Is Graffiti an Art? Essay

It is a debate, which is increasingly appearing in today’s society and being discussed with escalating intensity. The topic is graffiti and the debate is whether it should be seen as and art form. Many individuals will argue that it is not art and that it is uninspired vandalism. However these people do not understand the true meaning of graffiti, and what it means to be a graffiti artist. It is costing Auckland ratepayers 5 million dollars this year to fight a losing battle against graffiti in the streets. If people take the time to appreciate graffiti and the artists it is a battle that will not have to be fought. The facts, figures and benefits of recognising graffiti as an art form and taking action to encourage legal graffiti vastly outweigh the disastrous effects of not doing so. Firstly it is of utmost significance to outline what graffiti is and is not the reason being that the majority of people are oblivious to the difference, viewing any indecent scrawl on public or private property as graffiti and an illegal act of vandalism. However they are mistaken. The truth is that the term ‘graffiti’ does not include all forms of writing on walls. There are three that must be separated. Number one is the ‘tag’. It is when the artist writes his name in his own style. This is usually not considered art because it is done for purposes such as marking territory and not emotional expression. Then there is the ‘throw up’ in which the artist may use bubble letters to create an intricate design. Lastly there is the ‘piece or ‘masterpiece’, these usually depict a scene or well known characters with some sort of slogan. This advanced form often requires the collaboration of multiple artists. It takes hours of planning and uses spray paint and felt tip pens. Graffiti art is not uninspired vandalism. It is an art and the people who do it are artists. The definition of art is human creative skill or its application resulting in visual representation. Graffiti art fits right into this definition. Every piece has a meaning behind it or inspiration. Traditionally graffiti art’s motives stem from the dehumanization of the working class. It was a way for youth to protest the ways in which they were not categorized as people, but resources for production. However, today many artists are no longer driven by the social motive. The creativeness and originality of graffiti art has interested many new and upcoming artists as a different way to express themselves. It interests them because it has not developed under traditional ways for artistic expression, it is new and they can appeal to a much younger and different audience. Graffiti must be recognised as art. It is on the rise all over the world. According to a report by the police, property damage has increased by 15. 3%. This was a result of increased graffiti mainly by youths. Ratepayers in Auckland are spending 5 million dollars in order to pay for the removal of graffiti on the streets. Also in 2009 an Auckland businessman, Bruce Emery, was convicted of manslaughter after he chased two taggers outside of his home and stabbed one of them with a knife. Despite what you may be thinking at the moment, that graffiti should be completely illegal and consequences for taking part in it should be increased in order to discourage the act, you are wrong. The only way to prevent these results of illegal graffiti is to recognise it as an art form. Graffiti art is going to be ever present in our future, its popularity is on the rise and we must accept it. However it is also crucial that we promote legal graffiti art. Providing legal walls and spaces where artists can perfect their talent is crucial. Also teaching youths the difference between legal and illegal graffiti art is very important. There are benefits for recognising graffiti as an art. It will open up new ways for artists to express themselves, especially young artists. There will be less tagging in the streets, as youths will be knowledgeable on what is legal graffiti and what is not. There will also be legal places for them to do graffiti. Ratepayers will not have to spend millions of dollars a year to clean it up. Also the quantity of youths and adults in prison will decrease, reason being they are knowledgeable on what is legal and illegal and have spaces where they can practice the art legally. In conclusion graffiti should be seen as an art. Recognising it as art would mean a new opportunity for artists to express themselves would be available. There would be less tagging in the streets and Ratepayers would not have to spend millions for it to be cleaned up. Ask yourselves, how can something that takes such complex geometry, proportion, shading and patterning skill be written off as vandalism.

