thoughts. They may also have problems understanding conversation, reading and comprehending written words, writing words, and using numbers.What Causes Aphasia? Aphasia may also be caused by a brain tumor, brain infection, or dementia such as Alzheimer's disease. In some cases, aphasia is a symptom of epilepsy or other neurological disorder. What Are the Types of Aphasia? Expressive aphasia (non-fluent): With expressive aphasia, the person knows what he or she wants to say yet has difficulty communicating it to others. It doesn't matter whether the person is trying to sa y or write what he or she is trying to communicate.Receptive aphasia (fluent): With receptive aphasia, the person can hear a voice or read the print, but may not understand the meaning of the message. Oftentimes, someone with receptive aphasia takes language literally. Their own speech may be disturbed because they do not understand their own language. Anomic aphasia. With anomic aphasia, the person has word-finding difficulties. This is called anomia. Because of the difficulties, the person struggles to find the right words for speaking and writing.Global aphasia. This is the most severe type of aphasia. It is often seen right after someone has a stroke. With global aphasia, the person has difficulty speaking and understanding words. In addition, the person is unable to read or write. Primary progressive aphasia. Primary progressive aphasia is a rare disorder where people slowly lose their ability to talk, read, write, and comprehend what they hear in conversation over a period of time. With a stroke, aphasia may improve with proper therapy.There is no treatment to reverse primary progressive aphasia. People with primary progressive aphasia are able to communicate in ways other than speech. For instance, they might use gestures. And many benefit from a combination of speech therapy and medications. What Are the Symptoms of Aphasia? The main symptoms of aphasia include: Trouble speaking Struggling with finding the appropriate term or word Using strange or inappropriate words in conversation

The Personal and Professional Development of Students Essay

The Personal and Professional Development of Students - Essay Example My decision to appeal is mainly motivated by the fact that it has always been my cherished desire to pursue my higher academic qualifications from the university. The university is renowned for its personalized and excellent academic programs that significantly contribute to the personal and professional development of students. I strongly believe that my consistent high grade of 3.89 GPA in the academic programs and nomination to the Dean’s list would be a vital element in the reconsideration process. Moreover, last fall, I was not able to complete pre-calculus class (Math 43) due to ill health which was probably an important factor in my rejection. The calculus sequence would be completed by the summer, thus fulfilling all major requirements for the transfer. I am a self-driven individual with a passion for learning and tend to use paradoxical thinking to seek an innovative solution to mundane problems. I have actively participated in the Honors Program and Phi Theta Kappa t o push myself to a higher limit and motivate peers. Most importantly, the various modules of the course curricula are designed to provide persons with a strong knowledge-based degree which would facilitate more efficient and accurate decision-making process in the professional field in the area of economics and management. This would considerably complement my basic inquisitive nature and empower me with skills and information that can be applied to current situations and areas within personal and professional lives. I sincerely believe that the degree programs would be the right choice for me and help me realize my dreams and meet the challenges of time with great success.

Reasons For Failureof an Estimated 66% of all Change Initiatives Essay

Reasons For Failureof an Estimated 66% of all Change Initiatives - Essay Example Change initiatives come under different names such as total quality management, restructuring, cultural change and rightsizing among others (Ismail 2011, p. 3). The main drivers of change include mergers and acquisitions, innovation, technological change, decreased sales or market share and reorganization. Other drivers of change are globalization, a sense of urgency and the case when 75 percent of the leadership in an organization honestly gets convinced that the organization, as it is currently, is not an acceptable plan (Kotter, 1995, p. 3). However, the main motivation behind organizational change is to enable it to deal with a new and more challenging market by introducing changes to the way it conducts it activities. Despite the critical role that organizational change plays, failure to maintain significant change occurs time and again (Kotter 1995, p. 3). This is even despite the fact that a significant amount of resources is invested in such initiatives as highly talented hum an resources and high capital investment. As noted by Ismail (2011, p. 3), changes intended to target improvement of quality, enhance culture and turn around corporate collapse only end up giving lukewarm results. They assert that more than 66 percent of these change initiatives fail miserably (Ismail 2011, p. 4). The paper seeks to presents the reasons behind such high failures of organizational changes. Reasons Why Change Initiatives Fail According to Kotter (1995, p. 3), after observing various organizations – be they large or small organizations – introduce change, only a few have been successful. Most of these change initiatives fail during the course of their implementation. The basic lesson learnt from the successful initiatives is that the process of change goes through phases which require a considerable length of time. In case a step is skipped in the process of change, the organization can never get satisfying results (Harris 2006, p. 37). In addition, any m istake made during any of the steps can spell doom for the success of the initiatives. One of the major mistakes which can lead to failure of the change initiative is failure to establish a large enough sense of urgency. Every successful change initiative starts when some persons or a group in an organization assess the competitive situation, technological trends, market position and financial standing (Harris 2006, p. 38). After identifying any drawback in the performance of the organization, such individuals are able to communicate such information pointing out to the potential risks and the potential opportunities available. In organizations which go through successful change, such information is communicated in a timely manner and the organization begins aggressive measures to bring changes. However, some organizations fail right from this initial step. As stated by Cummings (2008, p. 37), people are the greatest impediment to change. Consequently, when a proposal to bring chang es to the organization are suggested, organization executives start feeling that introduction of changes can result in reduced morale among employees, the senior management will be apprehensive to such change proposed and that change may run out of control. Additionally, the executives may fear that the change could negatively affect the short-term targets of the business, that the stock prices would be negatively affected and that they can be blamed for causing

Friday project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Friday project - Assignment Example make default crises more frequent; when a budget that is balanced at the start of the year falls out of balance during the year due to slower-than-expected economic growth or other factors beyond policymakers’ control, default could threaten if cuts large enough to restore balance can’t be passed swiftly and it proves impossible to secure a three-fifths vote to raise the debt limit. By the same token, the balanced budget amendment would not only undermine the automatic stabilizing function the federal government plays but would push in the opposite direction by requiring greater retrenchment when the economy falters. As a consequence, the constitutional amendment is likely to make recessions more frequent and deeper. The amendment also would increase the risk of a government default. It has often proved difficult to amass a simple majority in Congress to raise the debt limit so an impending default could be averted. The constitutional amendment also undermines majority rule, the basis for our democracy. The amendment would essentially enable minorities to engage in a form of extortion; they could threaten to plunge the nation into serious fiscal difficulty by refusing to help provide a three-fifths vote to waive the balanced budget requirement and raise the debt limit when a recession loomed, unless they were granted concessions on major policy issues as the price for their votes. A recent CBO study found that if deficits are held to two percent of the Gross Domestic Product through 2030, we will experience solid economic growth, and younger generations will be substantially better off than current generations. In fact, CBO found little difference in growth rates between such a policy and a policy of balancing the budget every year. It also is instructive that the goal Senator Bob Kerrey and former Senator Jack Danforth — both deficit hawks — set for the Entitlement Commission in 1994 was to limit the deficit to two percent of the Gr oss Domestic Product in

Is it possible to overcome the Holocaust Discuss with reference to the Essay

