Business Process Reengineering

Describe each of the four kinds of organizational change that can be promoted with information technology. What is business process reengineering? What steps are required to make it effective? How does it differ from business process management? Explain with example. In an organization, there are major risks and uncertainties in systems development that need to be addressed by the management. Determining when new systems and business processes can have the greatest impact is involved in these challenges.This may be the reasons why organizational change and development is becoming a common scenario to talk about involving management, organizations, business, and leadership. With the fast-changing environment, business conditions bring consequences in management both in inner and outer factors. That is why in most cases, most of the managerial activities revolve around decision – making. Knowledge plays a major role in organizational development.Organizational changes are also u sually described, including management and employee training requirements, recruiting efforts, changes in business processes and changes in authority, structure or management practices. Information technology can promote various degrees of organizational change, ranging from incremental to far-reaching. There are actually four types of organizational change enabled by information technology: automation, rationalization, reengineering, and paradigm shifts. [pic] This figure shows the four degrees of organizational change.Automation is the easiest and the most common form of change. Being the most common form of IT-enabled change, the using of computer to speed up the performance of existing tasks is an example of automation. This involves assisting employees perform their tasks more efficiently and effectively. AUTOMATION Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of ind ustrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization.Although automation speeds up performance of tasks, it does not guarantee a very high effectivity in business success. It is just the same as repeating the old manual way of disorders but in a faster way. However, this type of change, although common, is slow – moving, thus producing slow returns. Organizations using automation produce the same products and services as before but changes the way the organization functions. Example of automation in business are calculating paychecks and payroll registers, automated checkout and inventory system employed by many supermarkets. nd giving bank tellers instant access to customers deposit records. RATIONALIZATION Rationalization of procedures causes the organization to examine its standard operating procedures, eliminate those no longer needed, and make the organization more efficient. It is the streamlining of existing operating procedures, eliminating obvious bottlenecks so that automation makes operating procedures more efficient. Rationalization follows quickly from automation. Both types of change cause some disruption, but it's usually manageable and relatively accepted by the people.BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING A more powerful type of organizational change is business process reengineering, in which business processes are analyzed, simplified and redesigned. Using information technology, organizations can rethink and streamline their business processes to improve speed, service and quality. Business reengineering reorganizes work flows, combining steps to cut waste and eliminating repetitive, paper intensive tasks. It is usually much more ambitious than rationalization of procedures, requiring a new vision of how the process is to be organized.Business process reengineering in simpler words is Radical redesign of processes to improve cost, quality, and service, to maximize the benefits of technology. Process reengineering have been used by many companies to deal with a wide variety of problem. For example, the EMI Records Group was having difficulty filling orders for its most popular CDs. Retailers and recording stars were rebelling–it took the company as much as 20 days to deliver a big order for a hit CD, and then nearly 20% of the order would be missing. Small, incremental improvements would not have been adequate, so the company reengineered its entire istribution process with dramatic effects on on-time delivery and order fill rates. In business process reengineering, the organization can develop the business vision and process objective. It can identify the processes to be redesigned (core and highest payback) and understand and measure the performance of existing processes. It can also identify the opportunities for applying information technology and build a prototype of the new process. PARADIGM SHIFT It is about changing the very nature of the business and the structure of the organization itself, whole new products or services that didn't even exist before.In other words, paradigm shifts deals with major disruption and extreme change. Paradigm is a complete mental model of how a complex system works or functions. In other words, a paradigm shift involves rethinking the nature of the business and the organization. It is a complete re-conception of how the systems should function. For example, higher education is undergoing a major paradigm shift in the online delivery of education. Classes are now offered through the Internet so that students don't even go to classrooms. Many tried-and-true teaching methodologies are being radically altered to accommodate this shift in how education is offered.Paradigm shift is a radical re-conceptualization of the nature of the business and the nature of the organization. Deciding which business process to get right is half the challenge to the management. It is said that seventy percent of time programmatic reengineering efforts fail. But still o rganizations change. The reason is because the rewards are high. Paradigm shift involves great risks, but great returns too. The Internet is causing all kinds of industries and businesses to alter their products, their services, and their processes in radical ways.Entire organizations are being created to handle the paradigm shifts involved in e-commerce. Look at the automobile industry as an example of this type of change: Traditional dealerships are being disrupted by auto malls and online buying opportunities. BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING In today’s ever-changing world, the only thing that doesn’t change is ‘change’ itself. In a world increasingly driven by the three Cs: Customer, Competition and Change, companies are on the lookout for new solutions for their business problems.Recently, some of the more successful business corporations in the world seem to have hit upon an incredible solution: BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING (BPR). Business Process Re engineering (BPR) involves the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical contemporary measures of performance such as cost, quality, service and speed. A reengineered organization is process oriented, where: 1) Processes are identified and named, 2) Everyone is aware of the processes they are involved in, 3) Process measurement, i. e. onitoring and control, is performed BPR advocates that enterprises go back to the basics and reexamine their very roots. It doesn’t believe in small improvements. Rather it aims at total reinvention. As for results: BPR is clearly not for companies who want a 10% improvement. It is for the ones that need a ten-fold increase. BPR focuses on processes and not on tasks, jobs or people. It endeavors to redesign the strategic and value added processes that transcend organizational boundaries. According to many in the BPR field reengineering should focus on processes and not be limit ed to thinking about the organizations.After all the organization is only as effective as its processes. Processes are currently invisible and unnamed because people think about the individual departments more often than the process with which all of them are involved. So companies that are currently used to talking in terms of departments such as marketing and manufacturing must switch to giving names to the processes that they do such that they express the beginning and end states. These names should imply all the work that gets done between the start and finish. For example, order fulfillment can be called order to payment process. Steps to an effective BPR are as follows – . Prepare for reengineering – Planning and Preparation are vital factors for any activity or event to be successful, and reengineering is no exception. Before attempting reengineering, the question ‘Is BPR necessary? ’ should be asked. There should be a significant need for the proce ss to be reengineered. Preparation activity begins with the development of executive consensus on the importance of reengineering and the link between breakthrough business goals and reengineering projects. A mandate for change is produced and a cross-functional team is established with a game plan for the process of reengineering.While forming the cross functional team, steps should be taken to ensure that the organization continues to function in the absence of several key players. As typical BPR projects involve cross-functional cooperation and significant changes to the status quo, the planning for organizational changes is difficult to conduct without strategic direction from the top. The impact of the environmental changes that serve as the impetus for the reengineering effort must also be considered in establishing guidelines for the reengineering project.Another important factor to be considered while establishing the strategic goals for the reengineering effort, is to make it your first priority to understand the expectations of your customers and where your existing process falls short of meeting those requirements. Having identified the customer driven objectives, the mission or vision statement is formulated. The vision is what a company believes it wants to achieve when it is done, and a well-defined vision will sustain a company’s resolve through the stress of the reengineering process. 