Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Significance Of A Good Risk Management Program - 1510 Words

What events in medieval England brought about the creation and use of private night watches and patrols? Urbanization of the population created hardships for the normal everyday citizen in Medieval England. Crime and poverty was common throughout most communities. There were no public law enforcement agencies that could reduce or alleviate the causes of the problem. As time passed, the merchants themselves created the merchant police to guard shops and warehouses. The night watchmen primary purpose were to protect the citizens from thieves (Mebane, M., 2015, CJ233, Class Lectures). Secondly, they were employed to periodically patrol the areas by making security checks to ensure theft of property were kept to a minimum. During this same period of time in largely rural areas, the king and local land barons implemented programs to ensure that vegetation such as trees, shrubs and plant were cleared from the roads to protect the law-abiding citizen against robbers (Fischer R, 2013, P.4-6) . What are the steps involved in a good risk management program? There are four basic steps involved in the creation of a good risk management program. The first step is the identification of risk through the analysis of threats and vulnerabilities. This action is where a set of guidelines are created through a step–by–step process, that will have to be taken into account and document in writing to ensure that all possible risks have been taken into account in the security planning phase in theShow MoreRelatedIt was said that:Good risk management requires good ethics; and good ethics require good risk900 Words   |  4 PagesIt was said that:Good risk management requires good ethics; and good ethics require good risk management. Do you know the reason that good risk management and good ethics should work together? The report will begin with the definitions of these two fields. Firstly, Risk management is a process to make decisions which plan to minimize the business losses on an organization, and reduce the number or size of these losses. For ethics, it seems like a standard aiming to comply with certain rules orRead MoreQuestions On Risk Management Culture Essay820 Words   |  4 Pagesis good for both risk management culture and risk control while moderate for emerging risks management, which means that the researcher can trust the questionnaire in exploring enterprise risk management practices. Table 2: Reliability statistics ERM Components Cronbach Alpha N of items Risk Management Culture 0.782 15 Risk Control 0.747 6 Emerging Risks Management 0.646 3 4-2 Current enterprise risk management practices in the Lebanese insurance sector The questions aim to understand risk managementRead MoreEffectiveness Of Risk Management And Business Development Within Organizations1222 Words   |  5 Pagesuncertainties and risks that any organization should pay more attention to risk management. According to an effective governance, organizations can take opportunities successfully, and a good risk management can be the fundamental security for effective governance. (reference1) This essay answers the question â€Å"how can risk management contribute to effective governance within organizations† and classifies the explains in three parts. Firstly, the system construction of risk management is the benefitRead MoreHuman Resources Management : Human Resource Management835 Words   |  4 PagesHuman Resource Management â€Å"They humanize the brand and help workforce communities thrive† (Who). A human resource management position may be the job for you. Every business and enterprise has a human resource manager, including Starbucks, Disney and even Apple. This job includes planning and coordination, organization, consulting employees and to oversee the work and employees. All the schooling and stress that comes along with this occupation pays off in the end with an enjoyable job. HumanRead MoreCase Study : A Nut- Shell Essay1113 Words   |  5 Pagesinsurance company decided to update all their processes and systems. This project effect all the departments within the company.So a management team with hired consultants and some members of insurance company was formed.Moreover there was no project manager for this case study.After completion of one year there was no single project built and checked so senior management recognized that anything was not going as they expected so lots of issues were discovered.Management failed to solve many of the problemsRead MoreInformation Governance And Its Impact On The Business Process Essay1529 Words   |  7 Pagesto all information in an organization from its inception, creation to its final disposition. It has evolved a long way within a short time, from a mere record keeping to setting up broader frame work governance with, dedicated wings headed by top management. As information is becoming a valuable asset and the impact of it being significant, the organizations are optimizing methods to make the best use of it. Body Information Governance definition overview Gartner defines IG as theRead MoreBusiness Risk vs Audit Risk1109 Words   |  5 PagesBusiness Risk vs. Audit Risk By Gabriel Agboola The following article first appeared online in the IT Compliance Institute Ask The Auditor column. Used with Permission. What’s the difference between business risk and audit risk? Business risk relates mainly to an organization’s goals and objectives. It is essentially the potential cost incurred if the business does not achieve its strategic plans. The assessment and management of business risk has evolved into formalized enterprise risk managementRead MorePerformance of the Nursing Department in a Healthcare Institute941 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction In any healthcare institute arrangements related to patient hygiene, medication management and other associated problems such as risk of falls are some common problems that need to be addressed and streamlined in an effective manner. The performance of the nursing department of any healthcare institute can easily be assessed through these components and whether they are being followed in a proper manner or not. For this the healthcare institute that has been chosen for this purposeRead MoreResearch Study On Astrid Young1064 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction This case study discusses Astrid Young, a 27 year old who was a graduate at Western State University. Young had graduated with a B.S. degree in Management Information Systems. And got a job as the Information Services Director at the Western Oceanography Institute. Young used her past experience on the NT conversion project to convince the directors during the interview that she was the right person for the job. After getting the job, she successfully convinces the directors to approveRead MoreEffect Of Food Safety Management Essay1675 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Food safety has arising international concern, not only for its continuing significance to public health, but also because of its impact on international trade (Burros, 1997). Motarjemi and Mortimore (2005) affirmed that ensuring food safety in now day s complicated world is a difficult task and is possible only with a essential effort of all sectors implying government, consumer organizations and industry (Motarjemi, 2000). Which the sharing of food sector experts developed

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Gun Control Informative Essay - 1424 Words

Informative essay The United States is in a controversy of whether or not the Second Amendment is protecting our country or killing it. The United States owns approximately 250 million guns, nearly one for each citizen, and grows about 7 million each year. Experts believe that the Second Amendment in the Constitution is rational and legal, author of, Handgun Prohibition and the Original Meaning of the Second Amendment Don B. Kates states that the â€Å"Second Amendment protects an individuals right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that weapon for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home; however, they do not say that you can go around shooting people and claiming that you are†¦show more content†¦This method would be able to determine if the person has had any felonies, other major convictions, or any previous or current gang affiliation. Neither of the processes is cheap but it could help with the countries finance for how m any guns in the US are purchased each year. According to Fawn Johnson, author of â€Å"Gun-Buyer Background Checks Both Effective and Politically Achievable† states that â€Å"Background checks are easy when it comes to criminals. Ninety-five percent of the public and 74 percent of National Rifle Association members support a system that checks gun buyers against a list of felons.† Another article called †Will He Fight or Compromise† by author Farred Zakaria gives even more supportive information that goes with Johnson stating that â€Å"large majorities favor some commonsense controls: 85% of Americans support universal background checks; 80% support preventing those with mental illnesses from buying guns; 58% and 55%, respectively, would ban semiautomatic and assault-style weapons.† These collective pieces of research define what the majority of the people want, and what they find as proper measures. The next likely source of another method would be from the government’s decision which depending on which side you are on is either rational or irrational. Obviously if you are politically on the Republican side, then you would want measures thatShow MoreRelatedAn Informative Essay on Gun Control1289 Words   |  5 Pages Due date Informative Essay on Gun Control Introduction The right to possess guns is a fundamental element to American identity. The right to own and operate guns under certain circumstances is in fact guaranteed as part of the United States Constitution. Over the course of American history and particularly in the 21st century, there exists a great debate over the possession of guns of private citizens. Both sides of the debate argue with fervor. There are those that argue fervently forRead MoreGun Control859 Words   |  4 PagesScholarly Essay: Gun Control There has been considerable debate recently in Canada over the issue of gun control. The Canadian parliament enacted the Firearms Act to enforce gun control by requiring gun owners to register their firearms. Just recently, the government of Alberta lead in a charge, including five other provinces and numerous pro-gun groups, complaining that the law is unconst... Gun Control Gun control Gun Control Part I:Introduction The issue of gun control and violenceRead MoreThe Drawbacks of Gun Control Legislation773 Words   |  3 Pages Gun control is many issues of this nation summed up into two words. In the point of view of some people gun control is a crime issue, while to others it is a rights issue. Gun control also is a safety issue and believe it or not, an education issue. Within each of these problems, there are those who want gun control legislation, and those like myself, who want less gun control legislation. The second amendment states that we as citizens have the right to bear arms and protectRead MoreJust Take Away Their Guns819 Words   |  4 PagesTheir Guns,† Wilson sufficiently reasons how the elimination of illegal guns on the streets should be the central focus in determining the limits regarding American gun control regulations which are frequently debated in our modern world. While Wilson makes an effective argument, at times, he racially profiles which is a definite form of deceptive reasoning; in addition, many of Wilson’s arguments lack the elaboration he needs to avoid making hasty assertions. Wilson argues in his essay that notRead MoreThe Bombing Of Pearl Harbor1680 Words   |  7 Pagesatomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. The war transformed America as well as the rest of the world. Great Britain and France witnessed the fall of their overseas empires. The Soviet Union gained control of nations that had been traditionally hostile to it. They also used the liberation of Central Europe from the Nazis to create a new security zone. The United States, who entered both wars late, became the most powerful and wealthy nation on earthRead MoreAnalysis Of `` On Political Labels `` By Christopher Borick And Four Words That Will Decide The Election Essay1405 Words   |  6 Pagespolitics. Borick’s essay is a more historical and informative of the origins of political language and key words, while Green’s essay is a game plan for the Democrats to defeat the Republicans by using their own rhetoric against them. David Green makes great points in his essay, but because of his left wing bias and his overall view of Republicans being almost idiots discredit his essay. This is because of the multip le schools of thought that aren’t taken into account for in his essay. Borick’s historicalRead MoreWriting Process Over The Past Years Essay1074 Words   |  5 Pagesacademics and career with as prepared as I am today. I have used many useful websites to help me get through these essays and writing papers. I have used college based websites, including BGSU,and new’s pages including WTOL and 13 ABC. I also have used a very helpful website named citation machine. This website helps me make sure websites are credible.These have helped me get useful and informative information that I can rely on being truthful.I now believe i have a great set of researching skills that willRead MoreShould Police Officers Who Lie Be Terminated As A Matter Of Public Policy?1597 Words   |  7 Pagessome policies put in place to address untruthful officers. Unfaithful Officers are a subject that has been in the news for many years and will continue to be. Being labeled as an untruthful officers is not a brand an officers would like to wear. The essay will discuss how important trust is when working in Law Enforcement, Termination or not of officers who are caught lying. Keywords: Lying, Officers, Should Police Officer who Lie be terminated as a matter of public policy. What is PublicRead MoreThe Issue Of The Death Penalty1795 Words   |  8 Pagesbe answered through this informative and perspectivally essay addressing the issue of the Death Penalty, explaining why it should be abolished and wiped off the face of this earth, never to be conceived of again. I believe that it should be exterminated for many reasons, mainly because it violates human rights, it does not deter crime, and it’s running the risk of executing innocent people. This essay entails many topics and subtopics throughout it’s exquisite informative structure. To kick thingsRead MoreEssay about The Negative Impact of Media Censorship1905 Words   |  8 Pagesentirely. The historical uses of censorship are less clear-cut. While governments have very obvious and reasonable uses for censorship, such as censoring war plans and other secrets, some have twisted censorship into another form of the dictatorial control they have. A prime example would be Stalin’s censoring of photos to â€Å"erase† people or to show him in a better light (The Commissar Vanishes.). Based on the cold and secretive history of censorship of media in general, it should be clear that the

