An exploration of the reason organisations adopt information systems strategy The WritePass Journal

An exploration of the reason organisations adopt information systems strategy INTRODUCTION An exploration of the reason organisations adopt information systems strategy INTRODUCTIONINFORMATION SYSTEM STRATEGYREASONS OF INFORMATION SYSTEM STRATEGY1. Operational excellence2. New products and services3. Customer and supplier Intimacy4. Competitive Advantage4.1) Porter’s Competitive Forces Model1. Rivalry among existing firm2. New Entrants in market3. Substitute Products and Services4. Customer’s power5. Supplier’s Powers4.2) Porter’s Generic theory 1. Cost Leadership2. Product Differentiation3. FocusMultiple Methodology FrameworksTop-downBottom-upInside-OutFlaws in Earl’s MethodologiesExternal Drivers that Influence IS Strategy1. Competition1.1)   YANSHA Leans on IS to Stay Competitive2. Deregulation2.1) 7-Eleven Japan Company3. Changing nature of Customer3.1) KROGER COMPANY3.2) BARNEYS NEW YORK4. Emerging technologies4.1)   Sainsbury5. Transformation of Business Enterprise5.1)   World BankBibliographyRelated INTRODUCTION The information systems play a critical role in managing market logistics, especially computer, point-of-sale terminals, uniform product bar codes, satellite tracking, electronic data interchange EDI, and electronic funds transfer EFT, these developments have shortened the order-cycle time, reduced clerical labour, reduced the error rate in documents, and provided improved control of operations. They have enabled companies to make a promise such as â€Å"the product will be at dock 25 at 10:00 am tomorrow,† and control that promise through information. Keeping in view of above significance of information system, the report has been designed to explore and outlined the reason of organization adopting information system strategy and what is information system strategy. Also using multiple methodology frameworks that assist in devising IS strategy. At the end of this report the six external drivers are listed in connection with real world example to understand how they influenced on IS strategies. INFORMATION SYSTEM STRATEGY The definition of IS strategy is formulation of approaches and planning needed to deploy information systems resources to support organizational strategy. The definition of development of information systems strategy is usually encompasses the areas of how information systems will be used to support an organization’s strategy. Support means creation of strategic of IS with organization strategy. Impact implies a role for IS in generating opportunities for an organization to gain competitive advantage. A strategy which covers both these facets is that of Dohertty et 999), who describe IS strategy development as The IS strategy is a process of identifying a portfolio of computer-based to be implemented, which is both highly aligned with corporate strategy and create an advantage over competitors. An information systems strategy brings together the business aims and understanding of the information needed to support those aims, and the of computer systems to provide that information. Irrespective, of any definition the main theme of information system is to establish strategy to provide best and timely service to their consumers in order to increase the wealth of shareholders. The emphasis of information systems strategy is on delivering a portfolio of appropriate software tools and systems that support the future direction of an organization and achieve advantage for the organization (Strategic objectives). Furthermore, the IS strategy also determines the quality of services delivered end-users. (BODDY, BOONSTRA, KENNEDY, 2002) REASONS OF INFORMATION SYSTEM STRATEGY The reasons organization heavily invest to generate its information system is to achieve six important business objectives. These objectives can be outlined as Operational excellence New products/services Business model Customer and supplier intimacy Improved decision making Competitive advantage And survival 1. Operational excellence The ultimate objective of every organization is to maximize the wealth of shareholders. The information system provide efficient mean to optimize the production and operations capability for the business. Also some time it needs to change the way organization conducting its business and management attitude. There are many success stories of those who plan strategically to implement information system and bring fundamental results due to this implementation. For example, Wal-Mart being as a largest retailer gains sales more than $348 billion in sales during 2007, which was 1/10 of total retail sales in US. The Wal-Mart achieved that hallmark by linking digitally its retail store system with the suppliers, so when the customer purchased items, the bar code link identified the suppliers about outflow and demand of certain product and suppliers timely replenish the stock. 2. New products and services The information system enables organization about the trend of new product or services. The demand can be evaluated of competitors product and then it is matched with the market to assess there is any need of copy cat product. Such as the music industry is no longer like it was in 2000. The exuberant demand permits the Apple Company to innovate new products with different styles. 3. Customer and supplier Intimacy The customers intimacy can be gauged by their frequency of repurchase, the often they come to buy the goods or receive the services the more they generate revenue for the organization. The suppliers relationship can be evaluated in the same way, if there are few suppliers and all are given confirm order or tie them with contract, the more they will deliver quality raw materials. Take the example of hotels business, they are using computers to keep track of guests preferences, such as their preferred room temperature, check in time, frequently dialled telephone numbers, and television programs, and store these data in a giant data repository, individual rooms in the hotels are networked to a central network server computer so that they can be remotely monitored or controlled. When these guests arrived to the hotel, the system automatically changes the room conditions, such as dimming the lights, setting the room temperature, or selecting appropriate music, based on the customer’s digital profile. Through, extensive use of IT, hotel can carry out their customer profitability analysis and can adequately determine those customers that are providing high revenue. 4. Competitive Advantage When organization outperform its competitors in terms of operation, new product development, services, and establishing business model, customer intimacy and last but not least in decision making process, then they are well ahead from their competitors. Through establishing IS strategy many organization prominently Toyota successfully eliminate waste, adopt continuous improvement, and optimizing customer value. The IS help to build effective supply and lean management system. Let discuss in detail that crucial aspect of IS strategy, The models which will help us to how to determine and evaluate of competitive advantage in terms of IS strategy’s are Porter’s Competitive Forces and Generic theory. 4.1) Porter’s Competitive Forces Model The most widely used mode for understanding competitive advantage is Michael Porter’s Competitive forces model. This model provides a general view of the firm, its competitors, and the firm environment. These are Rivalry among existing firm New Entrants in market Substitute product in market Supplier’s Power Buyer’s Power 1. Rivalry among existing firm All firms share market space with other competitors who are continuously devising new, more efficient ways to produce by introducing new products and services, and attempting to attract customers by developing their brands and imposing switching costs on their customers. 2. New Entrants in market The new arrival in market often gets kick start its business using several of IT and IS help. In mature market, when there is already fierce competition going on the tool that new entrants can use to get itself introduce to the customers are gaining economy of scale by spreading its fixed cost to the number of units or/and adopting learning curve. The state of the art designed IS can monitor the movement of learning curve that will help management in their decision making process. 3. Substitute Products and Services In a competitive market, there are several substitutes product each addressing different customers market need. New technologies create new substitutes all the time. To make the product more distinct and attractable organization need often to change its features and packaging to keep the product up to date. 4. Customer’s power The theory’s regarding customers retention has been getting enhanced day by day. The new theory related to customers are customer relationship management, which emphasis on keep the existing customers rather than deploying resources to attract the new one. In that sense, the power of the customer grows if they can easily switch to a competitor’s products and services, or if they can force a business and its competitors to compete on price alone in a transparent marketplace where there is little product differentiation, and all prices are known instantly through internet. 5. Supplier’s Powers The supplier’s power has huge impact on organization profitability. If there are few suppliers operating in the market the power of suppliers might be high and they would be in the position to convince the organization with their terms and condition. However, if there are many or diversified suppliers in the market, the greater control organization would have to exercise over suppliers in terms of price, quality, and delivery schedules. For instance, manufacturers of laptop PCs almost always have multiple competing suppliers of key components, such as keyboards, hard drives, and display screens. 4.2) Porter’s Generic theory There are four generic strategise, each of which often is enabled by using information technology and system: low-cost leadership, product differentiation, focus on market niche, and strengthening customer and supplier intimacy. These are Cost leadership Product leadership Focus 1. Cost Leadership The use of information system to achieve the lowest operational cost and lowest prices is goal of almost every organization. The classic example is Wal-Mart. By keeping prices low and shelves well stocked using a legendary inventory replenishment system, Wal-Mart became the leading retail business in the United States. Wal-Mart’s continuous replenishment system sends orders for new merchandise directly to suppliers as soon as consumers pay for their purchases at the cash register. Point-of-sale terminals record the bar code of each item passing the checkout counter and send a purchase transaction directly to a central computer at Wal-Mart headquarters. The computer collects the orders from all Wal-Mart stores and transmits them to suppliers. Suppliers can also access Wal-Mart’s sales and inventory data using web technology. Due to efficient use of IS by Wal-Mart they do not need to maintain large inventories of goods in its own warehouse, which cause greater cost of order and holding the inventories, because the system replenishes inventory with lightning speed. 2. Product Differentiation Those organizations that are charging high prices for their product need always modify their product to keep the product in the eyes of customers. For instance, Google continuously introduces new and unique search services on its web site, such as Google Maps. By purchasing PayPal, an elector nice payment system in 2003, eBay made it much easier for customers to pay sellers and expanded use of its auction marketplace. Apple created iPod, a unique portable digital music player, plus a unique online Web music service where songs can be purchased for 99 cents. Continuing to innovate, Apple recently introduced a portable iPod video player and music-playing cell phone. Manufacturers and retailers are starting to use information systems to create products and services that are customized and personalized to fit the precise specification of individual customers. Dell Inc. sells directly to customers using assemble-to-order manufacturing. Individuals, businesses, and government agencies can buy computers directly from Dell’s production control receives an order, it directs an assembly plant to assemble the computer using components from an on-site warehouse based on the configuration specified by the customer. 3. Focus Using information systems to enable a specific market focus, and serve this narrow target market better than competitors. Information systems support this strategy by producing and analyzing data for finely tuned sales and marketing techniques. Information system enable companies to analyze customer buying patterns, tastes and preferences closely so that they efficiently pitch advertising and marketing campaigns to smaller and smaller target markets. The data come from a range of sources-credit card transaction, demographic data purchase data from checkout counter scanners at supermarkets and retail stores, and data collected when people access and interact with Web sites. Sophisticated software tools find patterns in these large pools of data and infer rules from them that can be used to guide decision making. Analysis of such data drives one-to-one marketing where personal messages can be created based on individualized preference. For example, Hilton Hotels OnQ system analyzes detailed data collected on active guests in all of its properties determine the preferences of each guest and each guest’s profitability. (LAUDON, LAUDON, 2009) Multiple Methodology Frameworks Earl methodology has been regarded as most influential methodologies for developing information systems strategies. According to this work, IT offers major new business opportunities by improving productivity and performance, developing new businesses and enabling companies to gain competitive advantage. The key ideological stance taken by Earl is based not on internal but external or outward looking activities so that business objectives can be met fully. Earl pioneered a multiple methodology with three approaches (top-down, bottom-up and inside-out) Top-down Top down is concerned with identifying and agreeing business objectives and the drivers of business value through interviews, debates, existing business strategy and policies. Critical success factors (CSFs) are then developed for areas where success is necessary for survival, and subsequently information systems that support/enable/deliver these CSFs need to found. Bottom-up Bottom-up is about exploring what currently exist in terms of hardware, software, IT and IS applications and determining their functions, and how they work and add value. This activity concerns itself with understanding what systems currently exist and in establishing what needs to exist in the light of company strategic