A critical analysis of porter’s five forces As applied to online financial service institutions

Porter’s Five Forces Theory is a relatively old theory, but one that has helped numerous businesses understand the market place and achieve competitive advantage.Some people have called it â€Å"Game Theory† because one either wins or loses, although it has been argued that â€Å"Business is not about winning and losing, nor is it about how well you play the game. Companies can succeed spectacularly without requiring others to fail. And they can fail miserably no matter how well they play if they make the mistake of playing the wrong game.†Ã‚  Ã‚   (Brandenburg 1995 p 57)Discussions, reviews and appraisals of this theory abound, with some expressing the view that this theory is found sadly lacking yet until now it remains a cornerstone of deliberations and studies on strategy.   This paper aims to evaluate the theory and show that there are truths and learning to be gleaned from using it as an analytical framework while also pointing out its limitations.In orde r to illustrate these points further, Porter’s five forces theory shall be applied to an analysis of online financial service institutions. The conclusion will discuss whether Porters five forces is still useful and appropriate to today’s ever changing business environment, or whether new workable theories should be adopted.I.   WHAT IS PORTER’S FIVE FORCES MODEL?Porter’s Five Forces Model is a theoretical framework that can be used by companies to analyse their competition and determine their competitive strategy by looking at five distinct forces that determine success and long-term profitability.The Rivalry Between Existing Sellers in the MarketUnless a company is a monopoly, there will be other companies in the same market offering a similar product or service.   Rivalries develop naturally as companies compete with one another.There are of course, a variety of actions that companies take in order to gain an advantage.   Such actions include adv ertising, changing prices even if only for the interim, improving product features, using new distribution channels or enhancing the customer’s buying experience, longer warranties and the like.In Competitive Strategy (1980), Porter explains that the intensity of this rivalry among the competitors is influenced by several factors.   One such factor is the number of firms in the market.A larger number of companies in the same industry increase this rivalry.   Ã‚  Another factor is slow market growth.   If markets are expanding rapidly, companies tend to expand in line with the increased demand and because firms are all increasing their revenues, the intensity of the rivalry is lessened; however, when there is slow growth, firms fight for their share of the market, thus intensifying this rivalry.High fixed costs also intensify rivalry. Since production must be kept at a high level in order to maximise these costs, there is increased pressure to also increase market share in order to dispose of these products.   Ã‚  High storage costs or producing highly perishable goods intensifies rivalry as well since producers want to unload as much of their products at the soonest possible time.Low switching costs further intensifies rivalry.   When customers can switch at ease, then the rivalry for these same customers are strengthened.   Low levels of product differentiation also produce intense rivalry in very much the same way.The diversity of the competitors whether it is background, philosophy or ideals produces a rather volatile rivalry. Other instances when rivalry is intensified includes when a firm is in danger of losing its market position and when there are high exit barriers because so much has been invested or fixed assets such as machinery and equipment cannot be readily adapted for other uses.A difficult situation where all competitors are threatened takes place when there are new entrants into the industry and the market demand does not ex pand, leading to excess capacity.   When inventory is high, there is a natural progression to resort to price wars, among other strategies, which in the end hurts all the sellers in the market.Threat of Substitute Products Becoming Available in the MarketSubstitute products are products found in other industries, but whose demand lessens the demand for the original product because it has the same function.   The presence of substitute products may result in lower profitability expectations and limit industry attractiveness.The determinants of this force includes the relative price performance of substitutes, switching costs and the buyer’s propensity to substitute as well as the perceived level of product differentiation.   With a greater number of substitutes, buyers now have a wider choice which is why adding the other level of product differentiation is a key step in keeping buyers from switching.This makes it difficult for firms to increase prices.   In fact, thes e determinants may gravitate towards a situation where there is intense price competition, driving them down.   More than that, however, it has been seen that there are situations wherein new developments in technology render certain products or even services obsolete.

Narrative Speech

I  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Introduction A. â€Å"Innocence is bliss† as they say. B.   This day I will open to all of you the chapter of my life that is called early childhood. C.   I will reiterate the story of my childhood days, when life is simpler and carefree. II  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Body A.  Ã‚  Ã‚   My life as a young boy was a happy and satisfied chapter 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My cousins were my playmates and we’d play along in our backyard. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My parents gave me all the things that I needed the most; shelter, love and care. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although I was pampered, I was not a spoiled child; my parents briefed me with the good morals even as a child. Transition: Now that I have told you about my earlier days, I will now tell you my early school days. A.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The thought of going to school was my biggest dilemma then. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My first day in school was a mess, I was nervous then because I don’t know what to do. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To gain new friends, I befriended my classmates. We got along well at school and even outside the school. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although my friends are not perfect I have loved them for what they are. III  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conclusion A.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Today I have talked about my childhood days 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I talked about my early days when I was still a child; merely a toddler. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Secondly, I told the story of my early education experiences. B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although things are not perfect I still enjoyed those early childhood days. C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   So whenever you hear me saying â€Å"innocence is bliss† you would know that childhood days are the most significant chapter of my life because I had the freedom and I was carefree then. Works Cited

SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES SCANDAL Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES SCANDAL - Term Paper Example This scandal had a negative implication in overall global information technology industry during the trying times of credit crunch as the company used to provide its services to more than 75% of the Fortune 500 companies (Timmons & Wassener, 2009). It was on January 2009, the Chairman of the company, Mr. B. Ramalinga Raju mailed a letter to the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as well as his Board Members confessing the fact that he had been forging the financial statements of the company. This resulted to the overstatement of the company revenues by $ 1 billion. He further mentioned that the balance sheet of the company incurred a liability of $253 million which was arranged by him personally. The revenues were overstated by 76% as well as profits by 97%. Therefore, the major offenders in the event were the Former Chairman Mr. B.Ramalinga Raju along with other several members of the board (Kripalani, 2009). Loss to Satyam During the period of such issues, the company lost its significant clients. It was noticed that immediately after the Satyam Computers was caught in fraud, the company was sold to Tech Mahindra which is based in Pune and deals with telecom-solution providers. He was successful at winning the auctions at $352 millions and bought 31% of Satyam. In order to acquire more of 20% of the Satyam shares Tech Mahindra made a public offer (Singh, 2009). The case was referred to be India’s Enron. Most of the financial houses across the world were disappointed by the fact that the biggest fraud in India was unnoticed by the authorities for quite long. This event resulted to be quite harmful in affecting the economy which if noticed in time could have been prevented. The event raised questions in relation to the level of corporate governance in India and has ruined the reputation of the Indian telecom industry among the overseas companies. The investors demonstrated their concern regarding the event and stated that the event took place at worst possible time. It was the time when market had begun recovering and the event made the market even worse (Vaswani, 2009). Mr. Raju had been trying to conceal the losses from the investors and as a result was caught up in the ferocious cycle of falsehood and debts. He stated that $1 billion of the cash in hand with company did not exist actually. However, according to various analysts Mr. Ramalinga Raju had been maneuvering the cash flows because of which the falsehood was not getting detected. It was also analyzed that the reason for such fudging of accounts at Satyam by Mr. Ramalinga Raju might have been for the chase for higher profits and the wish to keep pace with the growth rate of the outsourcing industry (Vaswani, 2009). Investigation on the Matter Soon after the event took place, the financial regulators started their invigilation on the matter. Bombay Stock Exchange, where it was listed had decided to remove Satyam Computers from its indices (Vaswani, 2009). Mr. Rama linga Raju was soon detained and put behind the bars for such scandal (McDougall, 2010). Reasons for Such Activities to Matter These kind of fraudulent activities not only hamper the existence of the organization but also affect the economic

Automotive Fair Price by Todd Low Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Automotive Fair Price by Todd Low - Essay Example The time in diagnosing the car is separate from the time used in fixing the car. Spending an hour on the car is more than enough to diagnose the problem. If I need extra time to find a fault, I will need to explain the customer in detail about the additional costs. My technician is appointed to diagnose the car; we are spending business hours in finding the fault with his car. That is an opportunity cost for us because we could be spending those hours fixing someone else’s car and earning money. If an arrangement is made with the customer where the technician drives the car to and from work, and driving during lunch breaks then this will be ethically more acceptable. The equipment, installed in the car, will record and diagnose the problem. The time my technician spends this way is not a burden on business hours. In this case, the total cost would come up for only two hours. The technician spent the first hour diagnosing the problem and did not find the fault. After that, the arrangement is made with the customer that my specialist will keep the car to find the problem. He will be driving the car to and from business and during lunch breaks. When he finds a fault, it will take probably less than an hour to fix it. So one hour for diagnosing and the other hour for fixing the problem would be charged from the customer. This method seems more professional than any of the other scenarios. What if you change every conceivable part that could cause this; would that be professional and ethical? If you cannot fix it, would it be more ethical to charge a nominal fee rather than what is due to you for services rendered? Changing every conceivable part is neither ethical nor professional. This way the customer will have to pay for the time consumed and the cost of new parts. Charging a nominal fee or for the services rendered will be an enormous burden on the client. The technician can use a 'trial and error' method, making educated guesses what the problem could be and then change that particular part.

Digital Technologies and Contemporary Patterns of Music Essay

Digital Technologies and Contemporary Patterns of Music - Essay Example The rapid growth in the digital music market has received a major boost from the ever-increasing popularity of various online music download stores such as various streaming services and iTunes. Modern music consumers are spoilt for options in the possible methods that are at their disposal through which they can be able to acquire new music. These sources range from a wide variety of several non-paid and paid legitimate sources to some other unlawful channels. The impact of the use of digital technology in music production and distribution and the subsequent impact on music consumption is a topic that has been seen to draw a wide variety of comments from several legal experts, pundits, scholars and the music industry (Halsey and Wooley 2009). Â  The traditional economic and social arrangements that used to surround the production and distribution of music are breaking down at an ever accelerating rate and markets are becoming more consolidated. This paper seeks to establish just how the use of these digital technologies can be seen to be impacting the modern consumer’s consumption of music. Â  Several decades before the advent and widespread use of the Internet, the music industry was seen to be relatively healthy and its worldwide sales were seen to peak considerably in 1998 (Baym, 2010). Since this peak, the spread of peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, such as Napster have greatly contributed towards the overall decline in the general sale of CDs. The monopoly that was being exercised by reproduction of high-quality reproductions was effectively eliminated with the digitization of music such that the illegal copies being reproduced were now being produced having equal quality standards to the original music (May 2007). Concomitantly, the production of intangible digitized music has resulted in the emergence of new consumption practices. Â  

Professional Development Plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Professional Development Plan - Term Paper Example Professional Development Plan My educational life was initially like that of any other learner. Elementary school and high school education was similar to that of any other learners. My interest, however, was based in the sciences. I had the desire to understand the working of the human body and what causes disease. My nature inclines me to caring for people, so seeing people suffer really affects me. I am a firm believer that if all people worked together to help those who are less fortunate, the world would be more habitable for all. Interest in sciences directed me to participate in science clubs and activities all through my elementary and high school education. I also actively participated in the first aid society at my school. The members participated in community service. Community service has been a significant part of my learning life. Whenever opportunities presented themselves, I found this experience enlightening. I am currently pursuing a nursing career, and I have an associate degree which helped me realize the aspects that nursing incorporates. During the course of study, I was able to get experience in addressing real-life patient situations. My goals are, however, focused on advancing my nursing career beyond my current qualifications. There are several options that I could pursue, and as such, ensure a productive career that not only is fulfilling, but also of benefit to the society. In planning for my nursing career, I have come to the realization that following a course without planning is equivalent to career suicide.