Monday, December 9, 2019

Professional Snag In Information Technology

Question: Make a Report on Current Challenges Facing the ICT Professional. Answer: Introduction Cloud computing earlier appeared in 1996, it was earlier mentioned by the Compaq internal document. The term was traced in 2006 when Elastic Compute Cloud. It was introduced by Amazon. Massive computing energy is needed to grow business and competitive advantage [Orban and Lui, 2008]. Earlier an organization used to load their data is to use their computing power for their data centers. But, using their own data center for processing of the data is costly and it is also very complicated. The cloud computing was a substitute for this. It is the term that is used for a computing service, which is based on internet. It was launched by big organizations like Amazon and Google, etc. in 2006. It serves a computing service whenever you need it, it is also of low maintenance and also it can be implemented quickly. It uses less staff of IT, which helps in cost reduction. These were the promises made by the cloud computing few years ago. It was assumed and calculated by the IDC that cloud spen ding will hike from 16 billion USD (2008) to 42 billion USD (2012) [Leavitt, 2009]. It is in the top ten issues for CIOs recognized by the commentators like the VP [Preston, 2011]. The increase in the growth of the same is making it a great topic for research. We make a current view of the research, some suggested that we should give more efforts to focus on the future to do consumer research [Robey, 1998]. Literature Review What are the origins and definations of topic? In this section, cloud computing is introduced, and it is differentiated with technologies like grid computing. Cloud computing, it is stated as 5th utility, with electricity, telephone, gas and water. This service is available in society [Buvya, Venugopal, 2009]. This is not a new vision. In 1961 John McCarthy predicted that in future cloud computing will be publicly utilized. [Wheeler and Waggener, 2009]. It is a way of computing, it has capabilities that are related to IT are massively scalable. This service is provided over the internet to multiple users. Gartner [Smith, Bittman, Scott, et al., 2009]. Cloud computing is a collection of conceptual, highly scalable and controlled infrastructure which is capable of hosting end user application and billed according to its consumption. Forrester [Staten, 2008]Cloud computing is in demand technology which has unlimited resources, the elimination of up-front commitments by cloud users.. It is a short term basis service in which user has to pay only for resources which are being used. [Armbrust, Griffith, Joseph, Konwinski, et al., 2009]. Cloud computing has cyber infrastructure, it is virtual distributed computing, utility computing, grid computing, software service and web service. [Vouk, 2008]. Its a category of distributed as well as parallel system having a collection of virtualized computers that are connected with each other. These a re dynamically provisioned. These are represented as a single or multiple computing resources. Agreements are based on service level. These agreements are based on the debate or talks between cloud service provider and users [Buyya, 2009]. What are the major issues and debates about the cloud computing? Marc Benioff, said that on-going technologies have many years of investment of billions of dollars on their side and that the cloud computing is risky, unproven and light weight Stephen Elop, convinced that the cloud computing can be future technology, also states that The convenience of increase in productivity, improved efficiency and cost savings, with the power to support and authorize a broader range of users via the cloud are clear. The issues are also related to cloud service providers: Some cases where the cloud service provider is involved, where should be these cases adjudicated and how favorable is that in the interest of cloud service provider. The main point is the cost of this business, and the question is that how much money for taxes and regulations like environmental etc. is needed. One more issue is that whether work force is enough and whether business climate is good or not. Cloud service providers give full access to save any kind of data, user can save any malicious and infected files. The question raised was that there should be monitoring and maintenance of this kind of data.[packetStromSecurity.net, 2013] There is a risk of loss of data on cloud computing, due to any financial problems or there can be any system failure. If there are no backup or any copy of the data maintained, so loss of data can occur [packetStromSecurity.net, 2013]. What are the political standpoints on cloud computing? The factors that affect the location of data centers of cloud computing resolve the jurisdictional issues. The policies of the same can have an impact on cloud user as well as the provider. With these governments can suffocate as well as promote the development of this computing system. There are same policy problems with cloud computing, which could be a problem for the user as well as the provider of cloud computing (Jaeger, 2008). Users want to access their data on cloud whenever and wherever they want, without any obstacle from providers Users expect that it should be reliable to use the service from their cloud provider (Jaeger, 2008) Users want that cloud provider should be able to stop the unauthorized access of their information (Jaeger, 2009) Users want that cloud service provider and government and all the third parties would not keep check on their activities, but for quality control purpose they can monitor only when it is for. (Armbrust, 2009). Users want in case of any problem a crystal clear definition of a liability. How the knowledge in cloud computing is structured and organized? Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) [Ronnie Bushnell, 2013]: It assists user to provide unlimited computing resources. The customer doesnt have access of cloud infrastructure. The customer of the cloud service can access OS and customer can access storage. Platform as a Service (PaaS) [Ronnie Bushnell, 2013: The user can deploy applications, both user-created and off the shelf applications. It has control over the applications and not on the infrastructure, servers, operating systems and other storage components. Software as a Service (SaaS) [Ronnie Bushnell, 2013: The consumer can use of the applications created by the provider in the cloud infrastructure. The customer cannot control the cloud infrastructure, the customer can make changes to the settings of the applications. What are the main questions and problem that have been addressed to date? It is useless without the Internet. Without internet, data is useless. In these days, the Internet is accessible everywhere, but when it disappears, it cuts us off from the information on a cloud computing service. If internet access goes off, a person won't be able to login and check or read his/her files. An unreliable connection can disappoint and can also leave us in a situation where files or data is urgently required and we are unable to read them. (V3 Staff, 2014) Another question raised was that it a business data could go into the danger zone. As this information is available wherever we want and whenever we want, the only thing we need is a password or authentication, so this information can be used by any person who knows the password. So this information is accessible to a person who can misuse it and knows the passwords. It can also be used to blackmail any firm or any organization. This can also be used to access bank related information or sensitive data that is not meant to be seen by unauthorized persons. So in this case this information is in the risk zone if accessed by unauthorized persons. (V3 Staff, 2014) It was also a problem that whether the data on the server side is secured or not. There can be external threats on the server side that can access and it can also modify data. The data of used on the server side can be accessed and used for bad purposes. It can also cause a great financial loss to the user. So, there should be good security on the server side to protect the data from external unauthorized user. Conclusion Cloud computing service is very beneficial for business purposes and also we can share information across the globe. It also reduces cost for users and providers. Whenever we can access the internet we can access the data and information with the help of cloud computing on the other hand without connection we cannot access it. There is also the risk of unauthorized access or theft of data. But it gives quicker access to data. No more data are needed to be stored on a device, which reduces the cost on user side. It is available on each internet access device, which makes it easier for user to use it anywhere and on any device. Cloud computing is obviously not risk free, but it is manageable. If some facts are considered such as not sharing any personal information that can help an unauthorized person to access the data, and also considering the fact that internet access is available all the, so that data can be accessed whenever it is needed. So, we can conclude that cloud computing is a very efficient technology and can be very useful for business or personal use in the future. References Armbrust, M., Stoica, I., Zaharia, M., Fox, A., Griffith, R., Joseph, A., Katz, R., Konwinski, A., Lee, G., Patterson, D. and Rabkin, A. (2010). A view of cloud computing.Commun. ACM, 53(4), p.50. Bushnell, R. (2013).The Alphabet Soup of Technology and Outsourcing: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, BPaaS. Buyya, R., Yeo, C., Venugopal, S., Broberg, J. and Brandic, I. (2009). Cloud computing and emerging IT platforms: Vision, hype, and reality for delivering computing as the 5th utility.Future Generation Computer Systems, 25(6), pp.599-616. Cervone, H. (2010). An overview of virtual and cloud computing.OCLC Systems Services: International digital library perspectives, 26(3), pp.162-165. Cloud Computingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Issues,Research and Implementations,. (2008).Computing and Information Technology, pp.235246. Jaeger, T. and Schiffman, J. (2010). Outlook: Cloudy with a Chance of Security Challenges and Improvements.IEEE Security Privacy Magazine, 8(1), pp.77-80. Leavitt, N. (2009). Is Cloud Computing Really Ready for Prime Time?.Computer, 42(1), pp.15-20. Problems on cloud computing?. (2013). Robey, D. and Markus, M. (1998). Beyond Rigor and Relevance.Information Resources Management Journal, 11(1), pp.7-16. Top 10 CIO Priorities. (2011).