needs. This activity also requires and understanding of any capacity limits or constraints of current systems, which might act as a barrier to future needs. Inside-Out Inside-out is about being innovative and finding novel ways of giving the business an advantage. Usually, this needs strategic thinking into state of the art knowledge of other sectors/companies and spotting potential technologies or application of technologies, which will be ground-breaking in the near future. Benchmarking techniques are sometimes useful to highlight where an organization is falling short or has the opportunity to outperform its competitors. Earl suggests that both top-down and bottom-up methods should be used for IT/IS strategic planning and alignment since this gives a comprehensive overview of the situation from all angles. Accordingly, the top-down methods should be used to clarify business strategies and needs as well as the potential contribution of IT application. This should result in the alignment of IT and IS investment with business needs. Bottom-up methods should be used to discover gaps and map where an enterprise is in IS terms of its IT applications and where it needs to develop to meet the business strategy. The result should be improved specialist-user relationships and knowledge of where IT is important for competitive functioning. The third part of the methodology is termed ‘inside-out’ and implies designing an organizational and technological environment, which enables innovations to happen, thus making it possible to gain competitive advantages from IT/IS. Flaws in Earl’s Methodologies While Earl’s model is still relevant it does have a number of flaws: There is an assumption that because senior management are thinking about the strategic use of IT and IS and their alignment that this view and stance is good for everyone (throughout the enterprise), which may or may not be the case. The model lacks the ability to chart or predict future technologies and their potential impact on the business. The model is based on a rational and economic-based manager (Whittington, 1993),   who traditionally make decisions by analysing all the facts rather than taking into account more social, cultural, politically charged agendas, which can be entitled ‘social’ reasons and ‘gut feeling’ to decisions-making. Finally, Earl’s model does not take into account group and individual interactions and how this social networking is important is determining how things happen in business life. Since the development of Earl’s methodology other frameworks have evolved. A number of them have integrated principles and issues highlighted by Earl but have been modified to address some of the weakness of the Earl’s model. (GRANT, HACKNEY, EDGAR, 2010) External Drivers that Influence IS Strategy The following are the external drivers that have potential impact while formulating Information strategy and need to be adequately take into accounts. Transformation of the business enterprise Emergence of the global economy Transformation of industrial economies Competition De-regulation Emerging technologies Changing nature of the customer Environmental and conservation issues The value of intellectual assets 1. Competition Adopting Information System brings fundamental improvement inside and outside operation of organization. The organization added value in its activities by involving the IS across its department. The IS allow firms to understand and make better their supply chain, lean management, and value chain and eliminate all those wastes that do not give any margin to the company. Some of example of adopting Information system is given below. 1.1)   YANSHA Leans on IS to Stay Competitive YANSHA is one of China’s biggest retailers. It sells upscale designer clothes from around the world along with other line merchandise. One of its largest retail stores occupies 215,000 square feet in Beijing’s famous YOUYI Shopping City. YANSHA has long experienced market leadership in china, but in recent years has felt increasing completion from international companies. YANSHA’S management team was aware that its methods of communication with suppliers-the placing and receiving of orders-were less than efficient. It was also aware of other inefficiencies in communication throughout the organization. For YANSHA TO maintain its leadership role in the market, it would need to cut the waste and become lean and mean in its application of information systems technology. YANSHA turned to IBM China Research Lab to evaluate its information systems and recommend the latest technologies to bring it up to date. IBM implemented a massive system upgrade across the entire enterprise: an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The ERP allows YANSHA executives and managers to view real-time performance date, such as sales across all location, in certain regions, or in one particular store. Using this system, managers could, for example, determine the success of a particular marketing approach. The new ERP interfaces with a new supply chain management (SCM) system that provides close communication between YANSHA and its suppliers. These two systems working together, the ERP system and SCM system, allow organization. The new systems required a substantial investment of time and money for YANSHA, but the benefits have vastly overshadowed the costs. The new systems reduced the time it takes for suppliers to ship merchandise to YANSHA (order lead time) from 2.5 days to 4.5 hours. The order acknowledgment rate has increased from 80 percent to 99 percent. Order errors have been reduced from 9 percent to 1 percent. The money saved by YANSHA receiving the right merchandise at the right time has saved the company enough money to pay for its expensive new information systems within nine months of rolling them out. Achieving a return on investment (ROI) in such a short time is something any chief information officer (CIO) would be proud of. 2. Deregulation Deregulation can be defined as when Government cease to act as a controller over the industries and permit maximum liberty of the operation in market is called Deregulation. The use of IS in case of deregulation become vital because the connection with suppliers crossing the boundaries and new frontier develop which bring competitive edge to the firms. One of example in such situation is 2.1) 7-Eleven Japan Company In 1996 the Japanese Industries witnessed major deregulation in sales of stamps, postcards and revenue stamps and it is become possible at convenience stores. 7-Eleven Japan recorded sales figures equivalent to 9 billion yen in this area in 1996. Stamps and other products that customers frequently request contribute to increased store loyalty from customers even through the products themselves have low profit margins. In 1997 deregulation occurred in the travel industry. In 1998, the medical supplies and finance industries were deregulated and many other areas will also be affected. 7-Eleven Japan invested approximately 4 billion yen in the construction of large-sized refrigeration boxes for ice cream in 1994 and installed them in all of its chain stores. It is quite natural that ice cream sells well in summer time. However, 7-Eleven Japan recorded more than a two-fold increase in ice cream sales in comparison with the previous year. The refrigeration box was placed in the centre of the store where five gondolas used to be stationed. This was a drastic and innovative use of space as convenience stores have a limited space. Morinaga Milk industry Co. Ltd, Morinaga and Company Ltd, Snow Brand Milk Products Co, Ltd AKAGI NYUGYO, and HAGEN DAAS were the main suppliers. Until then, ice cream was mainly produced in the winter season and prepared for the concentration of sales in summer. However, manufacturers were unable to respond quickly to the change in the market. It was not possible to increase the production of popular ice cream because it would only build up inventory volume. Therefore, 7-Eleven Japan established a system to sell ice cream within 10 days after placing orders. The features of the system are as follows; On-line transmission of order information and inventory volume of the store directly to producers Manufacturers produce based on this information and store them in a storage facility especially prepared for 7-Eleven Japan The exact quantity required is delivered to the joint delivery centre for frozen products Form this centre, products are delivered to the stores In this way, 7-Eleven Japan has constructed a consistent production, distribution, and sales system for ice cream products. Thus, it became possible for the store to sell very fresh ice cream throughout the year. In addition, 7-Eleven Japan tied up with Morinaga Milk industry Co. Ltd Morinaga Company, ltd and AKAGI NYUGYOU for the development of new products and has developed new types of ice cream that satisfied customers’ needs. This is an excellent reflection of 7-Eleven Japan’s attitude towards â€Å"taste† and â€Å"freshness†, 7-Eleven Japan Attaches importance to the â€Å"un-learning effect†, something that breaks away from the existing concept. This is why it could carry out a very drastic innovation in order to sell â€Å"summer products during the winter season†. (ISHIKAWA, NEJO, 1998) 3. Changing nature of Customer The information system has been rigorously used to understand need and demand of customers in order to build stable relationship with them. A satisfied customer tends to remain a customer, and it is less costly to retain existing customers than to attract new ones. Therefore, the Information System helps to track down profiles of profitable customers to exceed revenue by continuously temping them. The process include compile the data of customers like Where the customers are located? What items are in demand? What is the revenue by customer and item in terms of an ABC ANALYSIS? What are the sales patterns and the sizes of orders? A sound database will enable organizations to manage costs, increase profits and make informed decisions about what to put on shelves. No manager ever has all the information needed to make a perfect decision, but having an adequate source of accurate information will improve the quality of decision. 3.1) KROGER COMPANY 3.2) BARNEYS NEW YORK Barneys New York, the upscale clothing store chain, reports a 10 percent increase in online revenue by using data mining software that finds links between online behaviour and greater propensity to buy. Barneys uses a system from proclivity systems to analyze data about when a customer visits its site and other demographic information to determine on whom it should focus its e-mail messages. For example, an email message announcing a sale might be send to those who had purchased certain products in the past but only when the items were on sale. This has not only increased sales but has increased customer goodwill by showing that Barneys understands its clientele’s interest. (GELINAS, DULL, 2010) 4. Emerging technologies The large supermarkets are extensively using information system to reduce their cost. They are acquiring sophisticated and state of the art technologies to evaluate the customer demand. The sensor machine on doors protect the shop to be stolen the goods. Also bar code or tag on the cloth helps organization to evaluate the demand of the product and link that technology with the Information system, which later send information to the supplier to replenish the particular stock in store. 4.1)   Sainsbury Since 1989, Sainsbury has implemented a high-tech information system that has halved the average time it takes to get a product from the supplier to the consumer. The impact has not only been on the Sainsbury organization, but also on other organizations within the retail food supply chain. According to Angus Clark, the Sainsbury director responsible for systems and distribution, bar-code scanning at the checkout counters has changed the whole supply-chain operation from a â€Å"push† system to a â€Å"pull† system. Historically, forecasts dictated what was pushed down the supply chain to each retail outlet. But scanning has allowed Sainsbury to capture demand data the instant a sale in made. Now, production and distribution can be calibrated to levels of real demand. (STAHL, GRIGSBY, 1997) 5. Transformation of Business Enterprise Organization structure refers to organizational subunits and the way they relate to the overall organization. An organization’s structure depends on its goals and approach to management, and can affect how it views and uses information systems. The types of organizational structures typically include traditional, project, team and virtual. Organizational structure can have a direct impact on the organization’s information system. 5.1)   World Bank World Bank is two financial institutions owned by 185 member countries. In recent years, the World Bank has suffered from front page scandal’s regarding suspected improprieties with its senior-level officials. In 2007, World Bank president Paul WOLLOWITZ was pressured to resign, and in 2005, vice president and CIO Mohammad Muhsin retired under a cloud of suspicion. However, while the press and the world were focused on corruption in the World Bank, some very positive developments were taking place with World Bank infrastructure and information systems that went relatively unnoticed. The World Bank has traditionally been run as a top-down hierarchy, which is a traditional organizational structure. In recent years, through the use of global information systems, the World Bank has transformed into a decentralized, front-line, matrix organization,† observes a recent article in Baseline magazine. Rather than controlling information systems from the top, the World Bank has been investing to empower its clients with the information systems they need locally to participate in the global economy. (STAIR, REYNOLDS, REYNOLDS, 2010) Bibliography Book References DAVID BODDY, ALBERT BOONSTRA, GRAHAM KENNEDY (2002), â€Å"MANAGING INFORMATION SYSTEM: STRATEGY AND ORGANIZATION†, 4TH ED PG 312-314: PEARSON EDUCATION LTD KENNETH C. LAUDON, JANE P. LAUDON (2009), â€Å"ESSENTIALS OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS†, 8TH ED PG 6-22: PEARSON EDUCATION LTD KEVIN GRANT, RAY HACKNEY, DAVID EDGAR (2010), â€Å"STRATEGIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT† 1ST ED PG 119: CENGAGE LEARNING EMEA AKIRA ISHIKAWA, TAI NEJO (1998), â€Å"THE SUCCESS OF 7-ELEVEN JAPAN: DISCOVERING THE SECRETS OF THE WORLD’S BEST CONVENIENCE CHAIN STORES† 1ST ED. PG 46-48: SEBEN-IREBUN DAKEGA NAZETSUYOI ULRIC J. GELINAS, RICHARD B. DULL (2010), â€Å"ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS 8e†: 1ST ED, PG 345-346, SOUTH-WESTERN CENGAGE LEARNING MICHAEL J. STAHL, DAVID W. GRIGSBY (1997), â€Å"STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT: TOTAL QUALITY AND GLOBAL COMPETITION† 1ST ED, PG 243, BLACKWELL PUBLISHERS LTD RALPH M. STAIR, GEORGE REYNOLDS, GEORGE W. REYNOLDS (2010), â€Å"PRINCIPLES OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS†, 1ST ED, PG 48: CENGAGE LEARNING

