Reflective Essay on Organizational Informatics

Abstract Organizational Informatics is the application of both Information Technology and Computer Science in handling an Organization’s matters. With the new developments in information technology and Computer Science, organizations have recorded increase in the ease of their operation, quick execution of tasks, and reduction in the operational costs.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reflective Essay on Organizational Informatics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The adoption of informatics in firms may also have adverse effects on manpower (Bloomfield, 2000). Goal attainment and supervision of staff has eased with the implementation of computerization and information technology in many organizations. Deterioration in creativity in some industries and automation of humans are some of the adverse impacts experienced in Organizational Informatics. This dissertation seeks to ascertain some of the developments and extent of their impacts on the organizations (Nembhard, 2011). Organization is a term that refers to a group of individuals who operate under a definite set of principles that guide them towards achieving a common goal. There are different types of organizations that may include institutions and other types of business entities. Informatics is the combination of computer science and information science (Bouwan, 2005). Therefore, Organizational Informatics refers to the integration of information technology in handling different information related matters in an organizational setting. Organizational Informatics has a social aspect that one has to consider when analyzing various institutions. One examines different types of organizations redefining their distinct characteristics to come up with the best information technology that best suits them. Organizational Informatics establishes the purposeful areas in the business to come up with the best ways of conveying information. It helps in enhancing the business integration of tasks in a fast and efficient manner. Organizational Informatics broadly elucidates the diverse information-based products. It is vital to examine the different products used within an information domain (Pulver, 2009).Advertising Looking for essay on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The organizational scope is broad, and as such, there is the need to establish a product that best fits a particular organization. The rise of many organizations having different time spans for change institutes the use of flexible information technology that incorporates changes. Nature of Organizational Informatics The Organizational Informatics tends to be problem-oriented, incorporating different rules and practices of the respective organization. The information technology of a given organization is structured to fit the functionality of the organization. Organization’s information tec hnology is always programmed to yield solutions to problems that an organization is likely to face. Different organizations have different problems; information infrastructure should solve the problems in an organization. For Organizational Informatics to hold, one should hold on to the principle of framework dependency. Context dependency lays the assumption that there is a particular direction human beings have to follow regarding the occurrence of a certain event. It relies heavily on the extent of prediction. It may not be the case because of the high chances of manipulation due to the nature of human thought. The information-seeking behaviors may vary from one person to another. There is a likelihood of having one problem facing different people and each following different directions in seeking information (Bloomfield, 2000). Organizational Informatics being the application of information technology and computer science in organizations has greatly enhanced the functioning of organizations through an increase in interdependence among organizations (Borgman, 2000). There have been various reasons for governing different organizations, with all the reasons having the aim of enhancing success in organizations. They also target to reduce the operational cost of the firms. However, this has recently caused a lot of contradictions. Research has shown that organizations with high information technology standards call for less labor than those without.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reflective Essay on Organizational Informatics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Over the years, firms that have notably applied information technology in their operations have recorded operational ease, as well as, increased productivity. Organizational doctrines and processes can also be clearly outlined with the use of information technology. Many of the functions within organizations have been automated throu gh the use of computers. In the accounting organizational environments, computation has transformed and eased through the use of computers (Bouwan, 2005). Computers have made the operations fast. Calculations of large amounts of numeric data occur within seconds, unlike, previous times. Implementation of information technology has improved interactions between organizations. Lesser labor is required due to the use of computers. The development of Informatics has fostered the development of the current organizations. The current development of social media being used as a tool for passing information to organizations has positively improved the passage of information. The emergence and upgrading of information technology have fostered development in organizations. The older systems in organizations are always being replaced the newer ones that suit the needs of an organization. Integration system is also another better area under consideration regarding organizations. Software like S AP has been used; it intensifies the passage of information across an organization while permitting many parameters to be modified. It helps in integration of operations of an organization having advanced administrative centralization to come up with the diverse parameters across the organization’s geographical locations having decentralized activities (Bloomfield, 2000). The yields in organizations have incessantly enhanced following the integration of informatics. Incorporation of geospatial mapping application has also helped in tracking the locations