Fool Chapter 2

TWO NOW, GODS, STAND UP FOR BASTARDS![11] I found Drool in the laundry resolving a wank, spouting great gouts of git-seed across the laundry walls, floors, and ceiling, giggling, as young Shanker Mary wagged her tits at him over a steaming cauldron of the king's shirts. â€Å"Put those away, tart, we've a show to do.† â€Å"I was just giving ‘im a laugh.† â€Å"If you wanted to show charity you could have bonked him honest and there'd be a lot less cleaning to do.† â€Å"That'd be a sin. Besides, I'd as soon straddle a gateman's halberd as try to get a weapon that girth up me.† Drool pumped himself dry and sat down on the floor splay-legged, huffing like a great dribbling bellows. I tried to help the lout repack his tackle, but getting him into a codpiece against his firm enthusiasm was like trying to pound a bucket over a bull's head – a scenario I thought comical enough to perhaps work into the act tonight, should things get slow. â€Å"Nothing stopping you from givin' the lad a proper cleavage toss, Mary. You had 'em out and all soaped up, a couple of jumps and a tickle and he'd have carried water for you for a fortnight.† â€Å"He already does. And I don't even want that thing near me. A Natural, he is. There's devils in his jizm.† â€Å"Devils? Devils? There's no devils in there, lass. Chock full o' nitwits, to be sure, but no devils.† A Natural was either blessed or cursed, never just an accident of nature, as the name implied. Sometime during the week, Shanker Mary had gone Christian on us, despite being a most egregious slut. You never knew anymore who you were dealing with. Half the kingdom was Christian, the other half paid tribute to the old gods of Nature, who were always showing promise on the moonrise. The Christian God with his â€Å"day of rest† was strong with the peasants come Sunday, but by Thursday when there was drinking and fucking to be done, Nature had her kit off, legs aloft, and a flagon of ale in each hand, taking converts for the Druids as fast as they could come. They were a solid majority when the holiday was about, dancing, drinking, shagging the virgins, and sharing the harvest, but on the human sacrifice or burn-down-the-King's-forest days, there was none but crickets cavorting 'round the Stonehenge – the singers having forsaken Mother Earth for Father Church. â€Å"Pretty,† said Drool, trying to wrestle back control of his tool. Mary had commenced to stirring the laundry but had neglected to pull her dress up. Had the git's attention hostage, she did. â€Å"Right. She's a bloody vision of loveliness, lad, but you've buffed yourself to a gleam already and we've work to do. The castle's awash in intrigue, subterfuge, and villainy – they'll be wanting-comic relief between the flattery and the murders.† â€Å"Intrigue and villainy?† Drool displayed a gape-toothed grin. Imagine soldiers dumping hogsheads of spittle through the crenellations atop the castle wall – thus is Drool's grin, as earnest in expression as it is damp in execution – a slurry of good cheer. He loves intrigue and villainy, as they play to his most special ability. â€Å"Will there be hiding?† â€Å"There will most certainly be hiding,† said I, as I shouldered an escaped testicle into his cod. â€Å"And listening?† â€Å"Listening of cavernous proportions – we shall hang on every word as God on Pope's prayers.† â€Å"And fuckery? Will there be fuckery, Pocket?† â€Å"Heinous fuckery most foul, lad. Heinous fuckery most foul.† â€Å"Aye, that's the dog's bollocks,[12] then!† said Drool, slapping his thigh. â€Å"Did you hear, Mary? Heinous fuckery afoot. Ain't that the dog's bollocks?† â€Å"Oh yeah, the dog's bloody B. it is, love. If the saints are smilin' on us, maybe one of them nobles will hang your wee mate there like they been threatening.† â€Å"Two fools well-hung we'd have then, wouldn't we?† said I, elbowing my apprentice in the ribs. â€Å"Aye, two fools well-hung, we'd have, wouldn't we?† said Drool, in my voice, tone to note coming out his great maw as like he'd caught an echo on his tongue and coughed it right back. That's the oaf's gift – not only can he mimic perfectly, he can recall whole conversations, hours long, recite them back to you in the original speakers' voices, and not comprehend a single word. He'd first been gifted to Lear by a Spanish duke because of his torrential dribbling and the ability to break wind that could darken a room, but when I discovered the Natural's keener talent, I took him as my apprentice to teach him the manly art of mirth. Drool laughed. â€Å"Two fools well-hung – â€Å" â€Å"Stop that!† I said. â€Å"It's unsettling.† Unsettling indeed, to hear your own voice sluicing pitch-perfect out of that mountain of lout, stripped of wit and washed of irony. Two years I'd had Drool under my wing and I was still not inured to it. He meant no harm, it was simply his nature. The anchoress at the abbey had taught me of nature, making me recite Aristotle: â€Å"It is the mark of an educated man, and a tribute to his culture, that he look for precision in a thing only as its nature allows.† I would not have Drool reading Cicero or crafting clever riddles, but under my tutelage he had become more than fair at tumbling and juggling, could belch a song, and was, at court, at least as entertaining as a trained bear, with slightly less proclivity for eating the guests. With guidance, he would make a proper fool. â€Å"Pocket is sad,† said Drool. He patted my head, which was wildly irritating, not only because we were face-to-face – me standing, him sitting bum-to-floor – but because it rang the bells of my coxcomb in a most melancholy manner. â€Å"I'm not sad,† said I. â€Å"I'm angry that you've been lost all morning.† â€Å"I weren't lost. I were right here, the whole time, having three laughs with Mary.† â€Å"Three?! You're lucky you two didn't burst into flames, you from friction and her from bloody thunderbolts of Jesus.† â€Å"Maybe four,† said Drool. â€Å"You do look the lost one, Pocket,† said Mary. â€Å"Face like a mourning orphan what's been dumped in the gutter with the chamber pots.† â€Å"I'm preoccupied. The king has kept no company but Kent this last week, the castle is brimming with backstabbers, and there's a girl-ghost rhyming ominous on the battlements.† â€Å"Well, there's always a bloody ghost, ain't there?† Mary fished a shirt out of the cauldron and bobbed it across the room on her paddle like she was out for a stroll with her own sodden, steaming ghost. â€Å"You've got no cares but making everyone laugh, right?† â€Å"Aye, carefree as a breeze. Leave that water when you're done, would you, Mary? Drool needs a dunking.† â€Å"Nooooooo!† â€Å"Hush, you can't go before the court like that, you smell of shit. Did you sleep on the dung heap again last night?† â€Å"It were warm.† I clouted him a good one on the crown with Jones. â€Å"Warm's not all, lad. If you want warm you can sleep in the great hall with everyone else.† â€Å"He ain't allowed,† offered Mary. â€Å"Chamberlain[13] says his snoring frightens the dogs.† â€Å"Not allowed?† Every commoner who didn't have quarters slept on the floor in the great hall – strewn about willy-nilly on the straw and rushes – nearly dog-piled before the fireplace in winter. An enterprising fellow with night horns aloft and a predisposal to creep might find himself accidentally sharing a blanket or a tumble with a sleepy and possibly willing wench, and then be banished for a fortnight from the hall's friendly warmth (and indeed, I owe my own modest apartment above the barbican[14] to such nocturnal proclivity), but put out for snoring? Unheard of. When night's inky cape falls o'er the great hall, a gristmill it becomes, the machines of men's breath grind their dreams with a frightful roar, and even Drool's great gears fall undistinguished among the chorus. â€Å"For snoring? Not allowed in the hall? Balderdash!† â€Å"And for having a wee on the steward's wife,† Mary added. â€Å"It were dark,† explained Drool. â€Å"Aye, and even in daylight she is easily mistaken for a privy, but have I not tutored you in the control of your fluids, lad?† â€Å"Aye, and with great success,† said Shanker Mary, rolling her eyes at the spunk-frosted wall. â€Å"Ah, Mary, well said. Let's make a pact: If you do not make attempts at wit, I will refrain from becoming a soap-smelling prick-pull. What say ye?† â€Å"You said you liked the smell of soap.† â€Å"Aye, well, speaking of smell. Drool, fetch some buckets of cold water from the well. We need to cool this kettle down and get you bathed.† â€Å"Nooooooo!† â€Å"Jones will be very unhappy with you if you don't hurry,† said I, brandishing Jones in a disapproving and somewhat threatening manner. A hard master is Jones, bitter, no doubt, from being raised as a puppet on a stick. A half-hour later, a miserable Drool sat in the steaming cauldron, fully-clothed, his natural broth having turned the lye-white water to a rich, brown oaf-sauce. Shanker Mary stirred about him with her paddle, being careful not to stir him beyond suds to lust. I was quizzing my student on the coming night's entertainments. â€Å"So, because Cornwall is on the sea, we shall portray the duke how, dear Drool?† â€Å"As a sheep-shagger,† said the despondent giant. â€Å"No, lad, that's Albany. Cornwall shall be the fish-fucker.† â€Å"Aye, sorry, Pocket.† â€Å"Not a worry, not a worry. You'll still be sodden from your bath, I suspect, so we'll work that into the jest. Bit of sloshing and squishing will but add to the merriment, and if we can thus imply that Princess Regan is herself, a fishlike consort, well I can't think of anyone who won't be amused.† â€Å"‘Cepting the princess,† said Mary. â€Å"Well, yes, but she is very literal-minded and often has to be explained the thrust of the jest a time or two before lending her appreciation.† â€Å"Aye, remedial thrusting's the remedy for Regan's stubborn wit,† said the puppet Jones. â€Å"Aye, remedial thrusting's the remedy for Regan's stubborn wit,† said Drool in Jones's voice. â€Å"You're dead men,† sighed Shanker Mary. â€Å"You're a dead man, knave!† said a man's voice from behind me. And there stood Edmund, bastard son of Gloucester, blocking the only exit, sword in hand. Dressed all in black, was the bastard: a simple silver brooch secured his cape, the hilts of his sword and dagger were silver dragon heads with emerald eyes. His jet beard was trimmed to points. I do admire the bastard's sense of style – simple, elegant, and evil. He owns his darkness. I, myself, am called the Black Fool. Not because I am a Moor, although I hold no grudge toward them (Moors are said to be talented wife-stranglers) and would take no offense at the moniker were that the case, but my skin is as snowy as any sun-starved son of England. No, I am called so because of my wardrobe, an argyle of black satin and velvet diamonds – not the rainbow motley of the run-a-day fool. Lear said: â€Å"After thy black wit shall be thy dress, fool. Perhaps a new outfit will stop you tweaking Death's nose. I'm short for the grave as it is, boy, no need to anger the worms before my arrival.† When even a king fears irony's twisted blade, what fool is ever unarmed? â€Å"Draw your weapon, fool!† said Edmund. â€Å"Sadly, sir, I have none,† said I. Jones shook his head in unarmed woe. We both were lying, of course. Across the small of my back I wore three wickedly-pointed throwing daggers – fashioned for me by the armorer to be used in our entertainments – and while I had never used them as weapons, truly flung they had spitted apples off the head of Drool, nipped plums from his outstretched fingers, and yea, even speared grapes out of the air. I had little doubt that one might find its way into Edmund's eye and thus vent his bitter mind like a lanced boil. If he needed to know he would know soon enough. If not, well, why trouble him? â€Å"If not a fight, then a murder it is,† said Edmund. He lunged, his blade aimed for my heart. I sidestepped and knocked his blade away with Jones, who lost a bell from his coxcomb for his trouble. I hopped up onto the lip of the cauldron. â€Å"But, sir, why spend your wrath on a poor, helpless fool?† Edmund slashed. I leapt. He missed. I landed on the far side of the cauldron. Drool moaned. Mary hid in the corner. â€Å"You shouted bastard at me from the battlements.† â€Å"Aye, they announced you as bastard. You, sir, are a bastard. And a bastard most unjust to make me die with the foul taste of truth still on my tongue. Allow me a lie before you strike: You have such kind eyes.† â€Å"But you spoke badly of my mother as well.† He put himself between me and the door. Bloody bad planning, building a laundry with only one exit. â€Å"I may have implied that she was a poxy whore, but from what your father says, that, too, is not breaking the bonds of verity.† â€Å"What?† asked Edmund. â€Å"What?† asked Drool, a perfect parrot of Edmund. â€Å"What?† inquired Mary. â€Å"It's true, you git! Your mother was a poxy whore!† â€Å"Beggin' your pardon, sir, poxiness ain't so bad,† said Shanker Mary, shining a ray of optimism on these dark ages. â€Å"Unfairly maligned, the poxy are. Methinks a spot o' the pox implies experience. Worldliness, if you will.† â€Å"The tart makes an excellent point, Edmund. But for the slow descent into madness and death with your bits dropping off along the way, the pox is a veritable blessing,† said I, as I skipped just out of blade's reach from the bastard, who stalked me around the great cauldron. â€Å"Take Mary here. In fact, there's an idea. Take Mary. Why spend your energy after a long journey murdering a speck of a fool when you can enjoy the pleasures of a lusty wench who is not only ready, but willing, and smells pleasantly of soap?† â€Å"Aye,† said Drool, expelling froth as he spoke. â€Å"She's a bloody vision of loveliness.† Edmund let his sword point drop and looked at Drool for the first time. â€Å"Are you eating soap?† â€Å"Just a wee sliver,† bubbled Drool. â€Å"They weren't saving it.† Edmund turned back to me. â€Å"Why are you boiling this fellow?† â€Å"Couldn't be helped,† said I. (How dramatic, the bastard, the water was barely steaming. What appeared to be boiling was Drool venting vapors.) â€Å"Common fuckin' courtesy, ain't it?† said Mary. â€Å"Speak straight, both of you.† The bastard wheeled on one heel and before I knew what was happening, he had the point of his blade at Mary's throat. â€Å"I've been nine years in the Holy Land killing Saracens, killing one or two more makes no difference to me.† â€Å"Wait!† I leapt back to the lip of the cauldron, reaching to the small of my back with my free hand. â€Å"Wait. He's being punished. By the king. For attacking me.† â€Å"Punished? For attacking a fool?† â€Å"‘Boil him alive,' the king said.† I jumped down to Edmund's side of the cauldron – moved toward the doorway. I'd needed a clear line of sight, and should he move, I didn't want the blade to hit Mary. â€Å"Everyone knows how fond the king is of his dark little fool,† said Mary, nodding enthusiastically. â€Å"Bollocks!† shouted Edmund, as he pulled the sword back to slash. Mary screamed. I flipped a dagger in the air, caught it by the blade, and was readying to send it to Edmund's heart when something hit him in the back of the head with a thud and he went bum over eyebrows into the wall, his blade clanging across the floor to my feet. Drool had stood up in the cauldron and was holding Mary's laundry paddle – a bit of dark hair and bloody scalp clung to the bleached wood. â€Å"Did you see that, Pocket? Smashing fall he did.† All of it a pantomime to Drool. Edmund was not moving. As far as I could see, he was not breathing either. â€Å"God's bloody balls, Drool, you've kilt the earl's son. We'll all be hung, now.† â€Å"But he were going to hurt Mary.† Mary sat on the floor by Edmund's prostrate body and began stroking his hair on a spot where there was no blood. â€Å"I was going to shag him docile, too.† â€Å"He would have killed you without a thought.† â€Å"Ah, blokes have their tempers, don't they? Look at him, he's a fair form of a fellow, innit he? And rich, too.† She took something from his pocket. â€Å"What's this?† â€Å"Well done, lass, not so much as a comma between grief and robbery, and much the better when he's still so fresh his fleas have not sailed to livelier ports. The Church wears well on you.† â€Å"No, I'm not robbing. Look, it's a letter.† â€Å"Give it here.† â€Å"You can read?† The tart's eyes widened as if I had confessed the ability to turn lead into gold. â€Å"I was raised in a nunnery, wench. I am a walking library of learning – bound in comely leather and suitable for stroking – at your service, should you fancy a bit of culture to go with your lack of breeding, or vice versa, of course.† Then Edmund gasped and stirred. â€Å"Oh fuckstockings. The bastard's alive.†