Free Essays on An Unconscious Friend

â€Å" ‘ Who the hell do you think you are’ Connie said. ‘Toldja I’d be out, didn’t I?’ ‘I don’t even know who you are.’ † (Oates 1227) Fear and uncertainty have come to fifteen-year-old Connie in the form of a â€Å"boy with shaggy black hair, in a convertible jalopy painted gold† (Oates 1225) in Joyce Carol Oates’ short story â€Å"Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?† The boy, who readers learn is named Arnold Friend, comes to the insecure and culture-obsessed Connie one random Sunday afternoon and eventually uses his manipulative powers to lure Connie away from her home to meet an uncertain fate. Like Connie, readers find themselves wondering exactly who Arnold Friend is and what his role in the story means. Oates, when speaking about Friend, said that he is â€Å"a fantastic figure: he is Death, he is the ‘elf-knight’ of the ballads, he is the imagination, he is dream, he is a lover, a demon and all that† (Franco). As one can tell, Arnold’s meaning in the story is subject to debate. While some argue that Arnold Friend is a psychopathic killer or Satan inc arnate, he is actually a collection of Connie’s unconscious thoughts and desires in human form. Some readers have come to the conclusion that Arnold Friend is a psychopathic murderer who has come abduct Connie. This is most likely due to his character’s strong resemblance to real-life serial killer Charles Schmidbetter known as â€Å"The Pied Piper of Tucson.† Charles Howard Schmid Jr. acted out the same habitual behaviors exhibited by Arnold Friend in â€Å"Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?† The fictitious Friend, like Schmid, keeps his â€Å"skin darkened to a deep tan with pancake make-up† (Moser 1225); he stuffs rags and tin cans into his shoes to make himself taller, and both Schmid and Arnold cruise around town in gold colored cars. Like Charles Schmid, Arnold Friend wears the make-up in order to conceal his real age. Schmid... Free Essays on An Unconscious Friend Free Essays on An Unconscious Friend â€Å" ‘ Who the hell do you think you are’ Connie said. ‘Toldja I’d be out, didn’t I?’ ‘I don’t even know who you are.’ † (Oates 1227) Fear and uncertainty have come to fifteen-year-old Connie in the form of a â€Å"boy with shaggy black hair, in a convertible jalopy painted gold† (Oates 1225) in Joyce Carol Oates’ short story â€Å"Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?† The boy, who readers learn is named Arnold Friend, comes to the insecure and culture-obsessed Connie one random Sunday afternoon and eventually uses his manipulative powers to lure Connie away from her home to meet an uncertain fate. Like Connie, readers find themselves wondering exactly who Arnold Friend is and what his role in the story means. Oates, when speaking about Friend, said that he is â€Å"a fantastic figure: he is Death, he is the ‘elf-knight’ of the ballads, he is the imagination, he is dream, he is a lover, a demon and all that† (Franco). As one can tell, Arnold’s meaning in the story is subject to debate. While some argue that Arnold Friend is a psychopathic killer or Satan inc arnate, he is actually a collection of Connie’s unconscious thoughts and desires in human form. Some readers have come to the conclusion that Arnold Friend is a psychopathic murderer who has come abduct Connie. This is most likely due to his character’s strong resemblance to real-life serial killer Charles Schmidbetter known as â€Å"The Pied Piper of Tucson.† Charles Howard Schmid Jr. acted out the same habitual behaviors exhibited by Arnold Friend in â€Å"Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?† The fictitious Friend, like Schmid, keeps his â€Å"skin darkened to a deep tan with pancake make-up† (Moser 1225); he stuffs rags and tin cans into his shoes to make himself taller, and both Schmid and Arnold cruise around town in gold colored cars. Like Charles Schmid, Arnold Friend wears the make-up in order to conceal his real age. Schmid...