of the organization’s manpower. Running any site on the internet on behalf of the organization is monitored following the use of IP addresses hence increasing transparency with the organizations (Bouwan, 2005).Advertising Looking for essay on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The information passed to any method via a computer can be easily tracked, and thus minimizing the chances of passing malicious information in the organization. Organizations conveyance of information is thus efficient and effective with the application of informatics. Organizational Structure Organizations are structured differently. For this reason, the role of information technology varies. Organizations should thus redefine their roles and come up with the best method of passing the information that accomplishes their intended functions. Organizational Informatics plays a central role in making the functioning of different compartments within the organization easy. Given the socio-technical relationship of an organization, people should learn to incorporate and administer technology in organizations. Organizational Informatics is an important trend because it simplifies human efforts, and its execution method of different roles is assured. Organizational Informatics also ensures efficient record keeping in microchips. Organizational Informatics also explores information-based industries and the relevance of their establishment in the industry. Organizational Informatics has greatly enhanced communication within businesses. It has also improved the interrelationship between companies. Organizational Informatics application in different industries has led to increased productivity (Tracy, 2014). Organizational Informatics aims at easing the functions within an organization. Initially, all the functions within the organizations were done manually. The communication within the organizations was mainly verbal or in writing. Incorporation of technology has significantly enhanced the functioning of the organizations. It takes a few seconds to communicate with employees within a given firm through the use of email. Record management has also been boosted following the storage of information on computer hard drives. The retrieval of information has also been improv ed since there is no need for accessing very many files. It only calls for typing the name of the document in the search bar of the computer (Schwartz, 2000). The application of technology in organizations targets to effectively improve communication within different organizations. Some organizations are business entities, and as such, communication is imperative in promoting business to business relationships. Use of emails and other forms of information technology-based communications improves placing of orders and paying for the same. For this reason, information promotes the sales of businesses. Organizational Design Organizational design explains the way the organization’s administration achieves the efficient combination of all the sections/departments to move in the same direction of achieving the set goals with respect to the uncertainty in the external environment. Organizational entails a critical examination of the workflow, administration, and duties allocation to ensure their conformity with the objectives of the organization. A good organizational design creates an enabling environment for the execution of the tasks to achieve the goals of the organization efficiently. Organizational design aids communication, productivity and innovation within an organization (Nembhard, 2011). Different sections of the design can be linked together through the use of the appropriate communication channels to accomplish satisfactory performance. Organizations should overcome the barriers to effective communication at all the times to ensure continued quality in all its undertakings. Organizational planning is a key to effectual design. Proper planning of the flexible design that totally utilizes the available labor and resources is essential in organizations. The information helps in the accomplishment of the functionality of a good organizational design. Organizational Informatics has eased the functioning between different sections of the design. Quick d issemination of information has facilitated the implementation of various responsibilities of manpower in the organizations (Bloomfield, 2000). Management Aspects Effective organizational management entails; exercising authority, making things happen, prioritizing, using control, problem-solving, and decisiveness. Organizational Informatics has enhanced the organizational management aspects. The managers in an organization can use control easily following the automation of the processes. Technology has facilitated the achievement of results within an organization through the use of systems that increase the ease (Tracy, 2014). The exercise authority has enhanced with the application of information technology in the organizations. Automation of processes in organizations has boosted prioritizing of tasks that have led to increased yields. Technology has resulted in efficient problem-solving in organizations through the use of systems that precisely analyze problems and provide the wa y out. Decision making is also another critical development trend in organizations following the application of Organizational Informatics. Management of organizations has been enhanced through the use of Organizational Informatics (Bloomfield, 2000). Technology Infrastructure Technology infrastructure refers to all the aspects involved in facilitating effecting of various organizations’ processes with the use of technical appliances. Technology infrastructure has eased the organization’s functions. Through the application of the relevant technology, organizations have seen betterment in information passage. Information processing in organizations has currently assumed a faster pace. Use of computers and microchips has facilitated data storage and faster retrieval. Technology infrastructure has enabled bulk data transmission from one department to another within or outside the organization (Antonelli, 2009). It has also improved the organization’s public image t hrough websites ads. Technology infrastructure has led to a reduction in the management costs within organizations. Technology infrastructure is an important development in the management of organizations in the current