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Persian Society in Movies

Introduction Persian movies have helped reflect the situation in Iran. The political climate has played a central role in the movies. During the old days, freedom was curtailed in Iraq with several movies banned or censored. This is not strange in the Islamic countries where cultural fundamentalism is entrenched in the society. Moreover, western ideologies are subject to criticism.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Persian Society in Movies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Through religious bodies, movies were opposed as they revealed the nature of the political, social, and economic situation in Iran. Successive regimes have been suppressing human rights in the name of national security and the Sharia law. The influence of the regimes and the religious bodies exists today as famous movies have failed to depict the real situation in the country. Directors, opposing the standards set by the regimes, have been j ailed, or their movies censored. This paper will explain how Persian movies reflect the issues in the society. Discussion The Persian culture has been depicted in many movies. Most of these movies have enjoyed success despite the censorship that exists in the country. Films that succeed in the western countries and globally, lack a true reflection of the real political, social, and economic situation in Iran. In white balloon, the people of Iran are shown to face trouble like individuals in other countries. Moreover, these people have families and troubles similar to other countries. From the movie, the culture of Persia has philosophic and poetic sophistication. White balloon possesses a concrete, up-close, and complex view of the hardships faced by the Iranian minorities. Recent movies also reveal the impact of American occupation of Iraq. The Kurds freeing Iraq enter Iran voice vehement feelings concerning Saddam Hussein, the infamous dictator. Generally, most of the Iranian movi es depict a struggling society. Iran struggles to reconcile political choices with cultural traditions, thorny realities, and vaunted ideals. The movies are vital with this regard as they give a nuanced and rich view of challenges prevalent in Iran (Alizadeh, 2005). How the Society Was Treated In Old Days Prior to 1950’s, entertainment in the Persian society was limited to musicals and melodramas. Although the society enjoyed a commercial industry with a film festival because of releasing a high number of movies annually, the movies were devoid of social critique. Movies with negative connotations were banned or censored. In the 1960’s change permeated in the Persian society and the entertainment industry.Advertising Looking for term paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The cow is among the movies that brought modernist literature to the fore. The traveler depicted the cultural consciousness o f Persians. Nonetheless, the political landscape of this country changed with anti-Shah protesters supporting Ayatollah Khomeini, opposing themes in the movies. Traditionalists accused movies of being agents of cultural imperialism by the west. Subsequently, a cinema hall was set ablaze by the militants leading to the demise of 400 people (Cardullo, 2004). The Iranian revolution in late 1970’s changed the political climate, and this was reflected in the movies. Fundamentalism was entrenched in this society and the entertainment industry focused on cultural dominance. Authorities were wary of the development because cultural fundamentalism was a platform for anti-western sentiments. The Persian society of the aforementioned era was opposed to western ideologies. Religious conservatism demanded that the media was supposed to focus on the real issues affecting the society not western culture swamped with moral ills. Censorship for social dissent and political criticism reveals t hat Iranian citizens were oppressed by the regime. Iranian leaders adopted the Sharia law that curtailed certain rights and freedoms. The movies directed in this era could only focus on the positive issues of the society or risk censorship (Cardullo, 2004). Modern Movies Persian movies have been used to reveal the real life situation in Iran in various eras. The most important periods focused in the movies are the revolution era and the post revolution era. The lives of people in Iran are scrutinized in the movies. Similar to other Islamic countries in various parts of the world, the country is under the leadership of successive regimes. This leadership if characterized by control of the media. These regimes determine how individuals carry out their activities. Although freedom is not denied in the country, there are laws that limit human rights. The current political system in Iran is based on 1979 constitution that caters for equal economic opportunities for citizens (Moruzzi, 200 1). The Separation is a 2011 movie depicting the contemporary social situation in Iran. As opposed to the cultural fundamentalism depicted in the old movies, the separation illuminates a modern Iranian society that has embraced modernity. Divorce is no longer a major issue as shown in the movies. Razieh is a young woman who decides to apply for a banking job without consulting her husband. Such a move may have been opposed vehemently in the traditional Persian society whereby women had no priorities and had to comply with the decisions made by their husbands.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Persian Society in Movies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This movie shows the gains achieved by women in Islamic countries. From the movies, Iran is depicted as a country with powerful and influential religious institutions. These institutions determine the law and entrench traditions, which may not be in line with the requirements of human rights. Mosques are frequented as worship centers and played an instrumental role in the revolution that occurred in Iran (Moruzzi, 2001). Before the revolution elucidated in the contemporary movies, Iran was entirely preservative of its traditions. These traditions were followed and respected by all individuals. Similar to a number of Islamic countries, Iran had regarded some behaviors taboos. Religion, power, and sexuality were sources of emotive debates. Religious and political leaders ensured that individuals committing crimes in connection with the aforementioned institutions were heavily punished. The forms of punishments meted on these individuals ranged from execution, imprisonment, to ex-communication. Religious matters remain sacred and not subjects of debate in social domains (Moruzzi, 2001). The effects of Islamic Leadership on the Persian society The Shia regime in Iraq had a brutal, extravagant, and oppressive legacy. This legacy is synonymous wi th ravaging economic challenges witnessed in the early 1990’s. The oppressive regime has been elucidated in movies. Because of the oppression, demonstrations were staged in 1971 to protest about the economy’s worsening conditions. Queer economic policies and mismanagement of resources in Iran led to increase in inflation. The oil boom did not benefit the nationals because foreigners assumed control of oil reservoirs (Pak-Shiraz, 2011). On one hand, the rich are the political elites and the families of the leaders, who lead extravagant lives oblivious of the ramifications on the economy and the lives of the other citizens. On the other hand, a large proportion of the population wallows in poverty. According to Pak-Shiraz, (2011), about a million individuals in this country live in extreme poverty in total contrast to the political elite. The riches accumulated by the leader during the time of the revolution were sources of discontent among the Iranian populace. These se ntiments could not be revealed in the movies because the regime was against movies that depicted leaders in a negative way. The political situation in Iran worsened as factions emerged to ameliorate the economic conditions. These factions were met with strong resistance by the regime with leaders becoming victims of political assassinations. Even in modern Iran, mass unrests are dealt with ruthlessly. The genesis of the revolution emanated from the death of leaders such as Mostafa. This activist was killed in 1977 after which demonstrations erupted.Advertising Looking for term paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More After the revolution, Khomeini became the supreme leader. The Shah regime fled the country after recognizing the failure of their policies. Despite measures to quell the demonstrations, people continued to demonstrate without fear. Khomeini started with constitutional amendments to remove outdated laws. The leader ensured that a new constitution was available by the end of the year. In the new constitution, there were policies meant to improve the economy (Pak-Shiraz, 2011). Although most of Iranians oppose westernization, the revolution era depicted the sentiments in an unprecedented scale. Iranian authorities assumed control of the American embassy and chased all employees. Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi dictator took advantage of a weak Iran state and extended the country’s borders. Iran became insecure and western nations withdrew their cooperation. The western nations may have helped the country defend its boundaries. The war between Iran and Iraq led to the demise of a million Iranians. Islam was transformed into a strong political movement. Similarly, in the contemporary world, Islam has been politicized (Cardullo, 2004). Following the revolution, the judicial and social systems in Iran underwent changes. Women were discriminated in the previous regimes but the revolution enabled them to be at the forefront of politics in Iran. Family rights were also guaranteed under the legislation. Other rights not observed in the previous regimes were property ownership, girl education, the right to receive a fair remuneration in the workplace, and payment during the maternity leave. The women who had been denied their rights under the excuse of the Sharia law embraced the aforementioned achievement. In the previous years, women were not supposed to complain and husbands were authorized to punish them (Cardullo, 2012). There are concerns that the laws formulated to cater for the rights of women in Iran have not been implemented. The fundamentalism in this s ociety has affected the progress of women emancipation. Cardullo (2012) reveals that there is no improvement on the issue of women rights because women are still subjects of discrimination and abuse. Moreover, the contribution of the women is much lower than the contribution of their male counterparts. Insecurity in Iran compels women to shy away from public places because of potential attacks by assailants. Nevertheless, Iranian women benefit from the income of the husband. This safeguards their economic position if they are divorced. This property is not given to the wife if still married but only after the divorce, process has been completed. Several movies have been directed to illuminate the predicament of the Iranian woman. The previous films depicted women as inferior beings but the contemporary film industry in Iran is trying to reverse the situation. Changes in the Iranian society have led to the emergence of female movie directors. Rackshan Bani-Etemad is a revered actor, screenwriter, and film director. Bani-Etemed started acting at 17 years. The Apple was her first film. This film depicted the plight of the woman and her position in the modern Iranian society. The marriage system in the country has not changed and women are at a disadvantage on matters concerning divorce. The divorced woman cannot be remarried. Furthermore, a woman cannot have a sexual partner apart from the husband. Extramarital sexual affairs are stable grounds for divorce. In contrast, men are allowed by the law to have as many partners as possible. This cannot form a stable ground for divorce. The women’s duty is to gratify the needs of their husbands and bear children. The inability to meet the aforementioned needs forms a solid ground for a divorce to take place. The Iranian society has a controversial form of marriage known as the sighel. This is a short marriage and a contract between the man and the woman. The woman stays with the man for sexual gratification and he r family gets financial support in return. In this arrangement, the woman gets economic benefits and is not looked down on for agreeing to the arrangement. Moreover, this form of marriage enables women to avoid a permanent marriage, which has laws and bounds similar to a prison (Cardullo, 2012). The film industry in Iran over relies on foreign directors. This feat has been a source of criticism from the viewers in Iraq and abroad. These viewers have attacked the films for being apolitical and failing to make explicit criticism of the regime in Iran and its abuse of human rights. The White Balloon has received the tag of being sentimental and failing to articulate the social situation in the country. However, Cardullo (2012) reveals that movies cannot always take a political stand. This movie succeeds in bringing to light the plight of cultural minorities in Iran. The director fails to use political connotations because censorship is still rife in Iran. Through domestic regulations, directors cannot focus on the political causes of issues afflicting the Iranian society. A number of directors have been arrested for reflecting the Iranian society in a negative way (Cardullo, 2012). Conclusion To conclude, the various facets of the Persian society have been scrutinized through movies. Nevertheless, politics and religion play a huge role in determining the themes in these movies. From the old days, cultural fundamentalism was entrenched in this society, which vehemently opposed the western ideologies. Because of resentment from the militants, movie houses were burned and several movies censored. In Iran, the leaders oppose any criticism through brutal crackdown. During the demonstrations that occurred in the revolution era, several people were killed by the regime. The influence of politics and religion in the media is illuminated by the lack of political and religious themes. Directors of movies with political and religious themes have been jailed. This is because the political leaders know that negative depiction of the leaders in the movies can cause protests and demonstrations. References Alizadeh, H. (2005). A Persian Odyssey on Your Small Screen. Fellowship, 71(1), 15-15. Cardullo, B. (2004). In Search of Cinema:Writings on International Film Art. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s Press. Cardullo, B. (2012). World Directors and Their Films:Essays on African, Asian, Latin American, and Middle Eastern Cinema. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. Moruzzi, N. C. (2001). Women in Iran: Notes on film and from the field. Feminist Studies, 27(1), 189-100. Pak-Shiraz, N. (2011). Shi’i Islam in Iranian Cinema:Religion and Spirituality in Film. New York: I.B.Tauris. This term paper on Persian Society in Movies was written and submitted by user Temperance L. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Essay on Poverty

