An Act of Discrimination and Hatred Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An Act of Discrimination and Hatred - Essay Example This means that a Muslim will be looked at suspiciously because of the stereotypes surrounding religion and extremism. This means that an immigrant will be treated as a second-class citizen because of their choice to move out of their home country. This also means that many such immigrants and Muslims will be denied jobs, housing, or healthcare services because of their identity as a Muslim or an immigrant. Racism is being differentiated in order to treat a particular religious or ethnic group in a way that is condescending and unfair. It is being discriminated based on perceived sentiments of superiority and bias. Racism is prejudice. It is hatred towards a particular religious or racial group. It is the biased and unfair treatment of an individual based on a preconceived opinion regarding a specific race. Racism means a denial of a human’s fundamental rights. It is hatred towards other people because they are different. It is prejudice manifested in the form of crimes and violence perpetrated against people of different cultures and racial backgrounds. It is the denial of one’s human rights and is a malpractice against another human. Racism is, therefore, an antithesis of humanity and mankind. Racism is intolerance. Racism is the manifestation of intolerance and bigotry. Racism dismisses any phenomena that are different and results in hatred and discrimination towards people of other races. This is true for immigrants coming from underdeveloped countries as well as Muslims from around the world. Intolerance usually correlates to stereotypes that are associated with a certain community. Racism is a result of narrow-mindedness when it comes to appreciating diversity and variation. Racism often results in violence and maltreatment of people because of the racial differences. Racism causes harm to many people psychologically, physically, and mentally.  

Christopher McCandless Essay Example for Free

Christopher McCandless Essay Christopher Johnson McCandless (February 12, 1968 – August 1992) was an American hiker who adopted the alias Alexander Supertramp and ventured into the Alaskan wilderness in April 1992 with little food and equipment, hoping to live simply for a time in solitude. Almost four months later, McCandlesss remains were found, weighing only 67 pounds (30 kg). It has recently been speculated that Chris had developed lathyrism, caused by his consumption of seeds from a flowering plant in the legume family which contain the neurotoxin ODAP. McCandlesss resulting paralysis would have caused a gradual inability to move, hunt or forage and this could have led to his death from starvation. [1] His death occurred in a converted bus used as a backcountry shelter, near Lake Wentitika in Denali National Park and Preserve. In January 1993, Jon Krakauer published McCandless story in that months issue of Outside magazine. Inspired by the details of McCandlesss story, Krakauer wrote and published Into the Wild in 1996 about McCandless travels. The book was adapted into a film by Sean Penn in 2007 with Emile Hirsch portraying McCandless. That same year, McCandlesss story also became the subject of Ron Lamothes documentary The Call of the Wild. A full-length article on McCandless also appeared in the February 8, 1993 issue of the The New Yorker magazine.[2] Earlier years[edit] Christopher McCandless was born in El Segundo, California, the first of two children to Walter Walt McCandless and Wilhelmina Billie Johnson. Chris had one younger sister, Carine. In 1976, the family settled in Annandale, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C., after his father was employed as an antenna specialist for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). His mother worked as a secretary at Hughes Aircraft and later assisted her husband with his successful home-based consulting company in Annandale. Walt and Billie often fought and sometimes contemplated divorce.[citation needed] Chris and Carine had six half-siblings living in California from Walts first marriage. Walt was not yet divorced from his first wife when Chris and Carine were born; however, Chris did not discover his fathers affair until a summer trip to Southern California[3] in 1986. This discovery caused him to hold a lot of bitterness towards his father, and could have been a factor in his views ab out society. At school, teachers noticed McCandless was unusually strong-willed.[citation needed][who?] In  adolescence he coupled this with intense idealism and physical endurance. In high school, he served as captain of the cross-country team, urging teammates to treat running as a spiritual exercise in which they were running against the forces of darkness all the evil in the world, all the hatred.[4] On June 2, 1986, McCandless graduated from W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia. On June 10, McCandless embarked on one of his first major adventures in which he traveled throughout the country in his Datsun B-210, arriving at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, two days prior to the beginning of fall classes. His upper middle class background and academic success were drivers for his contempt of what he saw as the empty materialism of society. McCandless was strongly influenced by Jack London, Leo Tolstoy, W. H. Davies and Henry David Thoreau. In his junior year, he declined membership in the Phi Beta Kappa Society, on the basis that honors and titles were irrelevant. McCandless graduated from Emory on May 12, 1990, with a Bachelors degree, double m ajoring in history and anthropology. He envisioned separating from organized society for a Thoreauvian period of solitary contemplation. Travels[edit] In May 1990, Christopher McCandless donated the remaining $24,000, given to him by a family friend for his law degree, to Oxfam International, a hunger prevention charity. Towards the end of June, he began traveling under the name Alexander McCandless until later adopting the last name of Supertramp (Krakauer notes the connection with Welsh author W. H. Davies and his 1908 autobiography The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp). Most people he encountered regarded him as intelligent and one who loved to read. By the end of the summer, McCandless made his way through Arizona, California and South Dakota, where he worked at a grain elevator in Carthage. He survived a flash flood, but allowed his car to wash out (although it suffered little permanent damage and was later reused by the local police force as an undercover vehicle) and disposed of his license plate.