Is it possible to overcome the Holocaust Discuss with reference to the respective responses of both Jean Amery and Primo Levi - Essay Example It assesses how holocaust literature was formed and many famous writers of that time involved in spending their time on writing over the event. The essay represents the work of Jean Amery and Primo Levi who were survivors of the holocaust. Their work held much significant value and had some similarities and differences. All in all the literature and historical reviews showed how the Jews got over the trauma and overcame the holocaust with reference to responses made by known writers of that time. Some books are also referred in this regard. The understanding to the holocaust is an important factor. It was recognized as a systematic and state-sponsored murder of six million Jews by the Nazi Germany and their collaborations. Holocaust may have several meanings in different contexts. From one of its origins it means sacrifice by fire and from the other, destruction. The Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, and they believed that the Germans were superior to the Jews, who were inferior and a threat to the racial community of the Germans. The era of holocaust did not only target the Jews, but in fact the Germans also targeted many other groups due to their belief that they are racially inferior. The groups were targeted on political, behavioral, ideological and social grounds (Kremer, 2003, p. 12). The Jewish population of Europe in 1933 stood at over nine million. Most of these European Jews lived in Nazi Germany and tended to occupy and influence the World War II and its proceedings. Eventually by 1945, the German collaborators had killed two out of every three Jews. This was a part of the Final Solution which was a policy of the Nazi Germany to kill the European Jews. These Jews were deemed as a danger to Germany, and even then they were victims of the Nazi racism. Other victims of the killing were Roma (Gypsies), and also included some physically and mentally disabled patients who were Germans but they

The Domino Effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Domino Effect - Essay Example Through increased exports, current account deficit tend to correct itself and bridge the gap. However, what has been observed that in real world is something different. It has been observed that currencies of the countries with large deficits have witnessed great appreciation in the value over the period of time. The apparent reason for this appreciation in currency is the fact that the emergence of new emerging market economies like India, China, Brazil, South Africa etc has witnessed a marked decrease in the overall risk profile of developing countries. This coupled with increased interest rates saw the strong inflow of speculative capital into those countries which increased the overall attraction for the currencies of the countries having large current account deficits. The increase in the interest rates has been attributed mainly as the most important factor which attracts foreign investors and hence increases the overall attractiveness of the currency and helps stimulate its ap preciation in foreign exchange market despite country running a large current account deficit. The author further cited the examples of some countries like New Zealand, Australia, Britain and Iceland, which despite their large and persistent current deficits tend to have higher gains in their currencies. Theoretically, it has been argued that there is a relationship between the two variables however, empirical studies have proved it otherwise as there is very weak or no relationship between the two variables. These trends in current account financing however seems to be reversing because of the current financial turmoil in the markets. The article further went on to discuss that the same relationship however do not to persist over the sustained period of time and foreign capital inflows tend to dry up thus forcing current account deficits to much higher spreads. Further, the trends seem to hold when foreign investors investing into the countries with high current account deficits tend to be more risk averse. A slight change in the overall risk appetite of the foreign investor s may reverse the relationship and with increased current account deficit, inflationary pressures may further damage the trust of international investors hence virtually reverse the process of current account deficit financing through high interest rates. The above graph shows the relationship between the Current Account Deficit (CAD) and the growth in currency in Australian Markets. This graph very clearly indicates that the relationship between current account deficit and the currency appreciation and shows that as the CAD accumulated so does the exchange rate. Another important characteristic which is depicted in the above graph is the rise of bank credit with the rise in CAD and exchange rates. The higher inflows of foreign investment finally seem to be ending up in the form of local bank deposits. It is also important to mention that the article discussed the effect of foreign investments from two perspectives. First is foreign direct investment which is believe to have a less volatile nature and fluctuate less with current account deficit therefore has lesser correlation with the exchange rates. However, the speculative portion of foreign investment, the so called speculative capital, tends to show a relationship with the exchange rates and current account deficit. The below mentioned graph depicts some of the forecasted relationship betw

Supermarket database-computer coursework Essay Example for Free

Supermarket database-computer coursework Essay Introduction There are many supermarkets around us, but there do you know how it works. In this coursework. , we will anyalsis the problem of the old supermarket system and how to solve this problem. Besides, in this coursework, it will introduce a new supermarket system, introduce its advantage, how to set up, how to use it and what is its advantages. Old supermarket system Disadvantage: piles of papers are used to keep the records it is hard to back up the records, if you really do so, the cost of the ink and the papers can make you bankrupt the payments are calculated by men, if your mathematics is poor, you will bankrupt again you need to spend nights after nights to turn the pages by your hands in order to search the data of the customers and supplier snail mail is used, which means time and money is wasted your customers cannot immediately get the most update news of your product, simply the million-dollar contract will fly to other companies the piles of paper wont remind you when your product is expired, you need to search through the papers it is not easy to comunicate to your branch stores. Many workers are needed to check the store Solution of the problem To solve the problem in the old supermarket system,setup up a database system that would control local store inventory, and cover the ordering of stock from the customers. Advantages of the new system Digital record is used. Millions of information are stored in a 6-inch hard-dish. The records can be backed up inside a DVD or a hard dish drive. the payments are calculated by computer, which decreases the human error In order to search the data of the customers and supplier, you simply need to type the name, or tel. number. email is used, your customers can get the most update news of your product, at once the computer will remind you when your product is expired, so you can make preparations you can communicate the computer form one branch store to another. Information can be transferred immediately computer can do most of the jobs. Less workers are employed Old system Computer system Space needed to keep the records more Much less Back up Very difficult Very easy error High possibility Low possibility Search data Very complicated Very convenient mail Slow and expensive Quick and free Check expired stock By hand automatically Communication Slow and inconvenient Quick and easy Number of employees more less Requirement of the system. It is consider that the supermarket has original system which has only one computer with the following equirement. Working system Windows 2000, standard edition Processor Pentium III 733Mhz, RAM 256MB recommended Drive space 20GB Video 32MB shared ram In order to reach the requirement of the new system, the computers need to replace new ones and connected as the following instructions. Requirement of the server. Working system Windows server 2003, standard edition Processor Pentium 4 3. 0Ghz, 550+ MHz recommended RAM 1024MB/1G recommended Drive space 250GB Video 128MB shared ram or better This computer is highly security. It needed the voice check and the password of the three highest manager to open the report of the profit and also to open the economy condition of the supermarket. Besides, the server is connected to a internet server with domain name. This is because this can convenient the customers to shopping or order products from the internet. Requirement of the other computers The other four computres is used to save data. They should have the following requirement. Working system Windows XP, Professional Processor Pentium 4 3. 0Ghz, 550+ MHz recommended RAM 512 MB recommended Drive space 80 GB Video 128MB shared ram or better. Software of the programme The supermarket can use Microsoft Access or Visual Basic The advantages of using MS Access are: Â  It is a relational database, which makes the data management easier. Â  It integrates easily with other Microsoft packages such as Word and Excel. Â  It is inexpensive. Â  It is a flexible product that cab be used for all kinds of databases. Â  It can be used to build extensive database applications. Â  All the information is held in one place and the information only needs to be updated once. Â  It can retrieve and update information quickly and easily. Â  Reports, standard letters can be easily produced. Backup and archiving is easy. The disadvantages of using MS Access are: Â  It lacks in high volume capacity. It is limited to a low transaction rate. It can bring down the entire servers if it is not used properly. The advantages of using Visual Basic are: It provides a user-friendly interface. The modular structure in visual basic program helps the programmer to develop a large program without knowing all the variables and their relationships. Â  It is provided by an integrate development environment that helps the programmer in debugging syntax errors. The disadvantages of using Visual Basic are:Â  It is limited in the kind of application that visual basic can code.