2.Map and Analyze As-Is Process – Before the reengineering team can proceed to redesign the process, they should understand the existing process. Although some BPR proponents argue against analyzing the current enterprise, saying that it inhibits the creative process, that might not always hold true. It varies from case to case. While some organizations which are in dire straits might attempt a new process design while totally ignoring the existing processes, most organizations need to map the existing processes first, analyze and improve on it to de sign new processes.The important aspect of BPR is that the improvement should provide dramatic results. Many people do not understand the value of an As-Is analysis and rather prefer to spend a larger chunk of their valuable time on designing the To-Be model directly. The main objective of this phase is to identify disconnects (anything that prevents the process from achieving desired results and in particular information transfer between organizations or people) and value adding processes. This is initiated by first creation and documentation of Activity and Process models making use of the various modeling methods available.Then, the amount of time that each activity takes and the cost that each activity requires in terms of resources is calculated through simulation and activity based costing (ABC). All the groundwork required having been completed, the processes that need to be reengineered are identified. 3. Design To-Be process – The objective of this phase is to produc e one or more alternatives to the current situation, which satisfy the strategic goals of the enterprise. The first step in this phase is benchmarking.The peer organizations need not be competitors or even from the same industry. Innovative practices can be adopted from anywhere, no matter what their source. Having identified the potential improvements to the existing processes, the development of the To-Be models is done using the various modeling methods available, bearing in mind the principles of process design. Then, similar to the As-Is model, we perform simulation and ABC to analyze factors like the time and cost involved. It should be noted that this activity is an iterative process and cannot be done overnight.The several To-Be models that are finally arrived at are validated. By performing Trade off Analysis the best possible To-Be scenarios are selected for implementation. 4. Implement Reengineered Process- The implementation stage is where reengineering efforts meet the most resistance and hence it is by far the most difficult one. When so much time and effort is spent on analyzing the current processes, redesigning them and planning the migration, it would indeed be prudent to run a culture change program simultaneously with all the planning and preparation.This would enable the organization to undergo a much more facile transition. But whatever may be the juncture in time that the culture change program may be initiated, it should be rooted in our minds that ‘winning the hearts and minds of everyone involved in the BPR effort is most vital for the success of the effort. Once this has been done, the next step is to develop a transition plan from the As-Is to the redesigned process. This plan must align the organizational structure, information systems, and the business policies and procedures with the redesigned processes. 5.Improve Process Continously- A very vital part in the success of every reengineering effort lies in improving the reen gineered process continuously. The first step in this activity is monitoring. Two things have to be monitored – the progress of action and the results. The progress of action is measured by seeing how much more informed the people feel, how much more commitment the management shows and how well the change teams are accepted in the broader perspective of the organization. This can be achieved by conducting attitude surveys and discrete ‘fireside chats’ with those initially not directly involved with the change.Communication is strengthened throughout the organization, ongoing measurement is initiated, team reviewing of performance against clearly defined targets is done and a feedback loop is set up wherein the process is remapped, reanalyzed and redesigned. Thereby continuous improvement of performance is ensured through a performance tracking system and application of problem solving skills. An intense customer focus, superior process design and a strong and mot ivated leadership are vital ingredients to the recipe for the success of any business corporation.Reengineering is the key that every organization should possess to attain these prerequisites to success. BPR doesn’t offer a miracle cure on a platter. Nor does it provide a painless quick fix. Rather it advocates strenuous hard work and instigates the people involved to not only to change what they do but targets at altering their basic way of thinking itself. BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT Business process management (BPM) is a systematic approach to improving an organization's business processes.BPM activities seek to make business processes more effective, more efficient, and more capable of adapting to an ever-changing environment. BPM is a subset of infrastructure management, the administrative area of concern dealing with maintenance and optimization of an organization's equipment and core operations. BPM Vs. BPR If BPM is a system software, then BPR is a method. BPR re-eval uates the processes used by the enterprise from the very basics and thoroughly redesigns them, enabling enterprises to have significant breakthroughs in cost, service, and speed.BPR can enable enterprises to reform from deep within, and create a new organization structure. Therefore, BPR is for the whole enterprise and may even include basic organization structures in its large modifications. BPM is a concept built internally in an enterprise that continuous to manage business processes. In an environment that stores internal and external events, BPM starts from a group of dependent processes, that describes, understands, indicates, and manages the whole process.BPM can integrate internal resources in an enterprise, automatically linking each department, enabling the enterprise to become a single united special forces team. As well, establishing standardized business processes through a single portal, the system can automatically make decisions based on rules and processes of the en terprise to satisfy the management needs of the enterprise, creating comprehensive core competitive force. Key aspects on which BPM differs from BPR are as follows: – Marked difference between BPR and BPM | |Aspect |BPR |BPM | |Level of change |Radical, one step change |Evolutionary & continuous | |Time taken for implementation |Long |Short time and smooth takeover | |Starting point |Drawing board |Current processes and automation levels | |Implementation |Huge effort required for the |Incremental | | |disruptive change | | |Expanse |One major process at a time |Flexible – simultaneously across one or more / | | | |small or major processes | |Methodology |Redesigning of business |Process and decision models | | |processes | | |Enabling technology |Primarily IT |Primarily process technology | |Involvement |Business and process experts |Process experts and all related people | |Risk |High |Low | |Outcome |Drastic |Incremental improvement | |Cultural issues |Major concern |Not much concern | |Implementation stress and concern|High |Low | BPM tools have taken the advantage of the BPR experience and conceptually are more flexible in terms of expanse and intensity.Unlike BPR which targets end-to-end process by radically redesigning it, BPM tools can be applied part by part to the whole enterprise at a time, by adopting much more manageable and smaller changes in the process. This way the investments, risks and amount of change are minimized but at the same time the tangible impact is much more modest than what was a possibility with BPR. Yet BPM tools for automating processes have their basis on the fundamental concepts that were emphasized by BPR, such as: †¢ Simple processes delivering on the metrics of quality, service, flexibility †¢ Focus on eliminating non-value adding activities †¢ Decisions becoming integral part of the processBPM unifies discrete tools through extension of technologies like BPR, EAI, Workflow automation and any other business application package in such a form where the implementation and upgradation is much easily handled and underlying business process are efficiently managed. In addition to the strength inherited from BPR that BPM is built around business processes and not business applications per se, yet another promising feature of BPM is that it is based on mathematical process models. For example: – BPM helps you improve predictability and repeatability. For example, it will help you identify and recruit 10 candidates for a specified position in 8 weeks. BPR helps you study this and reduce this 8 weeks to 6 weeks or 4 weeks , depending on the context. Once this is done, we need to again use BPM to stabilize this and get back to predictability. Business