world. It has made the organizations calculate their success in advance and, as a result, the establishment of their profit/loss. Developments in technological infrastructure have led to an improvement in surveillance in the organizations and increased productivity; as a result (Antonelli, 2009). Information Infrastructure Information infrastructure is also an important element in the understanding of Organizational Informatics. Information infrastructure refers to everything that facilitates the flow and processing of information. Information infrastructure is conscientious in planning all the aspects of any given type of organization (Borlase, 2012). It enables fast and reliable method of passing information to the organizations. The information passed through comp uters can be recorded for future references. Incorporation of technology in information infrastructure has led to reliability in the means of communication within organizations. The passing of information from one section to the other is enhanced through the use of technology. Organizations can also reach their customers with ease through the application of technical appliances. Information infrastructure boosts the organization’s performance and increases the overall output of the organization (Bloomfield, 2000). Learning In the context of organizations; learning can be defined as the transfer of knowledge (information) to personnel. Organizational Informatics has facilitated learning. Organizational learning is attained through acquirement, distribution, elucidation, and storage of information. Learning enables efficient information processing reciprocating effectual functioning and performance of organizations (Schwartz, 2000). The emergence of many challenges in the infor mation dissemination within the organization has cultivated the stakeholders’ decisions aim at ensuring continued learning. Adoption of new technology in organizations has also called for advancement in the knowledge of personnel. Learning in organizations can also be attributed to the inventions of newer information systems. The need for the organizational best performance calls for learning to enable discovery of the best practices (Kirwan, 2013). Remembering Remembering can be understood from the concept of organizational memory. Organizational memory can be defined as the process of reconstituting the past projects processes into the present ones. Remembering makes an organization to avoid duplication of efforts and as well as enhancing reliable decision making through access to the same information by all the personnel. Computers have improved the memory of organizational processes and storage of information (Schwartz, 2000). Sense-making The information that is transmit ted within an organization should be measurable in the domain of sense-making. Organizational Informatics has improved the conveyance of sensible information. The development of the technology has made the information systems to adopt a better method that ensures the data is well examined to hold meaning. Use of different software has facilitated sense-making in information (Kirwan, 2013). Significance of Information Information is an important aspect in organizations. Information can also be defined, as the transfer of data from one person to another within the organization or from one firm to another (Pulver, 2009). The use of modern Organizational Informatics has eliminated the chances of data/information distortion from one person to the other. Information is only passed through the use of internet/system supported platforms making distortion an error of extinct. Information systems improve the communication within different areas in the organization. The passage of information is fast through the use of emails in the organization leading to a more rapid handling of tasks in the organization. The information enhances the decision making in the organizations. An organization that has up-to-date information can comfortably make its decisions concerning different issues that need an appropriate action (Nembhard, 2011). Organizational Informatics helps the managers to make the appropriate decisions through the use of systems that integrate information and calculate the outcomes of each decision. Organizational Informatics also provides alternative decisions on particular situations. Information also improves the operations of an organization. Availability of necessary information that can be applied in different organizational scenarios improves on the organizational activities. Organizational Informatics has led to the reformation of the organizational operations and improved performance. Sharing of information in Organizations leads to coordination of effort s towards achieving the set goals. It also enables the passage of knowledge concerning the handling of the organizational matters/procedures. Computerization of the organization’s operations has cultivated improvement in related information processes that have led to high-quality work. Computer systems are precisely programmed to tackle specific tasks, and thus reducing the chances of failure in attaining the desired results. Computerization has fostered record-keeping by different agencies. The entire firm’s related information is stored on the hard drives or sometimes in microchips. The filing system is maintained for reference. Electronic storage of information makes retrieval easy; saving the time that could be otherwise have been wasted trying to go through all the hard copy files. More time is saved and can be dedicated to undertaking other productive tasks in the organization. Computerization, therefore, makes work easier and improves information storage and ret rieval (Bouwan, 2005). Conclusion Organizational Informatics has aided in improving the passage of information within an organization. Organization’s success can be ensured through the betterment of its communication. Proper and easier methods and tools of communication have increased the ease of the passage of information from one party to the other. The dissemination of information in an organization is a parameter that enables effective and efficient goal attainment. Use of internet in organizational settings has improved communication within various departments. It has also led to the absorption of the best labor force in organizations and thus increasing the productivity of the organizations. Computerization of organization