Essay on Poverty Essay on Poverty Essay on Poverty Introduction Introduction covers all the dignity of good essay topics, the elements of novelty, the relevance of the chosen topic, the goals and contents of the set tasks. The work is recommended to start with writing the main body and make the best option of it, and only then move on to the introduction and conclusion. So, after reviewing all available scientific literature on the topic, start writing the body. Then, when the main body of essay on poverty will be completed you can turn to writing introduction and conclusion as at that moment you will have the whole idea of the topic. So, it will be easier for you to grasp readers attention in introduction and to make effective conclusion at the end of the work. Essay on Poverty Body The body of the essay on poverty should be about 70% of the entire text volume and be consistent in its structure to the outline. Here, the topic of the essay is described in details; the results are formulated and justified. The principal requirements for the body are evidentiary and consistency. It is divided into items and paragraphs in accordance with the logical framework presented in the essay on poverty outline. Items of the outline should fully disclose the topic. Essay outline is like the skeleton of logical statement, according to our custom essay service, and everything should be in place in it. Conclusion The final part of the essay on povertyshould contain the conclusions drawn from the results of the work. This part is of particular importance, since it is here should be submitted the final results in the complete and logically impeccable form. In conclusion, it is necessary to compare the findings with the goals and objectives of the essay on poverty. Essay Topics There are different essay topics on poverty. The main idea is when you choose the topic you should realize that you are ready to highlight the main aspects of the topic. In other case, your essay writing will not meet requirements set by the teacher. Poverty Reduction and Welfare Provision for Single Parents in The United States Why Does Poverty Exist in The Society? Poverty in Modern Society How We Measure Poverty: a History and Brief Overview Economic and Moral Poverty Causes of Poverty The Effects of Poverty in Our World Poverty, Overpopulation and Equity Poverty and Child Development Poverty and Homelessness Read alsopersuasive essay topics: Custom Writing In addition, you may also try our professional essay writing services and get an essay written from scratch within any deadline of your choice! We keep our promises and deliver essays on time! In addition, we offer help with thesis writing and admission essay writing within the shortest possible deadlines! Read also: Thesis Writing Tips Thesis Online Thesis Format PhD Thesis Writing My Dissertation

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Formula for the Combined Gas Law

The Formula for the Combined Gas Law The combined gas law ties together Boyles law, Charles law, and Gay-Lussacs law. Basically, it states that as long as the amount of gas doesnt change, the ratio between the pressure-volume and temperature of a system is a constant. There is no discoverer of the law as it simply puts together concepts from other cases of the ideal gas law. The Combined Gas Law Formula The combined gas law examines the behavior of a constant amount of gas when pressure, volume and/or temperature is allowed to change. The simplest mathematical formula for the combined gas law is: k PV/T In words,  the product of pressure multiplied by volume and divided by temperature is a constant. However, the law is usually used to compare before/after conditions. The combined gas law is expressed as: PiVi/Ti PfVf/Tf where: Pi initial pressureVi initial volumeTi initial absolute temperaturePf final pressureVf final volumeTf final absolute temperature It is extremely important to remember that the temperatures are absolute temperatures measured in Kelvin, NOT  °C or  °F. It is also important to keep your units constant. Do not use pounds per square inch for pressures initially to find Pascals in the final solution. Uses of the Combined Gas Law The combined gas law has practical applications in situations where pressure, volume, or temperature can change. It is used in engineering, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and meteorology. For example, it can be used to predict cloud formation and the behavior of refrigerants in air conditioners and refrigerators.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Stroke Rehabilitation Certification Program including education and Research Paper

Stroke Rehabilitation Certification Program including education and core competencies required for all Certified Rehab Registere - Research Paper Example This stroke is caused by clotting of blood, which in turn prevents blood flow through an artery or vein to the brain. When discovered early, this kind of stroke is treated by a drug that dissolves obstructing cots in the artery. Hemorrhagic stroke is the second common type of stroke. It is less common, and is caused by rupturing of a blood vessel in the brain thereby spilling to the surrounding tissue. As a result of the spillage, brain cells in the area die due to the lack of oxygen and nutrients required for them to function. The most common stroke risk factors are high blood pressure, heart disease, carotid artery disease, cigarette smoking diabetes and excessive consumption of alcohol. Its symptoms include numbness especially on one side of the body, confusion (either talking or listening), a severe headache, and dizziness, as well as, lose of balance. This paper will examine the role rehabilitation nurses’ play in caring for stroke patients, how certification for the prog ram is awarded as well as the core competencies required. The paper will also look at the impact by CNS, aspects of spheres of influence and synergy model. Introduction Stroke rehabilitation is the process within which patients suffering from stroke are treated in order for them to be able to continue with their daily life. Its main goal is to assist patients relearn the skills that were lost when stroke affected them. But the rate at which one relearns these skills varies according to the person affected. Stroke rehabilitation includes therapy to regain communication disorders such as listening, writing and comprehension. It also involves patients undergoing excises in order for them to regain their muscle strength. Once patients gain their muscle strengths, this is usually accompanied by mobility training which usually includes patients being taught how to use walking aids. In some instances, the use of electrical stimulation is involved in order to arouse weakened muscles so as t hey can contract (Chick et al., 2004). Stroke rehabilitation should begin once a patient has discovered what he/she is suffering from. This is aimed at stabilizing the patient’s medical condition. On the other hand, the duration of stroke rehabilitation depends on the recovery of the patients as most stroke survivors require more time. In essence, a rehabilitation center is supposed to ensure that a patient in a position to do better and became independent especially through enabling the patient to tolerate the changes that have emerged on their brain and body due to the stroke. This makes them be able to adjust more to living within their home, with family or even the entire community (Lindley, 2008). Need for Stroke Rehabilitation Program Stroke rehabilitation is aimed at helping stroke survivors reach high levels of independence and try to restore their productivity (Massaro, 2006). A rehabilitation program begins immediately a person is confirmed to be suffering from stro ke. They offer the program even after a patient is released from the hospital as per the flexibility of an individual. Rehabilitation does not necessarily cure the stroke, but it helps survivors achieve greatest achievable long term outcomes. On the other hand, rehabilitation will largely depend on the damage that has been caused to the brain. Of most important is to ensure that survivors are in a position of

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Mechanical testing of cancellous bone (Bio-mechanics) Essay

Mechanical testing of cancellous bone (Bio-mechanics) - Essay Example Therefore, the plotting of stress curves was done. Basing on the intercept and the slope of the graph obtained in this experiment, compressive strength, the stiffness, the zero strain point, as well as the failure strain were then calculated. It was found that density was in directly proportion with the three mechanical properties (stiffness, strength, and failure strain) for samples from porcine, as well as bovine bone. Following these results, it was concluded therefore, that the mechanical behaviour of cancerous bone in both pig and the cow is almost similar although it was somewhat lower in the cow samples relative to that from porcine. Trabecular bone or the cancerous bone is the porous material that often represent a type of osseous tissue forming bones (Jee, 1996). Research indicates that trabecular bone has a higher surface area relative to other types of osseous tissues (Foss, 1992). Contrary, it has been found to have less density and stiffness (Currey, 1987). Arguably, the cancerous bone mechanical behaviour is somewhat similar to the other related cellular materials including the polymeric. This is because of its possessing a cellular structure consisting of the connected network of plates and rods (Bursten, & Frankel, 1999). There are contributing factors to the cancerous bone strength with bone density identified as one such factor. According to WHO (1994) there is need to determine the fracture risks using bone mineral density. It is also worth noting that other than the density of the bone, testing conditions, as well as the species of the animal are essential factors affecting the stiffness and strengt h of cancerous bones (Bell, Olive & Grabb, 1988). From the explored body of literature, it is evident that there are numerous experiments that have been conducted with a view of evaluating the density, and strength of a bone. However, there are limited research conducted on dependent of the strength of the cancerous bone on either

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Free

Free Will Philosophy Essay I strongly believe that W. T. Stace is correct while arguing for the view of soft determinism, also known as compatibilism. Stace believes in compatibilism, which states that determinism is true, but free will still does exist. He puts both views together by studying the definition of free will. Stace asks, â€Å"How can anyone be punished or rewarded for his or her actions if they have no control over their actions? † That statement seemed extremely convincing to me because both d’Holbach and Chisholm supported one side of the argument. d’Holbach and Chisholm argued that we are either strictly determined by the laws of nature and physics or that we are not determined, rather being we have the power to do as we choose. Stace on the other hand, put both positions together and made them work together. He explained that the laws of nature and physics do have an impact on our choices, but we do have the ability to choose what we want to choose when making a decision. Outside forces may push on our decision, but we are the ones responsible for choosing what we want to choose. He persuasively defends his view of soft determinism by explaining the definition of free will. He states, â€Å"In order for one to define free will, one must look into how the phrase is commonly used. † The way a philosopher interprets free will is different than the way a common person will do so. Stace defines free acts as acts that are directly caused by a person’s internal thoughts or desires coming directly from the person. Not free acts are those that have outside forces pushing a person to do something a certain way such as a threat or harm. This was very different from what other philosophers have stated in the past. By providing examples of free will, Stace points out that free will clearly does exist. It wouldn’t make sense for free will not to exist since it is compatible with determinism.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Comparing The Wife of Baths Tale and The Story of Dame Ragnell :: English Literature Essays

Comparing The Wife of Bath's Tale and The Story of Dame Ragnell The story of Dame Ragnell and "The Wife of Bath's Tale" are works that are very similar yet have differences that set the two apart. The most obvious comparison between the two works is the dilemma faced in each. In both stories a man's life is at stake and all he has to do to be spared is to answer one question. That question has to do with what women really want. Another similarity involves the outcome of each story. The differences between the two stories are revealed in the plots. The differences that stand out the most are the circumstances leading up to the question being asked and the attitude of the person that has to marry the old hag to get the answer to the question. There are many small differences between the stories but they are not as important as the two mentioned. In the story of Dame Ragnell and "The Wife of Bath's Tale," the men in question are in a very serious predicament. The knight in "The Wife of Bath's Tale" gets into his predicament by raping a young maiden. In "Dame Ragnell," King Arthur is accused of giving Sir Gawain land that belongs to someone else, Gromer Somer Joure. Their crimes are completely different, yet they still warrant similar punishment. Although the reason that each character is in his situation is a glaring difference between the two stories, in both cases the character's lives are at stake because of something they have done. In order to be saved from death they must answer a question: "To shewe me at thy coming whate wemen love best in feld and town." (Ragnell 91-92) This is what King Arthur is asked by Gromer Somer Joure in the story of Dame Ragnell. In "The Wife of Bath's Tale," we can see the question is worded differently. The Queen says to the knight: "I graunte thee lif if thou canst tellen me what thing it is that wommen most desiren." (Bath 910-911) Although there is a slight difference in the wording of the question in each tale, each still has the same idea: What is it that women want the most? In both stories the main characters, the knight, in "The Wife of Bath's Tale" and King Arthur in, the story of Dame Ragnell, search out the answer to this question.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Enterprise Resource Planning and Software Systems Essay