Process Reengineering Describe each of the four kinds of organizational change that can be promoted with information technology. What is business process reengineering? What steps are required to make it effective? How does it differ from business process management? Explain with example. In an organization, there are major risks and uncertainties in systems development that need to be addressed by the management. Determining when new systems and business processes can have the greatest impact is involved in these challenges.This may be the reasons why organizational change and development is becoming a common scenario to talk about involving management, organizations, business, and leadership. With the fast-changing environment, business conditions bring consequences in management both in inner and outer factors. That is why in most cases, most of the managerial activities revolve around decision – making. Knowledge plays a major role in organizational development.Organizational changes are also u sually described, including management and employee training requirements, recruiting efforts, changes in business processes and changes in authority, structure or management practices. Information technology can promote various degrees of organizational change, ranging from incremental to far-reaching. There are actually four types of organizational change enabled by information technology: automation, rationalization, reengineering, and paradigm shifts. [pic] This figure shows the four degrees of organizational change.Automation is the easiest and the most common form of change. Being the most common form of IT-enabled change, the using of computer to speed up the performance of existing tasks is an example of automation. This involves assisting employees perform their tasks more efficiently and effectively. AUTOMATION Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of ind ustrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization.Although automation speeds up performance of tasks, it does not guarantee a very high effectivity in business success. It is just the same as repeating the old manual way of disorders but in a faster way. However, this type of change, although common, is slow – moving, thus producing slow returns. Organizations using automation produce the same products and services as before but changes the way the organization functions. Example of automation in business are calculating paychecks and payroll registers, automated checkout and inventory system employed by many supermarkets. nd giving bank tellers instant access to customers deposit records. RATIONALIZATION Rationalization of procedures causes the organization to examine its standard operating procedures, eliminate those no longer needed, and make the organization more efficient. It is the streamlining of existing operating procedures, eliminating obvious bottlenecks so that automation makes operating procedures more efficient. Rationalization follows quickly from automation. Both types of change cause some disruption, but it's usually manageable and relatively accepted by the people.BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING A more powerful type of organizational change is business process reengineering, in which business processes are analyzed, simplified and redesigned. Using information technology, organizations can rethink and streamline their business processes to improve speed, service and quality. Business reengineering reorganizes work flows, combining steps to cut waste and eliminating repetitive, paper intensive tasks. It is usually much more ambitious than rationalization of procedures, requiring a new vision of how the process is to be organized.Business process reengineering in simpler words is Radical redesign of processes to improve cost, quality, and service, to maximize the benefits of technology. Process reengineering have been used by many companies to deal with a wide variety of problem. For example, the EMI Records Group was having difficulty filling orders for its most popular CDs. Retailers and recording stars were rebelling–it took the company as much as 20 days to deliver a big order for a hit CD, and then nearly 20% of the order would be missing. Small, incremental improvements would not have been adequate, so the company reengineered its entire istribution process with dramatic effects on on-time delivery and order fill rates. In business process reengineering, the organization can develop the business vision and process objective. It can identify the processes to be redesigned (core and highest payback) and understand and measure the performance of existing processes. It can also identify the opportunities for applying information technology and build a prototype of the new process. PARADIGM SHIFT It is about changing the very nature of the business and the structure of the organization itself, whole new products or services that didn't even exist before.In other words, paradigm shifts deals with major disruption and extreme change. Paradigm is a complete mental model of how a complex system works or functions. In other words, a paradigm shift involves rethinking the nature of the business and the organization. It is a complete re-conception of how the systems should function. For example, higher education is undergoing a major paradigm shift in the online delivery of education. Classes are now offered through the Internet so that students don't even go to classrooms. Many tried-and-true teaching methodologies are being radically altered to accommodate this shift in how education is offered.Paradigm shift is a radical re-conceptualization of the nature of the business and the nature of the organization. Deciding which business process to get right is half the challenge to the management. It is said that seventy percent of time programmatic reengineering efforts fail. But still o rganizations change. The reason is because the rewards are high. Paradigm shift involves great risks, but great returns too. The Internet is causing all kinds of industries and businesses to alter their products, their services, and their processes in radical ways.Entire organizations are being created to handle the paradigm shifts involved in e-commerce. Look at the automobile industry as an example of this type of change: Traditional dealerships are being disrupted by auto malls and online buying opportunities. BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING In today’s ever-changing world, the only thing that doesn’t change is ‘change’ itself. In a world increasingly driven by the three Cs: Customer, Competition and Change, companies are on the lookout for new solutions for their business problems.Recently, some of the more successful business corporations in the world seem to have hit upon an incredible solution: BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING (BPR). Business Process Re engineering (BPR) involves the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical contemporary measures of performance such as cost, quality, service and speed. A reengineered organization is process oriented, where: 1) Processes are identified and named, 2) Everyone is aware of the processes they are involved in, 3) Process measurement, i. e. onitoring and control, is performed BPR advocates that enterprises go back to the basics and reexamine their very roots. It doesn’t believe in small improvements. Rather it aims at total reinvention. As for results: BPR is clearly not for companies who want a 10% improvement. It is for the ones that need a ten-fold increase. BPR focuses on processes and not on tasks, jobs or people. It endeavors to redesign the strategic and value added processes that transcend organizational boundaries. According to many in the BPR field reengineering should focus on processes and not be limit ed to thinking about the organizations.After all the organization is only as effective as its processes. Processes are currently invisible and unnamed because people think about the individual departments more often than the process with which all of them are involved. So companies that are currently used to talking in terms of departments such as marketing and manufacturing must switch to giving names to the processes that they do such that they express the beginning and end states. These names should imply all the work that gets done between the start and finish. For example, order fulfillment can be called order to payment process. Steps to an effective BPR are as follows – . Prepare for reengineering – Planning and Preparation are vital factors for any activity or event to be successful, and reengineering is no exception. Before attempting reengineering, the question ‘Is BPR necessary? ’ should be asked. There should be a significant need for the proce ss to be reengineered. Preparation activity begins with the development of executive consensus on the importance of reengineering and the link between breakthrough business goals and reengineering projects. A mandate for change is produced and a cross-functional team is established with a game plan for the process of reengineering.While forming the cross functional team, steps should be taken to ensure that the organization continues to function in the absence of several key players. As typical BPR projects involve cross-functional cooperation and significant changes to the status quo, the planning for organizational changes is difficult to conduct without strategic direction from the top. The impact of the environmental changes that serve as the impetus for the reengineering effort must also be considered in establishing guidelines for the reengineering project.Another important factor to be considered while establishing the strategic goals for the reengineering effort, is to make it your first priority to understand the expectations of your customers and where your existing process falls short of meeting those requirements. Having identified the customer driven objectives, the mission or vision statement is formulated. The vision is what a company believes it wants to achieve when it is done, and a well-defined vision will sustain a company’s resolve through the stress of the reengineering process. 