functions has resulted in increased ease of carrying out operations in the organizations, and, as a result, an increment in the yields of organizations. Organizations have also been able to increase their output significantly while at the same time, a lso experiencing greater efficiency. Management and data handling in an organization have also improved. Initially, the management of an organization that had numerous formal was hectic. Currently, adoption of SAP software has made management easier since organizations can be managed in one central position irrespective of the many decentralized locations within a large geographical area. Hiring and placement in organizations is currently not a great deal, following the application of information technology. Currently, discoveries in the area of information have led to the emergence of different software dealing best with the problems of various organizations. Adoption of computer science in organizations has to a large extent improved the speed, quality and lowered production cost in the operations. There are improvements in the organizational design through the use of efficient information in the modern organizations that has led to the practical accomplishment of the organization al goals. The management aspects in organizations have also enhanced through the use of appropriate decision making. The objectives of the organizations are attained with ease following through embarking on the principles of learning, sense-making, and remembering in organizations. The use of the best technologies in organizations has simplified information conveyance and data handling that have seen the enhancement of organizations. Informatics has improved all the aspects of the modern organization and made goal attainment an easier task. References Antonelli, C. (2009). Technology infrastructure. London: Routledge. Bloomfield, B. P. (2000). Information technology and organizations strategies, networks, and integration. Oxford.: Oxford University Press. Borgman, C. L. (2000). From Gutenberg to the global information infrastructure access to information in the networked world. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. Borlase, S. (2012). Smart grids infrastructure, technology, and solutions. Bo ca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Bouwan, H. (2005). Information and communication technology in organizations adoption, implementation, use and effects. London: SAGE. Kirwan, C. (2013). Making sense of organizational learning putting theory into practice. Farnham: Gower. Nembhard, I. M. (2011). Inside the organizational learning curve understanding the organizational learning process. Boston: Now. Pulver, D. C. (2009). Understanding the importance of information. Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library. Schwartz, D. G. (2000). Internet-based organizational memory and knowledge management. Hershey, Pa.: Idea Group pub. Tracy, B. (2014). Management. New York: AMACOM. 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Hitler Youth essays

Hitler Youth essays Hitler was with no doubt the perpetrator of the Holocaust, responsible for the deaths innumerous souls in the early 40s. But an interesting thing to observe is the seldom-remembered Armenian Genocide; another pogrom where three-fifths of the Armenian population between the years of 1915-1923 were killed. The stage for the Armenian deaths was set very similar to that of the Holocaust. The land was in the midst of a war, World War I, which made the mass killings less noticeable and easier to carry out for obvious reason. Also, there was a racist, super-national dictatorial government in place at the time. In Armenia, the Young Turks overthrew the sultan and initiated the genocide because they wanted to rid the land of the sub-human Armenians. This time, the Armenians were at fault simply for being Christian, just like the Jews were supposedly at fault for their beliefs. The Turks were Muslim and believed the land should only be populated by their own kind, and genocide was thei r answer. The Turks killed the intelligentsia first, next slaughtered the able-bodied men, then sent the woman and children either into boxcars or on foot for a death march into the desert - where they were left with nothing and allowed to die, over one and a half million total. If we add a propaganda campaign, more land to conquer (and subsequently, more people to kill) and the willing cooperation of entire governments, we have the Holocaust (in simpler terms, of course) In the end, Hitler must have thought something about this historical event, because on August 22, 1939 he said, After all, who remembers today the extermination of the Armenians? And this was just before he marched into Poland on September 1 of that same year. So before we call Hitler the original anti-Christ, we should keep in mind the events in Armenia over a decade before the first concentration camps were opened. ...

Understanding the Infamous Milgram Experiment

Understanding the Infamous Milgram Experiment In the 1960s, psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted a series of studies on the concepts of obedience and authority. His experiments involved instructing study participants to deliver increasingly high-voltage shocks to an actor in another room, who would scream and eventually go silent as the shocks became stronger. The shocks werent real, but study participants were made to believe that they were. Today, the Milgram experiment is widely criticized on both ethical and scientific grounds. However, Milgrams conclusions about humanitys willingness to obey authority figures remain influential and well-known. Key Takeaways: The Milgram Experiment The goal of the Milgram experiment was to test the extent of humans willingness to obey orders from an authority figure.Participants were told by an experimenter to administer increasingly powerful electric shocks to another individual. Unbeknownst to the participants, shocks were fake and the individual being shocked was an actor.The majority of participants obeyed, even when the individual being shocked screamed in pain.The experiment has been widely criticized on ethical and scientific grounds. Milgram’s Famous Experiment In the most well-known version of Stanley Milgrams experiment, the 40 male participants were told that the experiment focused on the relationship between punishment, learning, and memory. The