[citation needed] In 1991, McCandless paddled a canoe down remote stretches of the Colorado River to the Gulf of California. He cros sed the border to Mexico and, having gotten lost in many dead-end canals, was towed by duckhunters to the sea, where he stayed for some time. He took pride in surviving with a minimum of gear and funds, and generally made little preparation. Alaskan Odyssey[edit] For years, McCandless dreamed of an Alaskan Odyssey wherein he would live off the land of the Alaskan wilderness, far away from civilization, and find himself[citation needed]. He kept a journal describing his physical and spiritual progress as he faced the forces of nature. In April 1992, McCandless hitchhiked from Enderlin, North Dakota, to Fairbanks, Alaska. He was last seen alive on April 28, 1992, by Jim Gallien, a local, who gave him a ride from Fairbanks to the head of the Stampede Trail. Gallien was concerned about Alex, who had minimal supplies (not even a compass) and no experience surviving in the Alaskan bush. Gallien repeatedly tried to persuade Alex to defer his trip, and even offered to drive him to Anchorage to buy suitable equipment and supplies. However, McCandless ignored Galliens warnings, refusing all assistance except for a pair of Wellington rubber boots, two tuna melt sandwiches, and a bag of corn chips. Gallien allowed Chris to wander off with the belief that he would head back towards the highway within a few days as his eventual hunger set in. After hiking along the snow-covered Stampede Trail, McCandless found an abandoned bus (about 40 miles (64 km) west of Healy) used as a hunting shelter and parked on an overgrown section of the trail near Denali National Park, and began to live off the land. He had 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of rice, a Remington semi-automatic rifle with 400 rounds of .22LR hollowpoint ammunition, several books including one on local plant life, and some camping equipment. He assumed he could forage for plant food and hunt game. For the next thirty days or so, McCandless poached porcupines, squirrels, and birds, such as ptarmigans and Canada geese. On June 9, 1992, he managed to kill a moose; however, he failed to preserve the meat properly, and within days it spoiled and was covered with maggots. His journal contains entries covering a total of 112 days. These entries range from ecstatic to grim with McCandless changing fortunes. In July, after living in the bus for three months, he decided to leave, but found the trail back blocked by the Teklanika River, which was then considerably higher and swifter than when he crossed in April. Unknown to McCandless, there was a hand-operated tram that crossed the river only 1⠁„4 of a mile away from where he had previ ously crossed. In the 2007 documentary The Call of the Wild, evidence is presented that McCandless had a map at his disposal, which should have helped him find  another route to safety.[5] McCandless lived in the bus for a total of 113 days. At some point during that time, presumably very near the end, he posted an S.O.S. note calling on anyone passing by to help him because he was injured and too weak. The full note read: â€Å" Attention Possible Visitors. S.O.S. I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out. I am all alone, this is no joke. In the name of God, please remain to save me. I am out collecting berries close by and shall return this evening. Thank you, Chris McCandless. August?[6] † Death[edit] On August 12, 1992, McCandless wrote what are apparently his final words in his journal: Beautiful Blueberries. He tore the final page from Louis LAmours memoir, Education of a Wandering Man, which contains an excerpt from a Robinson Jeffers poem titled Wise Men in Their Bad Hours: Deaths a fierce meadowlark: but to die having madeSomething more equal to centuriesThan muscle and bone, is mostly to shed weakness.The mountains are dead stone, the peopleAdmire or hate their stature, their insolent quietness,The mountains are not softened or troubledAnd a few dead mens thoughts have the same temper. His body was found in his sleeping bag inside the bus by Butch Killian, a local hunter, on September 6, 1992.[7] McCandless had been dead for more than two weeks and weighed an estimated 30 kilograms (66 lb). His official, undisputed cause of death was starvation. Krakauer suggests two factors may have contributed to McCandlesss death. First, he was running the risk of a phenomenon known as r abbit starvation due to increased activity, compared with the leanness of the game he was hunting.[8] Krakauer also speculates that McCandless might have ingested toxic seeds (Hedysarum alpinum or Hedysarum mackenzii) or a mold that grows on them (Rhizoctonia leguminicola produces the toxic alkaloid swainsonine). However, an article in Mens Journal stated that extensive laboratory testing showed there was no toxin present in McCandlesss food supplies. Dr. Thomas Clausen, the chair of the chemistry and biochemistry department at UAF said I tore that plant apart. There were no toxins. No alkaloids. Id eat it myself.[9] Analysis of the wild sweet peas, given as the cause of Chriss death in Sean Penns film, turned up no toxic compounds and there is not a single account in modern medical literature of anyone being poisoned by this  species of plant.[5] As one journalist put it: He didnt find a way out of the bush, couldnt catch enough food to survive, and simply starved to death.[9] However, the possibility of death through the consumption of the mold, which grew on the seeds in the damp bags which McCandless stored them in, was considered a suitable explanation by Krakauer.[3] Subsequently the academic Ronald Hamilton made the link between the symptoms described by Chris and the poisoning of Je wish prisoners in the Nazi concentration camp in Vapniarca. He put forward the proposal that Chris McCandless died of lathyrism caused by ODAP poisoning from Hedysarum alpinum seeds which hadnt been picked up by the previous studies as they were searching for alkaloid instead of toxic protein. The protein would be relatively harmless to a well-fed person on a normal diet, but toxic to someone who was malnourished, physically stressed, and on an irregular and insufficient diet, as McCandless was. Subsequent tests revealed ODAP was indeed present in the seeds. [10][11] Criticism[edit] McCandless has been a polarizing figure ever since his story first broke following his death, along with Krakauers Outside article on him in January 1993. While Krakauer and many readers have a largely sympathetic view of McCandless,[12] others, particularly Alaskans, have expressed negative views about McCandless and those who romanticize his fate.[13] The most charitable view among McCandlesss detractors is that his behavior showed a profound lack of common sense. He chose not to bring a compass, something that most people in the same situation would have considered essential. McCandless was also completely unaware that a hand-operated tram crossed the otherwise impassable river 0.25 miles (0.40 km) from where he attempted to cross. Had McCandless known this, he could easily have saved his own life.[4] There has been some speculation (particularly in details given in the Lamothe documentary) that he vandalised survival cabins and supplies in the area. However, Ken Kehrer, chief ran ger for Denali National Park, denied that McCandless was considered a vandalism suspect by the National Park Service.[14] His venture into a wilderness area alone, without adequate planning, experience, preparation, or supplies, without notifying anyone and lacking emergency communication equipment, was contrary to every principle of outdoor survival and, in the eyes of many experienced outdoor  enthusiasts, nearly certain to end in misfortune. Alaskan Park Ranger Peter Christian wrote: When you consider McCandless from my perspective, you quickly see that what he did wasnt even particularly daring, just stupid, tragic, and inconsiderate. First off, he spent very little time learning how to actually live in the wild. He arrived at the Stampede Trail without even a map of the area. If he [had] had a good map he could have walked out of his predicament [ ] Essentially, Chris McCandless committed suicide.[13] Sherry Simpson, writing in the Anchorage Press, described her trip to the bus with a friend, and their reaction upon reading the comments that tourists had left lauding McCandless as an insightful, Thoreau-like figure: Among my friends and acquaintances, the story of Christopher McCandless makes great after-dinner conversation. Much of the time I agree with the he had a death wish camp because I dont know how else to reconcile what we know of his ordeal. Now and then I venture into the what a dumb territory, tempered by brief alliances with the he was just another romantic boy on an all-American quest partisans. Mostly Im puzzled by the way hes emerged as a hero.[15] Jon Krakauer defends McCandless, claiming that what critics point to as arrogance was merely McCandlesss desire for being the first to explore a blank spot on the map. Krakauer continues that In 1992, however, there were no more blank spots on the map—not in Alaska, not anywhere. But Chris, with his idiosyncratic logic, came up with an elegant solution to this dilemma: He simply got rid of the map. In his own mind, if nowhere else, the terra would thereby remain incognita.[16] Others have pointed out that a map of the area (although apparently not including the location of the hand-powered tram) was found among McCandlesss belongings, and refute the accusations that he intentionally discarded this map.[17]