Liberation theology is decidedly Christian however, Buddhism, Islam, Essay

Liberation theology is decidedly Christian however, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism each have traditions of protecting the poor as - Essay Example It is established that practicing religious beliefs plays a big role in defending the underprivileged in society (Jones, 5002-6184). The religious groups believe that it is important to offer assistance to the poor; the difference is the methods of assisting them. The liberation theology is entirely believed by Christians, however, religious groups such as Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have their own believe and traditions of assisting the poor as part of their religious practices. The teachings in these world religions about protecting the underprivileged individuals in the society have been researched aptly. Buddhism Buddhism is a religion that has cosmic and rich coherent traditions that protect and defend the poor. It has various set of teachings that guide believers on how to conduct themselves. The main teachings of religion is that people on earth should purify their minds and show love, empathy to others, especially the underprivileged. A Buddhist is an individual who is spiri tually driven to become a servant to others irrespective of the social class he/she is in, and ought to act for the benefit of other individuals in society. This is one the religion that upholds ethical values and emphasizes on implementing them when relating with other individuals in society. Compassion and loving-kindness are the core values that Buddhist should have; hence, promotes the practice of defending and protecting the poor. Life is important is an important and is highly valued, thus, believers of religion should ensure that they protect the lives of others. No person should be left die because of hunger and poverty or suffer because he/she cannot feed himself and family (Jones, 5002-6184). Being discipline is also significant, and humbleness is highly ranked, and for this reason the rich and wealthy in the society ought to degrade themselves and socialize with poor. Many opportunities will come up when individuals practice good morals and have a heart for the poor. Budd hism also teaches about love, which is a significant value a person can have. Love will make a person to protect and defend the poor in the community by providing basics needs and offering free services to them. Buddhism teachings comprises of 4 noble truths, the eightfold path and the precepts that teaches the society to defend and protect the poor. Christianity Christianity teachings on the subject require their believers to show love to the underprivileged neighbors by performing action of faith. For a Christian to have faith, it should be accompanied by actions (Jones, 5002-6184). Therefore, a person has cannot say that he/she has faith in God without assisting the poor. For instance, the religion requires their followers to provide food, clothing, and shelter to their poor neighbors. They should preach the word of God to them and lift their spirits that God loves them and wants them to be happy. Many Christian’s organizations have come up variety of projects that create employment to the people in the society. The projects employ such individuals, hence making them responsible and independent. According to the biblical prophet, a nation should consider as righteous or integrity, for it be judged by how it treats the poorest and most vulnerable. Christianity believes that the way in which we respond to the poor in society is how Christians respond Jesus; hence, the believers are encouraged to treat the poor for them to be recognized by Jesus (Jones, 5002-6184

Markiting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Markiting - Essay Example The two dimensions of the BCG model, market growth and relative market share, serve as proxies for industry attractiveness and competitive advantage respectively which are two important determinants of company profitability (â€Å"BCG Matrix† para 1). Looking at it from the product lifecycle point of view, it is often prudent for an organization to have a balanced product portfolio consisting of both high-growth and low-growth products. High-growth products are those that require greater resources and effort to market now but that have a high probability of generating immense revenues in the future, for example Apple could categorize the iPad here. On the other hand, a low-growth product is an already established product that brings the organization constant flow of cash for example in Apple’s case the iMac. The BCG model operates under two important assumptions. First of all, increasing market share leads to an increase in the generation of cash. The experience curve manifests that relative market share increases as a firm creates cost advantages (â€Å"BCG Matrix† para 2). Secondly, a growing market requires investment in assets to increase capacity which results in the consumption of cash.

Cases Write Up Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cases Write Up - Essay Example After 1990, worldwide software companies discovered a new phenomenon called open source business model, and they started developing and distributing open source software. These types of software are distributed free both for private and commercial use. MySQL is the world’s most popular Relational Database Management System. It provides multi-user access to, and runs as a server of, a number of databases. MySQL was first released in 23rd July in 1995 by three Scandinavian founders, Axmark, Larsson, and Widenius. The company was incorporated in 2011 as MySQL AB in Uppsala, Sweden (MySQL, â€Å"About MySQL†). MySQL used open source business model and used it as a viral marketing vehicle for penetrating in the global information technology market. For its open source status, it has gained a higher extent of visibility among the software developers community, including individuals and companies. Using the open access model, MySQL made available its products under a dual lice nsing policy allowing anyone to download them under GPL and use them for individual or commercials purposes. They required no fees for the use, and commercial users can purchase them at the minimum price, much lower than competitive market prices of other database management systems (O’Reilly 8). ... This type of business culture allowed MySQL to become a virtual organization. 120 employees of this organization are scattered across 17 countries across the world, and they efficiently communicated with each other through email and other means of internet communication. It can be stated that this model has provided the company with effective global penetration at a very low cost of operation. MySQL marketing strategy was developed based on the open source business followed by the company. The strategy was to supply a better product at a lower price. Its goal was to penetrate global information technology market to develop a positive distribution network trough a wide installed base (Krishnamurthy 11). This strategy of open source business model helped the company to achieve a tremendous growth in its specific segment of target customers. Thus, open source business model has eventually superseded more traditional business models, and the companies that implemented this model enjoyed higher demand of their open source products. Case question 2 (Google) Google is recognized as the most successful and innovative business in the current internet-based business world. Microsoft has proved its rapid growth through innovations in the sphere of computer technology, whereas Google has showed its innovation in information technology, analytical decision-making, efficient product development, experimentation and other types of relatively unusual and uncommon ways of innovation. Google has been successfully balancing innovative ideas, evaluation methods, and the use of advanced technologies for the evaluation of innovative ideas. Google has made itself recognizable as a leading exponent or a creator of new