Hershey Food Corporation, the biggest manufacturer of candy products in the United States, decided to implement a new Enterprise Resource Planning system titled Enterprise 21 starting in 1996. The ERP system consisted of many different software systems. These systems included SAP AG, Manugistics, and Siebel systems. With the implementation of these software systems, Hershey believed its mass market candy business strategy would be emphasized. Hershey’s Expected Benefits of Enterprise 21 Hershey had many goals for Enterprise 21. In general, Hershey had a goal of upgrading and standardizing the hardware and software systems. In attempt to upgrade the hardware, Hershey moved from a mainframe-based network to a client-server network. This upgrade would allow for Hershey to use and share its information with people inside the company as well as distributors outside the company, a critical aspect of establishing good customer relationships. The upgrade and standardization of the software system was a much larger goal. The SAP system, which allows for communication within company functions, was to be installed with other software systems. Manugistics software system would be used to forecast production and scheduling. Manugistics would also be useful as a transportation management system. The benefit of this system would greatly lower inventory holding costs and transportation costs, the two largest expenses in logistics management. Hershey also decided to implement Siebel systems, which is designed to aid in establishing and maintaining customer relationships, as well as a measuring device of the effectiveness of marketing strategies. Hershey’s Implementation Approach The first part of Hershey’s implementation process started with the installation of a bar-coding system. A bar-coding system is necessary to improve logistic management by tracking inbound and outbound materials and products. Due to a modification of the SAP system, Hershey decided to move the target date of the installation of the system to April of 1999. This new date meant the company had only thirty nine months to complete the implementation instead of the forty eight months originally forecasted. Due to the delay of the implementation of the full SAP system, the Siebel and Manugistics systems were also delayed. Because of the delays, the implementation of the new ERP system immediately caused problems because by mid July, when Halloween orders were arriving, the system had just been installed. Due to Halloween orders already arriving, Hershey’s information technology personnel decided to implement the ERP system using the cutover strategy, a very risky approach where all systems go into affect all at once. This approach failed, causing shortages with distributors of Hershey products. These shortages lead to bad customer relationships with distributors which further lead to bad relationships with their customers. Hershey could have used a much better implementation approach by slowly implementing their new system. The cutover strategy caused great confusion for employees who both entered orders and communicated those orders to production facilities and to employees who filled orders in warehouses. Causes of the Problems and Who is Responsible There are many different theories on the causes of the implementation failures of Hershey’s ERP system. Many believed that the software systems were not functioning properly. However, this was not the case, as these systems were operating smoothly in different units of Hershey. I believe the cause was directly related to the failure to use the systems properly. Due to the rushed implementation of the system, training and education of the new system was not properly or thoroughly conducted. Employees were confused not only how to operate the system but also did not see how the different software systems fit together. With better education and training, employees would have been able to process orders much more effectively and efficiently. The knowledge we have that the SAP system, along with Siebel and Manugistics, was working properly in other regions takes away the ability to blame the software companies for this ERP system failure. The blame has to be put in the hands of the information technology managers, as they were the personnel that decided to implement this system at such a fast pace. However, business managers and executives should have raised questions about the training of employees and potential disasters this system can cause. After all, the goal of an integrated ERP system is to link the different aspects of a business and to increase the communication between employees. Although IT personnel made the implementation approach decision, executives and managers should have had a larger role in the process before changing operations drastically as their busiest season was quickly approaching. Impacts on the Hershey Organization The largest impact that the Hershey organization had to deal with was the effect on the customer relationships. In an extremely competitive and global business world, customer relationships are one of the most important aspects of having a successful business. As noted in the article, distributors were unable to receive Hershey products, which further affected their customer relationships. This lead to a loss of distribution warehouse space as well as shelf space in stores, which forced customers to choose substitutes. Conclusion Although Hershey suffered huge losses in 1999 and part of 2000, they rebounded strongly in 2000. The reputation of quality products is what I believe to be the reason for their comeback. Without Hershey’s prior strong reputation and strong customer relationships, Hershey would not have been able to recover from this ERP system failure. All companies should use this failure as a guideline when implementing new software systems. Corporations must cautiously implement their systems in a manner that allows proper employee training and production efficiency while still maintaining customer relationships.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Black Market Drugs Essay

Barbiturate and amphetamine addiction continues to give cause for national concern. Each year hundreds of thousands of pills manage to slip into the black market and are sold illegally, often to young people. Some observers, including the head of a congressional crime committee that spent two years probing the problem of illegal drug trafficking,’ believe that the drug manufacturers cannot be blamed if their products are put to illegitimate use. Do drug manufacturers have any moral responsibility to ensure that their products are not put to such use? In this paper I am going to discuss the six different ethical theories, including utilitarianism, kantian ethics, natural law theory, virtue theory, care ethics, and symphonology. The first theory that will be discussed is utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the moral doctrine that we should always act to produce the greatest possible balance of good over bad for everyone affected by our actions. The basic principle of utilitarianism is The Principle of Utility or The Greatest Happiness Principle, Itht states that we ought to do that which produces the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. In regard to the illegitimate use of prescription drugs, drug manufactures do have a moral responsibility to ensure that their products are not put to such use. Utilitarianism provides an objective way to resolve conflicts of self-interest and encourages a realistic and result oriented approach to moral decision making. Using the utilitarian theory, the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people, is a challenge. If you were simply listening to the general public which is filled with hundreds of thousands of users they would say that the drug manufacnturers have no right getting involved because they know that if drug manufacturer’s did get involved that would make it more difficult for the users to obtain these drugs. If you take a poll of drug users family members, close friends, and anyone who may have had a prescription drug problem they would say that the drug manufactures need to get involved to make it more difficult for the users, especially minors, to get their hands on these drugs. The greatest amount of good would come about only if the people who truly needed these drugs for the purpose in which they were designed used them and the drugs were not being sold on the black market. Drug manufacturer’s should get involved at some level to regulate this situation but they should be held responsible for what happens when they land on the shelves of the stores. At that point, it is the stores responsibility. The manufacturers and store owners both have a moral responsibility. Second is Kantian ethics. Kant believed that moral rules can, in principle, be known as a result of reason alone and are not based on observation. Kant held that only when we act from duty does our action have moral worth. Good will is the only thing that is good in itself. His categorical imperative states that an action is morally right if and only if we can will that the maxim (or principle) represented by our action be a universal law. There are three alternative formulations of the categorical imperative, the first two are the primary formulations. The first is that an act is right only if the actor would be willing to be so treated if the positions of the parties were reversed. The second is that one must always act so as to treat other people as ends, never merely as means. The third is the importance of motivation and of acting on principle, it is not enough to just do the right thing; an action has moral worth only if its done from a sense of duty that is, from a desire to do the right thing for its own sake. Kant’s ethics gives us firm standards that do not depend on results, it injects a humanistic element into moral decision making and stresses the importance of acting on principle and from a sense of duty. With regard to the fact that a congressional crime committee thinks that drug manufacturer’s cannot be blamed if their products are put to illegitimate use would be ridiculous. According to Kant, moral rules can be known as a result of reason alone and are not based on observation. The facts show that there is an ever growing problem with black market drugs and the drug manufactures need to do something to help stop this growing epidemic. Even though the drug manufacturer’s may not agree with what is happening with their drugs, all they see are dollars signs and the more people who abuse their drug equals more money for them. Kant would want them to act on the principle that their drug is harmful to people taking advantage of the high they can get from it. The drug manufacturer’s need to be held somewhat responsible for what is going on right in front of their eyes. Third is natural law theory. The essence of natural law theory is that we should further the inherent ends of human nature and not frustrate human fulfillment. There are 3 tenets in natural law theory. These tenets provide the meaning and the basis of the theory. ) moral law is accessible to human reason; 2) moral law is based on human nature; 3) moral law is universally applicable. In other words, natural moral law is knowable by human reason, applies to all human beings, and is grounded in human nature. Natural law theory is very appealing since it has objective moral values and it equates good with human flourishing. According to the natural law theory you should never interfere with human flourishing. Drug manufactures recognize tha t when used improperly their drugs can be very harmful, so they put warning labels on the bottles. Why then do they know that their drugs are being used illegitimately and do nothing about it? According to natural law theory you should not frustrate human fulfillment but in this situation you need to get in between the people who are addicts and not allow them to add to their addictive ways. If nothing is done by the drug manufactures there will be no human flourishing which is the main principle of the natural law theory. If people keep abusing these prescription drugs and the drug manufacturers don’t do anything these people will eventually die of an overdose or other drug related causes. Natural law theory has objective moral values and with this situation, the moral values should definitely come into play with the drug manufacturer’s and they need to take moral responsibility for what is happening. Fourth is virtue theory. Virtue theory describes the character of a moral agent as a driving force for ethical behavior, rather than rules, consequentialism, or social context, which derives rightness or wrongness from the outcome of the act itself rather than character. The virtue theory derives the golden mean which is the desirable middle between two extremes, one of excess and the other of deficiency. Virtue ethics is all about the human character. The drug manufacturing companies need to realize that what is happening is unethical and is reflecting upon them. People are looking at them to make the corrections and to step in and change something so that this issue doesn’t progress into something bigger than it already is. Virtue ethics is about the human character, even though these companies aren’t human per say, they affect the lives of many humans and a lot of people are being harmed by what is going on behind the walls of drug manufacturers. The drug manufacturing companies should be held morally responsible for the illegitimate use of these drugs. I don’t believe that there is directly anything they can do to stop the illegitimate use of the drugs but they can step in and do something to make the drugs less readily available to purchase and consume how they were originally intended to be consumed. Fifth is care ethics, which provides a balance for the one-sided traditional ethics of the impersonal and the universal, for it promotes the connectedness of humans. With care ethics the primary moral obligation is to prevent harm and help people. It is concerned with relatedness. The ethics of care is a normative ethical theory often considered a type of virtue ethics. Virtue ethics emphasizes the importance of human relationships and emotion based virtues. With care ethics drug manufacturer’s definitely have a moral responsibility to ensue that their products are not put to illegitimate use. Care ethics is all about preventing harm and helping people, which is exactly what the drug manufacturer’s need to do. They need to step in and put their foot down. These actions cannot continue to happen, it is causing so much harm and it not helping anyone. These drugs were intended to be used in one way and the fact that they are being used in a completely different way is morally wrong in itself, but the fact that the manufacturer’s know that this is happening and nothing is being done is another issue. If they were to step in hopefully that would slow down and eventually stop this growing epidemic. They need to focus on the prevention of harm to people who abuse their product. Sixth is symphonology, which is based on the supposition that an agreement exists between all rational beings. These agreements are contingent upon the bioethical standards of fidelity, beneficence, objectivity, self-assertiveness, freedom and autonomy. Symphonology is based off of the bioethical standards which are, fidelity is adherence to the terms of the agreement. It means faithfulness or commitment or promise to uphold the agreement. Objectivity is a person’s capacity to be aware of things as they are and to be able to act on this awareness. Beneficence means to do good at least do no harm. Freedom means to act independently. It is a person’s capacity to take independent action based on his own evaluation of the situation. Self-Assertion or privacy is a person’s power to control his own time and effort, it is self-ownership. Autonomy is the essential character structure of an individual person. The drug manufacturing companies need to abide by the bioethical standards in order to take moral responsibility for the drug epidemic that is occurring in our nation today. Will they do that? Probably not. Symphonology states that an agreement exists between all rational beings, if the drug manufacturing companies don’t take moral responsibility for the drug problem going on there will never be an agreement between the people who know what is going on and want to do something about it and the addicts themselves. The theories that I believe best answer the dilemma are Kantian ethics and also care ethics. Kant’s ethics gives us firm standards that do not depend on results; it injects a humanistic element into moral decision making and stresses the importance of acting on principle and from a sense of duty. With regards the drug manufacturer’s being held morally responsible for the every growing illegitimate usage of the drugs using Kant’s ethics they would need to think more humanistic and make the morally right decision which would be to step in and take action with the drug problem. Even though they can’t completely stop the illegal usage of their drugs the manufacturer’s can set regulations so that only certain people can get their hands on the drugs. The second theory that best answers the dilemma is care ethics. Care ethics is all about preventing harm and helping people. That is exactly what the manufacturing companies need to be doing. There are so many different approaches that they could take to slow down and stop this problem. They could use different ingredients so that they don’t have the harmful affects on people or the addictive qualities. The congressional crime committee that said that the drug manufacturer’s cannot be blamed if their products are put to illegitimate use, is absurd. They should absolutely be held responsible. If these companies used care ethics they would be running a morally sound and ever growing drug manufacturing company, instead of being scrutinized because their drugs are being sold illegally on the black market and are very addictive. Even though these companies aren’t actual humans and they don’t have feelings or morals like a human will, they are run by people and it is up to those people to make the right decisions. With care ethics these people can guide their company in the right direction and abide by the care ethics standard which is to prevent harm and help people. I believe with care ethics and with Kantian ethics the companies should be held morally responsible and they will over achieve every obstacle put in their way and run a morally successful company.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Magus Essays - Utilitarianism, Social Philosophy, Free Essays

