Psychological Changes in Adolescence

Psychological Changes in Adolescence Adolescence is a term usually used to describe transitional period or a passage from childhood to adulthood and in todays context seem to be distinguished by 2 distinct stages: the puberty and transition to adulthood. Todays adolescence seem to be particularly vulnerable because, in addition to physical and psychological changes that an individual goes through, young people are subjected to rapid changes in society and multicultural influences; not the least because of advancement in technology, demography and demands of both, the knowledge and achievement. This is particularly relevant to more advanced, western societies. An early thought in psychoanalysis led by Miller 1950 (cited in Briggs 2008) suggested that adolescence is the age between characterised by puberty (physical changes), mid adolescence (short period of opposition to authority) and late adolescence (leaving the school and becoming an adult). However, the changes occurred post that period exposed a gap in experiences, raising a need for further exploration. These influential changes are reflected in the finding that late adolescence and the transition to adulthood extended considerably in regards to previous assumptions (Briggs 2008). Todays view contradicts that of Miller and alike in understanding that adolescence stretches into mid to late twenties as opposed to teenage years. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that those who accomplish the transition early, at the end of teenage years, may be disadvantaged and at increased risk of social exclusion (Briggs 2008). On the other hand, the onset of puberty itself has changed little for the last fifty years. Contemporary understanding of adolescence also raises the issue of its complexity, sparking the wide debate on accurateness of its earlier description, deepened further by discussion whether there is a need for early intervention. This latter debate divided the community of professionals into two major groups: interventionists and non-interventionists. The interventionists argue that the adolescence is the time of great uncertainty and changes making this group particularly vulnerable; if left unattended, it could influence development itself, educational achievement and the difficulties could persist into the adulthood. The support for interventionists view comes from recent studies that show that most of disorders found in adults, begun in adolescence between the ages of 12 and 24, even though they may not be noticed until the adulthood (Briggs 2008). On the other side we have non-interventionists who believe that the time of stress and turmoil would pass with time and intervention is unnecessary (Briggs 2008). However, there seem to be general consensus within the psychoanalytic world that the adolescents are vulnerable and exposed to risks of anti-social behaviour, a high risk of offending, substance misuse, eating disorders, depression, suicide and inappropriate sexual behaviour. Although these risk factors are present even within the normal development in adolescence for the minority of adolescents, if untreated, it can persist into adulthood. In adolescence, the changes in physique are also accompanied by increased societal demands for conformity, change of school, increased academic demand and so on; therefore this is the period of uncertainty and anxiety. While the majority of adolescents navigate through these changes successfully, for significant minority this period is turbulent and stressful. Individual differences in terms of inner resources to deal with these transitional issues lie within the relationship with adults. These relationships are rooted in the early childhood and could act as determinants of successful or unsuccessful transition. From psychoanalytic point of view, adolescence is the time of powerful changes not only physically, but accompanied by surge of instincts and urges demanding powerful control. In order to examine these inner processes of change we will look into adolescence through two distinct phases: the puberty and the transition to adulthood. The puberty is characterised by changes in physical development and growth spurt. Growth spur describes faster growth rate in weight and height, where girls are noted to enter the growth spur around the age of 10, typically reaching its peak at the age of 12, and more steady growth rate at the age of 13. On the other hand, boys begin the growth spur at around the age of 13 and peak at the age of 14, achieving more stabilized growth rate at the age of 16. In addition to becoming taller and heavier, both sexes assume adult like appearance, with girls growing breasts, widening of hips and for boys broadening of shoulders. Facial features also change in such way that the forehead protrudes while the jaw and the nose become more prominent (Shaffer, Kipp 2006). The puberty is also characterised by sexual maturation, which is quite different in boys and girls. With girls, sexual maturation starts somewhat earlier (before the age of 10) with formation of breast buds, followed by the appearance of pubic hair. With entering the growth spur, the breasts grow faster and sexual organs (vagina and uterus) begin to mature taking adult like forms in its readiness for future motherhood. At around age 12 the girl enters menarche, the time of the first menstruation (Shaffer, Kipp 2006). For boys, sexual maturation starts later at around age of 11 with an enlargement of testes, followed by appearance of pubic hair and penis enlargement. At around age of 13 the production of spermatozoa occurs and ejaculation follows. By the age of 15 most boys would have achieved sexual maturity, rendering them capable of becoming fathers. Somewhat later, facial hair grows and voice changes (Shaffer 2006). It is important to mention that although literature describing puberty varies, in terms of onset, there seem to be general consensus that the earlier growth spur occurs the more dramatic changes become. This seems to be applicable to both sexes. Adolescent physical development is accompanied by many psychological changes. Some of the more obvious psychological changes in adolescence are reflected in growing concern for physical appearance. Girls in particular become more concern with looking pretty and how other people would respond to them, with a hope that they would be seen as attractive. Girls that develop at different pace to the perceived norm are prone to internalising a negative body image. Their reaction to menarche is mixed; they are often excited and confused, especially if they were not told what to expect. On the other hand boys are more likely to welcome body weight in hope that they would become tall, hairy and handsome. What they have in common is preoccupation with physical appearance and mixed feelings about sexual maturity ( Shaffer, Kipp 2006). The sexual maturation and adult like appearance are accompanied by eruption of infantile feelings and a crisis of separating from childhood ways of relating to parents (Blos 1967 cited in Briggs 2008). The prospect of possible parenthood causes identification with the same sex parent, the process called oedipal stage. Sexual urges and passions are revived and the desire for the affection of the opposite sex parent results in unconscious competition for that affection. These urges were present in infancy, however, now they are accompanied by the real possibility of achievement, thus becoming a conflict and destabilising (Briggs 2008). These re-emerging passions and urges demand reconsideration of the relationship with parents and a new dimension of these relationships. Psychoanalytic perspective explain these changes as both, liberating and frightening experience, opening doors to vulnerability and anxiety and developing sense of power. It is also, according to psychoanalytic view, accompanied by identification, separation and loss of childhood relationships (Briggs 2008). These new states of anxiety, vulnerability and power are significant in adolescent development and require particular attention. From the psychoanalytic perspective the adolescence is turbulent because of these new states, which greatly contradicts more common psychological and social perspective that emphasises smooth process of adolescence (Briggs 2008). It is suggested that these turbulent aspects are forgotten and disowned and then projected onto adolescents by adults who do not wish to remind selves on the turbulence once they encountered (Briggs 2008). It is also suggested that the period of adolescence is often idealised or alternatively projected as miserable. Jacobs (1990 cited in Briggs 2008) explains this split as two different stages of adolescence where early adolescence is characterised by misery and turbulence, while the late adolescence is marked by the sense of accomplishments and smooth transition. Briggs