Access To Prisoner Education And Correctional Education

Access To Prisoner Education And Correctional Education Prisoners receiving an education will always be opposed by some people. Most prisons offer inmates the opportunity to pursue educational courses, including basic adult education, secondary education, college courses, special education, vocational training, and study release programs. Such programs teach inmates new skills and equip them for life when they complete their sentence. Today, over ninety percent of the federal and state prisons offer some form of educational program to inmates. Prisoners obtaining an education while incarcerated should not be an option, it should be mandatory. Some of the prison population would not be in prison, if they received proper support early in life. Over half of the prison populations have a reading and writing skill level at or below an eleven year old child. With proper education support, a portion of the prison community would never return to prison. they are still human beings that need a purpose to their lives in order to be productive people is the single most effective tool for reducing recidivism. Mandating correctional education would make it much easier for a parolee to find and hold a decent job, and unlike drug users or any other addition, there are no relapses for those who escape illiteracy. In 1991, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act was created by an Office of Correctional Education. This act was intended to increase the quality of education in the United States prisons. In 1994, Congress passed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act which would make convicted felonies ineligible for the Pell grants. The studies showed that for every dollar spend on education, two dollars that would cover the cost of re-incarceration are saved. The societys welfare is positively impacted when inmates acquire education. Misconduct is also effectively reduced by these programs because emphasis on personal responsibility, respect and tolerance of others are being taught. The Inmate Education enables inmates to acquire pro-social values and life skills. The Department of Education study on prison education is significant because it quantified the reduce in recidivism among inmates due to attending classes or training while in prison. Read more at Suite101: Education in Prison: Benefits of Inmate Education Program http://www.suite101.com/content/education-in-prison-a94395#ixzz0zgMpxRoz States budget cuts have taken away educational opportunities in prisons. Teachers were laid off. College correspondence courses and vocational trainings have been cut drastically. All of these changes signify fewer opportunities for inmates to educate themselves and become more productive citizens when released back into society. A big reason why the current budget crisis in California exists is because of the numerous prisons that were built and then filled to overcapacity. That resulted in having to pay for more correctional officers salaries, more food, more clothing, and more medical attention for inmates. Prisons then wouldnt be so overcrowded. When inmates leave prison with a G.E.D., college degree, or vocational training skills, they have a better chance at making it in society. the progress we made in education to convince the parole board when it came time for release. Without schooling, this opportunity to show our aspiration and tenacity through education has been taken fr om us. When you release people from prison who didnt get the opportunity to further their skill set or education, youre sending people home to where they were before coming into prison. If the public doesnt take note of the fact that the success of inmates in prison will eventually help our society and communities in the long run, it shouldnt expect the crime rate or the amount of money they pay in taxes for housing prisoners to go down If a prisoner received an education while incarcerated, the prisoner has something to offer society. If the prisoner has nothing to offer, it is most likely that the person will end up in jail. prisoners are mandated to being educated while in prison, once released they can find employment and have a home. The crime rate will decrease as a whole. Most people feel they have no other choice in life, but to become criminals. Although it is in fact prison, the treatment they receive is nothing short of easy. With free meals, free exercise equipment, free religious services, free counseling, and free college education, prison seems ideal. Some argue that privileges offered in county prisons are too abundant and defeat the purpose of serving ones actual sentence, while members of the opposite belief say that these offerings are needed to keep the inmates sane. Education does change minds, teaches people how to think better, [and] how to find alternatives to the way they used to do things, said Stephen Steurer, executive director of the Correctional Education Association. The main argument erupting in the minds of American citizens today, however, is: should inmates receive a free college education? The opinion can go either way. For some, they feel free college education is a privilege taken way too lightly by the inmates who are receiving it. Hard-working American citizens fight everyday to be their best, striving to succeed as far as they can. Why is it fair that inmates, citizens who have committed crimes, are able to receive a college education for free? Inmates who have caused their families and communities harm are being given an education that they most likely take for granted. If one is in prison, chances that they are aiming to better their education while serving their time are slim. If a murderer is convicted, does society really believe that their first thought when they arrive at their vacant jail cell will be when does school start? No. Counseling and help is what they really need. If somebody is creating chaos and destruction, an education should not be their first priority to making things better. Those who have chosen to commit a crime have chosen to limit their opportunities and freedoms. Providing inmates with a college education also means that tax payer money is going to said programs. Why should innocent, law-abiding citizens be forced to pay for those who have done wrong? The professors and instructors employed at prisons are taking time out of their schedules to provide for those who have done wrong. These people are taking a risk and could be caught in serious danger if the students are not watched carefully. The information and knowledge that they gain could also be used negatively. If one is in prison because of a crime that involved deep knowledge and planning, providing them with an education may only better their success rate if they choose to again commit a crime. Another topic of concern; why should death row inmates or felons who have received a life sentence be given free education? Death row inmates can take some classes, although they are not allowed to leave their cells. A teacher delivers instruction to the prisoner through the bars. They will not be able to use the knowledge they gain because they will always be in jail. So whats the point? Many continue to ask; should repeat offenders still receive a free college education? Obviously they have been given a second chance to better their lives and make things right again, but they still continue to make mistakes. Why do these felons deserve this right, when law-abiding citizens still must pay the fee for higher education? From the other end of the spectrum, however, many will argue that education in prison is what inmates need to keep them sane and alive. Providing them with an education will offer the knowledge that they can have a successful life after prison. Some believe that what inmates are taught in jail should be based on a personal level and that the curriculum should focus on individual effort. On March 14, 2006, a group of educators began their work at a local prison in Worcester, Mass. The experience they gained not only gave them a great sense of self accomplishment, but allowed them to learn along with their students. They know how to translate educere, which in this context means enlightenment or to enlighten, into a meaningful practice and thus transform education into practical knowledge, the kind that leads not only to a better job but also to a more meaningful and creative life. Its rejuvenating, said Antonio Rivera, 23, of the Cheshire Correctional Institution, who is less than halfway through a 12-year sentence for drug dealing. Another example of schooling in prisons occurs in Hagerstown, Maryland. The prisoners, who are held at the Maryland Correctional Training Center, a medium-security facility, recently earned their Master of Theology Studies degrees through the Prison-to-Pulpit program from Covenant Theological Seminary of Tallahassee, FL, a training school that has a Maryland branch. Personally, I believe inmates should not receive free college education while incarcerated. They have obviously committed a crime or a series of crimes, and need to be punished for their actions. While some argue that serving hard time is enough punishment, I believe that, as a prisoner, they have lost every right as a free man. If the education they were receiving was not at a collegiate level and had volunteers providing the material, it would be different. But for them to receive free college education is ridiculous. Students work hard to gain a college education, and it is not fair that one receives it for free, especially if they do not truly want it or appreciate it. People today argue about the temptations that society must face and overcome. In these hard times, it is tough to be a well-rounded individual. Obviously, there is no excuse for committing a crime, but there has to be somebody to blame. I truly do not understand why these criminals are given the education that hard-working men and women must compete for. The issue of inmates receiving free college education is a touchy subject that has obviously stirred controversy. American citizens are free to believe what they feel and, as a strong-minded country, it would be difficult to change their opinions Whether you are for or against inmates receiving free college education while incarcerated, one is entitled to their own opinion. In the words of Voltaire: I may not agree with the words you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. I completely disagree with you. The American justice system is supposed to focus on rehabilitation and not be a penal system. I DO think there must be more therapy in prisons, but I also think there must be an opportunity to get an education or else you are setting these offenders up to fail when they are released from prison. As most individuals know, you must have a college degree to get anywhere in America these days. If offenders are released from prison and try to find a job with their criminal history, lack of recent experience, and no education they are not very likely to find a decent job, that is if they find a job at all. They leave the prison with nothing, you have to give them the foot hold of an education if they want it. Chuck on March 26th, 2010 11:07 am http://www.mhsroundtable.com/wp-includes/images/blank.gifAngie, There are good people who havent ever been arrested who cant afford to go to college, why should inmates get something law abiding people dont [for free]? Law abiding citizens shouldnt even get a free ride to college from the government anyway. You have to think things through logically and dont base your decisions off of your emotions. This is a good article. julian on April 6th, 2010 8:59 pm http://www.mhsroundtable.com/wp-includes/images/blank.gif chuck, I disagree with you. To say it isnt fair is based on emotion. Logically, if inmates do earn a college degree, it helps us benefit in the long run, because we wont have to spend more money sending them back to prison. Second they will also help by paying taxes. Chuck on April 8th, 2010 11:09 am http://www.mhsroundtable.com/wp-includes/images/blank.gif Im sorry Julian, youre wrong. First off, I never used the word fair, so if youre referring to me, youre misquoting. Anyway, my comment is completely logicalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ people shouldnt be rewarded for a crime, therefore, people in prison shouldnt get free education. Logically, if inmates do earn a college degree, it helps us benefit in the long run, because we wont have to spend more money sending them back to prison. Second they will also help by paying taxes. This isnt logical, its not logical to assume a convicted criminal will automatically become a normal citizen. About 62% of people arrested will be arrested again. So you really believe that as soon as they get an education their ways will change? But again, you shouldnt be rewarded for committing a crime. barney on April 9th, 2010 11:18 am http://www.mhsroundtable.com/wp-includes/images/blank.gif I dont really agree with this article. Its based to much on the naive stereotypes of prison. Stereotypes such as every man in prison is guilty, they get everything for free, ect.. First off, educating criminals is probably more beneficial to the safety of them and others, making them educated is better than leaving them as violent apes. Lets say a man who has been in prison twenty years has just been released. He has nothing. No money. No friends, nowhere to live. Hell end back up in jail in less than 2 years. Give him an education, maybe it wont end up like that. Not every man in