Concepts of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Concepts of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) CHAPTER I 1.0 Introduction This paper will labour to explicate the intricacies of enterprise resource planning (ERP), a concept that has long fascinated many in both academic and professional work environments. The United Nations (UN) has expressed the need to implement ERP. As part of their examination into this procedure, the UN has implemented ERP at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Pristine, Republic of Kosovo, and other agencies of the UN. As they look into the ramifications of ERP implementation, so does this case study. This study attempts to make predictions of the impact of ERP implementation on the business processes and organisational culture of the United Nations secretariat based on results from the UNDP. 1.1 Introduction to the Problem Since the latter part of the 1990s, firms have rushed to implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, e.g., one study showed that more than sixty percent of Fortune 500 companies had adopted an ERP system (G. Stewart et al., 2000). The United Nations, as one of the largest organisations in the world, has lagged behind in adopting the transformation in the management of its resources. The United Nations has been seriously hampered its ability to deliver results effectively and efficiently due to the lack of an integrated information system for managing its resources (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). According to Davis and Olsen (1985), ERP is an integrated system that provides information to support operation management and decision making functions in an organisation. Therefore, the goal of implementing an ERP system and business process reengineering (BPR) is to build an integrated global information system that fully supports the needs of the United Nations, enables the effective management of human, financial and physical resources, and is based on streamlined processes and better practices. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) 1.2 Background of the Study 1.2.1 Existing System Currently the United Nations uses an in-house developed system—commonly referred to as Integrated Management Information System (IMIS)—for the management of human, financial and physical resources. The development of IMIS was a milestone in the use of information technology as a discipline that can beneficially affect many if not all areas of administration and management in any given organisation. IMIS was developed as a functionally integrated system, which combines all the departments to support key processes such as human resources management, payroll, finance and accounting, requisitioning and funds control, budget execution and travel management. IMIS was introduced in conjunction with desktop, networked computing and office automation tools such as electronic mail in all offices where IMIS was being used. If an organisation is not yet sure of the need for client-server networks, the state of the art in enterprise-wide computing, it has only to consider the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the United Nations, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). The launching of IMIS was subsequently affected and conditioned by major developments in the technological market, and an accelerated shift of focus in the United Nations to field activities. In short, IMIS was designed and developed at a time when the context began to change rapidly and profoundly. Yet, only a few years after the implementation of IMIS, it has become evident that the system cannot take full advantage of the advancement in technology; e.g., even though IMIS is functionally integrated, it was deployed and managed locally at each geographical location, which makes reporting and global management very difficult. The implementation in the United Nations peacekeeping operation was partial, as it is a separate department in t he UN, and was not able to support the supply chain and logistical management. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) The IMIS was not an alternative communication technology to paper and telephones, but it involved the synchronization of multiple data sources and the linking of them to several mainframes, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). An investment in tactical systems, which includes a stand-alone system and a modular integration into IMIS through interfaces, a bridging system between two different systems to allow data sharing, was able to address the functional gaps of IMIS. However, the organisation today faces challenges that demand profound transformation beyond the capabilities of IMIS and its ancillary legacy systems currently being used. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) 1.2.2 The need for change The United Nations struggled to get everybody in their building to connect electronically. It soon realised that it was time to connect the world with a client-server network, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). The need for the United Nations to adopt the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) lead to the requirement of significant change in the accounting processes and systems in order to achieve compliance with the international public sector accounting standard. The requisites changes, indeed, were so fundamental that it is fair to say that the life of IMIS has come to an end after fourteen years since it was first implemented; moreover, the benefits that the staff and managers expect from the information system in day-to-day operations and decision-making no longer match the cost of maintenance and ongoing support. This is because IMIS is no longer able to cope with the fast technological development, and the cost of maintenance and ongoing support has become very expens ive. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) The success of your organisations quality initiative depends upon your ability to communicate the need for change throughout the organization, (Arcaro and Arcarco, 1997: 146). The United Nations as an organisation needs to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of the services it provides. They report that the existing systems are not up to the standard, not integrated, duplicative, and are inefficient. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) According to the UN, the effective management, planning and decision-making have been hampered by the lack of integration and complete data on resources. (ibid) As the organisation continues to grow in complexity in its activities, they are dissatisfied with the lack of integration and data sharing between different departments as it has become a bigger problem, and the need for a new ICT global enterprise system for streamlining and simplifying processes has become more crucial as the nature of the organisation is changing itself. (ibid) 1.2.3 Goals and objectives of implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning System The United Nations reports that the implementation of an ERP system will present the opportunity to fully combine resources and functions across the organisation by replacing the existing IMIS system. (ibid) Minahan (1998) reports ERP to be a complex software system that ties together and automates the basic processes of business activities such as finance and budget management, human resources management, supply chain management, central support services, and other corporate core functions. Most importantly, the main value of an ERP system is the opportunity to streamline and improve the operations of an entire organisation through process reengineering, sharing of common data, and implementation of best practices and standards, and perform as the inter-organisation information backbone for communication and collaboration (OLeary, 2004). According to reports from the United Nations (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008), the main objectives of the ERP project can be summarised as follows: To have a global operating system that precisely captures core resource data from each department and agency at the UN while linking them together to provide better decision-making. This will minimize the time required to perform administrative processes and enable easy access to necessary reports for each department, thus increasing the efficiency of the organisation and directing the focus to high priority situations. The main functionalities sought from the new ERP system are expected to encompass functions such as programme planning, budgeting, contributions and performance; human resources management and administration; payroll, including management of benefits and contribution to pension, medical and insurance schemes; supply chain management, including procurement; assets and facilities management; general accounting, travel and other administrative flows; reporting to management and stakeholders, and more. (ibid) Specific United Nations peacekeeping operations functions such as logistics, transportation, fuel and rations systems need to be supported by the new ERP system as these functions are not held in common with other organisations of the United Nations operations. 1.3 Purpose and Significance of the Study The research done in this study will attempt to answer the following question: What will be the impact of ERP implementation on the business transformation and business culture of the United Nations? Specifically, the study will attempt to establish the relationship between the business process transformation and organisational culture change offered as the result of ERP. These questions and findings are expected to provide an increased ability in evaluating the performance and standardisation of the business processes within the United Nations, as well as an increased awareness of its effect on the business culture and productivity over time of the UN. In addition, answers to these questions will subsequently enable other researchers to gain more insight into ERP implementation and business process reengineering. It will also enable the management of the United Nations to see how ERP can be a better means of technological reform, thus providing the opportunity to re-evaluate the existing business processes even further. 1.4 Research Questions The question that constitutes the primary point of pivot for the paper is: What will be the probable future impact of ERP on the business process transformation and business culture of the United Nations? The three subsidiary questions of the present work are: > How will ERP implementation make the organisation better off in the foreseeable future? > What will be the effect on the reformed business culture in terms of productivity? > How does the organisation perceive the benefit of ERP on the standardisation of business processes? 