demonstrated this idea through the case of Maria, 21 year old self-referred patient. While Maria passed through the teenage years without much of a struggle and in concordance with her parents, at the age of 21, when she achieved financial independence and established professional life, Maria seemed uncertain of her identity, questioning her capacity to be independent in expressing her own opinion. In addition to these observations, it is important not to overlook other influences on the development of adolescence, such as changes that occur in the brain. The understanding of adolescent development has altered taking into consideration of deeper knowledge of neurological changes that take place during this time. According to neuroscience, some of the adolescent behaviour may have its roots in neurological causes. The findings suggest that cognitive abilities needed for mature behaviour are underdeveloped in adolescence. The changes that occur in the brain during the adolescence have effect on regulation, learning and memory. Stressful experiences may have adverse outcomes on brain development, increasing susceptibility to psychopathologies. Advocating enhancement of social and learning environment, the neuroscience suggests that the adverse outcomes could be significantly reduced, even reversed (Briggs 2008). In summary, the biological perspective deepens our understanding of adolescence in a way that indicates the greater need for an integrated approach linking internal, biological, psychological and environmental aspects of adolescent experience. (Briggs 2008). This is to say that the development of the brain increases ability to control behaviour but, the successful execution of that control needs to be facilitated by environmental factors such as stable and supportive relationship with parents. If the environment is filled with adversities, the stress of adolescence could become pathological and in need of an intervention. So far we have discussed biological perspective in conjunction with psychoanalytic view, however it was emphasised that social factors could benefit or damage the normal development of adolescence. This concept of influence of the social context on adolescence is called psychosocial perspective. Some societies mark adolescence with the rite of passage, in western societies this rite of passage does not seem to be either marked or acknowledged. Besides, with extended adolescence the psycho-social context becomes ever more complex. In todays society there is disparage between biological and psychological maturation and transition to adulthood. Patton and Viner ( 2007 cited in Briggs 2008) found this disparage particularly present in the developed world of western societies stating: the development of reproductive capacity and sexual activity precede role transition into parenthood and marriage by more than a decade (p11). This disparage is significant in the way that increases risk and vulnerability of adolescents. In helping a better understanding of this disparage, psychoanalysis relies on the theory of psychosocial development by Erikson. Erikson provided and extension to original model of 5 stages of development described by Freud in a way that accommodated this latency in adolescence by introducing a concept of psychosocial moratorium. The focal point for Erikson is adolescence and the creation of personal identity. The crisis arising during this phase is identity versus role confusion (Papalia and Wendoks-Okds, 1978; Cardwell, Clark, and Meldrum 2004). He argued that adolescents are going through many physical, cognitive, and social changes, associated with puberty, and often become confused undermining their self- esteem .This in turn can lead to a psychosocial moratorium, a temporary suspension of activity. According to this theory, the most important task for adolescents involves achieving a conscious sense of individual uniqueness. This means to discover who am I?, and in doing so ado lescents must make some occupational choices or they will remain confused about the roles they should play as adults (Gross 2005; Papalia and Wendoks-Okds, 1978; Shaffer and Kipp 2006). Erikson goes one-step further to identify four kinds of behaviour linked to identity confusion: Negative Identity (which relates to criminal and anti social behaviour as a sense of control and independence from others); Intimacy (which refers to avoidance from fear of losing own fragile sense of identity, often resulting in isolation); The Perspective (which relates to avoidance of planning the future because, doing so means thinking about ramifications of adulthood and evoking anxiety) and Industry (which relates to difficulty in striking a balance, thus results in inability to concentrate) (Cardwell, Clark and Meldrum 2004). The premise for the reformatting was that adolescents identity creation involves crisis and commitment; Crisis occurs through having to re-evaluate previous choices and values, while commitment occurs when the individual takes on a set of roles and beliefs (Cardwell, Clark, and Meldrum 2004) The moratorium could create additional tension and inner conflict which in turn are met by either by repression or foreclosure . Repression simply is the unwilling yet continued deferment that simply creates more anxiety. Anxiety can turn into development of antisocial behaviour, delinquency, inappropriate sexual behaviour or more severe self-destructive behaviour (e.g suicide, self-harm). Under such a challenge, the experience is one of a split of self images, a loss of center, and a dispersion (Erikson, 1968). These symptoms and the experience of the self as disrupted have been described as the dark and negative side of identity formation, and they are viewed as vital to the identity process (Erikson, 1975). Up until this fifth stage, development depends on what is done to a person.   At this point, development now depends primarily upon what a person does.   An adolescent must struggle to discover and find his or her own identity, while negotiating and struggling with social interactions and fitting in, and developing a sense of morality and right from wrong. Some attempt to delay entrance to adulthood and withdraw from responsibilities (moratorium).   Those unsuccessful with this stage tend to experience role confusion and upheaval.   Adolescents begin to develop a strong affiliation and devotion to ideals, causes, and friends. Description: At this stage, adolescents are in search of an identity that will lead themto adulthood. Adolescents make a strong effort to answer the question Whoam I? Erikson notes the healthy resolution of earlier conflicts can nowserve as a foundation for the search for an identity. If the child overcomesearlier conflicts they are prepared to search for identity. Did they develop thebasic sense of trust? Do they have a strong sense of industry to believe inthemselves? Elements for a positive outcome: The adolescent must make a conscious search for identity. This is built onthe outcome and resolution to conflict in earlier stages. Elements for a negative outcome: If the adolescent can not make deliberate decisions and choices, especiallyabout vocation, sexual orientation, and life in general, role confusion becomesa threat. Examples: Adolescents attempt to establish their own identities and see themselves asseparate from their parents. Age: Adolescence 12 to 18 years Conflict: Identity vs. Role Confusion Important Event: Peer relationships The most important question asked at this stage is who am I? The major event at this stage is peer relationships. This encompasses the middle school, high school, and even college years where one is trying to figure out where there niche is. What type of person are they? Even though their parents believe in abortionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦do they? What do they want as a career? Do they believe in Godà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦do they want to use that to attach labels to themselves as religious or atheist? Erik Erikson was one of these outcasts. He agreed with Freud that development proceeds through a series of critical stages. But he believed the stages were psychosocial, not psychosexual. Erikson also argued that lifes developmental stages encompass the whole life span According to Erikson, a crisis is equivalent to a turning point in life, where there is the opportunity to progress or regress. At these turning points, a person can either resolve conflicts or fail to adequately resolve the developmental task. Delving further into these differences, Erikson contended that each stage of life has its own psychosocial task. Young children wrestle with issues of trust, then autonomy, then initiative. School-age children develop competence, the sense that they are able and productive human beings. In adolescence, the task is to synthesize past, present, and future possibilities into