experimenter then introduced each participant to a second individual, explaining that this second individual was participating in the study as well. Participants were told that they would be randomly assigned to roles of teacher and learner. However, the second individual was an actor hired by the research team, and the study was set up so that the true participant would always be assigned to the teacher role. During the study, the learner was located in a separate room from the teacher (the real participant), but the teacher could hear the learner through the wall. The experimenter told the teacher that the learner would memorize word pairs and instructed the teacher to ask the learner questions. If the learner responded incorrectly to a question, the teacher would be asked to administer an electric shock. The shocks started at a relatively mild level (15 volts) but increased in 15-volt increments up to 450 volts. (In actuality, the shocks were fake, but the participant was led to believe they were real.) Participants were instructed to give a higher shock to the learner with each wrong answer. When the 150-volt shock was administered, the learner would cry out in pain and ask to leave the study. He would then continue crying out with each shock until the 330-volt level, at which point he would stop responding. During this process, whenever participants expressed hesitation about continuing with the study, the experimenter would urge them to go on with increasingly firm instructions, culminating in the statement, You have no other choice, you must go on. The study ended when participants refused to obey the experimenter’s demand, or when they gave the learner the highest level of shock on the machine (450 volts). Milgram found that participants obeyed the experimenter at an unexpectedly high rate: 65% of the participants gave the learner the 450-volt shock. Critiques of the Milgram Experiment Milgram’s experiment has been widely criticized on ethical grounds. Milgram’s participants were led to believe that they acted in a way that harmed someone else, an experience that could have had long-term consequences. Moreover, an investigation by writer Gina Perry uncovered that some participants appear to not have been fully debriefed after the study- they were told months later, or not at all, that the shocks were fake and the learner wasn’t harmed. Milgram’s studies could not be perfectly recreated today, because researchers today are required to pay much more attention to the safety and well-being of human research subjects. Researchers have also questioned the scientific validity of Milgram’s results. In her examination of the study, Perry found that Milgram’s experimenter may have gone off script and told participants to obey many more times than the script specified. Additionally, some research suggests that participants may have figured out that the learner was not actually harmed: in interviews conducted after the study, some participants reported that they didn’t think the learner was in any real danger. This mindset is likely to have affected their behavior in the study. Variations on the Milgram Experiment Milgram and other researchers conducted numerous versions of the experiment over time. The participants levels of compliance with the experimenter’s demands varied greatly from one study to the next. For example, when participants were in closer proximity to the learner (e.g. in the same room), they were less likely give the learner the highest level of shock. Another version of the study brought three teachers into the experiment room at once. One was a real participant, and the other two were actors hired by the research team. During the experiment, the two non-participant teachers would quit as the level of shocks began to increase. Milgram found that these conditions made the real participant far more likely to disobey the experimenter, too: only 10% of participants gave the 450-volt shock to the learner. In yet another version of the study, two experimenters were present, and during the experiment, they would begin arguing with one another about whether it was right to continue the study. In this version, none of the participants gave the learner the 450-volt shock. Replicating the Milgram Experiment Researchers have sought to replicate Milgrams original study with additional safeguards in place to protect participants. In 2009, Jerry Burger replicated Milgram’s famous experiment at Santa Clara University with new safeguards in place: the highest shock level was 150 volts, and participants were told that the shocks were fake immediately after the experiment ended. Additionally, participants were screened by a clinical psychologist before the experiment began, and those found to be at risk of a negative reaction to the study were deemed ineligible to participate. Burger found that participants obeyed at similar levels as Milgram’s participants: 82.5% of Milgram’s participants gave the learner the 150-volt shock, and 70% of Burger’s participants did the same. Milgram’s Legacy Milgram’s interpretation of his research was that everyday people are capable of carrying out unthinkable actions in certain circumstances. His research has been used to explain atrocities such as the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide, though these applications are by no means widely accepted or agreed upon. Importantly, not all participants obeyed the experimenter’s demands, and Milgram’s studies shed light on the factors that enable people to stand up to authority. In fact, as sociologist Matthew Hollander writes, we may be able to learn from the participants who disobeyed, as their strategies may enable us to respond more effectively to an unethical situation. The Milgram experiment suggested that human beings are susceptible to obeying authority, but it also demonstrated that obedience is not inevitable. Sources Baker, Peter C. â€Å"Electric Schlock: Did Stanley Milgrams Famous Obedience Experiments Prove Anything?† Pacific Standard (2013, Sep. 10). https://psmag.com/social-justice/electric-schlock-65377Burger, Jerry M. Replicating Milgram: Would People Still Obey Today?.  American Psychologist 64.1 (2009): 1-11. http://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2008-19206-001Gilovich, Thomas, Dacher Keltner, and Richard E. Nisbett. Social Psychology. 1st edition, W.W. Norton Company, 2006. https://books.google.com/books?isbn0393913236Hollander, Matthew. â€Å"How to Be a Hero: Insight From the Milgram Experiment.