Reverse Outline free essay sample

Topic Sentence: In examining Kurt Vonnengut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, we can illuminate the faults in Weisenburger’s theory of satire dichotomy, as well as illuminate the nature of the satirical qualities of Slaughterhouse-Five itself. Function: This is the thesis of Gil Henkin’s essay â€Å"Steven Weisenburger and the Big Scary Normative Value: An Exercise in Postmodern Posturing. † Its function is to provide the main idea which the author will argue thorough the essay. 2 Topic Sentence: Weisenburger rejects the concept of the dichotomy between a â€Å"good† and a â€Å"bad† example, yet in rejecting this moral polarization, he presents degenerative as good as opposed to inherently evil generative. Function: This paragraph serves to illustrate Weisenburger’s ideas. The author talks about Weisenburger’s view on generative and degenerative literature and why he thinks there is no middle ground between these two forms of satire. This paragraph also functions as a foundation for using Slaughterhouse-Five to strengthen author’s arguments. We will write a custom essay sample on Reverse Outline or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 3 Topic Sentence: The novel itself offers no normative values within its pages Function: The author uses this paragraph to show what moral position Vonnegut provides in his novel. Gil makes clear that Slaughterhouse-Five doesn’t offer author’s moral positioning. This paragraph functions as an insight into Vonnegut’s ideas and creates a contrast with previous paragraph where Weisenburger was mentioned.  ¶4 Topic Sentence: Again in this, Vonnegut is showcasing one of the main tenants of Weisenburgian contemporary satire. Function: The author brings an observation form Vonnegut’s novel and connects it with one if Weisenburger’s main ideas. This paragraph illustrates the connection between Wonnegut’s and Weisenburger’s ideas. He also illustrates how Weisenburger uses grotesque as one of his main tools.  ¶5 Topic Sentence: Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, as intimated by the title, also dabbles in the grotesque as a tool. Function: The author uses quotes from Vonnegut’s novel to illustrate the horror depicted in his story. By this author shows that grotesque is the tool Vonnegut uses frequently just like Weisenburger. I  ¶6 Topic Sentence: All the same, Vonnegut deviates from Weisenburger’s general diagnosis of satire as violence. Function: This paragraph serves to illustrate the differences between Vonnegut’s ideas and Weisenburger’s claim. Author uses a quote from Vonnegut’s novel to show how the sight of powerful destruction inspires the readers and how this idea deviates from Weisenburger’s claim in which violence supports a moral code. 7 Topic Sentence: Billy Pilgrim is at least in part playing a Christ figure. Function: The author analyzes Billy Pilgrim, the main character of Vonnegut’s novel, and claims that there are similarity between him and Christ. By analyzing Billy’s actions author is able to illustrate what makes him resemble Christ and what makes him distinct. By this author shows that there is a gross perversion of moral norm in Vonnegu t’s novel.  ¶8 Topic Sentence: This all may seem, in total, evidence that Slaughterhouse-Five is purely degenerative satire. Function: Author analyzes the specifics of Vonnegut’s novel and states that the evidence suggest it to be a degenerative form of satire. This paragraph creates an argument as to whether Slaughterhouse-Five really is a degenerative satire.  ¶9 Topic Sentence: In this sense, Vonnegut is in sense a generative satirist. Function: By analyzing several other aspects of the novel and thinking about the message Vonnegut was trying to get through the author of this essay is able to conclude that Vonnegut was in fact, a generative satirist. This paragraph serves to strengthen author’s thesis and provide an example of middle ground between generative and degenerative satire.  ¶10 Topic Sentence: Weisenburger is wrong to fear all norms. Function: In this passage author argues that Vonnegut’s novella provides baseline norms that are necessary for the society. While author partly agrees with Weisenburger that some norms create a system of conflict and violence, he states that there are norms which help prevent these conflicts. 11 Topic Sentence: Examination of Weisenburger through Slaughterhouse-Five reveals an incomplete theory on satire that cannot fully grasp the implications of the novel as a generative degenerative satire. Function: Author sums up his ideas and restates his thesis. He also states the importance of lens analysis to his essay Just analyzing Weisenburger’s ideas might not give implications on why he is incorrect. However looking at them through Slaughterhouse-Five reveal that Weisen burger can not fully grasp the middle ground generative degenerative satire.