prison is guilty, thats just a sad fact. The justice system is not perfect and never can be. So unless you have been in those shoes, you could not possibly understand how important thing like an education can become to a man. Also, to be fair, if an inmate doesnt want an education, i dont think they would force it upon them. It is probably only going to be given to those who want it. TONY on April 13th, 2010 11:13 am http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/42b0a9829ced240740cbe3105a4e5ec8?s=70d=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mhsroundtable.com%2Fwp-includes%2Fimages%2Fblank.gifr=G To all who read this article, I am the reason that the masters of theology program that came to MCTC in Hagerstown MD . I am a former armed robber and I never believed I deserved anything free. As a matter of fact I am grateful that I live in a time of mercy, Had it been 2000 years ago, I would have been on that roman cross myself, even 100 years ago I would have been hanged so, I can express with certainty ,as a former inmate, and now living a productive, taxpaying life with a wife and 2 kids and a member of my Church for many years now, that I never felt I deserved anything but punishment. And to the saying there are innocents in prison I didnt run into anyone trying to say that but to mention in one case a guy said he was innocent of the crime he was serving time for but guilty for others he didnt serve time for. To get back on my point, the program was started because God had put in my Heart to first , help converted Christians that were guilty felons to be able to defend their F aith against Islam and its recruiting of inmates, nationwide problem by The way, and 2 when they went back to their communities they would be a force for good and change their communities( In Baltimore city 8 out of 10 black men go to jail once in their life). Now, that being said Covenant theological seminary of Tallahassee is NOT FREE! We held Golf tournament fundraisers and also require inmates to pay (inmates make about 28 dollars a month from duties inside prison) so they feel invested and are less likely to drop out . Also this inhibits lazy inmates from undertaking something because its free then realizing its hard work to get that degree. The reason felons go back to jail is they have no credentials for a job, we wanted them to have some so they can take their place as ministers and pastors in a Church community that has mostly women in these positions(most black men in Baltimore city are in jail). I hope Kara reads this and hears that I do believe that when I committed my c rimes I deserved to lose every right as a free man. I deserved it then, I live with it now. I cant vote, I cant own a gun, I cant get a good govt job. Im a carpenter, I make poverty level wages. And I am grateful that I have this second chance. -Tony Chuck on April 14th, 2010 10:51 am http://www.mhsroundtable.com/wp-includes/images/blank.gif Youre a good man Tony. Patricia on April 21st, 2010 9:44 pm http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/2bc5a371e133586e0676c8a5d4733b72?s=70d=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mhsroundtable.com%2Fwp-includes%2Fimages%2Fblank.gifr=G Im doing some research on a speech, a study (in the 80s) showed that prisoners who began but did not complete the college course work available at the time re re-arrested at a rate of about 44%, compared to those who attained a degree being re-arrested at 24%, thats huge! Especially when the cost of housing, feeding and clothing an inmate for one year today in a county Hailie about 32,000 a year. I work full time -40 hrs a week and still dont make that much. Also, Im getting college for free through a federal pell grant but convicted felons are not eligible b/c of tough on crime raegan policies. Why shouldnt people with a desire to learn who just didnt have the opportunity within their community be denied the option now simply because of a bad choice? If you can give them the tools to avoid finding themselves in the same situation over and over, why not John on April 22nd, 2010 11:56 am http://www.mhsroundtable.com/wp-includes/images/blank.gif Patricia, You are missing the point. What if a good person doesnt have the same oppurtunity as someone else? By giving criminals and people who cant actually afford college free rides, we are punishing people who work hard and pay for college because college spots are taken up and colleges raise prices to make up for the people who are given it free. Not only that but by giving it to everyone for free, it eliminates the value of college. The value of college is to gain an education to give you an advantage in the work force, if everyone has the same advantage you might as well not go to college. Besides, college is not a right, period. If you can find somewhere in the Constitution where it says everyone should get free college, let me know. Patricia on April 27th, 2010 4:47 pm http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/13001d190535f20f9bdf96ebd05f050c?s=70d=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mhsroundtable.com%2Fwp-includes%2Fimages%2Fblank.gifr=G College isnt a right, but when people are released from prison and cant get a job, what do they do? They go back to committing crimes (again), you go back to what you know. There are federal grants and scholarships for people who cant afford it, Im a receipient of such a program. If it has been proven through research and actions that you can DROP the rate of people re-entering the prison system, and DROP the amount of TAX MONEY that is being spent on housing/clothing/feeding/hospitalizing criminals and put them to work to pay the taxes back once they finish some type of higher education, why would you not want to? I cant see why you feel that in that case college isnt an advantage but when our country can benefit from lower crime, better educated citizens and more people working, why wouldnt we want to see that? Tina on April 28th, 2010 2:40 pm http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/df04c4c3a4cddae7a874a685b466fdd5?s=70d=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mhsroundtable.com%2Fwp-includes%2Fimages%2Fblank.gifr=G I cant believe where some of you making comments on here are coming from? I understand this is the United States of America and everyone is entitled to free speech, but really? Are you serious? PRISONERS ARE IN PRISON FOR VIOLATING OR TAKING THE TOTAL AND COMPLETE RIGHTS FROM ANOTHER PERSON!! Should they receive a free college education while there? NO, NO NO and I say NO again! I am a hard working citizen, My husband and I both work 40+ hours a week, We have 2 children to provide for and I go to college full-time as well. Do I get college paid for me? NO, I have to pay for it myself. My son is preparing to go to college next year as well, does he get college paid for him? NO, he will have to pay for it himself. I am also the victim of a horrible crime, my Father was murdered by a man that was out on parole for slicing someones throat! Where is the justice? Why does he deserve a free college education and I my family dont? Are prisoners going to change there ways, most likely not. There are a select, and I mean a very select few that may change. That is great for them! However, there are thousands of people, good people not in prison searching for jobs everyday cant find or get one. When a prisoner is offered a free college education, gets out of prison and finds a job because of the education he received while in prison, what kind of a system is that? Criminals getting a job over a good upstanding non-criminal citizen because of an education offered free while in prison? Prisoners should not get anything paid for, they should have to work for each and everything that they do get. They did the crime, they should PAY serve the time. They shouldnt have any rights that will better them in any way. They should suffer just as their victims have and do! An education is a privilege, not a right for a prisoner! In which, they DO NOT deserve at all! hi, i am a high school student but i completly disagree with them recievig an education that the rest of us has to pay for or file for a grant to be abaile to reciieve. I feel that you cant set someone up for failure! That they do this themselves when tthey make the choices that they have. If someone cared enogh then they wouldnt have dropped out or commited the crime. they find it a privilage and want to go more than stay out.. so why offer what is drawing people to jail? I may be just a high schoo, student but it seems ridiculous for us to waste our tx dollers on this!!!! Come on, mindy. With that little error-filled rant, you are undermining our point that prison inmates should NOT receive an education. Having recently completed my freshman year in college, I am already $5000 in debt. I have three more years, if you dont include medical school, to accumulate even more debt. From this viewpoint, I do not think that inmates should receive free education. I have never broken a law in my life, but I am going to graduate with a debt that I have to pay off while paying for my house, car, etc. Its not a matter of what is fair, but rather what is just. It is not justice that they receive free college education. They should pay for their choices to break the law. I agree that they should not receive free education beyond high school or GED. Its not fair for hard working people to have to struggle to send one of their family members to college. I do think that Tony has a good idea, I live in Maryland, tomake them pay for the education to let them know they are not being rewarded for their actions. They should be being molded and prepared to be able to function in the real world and learn how to obtain an education through their hard work and paying for it. I understand that life throws challenges sometimes beyond your control but just like the people that get them same kind of problems they learn to work through it and not go to jail, doesnt get a free education or get it handed to them. They have to work hard and then they are recognized for their accomplishments. Even though prisons are supposed to be for rehabilitation it is also punishment. So beyond them receiving the basics I dont hink that they should receive free college education. The y also take away jobs from people that shave been working towards their degrees for so many years and then someone that has committed a crime gets out and gets the opportunity first. I have family thats incarcerated and my views are the same. They should promote people striving to get an education when they get out and they can even help them but they should not be allowed to obtain degrees. Tina, I have to disagree with your assertion that PRISONERS ARE IN PRISON FOR VIOLATING OR TAKING THE TOTAL AND COMPLETE RIGHTS FROM ANOTHER PERSON!! The violent ones, robbers, murderers, thieves did, but I did not. I was convicted of selling marijuanna and I took no ones rights. The money being spent to educate a child in elementary school in 2008/2009 was just a little over $10000. http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=66 The money being spent to keep a prisoner in jail ranges from twice that: http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/statsbrief/cost.html to 4 1/2 times: http://www.lao.ca.gov/laoapp/laomenus/sections/crim_justice/6_cj_inmatecost.aspx?catid=3. Thats your hard earned tax dollars at work. Lets imagine for just a moment that the education an inmate receives in prison actually helps him stay out of prison. Thats the case with me. The government is NOT paying 10 to 30 thousand dollars a year to keep me in prison à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and they can use that money for another purpose. Perhaps to upgrade the Governors office bathroom. I might be in the minority, but I cared about and valued highly the educational opportunity I was afforded. It didnt make me a smarter criminal à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it made me a smarter citizen that pays taxes. Instead of blaming The Man for putting me behind bars, my education showed me how I was the one that put myself behind bars. I have no interest in going back there and will do whatever I can to stay out of prison. Someone mentioned a statistic that over 60% of people released go back to prison with 2 years. That may be true. I submit, however, that an education earned in prison reduces that percentage by a significant amount. This URL has an interesting statistic à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ http://www.bard.edu/bpi/pdfs/crime_report.pdf Most strikingly, the State of Texas reported the extraordinary recidivism impacts of postsecondary education: [T]wo years after release, the overall recidivism rate for college degree holders was as low as 12%, and inversely differentiated by type of degree. The exact figures indicating these inverse recidivism rates for degree recipients were: Associates (13.7%); Baccalaureates (5.6%); Masters (0%). In other words à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ that 60+% recidivism rate applies to uneducated inmates. Allow a prisoner to earn an Associates and the rate drops to 13.7%. If they are incarcerated long enough to earn a Masters the likelihood of their return drops to zero. Every person that stays out of prison and rejoins society like I have, earns a wage and pays taxes. Part of those tax dollars go to pay for childrens education and part goes to pay for inmates incarceration. I know where I would rather spend my money and its not on keeping people in jail