† HuffPost Contributor Network (2015, Apr. 29). https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-be-a-hero-insight-_b_6566882Jarrett, Christian. â€Å"New Analysis Suggests Most Milgram Participants Realised the ‘Obedience Experiments’ Were Not Really  Dangerous.† The British Psychological Society: Research Digest (2017, Dec. 12). https://digest.bps.org.uk/2017/12/12/int erviews-with-milgram-participants-provide-little-support-for-the-contemporary-theory-of-engaged-followership/ Perry, Gina. â€Å"The Shocking Truth of the Notorious Milgram Obedience Experiments.† Discover Magazine Blogs (2013, Oct. 2). http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2013/10/02/the-shocking-truth-of-the-notorious-milgram-obedience-experiments/Romm, Cari. â€Å"Rethinking One of Psychologys Most Infamous Experiments.† The Atlantic (2015, Jan. 28). https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/01/rethinking-one-of-psychologys-most-infamous-experiments/384913/

Rape in War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Rape in War - Essay Example The major victims of rape during wars are females of all ages, including young girls and adult women. However, it should be understood that males can also be victims of rape during war. Regardless of the nature of the rape incident, it has long been established that the effects of rape on an individual is of a wide spectrum. Rape general physical harm to an individual, as this action is an intentional violation of the body of the victim. In addition, rape also generates a sense of severe devastation in the victim, resulting in the deterioration of their mental health and their quality of life (Lonar et al., 2006). The damage associated with rape not only affects the victim, but also his or her family. The relatives of the victim often feel bitterness, anger and fear towards to the incident and the perpetrators of the crime, while they feel pity and sadness for their victim. Rape also affects the rest of the social environment of the victim, as they would be fearful of having to exper ience the same violation at any given moment. Rape during wars has recently been considered as a feature of recent clashes between groups and it has been observed that this action can be further classified as either isolated or systematic. In the case of isolated rape cases, its incidence is often equated as to be a less planned incident that could have been performed by a few members of a group that is engaged in a war. The more complex rape cases are considered to be systematic in implementation, as this often involves the intrusion of a group of fighters into a community and preventing any members from escaping the area. Systematic rape during war thus includes the separation of the males from the females and subsequently performing the heinous crime. There are several reasons why rape is now being considered as a weapon of war. Firstly, it should be understood that women are considered as an essential component of every group of individuals. Women are considered as the caretakers of both the homes and the family, thus this gender plays an important role in the upkeep of society. In most cultures, every woman is considered as a partner of a man and thus this individual represents the private life of every man. Performing rape during a war would thus instill a sense of helplessness and failure in the part of the men of opposing group. One of the more serious actions of rape during war is involving performing the action in the sight of captive men. The knowledge of having women and young girls raped is generally hurtful to the men of the community, yet watching this act being performed is even more painful. In some barbaric war incidents, the captive men are usually tied up to render them incapable of moving and the women and girls are raped right in front of these people. Rape is thus used as a weapon of war because this heinous action can inflict pain on individuals, probably equal or even worse than the impact of physical harm. Another possible reason of using rape as a weapon of war is that this action can serve as an instrument in prolonging the suffering of the victims. Wars are often associated with anger of one group against the other. The basis of this disagreement is commonly based on principles of culture, politics or religion. When two groups are at war, the main aim of each party is to inflict harm and pain on

Bioremediation Procedures of Crude Oil Impacted Soil Essay

Bioremediation Procedures of Crude Oil Impacted Soil - Essay Example Some features of the spill location show the characteristics usually associated with a priority spill of toxic substance; a spill that seeps down through the subsurface strata and then comes into contact and interaction with the groundwater.   The entire description of the ecosystem and environment where the spill occurred is a rather complex question. Map inferences and a consultation of the USGS Ground Water Atlas infer that the contamination would, because of the largely rural character, spread more readily through the food chain and have a greater impact than when such a spill would occur in predominantly non-rural locations. This is by reason of the greater saturation possible where a rural area presents less paved and therefore sealed off superficial surface runoff, situations.   First, the groundwater flow direction is determined by drilling two or more wells. A non-toxic stain is made to suggest the velocity of groundwater flow, and the testing reveals the contaminant character and concentration. This site today has well upwards of 75 wells that all have data that is constantly changing. Concentrations that are available for wells 604b (years: 1987, 90, 92, 93 and 95); 532c (1986, 87, 88, 90, 92, 93, 95), would be fairly good indicators of both groundwater flow direction and extent of contamination spread because they are separated by a reasonable distance and lie   in the line of predominant groundwater flow. The contaminants recorded are: benzene, toluene; m, p-Xylene; o-Xylene; isopropylbenzene; and Dissolved oxygen, and are parameters which can suggest the effectiveness of the bioremediation. The idea is that aerobic rather than anaerobic processes are predominant. The rationale for this is that where the contaminant concentrations go to zero the Dissolved oxygen concentration increases.