Free Market Systems essays

Free Market Systems essays The concept of economic society in the middle Ages, and forces of change were different from region to region and from century to century. Modern market societies were beginning to manifest in the medieval cities of Italy and Holland from the tenth to seventeens centuries to the seventeenth and into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in some places. I will discuss what agents were powerful enough to effect changes need to bring about the free market society. First I will start with list of key concepts and terms Feudalism influential forces of change included these forces Itinerant Merchants initiated trade, money, and the keen characteristics of feudalism life Urbanization a by product of the Itinerant merchant slow urbanization of medieval life as for example one house hold per year. Crusades were only a cause of European economic development, also a symptom of the development that had previously taken place, and the introduction of new ideals to which the church was vigorously apposed Unifying commerce supporting national sales The age of exploration and of the gold from Spanish mines of Mexico and Peru The emergence of new religious ideals sympathetic of business Organization of set monetary dues with in the manorial system As result of these forces we see separation of economic from social life which no longer fit with the norm of religion, social, and political customs and practices, but form a distinct area of social life it self. The advent of free laborers, and landlords selling his or her services on the market for land and capital and labor which also created different classes entering the market among these new relationships was the wage labor but the owner of the product was the employer. Unlike the previous periods for instance labor was something done by slaves or as the word the book uses serfs to build pyramids, cathedrals that were ow...

Scandinavian Airlines System 1998 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Scandinavian Airlines System 1998 - Case Study Example Jan Carlzon has undoubtedly initialized changes, which caused a dramatic turnaround in the overall business operation of the airline system. These changes were carried out in response to the problems that beset SAS and the entire airline industry as a whole. These changes were also geared to adapt to the rapidly changing external environment and trends in the transportation sector. Among the new strategies implemented by SAS during the presidency of Jan Carlzon was focusing on the business traveler. The airline has evolved as the "businessman's airline, " offering an excellent service to full-paying business traveler through the introduction of "EuroClass" that provides more amenities than the other business class airlines at the level of the old economy fare. This was further strengthened by the improvement of flight schedules and punctuality. To provide a more attractive schedule, Eurolink was also created for short distance routes. Scanorama which feature lounges for the exclusive use of full-paying class were also introduced by the company in order to further different and highlight the luxury offered to the business traveler. In order to completely execute the new strategies, SAS has undergone a corporate cultural revolution, which was a deviation from the company's focus on resources and technology. There had been a restructuring which involved decentralization, education, and empowerment. A second wave of strategies were c... SAS has banked on its aim of being "a full service, door-to-door, travel service company," and "offer a unique product which we could control from A-Z." These have lead to the introduction of SAS International Hotels, SAS Reservation System, Credit Cards, SAS Service Partner, other related activities such as publishing and advertising, and a new group structure. We can see that in SAS major reforms, Jan Carlzon made use of both prescriptive and emergent strategies. According to Richard Lynch (2000), prescriptive strategies are those whose objectives have been defined in advance while emergent strategies refer to those strategies which has unclear objectives and whose components are developed during its course of life. As the case presented, the company has tailored its strategies to suit the changing needs of its market (Lynch, 2000). Prescriptive strategy was used in order to take into account the rapidly altering socio-cultural trends in the airline industry, thus the utilization of the socio-cultural theories of strategy. According to the case, the focus on business travelers was due to the fact that full-paying business travelers comprise the largest chunk of the airline's revenue yet the total number of passengers serviced was declining. This was prompted by the change in preferences of travelers as they seek more value for their money and change in lifestyle, which necessitated them avail service when their need arises. We can trace these changes to the transformation in the socio-cultural aspect of the European community. As the economy was facing a recession, maximization of customer's purchasing power was a priority. Also, the demands of being an executive left a busier

Unit 3 Discussion Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Unit 3 Discussion Board - Essay Example The performance measurement systems therefore within nursing homes relied more on the assumption that the â€Å"facility performance contribute heavily towards individual’s performance†. (Phillips, Shen, Chen, & Sherman, 2007) However, there are various indicators which contribute towards the overall performance of the nursing homes. Many researchers believe that the key indicator of the performance of the homes is residents’ outcomes. (IOM, 1986). Apart from that the facility’s compliance with the regulations such as compliance with standards, conditions of participation etc are other standards which are considered as key behind the measurement of the performance of the nursing facilities. However, there is other general criterion also which are typically being used to measure the performance of the health care services. Specifically consumer