The Magus Essays - Utilitarianism, Social Philosophy, Free Essays The Magus In this paper I want to show the importance of the distinction between Deontological theories and Teleological theories. First, let me define the basic types of deontological theories: Act-deontology takes the rightness of an act as having to be decided by the individual on the basis of what the particular situation demands of him or her. Rule-deontology takes the rightness of an act as having been already decided by universal rules which are binding on everyone, regardless of the situation. Teleological theories: Act- utilitarianism takes the rightness of an act as having to be decided by the individual on the basis of what will promote the greatest general good in the individual's particular situation and Rule-utilitarianism takes the rightness of an act as being in accord with the general rules, binding on everyone, that have already been decided on as promoting the greatest general good. Second, I will give my opinion on The Magus by John Fowles. In conclusion we will ! see if the consequences are moral or immoral. The first case to analyze will be the one about Conchis-the mayor of a small Greek village. He was ordered by the Nazi Commandant to beat to death three freedom fighters who had shot four German soldiers. If he refused, the Germans would kill not only the freedom fighters, but also the villagers hostages. Let's look at situation through the eyes of a utilitarian, then through the eyes of a deontologist. Conchis was in a very difficult position that he has to decide what he should do with the ordered with in thirty-seconds, which is a very short period of time. He is probably confused and frustrated and not sure of what is right or wrong thing to do. As the Wimmel approached him with a gun. He aimed at the three freedom fighters. He pulled the trigger of the gun, but the gun was not loaded. His determination is not to increases the possibility for the German to harm the villagers. It seems that happiness for the German would mean trouble for the villagers. As he aimed at the! three men, his thought was to save the villager hostages. According to the story, Conchis wants to save as many people as possible. I would describe his deportment as Rule Utilitarianism. People own what they would own under the 'total' set of rules, of which would be the greatest good of each and most efficient. 1 His conscience is do what saves the most people. What if he did not follow the order? Will everyone still live even if he doesn't follow? Maybe by following the order he will be preventing the German use of force, or causes extreme human suffering. I did not choose Act-utilitarianism because Conchis-the mayor did not want to promote the greatest good in the individual as himself in this situation. His knowledge was to bring happiness to people. He follow rules that is all obeyed then should bring about in the long term the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people. Suppose that sacrificing life or bodily integrity, where making the sacrifice wo! uld be value, is itself in each interest. Among the things that Act-utilitarianism requires is putting up with, indeed getting oneself to positively welcome, that other is also do what act utilitarianism requires lest anger lead to resentment, and resentment to wrongful, action, and wrongful action to a decrease in value. For the Utilitarian: The results are what matter. I would described Wimmel, the Nazi commandant action is Act-deontology. He is violating his moral convictions against total being. Secondly, his action cannot be justified universally. The Nazi commandant was not foreseeing the idea of human rights is a moral one. Act-deontology was morally wrong, but Wimmel determined that Conchis take the ordered or all of them will die which make it harder for him to choose whether to kill the freedom fighters or the villagers including him self will be killed by the German. However, the Rule-deontology was pointed out that it's wrong to kill. Conchis realized that his previous action was immoral. When he heard the prisoner call for freedom and saw the way these men had been tortured, he couldn't kill

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Battle of Valverde - American Civil War

The Battle of Valverde - American Civil War The Battle of Valverde was fought February 21, 1862, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). On December 20, 1861, Brigadier General Henry H. Sibley issued a proclamation claiming New Mexico for the Confederacy. To support his words, he advanced north from Fort Thorn in February 1862. Following the Rio Grande, he intended to take Fort Craig, the capital at Santa Fe, and Fort Union. Marching with 2,590 ill-equipped men, Sibley neared Fort Craig on February 13. Within the forts walls were around 3,800 Union soldiers led by Colonel Edward Canby. Unsure of the size of the approaching Confederate force, Canby employed several ruses, including the use of wooden Quaker guns, to make the fort look stronger. Judging Fort Craig to be too strong to be taken by direct assault, Sibley remained south of the fort and deployed his men with the goal of enticing Canby to attack. Though the Confederates remained in position for three days, Canby refused to leave his fortifications. Short on rations, Sibley convened a council of war on February 18. Following discussions, it was decided to cross the Rio Grande, move up the east bank, and capture the ford at Valverde with the goal of severing Fort Craigs lines of communication to Santa Fe. Advancing, the Confederates camped to the east of the fort on the night of February 20-21. Armies Commanders: Union Colonel Edward Canby3,000 men Confederate Brigadier General Henry H. Sibley2,590 men The Armies Meet Alerted to the Confederate movements, Canby dispatched a mixed force of cavalry, infantry, and artillery under Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Roberts to the ford on the morning of February 21. Slowed by his guns, Roberts sent Major Thomas Duncan ahead with the cavalry to hold the ford. As Union troops were moving north, Sibley ordered Major Charles Pyron to scout the ford with four companies from the 2nd Texas Mounted Rifles. Pyrons advance was supported Lieutenant Colonel William Scurrys 4th Texas Mounted Rifles. Arriving at the ford they were surprised to find Union troops there. Quickly taking​ a position in a dry river bed, Pyron called for aid from Scurry. Opposite, Union guns moved into place on the west bank, while the cavalry advanced in a skirmish line. Despite possessing a numerical advantage, the Union forces did not attempt to assault the Confederate position. Arriving on the scene, Scurry deployed his regiment to Pyrons right. Though coming under fire from Union forces, the Confederates were unable to respond in kind as they were largely equipped with pistols and shotguns which lacked sufficient range. The Tide Turns Learning of the standoff, Canby departed Fort Craig with the bulk of his command only leaving a force of militia to guard the post. Arriving on the scene, he left two regiments of infantry on the west bank and pushed the remainder of his men across the river. Pounding the Confederate position with artillery, Union forces slowly gained the upper hand on the field. Aware of the growing fight at the ford, Sibley also sent reinforcements in the form of Colonel Tom Greens 5th Texas Mounted Rifles and elements of the 7th Texas Mounted Rifles. Ill (or drunk), Sibley remained in camp after delegating field command to Green. Early in the afternoon, Green authorized an attack by a company of lancers from the 5th Texas Rifles. Led by Captain Willis Lang, they surged forward and were met by heavy fire from a company of Colorado volunteers. Their charge defeated, the remnants of the lancers withdrew. Assessing the situation, Canby decided against a frontal attack on Greens line. Instead, he sought to force the Confederate left flank. Ordering Colonel Christopher Kit Carsons untested 1st New Mexico Volunteers across the river, he advanced them, along with Captain Alexander McRaes artillery battery, to a forward position. Seeing the Union assault forming, Green ordered Major Henry Raguet to lead an attack against the Union right to buy time. Charging forward, Raguets men were repulsed and the Union troops began advancing. While Raguets men were being turned back, Green ordered Scurry to prepare an attack on the Union center. Surging forward in three waves, Scurrys men struck near McRaes battery. In fierce fighting, they succeeded in taking the guns and shattering the Union line. His position suddenly collapsing, Canby was forced to order a retreat back across the river though many of his men had already begun to flee the field. Aftermath of the Battle The Battle of Valverde cost Canby 111 killed, 160 wounded, and 204 captured/missing. Sibleys losses totaled 150-230 killed and wounded. Falling back to Fort Craig, Canby resumed a defensive position. Though he had won a victory in the field, Sibley still lacked sufficient forces to successfully attack Fort Craig. Short on rations, he elected to continue north towards Albuquerque and Santa Fe with the goal of re-provisioning his army. Canby, believing his was out-numbered elected not to pursue. Though he ultimately occupied both Albuquerque and Santa Fe, Sibley was forced to abandon New Mexico after the Battle of Glorieta Pass and the loss of his wagon train. Sources History of War: Battle of ValverdeTSHA: Battle of ValverdeFort Craig National Historic Site