The Buyer is Boss

Millie and Liza have been friends for the longest time. Some months ago they decided to share an apartment, and that is how they found the two-bedroom unit they are currently renting. Asked what their first major buy was after the move, they chorused that they just both got laptops. Both of them had desktops, Millie even has a superior type which helps in her work as a graphics designer. Liza, a writer, had an old desktop which sufficed for word publishing and internet access.However, they stressed they needed the laptops because â€Å"the apartment is small, there is no room for two desktops,† justifying that they needed the gadgets and did not just want them. However, they had different ideals for a laptop they have in mind. Millie, being a graphic designer, needed a high-end mobile computer which will be superior in memory and speed—and the bigger the monitor, the better. Liza, on the other hand, was more conscious about the price. She wanted a laptop that will work just like her old desktop, and she has set a budget to stick strictly on.Friends have warned them that laptops will cost more than powerful desktops do, but the need for space was of primacy. They went on to research and window shopping. Through Yahoo Answers, a web service where people can connect to each other for questions and answers about almost anything, they found the best suggestions: computer stores in the area and eBay. While the computer stores option gave competitive prices and models, the two girls agreed they will get cheaper units from eBay. They checked the site for a couple of weeks using a single user account, and finally found the laptops.It was Liza who found hers first. It was an mid-model Compaq Presario 1400 which was â€Å"released in 2002 according to my research. † Apparently, Liza was researching each of the product she saw and took note of which will give her the best computer with what little money she has. Millie got hers, a second-hand MacBook, about a month after, and she too went through the research ordeal. They asserted that shopping in eBay will require lots of patience, research, and inquisitiveness, else one might end up â€Å"with a D-class item†.Luckily, their finds were both A classes. Both Liza and Millie were contented with their laptops, but they now agree with their friends that â€Å"it is costlier to live with a laptop†¦ we have to buy mice to avoid overusing the trackpads, and soon we might need a [laptop] cooler, and I noticed that my laptop hangs more often than my old desktop,† says Liza. But given a choice to spend their money on some other things, Millie declined. â€Å"With these space-saving gizmos, nothing else will be better. † AnalysisAllen (2003) describes the five processes in a buyer’s purchase decision making: problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchse behavior. Looking at the buying process that tr anspired between Liza and Millie, it is obvious that they both went through the whole process. They realized the need to get laptops, gathered information, selected the best offers, bought the items, and came up with the feedback. Both of them had criteria for the laptops they want—recommendations, function (save space), and usage.However, Millie focused on quality and performance because of the demands of her job, while Liza was more concerned about her budget. All these are part of their awareness, then follows the search for information. Rohan (nd) asserts that information search may be internal (based on knowledge and past experience) or external. Millie and Liza resorted to external sources. There are four types of external sources: personal (family and friends), commercial (advertisements), public (news and bulletins), and experiential (tried product). (Buying Decision Process, 2006) In the case, a mixture of personal and commercial were utilized.Because the criteria fo r the laptops are clear, the process was easy for the two. They were able to sort out the purchase decision process of where, when, and if to buy, after which they came up with the concluding feedback that they were satisfied with their purchases. In some instances, parts of the buyer decision process may be skipped or reversed. This is determined by high-involvement or low-involvement. High-involvement purchases are those that require investment as they are costlier and have serious effects to its buyers (e. g.appliances, jewelry) while the low-involvement purchases are simple things that can be bought (e. g. bread, milk, burger). (Buying Decision Process, 2006) Brooks (1999) ratifies this by saying that the buyer decision process is highly situational and involvement level-dependent. Furthermore, he states that involvement may be influenced by economic, psychological, performance risk, and decision novelty factors. This theory is highly visible in the case. Millie and Liza had hig h-involvement purchases to make, and the factors played a major role.Economically, Liza was more conscious than Millie, but it is the other way around with regard to the product’s performance risk, though psychologically and in relation to decision novelty the two were consistent. The buyer decision process happens everyday to everybody. All buying processes require a person to go through at least two or three steps in the process, which may lead to a sale or not. When applied theoretically, the buyer decision process is a good tool for consumers to choose their wares, and for merchants to know how to target their consumers. For Millie, Liza, and their sellers, it definitely worked.

Creating Academic and Professional Success Essay - 3

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Case study _ Investemnt management - Essay Example In order to succeed with that thought, she inquired from the small business around her and hoped that the idea would bring in more assets and less loses. The strategy was a good move as it allowed her to have more clients as well as giving back to the society /community by employing more people. With a bigger business, it gives an opening for more opportunities as well as profit maximization to the business. Though it can be more advantageous the strategy can also have negative impacts as it can easily fail bringing loses to the business. To expand a business it requires so much input to the same and it can be overwhelming to the employer and the employee leading to its termination before it gets a good foundation. The strategy however is a good element for a business as it gives clients a variety of things and services to benefit from. Sarah however had other alternatives other than expanding her business. She would have gotten more employees with better marketing skills to ensure that more people were aware of her products and services. This would mean more new clients, more contracts and even more profits to her business. Sarah wo uld also have thought of opening more branches of Beta Management outside Boston suburb. This would have assisted with company’s popularity as well as its brand making. In order to add clients or customers value in her business, she was supposed to do some things that were different from her competitors that were supposed to benefit both her and the clients. She needed to have her clients loyalty to her services and products and to do this she was supposed to prioritize the quality of her business to the quantity of what she was doing. This would defiantly assist her win against the competitors in both short and long run which will ensure steady clients commitment, more clients joining the business as well as more profits over the years. Sarah’s New Year’s resolution

Market Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Market Research - Essay Example eed that must be ignited within them to look good, feel good and be different from the rest of the men who do not use this product or any similar product in the first place and eventually feel left out when it comes to the manly appeal, the facial looks and so on. Thus market research for launching a new skin care product would first be understood by the proposition of clearly identifying the particular segments which will be hit upon (market segmentation) and then target the message in a way (market targeting) that the positioning and focus of the product does not mingle with the already present products within the market (market positioning). For this, it is significant to note that market research will touch upon areas like the exact age groups which would be catered to whilst understanding the product, the social class that it will take care of, the economic conditions which must be comprehended beforehand whilst discussing the determinants of the market research module and more than anything else what kind of people would actually be the end customers for the said product (qualitative research will be applicable here). (Baines, 2002) If there are any misunderstandings within the relevant target domains that the skin care products are just for women and men have got no relation with them; the same will be removed by this product, i.e., if it is the first mover within the market. The first mover would surely have his advantage nonetheless but then again its job will be cut out and there would be hard figures to achieve in a certain amount of time. Thus the skin care product would take care of market that will be segmented in terms of age groups, economic factions, social class regimes, the geographic locations and so on. The importance of this new skin care product towards the organization is immense because this will be the driver for the organization in the first place. The company’s financial and fiscal revenues would be dedicated solely on the skin

Arab Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Arab Discussion - Essay Example The passive approach is necessary because of the role of culture as an integral factor to people’s quality of life and as well a barrier to nursing care. Even though some cultural practices undermine provision of care, members of the society are informed of benefits of culture to their well-being and a contrary approach may be a threat to their perspective to health care. A tolerant approach with understanding and persuasion will therefore offer Mrs. Nasser, who has a cultural reason against the physical examination, an opportunity to consider alternative approaches to testing the patient towards efficient treatment. Persuasion can also help in establishing the need for examination towards effective treatment (Andrews and Boyle, 2008; Kulwicki, 2013). Culturally congruent strategies that may be effective in addressing Mrs. Nasser’s needs Strategies towards cultural competence identify congruency towards meeting Mrs. Nasser’s needs to preserve her cultural orienta tion and to cure her ill daughter. Cultural awareness is one of the culturally congruent strategies that that may be effective in resolving the issues towards the needs and being informed of the sensitivity to young girls’ virginity in the Arab culture is an example that could help the nurse in handling the situation by informing the nurse of potential obstacle to care. It involves being informed of a society’s cultural constructs for a suitable approach to providing care to culturally sensitive clients. Cultural awareness would inform the nurse of the negative opinion towards physical examination of young girls’ genitals and ensure a less controversial approach. The nurse could similarly be informed of the society’s sensitivity towards young girls’ virginity and explain the fact that examination by a female nurse would not threaten the cultural perspective. Establishing a set of strategies towards cultural cohesion is another culturally congruent strategy that may be effective in addressing the client’s needs. This strategy equips a nurse with alternative approaches to integrate the client’s culture with necessary nursing practices towards meeting the needs (Andrews and Boyle, 2008; Dreachslin, Gilbert and Malone, 2012). This strategy can be developed from a nurse’s experience with Nasser’s culture and through constructs of cultural competence approach such as â€Å"cultural knowledge, cultural skill, cultural encounters, and cultural desire† (Votroubek and Tobacco, 2010, p. 579). Cultural sensitivity and intelligence, from the competencies, would also help the nurse in selecting available strategies towards managing Mrs. Nasser’s cultural fears and agreeing on a suitable approach to testing the girl. In applying cultural sensitivity, for example, the nurse should understand the Arab culture’s sensitivity to young girls’ virginity and the extent to which the society can sacrifice to protect the cultural observation apply incorporate this in building Nasser’s confidence that her daughter’s virginity would not be compromised (Votroubek and Tobacco, 2010). Ensuring that Mrs. Nasser’s concerns are addressed and Samia receive appropriate care The nurse can ensure that Nasser’s concerns are addressed and Samia receive appropriate care by understanding the involved cultural barrier to the proposed care approach, identifying