satisfaction is considered as the main driver of the value for health care services because it is believed that consumer satisfaction derives the administrative efficiencies of these facilities and both the variables have strong correlation between them however, generally, the characteristics of providers and hospitals, the interaction between the patients and the providers as well as the overall outcome of that process are the basics of evaluating the overall performance of the nursing care homes. One of the most important barriers in performance evaluation of those nursing homes is the fact evaluating the performance is multidimensional in nature and there is no single measure of the performance evaluation. Further these homes are also under the regulation of the government which may force them to maintain quality standards which may not directly relate to the value generating capabilities of the homes. This therefore diverts the resources of those homes to activities which could otherwise have been used in improving the performance standards. Phillips, C. D., Hawes, C., Lieberman, T., &

Service Recovery and Customer Satisfaction Essay

Service Recovery and Customer Satisfaction - Essay Example 316) believe that today’s business contexts are on the verge of a new economic era driven by the experience economy. This piece of research paper explains the relevance of service recovery followed by the service failure and describes different ways to achieve service recovery. The paper also explains how customer satisfaction and financial performance are interrelated and details whether they are always positively related. Service Recovery Strategic service breeds success to many marketers whereas many others fail since their service is inferior to that of others or is less attractive to the customers. Service failure thus provides many dissatisfied customers. As Botha, Strydom and Brink (2005, p. 301), service recovery is a remedial action designed with planned process or strategy of returning an aggrieved or dissatisfied client to a state of satisfaction with the company. Customer satisfaction is perhaps the most critical milestone that almost all marketers target and it is the base for better customer relationship, customer loyalty and even for achieving sustainable competitive advantage. Latest technologies and innovation help marketers differentiate products, and therefore they concentrate on making difference in the service being offered to the customer along with the product. When service fails, service failure is critical to survive in the market. A good service recovery system would be able to increase customer satisfaction, positive word-of-mouth for the company, improve product quality through customer feedback and elimination of costs in marketing and other processes. Service Recovery effort and strategic ways for it Fisk, Grove and John (2007, p. 176- 178) detailed a five-step strategic effort for service recovery. It comprises of apology, urgent reinstatement, empathy, symbolic atonement and follow-up. Almost same process was explained in the work of Botha, Strydom and Brink (2005, p. 301), but with a seven-step strategic cycle, they are 1 ) welcome complaints, 2) give immediate response, 3) treat clients fairly, 4) learn from recovery experience, 5) learn from lost clients and 6) doing it right. Apology with an attitude of welcoming complaints The process of service recovery should begin with an attitude of apology, which is an approach to becoming aware organization’s current situation in regard to dissatisfied customers. Apology is, as denoted by Fisk, Grove and John (2007, p. 176) admitting the failure and this can happen only when the organization has an attitude to accept complaints from customers and others too. Service can be identified and admitted only when the marketer accepts complaints from clients. If client’s complaints aren’t welcome to the firm, it will be fully unaware of how dissatisfied the customers are and why they are so etc. Urgent Reinstatement with immediate response Naturally, a dissatisfied customer would expect immediate response from the marketer and they want to know that some thing will be done by the marketer to remove the source of their disappointment. When the marketer accepts complaints from their customers, he must act as quickly as possible. Botha, Strydom and Brink (2005, p. 301) emphasized that a client will become more dissatisfied when he sees his complaints not listened and responded by

Emergence Of The Digital Firm

Emergence Of The Digital Firm Introduction: The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency. -Bill Gates (http://www.saidwhat.co.uk/topicquote/technology) Over the past two decades Technology has come to become an inseparable part of business activities. The modern era of dynamic and discontinuous change requires continual reassessment of organizational routines to ensure that decision-making processes, keep pace with the dynamically changing business environment. The adoption of advanced technology, to maintain a digitally enhanced firm, is necessary, especially for small and medium sized companies, to ensure their viability in the future. With the onset of globalization, the wide presence of digitally equipped firms has intensified international competition, and digital capabilities also provide small and medium sized enterprises with new potential for participation in the international market. Inevitably, a structural change is brought about by all the technological equipment in the companies as the need for new skills are created, which are accompanied by the constant need for training and information sharing, and assessment of tec hnological issues by the management. Emergence of the Digital Firm: The first use of information systems in enterprises was in the form of card processing machines which were used in the accounting departments and focused on historical information reporting. The early 1960s, marked the onset of mainframe computers, which when compared to todays desk top computers and PDAs, were miniscule, in processing power. In the coming decades, the advancements in technology gained speed with management reporting, transaction processing, decision support and forecasting enabled by information technology. The presence of Information technology is now widely significant in every business activity of the modern enterprise. Most recently, information systems transcended departmental, divisional and organizational boundaries in order to link the firm electronically, often instantaneously, to its customers, suppliers, and distribution partners .