Business Communication and ICT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Communication and ICT - Essay Example More so, non-verbal communication enhances ideas and concepts of verbal communication through the application of gestures, body language, tone of voice, and facial expression among other aspects such as symbols, pictures, and icons. However, non-verbal communication relies on personal presentation, audience awareness, and body language. Types of Non-Verbal Communication Non-verbal communications include the haptics, artifacts, and kinesics, which have been used to enhance verbal communications from an individual level to business dealings (Wood, 2010). Haptics is the physical communication that is meant to communicate particular information at a personal level with specific aspects of the body. Physical communication includes the use of aspects such as facial expression, body movements, and gestures that often accompany verbal communication. Haptics is often evident in the social scene where more intimate and close relationships and communications are established. The distance betwee n individuals conversing determines the level of haptics communications alongside cultural aspects regarding interpersonal norms (Wood, 2010, p.131).   Body posture in this case is the speaker’s body position, which may correspond with communication expectations and intention in a particular context. Physical communication often conveys symbolic messages with regards to the orator’s intentions and attitude concerning the message being communicated (Wood, 2010). Facial expressions on the other hand are dynamic features and sources of emotional communication that often communicate the speaker’s intentions, attitudes, and emotions. In addition, facial expression includes eye movement as a key aspect of facial behavior and displays with regards to eye contact frequency, stare, and glances. Glance, eye contact frequency, and stare may convey a wide range of information, emotions, and intentions of the speaker himself. This is in consideration of the fact that facia l expressions vary continuously during oral communication, and they are therefore monitored and interpreted constantly by the message recipient (Wood, 2010). Artifacts are non-verbal forms of communication based on environmental, cultural, and social artifacts for message conveyance and understanding. The environment generally refers to the physical place where communication takes place while artifacts are environmental objects that provide some form of communication stimulus. The environment of communication and environmental stimulus are basically the concepts of nonverbal communication that affect the changes regarding how people communicate non-verbally. Appropriate non-verbal communication is dependent of the artifacts and the environment in which communication takes place, with regards to giving clues of non-verbal behavior. Environmental factors include aspects such as climate, which influences the non-verbal behavior of individuals and even native residents of a particular c limate (Wood, 2011) Kinesics non-verbal communication on the other hand is the general body language interpretation and message conveyance. Kinesics non-verbal communication relates to movements of particular parts of the body or the body as a whole with respect to the gestures that individuals choose to put in place when conveying particular information. The manner in which the body is held generally constitutes posture and body gestures,

Syria Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Syria Revolution - Essay Example However, unlike the practical main revolution that causes increased violence and destruction from below, the Syrian revolution was started from above courtesy of reform coup and this paved way for the long Baath’s party military reign that made people feel greatly isolated under the leadership of Assad. Assad played a main role in the leadership of the revolution from above that caused land reforms, education expansion and extension industrialization sponsored by state that favored the elite group of the society. Tom achieve increased power in the Arabic world and secure his power from the West, Assad waged war on Israelites and rejected the United States policy. It examines the outbreak and possible causes of the uprising and to identify the main reasons behind the revolution of Syria, the book examines factors like social conflict, weakness of the institutions, radical parties’ emergence, the military politicization and the function of unfavorable external situation. For instance, according to the author, the revolution traces its origin to the various coups and counter-coups that happened in the early 1960s. The Syrian uprising compared to the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions was grounded on the revolt of peasants, a Sunni periphery protest against the regime of Baath that turned its back on the Syrian local population, (Hinnebusch 12). Later on, the uprising took on diverse dimensions with Muslim Brotherhoods – Jihadists – entering into the conflict because of the heretical aspects of the regime and due to its alliance with Iran Shiites and Hezbollah. Resultantly, because of Jihad, various demonstrators from across the Arabic and Islamic world have emerged in Syria, although, the slogan of Jihad did not trigger Syrians to enter into the uprising. A different dimension according to the author is revenge, basing from the extreme violent efforts from the regime to halt the protest waves. He suggests that the brutality of the reign acted to extend the circle of the protestors involved in the uprising. A number of people who later joined the protest were encouraged by the desire to avenge their family member, friends and relatives’ bloodshed, and destruction of their properties, cities and settlements by the forces of the regime during the uprising. The book explains the power concentration under the President Assad and examines how presidential monarchy creation buttressed by inherited kin and people commanding repression instrument was integrated with the establishment of Lenisit political organization consisting of a local constituency. The leadership was an inherited type of leadership, for instance, it was a the forty-year regime of the dynasty of Assad – initially under Hafiz and later Bashar, Assad’s son and predecessor, which has prospered in making the nation a firm and stable nation. It also analyzes the Assad’s response to the uprising and the effects of the revolution to Syria as a nation and the entire world. Hinnebusch Raymond also examines the political economy of the development of economy, indicating how industrialization, liberalization of economy and agrarian reforms lead to an increasingly equitable and different but significantly flawed

EBay Website Profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

EBay Website Profile - Essay Example Many web experts have classified eBay as original Web 2.0 Company. The company uses eBay wiki and eBay blog as tools for knowledge sharing among online community. eBay blog helps user to promote their business and product offering to other users. Application of web 2.0 not only helped users to promote offering but enhance two way communications between vendors also. eBay wiki has revolutionized the concept knowledge sharing by creating online platform to transfer product knowledge between users (Campanelli, 2008, p. 165). Web 2.0 can be used as an alternative to integrated marketing communication to promote product by means of using digital marketing. The process decreases cost of promotion manifold in comparison to traditional advertising technique (Hof, 2006).Company’s eBay listing & store design helps them to increase visitor retention. It helps the seller to showcase the product portfolio in best possible color combination to buyers while flexible update function empower t he vendor to change content in accordance with the demand of market.eBay always try to improvise in website design to compete with their business competitor Amazon. Use of catalog in the website helps customers to navigate all the products under one product category and this process not only augment shopping experience but saves lot of time also. eBay has enhanced shopping experience in four dimensional ways. 1- Condition- eBay sellers offer items in range of various conditions increasing flexibility in offering.

Pepperdine University Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pepperdine University - Essay Example I have also participated in the Model United Nations (MUN) program and subsequently volunteered as administration staff. As a consequence of my active involvement and demonstrated leadership I received an award for the â€Å"Best Admin Staff†. As a MUN member, on a trip to Jordan, we helped: to reconstruct a broken down school in a poverty-stricken area; built fences and walls; constructed a basketball court and set-up the hoops; painted the walls; fixed the windows; and, read and played soccer with the children. For the past three years, I have worked as a Kid ´s counselor in a Summer Camp. This experience led me to develop my leadership skills, be in charge of a group aged 8-11, and assume responsibility for the group ´s tasks deliverance. Some of my hobbies are track and field and running. I am not only inclined to sports activities, I am also culturally interested in the fine arts. I play the piano and love to listen to music. Being part of Pepperdine University will broaden my horizons and will allow me to discover and explore a variety of people with whom I will be able to share my experiences and my background. Becoming a Business Management undergraduate will equip me with the necessary tools to work with faculty that are involved in research topics in this area and with whom I will be an asset to work with given my seriousness in working and experiences. I hope Pepperdine University gives me the opportunity to achieve my goals and expand on my future endeavors concerning Business Management.

The contrasting characters of Hal and Hotspur in King Henry IV Essay Example for Free