2.Map and Analyze As-Is Process – Before the reengineering team can proceed to redesign the process, they should understand the existing process. Although some BPR proponents argue against analyzing the current enterprise, saying that it inhibits the creative process, that might not always hold true. It varies from case to case. While some organizations which are in dire straits might attempt a new process design while totally ignoring the existing processes, most organizations need to map the existing processes first, analyze and improve on it to de sign new processes.The important aspect of BPR is that the improvement should provide dramatic results. Many people do not understand the value of an As-Is analysis and rather prefer to spend a larger chunk of their valuable time on designing the To-Be model directly. The main objective of this phase is to identify disconnects (anything that prevents the process from achieving desired results and in particular information transfer between organizations or people) and value adding processes. This is initiated by first creation and documentation of Activity and Process models making use of the various modeling methods available.Then, the amount of time that each activity takes and the cost that each activity requires in terms of resources is calculated through simulation and activity based costing (ABC). All the groundwork required having been completed, the processes that need to be reengineered are identified. 3. Design To-Be process – The objective of this phase is to produc e one or more alternatives to the current situation, which satisfy the strategic goals of the enterprise. The first step in this phase is benchmarking.The peer organizations need not be competitors or even from the same industry. Innovative practices can be adopted from anywhere, no matter what their source. Having identified the potential improvements to the existing processes, the development of the To-Be models is done using the various modeling methods available, bearing in mind the principles of process design. Then, similar to the As-Is model, we perform simulation and ABC to analyze factors like the time and cost involved. It should be noted that this activity is an iterative process and cannot be done overnight.The several To-Be models that are finally arrived at are validated. By performing Trade off Analysis the best possible To-Be scenarios are selected for implementation. 4. Implement Reengineered Process- The implementation stage is where reengineering efforts meet the most resistance and hence it is by far the most difficult one. When so much time and effort is spent on analyzing the current processes, redesigning them and planning the migration, it would indeed be prudent to run a culture change program simultaneously with all the planning and preparation.This would enable the organization to undergo a much more facile transition. But whatever may be the juncture in time that the culture change program may be initiated, it should be rooted in our minds that ‘winning the hearts and minds of everyone involved in the BPR effort is most vital for the success of the effort. Once this has been done, the next step is to develop a transition plan from the As-Is to the redesigned process. This plan must align the organizational structure, information systems, and the business policies and procedures with the redesigned processes. 5.Improve Process Continously- A very vital part in the success of every reengineering effort lies in improving the reen gineered process continuously. The first step in this activity is monitoring. Two things have to be monitored – the progress of action and the results. The progress of action is measured by seeing how much more informed the people feel, how much more commitment the management shows and how well the change teams are accepted in the broader perspective of the organization. This can be achieved by conducting attitude surveys and discrete ‘fireside chats’ with those initially not directly involved with the change.Communication is strengthened throughout the organization, ongoing measurement is initiated, team reviewing of performance against clearly defined targets is done and a feedback loop is set up wherein the process is remapped, reanalyzed and redesigned. Thereby continuous improvement of performance is ensured through a performance tracking system and application of problem solving skills. An intense customer focus, superior process design and a strong and mot ivated leadership are vital ingredients to the recipe for the success of any business corporation.Reengineering is the key that every organization should possess to attain these prerequisites to success. BPR doesn’t offer a miracle cure on a platter. Nor does it provide a painless quick fix. Rather it advocates strenuous hard work and instigates the people involved to not only to change what they do but targets at altering their basic way of thinking itself. BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT Business process management (BPM) is a systematic approach to improving an organization's business processes.BPM activities seek to make business processes more effective, more efficient, and more capable of adapting to an ever-changing environment. BPM is a subset of infrastructure management, the administrative area of concern dealing with maintenance and optimization of an organization's equipment and core operations. BPM Vs. BPR If BPM is a system software, then BPR is a method. BPR re-eval uates the processes used by the enterprise from the very basics and thoroughly redesigns them, enabling enterprises to have significant breakthroughs in cost, service, and speed.BPR can enable enterprises to reform from deep within, and create a new organization structure. Therefore, BPR is for the whole enterprise and may even include basic organization structures in its large modifications. BPM is a concept built internally in an enterprise that continuous to manage business processes. In an environment that stores internal and external events, BPM starts from a group of dependent processes, that describes, understands, indicates, and manages the whole process.BPM can integrate internal resources in an enterprise, automatically linking each department, enabling the enterprise to become a single united special forces team. As well, establishing standardized business processes through a single portal, the system can automatically make decisions based on rules and processes of the en terprise to satisfy the management needs of the enterprise, creating comprehensive core competitive force. Key aspects on which BPM differs from BPR are as follows: – Marked difference between BPR and BPM | |Aspect |BPR |BPM | |Level of change |Radical, one step change |Evolutionary & continuous | |Time taken for implementation |Long |Short time and smooth takeover | |Starting point |Drawing board |Current processes and automation levels | |Implementation |Huge effort required for the |Incremental | | |disruptive change | | |Expanse |One major process at a time |Flexible – simultaneously across one or more / | | | |small or major processes | |Methodology |Redesigning of business |Process and decision models | | |processes | | |Enabling technology |Primarily IT |Primarily process technology | |Involvement |Business and process experts |Process experts and all related people | |Risk |High |Low | |Outcome |Drastic |Incremental improvement | |Cultural issues |Major concern |Not much concern | |Implementation stress and concern|High |Low | BPM tools have taken the advantage of the BPR experience and conceptually are more flexible in terms of expanse and intensity.Unlike BPR which targets end-to-end process by radically redesigning it, BPM tools can be applied part by part to the whole enterprise at a time, by adopting much more manageable and smaller changes in the process. This way the investments, risks and amount of change are minimized but at the same time the tangible impact is much more modest than what was a possibility with BPR. Yet BPM tools for automating processes have their basis on the fundamental concepts that were emphasized by BPR, such as: †¢ Simple processes delivering on the metrics of quality, service, flexibility †¢ Focus on eliminating non-value adding activities †¢ Decisions becoming integral part of the processBPM unifies discrete tools through extension of technologies like BPR, EAI, Workflow automation and any other business application package in such a form where the implementation and upgradation is much easily handled and underlying business process are efficiently managed. In addition to the strength inherited from BPR that BPM is built around business processes and not business applications per se, yet another promising feature of BPM is that it is based on mathematical process models. For example: – BPM helps you improve predictability and repeatability. For example, it will help you identify and recruit 10 candidates for a specified position in 8 weeks. BPR helps you study this and reduce this 8 weeks to 6 weeks or 4 weeks , depending on the context. Once this is done, we need to again use BPM to stabilize this and get back to predictability.