a clearer sense of self. Adolescents wonder: Who am I as an individual? What do I want to do with my life? What values should I live by? What do I believe in? Erikson calls this quest to more deeply define a sense of self the adolescents search for identity. To refine their sense of identity, adolescents usually try out different selves in different situations perhaps acting out one self at home, another with friends and still another at school and work. If two of these situations overlap like when a teenager brings a friend home from school the discomfort can be considerable. The teen may ask, Which self is the real me? Which self should I be? Often, this role confusion gets resolved by the gradual reshaping of a self-definition that unifies the various selves into a consistent and comfortable sense of who one is an identity. But not always, Erikson believes that some adolescents forge their identity early, simply by taking on their parents values and expectations. Others may adopt a negative identity that defines itself in opposition to parents and society but in conformity with a particular peer group, complete perhaps with the shaved head or multi-colored coif. Still others never quite seem to find themselves or to develop strong commitments. For most, the struggle for identity continues past the teen years and reappears at turning points during adult life. During the first social stage, trust versus mistrust, an infants basic task is to develop a sense of trust in self, others, and the world. The infant needs to count on others and develop a sense of acceptance and security. This sense of trust is learned by being caressed and cared for. From Eriksons viewpoint, if the significant others in an infants life provide the necessary love, the infant develops a sense of trust. When love is absent, the result is a general sense of mistrust in others. Clearly, infants who feel accepted are in a more favorable position to successfully meet future developmental crises than are those who do not receive adequate nurturing. However, Erikson postulates that since development is a ongoing lifelong process, personality is not fixed at any given time. Events, circumstances, and social relationships are dynamic and changing. Thus, even a child who emerged from the first stage of life with a strong sense of trust may become mistrustful and cynical if bet rayed in later social relationships. Hence, personality is not viewed as fixed by the fifth year of life, as Freud believed, but remains fluid throughout the life span. Between the ages of one and three (Freuds anal stage), children are developing a growing sense of control over their lives. They can now walk, run, climb, and get into all sorts of mischief. A sense of autonomy develops as they learn new skills and achieve a feeling of control over their environment. Thus Eriksons titles this stage Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt. During this period, some parents, out of concern or impatience with their childrens progress may intervene and do things that the children should be doing by themselves. Other parents may demand a level of competence of which their children are not yet physically and/or emotionally capable. In either case, these children begin to doubt their own abilities and feel ashamed when they fail to live up to parental expectations. Children who fail to master the tasks of establishing some control over themselves and coping with the world around them develop a sense of shame and feelings of doubt about their capabilities During the next stage, Initiative versus Guilt, which takes place during the preschool years (ages 4 to 6 Freuds phallic stage), children seek to find out how much they can do. According to Erikson, the basic task of preschool years is to establish a sense of competence and initiative. Preschool children begin to initiate many of their own activities as they become physically and psychologically ready to engage in pursuits of their own choosing. If they are allowed realistic freedom to choose their own activities and make some of their own decisions, they tend to develop a positive orientation characterized by confidence to initiate actions and follow through on them. On the other hand, if they are unduly restricted, or if their choices are ridiculed, they tend to experience a sense of guilt and ultimately withdraw from taking an active and initiating stance. By the age of six, the child should enter elementary school. It is during this age that the stage of Industry versus Inferiority occurs. During the ensuing five years, the most important events in the childs life revolve around setting and accomplishing goals related to school situations. When children are successful in mastering the many behaviors expected of them during these years, they develop feelings of competency and a sense of industry. They may express such feelings as: I can do anything if I just work hard enough. Children who encounter failure during the early grades may experience severe handicaps later on. A child with learning problems may begin to feel like a worthless person. Such feelings may drastically affect his or her relationships with peers, which are also vital at this time. During the adolescent years, teens experience Identity versus Role Confusion. Typically, adolescents feel they are on center stage and everyone is looking at them. They are often highly critical of themselves and feel that others are equally critical. Their thoughts often turn inward. They look at themselves and question whether or not they measure up to their peers. They also begin thinking about lifelong goals and careers, wondering whether they will make it in the world of the adult. Their ruthless self-appraisal is often beneficial. It results in the development of values, social attitudes, and standards. This inward focus appears to be necessary for the development of a firm sense of self and of broader roles in the social order. During the stage of Intimacy versus Isolation, adolescence is now behind the individual and the early adult years loom ahead. Energies are focused on building careers, establishing lasting social ties, and achieving then maintaining intimate relationships. Marriage or cohabitation creates new demands on the individual sharing, compromising, and relinquishing social mobility to some degree. Also, many young adults begin having children and raising families. Those who were unsuccessful in resolving their identity crises may find themselves isolated from mainstream society and unable to maintain healthy intimate relationships. It basically identifies the developmental interaction between maturational advances and the social  expectations made upon the child Ego identity is never established as an achievement,' as something static or unchangeable, but is a forever to-be-revised sense of reality of the Self within social reality (Erikson, 1968: 24, 211). Although the identity crisis is most pronounced during adolescence and gives that age its stage name, identity issues remain a lifelong concern. A redefinition of ones ego-identity emerges quite commonly when major role changes occur, such as when college freshmen leave home and have to make their own decisions, often for the first time. Other issues that tend to renew identity concerns are: ones first job, marriage, parenthood,  the death of ones parents, divorce, unemployment, serious illness, widowhood, and retirement. The ability to cope with these later identity issues that result from major changes in ones role in life may well depend on the degree of success with which one bas mastered the adolescent identity crisis. Adolescence bas been characterized by Erikson (1950) as the period in the human life cycle during which the individual must establish a sense of personal identity and avoid the dangers of rote diffusion and identity confusion. Identity achievement t implies that the individual assesses strengths and weaknesses and determines how he or she wants to deal with them. The adolescent must find an answer to the identity questions: Where did 1 come from? Who am I? What do 1 want to become?Identity, or a sense of sameness and continuity, must be searched for. Identity is not readily given to the individual by society, nor does it appear as a maturational phenomenon when the time comes, as do secondary sex characteristics. Identity must be acquired through sustained individual effort. Unwillingness to work actively on ones identity formation carries with it the danger of role diffusion, which may result in alienation and a sense of isolation and confusion. The search for an identity involves the establishment of a meaningfu1 self-concept in which past, present, and future are brought together to form a unified whole. Consequently, the task is more difficult in a historical period in which the anchorage of family and community tradition bas been lost and the future is