The contrasting characters of Hal and Hotspur in King Henry IV Essay Examine closely the contrasting characters of Hal and Hotspur in King Henry IV, Part One, showing how the play is built around their actions and different destinies, and how this contrast is reflected in the language associated with them. This play is showing the point of history when Henry IV (Bolingbroke) disposesses Richard II from the throne in 1399. It shows the problems Henry faces after he has changed and tampered with the divine rights of kings and then dishoned all the people who helped him overthrow Richard II. This creates a great main point to the story which shows a contrast between two characters, one being Hal, the kings son, and the other being Hotspur a honourable warrior. A contrast between Hal and Hotspur is established very early on in the play. Hotspur is portrayed as a great warrior who is brave and honourable, loyal to the king and an accomplished leader. Hal on the other hand is shown as someone who should be helping the king as he is his son but is not. He insteed is being dishourable and is showing the negative qualitites of being foolish and cowardly. In the kings speech in Act 1, Scene 1, the king says that he wishes Hotspur was his son and that Hal was not. This is a very strong and very important part of the play as this shows just how much higher Hotspur is than Hal in the kings eyes that he would want to trade his son. He describes Hotspur as theme of honours tongue and as the straightest plant which shows how important and how much respect the king has for Hotspur in using this personification. The word theme shows that Hotspur is a main part of the word honour and without Hotspur and all his honour there is not much honour left as Hotspur holds a great deal of it. He is described as: the straightest plant; by the king as the word straighest shows that hotspur is in his prime and that he is the strongest, most full and most wanted. The word plant is also significant as plants and trees are needed for the survival of humanity as they take in the carbon dioxide that humans exhale which is useless to humans and exchange it for oxygen which is a much needed and essential ingredient to human life and with him being the straighest and most full he is the main source of the worlds oxygen along with his fellow friends. This shows that without him the rest of the world would not be the same as it is now and the world of honour could well be lost if it wasnt for him. In this same speech of the king, Hal is described as riot and dishour stain the brow which shows the complete opposite of Hotspur and says that Hal is looked down upon and a disgrace to his family name. This contrast is shown clearly with the alternating scenes having every scene being set on either Hal in Eastcheap and then the next with Hotspur in a knightly place. This helps with the development and change of the two characters as you can see clearly the rise of Hal throughout the play and then the opposite decline of Hotspur in parallel. This helps to show the clear crossover of Hal and Hotspur in terms of honour in the midpoint of the play, Act 3. Straight away you can tell that Hotspur is going to be a great warrior and a well respected man through his name. The Hot part makes him seem as though he is fired up and ready for anything which could come along. It also shows he could be hot-headed and a slight brute in battle leaving no-one with any honour but himself. The spur part makes him seem as though he lives in the past like a cowboy. It also as was the point of cowboys makes him seem as though his main gol in life was to get as much honour and respect and the only way to do this would be as the cowboys would put it the quickest shooter in the west. Hotspur has many other positive traits which are shown towards the beginning of the play to signal how much of a strong and honourable character he is. He is portrayed as being a great warrior and a leader who would be great in battle; all praised knight. This shows how honourable he is and how everyone acnologise this fact. This is a good contrast between Hal as people dont see Hal as a warrior with honour but as a devious politician who cant seem to ever gain honour though his current lifestyle. Hotspur being honourable is one of his main strengths as this shows that he can always be counted on and being a good warrior aswell means hes the first choice for a man in battle: to pluck bright honour from the pale faced moon. The words used in this quote are very significant as it is short and to the point, compact into one strong and effect sentence which enables it to stick in your mind and be remembered. The words pale-faced moon make it seem as though the honour is very high and almost unreachable to any human being but not Hotspur as the words pale-faced and pluck make it seem as if getting the honour for Hotspur was very easy and even the moon was shocked and pale. Also the word bright makes it seem as if it is heaven like, holy and above any normal human being but again nothing is too hard for Hotspur. Hal however has a very dishonourable lifestyle and rejects his royal duties and instead drinks, whores and robs people of their money. The way Hals scenes are written in prose with alot of common tongue and swearing shows he is not acting like that of a prince, heir to the throne. The king has already right at the start of the play in the first scene told that Hal has Stain the brow of the royal family and the word stain makes it seems as though it is permenant and so can never been got out or redeemed. Hal while with Falstaff and the rest of the lads down Eastcheap is very lazy, careless and dishonourable and seems to not care at all for anything except from sleeping with prostitutes and drinking beer which he gets the money from through robbing others for their money which is shown in Act 2, Scene 2 where Hal and the rest of the gang at Eastcheap plan to rob tax men. This robbing scene though also shows more traits of Hals as Hal plans with Poins to not rob the tax men but to wait until Falstaff does it and then rob the stolen money off of Falstaff. This shows that he is a planner and has a political and cunning mind as he then says that robbing a robber isnt a crime and so he is only acting and playing a robber and is not actually a true lowlife. Robbing from Falstaff is also significant as it shows Hal cares little of Falstaff and is showing that Falstaff means nothing to him nd that this life may also be an act and not be true of Hal. Although Hotspur is expressed as an honourable warrior who is not at fault for anything and is on top of the world he also has his weak traits which on close analysis indicate a downfall of him at the time of the rebellion. Many of the sentences which are used when Hotspur is speaking are simple, short and exclamatary which shows he is hotheaded and has a bad temper: Hang him!; which would also lead to him being rude and unable to accept people different from his great warrior type which will end up to him losing allies unlike that of Hal who can get on with anyone: And you in hell, as oft as he hears Owen Glendower spoke of. But his main weaknesses are his lack of planning which will have great effect on the rebellon he is running: I forgot the map! and also the way he allienates his allies which will also lead to the same downfall and failure to the rebellion. A lack of planning shows a old trait of a warrior and not that of a politician which as shown by Hal is a new and effective way to shape life and succeed in life. The way he allienates his allies also shows how egolistic he is as he thinks he doesnt need anyone else as he on his own can do anything he wants and succeed in anything in life no matter what the chances of failure are: Well fight tonight; Act IV, Scene III, where the other members of the rebellion say to fight tomorrow when they have more men and a greater chance but Hotspur is not interested in numbers and planning but only himself and fighting. All the time Hotspur is on the downfall coming up to the rebellion Hal is on the rise thanks to his calculating and futuristic mind which he uses to plan the future to his advantage. This political and machievellian side shows his planning ability which will help him to defend his father, king Henry, in the rebellion and rescue him from a complete dishonourable life. The machievellian side indicates how good he is at acting and indicates tht he is actually acting to be part of the rough lowlife community when actually he is using it to his advantage as when he becomes honourable and a good king the contrast between the two different Hal and Prince Harry sides will be so drastic that everyone will see him as a much better king than he actually is: I will redeem all this on Percys head, which is said in Act 3, Scene 2 which shows his Machievellian side and how all of his life has been an act which is outlined in the soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 2. Hals calculating side is shown clearly as the further the play goes on the more financial and mathematical language is used; the debt I never promised; from the soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 2. This describes Hal as a prince which he sees as a debt as it wasnt up to him to be a prince he was just born into it. Also Hal pays Falstaffs tavern debt which gives the indication that he pays all debts and so will most probably pay the debt of being a good prince and finally king. In Act 3, Scene 2 Hal has a speech with the king which opens up the change of Hal. This is noticeable from the very start of the act as it is written in verse as that of the royals and not in prose like he used to talk in Eastcheap. In the speech the king starts by saying that God is punishing him for the way he overthrowed Richard II by giving him a lazy and ignorant son. Hal responds to this by accepting his faults but by aso saying that much of the news heard by the king was exagerated as Hal is prince. Bolingbroke then lies to his son and says that he himself kept out of the limelight unlike Richard and Hal and this is why he is king at the moment. But in Richard II, Bolingbroke is shown to be very much in the limelight unlike he has said and this this maybe suggests that Hal has got his skill of a politician from his father Bolingbroke. Then the king goes on to say what great qualities Hotspur has and how he is a warrior and a leader unlike Hal. He then goes on to say that he th inks his son is so dishonourable that if the rebels paid him he would fight for them against his father: to fight against me under Percys pay. This comment gets to Hal and so he reveals to his father, Bolingbroke, his plan of using Percy to gain all the glory and honour for him, which shows he is political and that of a Machievellian mind: Percy is but my factor. He then goes on to say that once Percy has gained the honour he will kill Hotspur and take all the Honour of Hotspur which will rid him of his bad life and allow him to make a good, princely new start: Stain my favours in a bloody mask/which, washd away, shall scour my shame. Hals change to a full new prince is shown clearly with evidence of this change being, the way he acts courteusly and kindly and doesnt tell a single lie. He also says that he is friends with his father which shows he has left behind the friends from Eastcheap and is now friends with the royals which he should be. He also pays back debt literally to the landlady in Eastcheap and also pays his royal metaphoric debt by giving commands and taking charge and acting like a prince in public for the first time. Hals rise is so great that it is even noticed by Vernon, one of Hotspurs rebels when he tells Hotspur of Hals rise by decsribing him as: gorgeous as sun at midsummer. The word sun is used to symbolise new hope and power from within Prince Harry and midsummer is used to tell Hotspur that th Prince is rising and peaking and so stronger than ever. The reference to sun also links to the soliloquy in which the Prince outlines his rise. Vernon also uses the quote: rise from the ground like feathered mercury to decsribe Prince Harry. The word rise shows that Harry is moving up in the world and Mercury to make he seem God-like. In Act 4, Scene 2, Falstaff sells his footsoldiers so he gets money and then just replaces them with the lowlifes of society and so he ends up with money and footsoldiers. Falstaff has an attitude that it doesnt matter hat footsoldiers you have they are all going to die and so who he has picked means nothing as he sees war as a blood bath which is a dramatic contrast to the idea of war to Hal and Hotspur as they both see it as honourable. Later on in the play in Act 5, Scene 1, Hal makes an offer to the king of single-handed combat with a Percy as he wants to re-inact what Bolingbroke did after he went from the drain to fame. To this proposal the king denies which shows he is know in the modern, political world and that the old medieval honour age is in the past. Falstaff later on in this scene dismisses honour and war again by saying it is useless and has no purpose as it cant keep you alive or save you from suffering and so he will have nothing to do with it. This speech by Falstaff signals the downfall of Hotspur as it shows that his whole life chasing honour is worthless as all it is is just a simple word which has no significance to our destinies. Hotspurs downfall is shown again in the next scene when he replies: Cousin, I think thou art enamoured on his follies; to Vernon when he praises the Prince and tels of his change. In saying this Hotspur is showing that he can not acept Hals change and so when it comes to battle Hotspur will be to arrogant and unestimate Hal which could and does lead to his death. Hal shows two last and most important traits of a true prince before killing Hotspur by refusing to leave the battlefield despite being wounded and told to by his father and then by saving his father, the King, from Douglas. The King tells of his forgiveness to Hal after he saves his life by saying that Hal has: redeemd thy lost opinion. The king uses the financial word of redeemd to show of the change to the new world and to show that Prince Harry is a political hero in the eyes of the king. Also, in saying this the king is forgiving him and allowing him to have a new start at being a Prince. Hal finally replies to the king by closing the soliloquy of that of princely debt by accepting that it was his debt and even if he never pomised it he still had to pay it to be a good Prince: never promiseth but he means to pay Hal then finishes his transformation into a Prince by defeating Hotspur in single-compact. But during the time in which Hotspur is finally dying and has lost his honour he relises it means nothing to you once your dead but still can only accept the lose of his life to Prince Harry over the lose of his honour. Once Hotspur is dead the Prince regains the traits of a true prince and pays respect to Hotspur after he dies and then covers his face as a final show of respect: But let my favours, hids thy mangles face. Hal then refers to himself as the Prince for the first time and this symbolised a complete change: I am the Prince of Wales. A truely transformed Prince Harry then backs up a total transformation by releasing and showing remorse on Douglas who fought against him and the king as part of the rebels in the rebellion and then finally rides of to fight Glendower with the king to show him and his father as true political royals side by side as they should be.