A restaurant chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A restaurant chain - Essay Example Another important source of its revenue includes profits earned from its operated restaurants. In the year 2011, the company was able to make a profit of 5.5 billion dollars, and this amounted to annual revenue of 27.5 billion dollars2. The primary business line of McDonalds includes cheeseburgers, milkshakes, desserts, soft drinks, French fries, cheeseburgers, etc. Recently, the business performance of McDonalds has been falling down, reporting a negative growth in its markets, and revenues. For example, in the year 2014, the business performance of McDonalds in Europe and America experienced a slow down3. In Europe, the company posted a negative drop of its financial performance by 1.4%. This is despite depicting a strong financial performance in its UK market. In United States, the company was able to post a drop of its sales by 1%. Another problem facing this company is its weak and inefficient customer service capability4. The company employees are not good at catering for the needs of its customers, and this has an impact in affect the loyalty of the customers towards the business organization. In any organization, employees of the company play an important role in determining whether the company will succeed or not. An efficient and friendly workforce would ensure that they are able to know and serve the needs of its customers, and this is the key to increasing the market share of an organization5. For purposes of improving its financial performance, the management of the company has to solve the above mentioned problems. There are two major methods that the company can use to solve the mentioned problems, and they include, improving its marketing strategy and its customer service capability. However, the company cannot develop an efficient marketing strategy, without having information on the strategies of their competitors, and the needs of its customers. This would therefore force the company to

Implementation of Public Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Implementation of Public Policy - Essay Example There present study has been conducted to understand the loopholes of the present education system and provide some recommended solutions. The education system is one of the support pillars for economic prosperity for any economy. Therefore the administrative bodies try to cement the pillars which will bring future prospects for the society. In this paper the focus of attention will rest upon the tuition policy practices and the effective policies that might improve the policy. Countries generally tend to follow the combination of tuition as well as the student aid programs with the aim to regulate the enrolment rate which will open up the opportunities for higher education. In this fashion proper education can be provided towards all income groups. Identifying ineffective public policy A good education is worth investing and this has always been true. Providing quality education to the citizens of the country is all about turning vision into reality. At this point of time, one of th e major problems faced by the people of the country as far as the education system is concerned actually lies at the very grass root level, i.e. with the schools. The tuition fees imposed by the schools are actually quite high which is difficult to bear for parents belonging to different financial backgrounds. Again the problem is higher fees do not guarantee quality education. In fact the tuition policies followed by some of the schools are not advanced. The teacher student ratio is alarming and signifies the fact that major portion of students literally lacks caring. The American kids are devoid of getting quality or great schools simply because at this point of time there is not enough clarity around the ultimate objective of schooling. Here lies the concern. USA being a developed country will have to maintain sustainable economic policies. Children, being the future the society must be provided with quality education and they are the ones who will take the responsibility of the country in times to come. At an ideal school the educational professionals would understand that the mission is to help the children from a cognitive as well as social point of view. Also the physical, emotional and ethical perspectives should also be kept in mind. However, right now in USA it is all about cognitive growth. The American Schools are failing because the schools are looking to suppress the students into a compliance based educational model. Children are natural learners and are actually at the young age the children tend to have a lot of creativity, curiosity and intrinsic motivation. But various research studies have shown that the American public schools resemble that of prisons and as a result after certain years of formal schooling the inherent qualities of the students are dying. The willingness to learn of the students is an important aspect. The American schools are failing to provide the right environment and the right policies that keep the willingness to lear n alive. There have been various educational reform movements that have focused one side of the coin, i.e. the problem of educational inequality. There is very little doubt that educational inequality is a very serious problem. However, that is the not the only core issue. Such movements for some reason have totally undermined other important issues like support for underachieving students, improvements of the skills set of the teachers,

Sprint’s Inflexibility Hindering Growth Essay Example for Free

Sprint’s Inflexibility Hindering Growth Essay Continuous and rapid customer growth is what will make a company successful and key to beating any leading competitors. Unfortunately for the Sprint Corporation, the numbers in customer growth are not where they need to be in order to keep up with their main competition, Verizon, ATT, and T-Mobile. Sprint is quickly losing their old customers faster than they can contract new ones. This lack of growth could be for a number of reasons, but specifically examined are the pricing wars. It isn’t that Sprint is not doing their part in customer satisfaction or keeping up with the changing technology and listening to their customers. Sprint revolutionized the next step in global technology by being the first company to provide 4G to their carriers. So why are they having issues growing their customer base or struggling to even retain the customers they do have? ANALYSIS â€Å"Sprint Corporation provides wireless communications services to consumers, businesses, and government users in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands† (Sprint Corporation Profile, 2014). These are all considered critical customers to the Sprint Corporation. A critical customer is defined as having â€Å"the greatest impact on product design, sales, and future growth opportunities† (Swink et al., 2011, p. 12). It is important that Sprint recognizes that their customers are considered critical customers because they are in a business where the customers shape the product and growth of the company. Having the ‘latest and greatest’ is so important to the materialistic society that is the United States and if a cell phone company cannot keep up with these demands, they will not hold the attention of the customers. â€Å"It is important for operations managers to know what product features and delivery terms critical customers consider important, what they are willing to pay, and what they consider acceptable† (Swink et al., 2011, p. 29). This is where Sprint’s major competitors like ATT and Verizon are beating them. Price is really the bottom line, which is why the once underdog, T-Mobile is fighting to take Sprints number three  position in the cell phone provider rankings. One of Sprint’s current weaknesses is that they are not adjusting to what the critical customer is willing to pay, and it is obvious their clientele does not think the prices are acceptable, hence dropping their Sprint contract and moving to a different company that offers the same coverage, the same products, but for a lower price. This makes Verizon Wireless and ATT the â€Å"order winners† (Swink et al., 2011, 29), that is to say, customers are choosing their offers over Sprint because they offer the lower price. Sprint is a flexible company when it comes to responding to the efficiency to change their product and processes (they are always coming up with new and different data plans and the new â€Å"framily plan†) but they are completely inflexible in adapting quickly to the competitive price environment (Swink et al., 33). Unfortunately, Sprint is far behind its competition and customer growth is suffering. â€Å" Fierce competition in the US operator market led to number three player Sprint reporting a US$1billion loss for the fourth quarter [of 2013] as it experienced the slowest customer growth of the country’s four major carriers† (Handford, 2011 ). They are definitely a strong enough company to retain customers and start growth again; they have the quality products, the nationwide coverage, and the name. However, they are not taking the opportunity to do so. In one quarter, Sprint lost one million contracted customers. Meanwhile, in the same quarter, Verizon wireless added nearly a million customers while ATT racked in another half million (Brown, 2013). The profitability of Sprint has gone down -8.5% while the top two continue to thrive and do well. CONCLUSIONS It is safe to say just about everyone in the United States has a cell phone these days. So which provider do you chose? Verizon, ATT, and Sprint are the top three leading cell phone carriers and all rank in top 100 Fortune 500 companies (â€Å"Fortune 500,† 2013). Sprint has its strengths, there is no doubt they are still a successful company, but their weakness lies within their ability to adjust market prices to satisfy and retain their current customers as well as bring in new clientele. If they have any hopes of beating out Verizon Wireless and ATT and keep T-Mobile off their heels, they will need to adjust their operation management, reevaluate their systems and what they think is important versus what their customers think  is important. If the customer does not think they are getting the best deal they can, they move on. Sprint cannot afford to continue the one million customer decrease per quarter and hope to remain in the business much longer. RECOMMENDATIONS Sprint needs to become more flexible and more focused on matching prices than on anything else at the present time. Price matching is what is hurting the company. Although they are adapting quite well to the changing technology and keeping up with data coverage and especially the leader in 4G LTE, it is not enough. Sprint needs to become more flexible and more focused on matching prices than on anything else at the present time. Price matching is what is hurting the company. Although they are adapting quite well to the changing technology and keeping up with data coverage and especially the leader in 4G LTE, it is not enough. Of course if they were to fall behind in one of these other factions, they would suffer even further. Good data and the newest gadgets are expected by customers. The price matching is what is going to continue to harm the company. Sprint needs to take the opportunity to reevaluate their operations and get on track with the other three major cell phone providers (Verizon Wireless, ATT, and T-Mobile). There was talk of Sprint putting in an offer to merge with T-Mobile and absorb them as they previously did with Nexus. Though that did not work out well with Nexus, it could be beneficial for this merger to take place, for both companies. Both are almost neck and neck with each other, and this could be the push they need to attempt to beat out the big top two. REFERENCES Brown, A. (2013, JULY 13). Sprints problems, brought into new clarity. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2013/07/30/sprints-problems-brought-into-new-clearity-fall-to-billionaire-led-softbank-to-solve/ Fortune 500. (2013). Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2011/full_list/ Handford, R. (2014, February 11). Sprint reports $1b loss as growth suffers. Retrieved from

The same positive comments could not be made concerning the employment of black women Essay Example for Free