unpredictable. ln a period of rapid social change, the aIder generation is no longer able to provide adequate role models for the younger generation. Mead (1970) describes in detail the changing relationship of adolescents to parents as societies move from post- to co- and pre figurative cultures  (see Chapter 6). Keniston (1965) bas even suggested that in a rapidly changing society, the search for an identity is replacing the socialization process, since the latter implies that there actually exist stable, uniform, socially defined scales and values into which the adolescent can be guided. The aider generation no longer provides effective role models to the younger generation in the process of searching for a personal identity. If the elders do provide them, adolescents may either reject them as personally inappropriate, or follow them-in what will later be discussed as a foreclosed fashion-that is, seeking to fulfil their parents aspirations for them, without appreciating the search for an identity as a personal opportunity. Thus, the importance of the peer group in helping the individual to answer the identity question, Who am I? cannot be emphasized enough. The answer to this question depends  on social feedback from others who provide the adolescent with their perception and their evaluation of him or ber. Identity is based on psychosocial reciprocity. Therefore, adolescents are sometimes morbidly, often curiously, preoccupied with what they appear to be in the eyes of others as compared with what they feel they are and with the question of how to connect to earl ier cultivated cales and skills with the ideal prototype of the clay (Erikson, 1959: 89). Adolescents preoccupation with the thinking of others is the basis of Elkinds (1967) theory of egocentrism. Since an identity can be found only in interaction with significant others, a process Erikson refers to as psychosocial reciprocity, the adolescent often goes through a period of a great need for peer group recognition and almost compulsive peer group involvement. Conforming to the expectations of peers helps adolescents find out how certain cales fit them, but peer group conformity can also createa new kind of dependencys, o that the individual accepts the values of others tao easily without really addressing the identity issue ofhow weIl they do fit him or ber. The peer group, the clique, and the gang, even the lover, aid the individual in the search for a personal identity since they provide bath a cole model and very personal social feedback. The seemingly endless telephone conversations during adolescencea nd later, the bull sessioni n college, can serveg enuine psychological purposes by providing this kind of personal information. As long as the adolescent depends on role  models and feedback, the in-group feeling that the peer group provides will remain quite strong. AIso, behaviors of conformity to the expectations of the peer group reflect the learned skill of not making oneself an easy target of catty remarks or to avoid being mock ed out. The ensuing clannishnessa and intolerance of differences-including petty aspects of language, gesture, hair style, and dress-are explained by Erikson as the necessacy defenses against the dangers of self-diffusion that remain prevalent as long as the identity bas not yet been achieved. Particularly during the time when the body image changes so rapidly, when genital maturation stimulates sexualf antasiesa, nd when intimacy with the opposite sexa ppearsa s a possibility with simultaneouslyp ositive and negative valencest,h e adolescent relies on peers for advice, comfort, companionship, and uses peers as a personal sounding board. Eventually, adolescents must free themselves from this new dependency on peers-which bas just replaced their dependency on parents-in order to find themselves, that is, to attain a mature identity. Such an identity, once found, gives the young adult a sense of knowing where one is going and an inner assuredness anticipated recognition  from those who count (Erikson, 1959: 118). Pubescence, according to Erikson, is characterized by the rapidity of body growth, genital maturity, and sexual awareness. Because these changes are qualitatively quite different from those experienced during childhood, an element of discontinuity from previous  development may emerge during early adolescence. youth is not only confronted with an internal physiological revolution that interferes with the easy establishment of a new body image, but also confronted with a psychological crisis that revolves around issues of identity and self-definition. Erikson maintains today that the study of identity bas become more important than was the study of sexuality in Freuds rime. For the searching adolescent, identity-the establishment and reestablishment of sameness with previous experiences and a conscious attempt to make the future a part of ones personal life plan-seems  to be subordinated to sexuality. Adolescents must establish ego-identity and lea rn to accept body changes as well as new libidinal feelings. Identity exploration depends at least in part on these psycho physiological factors. I

Advantage of Music Essay

Advantages of music Affecting the brain waves According to studies it has been proven that your brainwaves can get stimulated with strong beats. The stimulation takes place to resonate in sync with the beat. Sharp  beats ensure sharp concentration and it can help you attain a meditative and calm state. Music and your heart rate: Due to alternations taking place in brainwaves, other bodily functions also get affected. Functions like heart rate and breathing that are controlled by the autonomic nervous system can be altered with music. Mozart effect The skills you learn through music get transferred to your communication skills, study skills and cognitive skills. According to a Harvard University study, the spatial-temporal reasoning gets enhanced when children start learning music. Such reasoning tends to improve in a temporary manner when an adult listens to a particular type of music. This study was named as the â€Å"Mozart effect† and it suggested that spatial reasoning and music have a neurological and psychological connection. Other Advantages Music therapy  is an interpersonal process in which the therapist uses music and all of its facets—physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual—to help clients to improve or maintain their health. In some instances, the client’s needs are addressed directly through music; in others they are addressed through the relationships that develop between the client and therapist. Music therapy is used with individuals of all ages and with a variety of conditions, including: psychiatric disorders, medical problems, physical handicaps, sensory impairments, developmental disabilities, substance abuse, communication disorders, interpersonal problems, and aging. It is also used to: improve learning, build self-esteem, reduce stress,  support physical exercise, and facilitate a host of other health-related activities. Music Genera A  music genre  is a categorical and typological construct that identifies  musical  sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music

Unbalanced work

The cause of the problem in my department is the unbalanced work load between two secretaries, Jack Snyder, who is providing support to two executive members, Ralph Alane & Jessica Hilo, and Ruth Disselkoen who is providing support to other two executive members, Samuel Daley & Frank Daley. During the long time medical leave of Jessica Hilo, 37% of the work load has been handled by a full time administrative assistant and Jack for the total 80 hours of the week, whereas 63% of the work load has been handled by a part time administrative assistant and Ruth for the total 55 hours of the week. This imbalance in work environment creates stress for Ruth who can’t perform her work perfect, at the same time, makes Jack lazy and irregular. Ruth can’t concentrate in her work even though she works for more hours and the executive members start complain. On the other hand, Jack has enough time to finish his work on time with quality without any stress. This may create friction in the department and so overall quality of the work will go down. In order to solve the issue and make the department efficient, I am very much convinced that an immediate action is required. I would like to discuss this issue with two secretaries. The aim would be to convince both of them that team work is more important than an individual responsibility. Since this is a new approach to handle the situation, initially, I will assign the work. The current practice of work assignment will be changed and the work will be considered as a department work rather than individual. The same will be conveyed to the executive members. This change will result in no overtime and improved work quality for sure.