Product Life Cycle Stage of Godrej Chotukool Essay

1. Introduction: This stage is characterised by Low competition, efforts to educate consumers about the product, trials and free samples. 2. Growth: This stage is characterised by mass promotions and attempts to differentiate the product from that of competitors. 3. Maturity: In this stage, firms focus on finding new target segments and creating value additions. 4. Decline: In this stage, the product class mostly dies due to strong competitors or obsolete technology. Firms focus on sales promotion, tie ups or move on to emerging markets. Godrej Chotukool currently lies in its introduction stage. According to Godrej Appliances Vice-President (Corporate Development) G Sunderraman,the company is currently focussing on: 1. Educating the new end users, training the intermediaries and building the distribution infrastructure. 2. Communicating a distinct value proposition to the emerging consumers is also a challenge. 3. For Chotukool, the Godrej group has junked the traditional model of a proprietary channel with a sales force and a distributor-dealer chain and has joined hands with micro-finance institutions. 4. Chotukool requires demonstration and education which doesn’t happen in the trade, so Godrej was reluctant to use traditional trade channels. The company has entered into a marketing tie-up with the India Post (Maharashtra Circle) to leverage the vast reach of the latter in terms of number of offices and manpower to push sales of ‘ChotuKool’ .The India Post team will not only generate sales leads, but will also book orders and collect payment from customers. For physical delivery of ChotuKools at customer’s doorsteps, Godrej uses Express Parcel Post Service. 5. Apart from this, Godrej also involves village girls in selling the products at a commission of Rs 150 per product sold (something that the company claims will reduce the distribution and marketing costs by 40 per cent). For Chotukool, the Godrej group has junked the traditional model of a proprietary channel with a sales force and a distributor-dealer chain and has joined hands with micro-finance institutions. This new distribution ecosystem is just one of the unique experiments that Godrej is trying out to make a splash in the bottom of the pyramid refrigerator market. There are many more. But the clear winner is its cost. At Rs 3,250, it costs almost 35 per cent less than the cheapest category of refrigerators available in the market today. Apart from involving village girls in selling the products at a commission of Rs 150 per product sold (something that the company claims will reduce the distribution and marketing costs by 40 per cent), Godrej has gone in for several engineering innovations to keep the price low. The size is small and the number of parts in Chotukool has been reduced to just 20 instead of 200 that go into regular refrigerators. References: 1. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-05-22/news/29571277_1_rural-markets-godrej-appliances-infrastructure

For any theory of law, justice or rights to be worthy of our support, Essay

For any theory of law, justice or rights to be worthy of our support, it must involve a necessary connection with morality. To what extent, if at all, do you agree with this view - Essay Example crucial – referring to the fact that the reasons for the introduction of specific legal rules need to be clearly explained to the members of the society in which these rules involved; in practice, this policy is not always applied; instead, laws are developed in accordance with the personal perceptions of legislators. Under these terms, the obligations and the rights set by the laws in the context of a specific state could be doubted as of their credibility; however, there is a series of principles and concepts that are commonly used as the basis for the development of legal rules and the application of which ensures the respect of fundamental human rights and concerns; morality is one of these concepts; the role of morality in the development of various social and political schemes has been proved as quite important; in fact, morality has been employed in many social theories in order to justify the suggestions made for a series of social and political problems; moreover, the existence of morality in social theories increases the chances for the acceptance of these theories by the members of a specific society – or people in the international community. Current paper focuses on the examination of the potential connection between morality and the theory of law, justice and rights; the views of theorists that have studied the specific subject have been used in order to identify and evaluate the various aspects of connection between morality and the theory of law, justice and rights; it is proved that this relationship exists but it is likely to be differentiated in accordance with the social conditions to which each of these theories refer. Generally, social theories that refer to morality have a similar point of reference: the willingness of people for supporting the justice; however, this willingness is not always obvious; it can be expressed through a series of actions or it can be expressed verbally; in any case, this willingness exist – referring to the

Five issues in corrections Speech or Presentation

Five issues in corrections - Speech or Presentation Example At this time, inmates with special needs are not even identified, whereas other institutions have a very strict protocol for inmates who have a history of mental illness. When they are sent to a correctional facility, they undergo a very thorough physical and mental examination to evaluate the current condition in order to decide if the inmate requires therapy of some kind or a psychologists’ further evaluation to diagnose a mental illness if necessary, and decide on a line of treatment. The purpose of correctional institutions is to help these wayward individuals to become better individuals, preparing them to be part of society again. But with the way things are being done at this time it would seem highly unlikely that any of these inmates would regain any of their sanity at the rate at which they are going. We need a specific program which, firstly, allows us to identify what kind of mental illness an inmate might have. With each type on illness a set protocol should be in place as to how the inmate should be processed; i.e. one on one therapy, group therapy and drug therapy. And the length of the entire treatment required by each individual. This would, in my mind, be the sort of system which would improve the outcome of these inmates. Second matter for discussion is a very volatile one, of sexual victimization. Last year alone, there have been over a hundred reported cases of incidents among the inmates of a sexual nature. The institution houses over a thousand inmates at any given time, both male and female. Keeping in mind the sort of people we deal with today, most of these sexual incidences occur in correctional facilities. Even though there are very strict written policies against sexual victimization, and inmates are watched very closely, these incidences are very common. First I ask why and how? Why does it happen and how is it possible. In research articles, submitted with regards to such issues, there has been some headway as to the reason ing as to why it happening. It is used to ascertain dominance over one or many persons, ensure their position as the aggressor, or maybe just for the purpose of entertainment. Even the most vigilant correctional facility is not able to control these sexual victimizations. So at the end of the day an inmate who might have either been sentenced or in the pretrial phase (possibly innocent) might have to face such an incident. So again, leading back to the question is this rehabilitation or creation of a possible criminal. And it has also been rumored that most of the time the correctional officers also know about these incidences but most of the time look the other way, as it has become a norm in today’s facilities. So what of the victims in these situations? How are they to deal with such situations? Or are they meant to be scarred for life. Third on the agenda is the overcrowding of the correctional institutions in most states. Understandable that these days there are more cri minals that rehabilitated individuals, and there is a trend criminals being reincarcerated again and again, serving out their sentences, just to go back to their usual routines of being criminals. The major reason for the overcrowding is that the vision with which correctional