The same positive comments could not be made concerning the employment of black women Essay This was a major exclusion, for Rosie the Riveter was just as likely to be black as white. Of the one million additional black workers who joined the labor force during the war, 600,000 were female, and much has now been written concerning this group of workers. Qualitative changes were, though, marginal. The raise in the number of black women workers in manufacturing was half that of black males, and most of the gains came late in the war and particularly occupational areas. Most of the new jobs were in greatly male areas of work, outstandingly the foundries and shipyards; advances for African Americans in customary categories of female employment were negligible. The utmost area of employment for black women was still the service sector, but there was a shift from private domestic service to public service. The failure of black house servants was much bemoaned: one white Alabaman recalled her black servant giving up her employment for $15 per week to earn $100 per month in the torpedo factory. In such instances it might be said that if Lincoln freed the Negroes from cotton picking †¦ Hitler was the one that got us out of the white folks kitchens. On the whole, however, as Karen Anderson accurately suggests, rather than a Second Emancipation what is significant about the war experience for black women is the degree to which barriers remained intact. 10 One of the most significant and liberating consequences of the war for black women and men alike was the movement of population. As one black woman recalled that during the war we got a chance to go places we had never been able to go before, another spoke for various Americans regardless of race when she said, The impact of the war changed my life, gave me an opportunity to leave my small town and discover there was another way of life. Of course, African Americans had experienced a Great Migration during World War I, and the emigration from the South had quickened in the 1920s. Throughout the Depression the number of African Americans leaving the former Confederate states fell from 749,000 between 1920 and 1930 to 400,000 in the thirties. In that sense, the movement of half a million blacks, (17 per cent of black Southerners as opposed to only 3 per cent of whites) during World War II was simply a resumption of the pre-Depression trends. In the period after World War II, resistance to racial stratification and racial exclusion became major political issues. Anti-colonial and civil rights movements fought for national independence and democracy more severely than ever before. They challenged the expropriation of southern resources land, labor, and primary goods by the northern metropoles. They required an end to the political dominance and exclusion that had differentiated colonial rule and racial subjection. They questioned political practices and global social structures that had suffered for centuries. These opposition movements were color-conscious, but they were usually not racially homogeneous. Indeed, anti-racist movements could typically count on a varied assortment of allies. Of course, consciousness of race and racism counted; had not the colonial and slavery-based regimes that initiate movements for racial justice also been color-conscious? This dawning anti-racist politics took diverse forms and emphasized different issues in the various settings where it emerged. Often anti-racist mobilizations overlapped with labor movements—socialist, collective, or simply trade unionist—in their condemnations of the conditions under which colored labor was presented for utilization in the former colonies as well as the metropoles. These anti-racist movements were largely harmonious with democratic ones: they condemned the old forms of political prohibiting as dictatorial, inconsistent with the libertarian and participative rhetoric that the mother countries, the winners (generally) of the recent global conflict had claimed they were fighting to protect. The global anti-racist challenge also called into question whole panoply of normal cultural icons: long established artistic, linguistic, scientific, and even thoughtful verities were revealed to be extremely problematic racially. And beyond all this, on an entirely practical level the anti-racist movements of the postwar world drew on general experiences. Millions could recognize with their political demands—most particularly those who had undergone military mobilization followed by become disillusioned return to a segregated or colonized homeland. Movement adherents and activists not simply remembered the democratic ideals they had fought for, but also sought to apply those ideals to the anti-colonial and anti-racist norms they met at home. Wartime experience gained in resisting the Axis powers translated moderately directly into national liberation and democratic movements as veterans were demobbed: in South Carolina or Vietnam, in South Africa or Indonesia, in Senegal, France, or Trinidad. The anti-racist and anti-colonial movements that sprang up all over the postwar world attained a recently transnational character, as growing northern labor demand and southern poverty sparkled widespread migration to the worlds metropolis. The world had been transformed by the war, and was enduring significant changes in the wars aftermath. The result was a strong enthusiasm, an influential summons, to complete the democratizing work begun a century before with slaverys abolition. Demographically, socioeconomically, politically, culturally, there was a worldwide break with the usual practices and established institutions of white supremacy. The racially based democratic movements that arose with this rupture demanded a series of social and political reforms from nationwide governments around the world. These ranged from decolonization to deferred enfranchisement and the granting of formal citizenship rights, from the delegitimation of state-enforced (de jure) racial isolation to the creation and completion of a politics of recognition 11 that attempted to valorize such norms as multiculturalism. These reforms were finally undertaken, although unequally; they were implemented, but less than thoroughly. Still, although framed in uncertain and sometimes incongruous ways, a great wave of racial reforms swept over the world in the postwar decades, notably from the sixties on. By the end of that turbulent decade, the descendants of slaves and ex colonials had forced as a minimum the partial taking apart of most official forms of discrimination and empire. In great numbers they had left their native reserves and isolated communities, migrating not simply to their countries urban centers but overseas to the metropoles from which they had been ruled for centuries. They had begun to participate in the limited but real new political and economic opportunities on offer in numerous national settings (notably in the northern, post-imperial countries). In those countries where relentless racist and dictatorial regimes still held sway, movements for racial equality and inclusion were revitalized by the successes achieved elsewhere, redoubled their activities in the seventies and after, and ultimately won democratic reforms as well. And yet the break was curtailed. The rupture with the white supremacist past was not—and could not be—total. in spite of these epochal developments— decolonization, the performance of new civil rights laws, the undoing of long standing racial dictatorships, and the acceptance of cultural policies of a universalistic character—the global racial order entered a new period of volatility and tension in the last decades of the twentieth century. Though enigmatic and unjust, the racial categorization and racial hierarchization of the world was a deeply recognized sociohistorical fact. No popular movement, no series of political reforms, no encounter with the moral negligence implicit in the comprehensive racism of the modern epoch, would have been enough to undo or remove it. Still, reform was preferable to in force or intransigence, even if it was also inadequate to the task of undoing the varied legacies of centuries of racial hierarchy, exploitation, and exclusion. With retrospection we can see that the various movements for inclusion and democracy would simply be partially satisfied by the reforms they could achieve. We can understand today, better than we could in the heat of political struggle, why these movements found it hard to sustain their impetus in the aftermath of reform. Most centrally, racial domination was still very much present in the reform process: the diverse states and elites that had been tackled by anti-racist opposition demonstrated their capability to withstand it by incorporating it, at least in part. In the result of such transformations—which were the very heart and soul of the break, the real meaning of attaining racial equality, of overcoming the heritage of racism, became controversial. What Du Bois had theorized approximately a century earlier as â€Å"the veil† the weird membrane of racial division that traversed both societies and individuals proved difficult to lift 12. And was its lifting even desirable? In a situation where significant racial inequality and injustice continued, where both identities and institutions still bore the indelible mark of centuries of racial domination, the claim that racism had now at last been remedied would certainly ring hollow. The veil might well survive half-hearted, symbolic, or co-optative gestures at removing it. Though many blacks remained in the South, a substantial number still moved from the country to the city as a result of the further disintegration of sharecropping and the increase of job opportunities elsewhere. The intensifying urbanization of southern blacks contributed to a breakdown in traditional race relations and, with the wider effects of the war, formed a mood of change. Jo Ann Robinson, for example, recalled that the Womens Political Council began in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1946 after the arrest of people challenging isolation on the buses. By 1955, we had members in every elementary, junior high, and senior high school, and in federal, state, and local jobs. 13. Therefore the foundations of the Montgomery bus boycott could be said to have been laid in the postwar era. Other proof of the new black mood in the South could be seen in the 10 per cent rise in the number registered to vote. Urged on by the Supreme Courts decision against the all-white primary in Smith v. Allwright in 1944 (the culmination of the NAACP campaign which began in 1923), African Americans in Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Virginia, and South Carolina organized voter register drives and other political campaigns. Such campaigns were often led by or implicated returning servicemen, a group that has been seen as having a momentous role in shaping the new postwar mood of black Americans. Nothing so summarized the ambivalence of wartime experience for blacks as military service, and the history of African Americans in the armed forces persists to be a subject of great interest. The permutation of political pressures and the practical demands of winning the war helped convey about a considerable shift in military policy. The protection of segregation was declared to be official policy in 1940, and at a conference for the black press in 1941 in Washington, D. C. , War Department officials persisted that the military would not act as a sociological laboratory. Though, in practice segregation proved to be inefficient, not viable in some areas, and clearly harmful to black morale. In one example George Flynn pointed out, The armed forces could not build their Jim Crow facilities fast enough to cope with the inevitable operations of the drafts selection by numbers, and so slowed the recruitment of black servicemen 14. The incapability to provide segregated recreational facilities for all those in camps led to the beginning of an open access policy in 1944. Conflict over transportation between Southern military bases and neighboring towns led to the overture of a first-come, first served service with no segregation the same year. The most essential departures were, of course, those that came in the Navy and in the Army during the Battle of the Bulge. By the end of the war more than one million African Americans had served in diverse branches of the military. Despite the changes there can be little doubt that for many armed service was a bitter and disenchanting experience. Despite such comments, though, a recent study of the attitudes of black servicemen suggests that a much higher percentage of blacks than whites (41 per cent to 25 per cent) predictable to be better off as a result of their service, and that for many black soldiers service were an eye opening experience. Really, as one soldier wrote, black soldiers fight because of the opportunities it will make probable for them after the war. How are we to explain this obvious disagreement between the attitudes of black servicemen and their experiences? It appears that whatever the limitations and undoubtedly there were many—military service gave numerous African Americans a modicum of self-respect and often give training and skills. Service outside the South or even overseas (in Britain, for instance) provided a first taste of parity which could have a lasting effect. John Modell and his associates have shown that black veterans were twice as likely to have moved to a different region after the war as whites, and by 1947 it was estimated that 75,000 black veterans had left the South. There is also evidence of attitudinal change: Modell suggests that the impact of military service influenced the structure of [black] aspirations in a way that contributed to their unwillingness to accept the prewar structure of racial dominance. 