History of Europe 1815-1914 Essay

Nationalism is a relatively recent phenomenon, considering the grand sweep of history. Although its roots can be found among the ancient Hebrews and Greeks, Niccolo Machiavelli’s book, The Prince, was the beginning of modern day nationalism, and was â€Å"important in the preparation of nationalism. † (Kohn, 1955, p. 9) Machiavelli believed that the state must be preserved and defended at any cost, and longed for Italian unification, which was to come centuries later. John Milton of 17th century Great Britain is considered to be the architect of modern day nationalism. Milton regarded nationalism as â€Å"the affirmation of individual freedom from authority, the self-assertion of personality in face of its own government or church,† and the freedom to â€Å"utter and to argue freely according to conscience. † (Kohn, 1955, p. 16-17) According to historian John Hall, at the core of liberalism is the quest to answer the question, â€Å"What is the nature of a good life? † (Hall, 1988, p. 9) Immanuel Kant, the German philosopher, was concerned with the categories of the human mind. His philosophy is often called critical philosophy. He believed human reasoning to be the ultimate authority on morality, and that a person should be free to reason. As hall puts it, Kant’s â€Å"defense of the basic liberal aim of considering individuals to be of moral worth remains high-powered and absolutely central to liberalism. † (Hall, 1988, p. 19) John Stuart Mill is considered to be â€Å"the most important single theorist of liberalism. † (Hall, 1988, p. 24) He believed in a person’s right to freedom, as did Kant, and defended individual liberty. Mill wrote in his work, On Liberty, â€Å"the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. † (Hall, 1988, p. 25) Mill was considered to be a radical in his time for he supported women’s equality, including the right to vote, education and birth control. Although Mill never became a socialist, he studied pre-Marxist socialist works. Karl Marx’s brand of socialism divided industrialized society into two classes: proletariat and bourgeoisie. The proletariats being the working class, and the bourgeoisie being the rich, ruling class. He criticized capitalism and considered it to be oppressive. He viewed freedom as the â€Å"extent of humankind’s domination over nature and the degree of rational, conscious control over social relations. † (Walicki, 1995, p. 12) Marx was the â€Å"prophet of communism† and he thought that his utopian view of society would â€Å"restore the unity of humankind, reconciling human individual existence with human species essence. † (Walicki, 1995, p. 12) Friedrich Engels was a contemporary of Marx, and co-wrote works with him, including the Communist Manifesto. Both Engels and Marx co-founded communism. He believed that the evils in industrialized society were due to private property, and only through a class struggle which led to a communist society could there be equality. The Problem of Bismarck Otto von Bismarck was appointed as Prime Minister of Prussia by Emperor William I in 1862. Not incredibly popular when appointed, people underestimated the power-hungry man. Prior to Bismarck’s appointment, William wanted to reform the Prussian military. The parliament agreed to reform but did not want to yield control of the budget to William for a long period of time. When Bismarck came on the scene he managed to collect additional taxes needed, and used them toward military reform without the consent or approval of the parliament. Unlike Bismarck, Louis-Napoleon of France, the great nephew of Napoleon I, started his political career with great support, but ended up being deposed. He was elected president of France in 1848 with a victory of 74. 2%. He was able to gain such a huge victory by being able to â€Å"appear as all things to all men. † (Price, 2003) However, resistance grew to his domination of government in 1851. He started a coup in December 1851 with little resistance in Paris, but more in rural areas, but he was able to crush that resistance. An election was held after the coup to decide whether or not people wanted him to have the authority necessary to create a constitution, and the result was an overwhelming yes, due to his â€Å"immense popularity. † (Price, 2003) Napoleon created the Second Empire, with himself the Emperor. In 1868 Bismarck pushed for Leopold, prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, to take the throne of Spain after the Spanish Revolution of 1868. Napoleon was alarmed at the prospect of Leopold taking the Spanish throne and threatened war. Leopold’s candidacy for the throne was withdrawn, but Napoleon wanted a letter of apology from Bismarck. Bismarck published the demands of Napoleon and Prussia’s rejection in the Ems Dispatch because he knew it would likely lead to war, and thought that a war with France would cause southern German states to help fight a Prussian war, leading to the unification of Germany. War did break out in 1870, and lasted until 1871. France was defeated by Prussia under Bismarck’s leadership. Politics & Economy During the 19th century Great Britain experienced a tremendous amount of economic growth, which began with the cotton industry. â€Å"Between 1815 and 1851 occurred the most rapid economic development of domestic resources in the whole of British economic history. † (Smellie, 1962, p. 140) By 1860 half of the world’s coal and manufactured goods were supplied by Britain. By 1870 British international trade was greater than the French, German and Italian combined. Several major political developments occurred in Britain during the 1830s. The Reform Bill, enacted in 1832, lessened the amount of land a man had to own to be eligible to vote. It increased eligible voters by more than 200,000. However, eligible voters still only amounted to 20%. As a reaction to the French Revolution, the Six Acts Law was passed by Parliament in 1819. It severely limited civil liberties, including freedom of the press and the right to public meeting. Other laws were passed which outlawed political rallies, and made it illegal to form labor organizations. The economic development of France was much slower than Britain’s. It took longer to industrialize because the French population did not increase as fast as the rest of Europe. The slow population growth was caused by peasants limiting their family size due to the small plots they farmed. A recession in the 1860s occurred because agriculture and industry could not keep up with global competition. From 1815 to 1870 France went through a series of regime changes. In 1815 Napoleon I was defeated and France was invaded by foreign troops. Restoration of the Bourbon monarchy was forced upon the French people, and Louis XVIII was installed as king. After Louis died in 1824 Charles X became king. Moderate royalists and liberals won seats in elections, and in 1829 Charles appointed Jules de Polignac as chief minister, which alienated both moderates and liberals. After the elections in 1830 Charles signed the July Ordinances into law which dismissed the newly elected Chamber of Deputies, causing another revolution where Charles was driven from the throne, and the July Monarchy installed, named after the month when Louis Philippe, of the house of Orleans, was installed. Louis-Philippe was also driven from the throne in 1848, and the Second Republic was created. An April 1848 election allowed all eligible males to vote. Workers in Paris, however, did not like the results of the election and revolted. The revolts were brutally put down in what came to be called the June Days of 1848. Louis Napoleon won the presidential elections of 1848, as previously mentioned, later declaring himself emperor. War & Unity During the 19th century unification occurred in both Germany and Italy. In Germany Bismarck managed to unite Germany through war with France in 1870, asking Germans not to fight â€Å"for Prussian expansion but for the sake of the fatherland. † (Bridge, 1980, p. 3) He succeeded in uniting Germany, but at a price Germans did not realize. â€Å"Bismarck’s sensational success in unifying the country blinded most of his countrymen to the political retardation he had imposed upon them. †(Feuchtwanger, 2001, p. 14) He managed to force an authoritarian system on all of Germany. In Italy the Risorgimento, the term for Italian resistance to Austrian rule and the growing desire for unification, began with Giuseppe Mazzini. Exiled to France in 1831, he created the organization called Giovane Italia (Young Italy) in order to help spread Italian nationalism. Giuseppe Garibaldi was inspired by Mazzini, and in 1860 he landed in Sicily in order to stir up a revolt against the Sicilian king. He managed to gather Sicilian peasants to fight, and they were able to defeat the king. He then set himself up as the dictator of Sicily, and headed to the southern mainland with his Sicilian peasants. He also gained the support of peasants there, and then headed north, where he defeated King Francis of Naples. He was met with resistance by the forces of Victor Emmanuel, king of Sardinia. He decided to hand over his conquests to Victor Emmanuel. Garibaldi was an exact opposite of Bismarck. He fought for unification of his country by gathering the support of the people, while Bismarck united his country by embroiling them in wars. Bismarck imposed authoritarianism on the German people. Garibaldi put his political ambitions aside for the good of his country. â€Å"He could have established himself as dictator of southern Italy but believed national unity to be more important than personal ambition. † (Farmer, 2006)