(Ives, 2002) With the development of technology and internet, modern enterprises have embraced Information and communication technology (ICT) and several e-business applications that have provided many benefits across many intra- and inter-firm business processes and transactions. With the use of ICT applications, information and knowledge management inside the firm has considerably improved reducing transaction costs and increasing the speed and reliability of transactions for both B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) transactions. They have also proved to be effective tools for improving external communications and quality of services for established and new customers. (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/6/9/31919255.pdf)Most small and medium sized enterprises use information and communication technologies. Research has shown that the use mainly of computers serves administrative and functional uses, such as the rendering of accounts, payroll, the drawing up of a budget, inventor y, and other similar functions (Bridge and Peel 1999). The basic condition that arises for the use of computers, but also for all technologies, old or new, electronic or not, is not only their acquisition by the SMEs, but also their correct and functional use (El Louadi, 1998). There are a large number of different ICTs, which makes identifying them and their functions difficult. Below is a classification of Information and communication technologies which includes the ICTs used by enterprises and comprises of five main categories, within which the technologies-systems comprising the category are distributed individually. Classification of ICTS: (Source: Papastathopoulos, Beneki (2009)) Intranet: Intranets are inexpensive, scalable to expand or contract as needs change, and accessible from most computing platforms. Whereas most large companies must support a number of computer platforms that cannot communicate with each other, intranets help to provide instant connectivity, uniting all computers into a single, seamless, network system. Electronic Commerce: Although most commercial transactions still takes place through conventional channels, rising number of consumers and businesses are using the Internet for electronic commerce Buyer Retailer Information Orders Service and support Manufacturers, Suppliers and Distributors Purchases Bids Banks -Credit checks -Payment authorization -Electronic payment transfer Illustration: Electronic Commerce Information Flows Business environment: The modern business environment is characterized by a dynamic continuous change. For the firms to thrive and benefit from ICTs, a healthy business environment is necessary. This includes a transparent, open and competitive business framework, clear independent rule of law for all firms, easy set up and dissolution of businesses, transparent, simple and accessible corporate regulation, and equal and stable legal treatment for national and cross-border transactions. (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/6/9/31919255.pdf) Organizational Forms: The concept of organizational forms was quickly accepted and vouched for by management scholars who have already accepted concepts such as the `knowledge economy or the new information economy ( Halal 1998) and who had believed that the emergence of the Internet would change the way business transactions business functions are performed (Tapscott , 1999). shift to new forms: According to Drucker (1997), businesses of the new age have not only led to advancements in technology and provided an atmosphere of stiff competition, but have also contributed to the promotion of change in the organizational forms. This is why, New Organizational Forms that respond to the need to align strategy-structure- direction processes are influenced by the dynamic changes in the environment. New transaction management modes from new organizational forms. The following illustration gives a clear picture of the increase in the use of new organizational forms, where internet and e-commerce plays a significant role. (Illustration sourced from: http://www.labs-associados.org/docs/OCDE_TIC.PDF) Increase in the use of new organizational forms: With every passing year, more and more firms are adopting new organizational forms in an attempt to stay competitive in the market. The benefits of incorporating ICTs and other e-business activities are now widely recognized. In the research conducted by Christina Beneki on Organizational forms based on information and communication technology adoption (http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/09362.pdf), an empirical study was carried out among 54 Greek SMEs to identify the emerging forms of organizations based on ICTs. Personal interviews were conducted with people recognized as being the most knowledgeable about the developments of ICTs within the firm. Hence, the interviewees ranged from director or owner-manager and IT personnel to general managers. The results of this study reveal that the SMEs journey towards ICT adoption-use can be classified into three levels: Level 1: Basic Use of ICT or ICT-beginners SMEs. On this level the ICTs used by SMEs support the monitoring of basic-elementary activities, transactions and communications of the enterprise Level 2: Advanced Use of ICT or ICT-based SMEs. On the second level the ICTs used by the SMEs serve specialized activities of the modern enterprise, such as programming operations, transaction monitoring, and decision making and auditing. Furthermore, they combine data and advanced analytical models or data analysis tools so as to support the making of semi structured decisions or unstructured decisions. Finally, they allow business and commercial digital transactions as well as the