Analysis of Dennis Law of Evidence

Analysis of Dennis Law of Evidence The argument by Professor Ian Dennis that a decision may be factually correct and yet lack the moral justification usually served by a verdict is based on the existence of convictions reached despite apparent procedural irregularities in obtaining the evidence. Three major areas where this occurs are in the areas of confessions, illegally or improperly obtained evidence and silence of the accused as evidence. This represents a battle to maintain the crux of criminal law found in the presumption of innocence and the maxim, â€Å"It is better to let a hundred guilty men go free than hang one innocent man†. On the other hand, it may be thought that to exclude such improper evidence would, in some cases, result in injustice such as the acquittal of the guilty.[1] As a result, English law contains some compromises in some of these areas. This is in order to satisfy the two extreme views. Three cases are analyzed below in order to determine the truth or not of Professor Dennis’ argument. Generally, confessions are admissible in evidence provided they are made voluntarily. However, judges may exercise discretion to exclude confessions obtained by improper or unfair means or in breach of the Judges’ Rules or on grounds that its prejudicial effect outweighed its probative value.[2] These principles are also found in Section 76 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE Act). Professor Dennis’ argument lacks support in the case of properly admitted confessions. In most cases, in order to maintain fairness and morality towards the accused, judges exclude confessions once it is shown that the rules were breached.[3] His argument is upheld only where a confession is admitted and applied to ground a conviction despite being obtained in unfair circumstances. It would then appear that the usual practice does not support the argument above but the exceptional case illustrates the point of Professor Dennis’ statement.[4] In R v. Fulling,[5] the appellant was convicted of obtaining property by deception. Her conviction was grounded on a confession which she claimed to have made under oppressive circumstances. While in custody the appellant was interviewed twice on the first day and once on the following day when she made a confession which she later claimed was the result of being told by an officer that her lover had been having an affair with the woman in the next cell for the last three years. She said that these revelations so distressed her that she could not stand being in the cells any longer and made a statement in the hope that she would be released. The appeal was dismissed on the ground that the confession was admissible since it was not oppressive (characterized by impropriety) under S. 76(2)(a) of the PACE Act or rendered unreliable under S. 76(2)(b). The degree of oppression and impropriety sufficient to exclude the confession was determined by the court to be absent. The decision in this case was factually correct because earlier evidence given by a witness was corroborated by Fuller’s confession. However, if the moral justification for founding conviction were that the degree of impropriety was lower than required, then the verdict would be regarded as morally weak.[6] ILLEGALLY OR IMPROPERLY OBTAINED EVIDENCE – R V. SANG (1980) AC 402 The general position of the law is that evidence, which is relevant and otherwise admissible, should not be excluded only because of the manner in which it was obtained.[7] The judge may exclude such evidence only as a matter of discretion. Therefore, the use of such evidence to found a conviction, although factually correct, can be seen as lacking in moral authority where improper means are alleged. This common law position has been influenced by Section 78 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 which grants the court discretion to refuse to allow evidence which would have an adverse effect on the fairness of the proceedings because of the circumstances in which it was obtained. In R v. Sang[8] the appellant sought the exclusion of the evidence upon which the accused was later convicted because the accused had been induced to commit the offence by an agent provocateur. It was held on appeal that the court is not concerned with how the evidence was obtained provided it was relevant and admissible. The reasoning was based on Kuruma Son of Kaniu v. R [9] that remedies may be sought in civil law for illegality but the judge at trial is only concerned with how such unfairly obtained evidence is used by the prosecution and not how it was obtained. This case strongly illustrates how moral legitimacy of a guilty verdict can be compromised where the court overlooks its power of discretion and the unfair circumstances in which the accused is found, choosing instead to apply the facts heedlessly. The accused’ right to silence formerly entitled the accused not to have inferences drawn from his silence as evidence of his guilt.[10] This right has been curtailed by Section 35 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 which provides in subsections (2) and (3) that inferences may be drawn from the failure of the accused to give evidence or his refusal, without good cause, to answer any question. This position was upheld in the case of R v. Cowan ors.[11] although Cowan’s appeal was allowed only on the ground that such inference should not be the sole ground for conviction.[12] Thus in this case the court rejected the argument that adverse inference under S. 35 should be restricted to exceptional cases where there is no innocent explanation for the silence. Consequently, the right to silence when exercised by the accused leaves him in danger of being convicted based on the inference drawn by the jury about his silence and other available circumstantial eviden ce. Innocent reasons or good reasons for silence outside those stipulated by the law are insufficient to protect an accused person.[13] The accused must fit the exceptions in order to be excluded where the court has satisfied itself that other requirements[14] have been met. The use of this kind of evidence strongly supports Professor Dennis’ argument because the decision may be factually correct when other circumstantial evidence is added but the moral justification for finding a person guilty because of his silence is weak. In conclusion, as Professor Dennis notes, apparently reliable evidence may need to be excluded altogether if it risks impairing the moral and expressive authority of the verdict.[15] Trials may be fact-finding missions to ascertain the truth but public interest demands total legitimacy both in accuracy of facts and moral authority (based on respect in the procedure and treatment of the defendant). These rights are also recognized in the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998 based on the maxim of fairness, â€Å"Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done†. Heydon J. D. and Ockelton M., 1996. Evidence: Cases and Materials, 4th ed., Butterworths London Huxley P. and O’Connell M., 2004. Blackstone’s Statutes on Evidence, 8th ed., Oxford University Press London Keane A., 2006. The Modern Law of Evidence, 6th ed., Oxford University Press London The Common Law Library, 2005. Phipson on Evidence, Sweet Maxwell London LexisNexis Butterworth, All England Reports http://lexisnexis.com/uk/ Dennis I. H., 2002. The Law of Evidence, 2nd ed., Sweet Maxwell London 1 Footnotes [1] Keane A., 2006. The Modern Law of Evidence, Oxford. p.55 [2] ibid. p.380; R v. Sang (1980) AC 402; R v. May (1952) 36 Cr. App. R. 91, 93 per Lord Goddard CJ [3] This could be upholding the moral element, in other words. [4] A strong illustration is the case of R v. Mushtaq (2005) 3 All ER 885 where the trial judge was held to have breached the defendant’s privilege when he misdirected the jury by stating that a confession had probative weight so long as they thought it was true even if it was obtained by oppression. The appeal was dismissed though because the defence never proved the oppression. [5] supra [6] This can also be seen in R v. Goldenberg (1988) 88 Cr App Rep 285, CA where the admission of a confession made in the hope of getting bail was found correct despite the accused person’s state of mind at the time. See also Heydon and Ockelton, 1996. Evidence: Cases and Materials. p.159 [7] Common Law rule in Leatham (1861) 8 Cox C. C. 498, 501 [8] supra [9] (1955) AC 197, PC [10] S. 1 of the Criminal Evidence Act 1898; R v. Bathurst (1968) 2 QB 99, CA and R v. Taylor (1993) Crim. LR 223, CA [11] supra [12] This rule is in accordance with S. 38 (3) of the 1994 Act [13] R v. Cowan (supra); R v. Napper (1996) Crim. L. R. 591; R v. Becouarn (2003) EWCA Crim. 1154 [14] Such as a prima facie case by the prosecution (or that the accused has a case to answer) , directions to the jury about drawing adverse inference etc. [15] 2002, The Law of Evidence. p.45