What Is Globalization

Globalization is a term that includes a wide range of social and economic variations. It can encompass topics like the cultural changes, economics, finance trends, and global market expansion. There ought to be positive and negative effects of globalization – it all comes as a package. Globalization helps in creating new markets and wealth, at the same time it is responsible for extensive suffering, disorder, and unrest. The great financial crisis that just happened is the biggest example of how negative globalization can turn. It clearly reveals the dangers of an unstable, deregulated, global economy. At the same time, this gave rise to important global initiatives, striving towards betterment. Globalization is a factor responsible for both repression and the social boom. What happens when there is a growing integration of economies across the globe? Majorly there have been positive impacts of this global phenomenon – through liberalization, privatization and globalization (LPG). Due to globalization, there has been significant flow of inward foreign direct investment. MNCs are getting a chance to explore various different markets across economies and explore the untapped potential. IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION It was in July 1991, when foreign currency reserves had tumbled down to almost $1 billion; inflation was at a soaring high of 17%, highest level of fiscal deficit, and foreign investors loosing confidence in Indian Economy. With all these coupling factors, capital was on the verge of flying out of the country and we were on the brink of become loan defaulters. It was at this time that with so many bottlenecks at bay, a complete overhauling of the economic system was required. Policies and programs changed accordingly. This was the best time for us to realize the importance of globalization. MEASURE OF GLOBALIZATION Devaluation: The first initiative towards globalization had been taken the moment there was an announcement of devaluating the Indian currency by a hoping 18-19% against all the major global currencies. This was a major initiative in the international foreign exchange arena. The Balance of payment crisis could also be resolved by this measure. Disinvestment: The core elements of globalization are privatization and liberalization. Under the privatization scheme, bulk of the public sector undertakings have been/ and are still being sold to the private sector. Thus the concept of PPP (public private partnership) came up. Allowing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): Allowing FDI inflows is a major step of globalization. The foreign investment regime has been quite transparent and thus the economy is getting boosted up. Various sectors were opened up for liberalizing the FDI regime. For successful globalization countries need to chalk out strategies and policies to open up the doors for the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI). The FDI by the MNCs brings with it flow of foreign capital, inflow of technology’ real capital goods, managerial and technical skills and know-how. Globalization can easily promote exports of the country by exploiting its export potentials in a right way. Globalization can be the engine of growth by facilitating export-led growth strategy of a developing country. ASEAN countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have demonstrated their success of export-led growth strategy supported by the FDI under globalization approach. Globalization can provide sophisticated job opportunities to the qualified and also check ‘brain drain’ in a country. Globalization would provide varieties of products to consumer at a cheaper rate when they are domestically produced rather than imported. This would help in improving the economic welfare of the consumer class. Under globalization, the rising inflow of capital would bring foreign exchange into the country. Consequently, the exchange reserves and balances of payments position of the country can improve. This also helps in stabilizing the external value of the country’s currency. Under global finance, companies can meet their financial requirements easily. Global banking sector could facilitate e-banking and e-business. This would integrate countries economy globally and its prosperity would be enhanced. DEMERITS OF GLOBALISATION: Globalization is never accepted as unmixed blenings. Cities have pessimistic views about its ill-consequences. When a country is opened up and its market economy and financial sectors are well iberalized, its domestic economy may suffer owing to foreign economic invasion. A developing economy when lacks sufficient maturity, globalization may have adverse effect on its growth. Globalization may kill domestic industries when they fail to improve and compete foreign well-managed, well-established firms. Globalization may result into economic imperialism. Unguarded openness may become a playground for speculators. Currency speculation and speculators att acks, as happened in case of Indonesia, Malaysia Thailand, Philippines etc recently may led to economic crisis. It may lead to unemployment, poverty and growing economic inequalities. Despite its some shortcomings, benefits of globalization are likely to outweigh their drawbacks. Globalization essentially provides greater opportunities for the faster growth and economic development of the country and improve economic welfare. It provides wider and large-scale economic activities and employment opportunities. In a planned economy such as India, an indicative planning of desirable globalization process can be great use. India’s perspective planning for foreign investments and entry of MNC’s should be positive towards modernization of India. Besides, Research and Development (R&D) as well as technological up gradobious should be an integral part of India’s liberalized planning towards market economy. In short, globalization implies undeterred business activities and interaction among the firms and people with a global approach. It needs change in the outlook. It requires relaxing of control and regulations. It is heartening to note that an awareness of the government in India is on this line. Relief to foreign investors, new industrial policy, new trade policy, new fiscal policy, banking reforms, FERA and MRTP relaxation, acceptance of WTO agreements etc all suggest a positive out look of Indian policy-makers towards globalization. Indian government has assumed the role of promoter, care taker and regulator of market economy in the country in a desirable manner. Journey has begun. Destination is yet far. Perspective Although the social science literature on globalization has proliferated, social policy and social work scholars have not adequately debated the consequences of globalization for social welfare and social justice. Drawing on different social science interpretations of globalization, four major perspectives that offer different analytical and normative insights into globalization are identified and their implications for social welfare and social justice are briefly examined. The implications of these perspectives for social policy and social work scholarship are also considered. The concept of globalization is widely used today not only in the social sciences but in journalism and popular discourse. However, it is still poorly defined. Although loosely employed to connote the processes of social change that are affecting social relations between people living in the world's different nation states, the nature of these processes and their effects are widely debated and contested in the social sciences today. Nevertheless, these processes are said to be qualitatively different from earlier forms of international exchange in that they are more complex, intense and volatile. They are also believed to be fostering a historically unique interdependence between the people and nations of the world that will ultimately result in the integration of economies and societies. Of course, this interpretation has been disputed and an alternative view that defines globalization as no more than the acceleration of historic patterns of international exchange has also been formulated. Different interpretations of the nature of global change reflect different disciplinary social science perspectives. While economists view globalization as the creation of a world economic market, sociologists place more emphasis on the role of international social relations, communications and population movements in fostering space-time compression, post-modernity and cultural diffusion. In turn, political scientists stress the way power relations operate internationally to foster new systems of global regulation and governance. These diverse disciplinary perspectives have different normative implications that not only evaluate globalization differently but inspire different policy perspectives on how the process of globalization might and should be molded. These normative dimensions are of obvious interest to scholars in the fields of social policy and social work. However, as will be shown, different social science interpretations reach very different conclusions about globalization's consequences for welfare and justice. This article outlines four major perspectives which offer different analytical and normative insights into this issue and then considers the social welfare and social justice implications of these different perspectives. But first, it provides a brief discussion of the emergence of the concept of globalization and its social science usage.