1.5 Structural Approach The rest of the thesis has been structured as follows. Chapter 2 provides a review of relevant literature, including ERP, business process reengineering, and their impact on organisational culture. Chapter 3 discusses the methodologies used for the empirical analysis and describes the data and the various proxies employed for analysing ERP implementation in the United Nations. Chapter 4 provides empirical findings of the relationship between ERP implementation and its effects on business processes and organisational culture. Chapter 5 analyses the research findings. Chapter 6 concludes the research by pointing out the key impacts of ERP on the UN. Chapter 7 makes various recommendations for policy direction and potentially fruitful areas of ERP systems for further research. Chapter 8 reflects on the study as a whole. CHAPTER II 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW The following Literature Review will focus on four main areas of evaluation regarding enterprise resource planning (ERP) on the business process transformation (BPR) in organisations, and more specifically, the United Nations. These are: 1. ERP: definition, evolution, implications 2. BPR: definition, evolution, implications 3. ERP and organisational culture 4. BPR and organisational change This review will analyse the abovementioned systems and related processes insofar as the available data in the literature will allow for a comparison of ERP and BPR and their effects on the United Nations and other large organisations. 2.1 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Definition, Evolution, and Implications Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are commonly described as commercial software packages that allow the assimilation of data and processes throughout an organisation (Markus Tanis, 2000, cited in Kim et al., 2005). ERP enables the flow of information among all business areas such as finance, human resources, manufacturing, sales and marketing, (Tan and Theodorou, 2009: 52). Basically, it allows data from all departments to exist in one computer system (Pang, 2001), making the managerial dream of unification of all information systems into one computer system come true (Adam ODoherty, 2003, cited in Revia, 2007). This unification should offer many benefits to the UN and other large organisations. Large organisations may have a more difficult time relaying information from one sector to another as they have many different departments and even multiple locations. The combination of all department in one system, presents benefits of relaying data in a timely manner. Rather tha n sending files through inter-office mail or needing to track down one particular staff member, each employee will have access to the information required for their job by simply logging into the system. The researcher will attempt to discover whether this unification does indeed allow for more time-efficiency as well as making simple operations tasks easier to accomplish in the UN. The start of ERP systems came about in the 1960-1970s with the invention of Inventory Control (IC) and Materials Requirement Planning (MPR) systems, which managed inventory in manufacturing. In the 1980s, Manufacturing Resources Planning (MRP II) systems came into use to manage both inventory and production requirements together. In 1973, the first ERP system was created with the goal of supporting all business needs. Since then, ERP systems have become much more popular. In fact, by the year 2000, enterprise resource planning systems were estimated to have serviced $23 billion USD in profits for the various organisations that have been implementing them (Pang, 2001). ERP applications are the largest, fastest growing and most influential in the industry (Corbett Finney, 2007). This is probably why the UN has shown such interest in ERP. The increase in ERP implementation does not seem surprising as ERP allows corporations to update to a new integrated system cutting out the previous legacy systems known for their difficulties in maintenance, large size, and old age, as they are segregated systems (Martin, 1998; cited in Boudreau, 1999). This appears to be helpful for the UN as they reported difficulty with their current legacy system (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). It is likely that employees of the UN will be satisfied with the replacement of the legacy system due to the reported problems it has. However, there is a chance that employees may be intimidated by this change as they will have to learn an entirely new system. Advantages of ERP systems for organisations include overcoming fragmentation by streamlining activities and processes, which provides direct access to real-time information by supplying a group of software modules that encase all departments of a business (Koch, 2003, cited in Corbett Finney, 2007). This appears to be an accurate statement due to the convenience of having all departments existing together. This implies that all information accessed through the new system will be current as it is constantly being updated by various employees based on the tasks they complete. Rather than there being pieces of information in various places, all information regarding the same issue will be together implying that employees can look in one place and have all the information they need rather than searching through various documents or consulting multiple co-workers. This aspect of ERP systems will be investigated at the UNDP in Kosovo in order to determine whether this feature is benefici al. Furthermore, ERP systems are said to provide cost-reduction in addition to increased flexibility (Siriginidi, 2000 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). These two benefits appear to be linked as decreasing operation costs would imply having more flexibility to perform other processes. For the UN, this would mean more money to use for their peacekeeping missions or other operations. However, flexibility does not depend on cost-reduction. Its possible for the availability of data to imply flexibility in making decisions or flexibility could result from rearranging the organisations processes and being better equipped to perform certain tasks. ERP systems have been reported to enhance business performance by accelerating the merger of organisational resources as well as strengthening the operational efficiency of the company through minimising human error (Shin Knapp, 2001, cited by Wang, 2006). The implication that ERP reduces human error seems to be correct as there is les s opportunity to make a mistake for employees because there is generally only one time they need to input information for data-sharing as opposed to the multiple steps needed to take before. These benefits should assist the UN in accomplishing some of their proposed goals such as linking all departments within one operations system, which decreases the time required for administrative processes. The UN hopes implementation will increase their operational efficiency by allowing valuable time to be spent focusing on high priority situations rather than simple operations tasks (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). More advertised benefits include improved information accuracy and decision-making capacity (Siriginidi, 2000 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). The UN wants to make use of these proposed advantages (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). Decision-making is a large part of the UN as they have to make difficult decisions everyday that effect large numbers of p eople; making a bad decision is not necessarily easily corrected in this case. Furthermore, many situations the UN deals with are time-sensitive; if its easier to access data, and the accuracy of that data is improved, officials can rest assured that they are making decisions with proper knowledge. In implementing ERP, organisations no longer have to create their own applications that are then unique to their company. They now have standard software available for their business processes, referred to as Best Business Practices (BBP). BBPs came into existence around the same time as ERPs. BBPs are general guidelines to assist companies in the way of handling certain business processes, meaning that each company can now improve itself on the basis of the experience of other corporations that share similar functional processes (SAP, 2007, cited by Revia, 2007). It seems any organisation would be hesitant to implement a system that has not proved to benefit other large organisations as the risks of failure are high (source). BBPs should definitely help the UN as they will be benefitting from previous experiences of other corporations. Some of the disadvantages of ERP are that the implementation requires time, costs and risks (Boudreau, 1999), as they tend to be large, complicated, and expensive (Mabert et al., 2001, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008: 3). ERP implementation calls for serious time commitment from all involved as it is often the biggest project that an organisation will ever face (Moon, 2007). ERP execution requires new procedures, employee training and managerial and technical support (Shang Seddon, 2002, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, Eldabi, 2008), which can be accomplished through good communication of the corporate strategy to all employees (Umble et al., 2003, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). Consequently, the biggest problem is not actually the implementation itself but the expectations of board members and senior staff as well as not having a clear plan or realistic projections (Somers Nelson 2004, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). However, the UN ha s already proposed clear goals and plans for their implementation. The question is whether or not they will be able to successfully translate these goals/plans to all employees of the organisation and whether or not they will be successful. Finally, the importance of selecting the appropriate ERP package is stressed. Corporations must make sure they select the appropriate ERP package that will match their organisation as well as its business processes (Chen, 2001, cited in Corbett Finney, 2007). This seems obvious as every organisation is different. Some corporations strategise around providing excellent customer service while others focus on decreasing costs to customers as a way to attract more business. However, there are studies that show that customising ERP packages beyond minimal adjustments is discouraged; these studies show that organisations should adjust their processes to fit the package rather than adjust the package to fit the processes (Murray Coffin, 2001 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, Eldabi, 2008). 