The Behavioral And Technical Approach Information Technology Essay

The Behavioral And Technical Approach Information Technology Essay Several viewpoints on information systems illustrate that the study of information systems is a field with multiple disciplines and therefore, no single theory or perspective governs. Generally speaking, the field can be separated into behavioral and technical approaches. The behavioral approach can be broken down even further into sub-categories to include economics, psychology, and sociology. The technical approach can also be broken down into sub-categories to include management science, computer science, and operations research. A very important element of the information systems field is involved with behavioral issues that surface in the development and preservation of information systems. Problems like strategic business design, implementation and utilization, and management cannot be fully explored with the models using a technical approach. Behavioral disciplines such as economics, psychology, and sociology can also contribute vital concepts and processes. For example, economists study information systems mainly interested in what impact systems have on cost structures within the business and within its particular market. On the other hand, Psychologists are interested in how human decision makers comprehend and use information. Finally, sociologists study information systems looking for how groups and organizations form the development of systems and also how these different systems affect individuals, groups, and organizations (Information Management, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The behavioral approach does not completely ignore technology. In fact, information systems technology is frequently the reason for a specific behavioral problem or issue. But usually the heart of this approach is not normally geared toward technical solutions. Instead it centers on modification in attitudes, management and organizational policy, and behavior. Technical Approach The technical approach to information systems puts emphasis on mathematically based models to study information systems, in addition to the physical knowledge and abilities of these systems. The disciplines that play a role in the technical approach are computer science, management science, and operations research. Computer science has to do with creating theories of computability, means of computation, and approaches to effective access and storage of data. Management science highlights the growth of models for decision-making and management procedures. Lastly, operations research deals with mathematical methods for optimizing business issues such as inventory control, transportation, and transaction costs (Information Management, 2010). Key Management Challenges Building, operating, and maintaining information systems in todays fast-paced business world can be very challenging. These key management challenges are based on a multitude of problems such as information system investments, strategic business decisions, globalization, information technology infrastructure, and ethics and security. Information System Investment Challenge If managed intelligently, investments in information systems can improve employees lives and a businesss overall performance. For instance, over the past twenty years the Internet has developed form a technical innovation to a personal and business necessity. Some businesss have recognized considerable improvements in processing information by changing from mainframe computing to personal computers connected by local area networks (LAN). The ability of software applications to identify and correlate pertinent data in a data warehouse allows businesses to uncover unidentified financial or physical resource relationships and therefore make available suitable assistance where there had been none. However, along with the ability to enhance lives and organizations, some information system investments can become risky, costly, wasteful mistakes. To overcome these challenges, senior management personnel need to be able to successfully evaluate these investments to ensure the correct return on investment (ROI) (Laudon Laudon, 2006). Strategic Business Challenge You can pick up any management book and you can read about the significance of developing a strategic plan, and ideas about how to both develop and implement your plan. On the other hand, you will also find articles that you imply that strategic planning does not work because it is impossible to develop a long term plan in this ever changing business environment. In my opinion, the truth lies somewhere in between. Strategic planning can definitely help you get prepared on what you need to accomplish over the next years, what things you will need to accomplish those goals, and exactly how to go about accomplishing your goals. The trouble is that the benefits of strategic planning can be easily lost. These plans fail primarily because of what happens after the process of strategic planning. In general, a great effort goes into creating and developing a strategic plan, which is then quickly put away and forgotten, even by the people that created it. The goal of strategic planning lies not only in the development of the plan, but also in its implementation. Implementing the strategic plan will only work if you are clear about what this plan can bring to you and the organization. The strategic plan needs to have value, not only to the organization, but also to the employees. The bottom line is that the plan needs to be used by everybody. A strategic plan needs to be used as a decision-making tool from the top of the organization all the way to the bottom. Chief Executive Officers ought to be able to use it to make decisions on the direction of their business, mergers, or staffing. Managers should also be able to use it to make decisions for the priorities of their departments goals and objectives, and to align the work of their department with the overall goals of organization. Lastly, every employee must be able to use the plan to recognize his or her own goals, and where they fit in big scheme of things. When implemented correctly, a strategic plan helps to add meaning and focus to not only every individual, but the organization as a whole (Information Systems, 2010). Globalization Challenge The globalization of information technology warrants special attention by business executives, government officials and scholastic researchers for a multitude of reasons. First, is that information technology and systems are high-technology industries of considerable size and with significant potential for stimulating economic growth and jobs. The immediate growth in global trade and the surfacing of an international economy require information systems that can sustain both the production and selling of goods and services in many different countries. Second, access to the most up-to-date computer and telecommunications technology is central to competitive success in nearly all industries. Government policies which deliberately or inadvertently retard technological progress in the production and use of computers, information systems and telecommunications have important economic effects. Third, given language barriers, cultural, and political differences among dissimilar countries, th is focus often resulted in confusion and the breakdown of central management controls (Laudon Laudon, 2006). To overcome these challenges, it is imperative for organization to develop global hardware, software, and information systems standards. Additionally, organizations must be able to create global accounting and reporting methods and design worldwide business processes. Information Technology Infrastructure Challenge This particular challenge for businesses deals with how organizations can develop information technology infrastructures that can sustain their goals when business situations are changing at a rapid pace. Aging infrastructure is obviously a huge issue in many industries that only gets bigger as time goes on. Some equipment may have had external upgrades or facelifts, but in most cases, it is over 70 years old. Many organizations are left with expensive and unmanageable IT platforms that cannot readily adapt to innovation and change. Additionally, a competitive business environment and the pressures of the global financial situation weigh increasingly on companies minds (Information Systems, 2010). To battle this challenge, some organizations may be required to redesign its organization and develop a new information technology infrastructure to survive in this competitive business world. Ethics and Security Challenge Organizations must always be cognizant that their information systems are used in both an ethically and socially responsible manner. Although information systems have provided many benefits, they have also created new ethical and security issues that must be addressed. Every improvement in information technology can be tied in with at least one ethical dilemma. From Facebook to ordering merchandise online, computer users are ignorant of the delicate balance between ethical behavior and profits. Businesses, software and hardware developers, and individuals must think about what is ethically correct when using information technology on a daily basis. The primary issues essential to the world of information technology are the individuals expectation of privacy and the providers ethical duty to use its applications responsibly (Information Systems, 2010). The challenges organizations will face will be how to apply high-quality assurance standards to their information systems, as well as to their products and services. Additionally, they will have to develop information systems that are not only secure but that are still easy to use by most individuals. Digital Firms A digital firm can be described as, One in which nearly all of the organizations significant business relationships with customers, suppliers, and employees are digitally enabled and mediate (Laudon Laudon, 2006, p. 11-12). The firms primary business processes are performed through digital networks encompassing the whole organization or connecting several different organizations. A core or primary business process can be defined as the minimum single tasks to be completed to provide a certain level of reliability in output, without any thought to hardware, software, or performance. When a core process is put into practice, anything can be added to make the process more efficient, but nothing can be removed. On the other hand, a business process can be defined as, The set of logically related tasks and behaviors that organizations develop over time to produce specific business results and the unique manner in which these activities are organized and coordinated (Laudon Laudon, 2006, p. 12). Digital firms are extremely powerful because they can sense and react to their ever changing surroundings much faster those traditions organizations. Because of their quick reaction and the fact that they are more adaptable than the traditional firm, digital firms are much more able to endure in unstable times. Because these new firms are completely digital, there exist much more opportunities for them in the global business word. The Internet is quickly becoming the information system infrastructure of preference for electronic commerce. It offers organizations an easy way to connect with other business and individual at an unbelievably low cost. Additionally, it offers a complete and uncomplicated set of technologies and technology standards that can be implemented by any organization. Organizations can use Internet technology to drastically cut their transaction costs, time searching for buyers and sellers, and gathering information on products or services. This information is at the fingertips of anyone with a computer and access to the Internet. One example of a powerful digital firm has to be EBay. Following 2001, there were a high number of dotcom businesses that failed, but there were a few that held their ground, like eBay. The success of eBay is based on its capacity to transform many splintered, predominantly local markets into global ones at a comparatively low cost to its users (Simonsohn, 2010). People have always had a basic need and an appeal in buying and selling used objects and collectibles items. Prior to eBay, people would have tried to sell their unwanted items through family garage sales, classified ads, and flea markets. Nevertheless, the amount of people accessible to sell these items to was limited due to the fact that face-to-face transactions were almost always required. Another great example of a powerful digital firm would be Google. Google isnt just legendary for producing and providing useful services, but it has also acquired a few innovative businesses and integrated them. These include YouTube, Blogger, Picasa and Jaiku. Google used its digital background to take advantage of opportunities in the global business world, making them one of the most powerful businesses to date (Google, 2010). Types of Information Systems For most organizations, there are many different requirements for data or information. Senior managers continually need up-to-date information to help aide in their business decisions. Mid-level managers may need a bit more detailed information to assist them in monitoring and managing a multitude of different business dealings. Lastly, supervisors and employees with operational roles need information in order for them to perform their everyday jobs. Consequently, organizations tend to have a number of information systems operating at the same time. The three I will be discussing are the management information system (MIS), decision-support systems (DSS), and the transaction processing system (TPS). Management Information System A management information system (MIS) management information system (MIS)System used to extract data from a database and compile reports that help managers make routine decisions. obtains data from a database to compose reports, such as detail reports, summary reports, exception reports, and financial statements to assist managers in making better decisions. The different types of reports depend on the specific information a particular manager may require. A MIS is largely involved with internal sources of information. MIS generally receive data from the transaction processing systems (TPS) and reduce it into a sequence of management reports. MIS reports generally are used by mid-level managers and operational supervisors (Laudon Laudon, 2006). Decision-Support Systems A decision support system (DSS)decision support system (DSS)Interactive system that extracts, integrates, and displays data from multiple sources to help managers make nonroutine decisions. is an interactive system that gathers, displays, and combines information from various sources to help managers make non-routine decisions. DSS are explicitly designed to help management make decisions in circumstances where there is doubt about the potential results of those decisions. DSS are made up of tools and procedures to help gather pertinent information and analyze decisions and alternatives. DSS often requires the use of complex spreadsheets and databases to produce what-if models (Laudon Laudon, 2006). Transaction Processing Systems The majority of organizations day-to-day activities are documented and processed by its transaction processing system (TPS)transaction processing system (TPS)Information system used to record and process an organizations daily activities or transactions., which collect input data and changes them into output information meant for a variety of users. Input data are called transactions which are transactionsFinancial and nonfinancial events that affect a businessevents that affect a business. Transaction Processing Systems (TPS) are intended to process everyday transactions accurately and efficiently. A business may have several transaction processing systems to include; billing systems, payroll and tax payments systems, production and purchasing systems, or stock control systems to handle all movements into and out of the organization (Laudon Laudon, 2006). Challenges Posed by Information Systems Although the many different types of information systems are available to an organization and can be extremely beneficial to its growth, there are some management challenges. Some of these challenges include the tension related to designing and building the information systems, the need for training for both management and employees, and the need to establish which information systems is the most critical, therefore which system receives the majority of the funding. For an organization to overcome these challenges they need establish exactly what is needed in terms of information systems. Next, they need to schedule and provide proper training to all company personnel, so they are familiar with the systems. Finally, they need to develop a method of accounting for the cost of the systems and their priority. Key Enterprise Applications Most organizations compete in an rapidly changing, aggressive, global environment. Operating in a global environment forces an organization to concentrate on the most cost-effective implementation of its processes, customer service, and speed at which their products or services are brought to market. To achieve these lofty goals, it is essential that the organization freely exchange useful information across different functions, levels, and business departments. By incorporating all its processes, the organization can more effectively exchange information between departments, customers, and suppliers. The four key enterprise applications are enterprise systems, supply chain management systems, customer relationship management systems, and knowledge management systems. Enterprise Systems Enterprise systems incorporate the vital business processes of an organization into a separate software system. Data from a variety of functional areas are centrally housed and maintained where they can be retrieved and utilized by other functional processes. This alters an organizations work flow. Now information can effortlessly run throughout the organization, increasing synchronization, efficiency, and decision making. Enterprise systems are extremely tricky to employ successfully and once employed, are especially hard to change. Enterprise systems, also known as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems solve problems by providing a single information system for organization-wide coordination and integration of key business processes (Laudon Laudon, 2006, p. 56). Supply Chain Management Systems Supply chain management (SCM) can be described as an overseeing of resources, information, and finances as they move form supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer and finally to the consumer. Supply chain management requires managing and integrating the information, goods, and services flow together within and amongst organizations. Supply Chain Management Systems (SCMS) are used to help an organization manage its relationship with suppliers to optimize the planning, sourcing, manufacturing, and delivery of goods and services. SCMS supply information to aide suppliers, purchasing organizations, wholesale distributors, and logistic companies coordinate, schedule, and control business processes for their products and services (Su Yang, 2010). Customer Relationship Management Systems Many businesses make more profit from ongoing relationships with their customers than from the original sale. Customer relationship management (CRM) is a term applied to processes implemented by an organization to handle its contact with its customers. Customer relationship management systems (CRMS) concentrates on the coordination all of the business processes encompassing the organizations with its customers in sales, marketing, customer satisfaction, revenue optimizing services, and customer retention (Laudon Laudon, 2006). In todays highly-competitive business surroundings, the success of an organization relies greatly upon maintaining and exceeding customer expectations for both service and value. Knowledge Management Systems Knowledge management is the specific management of essential knowledge and information acquired by individuals so that it can be is effectively shared and made use of by other personnel in the organization. Through the successful sharing of corporate intellectual assets, Organizational Knowledge must be efficiently changed into business intellect. Personal knowledge concerning a business process must be converted into corporate knowledge ensuring it applied throughout consistently, ensuring maximum benefit to the organization. The main function of a Knowledge Management System (KMS) must be to make information obtainable to all authorized users (Laudon Laudon, 2006). However, implementing a straightforward information management system, file indexing and retrieval system is only the start. Securing corporate knowledge requires more than software and technology, it requires solid document management software and cultural alteration of how information is produced, handled, stored, and distributed.