15 Aspirations in a way that put in to their unwillingness to recognize the prewar structure of racial dominance. ‘A former member of a black tank crew expressed this more obviously when he said, After the close of hostilities, we just kept on fighting. Its just that simple. There was much left to fight for. though many white Americans supported racial change, the professional and demographic changes affecting African Americans almost always met with some confrontation from whites, mainly in the South. Of course attempts to keep Negroes in their place in the South were not new—they were often obvious amid the uncertainty and economic antagonism of the Depression years—but they reached new levels and were perhaps even more widespread during the war years. The Rankins, Bilbos, and Talmadges were enthusiastic in their defense of white supremacy, and challenges to the color line were often met with violence. Pete Daniel lists six civilian riots, above twenty military riots and mutinies, and between forty and seventy-five lynchings occurring all through the war 16. As Mark Ethridge, first chairman of the Fair Employment Practices Committee and a Southerner, declared, All the armies of the world could not force southerners to end isolation 17 Of course, the very fact of heightened white confrontation was a sign that things were changing. In innumerable ways white Americans were encountering blacks in new roles at work, in cities north and south, in politics, and in the armed services. numerous did not like it. A theme which had its origins in the 1930s and which would achieve greater strength in the postwar era was already evident, specifically the charge that those demanding developments in Americas civil rights were the crackpots, the communists, the parlor pinks of the country. ‘The more extensive mood, however, recognized the hypocrisy of fighting for freedom abroad as denying it to African Americans at home. Even Frank Dixon, the former governor of Alabama, recognized that the Huns have wrecked the theory of the master race. As President Truman declared in his message to Congress in February 1948, the world place of the United States now necessitated action in race relations. Trumans record on civil rights is still much debated. For the majority historians his actions appeared more representative than real, calculated to gain the black vote and yet not estrange the white South. Despite their limitations Trumans actions marked important new initiatives which set the program for future reform. It could be argued that the failure to turn principles into practice and deliver substantive change added to the aggravation which was to explode in the mid-1950s. Certainly any optimistic view of the postwar period has to be qualified. The occurrence of racial violence in both North and South must not be ignored: Arnold Hirsch points out, for example, that in Chicago 46 black homes were attacked between 1944 and 1946 and a total of 485 racial incidents were reported to the Chicago Housing Association between 1945 and 1950 18. But Hirsch also points to a significant change in mood and belief among African Americans in Chicago, and it is clear that the response of both blacks and whites to postwar racial conflict was affected by wartime experiences and Americas position in international affairs. Regardless of what the reservations, the catalogue of racial progress made throughout the 1940s, from the Fair Employment Practices Committee through to the beginning of integration in the armed forces, the establishing of a civil rights committee, and a series of Supreme Court decisions against favoritism in higher education and housing, coupled with employment gains, encouraged a mood of both optimism and determination among African Americans. At one point or another in U. S. history, thirty-eight states have passed anti miscegenation laws. In some instances, couples were factually roused from their bed and arrested. In 1959, one such case involved a husband and wife from the state of Virginia. Richard Perry Loving, a white man, and Mildred Jeter, a woman of African and Native American descent, had gainned a legal marriage in neighboring Washington, D. C. Believing they had not broken the law since they had taken their marriage vows in Washington, the two were impolitely surprised when they were awakened and arrested in the middle of the night for violating the state of Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws. Unbeknownst to them, the state law integrated a decree that disallowed Virginia couples to marry across racial lines out of state and then return to Virginia to reside. The Virginia judge in the Loving case was a brutal defender and enactor of anti-miscegenation legislation. Over and above stating the fact that Virginia state law forbade whites and blacks from intermarrying, the judge reasoned that this decision reflected God’s intentions. â€Å"Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, Malay, and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the intrusion with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix† 19. The Lovings were given the choice of either leaving the state for twenty-five years or serving a prison sentence 20. This decision was just one in a long list of cases in which antimiscegenation legislation was upheld by state supreme court decisions. However, despite still comparatively high levels of social disapproval, increasing numbers of Americans have started interracial relationships. Several structural and cultural reasons put in to this increase in cross-racial couplings. The first and foremost legal influence is the 1967 Supreme Court decision to overturn the Loving v. Commonwealth of Virginia decree and overthrow laws that made interracial marriage a crime. Sixteen states still had anti-miscegenation legislation in 1967. An increase in interracial marriages followed the Loving verdict that repealed this legislation. A â€Å"biracial baby boom† began shortly subsequently. Close to fifty thousand children were born to black/white, interracial marriage partners in nineties alone 21. The legalization of interracial marriage approved people all across the United States the legal authorize to marry whomever they choose (assuming they were heterosexual). With this decision, interracial marriage could no longer be viewed as unusual behavior. Deviant behavior itself was touted throughout the decade of the sixties. Protests from sit-ins to draft card burnings flourished all through that era. Tradition was suspect. Many of the youth of the day came to the conclusion that following the status quo had produced both domination at home and abroad. Civil rights, anti-war, and Black Nationalist protests takes in the sixties. The Civil Rights Movement, culminating with the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the Voting Rights Act (1965), resulted in equality under the law for blacks and other racial minorities. Protests against the Vietnam War revealed that it is excessively the poor and minorities in America who bleed in U. S. wars. The Black Nationalist movement turned racism on its head with shouts of â€Å"black is beautiful! † Spurred by aggravation at demands not met by the Civil Rights Movement, advocates of black independence gained wide support throughout the African American community in the late sixties and early seventies. Movement leaders, inspired by Malcolm X, adopted the name â€Å"black† in place of â€Å"Negro. † Malcolm X evidently differentiated between the Negro who â€Å"apologizes for his black skin† and has a â€Å"begging attitude† and the proud black man who, to a certain extent than apologizing, sees himself as â€Å"part of the vast majority [of the world] who outnumber whites, and therefore [do not] have to beg the white man for anything 22. Black nationalists demanded, rather than implored for equal rights. Black pride was manifest in the coronation of Robin Gregory as homecoming queen at Howard University in 1967. Traditionally, homecoming queens at Howard were students who came close to typifying the European style and fashion of female beauty. Most were light-skinned, with straightened hair and European features. Robin Gregory was a black activist who wore her hair in an Afro. Her election as Howard’s homecoming queen was a â€Å"pivotal point† in the history of the university. A student-led drive to transform Howard into a symbol of black pride broke forth at the coronation. Shouts of â€Å"Black Power! † spread throughout the packed auditorium as Gregory was revealed the winner of the homecoming queen election 23. Blackness, rather than whiteness, became Howard’s symbol of beauty. While many other and varied stabbings on authority and tradition took place after the Civil Rights Movement peaked, it was the successes of the Movement that encouraged the latter challenges to the status quo. The Civil Rights Movement was a watershed. The roots of the current revolution of black-white racial identity can be traced back to it. On the structural level, legislation was enacted throughout that era that encouraged the treatment and discernment of blacks as equal to whites. Culturally, the turbulence and protests of the late fifties and sixties throws in to an atmosphere in which interracial marriages and their biracial offspring were increasingly accepted by normal white America. As the sixties progressed, and Civil Rights protests were both convoyed and then followed by the War on Poverty, the Vietnam War, widespread experimentation with drugs, and sexual freedom, Americans began to turn inward. They were forced to confront defeat in both the domestic and the foreign war and frequent social upheaval at home. Throughout the seventies, individualism and interest group politics were spawned. â€Å"The Black liberation movement, the women’s movement, the lesbian and gay movements, and others that emerged in the fifties, sixties, and seventies were part of a new tradition that embraced an ‘identity oriented paradigm’† 24. Identity-focused politics overwhelmed U. S. culture. It was out of these movements that today’s multiculturalism was born. Prior to the subsistence of multiculturalism, there was little debate on how biracial persons must identify themselves. Black nationalists opposed interracial marriages. Many professed a black person marrying across the color line as a denial of blackness. In turn many African Americans, embracing â€Å"black pride,† maintained that the offspring of these parents must embrace their black heritage and identify with it completely. Meanwhile, whites continued to presume that if anyone had a black parent they were de facto black. Biracial Americans were ethnically defined by both blacks and whites as simply black. Today, though, racial identity is neither so promptly nor so easily defined. Just as the protests of the sixties challenged custom and encouraged interracial relationships, multiculturalism has expectant the affirmation of all racial combinations. Noted psychologists and psychiatrists have come â€Å"to the opinion that for a person of mixed ancestry to abandon one or the other parent’s identity [is] to detract from a clear racial identity. † Biracial support groups â€Å"came into existence in the early eighties on the explicit premise that both Black and non-Black identities [are] necessary to the well-being of both interracial marriages and their offspring† 25. The result is that biracial Americans no longer have an obvious racial identity. Lots of older children of interracial marriages cling to the belief that, in our racially divided society, the only healthy way a biracial person can racially recognize is as black. On the other hand, a rising number of younger biracial Americans are opting to recognize both sides of their racial heritage. References: References: 1. Bouvier Leon F. Peaceful Invasions: Immigration and Changing America. Lanham, Md. : (University Press of America, 1992). 49. 2. Marger Martin N. Race and Ethnic Relations. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1994. 3. Mills Candy. (Editorial) Interrace. (December 1994/ January 1995), p. 2. 4. Russell Buchanan, Black Americans in World War II, (New York, 1977) 35. 5. Richard Dalfiume, The Forgotten Years of the Negro Revolution, (Journal of American History, LV, June 1968), 6 6. Josh White, Defense Factory Blues', Opportunity, (July— September 1944), 143. 7. August Meier and Elliott Rudwick, The Origins of Nonviolent Direct Action in Afro American Protest: A Note on Historical Discontinuities, in Along the Color Line: Explorations in the Black Experience, Urbana, Ill., Chicago, and London, 1976, 345. 8. Sitkoff, Harvard, Racial Militancy and Interracial Violence in the Second World War, (Journal of American History, LVIII, 3, December 1971). 9. Sybil Lewis, in Harris et al. , The Home Front, 251. 10. Karen T. Anderson, Last Hired, First Fired: Black Women Workers during World War II, (Journal of American History, LXIX, 1, June 1982). 35 11. Taylor, Charles, et al. Multiculturalism and The Politics of Recognition. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992), 31. 12. Du Bois, W. E. B. The Talented Tenth. In Booker T. Washington et al. The Negro Problem: A Series of Articles by Representative American Negroes of To-Day. (Miami: Mnemosyne, 1969 [1903]), 172. 13. Jo Ann Robinson in Henry Hampton and Steven Fayer, eds. , Voices of Freedom: An Oral History of the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s through the 1980s, (New York, 1990), 22. 14. George Q. Flynn, Selective Service and American Blacks During World War II, (Journal of Negro History, LXIX. 1, Winter 1984), 19. 15. John Modell, Marc Goulden, and Sigurder Magnusson, World War II in the Lives of Black Americans: Some Findings and an Interpretation, Journal of American History. LXXVI, 3, December 1989, 845. 16. Daniel, Going Among Strangers: Southern Reactions to World War II, 905-8. 17. Ethridge quoted in David Southern, Beyond Jim Crow Liberalism, (Journal of Negro History, LXVI, 3. Fall 1981), 211 18. Arnold R. Hirsch, Making the Second Ghetto: Race and Housing in Chicago, 1940-1960, Cambridge and London, 1983, 52- 53. 19. Henriques Fernando. Children of Conflict. (New York: E. P. Dutton and Company, 1975), 25 20. Henriques Fernando. Children of Conflict. (New York: E. P. Dutton and Company, 1975), 30 21. Sandor Gabrielle. The Other Americans. (American Demographics, June 1994), 16( 6):36-43. 22. Henriques Fernando. Children of Conflict. (New York: E. P. Dutton and Company, 1975), 91, 92 23. Henry Hampton and Steven Fayer, eds. , Voices of Freedom: An Oral History of the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s through the 1980s, (New York, 1990), 435,436 24. Schwerner Cassie. Beyond Socialism and Identity Politics: The U. S. Left after the Fall. Pp. 32-45 in Whats Left, ed. Charles Derber, Amherst, Mass. : (The University of Massachusetts Press, 1995) 32-45. 25. Spickard Paul R. Mixed Blood. Madison: (University of Wisconsin Press, 1989), 339.