Business Aligning And Business Impact Information Technology Essay

Business Aligning And Business Impact Information Technology Essay There are many views on what constitutes business strategy. Definitions for business strategy and its features include the following. A business strategy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ should encapsulate a statement of an organisations mission or vision so that there is a clear and consistent point of focus (King, 1978); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ provides a deliberate plan of action (Kaplan Norton, 1996: Henderson Venkatraman, 1993, King 1978); 2)Definition of IS/ IT Strategy Figure 1: IS/IT Strategy. The figure describes the where, what and how of the planning Source: Source: Edwards, Ward Bytheway, 1991; Ward Peppard, 2002, p.41 IS Strategy IS strategy can be defined as a strategy to implement information systems that recognizes organizational requirements, in other words demand for the information and systems to support the overall business strategy and its plan to gain or maintain the advantage (Rackoff, Wiseman Ullrich, 1985; Ward Peppard, 2002; Edwards, Ward Bytheway, 1991). An IS strategy should include the business needs for the future aligned closely to the business strategy. It should also define and prioritize the investments needed to achieve the application portfolio. IT Strategy IT strategy is the supply to the demand created by IS strategy. It outlines the vision of how the organizations demand for information and systems will be supported by technology (Ward Peppard, 2002). They further suggest that the IT strategy is concerned with the IT capabilities and services like IT operations, systems development and user support. Luftman (2003) refers to the IT strategy as a set of decisions made by IT and functional business managers that either enable or drive the business strategy. It leads to the deployment of technology infrastructure and applications, and human competencies that will assist the organization in becoming more competitive. Figure2: Inputs and outputs of IS/ IT strategy Source: Edwards, Ward Bytheway, 1991 Literature on IS and IT Strategy In view of Clarke (2005), The role of Information Systems (IS) has developed during the years. The original formation was of automation of existing manual and precomputer mechanical processes. This (automation of existing manual processes) was quickly replaced by the rationalisation and integration of systems. In both of these forms, IS was regarded primarily as an operational support tool, and secondarily as a service to Management Clarke (2005) further suggests, Information Technology (IT) had been critical to the implementation of an organizations strategy. The dominant sense in which the term is used is that a strategic information system (SIS) is an information system which supports an organization in fulfilling its business goals. Ward and Griffiths (1996, p1) say that it is essential for the organizations to understand how the role of technology based information systems has evolved. With time, organizations have realised that there is a need to approach IS/IT more tactically by understanding the role of IT in business, and making IT a part of business. As suggested by Ward and Peppard (2002, p1) the organizations are looking at the application of technology not only to underpin existing business operations but also to create new opportunities that provide them with a source of competitive advantage and propose a strategic approach for managing their systems. Kearns and Lederer (2003) have supported the critical and strategic role of IS/IT by stating that, Recent surveys of CEOs (Chief Executive Officer) have shown that, despite numerous failed investments, information technology has assumed a critical and strategic role in their organization. If IS/IT is to fulfil its role, the CIOs (Chief Information Officer) need to adopt Strategic Information Systems Planning. SISP began during 1970s and organizations began using IS/IT in ways that changed the functioning of their businesses. Bruns and McFarlan (1987) thought that, Information Technology has done more than just enhancing the existing processes within the organization. IT has provided the spark that caused the managers to rethink their business strategies. The organizations that have changed their control systems and structures have seen a transformation in the effectiveness of the business processes. Bruns and McFarlan (1987) further suggest that, they have found ways to channel the power of information to the muscles of their corporations. IS/ IT- Business Alignment For an organization to achieve competitive advantage it is important that the business use IS/IT to support the main business processes and become dependant on IS/IT. It is also important that there is IT participation in business planning (BP) and vice-versa. Chan and Huff (1993) say alignment of an IS plan and the business plan is very important and it leads to IS efficiency and value. A closer look at the aims for adopting a IS/IT strategy according to Ward and Peppard (2002) suggests that the SISP process is used for aligning IS/IT with business and gain competitive advantage from business opportunities created by using IS/IT. However, not all IT projects are implemented and many factors have been identified that contribute to IT failures. One of the main failures that have been highlighted is that the 14 failure to implement is due to the planning process and its practices (Hartono et al.2003). Another major problem that has been seen in SISP is failure to translate goals and objectives into action plans (Teo Ang, 2001 in Hartono et al., 2003) and lack of support for IT architecture and also the duration of SISP have been viewed as factors contributing to low rate of implementation. According to Reich and Benbasant (1996) is a process. It is unique to each organization and uses both the IT and business knowledge to support business objectives. Thus, it is important to bring IT into the main business stream and let IT function as an entity in the business. For this to happen, the senior executives in the companies must work together and define the business needs and frame an IS/IT and business strategy to support the business goals and objectives. Thus, for an organization to achieve competitive advantage and improve business performance it is important to align its IS/IT plan with the business plan, and IS/IT systems should be used in accordance with the resources and the capabilities of the organization in times of environmental changes. SISP is a way to implement those IS/IT systems not only to achieve competitive advantage but also for proper functioning in the ever-changing business environment. Business Aligning and Business Impact of IS IT Because of the complexity of the strategic information systems planning process and uniqueness of each organization, there is no one best way to tackle it. Vitale, et al. (1986) classify SISP methodologies into two categories: impact and alignment. Impact methodologies help create and justify new uses of IT, while the methodologies in the alignment category align IS objectives with organizational goals. 