2.2 Business Process Transformation (BPR): Definition, Evolution, and Implications Business process reengineering (BPR) was not very popular until the release of the book Re-engineering the Corporation by Michael Hammer and James Champy (Barker, 1995). Hammer and Champy introduced the term Business process reengineering in 1990 and defined it as a fundamental redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical areas such as cost, quality, service and speed (Hammer, 1990). Business process reengineering is also defined as a strategic redesign of important business processes, including the systems and policies that support them, in order to achieve maximum productivity of an organisation (Manganelli Klein, 1994). This would suggest a link between ERP and BPR as they are both structured around the redesign of core business processes. In fact, some goals of BPR are the reduction of cost, cycle-time, defects, and the increase of worker productivity (Hales Savoie, 1994), very much the same as ERP. The aim of BPR is to change current business pro cesses in order to make them more efficient overall, again mimicking ERP. In fact, Some researchers suggest that ERP systems are the major tools for making business processes better, leaner and faster through associated business process reengineering, (Shang Seddon, 2003, cited in Revia, 2007: 25). It is not yet known whether or not BPR will be performed at the UN. It is assumed that it will as it is so closely related to ERP. Additionally, reports have shown that ERP often causes BPR to occur due to its very nature (Martin et al., 1999). It seems that in order for ERP to be most successful, BPR should be performed (Sumner, 2000 cited by Law Ngai, 2007), otherwise the UN may not recognize exactly which processes are most important for their operations. Or, they may not be fully aware of the exact way in which ERP should be performed in relation to the core business processes, which is vital to understand for the selection of the proper ERP package. BPR has its origins in the private sectors as a management tool for companies to deal with change and reorganise their work to improve customer service, cut operational costs, and become world-class competitors, (Hamid, 2004, cited in Wang, 2006: 5). Generally, business process transformation takes business processes and allows the m to be done routinely through a computer system. It incorporates peoples perspectives and input to make sure that the processes fit needs specific to each corporation (Wang, 2006). This suggests benefits for ERP implementation in any organisation as the systems are supposed to be designed around core processes specific to each company. It would be helpful for the UN to determine which processes are vital to their operations. Furthermore, cutting operational costs should prove to be very valuable for the UN as many of the services it provides are non-profit. If BPR is performed as a result of ERP, it seems that cost reduction will be achieved. Here is a further look into what a core business process is: A core business process is one that gives value to the customers or stakeholders of the company. These are the most important processes within the organisation and are the ones that will set a company above their competitors if done well. In order to figure out what processes are cor e, one may ask the following questions. 1) Does the process make valued contributions to the customer? Does it improve customer service, increase response-time, decrease customers costs? 2) Is it important for the production/operation of the company? 3) Can it be used for other businesses? If the answer is yes to one of these questions, then the process under consideration can be considered core (McHugh, Merli, Wheeler, 1995). The UN may consider any process involving cash flow to be core as that is a huge component to many of the services they provide. Furthermore, any documentation of information from one department to another is probably considered core as this organisation relies on data-sharing for its decision-making capabilities. Therefore, it seems that these types of processes will be affected by ERP implementation and will most likely be reengineered. The three most basic strategies that increase a business success are lowering prices, offering more value in products, or focusing on less diversity in commodities and specialising in a certain area (Berrington Oblich, 1995). This suggests that BPR would be structured around these strategies when reorganizing core business processes. If the UN is restructuring using BPR, they are likely to focus on a combination of strategies. As already mentioned, the cost of operations is a huge factor for the United Nations to consider as they provide aid to many countries without expecting any favours in return. This implies they would focus on reduction of costs. However, the main reason they are an organisation is to provide services to those in need. That would suggest they would reorganise their business processes around the strategy of offering more value in their services. In implementing BPR, organisations are asked to choose five or six of the processes that are central to the operation of the company and focus on those to see the ways in which they can make them more efficient (McHugh, Merli, Wheeler, 1995). Concentrating on making sure core processes are completed to the best of the companys ability only ensures the organisation will do better. In the case of the UN, focusing on data-sharing and managing cash flow suggests an increase in the efficiency of the organisation as those components are vital to their operation. These changes would suggest benefits for both the cost-reduction strategy as well as providing better service to customers. 2.3 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Organisational Culture Organisational culture is a set of core beliefs, values, and behaviours shared by all members of one company, thereby affecting the productivity of the business. It is often described as a pattern of shared assumptions produced and manipulated by top management (Schein, 1992 cited by Boersma Kingma, 2005: 131). Organisational culture is influenced through many aspects, including leadership, personal characteristics, interactions of members, as well as tradition. Culture has visible signs and hidden insinuations. Visible signs include behaviour while the hidden insinuations entail morals and beliefs (Rousseau, 1990 cited by Cooper, 1994). The culture of an organisation is even displayed in the way certain processes are done as well as the outcomes of these processes, which will be examined at the UNDP in Kosovo. Because ERP systems involve most departments in a company, they change many business processes and thereby affect the more deep-seated organisational culture of a corporation . Companies that focus on incorporating their cultures into organisational efforts are said to have an edge in accordance with their productivity. Organisations can focus on culture and work with the people to shape new values, morals and work ethics. If employees are happy to be working for the organisation, they will be more apt to want to work, implying there will be an increase in productivity (Farbrother Marc, 2003). Enterprise resource planning can lead to changes in organisational culture i.e., ERP is implemented in order to increase productivity by changing current business processes (Deal Kennedy, 1982 cited by Cooper, 1994). These changes are maximal and cannot be simply brushed aside. When a company implements ERP, if the organisational culture is ready for the changes it will bring, the employees can work with the system to increase productivity. Consequently, the culture within the business must be one that can be made amenable for change (Nah et al., 2001 cited in Co rbett Finney, 2007). There is the belief that positive and supportive attitudes of those embarking on implementation of ERP will actually bring about a successful transition (Chatterjee et al., 2002 cited in Law Ngai, 2007). However, if the culture has not been made ready for change or the employees are unwilling to change, the system will be less likely to succeed. A system cannot work if there are no users. System implementation represents a threat to users perceptions of control over their work and a period of transition during which users must cope with differences between old and new work systems, (Bobek Sternad, 2002: 285). The social setting of a company and its technology most definitely shape each other; they are hardly independent of one another (Boersma Kingma, 2005). A mistake companies frequently make is to presume that people can change their habits easily when in actuality such changes are considerably taxing for many people. These companies underestimate the effect ERP implementation will have on their employees. Many employees panic when nothing looks the way it used to, nothing works the way it used to, and they can no longer go through their workday with the previously earned sense of familiarity and assurance (Koch, 2007 cited in Revia, 2007). One study showed that it took over two years for users of the new system to forget the process problems they found initially and to gain new knowledge of the system (Seddon Shang, 2003 cited in Revia, 2007). A Chief Information Officer from Nestle sums up this concept very well—she says, No major software implementation is really about the software. Its about change management†¦You are changing the way people work†¦You are challenging their principles, their beliefs and the way they have done things for many, many years (Boersma Kingma, 2005: 123). It seems the best way to ensure that employees are on board with proposed changes is to make them aware of these changes. It is important for them to feel that they are included in the decision to create new values and procedures for the company. Otherwise, they will be clinging on to the old culture and ways of doing things. The change will be stressful and forced rather than welcomed with ease. They should feel that the change is happening because of them rather than happening to them. The most senior level of management initiates enterprise resource planning, but its success depends on its acceptance by the companys ordinary workers (Obolensky, 1996). Cultures can be manipulated by those in management (Handy, 1985 cited by Cooper, 1994). Change can be intimidating and needs to be managed well. Therefore, the conclusion is drawn that managers need to make sure each and every employee is doing their part. This literature suggests that leaders are the most important players in any c hange scenario. Employees wont decide to change their behavi