Marketing Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing Assignment - Essay Example Compatibility refers to the degree to which innovation matches the values and experiences of the individuals. Iphone was highly compatible with the needs of the modern day phone user. Most people at the time of launch of this product were already using a laptop, a music player and a phone. The launch of iphone provided them with a new ease – they could now work on the internet and listen to music without carrying their laptops or music players. The function of three devices could now be performed by a single device. Complexity refers to the degree to which the product is difficult to use. Products which are complex and difficult to understand take a longer time to penetrate in the market. The iphone is very easy to use device. The single button operation of iphone is one of the reasons it is preferred over Samsung galaxy series. Divisibility means the degree to which the innovation can be tried on a limited basis. These limited trials as they are called help the company in finding out the reaction of the public towards the product and make changes if necessary. These trials are very common for iphone launches. Just before the launch the product is tested among college going youth , business executives etc. in order to know their input regarding the product. The main problem with divisibility is knowing if the sample group represents the feelings of the entire target population. This problem has to be solved by market research specialists for iphone. This refers to the degree to which the benefits of the innovation are visible or describable to others. The advantages of iphone are very easy for the user to show. There is visible difference in the features of an iphone as compared to other phones. The possession of an iphone has soon become a fashion statement among people soon after its launch. Globalization has helped on the convergence of civilizations. However, the differences between people of different

Discuss the impact of globalisation on the international hotel Essay

Discuss the impact of globalisation on the international hotel industry - Essay Example Everyone related with business tries to make an effort at gaining possible new markets internationally but at a risk worth taking. No company would like to grow beyond means and afford losses be it for a single month, no matter. Trying to go global and market at the international level is one risk which has to be taken with the bosses and shareholders being very calculated as there is a potential chance of falling back to the old ways the business carried out before it went global. There are certain risks and issues when an organization tries to go the international way as it has to take a global stance by becoming worldwide. The goal of international business is basically to create important value by taking care of its products and services or other items in a hard line approach whereby the business attached with it continuously prospers and grows beyond means for the better. No company can afford a business doing the opposite of it, extracting losses for all and sundry and thus pushing the business to the wall. The international business of a particular company will then remain only a dream and the shareholde rs will hardly hope for a miracle to change their business. Domestic businesses are so much easier to understand and thus run. (Rusher, 1996) International businesses change the course of working methodologies in an instant fashion. The hotel industry is no such exception to this dictum. Without a doubt, the hotel industry of the world is a booming market. Such is the related state of affairs that it is taught as a separate discipline in different curriculums of the world. The future growth is predicted by the industry gurus and they know it best when it comes to gain an understanding of the hotel industry and more than that providing luxurious service to the guests globally. The future of the hotel industry or we might want to rephrase it as the hotel development

Moon shots and unemployment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Moon shots and unemployment - Essay Example According to the former president of United States, unemployment is not structural but it is largely due to the incapability of the firms to hire professionals suitable for the jobs. In other words, the people being hired are not competent enough for the jobs being offered to them. One of the solutions to this problem should be the development of a proper Human Resource system that would facilitate all the companies to hire people who perfectly fit in the given criteria. Job descriptions for each post should be developed and talent hunt should be conducted subsequently. However, the problem faced by USA is much more deep-rooted than this. While other developing countries like China are building on their core-competencies and looking for newer and bigger entrepreneurial ventures (for example, electric car manufacturing), USA is spending billions in Afghanistan. This is very dangerous for the country. USA should therefore invest in discovering new avenues for economic growth, rather than being so politically active in wars all around the world. Otherwise China will become an economic superpower in the upcoming years and USA will be importing products like electric cars from

System Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

System Analysis - Essay Example The problem underlying here is that an online system is required for the company through which it can sell/rent its products as part of usual business. Apart from the usual business, TWE can also provide various offers which will bring customers to use its services. Therefore, an online system should be developed to cater to these needs. Once the basic requirements are accomplished, we can even work towards getting more out of the online system. The details of what all the system can do will be explained later in the text. Specify Preferences - people who wish to purchase will be given user account. They can then login through their account and can create their wish lists according to their desired preferences. Here, we will also enable the user to purchase or use rental services from TWE. Rental Services - an option will be given to the customers where they can rent any video or music item even without specifying a due date. This will enable the customers to enjoy the benefits for a longer period without being subjected to late fees. TWE first started in 1977 as a music sales store. Sales were steady and profit kept on increasing. Thus TWE soon became a chain of stores. In 1981, a new product was added - video games. Slowly TWE became a joint music and video store. Through the later 1980s, TWE had many outlets nationwide. Hence it was decided to take it international. Since then, TWE has grown tremendously in national as well as international market. The current status is that TWE now employs 2340 employees and has world revenues of 1.7 million as of January 2008. The sales of TWE has ever increased but currently we will focus on capturing the market online as well. An online system further increases the sales of any company as it is available to a wider audience. Feasibility Study With the introduction of the online process, we need to take care of the feasibility. Operational feasibility - in operations point of view, there seems to be no constraints as TWE has a fine team of IT professionals comprising of developers, designers, programmers, analysts etc. Technical feasibility - the website will need to be developed using HTML as front end, and Oracle database as the backend. For the middleware, we can use any of JSP, ASP, ASP.NET etc. it depends on the programmers and developers how they want to design their website. Economic feasibility - initially website needs to be registered with the suggested name of the site. Depending upon the availability, the suggested name can be used for the website. This registration would involve