1) Impact Methodologies Value Chain Analysis: The concept of value chain is considered at length by Michael Porter (1984). According to him, every firm is a collection of activities that are performed to design, produce, market, deliver, and support its product. All these activities can be represented using a value chain. Porter goes on to explain that information technology is one of the major support activities for the value chain. Information systems technology is particularly pervasive in the value chain, since every value activity creates and uses information. A firm that can discover a better technology for performing an activity than its competitors thus gains competitive advantage (Porter, 1985). Thus value chain analysis: (a) Is a form of business activity analysis which decomposes an enterprise into its parts. Information systems are derived from this analysis. (b) Helps in devising information systems which increase the overall profit available to a firm. (c) Helps in identifying the potential for mutual business advantages of component businesses, in the same or related industries, available from information interchange. (d) Concentrates on value-adding business activities and is independent of organizational structure. Strengths: The main strength of value chain analysis is that it concentrates on direct value adding activities of a firm and thus pitches information systems right into the realm of value adding rather than cost cutting. Weaknesses: Value chain analysis suffers from a few weaknesses, namely, (a) It only provides a higher level information model for a firm and fails to address the development and implementation issues, (b) Because of its focus on internal operations instead of data, it fails to define a data structure for the firm. 2) Alignment Methodologies Business Systems Planning (BSP): The methodology focuses on business processes which in turn are derived from an organizations business mission, objectives and goals. Business processes are analyzed to determine data needs and, then, data classes. Similar data classes are combined to develop databases. The final BSP plan describes an overall information systems architecture as well as installation schedule of individual systems. Steps in a BSP study are: Barlow (1990) and Ledrer and Sethi (1988) have discussed strengths and weaknesses of BSP. Strengths: Because BSP combines a top down business analysis approach with a bottom up implementation strategy, it represents an integrated methodology. In top down strategy, BSP develops an overall understanding of business plans and supporting IS needs through joint discussions. Weaknesses: (a) BSP requires a firm commitment from the top management and their substantial involvement. (b) It requires a high degree of IT experience within the BSP planning team. ((e) Major weakness of BSP is the considerable time and effort required for its successful implementation. About the Assignment The past few decades have witnessed major changes in the way we do business. Increased competition and the pursuit of ever-greater performance have forced businesses to focus on quality, efficiency, and productivity, while encouraging innovation and creativity. In addition, there have been significant changes in global economies and in the structure of the business worlds that exist in those economies. As a result, a variety of disparate approaches and methodologies for evaluating and restructuring business enterprises has emerged. The terms reengineering and business transformation have taken on amazing significance. In many company like Dell, those terms mean the complete assessment, restructure and redesign of entire businesses, including information technology (IT) and Information System its Management (IS) In Below assignment we are going to focus on Business strategies and Information strategies of Dell Company, we are also going to look into Advantage and Disadvantage of Business strategies, Information System and Information Technology in general. Company Overview Dell, a Delaware corporation, was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell on a simple concept: by selling computer systems directly to customers, Dell could best understand their needs and efficiently provide the most effective computing solutions to meet those needs. Dell is based in Round Rock, Texas, and conducts operations worldwide through its subsidiaries. Unless otherwise specified, references to Dell include its consolidated subsidiaries. Dell operates principally in one industry and is managed in three geographic segments: the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific-Japan regions. Vision Statement: Its the way we (Dell) do business. Its the way we (Dell) interact with the community. Its the way we interpret the world around us-ours customers needs, the future of technology, and the global business climate. Whatever changes the future may bring our vision Dell Vision will be our guiding force. Dell needs full customer satisfaction. In order to become the most successful computer company, they need the newest technology and loyal customers. Mission Statement: Dells mission is to be the most successful Computer Company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve. In doing so, Dell will meet customer expectations of: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Highest quality à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Leading technology à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Competitive pricing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Individual and company accountability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Best-in-class service and support à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Flexible customization capability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Superior corporate citizenship à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Financial stability http://retailindustry.about.com/od/topusretailcompanies/p/dellincprofile.htm Business Strategy of Dell Dells business strategy combines its direct customer model with a highly efficient manufacturing and supply chain management organization and an emphasis on standards-based technologies. This strategy enables Dell to provide customers with superior value; high-quality, relevant technology; customized systems; superior service and support; and products and services that are easy to buy and use. The key tenets of Dells business strategy are: A direct relationship is the most efficient path to the customer.  A direct customer relationship, also referred to as Dells direct business model, eliminates wholesale and retail dealers that add unnecessary time and cost or diminish Dells understanding of customer expectations. At www.dell.com, customers may review, configure and price systems within Dells entire product line; order systems online; and track orders from manufacturing through shipping. Customers can purchase custom-built products and custom-tailored services. Dells flexible, build-to-order manufacturing process enables Dell to turn over inventory every four days on average, and reduce inventory levels. Dell is the low-cost leader. Dell maintains the lowest cost structure among its major competitors, and to pass those savings to its customers. Non-proprietary standards-based technologies deliver the best value to customers.  