Customer Satisfaction And Loyalty In Mobile Phone Industry Marketing Essay

Customer Satisfaction And Loyalty In Mobile Phone Industry Marketing Essay A customer is the person who brings us his wants. He is not an interruption of our work, but the purpose of it. We are not doing a favor by serving him; he is doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do so (Sara Gustafson, Erica Lundgren 2005). Customer satisfaction is the degree to which customer expectations of a product or service are met or exceeded (BNET Business Directory). The term customer loyalty is used to describe the behavior of repeat customers, as well as those that offer good ratings, reviews, or testimonials (WiseGeek). Consumer satisfaction and loyalty plays an important role in the success of any business. Therefore these are considered as priority task for many businesses (Kotler et al, 2002), as satisfied and loyal customers bring in profitability and competitive advantage to an organization (Bowen and Chen, 2001). As Gould (1995) proposes that no company can survive in business without satisfied and loyal customers. This is the reason, that organizations put efforts to develop and provide offerings to satisfy their customers and maintain their loyalty. Loyal and satisfied customers not only increase the value of the business, but also enable it to maintain the costs lower than those associated with attracting new customers (Beerli et al, 2004). 3. Industry Background The mobile phone service industry provides network services for communication of voice or data signals through wireless mode. There are more than 74 million mobile phone subscribers in U.K. in which 85% of the adults have a handset. UK represents the most competitive market in Europe and there is a huge war among the service providers to differentiate themselves from their competitors (Mintel 2008). Subscription levels are expected to continue to grow, however, it should be noted that while there were 73.5 million subscriptions in UK in 2007, it has been cited that nine million subscriptions are for SIM cards that are inactive and a further 7.7 million that are barely active. Mobile phone subscriptions are forecast to increase in 2008 to 76 million subscriptions. Currently the UK represents approximately 9% of the European market and by 2010 it is forecast to have 78 million subscriptions. (Mintel 2008) There are five mobile phone networks currently operating in the UK : O2, T-Mobile, Orange, Vodafone and most recently 3. Vodafone and O2 (formerly BT Cellnet) are the largest and oldest. These two networks were joined by T-Mobile (formerly One 2 One) swiftly followed by Orange. All of these companies now operate digital networks. In addition, there are many virtual networks operating on these major networks, packaged under a different name. e.g. Virgin, OneTel, Lycatalk etc. All the above mentioned facts shows that there is a huge market for Mobile service providers in U.K. Mobile phone is everyones need and there is a large customer base who uses the services of more than one network provider. 4. Justification for the choice of research Over the last decade organizations of all types and sizes have increasingly come to understand the importance of customer satisfaction. It is a renowned fact that it is far less costly to keep existing customers than to make new ones. It is becoming accepted that there is a strong link between customer retention, customer satisfaction and profitability. In a large area of public sector customer satisfaction itself is the measure of success (Nigel Hill, 2002). Mobile phone network industry is a giant industry in U.K. I chose this research topic because I personally observed there is a huge competition in this industry, and the industry is prone to face problems of customer decay. The average business loses between 10 and 30 percent of its customers each year; but they often dont know which customer they have lost, when they were lost, why they were lost or how much sales revenue and profit this customer decay has cost them (Nigel Hill and Jam Alaxender, 2002, p 3). A loyal customer fe els committed towards the organization and results in profit and growth to the organization. In this highly competitive era, every company tries to offer uniqueness and best value for money, an educated and smart customer has some determinants to choose which organization to stay committed with and which company to switch over. 5. Research objectives 5.1 To find out the right service gap Service gap is the difference between the present quality of service and ideal quality of service. It is very important for an organization to know the right service gap so as to focus on narrowing down that service gap and offer better services to the customer. Nigel Hill and Jim Alaxender have specified five types of service gaps (Nigel Hill and Jim Alaxender, 2002, p 5.): Promotional Gap -When what is said about the service differs from the standards actually delivered. Understanding Gap when managers perceptions of customers expectations are inaccurate Procedural Gap when customers expectations are not translated into appropriate operating procedures / system. Behavioural Gap When the service delivered is different from the specifications of the service. Perception Gap When the level of service perceived by customers differs from the service actually provided. 5.2 To find out the degree of customer loyalty There are different levels of customer loyalty referred as a ladder of pyramid in literature. These levels of loyalty vary from the customer perspective. These are defined as follows (Nigel Hill and Jim Alaxender, 2002, p 16.): Suspects When suspects are unaware of the product or have no inclination to purchase it. Prospects When customers have some attraction towards the organization, but they have not yet taken the step of doing business yet. Customers usually one-off purchaser or may be sometimes repeat buyers, but no real feelings towards organization. Clients Repeat customers having positive feeling towards organization, but their support is passive rather than active. Advocates Actively supporting clients who recommend organization to others. Partners Strongest form of loyalty, where both parties see mutual benefit in partnership. Predicting the right level of customer loyalty towards an organization helps in strategically planning the measures to enhance customer trust and shifting from bottom to top level of the loyalty pyramid. There is usually a homogenous segment of customers lying at each level. Identifying that segment and planning accordingly will help in increasing customer retention. 