Emergence Of The Digital Firm

Emergence Of The Digital Firm Introduction: The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency. -Bill Gates (http://www.saidwhat.co.uk/topicquote/technology) Over the past two decades Technology has come to become an inseparable part of business activities. The modern era of dynamic and discontinuous change requires continual reassessment of organizational routines to ensure that decision-making processes, keep pace with the dynamically changing business environment. The adoption of advanced technology, to maintain a digitally enhanced firm, is necessary, especially for small and medium sized companies, to ensure their viability in the future. With the onset of globalization, the wide presence of digitally equipped firms has intensified international competition, and digital capabilities also provide small and medium sized enterprises with new potential for participation in the international market. Inevitably, a structural change is brought about by all the technological equipment in the companies as the need for new skills are created, which are accompanied by the constant need for training and information sharing, and assessment of tec hnological issues by the management. Emergence of the Digital Firm: The first use of information systems in enterprises was in the form of card processing machines which were used in the accounting departments and focused on historical information reporting. The early 1960s, marked the onset of mainframe computers, which when compared to todays desk top computers and PDAs, were miniscule, in processing power. In the coming decades, the advancements in technology gained speed with management reporting, transaction processing, decision support and forecasting enabled by information technology. The presence of Information technology is now widely significant in every business activity of the modern enterprise. Most recently, information systems transcended departmental, divisional and organizational boundaries in order to link the firm electronically, often instantaneously, to its customers, suppliers, and distribution partners .(Ives, 2002) With the development of technology and internet, modern enterprises have embraced Information and communication technology (ICT) and several e-business applications that have provided many benefits across many intra- and inter-firm business processes and transactions. With the use of ICT applications, information and knowledge management inside the firm has considerably improved reducing transaction costs and increasing the speed and reliability of transactions for both B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) transactions. They have also proved to be effective tools for improving external communications and quality of services for established and new customers. (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/6/9/31919255.pdf)Most small and medium sized enterprises use information and communication technologies. Research has shown that the use mainly of computers serves administrative and functional uses, such as the rendering of accounts, payroll, the drawing up of a budget, inventor y, and other similar functions (Bridge and Peel 1999). The basic condition that arises for the use of computers, but also for all technologies, old or new, electronic or not, is not only their acquisition by the SMEs, but also their correct and functional use (El Louadi, 1998). There are a large number of different ICTs, which makes identifying them and their functions difficult. Below is a classification of Information and communication technologies which includes the ICTs used by enterprises and comprises of five main categories, within which the technologies-systems comprising the category are distributed individually. Classification of ICTS: (Source: Papastathopoulos, Beneki (2009)) Intranet: Intranets are inexpensive, scalable to expand or contract as needs change, and accessible from most computing platforms. Whereas most large companies must support a number of computer platforms that cannot communicate with each other, intranets help to provide instant connectivity, uniting all computers into a single, seamless, network system. Electronic Commerce: Although most commercial transactions still takes place through conventional channels, rising number of consumers and businesses are using the Internet for electronic commerce Buyer Retailer Information Orders Service and support Manufacturers, Suppliers and Distributors Purchases Bids Banks -Credit checks -Payment authorization -Electronic payment transfer Illustration: Electronic Commerce Information Flows Business environment: The modern business environment is characterized by a dynamic continuous change. For the firms to thrive and benefit from ICTs, a healthy business environment is necessary. This includes a transparent, open and competitive business framework, clear independent rule of law for all firms, easy set up and dissolution of businesses, transparent, simple and accessible corporate regulation, and equal and stable legal treatment for national and cross-border transactions. (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/6/9/31919255.pdf) Organizational Forms: The concept of organizational forms was quickly accepted and vouched for by management scholars who have already accepted concepts such as the `knowledge economy or the new information economy ( Halal 1998) and who had believed that the emergence of the Internet would change the way business transactions business functions are performed (Tapscott , 1999). shift to new forms: According to Drucker (1997), businesses of the new age have not only led to advancements in technology and provided an atmosphere of stiff competition, but have also contributed to the promotion of change in the organizational forms. This is why, New Organizational Forms that respond to the need to align strategy-structure- direction processes are influenced by the dynamic changes in the environment. New transaction management modes from new organizational forms. The following illustration gives a clear picture of the increase in the use of new organizational forms, where internet and e-commerce plays a significant role. (Illustration sourced from: http://www.labs-associados.org/docs/OCDE_TIC.PDF) Increase in the use of new organizational forms: With every passing year, more and more firms are adopting new organizational forms in an attempt to stay competitive in the market. The benefits of incorporating ICTs and other e-business activities are now widely recognized. In the research conducted by Christina Beneki on Organizational forms based on information and communication technology adoption (http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/09362.pdf), an empirical study was carried out among 54 Greek SMEs to identify the emerging forms of organizations based on ICTs. Personal interviews were conducted with people recognized as being the most knowledgeable about the developments of ICTs within the firm. Hence, the interviewees ranged from director or owner-manager and IT personnel to general managers. The results of this study reveal that the SMEs journey towards ICT adoption-use can be classified into three levels: Level 1: Basic Use of ICT or ICT-beginners SMEs. On this level the ICTs used by SMEs support the monitoring of basic-elementary activities, transactions and communications of the enterprise Level 2: Advanced Use of ICT or ICT-based SMEs. On the second level the ICTs used by the SMEs serve specialized activities of the modern enterprise, such as programming operations, transaction monitoring, and decision making and auditing. Furthermore, they combine data and advanced analytical models or data analysis tools so as to support the making of semi structured decisions or unstructured decisions. Finally, they allow business and commercial digital transactions as well as the transmission of information with electronic means even to geographically remote places. Level 3: Superior use of ICT or ICT-Driven SMEs. The ICTs used by the SMEs on the third level contribute to the integration of the informational and business processes of the enterprise, and they support the long-term planning activities as well as the digital exchange of information, the carrying out of commercial transactions and collaborations with the external environment of the enterprise Figure: The Three Levels of ICT-Adoption Process The figure shows that a very small percentage of SMEs use basic ICTs (7%), about 22% percentage use ICTs serving specialized business activities, while for most of the SMEs (70%), technology does not constitute the basis but rather as a guide to their business activities. This clearly demonstrates the steep rise in the use of Internet communication technologies. Opportunities for the management in a digitally enabled firm: New organizational forms comprising of Information and communication technology (ICT) and e-business applications provide many benefits across a wide range of business processes and transactions. (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/6/9/31919255.pdf) With the use of computer terminals, e-mail, internet and its applications, several types of businesses can improve information and knowledge management within the firm, leading to more efficient business processes and better firm performance. Transfer of information through shared electronic files and networked computers significantly improves the efficiency of business process like documentation, data processing and other functions like organizing incoming orders and preparing invoices. Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer transactions are now conducted with increased speed and reliability, using ICT applications. Sophisticated ICT applications like Decision Support System (DSS) helps firms to analyse large amounts of data in quick time, enabling swift decision making. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) helps to integrate various departments of a firm effectively. Internet and e-commerce have drastically reduced the cost of business transactions. Internet-based B2B interaction and real-time communication help to reduce information asymmetries between buyers and suppliers and build close relationships among trading partners. (Moodley, 2002) ICT applications also increase labour productivity and have a positive impact on firm performance. The following illustration helps to identify the positive effect of ICT applications in Canada. Sourced from : (http://www.labs-associados.org/docs/OCDE_TIC.PDF) Challenges faced by the management and organization in a digital firm: Requirement of internal ICT and managerial knowledge: Since SMEs focus on day to day operations, they are less aware of the benefits of new technologies and would tend to lack the human technological resources needed for a digital firm, when they decide to investment in advanced technologies. Even when they are aware of the potential benefits of adopting e-commerce, they would need qualified personnel to carry out the operations. The firms that adopt Internet and e-commerce are likely to have personnel within the firm who have a reasonable knowledge of the incorporated technology. A study of small ICT companies with 3-80 employees suggests that the Internet was adopted by firms with personnel who understand the technology used (Mehrtens, 2001). The study found that these were not necessarily ICT professionals, but simply people interested in technology. If firms have the resources to access or outsource skills, then scarcity of technologically skilled personnel would not be a hindrance. However, presence of internal technological capabi lities is still vital because adoption of internet communication technologies cannot succeed without an understanding of the e-business model. Without internal technological capabilities, dependence on outside support services for system maintenance can be dangerous because firms that conduct e-business activities have to bear the risk of occasional system failures and computer viruses. If ICT support services, especially in an emergency, are needed to minimise the loss from a system malfunction, the e-business system of the firm may be vulnerable if they are not immediately available. The existence of local ICT services is thus an important consideration for the management, especially for small offices in remote areas or emerging economies, where