Dell believes that non-proprietary standards-based technologies are critical to providing customers with relevant, high-value products and services. Focusing on standards gives customers the benefit of extensive research and development from http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/826083/000095013405004423/d22995e10vk.htm Information Systems Strategy of Dell Information systems were critical to Dell. The information systems supported the Dell Direct business model by providing a range of tools from order entry to production integration. Information systems provided the means for delivery of instant information to employees through e-mail or over the intranet. And information systems were a way to connect suppliers to the business, to collect and analyze information collected from the marketplace, and to support decisions on everything from hiring practices to product offerings to pricing. IT is an enabler to make the business model work, The backbone of the information system was an architecture called G2 (See Exhibit 3). Data Engine Message Broker Application Server Wed Based Client Application G2 Model The G2 architecture was an object-based infrastructure, with a web browser front end interface. It had a single point of connection and was built in small pieces. There was local control of functionality but a global view of the business. The primary components of the G2 architecture were commonly available applications such as Microsoft office, database engines, and Internet servers. The G2 architecture was similar in design to the Dell organization structure, which was also built in small pieces, with local control but a global view of the business. The Dell business model resulted in a different production profile than other business models. The direct model implied that every production run is unique in some way, and hence every lot was of quantity one. http://www.kppartners.com/documents/zerotime-dell_case_study.pdf Analysing Business Aligning in Dell To show Business aligning in Dell we will use value chains analysis The value chain in place at most firms assumes a make-to-forecast strategy. That is, standard products are produced from long-term forecasts of customer demand. And in the case of Dell Computer corporation Michael Dell made business model, which allows the company to build each product to order. Dell is well-known for its ability to mass-produce computers that are customized to a customers order. This production and operations process is known as mass-customization or, in a value-chain context, a build-to-order (BTO) strategy. In its build-to-order strategy, Dell assembles the product only after the customer has placed the order, . At Dell, this process depends on computer systems that link customer order information to production, assembly, and delivery operations. BTO frequently requires a change in organizational culture, managerial thinking, and supplier interactions and support. Inevitably, the process begins by acquiring a better understanding of customer demand; then improvements in information flow will produce the ability to increase responsiveness in all areas of the value chain. http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/msabet/c12_Turban_0471705225.pdf Advantage and Disadvantage Of Business Strategies There are numerous advantages you can extract from the marketplace if you know how. And the marketing plan is an excellent tool for identifying and developing Business strategies for extracting these advantages. 1) Advantages of Business Strategies of Dell: Identifies needs and wants of consumers Determines demand for product Aids in design of products that fulfil consumers needs Dells inventory turnover rate of 60 times per year compares to 12-15 times for most indirect vendor. Dell can develop direct customer relationship. Dell knows who the end user is, what equipment it has bought from Dell, where it was shipped, and how much the customer has spent with Dell. Dell uses that information to offer add-on products and services, to coordinate maintenance and technical support, and to help the customer plan its PC replacement and upgrade cycle. 2) Disadvantages of Business Strategies of Dell: Leads to faulty marketing decisions based on improperly analyzed data Creates unrealistic financial projections if information is interpreted incorrectly Identifies weaknesses in overall business plan http://inventors.about.com/od/licensingmarketing/a/advantages_mark.htm Advantage and Disadvantage of IS and IT 1) Advantages of information technology and Information System Dell Inc Dell Inc company realizes Internet-associated efficiencies throughout its business, including procurement, customer support and relationship management. At www.dell.com, customers may review, configure and price systems within Dells entire product line; order systems online; and track orders from manufacturing through shipping. At valuechain.dell.com, Dell shares information with its suppliers on a range of topics, including product quality and inventory. Dell also uses the Internet to deliver industry-leading customer services. For instance, thousands of business and institutional customers worldwide use Dells Premier Dell.com Web pages to do business with the company online. http://e-learning.dmst.aueb.gr/mis/Cases/Dell/index.htm 2) Disadvantages of information technology and Information System for Dell Inc The Internet has also created entirely new markets and formed the basis for thousands of new businesses and that is biggest disadvantage for Dell Inc. Internet technology is based on universal standards that any company can use, making it easy for rivals to compete on price alone, due to which profits have gone down. Information is available to everyone on internet, due which it raises the bargaining power of customers, who can quickly find the lowest-cost provider http://www.prenhall.com/behindthebook/0132304619/pdf/Laudon%20Feature%203.pdf Barriers in implementation of IS and IT in Dell Company Dell Co business model was unique in its way and the company did not had time to think differently because the company was growing by about $1 billion every 9 weeks. Dell had a limited time for classroom training of new Information systems to employees. The Dell business model resulted in a different production profile than other business models. The direct model implied that every production run is unique in some way, and hence every lot was of quantity one. Dell was not able to have a centralized structure, because the local business units had to have their own IT people. As such, the information systems were highly decentralized. No programmers reported directly to the CIO. Instead, each division and business had some IT people. http://www.kppartners.com/documents/zerotime-dell_case_study.pdf Conclusion Dell has increased the opportunity for revenue and the increased access to information, which potentially translates into new product and service offerings. The advantage to the customer is the traditional one-stop-shopping arrangement for products and services, offloading these tasks from information systems organizations, and freeing the IS management up to concentrate on core business issues rather than procurement and services. http://i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secure/en/Documents/FY10_Form10K_Final.pdf Recommendations To get a successful IS and IT Strategy program will rely on (1) Senior managements commitment; (2) The full support and participation of the IT IS team (3) The competence of the IS and IT team, which must have the expertise to apply the specific site and system, identify mission risks, and provide cost-effective safeguards that meet the needs of the organization; (4) The awareness and cooperation of members of the user community, who must follow procedures and comply with the implemented controls to Safeguard the mission of their organization (5) An ongoing evaluation and assessment of the IS IT-related mission risks. http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-30/sp800-30.pdf Authors Reference Barlow, J.F., Putting Information Systems Planning Methodologies Into Perspective, Journal of Systems Management, July, 1990, pp. 6-9. Bruns Jr., W. J., McFarlan, F. W. (1987). Information technology puts power in control systems. Harvard Business Review, 65(5), 89-94. Chan, Y. E., Huff, S. L. (1993). Strategic information systems alignment. Business Quarterly, 58(1), 51-55. Clarke, R. (2005). The path of development of strategic information systems theory. Retrieved 24/04/2011, from http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/SOS/StratISTh.html Edwards, C., Ward, J., Bytheway, A. (1991). The essence of information systems. London: Prentice Hall. Retrieved from 24/06/2011 http://www.coda.ac.nz/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000context=unitec_scit_di Hartono, E., Lederer, A. L., Sethi, V., Zhuang, Y. (2003). Key predictors of the implementation of strategic information systems plans. ACM SIGMIS Database, 34(3), 41-53. Henderson, J.C. Venkatraman, N. (1993) Strategic alignment: Leveraging information technology for transforming organisations, IBM Systems Journal, Vol 32 No 1, pp 472-484. King, W.R. (1978) Strategic planning for management information systems, MIS Quarterly, Vol 2 No 1, pp 27-37 Kaplan, R.S. Norton, D.P. (1996) Translating strategy into action The Balanced scorecard, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA Kearns, G. S., Lederer, A. L. (2003). A resource-based view of strategic IT alignment: How knowledge sharing creates competitive advantage. Decision Sciences, 34(1), 1-29. Ledrer, Albert L., and Sethi, Vijay, The Implementation of Strategic Information Systems Planning Methodologies, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 3, September 1988, pp. 445-460. Luftman, J. N. (2003). Competing in the information age align in the sand (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Porter, M.E., Competitive Advantage, Free Press, 1984. Retrieved on 30/04/2011 http://viu.eng.rpi.edu/publications/strpaper.pdf Porter, M.E. and Millar, V.E., How Information Gives You Competitive Advantage, Harvard Business Review, July-August, 1985. Retrieved on 30/04/2011 http://viu.eng.rpi.edu/publications/strpaper.pdf Rackoff, N., Wiseman, C., Ullrich, W. A. (1985). Information systems for competitive advantage: implementation of a planning process. MIS Quartery, 9(4), 285-294. Reich, B. H., Benbasat, I. (1996). Measuring the linkage between business and information technology objectives. MIS Quarterly, 20(1), 55-81. Teo, T. S. H., Ang, J. S. K. (2001). An examination of major IS problems. International Journal of Information Management, 21(6), 457-470. Vitale, M., Ives, B. and Beath, C., Identifying Strategic Information Systems, Proc. 7th Intl Conf. Inf. Sys., San Diego, December 1986, pp. 265-276. Ward, J., Peppard, J. (2002). Strategic planning for information systems (3rd ed.). Chichester: John Wiley. Retrieved on 25/04/2011 http://www.coda.ac.nz/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000context=unitec_scit_di Ward, J., Griffiths, P. (1996). Strategic planning for information systems (2nd ed.). Chichester: John Wiley. Retrieved on 25/04/2011 http://www.coda.ac.nz/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000context=unitec_scit_di Website reference http://retailindustry.about.com/od/topusretailcompanies/p/dellincprofile.htm Retrieved on 30/04/2011 http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/826083/000095013405004423/d22995e10vk.htm . Retrieved on 01/05/2011 http://www.kppartners.com/documents/zerotime-dell_case_study.pdf Retrieved on 02/05/2011 http://inventors.about.com/od/licensingmarketing/a/advantages_mark.htm Retrieved on 02/05/2011 http://www.smallbusinessbible.org/advan_disadvan_informationtechnology.html Retrieved on 02/05/2011 http://www.kppartners.com/documents/zerotime-dell_case_study.pdf Retrieved on 02/05/2011 http://i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secure/en/Documents/FY10_Form10K_Final.pdf Retrieved on 04/05/2011 http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-30/sp800-30.pdf Retrieved on 04/05/2011 http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/msabet/c12_Turban_0471705225.pdf Retrieved on 04/05/2011 http://www.prenhall.com/behindthebook/0132304619/pdf/Laudon%20Feature%203.pdf Retrieved on 04/05/2011 http://e-learning.dmst.aueb.gr/mis/Cases/Dell/index.htm Retrieved on 04/05/2011

To Censor Science or Not to Censor Science :: Analysis, Donohue

The Censoring of science may seem like it is restricting scientist’s ability to share their knowledge with one another, but censorship is protecting the United States citizens. In the article, â€Å"Censoring Science Won’t Make Us Any Safer† the author Donohue (2011) said, â€Å"Citizens are entitled to know when their milk, their water, their bridges their hospitals lack security precautions† (p. 398). The author believed that United States citizens have a right to know when they are in danger. To refute this argument, would be to say that, if the government does not have some sort of regulation set up to inhibit the sharing of biological secrets, our nations security will still be at risk. Donahue believed that censoring science has put the United States at the same risk as not censoring. Donahue (2011) stated â€Å"the effort to suppress scientific information reflects a dangerously outdated attitude† (p. 396). Donahue supported this claim by explaining several cases in science where sharing information from microbiological studies have helped science move forward. One such study was done by scientists in Australia. The study was finding a disease that would kill rodents. The scientists found a disease similar to smallpox that was called mousepox. With the research that they discovered and published the researchers from St. Louis University found a defense against such a disease. Donahue (2011) declared â€Å"This result would undoubtedly not have been achieved, or at least not as quickly, without the attention drawn by the ASM article† (p. 397). Most scientists want to be able to share their data. Scientists are autonomous by nature. Begelman (1968) refuted an argument made by I. L. Horowitz, who was a scientist that believed that the government was in â€Å"gross violations of the autonomous nature of science† (p.70). Begelman believed conversely, that there is a system of checks and balances in the government regulation system, and that this system is in place to protect citizens. The autonomous nature of science is not being dispelled just because there are a few government regulations on publishing scientific information. National security should always be considered when publishing information that could potentially be used against the United States. Scientists need to be aware of this potential threat and practice self-censorship. In the journal, â€Å"A Tale of Two Studies†, Segelid (2007) said â€Å"We recognize that on occasion an editor may conclude that the potential harm of publication outweighs the potential societal benefits.