Albert Einstein :: essays research papers

What is it that triggers a spark of genius? Is there some encouragement given at the right time that starts the process or helps it along, or does genius simply find its expression despite all odds? At age five, Einstein was given a device that would stir his intellect. It was the first time he had seen a magnetic compass. He lay there shaking and twisting the odd contraption, certain he could fool it into pointing off in a new direction. But try as he might, the compass needle would always find its way back to pointing in the direction of magnetic north. Most kid at his age, including me, would have given up figuring how it worked. "A wonder," he must have thought. The invisible force that guided the compass needle was evidence to Albert that there was more to our world that meets the eye. There was "something behind things, something deeply hidden." Einstein's genius, accompanied by his logic and imagination, succeeded in continuing the work of Newton. Within the frame of the relativity theory, demanding a formulation of the laws of nature independent of the observer and emphasizing the singular role of the speed of light, gravitational effects lost their isolated position and appeared as an integral part of a general kinematics’ description, capable of verification by refined astronomical observations. Moreover, Einstein's recognition of the equivalence of mass and energy should prove an invaluable guide in the exploration of atomic phenomena. Indeed, the breadth of Einstein's views and the openness of his mind found most remarkable expression in the fact that, in the very same years when he gave a widened outlook to classical physics, he thoroughly grasped the fact that Planck's discovery of the universal quantum of action revealed an inherent limitation in such an approach. With unfailing intuition Einstein was led to the introduction of the idea of the photon as the carrier of momentum and energy in individual radiative processes. He thereby provided the starting point for the establishment of consistent quantum theoretical methods, which have made it possible to account for an immense amount of experimental evidence concerning the properties of matter, and even demanded reconsideration of our most elementary concepts. The same spirit that characterized Einstein's unique scientific achievements also marked his attitude in all human relations. Notwithstanding the increasing reverence which people everywhere felt for his attainments and character, he behaved with unchanging natural modesty and expressed himself with a subtle and charming humour.

Etiology of Developmental Dyslexia Essay examples -- Psychology Learni

Etiology of Developmental Dyslexia The long disputed debate about the primary cause of dyslexia is still very much alive in the field of psychology. Dyslexia is commonly characterized as a reading and writing impairment that affects around 5% of the global population. The disorder has frequently been hypothesized to be the result of various sensory malfunctions. For over a decade, studies have made major contributions to the disorder's etiology; however, scientists are still unclear of its specific causal. Initially, dyslexia was thought to be a reading disorder in children and adults (1). Later it was suggested to consist of both a visual and writing component, therefore characterizing it as more of a learning disability which affected people of normal intelligence's ability to perform to their fullest potential (5). In the current research, cognitive and biological perspectives have often been developed independently of one another failing to recognize their respective positions within the disorder's etiology. The Phonological Deficit and Magnocellular theory are two of the most dominant theories in dyslexic research. Various theories have been suggested to explain the nature and origin of dyslexia, however, they often served as additional support for either the phonological or magnocellular theories. The Double Deficit theory suggested that dyslexic symptoms were the result of speed-processing (7). The Genomic theory posed that dyslexia was a highly heritable disorder that can be localized to a specific genetic component, Finally, the Cerebellar Deficit theory suggested that dyslexia was the result of an abnormal cerebellum exist (2). With the constant debate of the biological nature versus the cognitive natur... ...explanation of temporal processing and phonological deficit theory of dyslexia. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6WC0-45FCDRM-M-1&_cdi=6724&_orig=browse&_coverDate=03%2F31%2F2002&_sk=999199996&wchp=dGLbVlb-lSzBV&_acct=C000020258&_version=1&_userid=423519&md5=8fa40b6212ee8c82801e117a768bf4bb&ie=f.pdf 5)Nature.com, Article discussing the two most prevalent theories of dyslexia; the magnocellular and phonological theories. http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v412/n6845/full/412393a0_fs.html&content_filetype=pdf 6) Infotrac, Article describing the double deficit hypothesis of dyslexia. http://web2.infotrac-ustom.com/pdfserve/get_item/1/Sbc1b55w7_1/SB765_01.pdf NON-WEB REFERENCES 7).To see but not read; the magnocellular theory of dyslexia. Stien, J. & Walsh, V. TINS v20 1997 pages 147-152.

Illustrative Essay

In society today we look at magazines and movies and strive to be just like the people we see. The guys in these magazines have six packs and arms with muscles the size of Mt. Everest. And the girls are all size double zeros with no meat anywhere on their bodies. A lot of Americans work out and diet to accomplish the goal of having these body types, but some go to drastic measures to get it. Many eating disorders and their side effects are taking over the lives of Americans every day. Anorexia Nervosa is the number one eating disorder in America. One in every one hundred woman suffers from this disorder.Anorexia is where you deprive your body from any food. This can create many problems with the body. In the beginning, minor problems can occur like fatigue, dizzy spells, and weakness. But later on, you can do so much as to give yourself certain heart diseases and some women even lose their menstrual cycles. Anorexia has controlled the lives of many celebrities like Karen Carpenter (w ho actually died from it), Mary Kate Olsen, and Tara Reid. Another eating disorder wide spread through the United States in Bulimia. Three in every one hundred woman suffer or have suffered from Bulimia.This disorder is where you still eat, but you cause yourself to vomit. Statistics show that many women will turn to this disease because it is â€Å"less threatening† than anorexia. Bulimia can cause slight abdominal pain and bloating. Long term side effects of this disorder can be broken blood vessels in your eyes, rotting of your teeth, and even some types of colon and throat cancers. The last eating disorder that is an issue in the USA is obesity. Many people don’t think obesity is an eating disorder, but in fact it is. Everyone’s standard of obesity is obviously ifferent, but on a national scale PBS says that seventy three percent of Americans are overweight or obese. Obesity can cause diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, and high blood pressure which are all li fe threatening problems. In conclusion, many eating problems are taking over America. There are healthier ways to get the body image you want. Don’t put your body at risk just to be what society wants you to be. You should be healthy, but you should become healthy, in a healthy manner. If you or anyone you know is struggling from an eating disorder, you should seek help as soon as possible.