Sunday, November 3, 2019

US COIN Campaigns in Philippines and Vietnam Research Paper

US COIN Campaigns in Philippines and Vietnam - Research Paper Example Finally, this paper will strive to highlight the lessons that US learnt from its past COIN campaigns in the form of two consecutive successes; one achieved in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan. Introduction Counterinsurgencies (COIN) are described as a common war tactic. Foe groups engaged in wars often use this particular tactic to identify and overcome insurgencies prior to their occurrence. The authoritative governmental military groups since time immemorial have organized COIN campaigns. However, its rudimental intention remains the same. COIN campaigns were majorly covered in H100 when the US Army used many tactics and strategies in Vietnam and the Philippines. Governmental forces took a considerable amount of time to frame winning strategies in the COIN campaigns in both cases. The focus on these COIN campaigns was to make devastating offensive operations to defeat the insurgency disclosed, develop cultural understandings with the foes and to apply competent intelligence in mit igating chances for future insurgency attacks. Nonetheless, the results obtained in both the COIN campaigns proved drastically different. Even though the COIN campaign against Filipino insurgencies was a success, the US Army failed to defeat Vietnamese insurgencies in H100 (Gentile, 2009). Certainly, there are certain aspects essential for framing COIN strategies and thus ensuring their overall success. For instance, a COIN strategy must include an in-depth understanding of the motives and the objectives of insurgencies along with cultural and religious aspects of both insurgents and local populace in a differentiated manner. It is vital that the COIN strategy complies with the legal aspects of performing a counterinsurgency. Correspondingly, governmental policies to...However, its rudimental intention remains the same. COIN campaigns were majorly covered in H100 when the US Army used many tactics and strategies in Vietnam and the Philippines. Governmental forces took a considerable amount of time to frame winning strategies in the COIN campaigns in both cases. The focus on these COIN campaigns was to make devastating offensive operations to defeat the insurgency disclosed, develop cultural understandings with the foes and to apply competent intelligence in mitigating chances for future insurgency attacks. Nonetheless, the results obtained in both the COIN campaigns proved drastically different. Even though the COIN campaign against Filipino insurgencies was a success, the US Army failed to defeat Vietnamese insurgencies in H100 (Gentile, 2009). Certainly, there are certain aspects essential for framing COIN strategies and thus ensuring their overall success. For instance, a COIN strategy must include an in-depth understanding of the motives and the objectives of insurgencies along with cultural and religious aspects of both insurgents and local populace in a differentiated manner. It is vital that the COIN strategy complies with the legal aspects of performing a counterinsurgency. Correspondingly, governmental policies to combat insurgencies with effective COIN campaigns also play an essential role (Corum, 2007).

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Perception and Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Perception and Decision Making - Essay Example Perception is defined on the Wikipedia as follows: "In psychology and the cognitive sciences, perception is the process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting, and organizing sensory information." (Wikipedia, 2006b). It goes further explaining how perceptions are formed, how they change, and how there can be no perception at all. Let's see: "Many cognitive psychologists hold that, as we move about in the world, we create a model of how the world works. That is, we sense the objective world, but our sensations map to percepts, and these percepts are provisional, in the same sense that scientific hypotheses are provisional (cf. in the scientific method). As we acquire new information, our percepts shift. () Just as one object can give rise to multiple percepts, so an object may fail to give rise to any percept at all: if the percept has no grounding in a person's experience, the person may literally not perceive it." (Wikipedia, 2006b). "Decision making is the cognitive process of selecting a course of action from among multiple alternatives. Every decision-making produces a final choice. It can be an action or an opinion. It begins when we need to do something but we do not know what. Therefore decision-making is a reasoning process which can be rational or irrational, and can be based on explicit assumptions or tacit assumptions." (Wikipedia, 2006a). In the decision-making process many biases can get in the way. Among the reasons for this kind of drawback the Wikipedia enumerates the following reasons: "Selective search for evidence Premature termination of search for evidence Conservatism and inertia Experiential limitations Selective perception Wishful thinking or optimism Recency Repetition bias Anchoring and adjustment Group think - Peer pressure Source credibility bias Incremental decision making and escalating commitment Inconsistency Attribution asymmetry Role fulfillment Underestimating uncertainty and the illusion of control Faulty generalizations Ascription of causality". (Wikipedia, 2006a). On a closer analysis to all these causes that provoke error in the decision-making process it is easy to find "perception" at the core of all these evils. Most of the causes for faulty decisions in the business real of action happen due to misperceptions in one way or the other. The Wikipedia goes on explaining how the ethical principles of decision making vary widely. It lists the following principles and methods as the most common in any decision-making process: "the most powerful person/group decides (method: dictatorship or oligarchy) everyone participates in a certain class of meta-decisions (method: parliamentary democracy) everyone participates in every decision (direct democracy, consensus decision making)" (Wikipedia, 2006a). As "Groundwork for Making Effective Decisions" the Josephson Institute of Ethics states the following concepts, emphasizing our responsibility and accountability in any decision-making process: "Whether or not we realize it at the time, all our words, actions and attitudes reflect choices. A foundation to good decision-making is acceptance of two core principles: we all have the power to decide what we do and what we say, and we are morally responsible for the consequences

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Linguistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Linguistics - Essay Example Additionally, it is structural understanding of knowledge and languages in terms of their differences. This can well be explained by, when one is born; one cannot be able to communicate with adults who are surrounding us, using their language. However, by the time we reach the age of six or seven, we are able to produce sounds, sentences, make rhymes, and understand jokes, among other activities. Therefore, one becomes a good speaker, in which we all have experiences that learning a language has never been easy, especially during the first years of our lives, where we accumulated a broad range of knowledge about the language (Fromkin, 2002, Pg 13-15). According to Akmajian (56-58), language speakers seem to have a wide range of knowledge on their languages, either by knowing or without being aware. Some of us possess the language of sounds, for example, consonants. Linguistics therefore, seeks to investigate how this kind of knowledge is acquired, as well as how it interacts with oth er processes mentally. It also investigates how the knowledge varies from one region to another region, from one person to another, in addition to how specific programs in a computer model the knowledge. Additionally, Linguistics also study the language structure like phrases and sound, in terms of how they can be characterized, and how diverse language components interact with others, like meaning and intonation. They also work with people who converse different languages and designs carefully the experiments on how to answer all the questions on language. Clearly, linguistics is considered as a science. Linguists are people who specialize on specific or different languages, whose main goal is to understand the language nature in general. However, the main goal of linguistic study in academics is to increase understanding and knowledge of the world. Akmajian (56-58) claims that language is essential and universal to all human relations, and knowledge acquired has many applications that are practical. Linguists are prepared to find answers to questions like, how a specific language can be written and analyzed, teaching of foreign languages, speech synthesization, computer programming and how the problems of language can be rectified and analyzed. While studying linguistics, one gets to learn many aspects of the language, sounds structure and their physical properties (Fromkin, 2002, Pg 13-15). Question 2 Phonology and Morphology is one of branch of linguistics but can be explained in different ways. Fromkin (13-15) highlights that phonology is organized study of sounds in language. People who study this branch of linguistics are referred to as phonologists and are concerned with sounds that have contrast in a language but not others. For example, Spanish speakers have a problem of ch and sh and people who speak English have trouble pronouncing â€Å"u† in their French words like Wheel and steel they pronounce as roue. On the other hand, morphology is th e study of formation of words. People who study this particular branch studies questions like, extent to ways words are formed, if they are productive or not. For example, they seek to answer questions like why we say words like amusement and arrival, and what determines the words change, like adding er to adjectives when it comes to making comparisons, like pretty becomes prettier, or getting a computer recognize the roots of words to be separated from their affixes like, crawl, crawls, crawling and crawled. Sentence structure, which includes clauses and phrases enables a clear segmentation into sentences, phrases and clauses. The relationship of these structures with each other forms syntax of domain. Fromkin (13-15) claims that this is the same as morphology, where this syntax does not concern what the meaning of

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Tektronix Inc Global Erp Implementation Information Technology Essay