Enabling Technologies Essay

Technology is one form of human assets that has capacitated human civilization to develop by leaps and bounds since ages. For me, technology has made my life trouble-free and convenient. Due to technology I have to put little effort and I get greater inputs and results. Furthermore, with passage of time, I have established emotional attachment with some manifestation of technology, for example my automobile. So technology has not only facilitated my life but it has elevated my living standards. This paper will explore how technology helped my life and entertained me in one way or the other. It has enabled me to access more information worldwide and provided with various medium of enjoying my life. This paper will further look at how technology has contributed toward my self-development and how it helped me to socialize me in a proper way. Internet and socialization & accessibility My relationship to technology involves to its two basic functions. Accessibility is the foremost feature of technology that I use and have used frequently to solve my daily problems. I can access a wealth of information using variety of technologies e. g. Internet, television, cell phone, radio. But I use internet quite frequently to access information and spend my leisure time. Socialization is another aspect of internet technology that I use the most. With the emergence of internet technology, online friendship has thrived by leaps and bounds. Over the last decade more and more people are getting in touch via computer and Internet access. This phenomenon is known as cyber socialization. Internet is most convenient and easily accessible way to get in touch with others and to create relationships. My first memory to use this feature of internet goes back to 2001 when I used the chat rooms for the first time. I joined the chat rooms of various communities including my native community, my old class fellows, and communities on some of my favourites topics. I joined one chat on war against terrorism in 2003 and learnt a lot about the views of different groups on this war. It included viewpoints from Muslim countries on jahadists, talibans and American jingoists as well as the American viewpoints and feelings on the issue of 9/11. So I was able to look on both viewpoints instead of single-sided viewpoints as propagated by American media. Later on, I joined Facebook and Orkut in 2006 and created my own communities and chat rooms. This aspect of technology has not only helped me in socialization but also helped me to learn about the opinions of others. It further instilled in me the ability to respect others’ viewpoints, beliefs and opinions. This will further make possible for me to understand diversity in human thoughts and to learn from these thoughts and beliefs. Access to this information has permitted me to understand my role in creating a peaceful and peace-loving world. Internet socialization helped me in another way. I was very shy at the threshold of adulthood and was unable to discuss my sexual problems with anyone at home or school as I was only 12 years old. So I took the opportunity and posted my questions and issues about sexuality online and got satisfying answers. Most of the major servers (such as MSN and AOL) have sexuality forums in which individuals can go to discuss issues relating to sexuality. Most of the chat rooms were based on discussions about variety of sexual topics and people engaged in them are from different age groups. So I got my queries answered by experienced persons. So it was internet technology that helped me to get sexual maturity in a proper way and at the right time. So this manifestation of technology has meant a lot to me and I think it is one of the most beneficial contribution of technology toward my life. It has allowed me to understand my biological self and needs. It further enabled me how much one can help other through this medium of technology and I will continue helping other as others have helped me. Internet is a growing positive force in one’s educational lives as it provides easy and round-the-clock access to the education through various means. Back in 1999, my parents considered the education as the single most frequent and vital motivation to buy me a computer thus enabling me to use Internet. Although internet capacitates students to learn in a traditional way by attending online classes and tutorials and reading online books material and stuff but it taught me in an unconventional way i. e. to gain knowledge and information by using useful websites and discussion rooms. It also enhanced my general knowledge and created in me a high rationality level and awareness about various contemporary socio-cultural issues. The most important features of education through internet are its all-pervasiveness and all-time availability that enabled me to get education anywhere anytime. I used to search various topics online about current affairs and general knowledge and I used to surf from one web page to other page accumulating a wealth of information. I did not go to library to search pages and pages to locate some information related to some topics of my interests. I needed not to schedule my learning timings as online access was 24 hours round and I was able to get information depending on my mood and my convenience. Later on Wikipedia was introduced and now I am able to enhance my general knowledge by reading articles on various subjects on www. wikipedia. com. I used to read stories since my childhood and purchased story books for this purpose. But in 2002 I found and accessed some stories online. So there was no need to spend extra amount on story books and I used to enjoy these stories online. With the passage of time, I nurtured a taste for literature. I found a lot of literature online but to read more books online, I got paid access to Questia online library in 2005. This use of technology has helped me to et better grades in my academic life and to understand the world and life in general. It is also important as it takes little efforts and time to get more information. Another relationship between and internet technology was established when I was hankering after a job in 2005. Job-hunting is always a laborious task that requires too much effort and paper-work. But internet made this easier for me. Before the development of internet, well-established conventional recruitment methodologies were in common practice where newspapers ads and job fairs were the usual practices and norm of the organization involved in the hiring process. The conventional process of recruitment used to operate in specific geographical boundaries and was characterized by national and international boundaries. Another hallmark of this traditional hiring methodology was that jobs were advertised at a standard time. But with the advent of internet and the development of online recruitment process, these geographical and time restrictions were removed. Online jobs advertisement and information is available to everyone everywhere and anytime. Accessibility of jobs are no problem and one can download a job at 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and it is reachable by any individual from next door to people sitting in other continents. So I used this e-recruitment option to get a job in 2005. Facilitating Life through Technology Technology has facilitated the life to a great extent. It has made my life easier by providing a lot of facilitations. The foremost of technologies that has affected my