Night World : Huntress Chapter 13

The kiss was warm and sweet. Not frightening. Jez felt herself relax in Morgead's arms before she knew what she was doing. His heart was beating so fast against hers. She felt dizzy, but safe, too; a wonderful feeling. But the approach of his mind was another thing. It was just like the first time: that terrible, irresistible pull trying to suck her soul out and mix it with Morgead's until they were both one person. Until he knew her every secret and she had no place to hide. And the worst thing Was that she knew it wasn't Morgead doing it. It was that outside force doing it to both of them, carrying them along helplessly. Whether we want it or not. And we don't want it, Jez told herself desperately. We both hate it. Neither of us wants to share our souls†¦. But then why was he still holding her, still kissing her? And why was she letting him? At that instant she felt his mind touch hers, reaching through the smoke-screen of protection she'd thrown around herself to brush her thoughts as lightly as a moth's wing. She recognized Morgead's essence in it; she could feel his soul, dark and bright and full of fierce emotion for her. He was opening himself to her; not trying to fight this or even holding back. He was going farther than the pull forced him to, giving himself to her freely†¦. It was a gift that sent her reeling. And she couldn't resist it. Her mind flowed out of its own accord to touch his, tendrils of thought wrapping around his gratefully. The shock of pleasure when she let it happen was frightening-except that she couldn't be frightened anymore, not now. And then she felt him respond, felt his happiness, felt his thoughts enfolding hers, holding her mind as gently as his arms held her body. And white light exploded behind her eyes†¦. Jez! Morgead! What's wrong with you two? The thought was foreign, cold, and unwanted. It broke into Jez's warm little world and rattled around annoyingly. Jez tried to push it away. Hey, look; I'm just trying to help. If you guys are alive, then, like give us a sign, okay? Morgead made a sound like a mental groan. It's Vol. I have to kill him. I'm going to help, Jez told him. Then something occurred to her. Oh-wait. Where are we†¦ ? It was a good question. A weird but necessary question. It took them a moment to untangle their thoughts from each other and rise back to the real world. Where they seemed to be sitting under the ruins of a redbud tree, arms around each other, Jez's head on Morgead's shoulder, Morgead's face pressed into Jez's hair. At least we weren't still kissing, Jez thought abstractedly. She could feel herself flushing scarlet. The rest of the gang was standing around them, looking down with worried expressions. â€Å"What do you guys want?† Morgead said brusquely. â€Å"What do we want?† Raven leaned forward, dark hair swinging. Jez actually saw both her midnight blue eyes underneath. â€Å"You three jumped off the roof just as the fire got out of control. We put it out and came down to see if you were still alive- and then we find you here hanging on to each other and totally out of it. And you want to know what we want? We want to know if you're okay.† â€Å"We're fine,† Morgead said. He didn't say anything more, and Jez understood. Neither of them had any desire to talk about it in front of other people. That could wait until they were alone, until it was the right time. They didn't need to express this to each other. Jez simply knew, and knew that he knew. â€Å"What about her?† Thistle pointed to Iona, still asleep on the sidewalk. Jez was already moving to the child. She checked the little body over, noted the even breathing and the peaceful expression. â€Å"She's fine, too,† she said, settling back. She held Thistle's gaze. â€Å"No thanks to you.† Thistle's cheeks were pink. She looked angry, embarrassed, and defensive. â€Å"She's just a human.† â€Å"She's a kid!† Morgead yelled, shooting up to his feet. He towered over Thistle, who suddenly looked very small. â€Å"Which you're not,† he went on unsym-pathetically. â€Å"You're just a-a sixteen-year-old Shirley Temple-wannabe.† â€Å"All right, both of you!† Jez said sharply. She waited until they shut up and looked at her before continuing. â€Å"You-be quiet and let me take care of things,† she said to Morgead. â€Å"And you-if you ever try to hurt a kid again, I'll knock your head off.† This to Thistle, who opened her mouth, but then shut it again without speaking. Jez nodded. â€Å"Okay, that's settled. Now we've got to get this girl home.† Val stared at her. â€Å"Home?† â€Å"Yeah, Val.† Jez picked the child up. â€Å"In case you missed something, she's not the Wild Power.† â€Å"But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Val wriggled his broad shoulders uncomfortably and looked at Morgead. â€Å"You mean you were wrong?† â€Å"There's a first time for everything, right?† Morgead glared at him. â€Å"But, then-who is the Wild Power?† Raven put in quietly. â€Å"Who knows?† It was the first time Pierce had spoken, and his voice was low and distantly amused. Jez glanced at him. His blond hair glinted in the red light of the sunset, and his dark eyes were mocking. I really don't think I like you much, she thought. But of course he was right â€Å"If this kid isn't the one-well, I guess it could have been anybody at the scene,† she said slowly. â€Å"Anybody worried enough to want to save her. One of the firefighters, a neighbor-anybody.† â€Å"Assuming the blue flash on the tape really was evidence of a Wild Power,† Pierce said. â€Å"I think it was.† Jez glanced at Morgead. â€Å"It sure looked like blue fire. And it certainly was some kind of Power.† â€Å"And Grandma Harman dreamed about the Wild Power being in San Francisco,† Morgead added. ‘It all fits too well.† He looked at Jez slyly. â€Å"But it couldn't have been anybody at the scene, you know.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Because of what you said about that line in the prophecy. ‘Born in the year of the blind Maiden's vision.' That means it has to be somebody born less than eighteen years ago. Before that, Aradia couldn't have visions because she wasn't alive.† Goddess, I'm slow today, Jez thought. I should have thought of that. She gave him a wry nod of respect and he returned it with a grin. Not maliciously. â€Å"It's still not much to go on,† Raven said in her pragmatic way. â€Å"But don't you think we should go back inside to discuss it? Somebody's going to come along eventually and see us with an unconscious kid.† â€Å"Good point,† Jez said. â€Å"But I'm not going up with you. I'm taking the kid home.† â€Å"Me, too,† Morgead said. Jez glanced at him; he had his stubborn expression on. â€Å"Okay, but just us. Two motorcycles are going to be conspicuous enough.† She turned to Raven. â€Å"The rest of you can do what you want tonight; try to figure out who the Wild Power is or whatever. Well meet again tomorrow and see what we've come up with.† â€Å"Why wait?† Val said. â€Å"It's only dusk. We could meet tonight-â€Å" Tm tired,† Jez cut in. ‘It's enough for the day.† And Goddess knows how I'm going to explain being gone this long to Aunt Nan, she thought wearily. Not to mention missing school. Pierce was watching her with an odd expression. â€Å"So you'll have to report to Hunter that we failed,† he said, and there was a probing tone in his voice that Jez didn't like. â€Å"Yeah, I'll tell him you screwed up,† she said heavily. â€Å"But that we still have some options. Unless you'd rather I just tell him that you're all idiots and not worth giving a second chance.† She kept looking at Pierce until he looked away. When she turned to Morgead he was scowling, but he didn't say anything. He silently started toward their bikes. They couldn't talk while they were riding. Jez was too full of her own thoughts anyway. She was finally free to consider those last minutes with Morgead. It had been†¦ amazing. Electrifying. But also enlightening. She knew now what had happened to them, what was happening. He had been right. It was the soul-mate principle. So we're soulmates. Morgead and I. After all our fighting and challenging each other and everything. It's so strange, but in a way it makes sense, too†¦. And it's really a pity that even if we both survive the next week or so, we're never going to see each other again. The thought came from some deep part of her that was utterly heartless and practical and saw everything in the cold light of truth. Because unfortunately the universe had picked the wrong person for Jez to be soulmates with. It had picked one that would hate her and want to kill her once he realized what she really was. Bad mistake, universe, Jez thought, biting down on a laugh. She realized, dimly, that she was verging on being hysterical. It had been such a long day, and she was so tired, and so hurt, and she'd failed in her mission, and now Morgead was in love with her, but there was just no hope. Small wonder she was punchy and an emotional wreck. She was lucky not to be railing off her bike. There really was no hope. Even in that last encounter, even when Morgead had been revealing his soul to her, Jez had managed to keep her own secrets buried. He didn't know. He had no idea that the girl he was in love with was vermin. Was working with Circle Daybreak. Was lying to him to steal the Wild Power out from under his nose and end the hopes of the vampires for a world without humans. He was ambitious, she had always known that. All he'd ever cared about was climbing higher and getting more power. She'd promised him a position in the new world order-while all the time she was working as hard as she could to make sure that the new world order never came. He would never forgive that deception. He would never even be able to understand why she had done it. So you have to forget about him, the cold-and-practical part of her mind said quietly. And there was nothing inside Jez that even tried to argue. It was dark by the time they reached the Marina district. As they approached the housing project, Jez saw flashing lights ahead. Police car lights. Well, that wasn't unexpected. Iona's mother would have notified them by now. Jez just hoped she wasn't too worried†¦. Idiot! her mind said sarcastically. How worried do you expect her to be, with it getting dark and her eight-year-old missing? She turned into an alley and Morgead followed her. â€Å"Well have to do a drive-by,† she said over the thrum of the engines. â€Å"Drop her by the police cars and then shoot out of there. They'll probably chase us. Are you up for it?† He nodded. â€Å"We should go separate ways. That'll make it harder for them to catch us.† â€Å"Right. You go on home once you lose them. So will I.† She couldn't see his features clearly in the dark alley, but she knew he was looking at her. â€Å"So will you? Go home?† â€Å"I mean I'll go to the place where I'm staying.† She expected him to ask about that, try to find out where it was, what she was doing. He didn't Instead he said, â€Å"Do you have to?† She bunked at him, startled. Then she frowned. â€Å"Yes, I have to. I want to. I'm tired, Morgead, and anyway I'm not ready to be spending the night with a guy.† â€Å"I didn't mean that-â€Å" Jez waved a hand. â€Å"I know. I'm sorry. But I'm still tired, and-† And I've got other responsibilities that you don't understand. And if I stick around you any longer, while I'm this tired, I'm afraid that you're going to find out what they are. â€Å"And you're still mad,† he said bleakly. Tm not mad-â€Å" â€Å"Or disgusted or whatever.† What was he talking about? Tm just tired,† she said firmly. â€Å"Now let's drop the kid off, and I'll see you tomorrow.† â€Å"I-† He let out his breath violently. â€Å"All right.† Jez didn't waste any more time. She unzipped her jacket, which had been holding Iona firmly against her. Then she sped out into the street. One block, two blocks. And now she was right beside the dark and deserted playground, and now she was almost level with the police cars. There were several officers standing around talking, and several other bystanders who might be neighbors. Jez targeted one of the neighbors. She swooped in toward the woman, who was on the outside edge of the sidewalk. She came up fast, then hit the brakes. â€Å"Hey,† she said. â€Å"Here.† The woman turned around and her jaw dropped. Jez didn't hesitate, just bundled Iona into her arms. The woman grabbed the child's weight automatically. â€Å"Give her to her mom, okay?† And then Jez was roaring out and away. She could hear Morgead behind her, and shouts from the housing project. Then a police siren. She glanced back. Morgead was just turning on a side street. He waved once at her, and then he was speeding off. Jez could hear more sirens now. She twisted the throttle and headed for the Bay Bridge. At least a pursuit was something she could enjoy. When she finally shook the police cars tailing her, she turned toward Clayton. She would have been worried about what her aunt and uncle were going to say if she hadn't already been too worried about Iona. She'll be all right, she told herself. She shouldn't remember anything, and her mom will take care of her. But Jez couldn't help but feel guilty†¦ and just plain sad. There was some sort of bond between her and the child. She felt-responsible for her, and not just because she'd kidnapped and terrorized her. Nobody should have to grow up in that kind of place. I may have run around on the streets when I was little, but at least I had Uncle Bracken, and a nice home to go to if I wanted. Iona-she doesn't even have a safe playground. I should do something for her, but what can I do that would matter? I don't know; maybe I can visit her sometime. Maybe I can buy her a plant†¦. There weren't any easy answers, and she was drawing up to a neat yellow frame house. Home. Time, Jez thought, to face the music. Uncle Jim and Aunt Nan and nasty little Claire. She just hoped they left enough of her alive so that she could call Hugh afterward. She pulled her motorcycle into the garage, climbed off, and went inside. â€Å"†¦ at all is bad enough, But to do it the day after you make us a promise-well, what are we supposed to think? How are we supposed to trust you again?† Jez was sitting on the blue floral couch in the living room. The Goddard living room didn't get used much, only for very formal occasions. This was one of them. It was a court martial. And there wasn't really a thing that Jez could say to the humans she lived with. She certainly couldn't give them any excuse that would make sense. â€Å"First, ditching Claire even though you swore to us that you'd let her drive you to school.† Aunt Nanami was ticking items off on her fingers. â€Å"Second, ditching school after you swore to us you weren't going to skip again. Third, going off some place you won't even tell us about. Fourth, not even calling to let us know you were still alive. Fifth, getting home at almost ten o'clock at night-â€Å" Uncle Jim cleared his throat. â€Å"Nan, I think we've been over this already.† A couple of times, Jez thought. Oh, well, at least Claire is enjoying it. Her cousin was standing at the entrance to the living room, openly listening. When she happened to catch Jez's eye she smiled brilliantly, her small face actually glowing with smug satisfaction. Aunt Nan was shaking her head. ‘I just want to make sure she understands, Jim. I thought she understood last night, but obviously†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She threw her hands up. â€Å"Well, the thing is-† Uncle Jim cleared his throat again and looked at Jez. He looked uncomfortable; he wasn't very good at discipline, but Jez could see that he'd reached his limit. â€Å"The thing is that we can't just keep yelling at you. We have to do something, Jez. So we've decided to lock up your motorcycle. You can't ride it anymore, not until you learn to be more responsible.† Jez sat stunned. Not her bike. They couldn't take her bike from her. How would she get anywhere? She had to be mobile. She had to get to Morgead tomorrow-she had to get to Hugh sometime. She had to be able to track down the Wild Power. And she couldn't do any of that without transportation. But she could see from Uncle Jim's face that he was serious. He'd finally decided to put his foot down, and Jez had gotten caught underneath it. She let out her breath. Part of her wanted to yell and storm and rage about this, to lose control and make a big noisy fuss. But it wouldn't do any good. Besides, she'd managed to keep her temper for almost a year with these people, to live her double life as a student and vampire hunter and make it all work. To blow that now would be stupid. And another part of her was scared that she was even verging on losing control. That was what even a day with Morgead did to her. It cut through all her careful discipline and changed her back into a raving barbarian. Morgead†¦ she couldn't think about him now. â€Å"Okay, Uncle Jim,† she said out loud. â€Å"I understand. You do what you have to.† â€Å"If you can just show us that you're learning to be responsible, then you can have the bike back. You have to learn to take life more seriously, Jez.† That forced a tired snort out of her. She was laughing before she knew it, and her aunt and uncle were looking shocked and displeased. I'm sorry,† she said. ‘I'll try harder.† And I'll just have to take public transportation tomorrow, she thought when the lecture was over and she was free to go to her room. Even though that's a lot more dangerous. I could get hunted down so easily. . . . â€Å"You messed with the wrong person, you know?† Claire said as Jez reached her door. â€Å"You shouldn't have dumped me like that. You shouldn't make me mad.† â€Å"Yeah, Claire; well, now I know better. I'm terrified.† â€Å"You're still not taking things seriously, are you?† â€Å"Claire-† Jez rounded on the smaller girl. Then she stopped dead. â€Å"I don't have time for this,† she muttered. â€Å"I have to make a call. You just run along and harass somebody else.† She shut the bedroom door in Claire's face. Which, she realized later, was a mistake. At the time, though, she was too tired to think about it. She was too tired to think properly at all. Tired and distraught, with the feeling that everything was closing in and happening too fast. And so when she picked up the phone to dial Hugh she hardly noticed the little click on the line, and she didn't stop for even a second to consider what it meant.