Concepts of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Concepts of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) CHAPTER I 1.0 Introduction This paper will labour to explicate the intricacies of enterprise resource planning (ERP), a concept that has long fascinated many in both academic and professional work environments. The United Nations (UN) has expressed the need to implement ERP. As part of their examination into this procedure, the UN has implemented ERP at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Pristine, Republic of Kosovo, and other agencies of the UN. As they look into the ramifications of ERP implementation, so does this case study. This study attempts to make predictions of the impact of ERP implementation on the business processes and organisational culture of the United Nations secretariat based on results from the UNDP. 1.1 Introduction to the Problem Since the latter part of the 1990s, firms have rushed to implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, e.g., one study showed that more than sixty percent of Fortune 500 companies had adopted an ERP system (G. Stewart et al., 2000). The United Nations, as one of the largest organisations in the world, has lagged behind in adopting the transformation in the management of its resources. The United Nations has been seriously hampered its ability to deliver results effectively and efficiently due to the lack of an integrated information system for managing its resources (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). According to Davis and Olsen (1985), ERP is an integrated system that provides information to support operation management and decision making functions in an organisation. Therefore, the goal of implementing an ERP system and business process reengineering (BPR) is to build an integrated global information system that fully supports the needs of the United Nations, enables the effective management of human, financial and physical resources, and is based on streamlined processes and better practices. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) 1.2 Background of the Study 1.2.1 Existing System Currently the United Nations uses an in-house developed system—commonly referred to as Integrated Management Information System (IMIS)—for the management of human, financial and physical resources. The development of IMIS was a milestone in the use of information technology as a discipline that can beneficially affect many if not all areas of administration and management in any given organisation. IMIS was developed as a functionally integrated system, which combines all the departments to support key processes such as human resources management, payroll, finance and accounting, requisitioning and funds control, budget execution and travel management. IMIS was introduced in conjunction with desktop, networked computing and office automation tools such as electronic mail in all offices where IMIS was being used. If an organisation is not yet sure of the need for client-server networks, the state of the art in enterprise-wide computing, it has only to consider the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the United Nations, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). The launching of IMIS was subsequently affected and conditioned by major developments in the technological market, and an accelerated shift of focus in the United Nations to field activities. In short, IMIS was designed and developed at a time when the context began to change rapidly and profoundly. Yet, only a few years after the implementation of IMIS, it has become evident that the system cannot take full advantage of the advancement in technology; e.g., even though IMIS is functionally integrated, it was deployed and managed locally at each geographical location, which makes reporting and global management very difficult. The implementation in the United Nations peacekeeping operation was partial, as it is a separate department in t he UN, and was not able to support the supply chain and logistical management. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) The IMIS was not an alternative communication technology to paper and telephones, but it involved the synchronization of multiple data sources and the linking of them to several mainframes, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). An investment in tactical systems, which includes a stand-alone system and a modular integration into IMIS through interfaces, a bridging system between two different systems to allow data sharing, was able to address the functional gaps of IMIS. However, the organisation today faces challenges that demand profound transformation beyond the capabilities of IMIS and its ancillary legacy systems currently being used. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) 1.2.2 The need for change The United Nations struggled to get everybody in their building to connect electronically. It soon realised that it was time to connect the world with a client-server network, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). The need for the United Nations to adopt the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) lead to the requirement of significant change in the accounting processes and systems in order to achieve compliance with the international public sector accounting standard. The requisites changes, indeed, were so fundamental that it is fair to say that the life of IMIS has come to an end after fourteen years since it was first implemented; moreover, the benefits that the staff and managers expect from the information system in day-to-day operations and decision-making no longer match the cost of maintenance and ongoing support. This is because IMIS is no longer able to cope with the fast technological development, and the cost of maintenance and ongoing support has become very expens ive. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) The success of your organisations quality initiative depends upon your ability to communicate the need for change throughout the organization, (Arcaro and Arcarco, 1997: 146). The United Nations as an organisation needs to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of the services it provides. They report that the existing systems are not up to the standard, not integrated, duplicative, and are inefficient. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) According to the UN, the effective management, planning and decision-making have been hampered by the lack of integration and complete data on resources. (ibid) As the organisation continues to grow in complexity in its activities, they are dissatisfied with the lack of integration and data sharing between different departments as it has become a bigger problem, and the need for a new ICT global enterprise system for streamlining and simplifying processes has become more crucial as the nature of the organisation is changing itself. (ibid) 1.2.3 Goals and objectives of implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning System The United Nations reports that the implementation of an ERP system will present the opportunity to fully combine resources and functions across the organisation by replacing the existing IMIS system. (ibid) Minahan (1998) reports ERP to be a complex software system that ties together and automates the basic processes of business activities such as finance and budget management, human resources management, supply chain management, central support services, and other corporate core functions. Most importantly, the main value of an ERP system is the opportunity to streamline and improve the operations of an entire organisation through process reengineering, sharing of common data, and implementation of best practices and standards, and perform as the inter-organisation information backbone for communication and collaboration (OLeary, 2004). According to reports from the United Nations (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008), the main objectives of the ERP project can be summarised as follows: To have a global operating system that precisely captures core resource data from each department and agency at the UN while linking them together to provide better decision-making. This will minimize the time required to perform administrative processes and enable easy access to necessary reports for each department, thus increasing the efficiency of the organisation and directing the focus to high priority situations. The main functionalities sought from the new ERP system are expected to encompass functions such as programme planning, budgeting, contributions and performance; human resources management and administration; payroll, including management of benefits and contribution to pension, medical and insurance schemes; supply chain management, including procurement; assets and facilities management; general accounting, travel and other administrative flows; reporting to management and stakeholders, and more. (ibid) Specific United Nations peacekeeping operations functions such as logistics, transportation, fuel and rations systems need to be supported by the new ERP system as these functions are not held in common with other organisations of the United Nations operations. 1.3 Purpose and Significance of the Study The research done in this study will attempt to answer the following question: What will be the impact of ERP implementation on the business transformation and business culture of the United Nations? Specifically, the study will attempt to establish the relationship between the business process transformation and organisational culture change offered as the result of ERP. These questions and findings are expected to provide an increased ability in evaluating the performance and standardisation of the business processes within the United Nations, as well as an increased awareness of its effect on the business culture and productivity over time of the UN. In addition, answers to these questions will subsequently enable other researchers to gain more insight into ERP implementation and business process reengineering. It will also enable the management of the United Nations to see how ERP can be a better means of technological reform, thus providing the opportunity to re-evaluate the existing business processes even further. 1.4 Research Questions The question that constitutes the primary point of pivot for the paper is: What will be the probable future impact of ERP on the business process transformation and business culture of the United Nations? The three subsidiary questions of the present work are: > How will ERP implementation make the organisation better off in the foreseeable future? > What will be the effect on the reformed business culture in terms of productivity? > How does the organisation perceive the benefit of ERP on the standardisation of business processes? 