transmission of information with electronic means even to geographically remote places. Level 3: Superior use of ICT or ICT-Driven SMEs. The ICTs used by the SMEs on the third level contribute to the integration of the informational and business processes of the enterprise, and they support the long-term planning activities as well as the digital exchange of information, the carrying out of commercial transactions and collaborations with the external environment of the enterprise Figure: The Three Levels of ICT-Adoption Process The figure shows that a very small percentage of SMEs use basic ICTs (7%), about 22% percentage use ICTs serving specialized business activities, while for most of the SMEs (70%), technology does not constitute the basis but rather as a guide to their business activities. This clearly demonstrates the steep rise in the use of Internet communication technologies. Opportunities for the management in a digitally enabled firm: New organizational forms comprising of Information and communication technology (ICT) and e-business applications provide many benefits across a wide range of business processes and transactions. (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/6/9/31919255.pdf) With the use of computer terminals, e-mail, internet and its applications, several types of businesses can improve information and knowledge management within the firm, leading to more efficient business processes and better firm performance. Transfer of information through shared electronic files and networked computers significantly improves the efficiency of business process like documentation, data processing and other functions like organizing incoming orders and preparing invoices. Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer transactions are now conducted with increased speed and reliability, using ICT applications. Sophisticated ICT applications like Decision Support System (DSS) helps firms to analyse large amounts of data in quick time, enabling swift decision making. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) helps to integrate various departments of a firm effectively. Internet and e-commerce have drastically reduced the cost of business transactions. Internet-based B2B interaction and real-time communication help to reduce information asymmetries between buyers and suppliers and build close relationships among trading partners. (Moodley, 2002) ICT applications also increase labour productivity and have a positive impact on firm performance. The following illustration helps to identify the positive effect of ICT applications in Canada. Sourced from : (http://www.labs-associados.org/docs/OCDE_TIC.PDF) Challenges faced by the management and organization in a digital firm: Requirement of internal ICT and managerial knowledge: Since SMEs focus on day to day operations, they are less aware of the benefits of new technologies and would tend to lack the human technological resources needed for a digital firm, when they decide to investment in advanced technologies. Even when they are aware of the potential benefits of adopting e-commerce, they would need qualified personnel to carry out the operations. The firms that adopt Internet and e-commerce are likely to have personnel within the firm who have a reasonable knowledge of the incorporated technology. A study of small ICT companies with 3-80 employees suggests that the Internet was adopted by firms with personnel who understand the technology used (Mehrtens, 2001). The study found that these were not necessarily ICT professionals, but simply people interested in technology. If firms have the resources to access or outsource skills, then scarcity of technologically skilled personnel would not be a hindrance. However, presence of internal technological capabi lities is still vital because adoption of internet communication technologies cannot succeed without an understanding of the e-business model. Without internal technological capabilities, dependence on outside support services for system maintenance can be dangerous because firms that conduct e-business activities have to bear the risk of occasional system failures and computer viruses. If ICT support services, especially in an emergency, are needed to minimise the loss from a system malfunction, the e-business system of the firm may be vulnerable if they are not immediately available. The existence of local ICT services is thus an important consideration for the management, especially for small offices in remote areas or emerging economies, where ICT services are scarce and expensive. Skills and understanding of e-business models is also vital for the managers. Successful integration of e-business requires many firms to restructure their business processes, to change organisational structures and to redefine their core competence and positions in the value chains. So, e-business tools cannot be successfully introduced and implemented without the visionary power and strategic decisions about how to apply ICT technologies for business processes. (http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/09362.pdf) Cost of developing and maintaining e-business systems : For small and medium sized firms, sometimes, the cost of adopting e-business systems and their maintenance outweighs the benefits received from them. Budget constraints and uncertainty of return on investment may sway the managements decision to adopt e-business systems. Thus, gathering the capital for investing in sophisticated and expensive internet communication technologies is an issue that the management needs to counter. The management needs to decide, depending upon its size and capacity to bear the cost, how far they can extend their arms over the latest technologically advanced business systems. Some small businesses, especially micro-enterprises with 1-9 employees or the self-employed, may adopt a simple Web site without any e-commerce function if the cost of basic Internet use is well within their marketing budget. (http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/09362.pdf) Viability of Business Models: The advancements in internet have changed the business models in a number of key industries including