Steven Holl – Ideas on Architecture

Steven Hold: Thoughts and Ideas on Architecture As I sit and listen to the rainfall, I can't help but wonder about the changing of seasons. Winter to spring, Spring to summer, summer to fall, fall back to winter. While each droplet of rain must have Journeyed long and far before it descended upon me, now it's Just a pool of droplets. The best part about spring is the rain showers. Without the spring rain we would have no summer flowers, no gardens, not leaves or grass. Spring marks the direction of a new change. One with more life, a new beginning of sorts.A precedent for the following months; a metamorphosis from en season to the next. Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclites found fascination with change in its most simple form. He believed that all is flux, and nothing stays still. But what if he was wrong†¦? If flux could be stopped what would happen? I could walk out into this storm and not be wet, for the droplets of rain are still and the clouds stationary. In the moment, I f ind tranquility in the storm. Peacefulness rests among the stillness of earth. Not a splash of water made, not a scour in the trees, not even a whistle to the wind.I think to myself, ‘The serenity of nature is unlike anything else in this world. All of a sudden, CLASH!! Lightning strikes followed by a violent boom of thunder. A nearby tree creaks like an old door opening as it falls to the ground; unexpectedly I became drenched by the rainfall. I sought shelter under a roof, but it seemed as if the world was at ease. Almost as if earth made a treaty with itself to remain motionless for the rest of time. Nevertheless, it wasn't because if nothing changed then storms wouldn't occur, seasons couldn't transpire, and life would be lifeless.This earth we live on is one of a kind and distinct from anything else. Earth speaks for itself and Heraclites states this excellently, â€Å"Not l, but the world says it all: All is one. And yet everything comes in season. † In comparison to the precedent of spring to the rest of the seasons, a person's early life can shape the following years in their life. Steven Holly's career was foreshadowed by his earliest years when he and his brother built a 3-story tree house and also an underground clubhouse. This was not only outlined in his childhood, but also in his years of education.While growing up in Beaverton, Washington, he developed the desire to make things, sculpt, draw, and build. After high school, Hold went to study architecture at the University of Washington. His Junior year he left the states and engulfed himself in the great city of Rome, moving from Beaverton, a shipyard city with little architectural density, to Rome, the pinnacle of architectural history. 5 While in Rome, the Vietnam War was taking place so, Hold, instead of developing his thoughts and ideas on architecture, wrote a conscientious objection on philosophical rather religious grounds.After receiving a reply, he was dismissed due to †Å"physical deformity' and never had an actual physical examination. Hold obsessed over his objection because he didn't want them to falsify his opposition, and consequently left Rome with no projects. Upon returning to Washington, he had difficulties finding a firm to hire him. After a year at a small firm outside of Seattle, Hold left to go to San Francisco, where he formed a union with William Stout and Bill Zimmerman; they called themselves â€Å"Opus 411 . † Together they entered competitions and wrote declarations of architecture, but all ended too soon, for Hold was broke and needed a job.In search of a Job and possible graduate school, Hold was accepted at Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, and on top of that hired at Louis Khan's office in Philadelphia. He made the decision to take the Job and decline the schools. Confusion descended once Hold received word of Khan's death. He declined acceptance to graduate schools for a Job that was no longer possible. Fortunately in 197 6, Hold was offered to study, tuition free, at the Architectural Association in London by a man named Alvin Boyar. 5 For that reason, Hold made another life-changing decision and packed his bags to go to London.During that time he traveled to every possible building to experience them first hand and to sketch hem. Living as a vagabond in the streets of London, by some meaner, Hold managed to find a client from Paris. His new client was upset with his noisy and crowded vacation home so Hold made large pencil drawings of a new retreat house offset from the shore. In one of the drawings he sketched a man on a boat headed to his refuge home, his back to the home and face to the shore. Hold comments, â€Å"The character in the rowboat illustrates the way that all of us must work. He cannot see where he is going, only where he has been.Progress is tempered by a sense of mystery, of doubt. â€Å"5 A couple years later, Hold made more elaborate pencil drawings of a project for the South B ronx called Gymnasium-Bridge. This project won a Progressive Architecture Award in 1978. Upset by the way his work was presented in Progressive Architecture, he called his colleague Bill Stout, who had opened a bookstore back in San Francisco to make a publication of manifestos and single projects. This was the inception of what would be known as â€Å"Pamphlet Architecture. † Hold set specific guidelines for him and his colleagues to follow for this publication.This was an avian-garden idea at the mime and gave new and unusual ways of looking at architecture. These anthologies feature groundbreaking works by forward thinkers of today's most well-known architects, including Steven Hold, Living Timidity, Lubbers Woods, and Gaza Had. 6/7 Holly's excerpts from Pamphlet Architecture are very much concerned with typology and morphology, that is, a study based on classification and also a study on building forms. â€Å"Pamphlet Architecture #5 The Alphabetical City' speaks on the nature of urban buildings during the first half of the 20th century.Hold inscribes, â€Å"†¦ The notorious portions of cities that evolved on gridiron plans – certain letter-like buildings recurred. The â€Å"L†, or the â€Å"l† type depend on their adjoining structures for meaning. They become â€Å"dead letters† when left stranded as free- standing buildings. â€Å"6 You can see here Hold had been analyzing buildings and then classifying certain buildings by the letter in the alphabet they resembled. The forms of these buildings from the generation before him caused him to questions the idea of architecture from that time.Holly's current language of architecture wasn't uncovered until he came across the arks of French philosopher Maurice Merle-Pointy in 1984. 1 This was a time when Hold radically changed his methods for making and understanding architecture. Subsequent to the discovery of Merle-Pointy, Hold brought light to the idea of deriving p rojects from concepts outside of architecture. Over the years, he harnessed this method and played with it as a departure for his work. From there on out, Hold became preoccupied with the idea of experience.Merle-Pointy expresses, â€Å"We know not through our intellect but through our experience. â€Å"3 The phenomenology that Merle-Pointy writes about is what Hold achieves in his architecture. While most architects work outside-in, Hold takes an opposite stance and works inside-out because he affirms that, â€Å"space is the incredible media of architecture. â€Å"8 It is an extraordinary responsibility to be an architect because the buildings we make are for people to use. Hold understands this and attempts to make people perceive space differently, to make something visible that they normally wouldn't.A work of his that exemplifies this is the Chapel of SST. Igniting in Seattle, Washington. In this project, Hold starts with the concept, ‘Seven Bottles of Light in a Sto ne Box. ‘ Each of the openings for light allow the sunlight to reflect off colored walls in a way that causes a conversion to colored-light. You can imagine being in the space that funnels colors at you making light ever more noticeable. This making of architecture relates building, site, and situation with body, space, time, light, and movement. 4 Holly's buildings really execute the interaction between architecture and phenomenology.It doesn't come as a surprise that Holly's major preoccupation is the phenomena of light. We live in a world that we know through vision, which can only be possible with the help of light. The dynamic of light defines several of Holly's works including: Writing With Light House, Porosity House, Sun Slice House, Kinsman Museum of Contemporary Art, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Addition, Chapel of SST. Igniting, Museum of the City, and NYU School of Philosophy. 2 However, these projects epitomize his thoughts on light, all of his works constitute and deal with light.Specifically in Writing with Light House, Hold inscribes light in such a way that celebrates light and, its counterpart, shadow. Strips of white light coat the interior in accord with the time of day and season. Shadows then become the strokes on the reface causing an ornament of pattern. This strategy shapes light that really gives it meaning and insight. It's not only the approach on light that makes his architecture original, but also his ability to take familiar ideas and transform them into something new. It wasn't until the ass's when Hold started consistently getting things built.Part of the struggle in his career was becoming famous. This can be challenging because of cruel criticisms or lack of attention towards your work. For Hold, it wasn't until after his Pace Collection Showroom in New York, that he received a world-known status. He was given a huge amount of critical attention in New York, Europe, and Asia for his new and fresh take on modernism. It to ok a couple decades but he now has work in Italy, Germany, France, Japan, Finland, Switzerland, Norway, The Netherlands, Denmark, and China.Holly's originality that is known throughout the world is, in part, due to his way of thinking and developing ideas. It is not necessarily theories of architecture that shaped this, but phenomenology and science that have shaped his beliefs and ideas. Ideas are very important to Hold and this is where he derives his inspiration. He is fearless when it comes to addressing the world at large for inspiration in his projects. Many shy away because of the criticisms one will face for fear of comparison to larger ideas, nevertheless Hold is audacious.Audacity is exactly what Hold advocates. He encourages students to question everything and this is one reason he, himself, has become such a success. 8 One part of being an architect is that you must be able to fluently articulate your personal thoughts and ideas, rather than simply following the ideas of someone else. It then becomes a push for what you think should happen. Holly's character is tested when working with clients because he must be uncompromising and demanding if he wants to pursue the realization of his concepts. His self-assurance comes from the knowledge of himself.He has never had any doubts on who he is and what he wants to accomplish, and this has lead to his triumph. Even though he must be adamant and resolute, he has sought criticism from respected colleagues and peers of his designs over the years. 2 Hold discusses their commentary and evaluation with them after overcoming his incredulity. This is a testament of his respect for other people's opinions and ideas. It also reveals his wisdom in seeking out honest and tough critiques. This may be the reason he is able to keep his knife so sharp.Without the help of others, he would become dull, thereby making his architecture banal. This essay ends with a glimpse of the way Steven Hold sees architecture for the 21 st Century. Hold was born in 1947. He lived in latter half of the 20th Century; he saw and helped change the way architecture is defined today. He truly sees how architecture has been grounded by the physical aspects of having limited resources in the past, to the increasing technological ways in which we can now build. The constructive ramification into modern life and new ways of seeing are vital traits he believes today's architects must have.Hold elaborates, â€Å"Any architect caught up with the current speed of globalization of today's architecture realizes that this is an unprecedented time in the history of architecture: requiring an unprecedented philosophical commitment. † He continues, â€Å"†¦ The challenge of extremely diverse lands, cultures, and climates and their urban conditions set unparalleled obligations for architecture today†¦ A theory reversing specific to universal – a black swan theory – suggests an aim for larger, more comple x building types.A twenty-first century position that strives to airframe the inherited dualism of the last century's suffixes might spark a new paradigm shift toward a new focus on architecture's potential to shape experience, interrelating body, brain and world. â€Å"3 A new generation will emerge after the passing of Steven Hold, one inspired by the books and buildings he bequeathed to humanity. For now, Hold will continue to be a leading architect in the world. It's a great field to be apart of with myriad possibilities, and it is my hope to one day be given the chance to make a richer environment and Join the field of architecture.