5.4 To analyse the factors that affects customer satisfaction and loyalty. A questionnaire will be designed with an aim to find out first two objectives and carrying out customer expectations from their mobile service provider. In-depth analysis of the data obtained will bring out the factors that affect customer satisfaction and loyalty. The organization can thus underpin those factors in their customer relationship process and try to retain customer commitment. A committed customer stay longer, buy more often, buy more range, spend more, recommend more, consider competitors less and feel committed. (Nigel Hill, Jim Alaxender, 2002) 6. Research Methods The research is clearly classified as exploratory study. This kind of study is a valuable mean of clarifying the understanding of a problem (Saunders et al. 2003, p.96). The above research objectives will be achieved using qualitative primary data in the form of unstructured questionnaire. The primary data will be collected from the below mentioned sample size in the form of unstructured questionnaires. The research strategy that will be carried out will be Survey in the form of unstructured questionnaire. The research will be exploratory study as the precise nature of the problem is not sure (Saunders et al. 2007, p.138). 7. Data collection and analysis Both primary as well as secondary data will be used for this research. Secondary data will be obtained from various sources to obtain theoretical background for carrying out the research. The secondary data collection source would be :- Research Methods for Business Students Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill, 2003. Handbook of customer satisfaction and loyalty measurement Nigel Hilla and Jim Alexander, 2002. Online library resources e.g. Mintel, Emerald etc. After getting the theoretical background for carrying out the research, Primary data would be collected from the sample size in the form of unstructured questionnaires. Unstructured questionnaire would be preferred as compared to other survey methods as it will be less complicated and deems fit for carrying our research like this. . 8. Time scale and resources I have sufficient resources to carry out this research. I have divided my research plan into activities with clear completion time frames and my tendency would be complete the research within the designed time frame. Month Day Activities March 1-15 Further reading on key theories and concepts involved in research and drawing relevant information for the literature review. Mid March to April 20-30 Commencement and finishing of critical literature review drafts May to June 5-30 Collection and compilation of research data July to mid August 1 17 Analyzing the data and writing the first research draft. Mid August to Mid September 17 30 Compiling the final research and carrying out conclusions and recommendations. References Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrain Thornhill (2003) Research methods for business students 3rd Edition. FT Prentice Hall Financial Times Pearson Education U.K) Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrain Thornhill (2007) Research methods for business students 4th Edition. FT Prentice Hall Financial Times Pearson Education U.K) Nigel Hill and Jim Alexander (2002) Handbook of Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty Measurement. 2nd Ed. USA : Gower Publishing Company. Mintel (November 2008) UK Mobile Services and Network Providers.

Forrest Gump Essay

Forrest Gump is one of my favorite movie of all times. It stars Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump, very innocent minded man going through many difficult situations and overcoming them. The story isn’t about a hero, a ticking clock or a villain. It is just a remarkable story of a young man going through his amazing life. Metacritic.com says that it is one of the movies you must see before you die and I must agree! It has won six Academy Awards which includes best picture. The cinematography and mise en scene play major roles in grasping the viewer, making the main character feel relatable and helped the viewers understand the time and place Forrest is in. The first shot the cinematographer uses, which is my favorite scene, is the long shots used when following the feather in the open scenes of the movie. The feather flows from way up high in the sky to and lands on the bench Forrest sits on. An example of very long shots in the film are when Forrest is running (all throughout the movie) and also during the war scenes. Cinematographer Don Burgess recalls, â€Å"With Forrest Gump, I felt very strongly about shooting anamorphic: it depicted the character’s relationship to the world and how he saw the world. I thought anamorphic lens worked so well, compositionally. With the character of Forrest Gump, I short-sighted him a lot to put him out of context, so he always felt odd with things around him. The anamorphic format has a tendency to short-sight better anyway, and we used really wide lenses focused on him; I think it creates that feeling of his relationship to everything else.† I believe that the making Forrest stand out and not really fit in to his surroundings, yet effortlessly moving through the motions is captured by the use of anamorphic shooting. It also helps the viewer understand the time and place in which the story takes place and how the character relates to that period of time. However, the cinematography isn’t the only aspect of the filmmaking process that helps the viewer know the time and place; mise en scene also has plays an important role. Mise en scene is French for â€Å"place on set.† It is the way props or objects are placed on the set in order to bring out the theme of a movie and make it  more realistic for the time and place. Mise en scene can be like entering a time machine when done correctly and that’s exactly how I felt while watching Forrest Gump. From the beginning of the film, at the center of attention is the bench. The placement of the bench lets us know that it is at a bus stop as opposed to a park because a bus stops in front of it, people walk behind and in front of the bench, and also the bus stop sign placed near it. Mise en scene can also be symbolic. There are many examples throughout the film but my favorite is the signed Marilyn Monroe picture behind the picture of the Kennedy Brothers at the Watergate Hotel. Its a bit scandalous and fun since Marilyn was rumored to having affairs with both brother and it also brings out a little bit of history, which I love. Also, in one of the scenes where Forrest is running, there’s a confederate flag on the car. Since they’re in the south and many people believe Forrest symbolizes America, it can be presumed that America is running or moving past its racists history. That’s just one theory. There are so many more examples of mise en scene but that would turn this journal into a ten page paper. Forrest Gump has won an Oscar for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Writing, Best Film Editing and Best Editing and nominated for six more Oscars, Best Cinematography among them. I believe that all the elements that go into making a film made this movie great but the cinematography and use of mise en scene really made it outstanding.