The Death of the Net Generation has Been Greatly Exaggerated :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

The Death of the Net Generation has Been Greatly Exaggerated America's youngest generation, the "Net Generation", is not destined to become the sex-addicted, morally bankrupt, heroin-overdosing generation that many media types have forecasted it will be. As a member of this "Net Generation", or an N-Gener, I know first hand what the values of my generation are, and I know what the future may hold. It is in this respect that I agree with the author of Growing Up Digital, Don Tapscott. Despite the vast array of negative uses for the Internet, there is an equal upside to this form of communication that gives me great hope and confidence in the Net Generation. Tapscott describes the changing ways that N-Geners think, and he sums them up in three points. N-Geners have a greater acceptance for diversity, are a curious generation, and have great self-reliance and assertiveness. If this is truly the way minds are changing, I'm happy to be a part of it. Since there is no way to tell who people are when they're online, people have to be accepted for who they are. As the author said, "You may be [something] else...like an inanimate object. The fact that you're communicating with a toaster is not important--it's what the toaster has to say" (Tapscott, p. 86). N-Geners learn to think about what a person says oftentimes without knowing who said it, thus eliminating any possible bias. N-Geners' being a curious generation is perhaps easier to understand. The Internet is a completely new and ever-changing world, creating endless possibilities for exploration. This vast world of information has proven inviting to kids, making the new generation a curious one. Self-reliance and assertiveness are other important qualities gained from the Net. There are web sites for all sorts of purposes, from fantasy football to free speech. The latter gives an interesting example of how methods of assertiveness have evolved. These web sites are "the digital equivalent of the 1960s petition" (Tapscott, p. 87). In other words, the ideals haven't changed drastically from 1960 to Y2K, just the methods of expression (and on another level, the ease of expression). Internet-based self-reliance comes from the independent nature of the computer. It is a single console designed for use by a single person. When on the Internet, people decide where to go and what to do entirely on their own, and that idea has been firmly engrained in the minds of N-Geners.

Future Is Unpredictable Essay

Many believe the future is far brighter and more promising than ever imagined as a result of change over time. Although this stands true, there is no method enabling us to accurately predict the future in terms of greatness or prosperity. Even so, it is essential to realize how brilliant the earth has become. As a result of the passing of time, lives have improved thanks to technology and medicine, which have helped create a brighter world. For example, years ago, a person risked death by being diagnosed with a disease such as strep throat. With lack of antibiotics and technology needed to cure diseases, lives were not as rich as they are today. With the vast abundance of medicines in existence today, strep throat can be easily cured. In the same way, cancer, which once left victims without hope, can now be cured with use of chemotherapy that exists as a result of modern technology. Lives have bettered because of the degree of change in the world that has led to the improvement and creation of medicines. The world continues to brighten each and every day; at this rate, the future may even hold a cure for diabetes. Fifty years ago, women and minorities did not even stand close to white men in terms of opportunity and prosperity. As a result of time, the world has come a long way with women and minorities now holding important business positions and succeeding in ways that were never imagined. In the days of Martin Luther King, an African American and white male would not even dare to enter the same building. Today, by looking inside a public building, one can see the degree of change on this earth that caused African Americans and whites to now work together in schools and businesses, which are more accepting than ever. Fifty years ago people would never imagine black women to become influential figures. Today, Oprah Winfrey, an African American woman, is loved and followed by millions of fans. The future is unpredictable, but this degree of change is more promising than ever. All in all, time has led to change that has created a brighter and more promising earth. Diseases that were once deadly are now easily cured. People that once faced extreme discrimination are now treated as equals. The world continues to change for the better, one day cures may will be found for diseases thought today to be deadly and groups such as gays may one day be fully accepted.

B.C. (or BC) - Counting and Numbering Pre-Roman Time

B.C. (or BC) - Counting and Numbering Pre-Roman Time The term BC (or B.C.) is used by most people in the west to refer to pre-Roman dates in the Gregorian Calendar (our current calendar of choice). BC refers to Before Christ, meaning before the putative birth year of the prophet/philosopher Jesus Christ, or at least before the date once thought to be that of Christs birth (the year AD 1). The first surviving use of the BC/AD convention was by the Carthaginian bishop Victor of Tunnuna (died AD 570). Victor was working on a text called Chronicon, a history of the world begun by Christian bishops in the 2nd century AD. BC/AD was also used by the British monk the Venerable Bede, who wrote over a century after Victors death. The BC/AD convention was probably established as early as the first or second century AD, if not widely used until much later. But the decision to mark years AD/BC at all is only the most prevalent convention of our current western calendar in use today, and it was devised only after some tens of thousands of years of mathematical and astronomical investigations. Calendars BC The people who likely devised the earliest calendars are thought to have been motivated by food: the need to track seasonal  growth rates in plants and migrations in animals. These early astronomers marked time by the only way possible: by learning the motions of celestial objects such as the sun, moon, and stars. These earliest calendars were developed all over the world, by hunter-gatherers whose lives depended on knowing when and where the next meal was coming from. Artifacts that may represent this important first step are called tally sticks, bone and stone objects which bear incised marks that may refer to the numbers of days between moons. The most elaborate of such objects is the (somewhat controversial of course) Blanchard Plaque, a 30,000-year old piece of bone from the Upper Paleolithic site of Abri Blanchard, in the Dordogne valley of France; but there are tallies from much older sites that may or may not represent calendrical observations. The domestication of plants and animals brought an additional layer of complexity: people were dependent on knowing when their crops would ripen or when their animals would gestate. Neolithic calendars must include the stone circles and megalithic monuments of Europe and elsewhere, some of which mark the important solar events such as solstices and equinoxes. The earliest possible first written calendar identified to date is the Gezer calendar, inscribed in ancient Hebrew and dated to 950 BC. Shang dynasty oracle bones [ca 1250-1046 BC] may also have had a calendrical notation. Counting and Numbering Hours, Days, Years While we take it for granted today, the crucial human requirement of capturing events and predicting future events based on your observations is a truly mind-blowing problem. It seems quite likely that much of our science, mathematics, and astronomy are a direct outgrowth of our attempts to make a reliable calendar. And as scientists learn more about measuring time, it becomes clear how enormously complex the problem truly is. For example, youd think figuring out how long a day was would be simple enoughbut we now know that the sidereal daythe absolute chunk of the solar yearlasts 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.09 seconds, and is gradually lengthening. According to growth rings in mollusks and corals, 500 million years ago there may have been as many as 400 days per solar year. Our astronomical geek ancestors had to figure out how many days there were in a solar year  when the days and years varied in length. And in an attempt to know enough about the future, they did the same for a lunar yearhow often did the moon wax and wane and when does it rise and set. And those kinds of calendars arent migratable: sunrise and sunset occur at different times at different parts of the year and different places in the world, and the moons location in the sky is different for different people. Really, the calendar on your wall is a remarkable feat. How Many Days? Fortunately, we can track the failures and successes of that process through surviving, if patchy historical documentation. The earliest Babylonian calendar reckoned the year to be 360 days longthats why we have 360 degrees in a circle, 60 minutes to an hour, 60 seconds to the minute. By about 2,000 years ago, societies in Egypt, Babylon, China, and Greece had figured out that the year was actually 365 days and a fraction. The problem becamehow do you deal with a fraction of a day? Those fractions built up over time: eventually, the calendar that you were relying on to schedule events and tell you when to plant became off by several days: a disaster. In 46 BC, the Roman ruler Julius Caesar established the Julian calendar, which was built solely on the solar year: it was instituted with 365.25 days and ignored the lunar cycle entirely. A leap day was built in every four years to account for the .25, and that worked pretty well. But today we know our solar year is actually 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds long, which is not (quite) 1/4 of a day. The Julian calendar was off by 11 minutes per year, or a day every 128 years. That doesnt sound too bad, right? But, by 1582, the Julian calendar was off by 12 days and cried out to be corrected. Other Common Calendar Designations A.D.B.P.RCYBPcal BPA.H.B.C.E.C.E. Sources This glossary entry is part of the About.com Guide to Calendar Designations and the Dictionary of Archaeology. Dutka J. 1988. On the Gregorian revision of the Julian calendar. The Mathematical Intelligencer 30(1):56-64. Marshack A, and DErrico F. 1989. On Wishful Thinking and Lunar Calendars. Current Anthropology 30(4):491-500. Peters JD. 2009. Calendar, clock, tower. MIT6 Stone and Papyrus: Storage and Transmission. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Richards EG. 1999. Mapping Time: The Calendar and its History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sivan D. 1998. The Gezer Calendar and Northwest Semitic Linguistics. Israel Exploration Journal 48(1/2):101-105. Taylor T. 2008. Prehistory vs. Archaeology: Terms of Engagement. Journal of World Prehistory 21:1–18.