1.5 Structural Approach The rest of the thesis has been structured as follows. Chapter 2 provides a review of relevant literature, including ERP, business process reengineering, and their impact on organisational culture. Chapter 3 discusses the methodologies used for the empirical analysis and describes the data and the various proxies employed for analysing ERP implementation in the United Nations. Chapter 4 provides empirical findings of the relationship between ERP implementation and its effects on business processes and organisational culture. Chapter 5 analyses the research findings. Chapter 6 concludes the research by pointing out the key impacts of ERP on the UN. Chapter 7 makes various recommendations for policy direction and potentially fruitful areas of ERP systems for further research. Chapter 8 reflects on the study as a whole. CHAPTER II 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW The following Literature Review will focus on four main areas of evaluation regarding enterprise resource planning (ERP) on the business process transformation (BPR) in organisations, and more specifically, the United Nations. These are: 1. ERP: definition, evolution, implications 2. BPR: definition, evolution, implications 3. ERP and organisational culture 4. BPR and organisational change This review will analyse the abovementioned systems and related processes insofar as the available data in the literature will allow for a comparison of ERP and BPR and their effects on the United Nations and other large organisations. 2.1 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Definition, Evolution, and Implications Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are commonly described as commercial software packages that allow the assimilation of data and processes throughout an organisation (Markus Tanis, 2000, cited in Kim et al., 2005). ERP enables the flow of information among all business areas such as finance, human resources, manufacturing, sales and marketing, (Tan and Theodorou, 2009: 52). Basically, it allows data from all departments to exist in one computer system (Pang, 2001), making the managerial dream of unification of all information systems into one computer system come true (Adam ODoherty, 2003, cited in Revia, 2007). This unification should offer many benefits to the UN and other large organisations. Large organisations may have a more difficult time relaying information from one sector to another as they have many different departments and even multiple locations. The combination of all department in one system, presents benefits of relaying data in a timely manner. Rather tha n sending files through inter-office mail or needing to track down one particular staff member, each employee will have access to the information required for their job by simply logging into the system. The researcher will attempt to discover whether this unification does indeed allow for more time-efficiency as well as making simple operations tasks easier to accomplish in the UN. The start of ERP systems came about in the 1960-1970s with the invention of Inventory Control (IC) and Materials Requirement Planning (MPR) systems, which managed inventory in manufacturing. In the 1980s, Manufacturing Resources Planning (MRP II) systems came into use to manage both inventory and production requirements together. In 1973, the first ERP system was created with the goal of supporting all business needs. Since then, ERP systems have become much more popular. In fact, by the year 2000, enterprise resource planning systems were estimated to have serviced $23 billion USD in profits for the various organisations that have been implementing them (Pang, 2001). ERP applications are the largest, fastest growing and most influential in the industry (Corbett Finney, 2007). This is probably why the UN has shown such interest in ERP. The increase in ERP implementation does not seem surprising as ERP allows corporations to update to a new integrated system cutting out the previous legacy systems known for their difficulties in maintenance, large size, and old age, as they are segregated systems (Martin, 1998; cited in Boudreau, 1999). This appears to be helpful for the UN as they reported difficulty with their current legacy system (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). It is likely that employees of the UN will be satisfied with the replacement of the legacy system due to the reported problems it has. However, there is a chance that employees may be intimidated by this change as they will have to learn an entirely new system. Advantages of ERP systems for organisations include overcoming fragmentation by streamlining activities and processes, which provides direct access to real-time information by supplying a group of software modules that encase all departments of a business (Koch, 2003, cited in Corbett Finney, 2007). This appears to be an accurate statement due to the convenience of having all departments existing together. This implies that all information accessed through the new system will be current as it is constantly being updated by various employees based on the tasks they complete. Rather than there being pieces of information in various places, all information regarding the same issue will be together implying that employees can look in one place and have all the information they need rather than searching through various documents or consulting multiple co-workers. This aspect of ERP systems will be investigated at the UNDP in Kosovo in order to determine whether this feature is benefici al. Furthermore, ERP systems are said to provide cost-reduction in addition to increased flexibility (Siriginidi, 2000 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). These two benefits appear to be linked as decreasing operation costs would imply having more flexibility to perform other processes. For the UN, this would mean more money to use for their peacekeeping missions or other operations. However, flexibility does not depend on cost-reduction. Its possible for the availability of data to imply flexibility in making decisions or flexibility could result from rearranging the organisations processes and being better equipped to perform certain tasks. ERP systems have been reported to enhance business performance by accelerating the merger of organisational resources as well as strengthening the operational efficiency of the company through minimising human error (Shin Knapp, 2001, cited by Wang, 2006). The implication that ERP reduces human error seems to be correct as there is les s opportunity to make a mistake for employees because there is generally only one time they need to input information for data-sharing as opposed to the multiple steps needed to take before. These benefits should assist the UN in accomplishing some of their proposed goals such as linking all departments within one operations system, which decreases the time required for administrative processes. The UN hopes implementation will increase their operational efficiency by allowing valuable time to be spent focusing on high priority situations rather than simple operations tasks (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). More advertised benefits include improved information accuracy and decision-making capacity (Siriginidi, 2000 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). The UN wants to make use of these proposed advantages (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). Decision-making is a large part of the UN as they have to make difficult decisions everyday that effect large numbers of p eople; making a bad decision is not necessarily easily corrected in this case. Furthermore, many situations the UN deals with are time-sensitive; if its easier to access data, and the accuracy of that data is improved, officials can rest assured that they are making decisions with proper knowledge. In implementing ERP, organisations no longer have to create their own applications that are then unique to their company. They now have standard software available for their business processes, referred to as Best Business Practices (BBP). BBPs came into existence around the same time as ERPs. BBPs are general guidelines to assist companies in the way of handling certain business processes, meaning that each company can now improve itself on the basis of the experience of other corporations that share similar functional processes (SAP, 2007, cited by Revia, 2007). It seems any organisation would be hesitant to implement a system that has not proved to benefit other large organisations as the risks of failure are high (source). BBPs should definitely help the UN as they will be benefitting from previous experiences of other corporations. Some of the disadvantages of ERP are that the implementation requires time, costs and risks (Boudreau, 1999), as they tend to be large, complicated, and expensive (Mabert et al., 2001, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008: 3). ERP implementation calls for serious time commitment from all involved as it is often the biggest project that an organisation will ever face (Moon, 2007). ERP execution requires new procedures, employee training and managerial and technical support (Shang Seddon, 2002, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, Eldabi, 2008), which can be accomplished through good communication of the corporate strategy to all employees (Umble et al., 2003, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). Consequently, the biggest problem is not actually the implementation itself but the expectations of board members and senior staff as well as not having a clear plan or realistic projections (Somers Nelson 2004, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). However, the UN ha s already proposed clear goals and plans for their implementation. The question is whether or not they will be able to successfully translate these goals/plans to all employees of the organisation and whether or not they will be successful. Finally, the importance of selecting the appropriate ERP package is stressed. Corporations must make sure they select the appropriate ERP package that will match their organisation as well as its business processes (Chen, 2001, cited in Corbett Finney, 2007). This seems obvious as every organisation is different. Some corporations strategise around providing excellent customer service while others focus on decreasing costs to customers as a way to attract more business. However, there are studies that show that customising ERP packages beyond minimal adjustments is discouraged; these studies show that organisations should adjust their processes to fit the package rather than adjust the package to fit the processes (Murray Coffin, 2001 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, Eldabi, 2008). 