The Influence of International Training on Firefighters' Training Dissertation

The Influence of International Training on Firefighters' Training Performance Outcomes - Dissertation Example As an attempt to decrease the unfavorable outcomes among firefighters, majority of fire departments incorporate these fire training regimens, including physical training programs that will ensure the competence and physical fitness of firefighters when in duty. Firefighters obtain learning through a combination of classroom and practical training that enables these individuals to maintain or further enhance such competences. The importance of providing training and development opportunities for firefighters has been signified by the implementation of policies and considerable amount of resources invested for workers to acquire learning and knowledge. However, it has been asserted by Moats, Chermak, and Dooley (2008) that for training systems to yield positive outcomes, its effectiveness must be assessed as well. Many organisations have been known to lack the resources for providing training that is not measured with regards to its significance in the attainment of organisational goal s. According to Brinkerhoff (2005), training and development of workers must be in adherence to the accomplishment of long-term objectives. Effectiveness is a major aspect of worker training and development for any organisation due to the fact that this enables workers to attain and enhance the necessary skills and knowledge for successfully carrying out their duties. For these organisations to establish and maintain efficient programs, it is highly significant for these training systems to be evaluated to ascertain its consistencies with the overall strategy of the former. Exploring the related procedures and decisions that are carried to ensure training effectiveness is equally important as well (Mitroff, 2005). While organisations who require workers for increased security, including the use of fire departments, have allocated a significant amount of money for developing well-trained and competent workforce members, there remains a need to look into their efficiency in carrying o ut these services. Therefore, this study places an emphasis on the training programs provided to firefighters, particularly in the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), to evaluate these activities and programs and their outcomes on both the organisation and the firefighter themselves. Saudi Aramco is known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Company that is a state-owned oil company in Saudi Arabia and is expected to be the most valuable company that is privately-owned in the world. Aside from maintaining a large hospital and offer health insurance for workers, Saudi Aramco is also known for having a number of fire stations that provide both residential and industrial services. Its industrial security was established twenty years ago as a means of ensuring the safety of the industrial and residential vicinities within and surrounding the company. However, a major challenge for the company is to provide satisfactory fire protection with which both the hard and soft infrastructure should be emphasized (Shelley and Smith, 2008). While the hard infrastructure is comprised of the facilities, its soft counterpart focuses on the individuals who carry out the work. It has been a concern for the Saudi Aramco to enhance their fire protection services as well as the safety of their own firefighters by

House of the Spirits Essay Example for Free

House of the Spirits Essay The world is engulfed by positive and negative forces. Violence, the negative force, is always there around us. We silently experience its impact, without responding. When one responds to the violence vocally, it may or may not produce the desired effect. There are two parties to the violence-the perpetrators of the violence and the victims of the violence. When the victims of the violence suffer silently, that doesn’t mean everything is fine. The nature of violence is fire and its suddenness. It may instantly erupt like the fiery waves of Tsunami, and produce colossal damage; or arrive like the uncontrollable avalanche. Human efforts may not be able to contain the onward march of destruction. It may end of its own and retain its gains for ever. The boom of Latin American literature began in the 1960s, and Isabel Allende’s House of the Spirits is one such product of the boom era. Her big leap in the world of literature happened in the year 1985, when the translation of La casa de los espiritus saw the light of the day. She became an international figure, and she found her place in the same pedestal as that of Columbian Nobel Prize-winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Her work was compared to his One Hundred Years of Solitude. The highlight of the book is that it is written by a woman writer and a Chilean national. The plot of the novel is the saga of three generations of Trueba women—Clara, Blanca, and Alba. It is the story of the struggle of these women with Esteban Trueba, the domineering family patriarch. Allende takes on the story of the family and its political backdrop, which finally ends in a military coup and the eventual dictatorship. It is the conflict between the forces of Left and Right. In the book, the name of the country is not specifically mentioned as Chile, but the obvious is experienced by the reader. The content of the story is the deep reflection of her homeland, Chile. The legally elected administration, led by President Salvador Allende (Isabel’s uncle) was deposed by the military forces in the year 1973. The political current is flowing through the entire novel subtly and sometimes directly. It is very explicit, and don’t get carried away by the title of the book and conclude that it is the book on magic and spirits. It is a story of the family intermingled with the story of the Nation, Chile. The family of Esteban gets entangled with the political upheaval during the latter part of life. Extended family life is the highlight and is given lots of importance in the Chilean society. Couples live in their own houses, but the concept of larger families is popular, the small families look forward to their larger families for more than one objective. The holidays and weekends are spent in the company of relatives. Nuclear families look up for support from the extended-family ties in times of emergencies. Friendship among the adults is an encouraging feature of this system. Technological advance, industrial and internet revolutions have affected the social structure and made deep impact in all the aspects of life of humanity all over the world, and Chile is no exception. Gender rules and traditional areas have suffered the dent. Women in Chile seek employment in large numbers and they don’t wish to remain unschooled, as was the case a few decades ago. In 1990, about 50% of the student population in primary and secondary schools were female. In higher education the percentage was marginally lower; the female enrollment was 44%. There was steady increase of the female students in traditionally female profession of teachers, and also law, medicine, dentistry etc. The traditional pattern as for the roles of men and women and society has undergone noticeable change in Chile. Strong support, more than 80 percent, was seen for the view that women benefit as individuals if they work like men, outside home. Women wished to exercise their rights that paved way for development of their individual personality, which is linked to their economic prosperity. As for the attitude towards marriage, the sentence included in the family law, â€Å"women should obey their husbands,† found favor with only 40% of women, whereas 55% men still held the traditional views. Another important aspect of a similar survey was, men should participate more actively in household work. 70% of men and 92% of women concurred with this view. Isabbel Allende’s novel covers three generations of women in Chile and the notion that women reach full self-realization primarily through motherhood has also seen much modification during this era. Fewer children are now preferred and day care facility for their small children is extensively used by the working mothers. The extended family tradition even now prevailing also puts the working mothers in an advantageous position. The system of employing female domestic servants is in vogue amongst the middle-class and upper class households. The Chilean women face a three-pronged drive against them. The Nation is known for its authoritarianism and Catholicism. The people have experienced dictatorship as well as democracy which have affected the life in one way or the other. The transition from dictatorship to democracy and the reconstruction of the democratic institutions have also resulted in inherent changes as for the position and status of women in the Chilean society. NGO’s re playing the active role to improve the standard of living as well as the standard of life of women. The most provocative issue of women in Chile is abortion. Abortion is illegal in Chile. However, the ground realities are, one in four pregnancies ends in abortion. Poor women are mostly affected as they lack proper education and do not have access to safe, private clinics. Even in this modern era, there are women’s rights opponents in Chile, both at the governmental and NGO levels. But Allende opines that it is difficult to resist social change, and the traditionalists don’t seem to have a happy future. Jane Futcher, of San Francisco Chronicle gives the ‘synopsis’ of the book in two sentences: Nothing short of astonishing In The House of the Spirits Isabelle Allende has shown us the relationships between past and present, family and nation, city and country, spiritual and political values. She has done so with enormous imagination, sensitivity, and compassion. But such organizations face strong opposition from the Church as Allende puts it, â€Å"†¦ and putting women on an equal footing with menthis in open defiance of the law of God, which was most explicit on the issue. † Whenever the Nation is in turmoil, for whatever reasons, women and children are the intense sufferers. They face loss of anxiety and uncertainties. The problems in an extended Chilean family were comparable to the problems of the Nation. Allende is at great pains to understand and explain why the 1973 coup happened at all. A democratically elected socialist president was removed from power and killed by Pinochet. The book holds the inherent clashes that were part of the society for such an unfortunate development to occur. The pairs of opposites, like landlords and tenants, conservatives and communists began to attack each other. No one thought about the after effects of the harsh churning of the society. Dictatorship emerged, actually no one wanted it. By the time the people realized the futility of their approach and action, much harm had already been done to the Chilean national psyche. Normalcy was restored after the nation went through convulsions. Conclusion: The pages of human history daubed in bloodshed of World Wars I II, Nanking Massacre (China) and the violence without intermission in Chile, ask the crying question. How to make this violence-prone Planet Earth heaven like? The answer is simple and direct. Eyes, full of understanding, heart full of love and the life that refuses conflicts-these alone are enough. If a question is posed whether the happenings in Trueba family is the ‘micro’ example of the ‘macro’ happenings in Chile, the answer would be both yes and no! The patriarch of the family is, ipso facto, a dictator—he possesses a volatile, harsh unreasonable temper and also the obsessive ability to love through possession. The day to day developments and realities seemed to have no effect on the Treuba family as such. They came out unfazed through the dark days of the dictatorship. Yet to be sure, most of them were psychologically affected, even though they did not discuss their grievances and opinions openly. But no one was happy about the unfortunate developments that engulfed the country. Allende describes how, over the time people soften and lose their angry identity, and are amenable to reason. How the country overcame its demons, and the determination of the people not to let the old days return. They would like to forget the shudder of disgust related to all sorts of violence. Allende’s depiction of the controversial events in Chilean history is even, intelligent and highly illuminating. Yet, the novel written by a woman author has got to address the pressing issues related to the welfare of women. House of the Spirits is a truly poignant story covering all the aspects of human life, is trials, tribulations, its duty and beauty. It is the story of love and hate; betrayal and acceptance; pride and prejudice. The importance of family bonds has been rightly highlighted. A joint family means actually a ‘group insurance cover’ for all the members of the family and a great psychological security. The possibilities of a life of love are infinite. There lies a unique joy in giving, that one will never find in accepting. References Cited: Allende, Isabel: Book: The House of the Spirits. 448 pages Publisher: Bantam (July 1, 1986), 448 pages. Language: English ISBN-10: 0553273914 ISBN-13: 978-0553273915