4 Advantages Internal Candidates Have Over You -The JobNetwork

4 Advantages Internal Candidates Have Over You -The JobNetwork Applying for your dream job? You’ve finally found it, and you’re perfect for it. You fit the qualifications, and then some. This job is absolutely made for you! So, what’s the catch? There might be internal candidates vying for the same job–and they have a leg up. Here are 4 things internal candidates have going for them that will net them your dream job almost every time, unless you learn how to preempt the situation.1. They know the company.Internal candidates, whether they’ve worked at a place for two months or 20  years, know the mission, goals, culture, hierarchy, values, etc. of the company inside and out. They also might have an understanding of the interior politics involved in this particular job opening. You do not.What you can do is research the company. Do your homework. And make sure that if you get asked in an interview about the company, you’re spouting information off as naturally as if you’d been working there ten ye ars. Act like you already do!2. The company knows them.Better the devil you know? Also better the angels. If a company knows an inside candidate can get the job done well, then they’re more likely to hire them again. They also have a good sense of their work ethic, their social skills, their strengths and weaknesses.What you need to do is articulate your value. Go ahead and be upfront about this- and use it as an asset. After all, not being a known entity has its advantages. Remind them you bring a fresh perspective with you. Don’t be shy to share some of your new ideas in the interview. Show yourself as the most qualified person for the job, and show them they don’t need to worry about your delivering on your promises.3. Personal relationships are already established.Internal candidates have a bunch of people on the inside- coworkers, contacts, friends- who are loyal and will vouch for them. That goes a long way. They’ve made inroads, and have developed relationships with their team and other teams that make lots of people in the company comfortable working with them.Your only shot here is to network. Find an â€Å"in† in the company, someone who could refer you or offer a personal recommendation. Or even someone you’ve developed a relationship with who could give you some advice from the inside on how to best prepare your application.4. They’re already a fit.You’re still trying to figure out what the company culture is, and the internal candidate is already in it. Unless they’re not doing well or fitting in, they’ve got a huge leg up on you because their bosses will already be comfortable with them, even like them. This might be the number one reason internal candidates win out in the end- they already fit.The way you prepare can go a long way towards giving the hiring manager the same sense. Do a bit of research to figure out what you can about the company culture, then- particularly if t here are values you share- go ahead and emphasize the ways in which you fit. Talk the talk, walk the walk, etc. Show them you’re one of them. Put them at ease. If you can do all that and prove that you’d be an asset to the team, you’ll have a good chance of beating out your competition from within.

Representing (Repressed) Homosexuality in the Pre-Stonewall Hollywood Essay

Representing (Repressed) Homosexuality in the Pre-Stonewall Hollywood Homo-Military Film - Essay Example It was thus easy to detect homosexually behavior among the officers. Theories have been put forward trying to explain this phenomenon. Some believed that people who had homosexual tendencies joined the army so that they could repress these feelings however, with the many intimate contacts with the young men they find themselves succumbing to temptations. Others engage in this act out of curiosity and need to experiment new things. There are several films that have been produced that show the existence of homosexuality in the 1950s and 1960s without violating the censorship act. Among them is the gay deceiver, Damn the Defiant, Billy Buddy and the Strange Ones. All these moves contain scenes that imply homosexual actions without actually talking about homosexuality (Sconce, 73). This article analyzes the production history, reception and the social context of these films. The social context Looking back in the social context of the 1960s would help us understand the reception of the g ay related movies. In this age, people perceived homosexuality in a very different light than they do today. There were no gay hubs as the ones that exist in Ney York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Most homosexuals practiced this lifestyle in secret with the fear of being marked by the society. Homosexuality as a sex identity was seen to be a mental illness and any acts of homosexuality were labeled as crime. Before the passing of the 1967 Sex offense Bill, homosexuality was illegal. Lesbianism was however not considered illegal but people who practiced it were looked down upon by the society. Although the cities would be seen as the refuge of minorities, it was not supportive of the gay community. The often found refuge in gay bar but these ones would also be raided by police patron. The police would also alert the media in case there was such a raid such that people who were caught ended up featuring in the news (Butt, 238). The Stone Wall bar owned by the mafia exploited gay peo ple making money from them. The rural areas were not a better hub for the gay people either. People living here were expected to get married and have children. Many homosexuals were thus pressured into getting married with these marriages having unhappy endings and in some cases leading these men to commit suicide. The issue of homosexuality became a contentious one when Bill Clinton tried to amalgamate the forces. It became evident that the issue of homosexuality had existed for centuries. People were also concerned on the reasons that would make gay men join the military. . It was viewed that the military was a refuge that tried to still the chaos they were going through inside due to repressing their homosexual desires. They would also escape from the pressure of the society that expected them to have heterosexual relationships. The manner in which the military was organized with strict discipline would create a new identity for them as soldiers replacing their old confused ident ity. Psychologist actually said that the gay men joined the force hoping that this experience would cure them considering that homosexuality was then believed to be a mental illness. Intercourse of queer men in the military was a common thing during the World War 2 and even after. Some psychologists were of the view that the prevalence of gays in the military was as a result of the antigay policies. This is because human

Deciphering Quotes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Deciphering Quotes - Assignment Example This eternal failure depresses people. The whole area of morality and justice involves official laws and courts, which can constrain people with more and more detailed prohibitions. Perhaps officialdom brings out the worst in people, and laws which are intended to be helpful are often used as weapons for people to humiliate and punish each other in public, rather than sorting out their differences in an informal discussion. The last statement about industry and profit is a very good one for our present times because it highlights the danger that comes when people build up huge amounts of wealth and possessions. This enrages people who are poor, and encourages them to steal from the rich, because the gap between rich and poor is so extreme. It seems that Lao-tzu recommends a quiet and modest life, in which each person lives by his or her own conscience, looking after self and others in a gentle way, rather than chasing after high ideals or great wealth which do not make people happy. 2 Plato: â€Å"The prison house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows.† In this quotation Plato explains the true meaning of his famous allegory of the cave. He has just been describing a â€Å"prison house† which is a cave in which human being are chained facing one wall, unable to see each other, or look in any other direction except at the wall in front of them. This makes me think of the way that many people have very fixed ideas about things, and can only see one perspective. In this allegory, however, the intention is not to point out the error of one particular way of thinking, but instead Plato wants us to think about the limitations of human understanding in general. The prisoners can only see shadows which are ref lected on the wall, because they are physically constrained to do so. This is an analogy for the way that human beings are forced to apprehend the world through their physical senses. They see some of the attributes of things in the world around them, but they cannot see others, for example the naked eye cannot see microscopic creatures or distant planets, but these objects do exist. The notion of the â€Å"ascent of the soul into the intellectual world†, which Plato represents as a journey out of the cave and its shadows into the full light and space of the world outside, shows the huge benefit that people gain when they use their mental faculties to complement the partial understanding that they gain from their senses. In a way this journey of the soul is a definition of philosophy, and an encouragement for students of Plato to step outside the purely physical dimension and think about higher things. 3 Aristotle: â€Å"The study of humankind requires awareness of peopleâ⠂¬â„¢s differences of background, education, habit, temperament, and other similar factors.† Aristotle is making a very important point about human nature, which is the great diversity that exists in society. It may be that Aristotle is arguing against the kind of philosophy that generalizes about human beings, as if they were all the same, or as if there is one model of