Business In The South African Market Example For Free - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 1994 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Analytical essay Tags: Africa Essay Did you like this example? The challenges of todays economic climate and the highly competitive market place make it essential for organisations to continuously measure and monitor their performance to identify areas for optimisation and improvement. It is widely recognised that the strategic application of business intelligence (BI) is a key contributor to unlocking the business value of information across the organisation. Timely access to pertinent information, which can be easily assimilated by business users, leads to better business decisions and ultimately improves business performance (De Voe Neal, 2005; Evgeniou Cartwright, 2005; Là ¶nnqvist Pirttimà ¤ki, 2006). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Business In The South African Market Example For Free" essay for you Create order BI is not a new concept and in studying the available literature it is clear that several consistent best practices and guidelines are available to organisations to help them avoid the potential pitfalls (Rogers, McDonald, Brown, 2005; Watson Wixom, 2007). It is also well documented in the literature that BI is recognised by management and senior executives as an essential component to gain a competitive advantage in the market place. The significant amounts that are being invested in BI by industry testify to this. Further support for this notion is found in the fact that implementing BI has been a top priority for CIOs and CFOs for several consecutive years. (Eckerson, 2008; Evgeniou Cartwright, 2005; Rogers et al., 2005). However, in studying the literature it becomes evident that even though companies have been spending large amounts on their BI investments, most organisations have failed to achieve a culture of pervasive BI. Instead of having a BI strategy, most compani es have multiple BI projects on the go and are desperately trying to standardise in order to overcome the information silos that have been created by the various business departments within the organisation (Davenport, 2006; Rogers et al., 2005; Williams Williams, 2004; Williams Williams, 2007). The CIO of a consumer products company in South Africa stated in the 2009 IBM CIO survey that Business is not yet fully exploiting the business intelligence that is available (The new voice of the CIO, 2009). In another recent survey, conducted by TDWI, it was found that of the entire population of users that were given legal access to a BI tool, only 24% of these users were actively making use of these tools in their decision making (Eckerson, 2008). Successful adoption and usage means that BI forms an integral part of the decision making activities that occurs within the business. In other words, the pervasive use of BI implies a culture of fact based decision making that exists ac ross all levels of the organisation. It also indicates that the outcomes of these decisions are continuously integrated with the existing information at hand, thereby adding further value to the information. However, according to the latest Gartner report for BI platforms most organisations fail to link BI content with the decision itself, the decision outcome, or with the related collaboration and other decision inputs (Davenport, 2006; Sallam, Hostmann, Richardson, Bitterer, 2010). So, with all the proven benefits that can be derived by adopting pervasive BI; why are only a small percentage of organisations successful in establishing a fact-based decision making culture? And what can be done differently to promote the pervasive use of BI within organisations? The purpose of this study is to gain deeper insight into the factors that influence continued adoption and usage of BI, specifically in the South African market place. Ideally the outcomes of this study will benefit or ganisations by providing better insight into how their BI investment can be used optimally to facilitate fact-based decision making that will result in improved performance for the organisation. Objectives The objective of the proposed research project is to determine the factors that can assist South African companies to be more successful in achieving pervasive use of BI across the organisation. This study will comprise of research into the following areas: Examine the factors that influence continued adoption and usage of BI within organisations. Evaluate and compare the current state of BI adoption and usage in South Africa against these findings. Describe the factors and possible reasons behind South African companies success or failure to achieve pervasive use of BI within the organisation. Research Method Research Philosophy The research will adopt a positivist research philosophy since the aim of this study is to objectively examine and describe the factors that influence the pervasive use of BI within South African organisations (Saunders, Lewis, Thornhill, 2009). Approach The research will take a deductive approach to the theory as it will commence by establishing a theoretical framework based on the available literature and then collecting data that will be analysed and measured in context of this framework (Saunders et al., 2009). Purpose The purpose of this research is both descriptive and exploratory as it will first attempt to portray an accurate profile of the factors that influence continued adoption and usage of BI within organisations. Secondly, it will then focus on South African organisations in particular by studying the usage of BI in the South African market place in relation to these findings and try to ascertain the factors that influence the pervasive use of BI within South African organisations. Based on the outcomes of this study the researcher hopes to gain new insight into factors that influence the continued usage and adoption of BI in South African organisations (Saunders et al., 2009). Research Strategy As a first step, a critical literature review will be conducted as part of the deductive approach to the research in order to develop a theoretical framework for the proposed study. The primary data collection will be in the form of a survey which will comprise of a questionnaire that will be distributed to BI users and practitioners. The questionnaire will gather some demographic data, but will mainly focus on gathering data around the current state of BI usage and adoption in South African companies. The questionnaires will be supplemented by semi-structured qualitative interviews in order to gain further insight into the factors influencing the pervasive use of BI. This mechanism will allow the researcher to ask additional questions based on the interviewees responses to the questions, as well as give the interviewees the opportunity to elaborate further on their responses (Saunders et al., 2009). This study therefore uses a mixed method that involves quantitative as well as qualitative techniques to collect data (Saunders et al., 2009). Timeframe The timeframe of this research will be cross-sectional as it will be studying the factors influencing the pervasive use of BI at a particular point in time (Saunders et al., 2009). Survey Instruments A survey-based questionnaire and semi-structured interviews will be used to collect data. The researcher is considering using expectation-confirmation theory and an augmented version of technology adoption model (TAM) as a possible model for developing the questions for the survey (Bhattacherjee, 2001; Saunders et al., 2009; Yi, Jackson, Park, Probst, 2006). However, further research into the various models and construction of effective questionnaires is required before the survey instrument can be designed and finalised. The semi-structured interviews will comprise of a list of themes and questions to achieve some degree of standardisation. The interviews and questions may vary in terms of order and follow up questions depending on the nature of