2.2 Business Process Transformation (BPR): Definition, Evolution, and Implications Business process reengineering (BPR) was not very popular until the release of the book Re-engineering the Corporation by Michael Hammer and James Champy (Barker, 1995). Hammer and Champy introduced the term Business process reengineering in 1990 and defined it as a fundamental redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical areas such as cost, quality, service and speed (Hammer, 1990). Business process reengineering is also defined as a strategic redesign of important business processes, including the systems and policies that support them, in order to achieve maximum productivity of an organisation (Manganelli Klein, 1994). This would suggest a link between ERP and BPR as they are both structured around the redesign of core business processes. In fact, some goals of BPR are the reduction of cost, cycle-time, defects, and the increase of worker productivity (Hales Savoie, 1994), very much the same as ERP. The aim of BPR is to change current business pro cesses in order to make them more efficient overall, again mimicking ERP. In fact, Some researchers suggest that ERP systems are the major tools for making business processes better, leaner and faster through associated business process reengineering, (Shang Seddon, 2003, cited in Revia, 2007: 25). It is not yet known whether or not BPR will be performed at the UN. It is assumed that it will as it is so closely related to ERP. Additionally, reports have shown that ERP often causes BPR to occur due to its very nature (Martin et al., 1999). It seems that in order for ERP to be most successful, BPR should be performed (Sumner, 2000 cited by Law Ngai, 2007), otherwise the UN may not recognize exactly which processes are most important for their operations. Or, they may not be fully aware of the exact way in which ERP should be performed in relation to the core business processes, which is vital to understand for the selection of the proper ERP package. BPR has its origins in the private sectors as a management tool for companies to deal with change and reorganise their work to improve customer service, cut operational costs, and become world-class competitors, (Hamid, 2004, cited in Wang, 2006: 5). Generally, business process transformation takes business processes and allows the m to be done routinely through a computer system. It incorporates peoples perspectives and input to make sure that the processes fit needs specific to each corporation (Wang, 2006). This suggests benefits for ERP implementation in any organisation as the systems are supposed to be designed around core processes specific to each company. It would be helpful for the UN to determine which processes are vital to their operations. Furthermore, cutting operational costs should prove to be very valuable for the UN as many of the services it provides are non-profit. If BPR is performed as a result of ERP, it seems that cost reduction will be achieved. Here is a further look into what a core business process is: A core business process is one that gives value to the customers or stakeholders of the company. These are the most important processes within the organisation and are the ones that will set a company above their competitors if done well. In order to figure out what processes are cor e, one may ask the following questions. 1) Does the process make valued contributions to the customer? Does it improve customer service, increase response-time, decrease customers costs? 2) Is it important for the production/operation of the company? 3) Can it be used for other businesses? If the answer is yes to one of these questions, then the process under consideration can be considered core (McHugh, Merli, Wheeler, 1995). The UN may consider any process involving cash flow to be core as that is a huge component to many of the services they provide. Furthermore, any documentation of information from one department to another is probably considered core as this organisation relies on data-sharing for its decision-making capabilities. Therefore, it seems that these types of processes will be affected by ERP implementation and will most likely be reengineered. The three most basic strategies that increase a business success are lowering prices, offering more value in products, or focusing on less diversity in commodities and specialising in a certain area (Berrington Oblich, 1995). This suggests that BPR would be structured around these strategies when reorganizing core business processes. If the UN is restructuring using BPR, they are likely to focus on a combination of strategies. As already mentioned, the cost of operations is a huge factor for the United Nations to consider as they provide aid to many countries without expecting any favours in return. This implies they would focus on reduction of costs. However, the main reason they are an organisation is to provide services to those in need. That would suggest they would reorganise their business processes around the strategy of offering more value in their services. In implementing BPR, organisations are asked to choose five or six of the processes that are central to the operation of the company and focus on those to see the ways in which they can make them more efficient (McHugh, Merli, Wheeler, 1995). Concentrating on making sure core processes are completed to the best of the companys ability only ensures the organisation will do better. In the case of the UN, focusing on data-sharing and managing cash flow suggests an increase in the efficiency of the organisation as those components are vital to their operation. These changes would suggest benefits for both the cost-reduction strategy as well as providing better service to customers. 2.3 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Organisational Culture Organisational culture is a set of core beliefs, values, and behaviours shared by all members of one company, thereby affecting the productivity of the business. It is often described as a pattern of shared assumptions produced and manipulated by top management (Schein, 1992 cited by Boersma Kingma, 2005: 131). Organisational culture is influenced through many aspects, including leadership, personal characteristics, interactions of members, as well as tradition. Culture has visible signs and hidden insinuations. Visible signs include behaviour while the hidden insinuations entail morals and beliefs (Rousseau, 1990 cited by Cooper, 1994). The culture of an organisation is even displayed in the way certain processes are done as well as the outcomes of these processes, which will be examined at the UNDP in Kosovo. Because ERP systems involve most departments in a company, they change many business processes and thereby affect the more deep-seated organisational culture of a corporation . Companies that focus on incorporating their cultures into organisational efforts are said to have an edge in accordance with their productivity. Organisations can focus on culture and work with the people to shape new values, morals and work ethics. If employees are happy to be working for the organisation, they will be more apt to want to work, implying there will be an increase in productivity (Farbrother Marc, 2003). Enterprise resource planning can lead to changes in organisational culture i.e., ERP is implemented in order to increase productivity by changing current business processes (Deal Kennedy, 1982 cited by Cooper, 1994). These changes are maximal and cannot be simply brushed aside. When a company implements ERP, if the organisational culture is ready for the changes it will bring, the employees can work with the system to increase productivity. Consequently, the culture within the business must be one that can be made amenable for change (Nah et al., 2001 cited in Co rbett Finney, 2007). There is the belief that positive and supportive attitudes of those embarking on implementation of ERP will actually bring about a successful transition (Chatterjee et al., 2002 cited in Law Ngai, 2007). However, if the culture has not been made ready for change or the employees are unwilling to change, the system will be less likely to succeed. A system cannot work if there are no users. System implementation represents a threat to users perceptions of control over their work and a period of transition during which users must cope with differences between old and new work systems, (Bobek Sternad, 2002: 285). The social setting of a company and its technology most definitely shape each other; they are hardly independent of one another (Boersma Kingma, 2005). A mistake companies frequently make is to presume that people can change their habits easily when in actuality such changes are considerably taxing for many people. These companies underestimate the effect ERP implementation will have on their employees. Many employees panic when nothing looks the way it used to, nothing works the way it used to, and they can no longer go through their workday with the previously earned sense of familiarity and assurance (Koch, 2007 cited in Revia, 2007). One study showed that it took over two years for users of the new system to forget the process problems they found initially and to gain new knowledge of the system (Seddon Shang, 2003 cited in Revia, 2007). A Chief Information Officer from Nestle sums up this concept very well—she says, No major software implementation is really about the software. Its about change management†¦You are changing the way people work†¦You are challenging their principles, their beliefs and the way they have done things for many, many years (Boersma Kingma, 2005: 123). It seems the best way to ensure that employees are on board with proposed changes is to make them aware of these changes. It is important for them to feel that they are included in the decision to create new values and procedures for the company. Otherwise, they will be clinging on to the old culture and ways of doing things. The change will be stressful and forced rather than welcomed with ease. They should feel that the change is happening because of them rather than happening to them. The most senior level of management initiates enterprise resource planning, but its success depends on its acceptance by the companys ordinary workers (Obolensky, 1996). Cultures can be manipulated by those in management (Handy, 1985 cited by Cooper, 1994). Change can be intimidating and needs to be managed well. Therefore, the conclusion is drawn that managers need to make sure each and every employee is doing their part. This literature suggests that leaders are the most important players in any c hange scenario. Employees wont decide to change their behavi