life is electricity. Since the age of three, I had a dependence on electricity as I used to charge batteries of my toys using electricity. When I grew younger, I learnt that most of the things that I use in life are dependent on electricity. Electricity used to provide me with sufficient heating in extreme colds when everything outside used to freeze. Without it cool breezes in summer were not possible. In my childhood and adolescence, most of the things related to my entertainment were dependant on electricity. TV, DVD player, computers, play-stations, music systems, digital cameras, video cameras, lights, refrigerators etc. were all activated when plugged into an electricity source. My automobile is another manifestation of technology. I learnt to drive auto at the age of 14 and since then, my automobile is one of my best companions. I have a very personalized relationship with it. Whenever I needed to roam around, to meet my friends mile away, to visit a relative, my automobiles was willing to satisfy my wishes. Beside these wants and wishes, there were genuine needs and requirements. For example, in 2005 it happened that I lost some of my medicines somewhere in the house at night, so I needed to visit a chemist late at night to get some medicines. The nearest chemist was about 10 miles away. If there would have been not automobile, it would have taken me 2 hours on foot to reach the chemist in that cold shivering night. This was horrifying. But my automobile was there and I reached to chemist in 10 minutes and got the required medicines. So for me, automobiles and other means of transport are not accessories or luxuries but they are genuine necessities as it have enabled me to save my life. I am interested in the development of more quick and swift transport like jets and bullet trains as it will reduce the wastage of time traveling from one place to another. I have a very deep relationship with my computer. When I first purchased a Pentium computer in 1999, its essential purpose was entertainment i. e. to play games, to watch videos. I also used it to perform it certain other simple tasks like communication using my e-mails using Hotmail and Yahoo and perform simple calculations. With the passage of time my interest grew up. It became an everyday necessity in my life. As mentioned earlier, I used internet and got various educational and social benefits. I used to create my school reports on it using Microsoft Word. In 2003, I helped my mother by creating an inventory of household items on Microsoft Excel. Through everyone in house was able to locate particulars things that were placed at particular places. I further helped my mother to manage budgets and have a record keeping of daily utilities on Excel sheet. In 2004, I bought a Sony Cyber-shot digital camera and stored albums of my friends and family on computers. I shared these with rest of friends by sending through e-mails. This was cost effective as well as convenient. So computer not only facilitated my life but it also helped me to facilitate my family members. Entertaining Life through Technology Beside physical needs, humans have aesthetics needs too. To fulfill aesthetics needs entrainments in necessary. Technology has also revolutionized the field of entertainment. I too enjoy watching TV and going to cinema houses whenever I have time. My first encounter with TV goes back to childhood days when I watched cartoons at the age of 3. Later on I switched over to movie channels and latest shifts were news channels like BBC World and CNN in 2007 that enabled me to keep an eye on the changing world affairs. I also enjoy listening music in MTV and Channel V but I prefer to enjoy a full-fledge multimedia system for music. Going cinemas is another encounter with technology. The big screen with great sound system produces an atmosphere of grandness and movies like Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park provide real entertainment in this atmosphere. At the age of 12, I went to cinemas with my parents for the first time. From that time till now, it becomes a habit of mine to go for movie with my friends occasionally. Sony play-stations and Nintendo game portals are other sources of technological entrainment that I often use. Though my relationship with game is old but I still enjoy playing adults games on Nintendo. Combating in tough real life scenario in games not only entertains one but it also educate one how to coup with the difficulties of life and how to remove hurdles. I recalled several images from games and made comparisons whenever I went through some real life challenges. Conclusion Although I have encircles only three main features of technology that covers various technologies but it must be kept in mind that we use one aspect or manifestation of technology every minute. And with everyday there comes a new technology and another becomes obsolete. So world of technology is dynamic where one needs to adopt the emerging and changing technologies. We also not forget that like every product, technology too has its bad effects. We should look into its positive effects and should work together with developers and scientists to minimize its negative effects.

The Role of Sports in Popular Culture

The Role of Sports in Popular Culture In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed Title XI of the Education Amendments (1972). This law simple states, â€Å"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation, in be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. † (United States Department of Justice, Section 1681, 2013).In this assignment, Team B will address the issues of gender equality in sports. First, we will provide a brief history and its current state. Next, we will construct an argument about the influence the issue has on sports, its fans, athletes, and imagined communities. Following this, the team will make recommendations about how to consume and participate in sports responsibly, whether watching or playing. Gender Equality in Sports Gender equality in sports has a long and bittersweet history.This history is riddled with discrimination an d division of female athletes from elementary schools, high schools, collegiate, and the professional level. Nevertheless, there have been major accomplishments by female athletes. For example, in 1932 an American, Helene Madison was the first woman in the Olympics to swim 100 yards under a minute. In 1958, the Italian, Maria-Teresa became the first woman to compete in the European Grand Prix.A Moroccan woman named Nawal El Moutawakel became the first woman to win an Olympic medal in the 400-meter hurdles in the 1984 Olympics. Finally, Tegla Loroupe was the first Kenyan to win a marathon in 1994. Today, gender equality in sports has more to do with equal pay, media coverage, and promoting a female athlete as a part time model. The discrimination still exists because it denies the female athlete’s ability, talent, and skills and focuses on them as a sexy object.Case in point, Danica Patrick the first woman to win an IndyCar Series is often depicted as a swimsuit model rather t han a professional racecar driver. Nevertheless, the history of woman in sports will continue to thrived and achieve major accomplishments. Reference Title XI of the Education Amendments of 1972. (2013). Title XI of the Education Amendments of 1972. Retrieved from http://www. justice. gov/crt/about/cor/coord/ixlegal. php#I. Overview of Title IX: Interplay with Title VI, Section 504, Title VII, and the Fourteenth Amendment