the interview and the interviewees responses to the questions. Target population Business users across all levels of organisation will be targeted. The aim is to include users at executive, tactical and operational levels within the organisation as well as BI practitioners responsible for implementing BI solutions. Sample The researcher is considering a non-probability sampling technique based on the snowball sampling method for this research project. The aim is to survey approximately 100 cases and interview 10 to 15 business users and BI practitioners (Hart Henriques, 2006; Saunders et al., 2009). Potential candidates for participation will be contacted telephonically or via email and invited to participate in the study. The survey-based questionnaires will be distributed electronically to willing participants with a letter explaining the purpose and objectives of the survey. Following up on the questionnaires will be done via phone calls or emails to ensure a high level of returned responses. The interviews will preferably be done face-to-face using a voice recorder to ensure all details of the conversation can be reviewed thoroughly at a later stage. If this is not possible, video conferencing or telephone will be considered as alternative methods for conducting the interviews. Data Analysis Quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques will be applied to analyse the data. A statistical tool, SPSS, will be used for detailed statistical analysis of the data. Ethics and confidentiality Participation in the survey-based questionnaire and interviews will be on a voluntary basis. The purpose of the study will explained to participants verbally or in the form of a cover letter. Approval has already been obtained from Synergy Business Intelligence that their customers may be contacted to participate in the study. Prior to contacting potential participants, approval will be obtained from their respective organisations permitting their staff to participate in the study. All respondents details and as well as information about their organisations will be treated as strictly confidential and will not be published as part of the study. Timescale The following dates for deliverables have already been predefined by the UCT IS department: DATE DELIVERABLES 24 March Submit Written Proposal 25 Mar 04 May Meet with Mentor 05 May Submit Literature Review 10 May 22 Jun Meet with Mentor 23 Jun Research Design Hand In 25 Jun 24 Aug Meet with Mentor 25 Aug Present Technical Report 26 Aug 28 Sep Review finalise Technical Report 29 Sep Technical Report Hand In Preliminary Bibliography Bhattacherjee, A. (2001). Understanding information systems continuance: An expectation-confirmation model. MIS Quarterly, 25(3), 351-370. Davenport, T. H. (2006). Competing on analytics. Harvard Business Review, 84(1), 98-106. De Voe, L., Neal, K. (2005). When Business Intelligence equals business value. Business Intelligence Journal, 10(3), 57-63. Eckerson, W. W. (2008). Pervasive business intelligence: Techniques and technologies to deploy BI on an enterprise scale. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from https://www.corda.com/pdfs/tdwi-pervasivebi-report-july08.pdf. Evgeniou, T., Cartwright, P. (2005). Barriers to information management. European Management Journal, 23(3), 293-299. Griffin, J. (2007). Putting the business back into Business Intelligence initiatives. DM Review, 2, 15. Hart, M., Henriques, V. (2006, June 25-27). On the influence of facilitating conditions of DSS usage. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 36th SACLA Conference, Cape Town, South Af rica. Howson, C., (2008). Successful Business Intelligence: Secrets to Making BI a Killer App. Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill. Là ¶nnqvist, A., Pirttimà ¤ki, V. (2006). The measurement of Business Intelligence. Information Systems Management, 23(1), 32-40. Petrini, M., Pozzebon, M. (2009). Managing sustainability with the support of business intelligence: Integrating socio-environmental indicators and organisational context. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 18(4), 178-191. Pierce, D. (2007). Cultivating high performance through information management findings from the Accenture CIO survey 2007: Business intelligence. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from https://www.accenture.com/NR/rdonlyres/B500F42A-36A3-469E-87E2-9439DD8AB44E/0/3660_AIMSCIOSurvey_BIfindingsfinal.pdf. Popovic, A., Turk, T., Jaklic, J. (2006, April 16). Business value of business intelligence systems lies in improved business processes. Paper presented at the 5th WSEAS International Conference on Ap plied Computer Science, Hangzhou, China. Rogers, S. B., McDonald, K. D., Brown, V. A. (2005). CFOs positioned to drive BI integration. Financial Executive, 21(7), 46-49. Sallam, R. L., Hostmann, B., Richardson, J., Bitterer, A. (2010). Magic quadrant for business intelligence platforms. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from https://www.gartner.com/technology/media-products/reprints/oracle/article121/article121.html Saunders, M., Lewis, P., Thornhill, A. (2009). Research methods for business students (5th ed.). London: Pearson Education/Prentice Hall. The new voice of the CIO: Insights from the global chief information officer study. (2009). Retrieved March 7, 2010, from https://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/cio/ciostudy/download-02.html Watson, H. J., Wixom, B. H. (2007). The current state of business intelligence. IEEE Computer Society, 40(9), 96-99. Williams, S., Williams, N., Consulting, D. P. (2004). Assessing BI Readiness: The key to BI ROI. Business Intelligence J ournal, 9, 15-23. Williams, S., Williams, N. (2007). The profit impact of Business Intelligence. San Francisco, CA: Elsevier/Morgan Kaufmann. Yi, M. Y., Jackson, J. D., Park, J. S., Probst, J. C. (2006). Understanding information technology acceptance by individual professionals: Toward an integrative view. Information Management, 43(3), 350.

Online Dating Essay - 3094 Words

Online Dating The Internet has always seemed like a completely separate world, very different from reality. There seemed to be so many endless possibilities. One is the new online dating craze, which has caught my attention a number of times. One rainy afternoon, curled up in a blanket at my computer chair, I decided to investigate it. I learned that as many of the baby-boomers start to become widowed or divorced, many are looking for mates, along with many others who are looking for companionship. With the new Internet-Age, many of these individuals turn to their computer to find someone. Online relationships are a growing phenomenon in the United States as well as internationally. After doing some research I could not†¦show more content†¦I could tell only the best would please her. Robin, who also works for ABC and is friends with Erica, would also expect the finest. Laura, I could tell was a good writer, serious about her work. She seemed easy to please, anything would w ork for her. Not knowing if any of these women might be vegetarian, I decided fish was the ideal main course. I would accompany the main course with a salad, a steamed vegetable, and some rolls. Key lime pie would be served for dessert. I felt the hardest part was over now that I had decided what to make. Everybody would arrive at six o’clock on Saturday evening. We would start with some appetizers. Hopefully this would relax everybody and we could get to know each other a little before we started discussing the issue at hand, online dating. I personally find it much easier to debate with someone who I know a little bit about. I hoped they would feel the same way. That way I could predict some of their actions and what their opinions might be. We would begin eating dinner at approximately 6:45. At this point, we could begin our discussion. After dinner, we would move back into the living room to enjoy dessert and coffee and finish up. 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