media, financial services, travel and automobile retailing. But although internet technology provides great prospects, not all Internet business models have been successful. Conducting business over the internet is not always cost effective and efficient. For some companies, resorting to traditional methods is more viable. Of course, retailers on the internet may not need to pay for attractive outlets and employees, but they would need to use a large proportion of their budget for web site maintenance, customer service call centres, supply chain management and customer acquisition. There are also challenges to be faced for firms that try to use the web for supplementing or enhancing traditional business models. Businesses that are unclear about their e-business strategy may end up wasting a lot of money in building and maintaining websites that fail to deliver results. Successful web sites may also incur high costs. For instance, Equipment Inc., popular seller of indoor gear, has large payroll expenditures to pay for skilled technical staff supporting the website and additional shipping expenses to ensure web orders are delivered on time. Thus, the management needs to consider the viability of e-business models for its firm before deciding to invest. Business Process Change Requirements: Even if a firm does have a viable business model, it can still fail due to bad management or poor execution of the business model. Many dot-com firms like Garden.com, Productopia.com, Pets.com, Chinese Books Cyberstore etc. have closed down. The implementation and working of an electronic business model requires successful management of a firms divisions, production sites, sales offices and also maintaining close relationships with customers, suppliers and business partners. All important business processes need to be restructured and closely integrated. Firms will need to have well designed policies and procedures for sharing data. There are also traditional boundaries existing between a firms divisions and departments, customers and suppliers which can be barriers to collaboration and relationship building. Thus, the management needs to ensure a complete transformation of the firm and the ways in which it conducts business. Channel Conflicts: A channel conflict is a competition between two or more different distribution chains used to sell products or services of the same company. ( Laudon Laudon, 2006)When a company uses the web for selling its products, it creates a channel conflict with the firms traditional methods of selling. This is especially true for products that are less information sensitive and require a physical intermediary. In such a case, a companys revenues may drop as customer make purchases directly from the web. Channel conflict is a major issue for business-to-business business models, where the consumer purchases directly from the manufacturer through the Web. Milacron Inc., a machine tools company with extensive websites, minimizes the negative impact of channel conflict by paying full commissions to reps making online sales in their territories, even if they do not work on the sale or meet the buyer. Other companies have devised solutions, such as offering only a portion of thei r product line on the web. Legal Uncertainities: Conflicting regulatory environments and legal uncertainties for cross-border transactions, especially B2C, may affect small and medium scale firms. There is no harmonised legal framework with rules pertaining to the determination of jurisdiction and applicable law nor are there mechanisms that ensure the cross-border enforcement of legal rulings. The internet is global and is used by numerous organizations in different countries. Suppose a product were offered on sale in China, but the purchaser lived in the United States, whose law would apply? (Laudon Laudon, 2006)Small businesses can risk being due to inconsistent laws. Trust, Security and Privacy: For e-commerce to flourish there needs to be an atmosphere of trust among buyers, sellers and other partners involved in the transactions. Consumers will be wary of the security and confidentiality of credit card details and other personal information supplied over the internet. Internet based systems are at a risk of being penetrated by outsiders, as the internet is open to everyone. Any information, including e-mail passes through many different systems before it reaches its destination. It can be monitored and hacked into at any of these points resulting in loss of confidential data. Valuable data such as sales contracts, marketing plans, product development and pricing strategies, etc. can be intercepted causing significant risk to the company. Thus, the management needs to be extremely cautious and maintain stringent security systems to safeguard their business models. (Laudon Laudon) Opportunities and Challenges for Employees in a digital firm The rapid shift in trends in the market is seeing more and more companies undertaking a full scale adoption of technology that has in turn created an array of opportunities for the employees. Some of them are: Better job prospects. The emergence of digital firms has opened up attractive avenues for IT employees all over the world. With advancements in every area springing up, those equipped with specific technological expertise are also gaining demand with attractive bonuses rewarded. According to the research methodology used by Ricardo Parez Garrido on New Organizational Forms for knowledge transfer (http://latienda.ie.edu/working_papers_economia/WP05-03.pdf), the company Alpha was founded with the idea of uniting the best programmers in Spain interested in the internet and e-business and create for them an environment where they could work freely. Alpha experienced a tremendous growth of 400% from 1998-1999. But the success had attracted another telecommunication giant in the country which offered better incentives for employees. As a result a majority of the Alpha taskforce moved to the competing firm. Employees empowered in decision- making. With the onset of the digital era, many firms are now approaching a change in work attitudes. The system of bureaucratic is now being replaced by