Tektronix Inc Global Erp Implementation Information Technology Essay The present business environment is changing dramatically and is mainly characterized by increasing competition, rising customer expectations, expanding markets and shorter product life cycles. This has put tremendous pressure on companies to reduce costs across the value chain and inventory, provide better customer service and reliable delivery dates, improved quality and efficiently manage the demand, production and supply across the globe. In order to remain competitive, in the light of these pressures, firms are exploring different ways of doing business and also realizing the importance to improve their internal processes and practices. It is crucial for organisations to share timely and accurate business information with their customers, suppliers and distributors and in order to meet this objective firms are aggressively using enterprise resources planning (ERP) systems. ERP system provides two main benefits. One, it provides a unified enterprise view of the organization. The entire information from human resources, accounting, finance, sales, inventory, logistics and supply chain management are integrated by ERP. This integration allows firms to respond rapidly to changing market and competitive forces, efficiently manage supply chain and inventory thereby realizing cost savings. Second, the ERP acts as a central information database that allows information to be stored, processed, analyzed and monitored. This prevents information and communications gaps thereby allowing better co-operation and co-ordination across the various departments and functional units in an organization (Umble et al, 2003; Bingi et al, 1999). The ERP system, by providing timely and accurate information, aids in the strategic decision making functions of the top management. Although the ERP system can be considered as one of the strategic tools used by organisations to realize their business goals and objectives, its implementation is a cause for concern. ERP systems are highly complex systems and its implementation is usually a difficult and costly exercise fraught with risks. This essay evaluates the global ERP implementation at Tektronix, a manufacturer of electronic test equipments. The essay begins by briefly outlining the state of affairs at Tektronix prior to ERP implementation and can be considered as driving factors behind the adoption. The implementation has been analyzed in different stages business plan and Vision, requirements analysis, software selection, implementation planning and implementation. Such an approach will provide more clarity about the adoption process, the critical success factors and risk mitigation. NEED FOR CHANGE AT TEKTRONIX Tektronix, in spite of being the world leader in most of the businesses that it was catering to, was limited in terms of flexibility of its operations and growth opportunities. In order to overcome these limitations the top management felt that the organization had to be restructured starting with information technology (IT) infrastructure. The IT infrastructure at Tektronix was a complete mess. They had over 450 legacy systems only in the United States, apart from the systems used in the 60 countries in which they were operating. There was no standardization of these systems or business processes globally. Inventory tracking was a problem and sales order processing had to be carried out multiple times in different systems which resulted in increasing processing time, reduced customer service and order errors. The financial systems were not very efficient with multiple charts of accounts across the company and therefore taking weeks to close the books at the end of the month. It was also challenging to retrieve business performance information such as the profitability with regards to each product or division. It can be inferred from these business challenges that the driving forces for ERP adoption at Tektronix were the need for business process integration, common template for IT, unified enterprise view of informatio n, operational cost savings and increased customer responsiveness. BUSINESS PLAN, VISION, TOP MANAGEMENT SUPPORT AND COMMITMENT One of the most critical success factors for any ERP implementation is the creation of a clear and compelling vision identifying goals and objectives along with their alignment with information systems strategy (Umble et al, 2003; Finney Corbett, 2007). Along with this vision, the business plan should provide the justification for the investment based on reliable data and reasonable assumptions (Nah et al, 2001; Kraemmerand et al, 2003). In case of Tektronix, the vision was provided by the CFO and it stressed on three key aspects -seperablity of business, leveraging shared services and a plain vanilla system, where possible. With regards to ERP investment justification, Tektronix did not spent time carrying out detailed return on investment (ROI) analysis. The decision to adopt ERP system was based on the judgment of few senior managers, in particular the CFO. One of the risks of such an action, and which did occur, is costly implementations. A detailed budgeting and ROI analysis wo uld have put a control on the cash outflow for the implementation. Top management support and commitment is another critical success factor and is required throughout the implementation by way of monitoring progress and providing direction (Murray Coffin, 2001). They play a key role in the allocation of resources apart from legitimizing the new goals, objectives and business process changes. Their support also helps to reduce user resistance which is likely to be present in large transformational projects such as an ERP implementation (Nah et al, 2001; Sumner, 2003). In case of Tektronix there was continuous support and approval from the CFO, divisional heads and senior managers during the project life cycle. REQUIREMENT ANALYSIS Most of the times, the reasons cited for the abandonment of ERP projects is because firms realize, midway, that the new system does not support some of their business processes (Koch et al, 1999). One of the reasons for this is the failure to conduct a detailed requirement analysis prior to ERP adoption. As part of this analysis, functional requirements should depict the various data requirements, process linkages and work flows. In Tektronix implementation, it is clear from the case study that the management had not carried out detailed requirement analysis prior to ERP adoption. Although they managed to have a successful ERP adoption, this was a very risk approach. SOFTWARE SELECTION The software selection process at Tektronix can be analyzed from three key aspects buy-versus-build decision, the software selection process and finally, the single vendor approach to enterprise systems integration. Firms adopting an ERP system face the decision to whether build the system in-house or to purchase packaged software and this depends on a number of factors, one of which is the level of technical expertise and ERP development knowledge existing in-house (Sawyer, 2000). Firms involved in the in-house development of the ERP systems face the risk of cost and schedule overruns and in some cases the end system not meeting the user requirements (Lucas Jr et al, 1988). The decision to go for packaged system, in Tektronix, can be considered to be a wise decision because of two main reasons. Firstly, Tektronix had no experience in developing IS systems. It would not have been possible for them to develop a robust system with the same efficiency as a package software developer, who could leverage from its RD and varied implementation experiences. Secondly, Tektronix did not have the necessary technical skills, which was also evident during the implementation stage. With regards to software selection process, Tektronix spent very little time. The decision to implement Oracle ERP solution was based mainly on the experiences of the CFO and CIO. Very little resources were spent in evaluating the alternatives in terms of features and costs. An ERP system, by default, will impose considerable influence on a firms strategy, organization and culture. Some of the ERP failures can be attributed to the incompatibility that exist between the new systems technical capabilities and needs vis-Ã  -vis the organizations existing business processes (Umble et al, 2003). It is therefore critical that the ERP selection process is conducted with great care. The selection between the single vendor and best of breed approaches to systems integration is debatable. Both the approaches have risks and are considered to be complex with regards to their scale, scope and business process reengineering requirements (Shehab et al, 2004). The best of breed strategy can offer the best functionality for each module, but its implementation is complex because of the need for establishing interfaces between the disparate systems (Bingi et al, 1999; Shehab et al, 2004). The cost and the need for extensive training to maintain these interfaces is also likely to be high (Light et al, 2001). In case of single vendor strategy, it might not have all functionalities but it will easier to implement (Mabert et al, 2001). The other benefits include simplified contracting and relationship management as well as a single point of control for all software related problems (Shehab et al, 2004). Taking into consideration Tektronix growth strategy as well as the scale a nd complexity of the ERP implementation, it can be argued that the single vendor strategy seemed suitable. It mitigated, to a great extent, the integration, maintenance and upgrade related risks likely to be present in multiple package implementations. IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION An important activity, during implementation planning, which plays a crucial role in the success of an ERP implementation, is the creation of a steering committee consisting of senior management and end users (Somers Nelson, 2004). The role of the steering committee is mainly to determine the project scope and objectives prior to implementation and to ensure adherence to it (Parr Shanks, 2000). In case of Tektronix, the steering committee refined the companys vision and developed the global business model along with business process change and guiding principles in order to provide clear direction for the implementation. The steering committees portrayal of top management support and commitment was also instrumental in overcoming resistances. Effective project organization and management is another critical success factor in the adoption of an ERP (Umble et al, 2003). It is also necessary to ensure that the project team is well balanced consisting of members from different divisions or functional units possessing both business and technical skills (Finney Corbett, 2007). In case of Tektronix ERP implementation, there was an efficient project management team consisting of representatives from different functional and geographical locations. Apart from this, the members had a combination of business and technical skills which made it easy for to identify and resolve issues quickly. In this context it would be appropriate to stress the importance of a project champion; who oversees the entire implementation process, helps to achieve consensus and plays a major role in handling organizational change. This project champion should be a high level executive with transformational leadership qualities and should have the authorit y to set goals and legitimize change (Nah et al, 2001; Ngai et al, 2008). The CFO as a project champion can be considered one of the success factors behind Tektronix implementation. In case of large scale ERP implementations, most companies fall into the trap of a big bang seduction. Introducing the ERP system at one strike can be extremely risky and can affect the success of the project (Vogt, 2002). The overall strategy used by Tektronix for the ERP implementation can be considered to be incremental approach. It was a single change program consisting of several waves or implementations with each implementation lead by a senior executive and addressing change in a particular division or geographic region. Although the different locations were managed independently, they were monitored by a central project team to ensure a timely and smooth change. The advantage of this was that it gave regular feedback regarding the implementation thereby allowing fast corrective measures in case of any deviations, provided vital learnings which could be used in subsequent installations and allowed flexibility in project scheduling. Apart from this, each successful implementati on acted as a proof of concept (Watson Haley, 1998) for the ERP, which helped to keep the team morale high as well as to ensure continued senior management support and commitment. In case of global rollout, again the incremental approach was followed, with the initial implementation being carried out across Europe. This allowed the project team to learn and address majority of the global implementation challenges, which proved beneficial in the subsequent implementations. Although the overall approach was incremental, it was interlaced with big bang approach where possible. The incremental approach helped to overcome the challenges arising from geographical distances and the lack of business synergies that existed between some countries. It was also instrumental in managing the language difficulties that existed in some countries. One of the risk factors associated with an ERP implementation is the failure of adopting company to redesign the business processes to align with the new ERP system. Rather than redesigning, these companies customize the software to fit the existing inefficient business processes, leading to cost overruns, delays and project failures (Sumner, 2003; Ngai et al, 2008; Somers Nelson, 2004; Nah et al, 2001). These risk factors were addressed to great extent in the Tektronix implementation. As part of business process redesign it carried out a number of activities. It standardized the charts-of-accounts, eliminated existing complex transfer pricing practices and changed the financial transaction processes. Apart from this, as part of organizational restructuring all European country managers were removed, English was declared as the single language for business within Tektronix and local business practices were standardized. With regards to customization, Tektronix undertook it mainly be cause of two reasons the differences in business operations between the divisions necessitated it and the Oracle ERP system did not have all the functionality required; a fallout of not carrying out the software/vendor process diligently. Change management programs are an important part of organizational transformation processes such as ERP adoption. Although it is mentioned here under planning and implementation, it is usually initiated at the start of the project and continues throughout the project lifecycle. An enterprise wide ERP implementation such as at Tektronix is likely to cause changes to the organizations culture and structure (Nah et al, 2001). If users are not prepared for such a change, the likely consequences will be user resistance, chaos and denial. To avoid such a situation the users need to be involved during the design and implementation of the ERP system. This should be augmented with education, training and re-skilling, which will help them in understanding the need for change and the associated implications on their job (Umble et al, 2003; Al-Mashari et al, 2003; Kraemmerand et al, 2003). In case of Tektronix, there are indications from the case study that the change management was not handled effectively. One instance was the resistance to change faced during the implementation of Order Management/Accounts Receivable (OMAR) at CPID division and the project team having to reiterate the need for change. Another instance was during the implementation of OMAR at VND division. It was post implementation that VND realized the level of resources and the skill set required. Although VND managed to have a successful implementation, this could have been risky leading to user resistance and chaos. The insufficient training of the end users is considered as one of the risk factors associated with an ERP implementation (Sumner, 2003). Based on the approach of using power or super users, it can be argued that Tektronix followed cascaded training to mitigate the risks arising from insufficient training of end users. The risk arising from the lack of internal expertise, technical and functional, was mitigated by the deployment of external consultants. In order to avoid the risks and surprises arising from the integration of complex business operations with the ERP system, Tektronix pursued a vigorous testing program simulating live work environment. LESSONS LEARNED FROM THIS IMPLEMENTATION There are some key learnings, based on the above evaluation. Firstly, it is necessary to carry out a detailed requirement of analysis prior to an ERP implementation. This will ensure that a proper understanding of existing business process and benefits that can be realized from the adoption of the new system. Secondly, the ROI analysis and budgeting apart from providing the economic justification for the project will also help to control the implementation costs. Third, in case of software/vendor selection sufficient resources must be spent in comparing features and costs between the various alternatives. This can avoid customizations at a later stage. In their article, Umble and Haft (2003) recommends a selection process which includes identification of potential vendors and evaluation criteria, creating the request for proposal, evaluation of the proposals, choosing the vendor/software, negotiation of contract, pre-implementation pilot test and finally, establishing service level a greements. Fourth, the presence of a steering committee consisting of representatives from the senior management and end users along with the appointment of a project champion can have considerable impact on the success of the implementation. Fifth, the lack of business process reengineering coupled with excessive levels of customizations can lead to cost overruns, delays and project failure. Lastly, incremental approach is suitable in the case of large scale ERP implementations as it provides feedbacks and quick gains which acts as a proof of concept along with the learning which can be utilized in subsequent installations. CONCLUSION It is clear that although the implementation at Tektronix was expensive it was a successful implementation. This was due to the presence of a number of critical success factors along with risk mitigation approaches that were followed. The presence of executive sponsorship during the project life cycle, along with a transformation leader such as the CFO as the project champion was critical to the success of this project. In terms of global rollout, avoiding the big bang seduction and following the incremental approach was a wise decision. However, there are few areas such as the requirement analysis, software/vendor selection process and change management where the project team did not carry out detailed analysis or execution. Focus on some of these areas could have made avoided some of the problems that were faced during the implementation. In a nutshell, the successful adoption of ERP at Tektronix helped it to overcome many of the inefficiencies which were present earlier and in the process enabled it to become much more agile and flexible.