ICT services are scarce and expensive. Skills and understanding of e-business models is also vital for the managers. Successful integration of e-business requires many firms to restructure their business processes, to change organisational structures and to redefine their core competence and positions in the value chains. So, e-business tools cannot be successfully introduced and implemented without the visionary power and strategic decisions about how to apply ICT technologies for business processes. (http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/09362.pdf) Cost of developing and maintaining e-business systems : For small and medium sized firms, sometimes, the cost of adopting e-business systems and their maintenance outweighs the benefits received from them. Budget constraints and uncertainty of return on investment may sway the managements decision to adopt e-business systems. Thus, gathering the capital for investing in sophisticated and expensive internet communication technologies is an issue that the management needs to counter. The management needs to decide, depending upon its size and capacity to bear the cost, how far they can extend their arms over the latest technologically advanced business systems. Some small businesses, especially micro-enterprises with 1-9 employees or the self-employed, may adopt a simple Web site without any e-commerce function if the cost of basic Internet use is well within their marketing budget. (http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/09362.pdf) Viability of Business Models: The advancements in internet have changed the business models in a number of key industries including media, financial services, travel and automobile retailing. But although internet technology provides great prospects, not all Internet business models have been successful. Conducting business over the internet is not always cost effective and efficient. For some companies, resorting to traditional methods is more viable. Of course, retailers on the internet may not need to pay for attractive outlets and employees, but they would need to use a large proportion of their budget for web site maintenance, customer service call centres, supply chain management and customer acquisition. There are also challenges to be faced for firms that try to use the web for supplementing or enhancing traditional business models. Businesses that are unclear about their e-business strategy may end up wasting a lot of money in building and maintaining websites that fail to deliver results. Successful web sites may also incur high costs. For instance, Equipment Inc., popular seller of indoor gear, has large payroll expenditures to pay for skilled technical staff supporting the website and additional shipping expenses to ensure web orders are delivered on time. Thus, the management needs to consider the viability of e-business models for its firm before deciding to invest. Business Process Change Requirements: Even if a firm does have a viable business model, it can still fail due to bad management or poor execution of the business model. Many dot-com firms like Garden.com, Productopia.com, Pets.com, Chinese Books Cyberstore etc. have closed down. The implementation and working of an electronic business model requires successful management of a firms divisions, production sites, sales offices and also maintaining close relationships with customers, suppliers and business partners. All important business processes need to be restructured and closely integrated. Firms will need to have well designed policies and procedures for sharing data. There are also traditional boundaries existing between a firms divisions and departments, customers and suppliers which can be barriers to collaboration and relationship building. Thus, the management needs to ensure a complete transformation of the firm and the ways in which it conducts business. Channel Conflicts: A channel conflict is a competition between two or more different distribution chains used to sell products or services of the same company. ( Laudon Laudon, 2006)When a company uses the web for selling its products, it creates a channel conflict with the firms traditional methods of selling. This is especially true for products that are less information sensitive and require a physical intermediary. In such a case, a companys revenues may drop as customer make purchases directly from the web. Channel conflict is a major issue for business-to-business business models, where the consumer purchases directly from the manufacturer through the Web. Milacron Inc., a machine tools company with extensive websites, minimizes the negative impact of channel conflict by paying full commissions to reps making online sales in their territories, even if they do not work on the sale or meet the buyer. Other companies have devised solutions, such as offering only a portion of thei r product line on the web. Legal Uncertainities: Conflicting regulatory environments and legal uncertainties for cross-border transactions, especially B2C, may affect small and medium scale firms. There is no harmonised legal framework with rules pertaining to the determination of jurisdiction and applicable law nor are there mechanisms that ensure the cross-border enforcement of legal rulings. The internet is global and is used by numerous organizations in different countries. Suppose a product were offered on sale in China, but the purchaser lived in the United States, whose law would apply? (Laudon Laudon, 2006)Small businesses can risk being due to inconsistent laws. Trust, Security and Privacy: For e-commerce to flourish there needs to be an atmosphere of trust among buyers, sellers and other partners involved in the transactions. Consumers will be wary of the security and confidentiality of credit card details and other personal information supplied over the internet. Internet based systems are at a risk of being penetrated by outsiders, as the internet is open to everyone. Any information, including e-mail passes through many different systems before it reaches its destination. It can be monitored and hacked into at any of these points resulting in loss of confidential data. Valuable data such as sales contracts, marketing plans, product development and pricing strategies, etc. can be intercepted causing significant risk to the company. Thus, the management needs to be extremely cautious and maintain stringent security systems to safeguard their business models. (Laudon Laudon) Opportunities and Challenges for Employees in a digital firm The rapid shift in trends in the market is seeing more and more companies undertaking a full scale adoption of technology that has in turn created an array of opportunities for the employees. Some of them are: Better job prospects. The emergence of digital firms has opened up attractive avenues for IT employees all over the world. With advancements in every area springing up, those equipped with specific technological expertise are also gaining demand with attractive bonuses rewarded. According to the research methodology used by Ricardo Parez Garrido on New Organizational Forms for knowledge transfer (http://latienda.ie.edu/working_papers_economia/WP05-03.pdf), the company Alpha was founded with the idea of uniting the best programmers in Spain interested in the internet and e-business and create for them an environment where they could work freely. Alpha experienced a tremendous growth of 400% from 1998-1999. But the success had attracted another telecommunication giant in the country which offered better incentives for employees. As a result a majority of the Alpha taskforce moved to the competing firm. Employees empowered in decision- making. With the onset of the digital era, many firms are now approaching a change in work attitudes. The system of bureaucratic is now being replaced by independence for different roles in an organization. With more space for employees to work, an atmosphere of ownership of the company results, providing better results and incentive for staff to work. The case study on the Royal Bank of Scotland (Currie Willcocks, 1996) provides an insight into the new philosophies of work practice being adopted by the bank. Senior managers were aware that customers were intimidated by the bureaucratic image of the bank and felt a change was necessary. The traditional emphasis on geographical splits was done away with and a different structure was established with three inter-related businesses- Retail, Commercial and Corporate. This way, individual departments are given complete responsibility and independence to run their functions. Employees play a greater part in the company The information systems sector is now recognized as a chief part of any firm. The days of technological expertise playing an underdog are over. It is now realized that those equipped with the technology side of the firm are better positioned to understand their part and hence are now increasingly given more ownership and responsibilities. Despite the fact that modern advancements in e-business have created opportunities for employees, they have also had a negative impact on them. Some of the drawbacks are: Outsourcing of technological expertise. With the wide availability of IT skills and restructuring of organizations, most companies now prefer to outsource technical expertise which may be better suited in terms of cost and quality of technical skills. As a result the existing employees are difficult to accommodate because of the drastic changes brought about by adoption of advanced technology that renders their skills incompetent. This is especially true for companies do not primarily rely on technology for their core business functions. The case study of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and their Business Process Re-engineering project (Currie Willcocks, 1996) shows how a complete restructuring of the banks activities resulted in many job losses. Also the technology unit was perceived by the business units as a support function, not therefore core to the business. Some senior managers were keen to outsource a major portion of the technical sector altogether. This also reflects a growing trend among organization seeking IT outsourcing as an alternative to in-house operating. Obsolescence of work. Because most companies are undergoing changes in their functioning process by incorporating advanced information systems that help to better integrate various departments within the organization, traditional forms of work are now losing a place. More and more employees are now faced with job losses because their work has been rendered useless with current business systems. The case study documenting the Columbus project undertaken by RBS (Currie Willcocks, 1996) gives evidence that due to the complete restructuring of the banks activities and how banking services were offered to customers, many manager were worried about a large staff redundancy. Communication problems Inevitably, communication problems between business units and technological units will tend to occur. Since technology department supplies the applications for various business functions, sometimes friction might arise over what is supplied and what is actually needed. Due to the complexities involved in business functions, the tactics and strategies used might change from time to time, causing the technological department to swiftly adapt to the changing conditions, which is not always simple. The case study documenting restructuring of RBS (Currie Willcocks, 1996) indicates the prevalence of communication problems. Business units complain that computers have been imposed on them with little relevance to the business context. However, the technology unit argued that business users change their mind regularly as to what is required from them. This miscommunication may lead to high costs, failure to meet delivery dates, loss of management control, low morale, etc. Conclusion: The emergence of new organizational forms according to the level of use of information communication technologies gives rise to new research opportunities in the sensitive sector of SMEs. In addition, the need for the emergence of new organizational forms stems also from the fact that technology no longer constitutes a mere link in the chain of businesses processes but rather the driving force behind this chain both in the internal and in the external business environment.