independence for different roles in an organization. With more space for employees to work, an atmosphere of ownership of the company results, providing better results and incentive for staff to work. The case study on the Royal Bank of Scotland (Currie Willcocks, 1996) provides an insight into the new philosophies of work practice being adopted by the bank. Senior managers were aware that customers were intimidated by the bureaucratic image of the bank and felt a change was necessary. The traditional emphasis on geographical splits was done away with and a different structure was established with three inter-related businesses- Retail, Commercial and Corporate. This way, individual departments are given complete responsibility and independence to run their functions. Employees play a greater part in the company The information systems sector is now recognized as a chief part of any firm. The days of technological expertise playing an underdog are over. It is now realized that those equipped with the technology side of the firm are better positioned to understand their part and hence are now increasingly given more ownership and responsibilities. Despite the fact that modern advancements in e-business have created opportunities for employees, they have also had a negative impact on them. Some of the drawbacks are: Outsourcing of technological expertise. With the wide availability of IT skills and restructuring of organizations, most companies now prefer to outsource technical expertise which may be better suited in terms of cost and quality of technical skills. As a result the existing employees are difficult to accommodate because of the drastic changes brought about by adoption of advanced technology that renders their skills incompetent. This is especially true for companies do not primarily rely on technology for their core business functions. The case study of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and their Business Process Re-engineering project (Currie Willcocks, 1996) shows how a complete restructuring of the banks activities resulted in many job losses. Also the technology unit was perceived by the business units as a support function, not therefore core to the business. Some senior managers were keen to outsource a major portion of the technical sector altogether. This also reflects a growing trend among organization seeking IT outsourcing as an alternative to in-house operating. Obsolescence of work. Because most companies are undergoing changes in their functioning process by incorporating advanced information systems that help to better integrate various departments within the organization, traditional forms of work are now losing a place. More and more employees are now faced with job losses because their work has been rendered useless with current business systems. The case study documenting the Columbus project undertaken by RBS (Currie Willcocks, 1996) gives evidence that due to the complete restructuring of the banks activities and how banking services were offered to customers, many manager were worried about a large staff redundancy. Communication problems Inevitably, communication problems between business units and technological units will tend to occur. Since technology department supplies the applications for various business functions, sometimes friction might arise over what is supplied and what is actually needed. Due to the complexities involved in business functions, the tactics and strategies used might change from time to time, causing the technological department to swiftly adapt to the changing conditions, which is not always simple. The case study documenting restructuring of RBS (Currie Willcocks, 1996) indicates the prevalence of communication problems. Business units complain that computers have been imposed on them with little relevance to the business context. However, the technology unit argued that business users change their mind regularly as to what is required from them. This miscommunication may lead to high costs, failure to meet delivery dates, loss of management control, low morale, etc. Conclusion: The emergence of new organizational forms according to the level of use of information communication technologies gives rise to new research opportunities in the sensitive sector of SMEs. In addition, the need for the emergence of new organizational forms stems also from the fact that technology no longer constitutes a mere link in the chain of businesses processes but rather the driving force behind this chain both in the internal and in the external business environment.

The Earth Essay -- essays research papers

Did u know that our planet, Earth wasn’t always thought of as a planet? Until the sixteenth century when Capernicus figured out that the Earth was another planet, which revolved around the sun, Greek astronomers thought the Earth was the center of the solar system. Also Earth is the only planet that its name didn’t come from Greek/Roman mythology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When earth was first discovered, astronomers were only able to study it with out spacecraft. It was not until the twentieth century that we had maps of the entire planet. Pictures taken of the planet are very important, not only because they aid in weather predictions, but they are also very beautiful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Earth is divided into seven layers: the crust, upper mantle, transition region, lower mantle, D† layer, outer core, and inner core. â€Å"The crust varies considerably in thickness; it is thinner under the oceans, and thicker under the continents†. (Arnett1) The inner core and crust are solid, and the outer core and mantel layers are plastic or semi-fluid. Most of Earth’s mass is in its mantle and the rest is in its core.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of the core is made of iron, but there may be lighter elements in it too. Temperatures at the center of the core can be as high as 7500K, which is hotter than the surface of the sun.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Unlike the other rocky planets, Earth’s crust is divided into several separate plates, which float around inde...