Discussing The Characteristics Of Mobile Learning Information Technology Essay

Discussing The Characteristics Of Mobile Learning Information Technology Essay Mobile learning is the point at which mobile computing and electronic learning intersect to produce an anytime, anywhere learning experience. As mobile phone becomes popular in the society and many people can afford the cost, the demand of mobility is extended to teaching and learning purposes. 2.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF MOBILE LEARNING Mobile learning is dynamic. It is todays content not old news. On-line experts and best sources for emergencies are available[2] Mobile learning operates in real time. Learners get what they need, when they need it[2]. Mobile learning is collaborative as people learn from one another. It connects learners with experts, colleagues and professional peers[2]. Mobile learning is individual. Every learner selects activities from a personal menu of learning opportunities most relevant to his/her background at that very moment[2]. Mobile learning is comprehensive. It provides learning events from many sources enabling learners to select a favored format or learning method or training provider[2]. Mobile learning builds learning communities whose members forge[2]. 2.2: THE CHANGE OF LEARNING PARADIGMS Source:http://www.te.ugm.ac.id/~widyawan/mobilearn/MobilearnParadigm.pdf 2.3: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTIONS Source: http://www.te.ugm.ac.id/~widyawan/mobilearn/MobilearnParadigm.pdf 2.4: HISTORY OF MOBILE DEVICES Modern mobile devices began with the Apple Newton in 1993, followed by the Palm Pilot in 1996. Five years later, the pocket pc and the introduction of flash player were the next significant introduction and have since been used for educational purposes. The next major development occurred when cell phones gained the capabilities of Personal Digital Assistants(PDAs) and merged connectivity. The various types of connectivity available through mobile devices include Wide Area Network (WAN), Local Area Network (LAN) and Personal Area Network(PAN). Within the area of education, it was originally envisioned that handheld devices could serve as computer replacements in which full courses could be delivered. Currently, there exist multiple devices available for mobile learning, ranging from PDAs to video players to cell phones. Add-ons to mobile devices such as cameras, barcode readers and Global Positioning System (GPS) are also popular. 2.5: USING MOBILE DEVICES FOR LEARNING Figure 1 shows students access to mobile devices. MAP FOR MOBILE Figure 2 2.6: MOBILE LEARNING FRAMEWORK It is predicted that the next phase of electronic learning development will be focused in mobile learning. Mobile learning is the point at which mobile computing and electronic learning intersect to produce an anytime, anywhere learning experience[2]. The following is a proposed framework for mobile learning: Mobile Learning Applications Mobile User Infrastructure (browser, handheld devices) Mobile Protocol(adoption of content with WAP) Mobile Network Infrastructure (cellular systems, satellites amongst others) Figure 3 Level 1: Mobile Learning Applications Many new applications are becoming possible and many existing electronic learning applications can be modified for a mobile environment[2]. Level 2: Mobile User Infrastructure In the mobile user infrastructure level, the design of new mobile learning applications should cater for the capabilities of the user mobile devices[2]. Level 3: Mobile Protocol In the mobile protocol level, the aim is to hide the underlying networks details from applications while providing a uniform and easy-to-use interface[2]. Level 4: Mobile Learning Infrastructure In the mobile network infrastructure level, service quality primarily depends on network resources and capabilities[2]. 2.7: CHOICE OF MOBILE DEVICE While various types of mobile devices can be used in mobile learning, the mobile device that will be considered during the development of the application will be mobile phone. 2.8: MOBILE PHONE Wherever you go nowadays, you can see people carrying their mobile phone with them. Mobile phone allows communication across the world, different countries and abroad countries. Nowadays, mobile phones do not only support voice calls, they can receive data and faxes, send short messages(SMS), access WAP services and provide full internet access using technologies such as GPRS. At the present time, mobile phones support wireless technologies such as: Infrared Bluetooth 3G WAP WIFI 2.8.1: LIMITATIONS OF MOBILE PHONE However, mobile phones possess various constraints that may affect their progress in the future. These are described as follows: Limited storage Small runtime heap Modest processor performance Limited screen size 2.8.2: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LATEST MOBILE PHONES 2.9: WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES Wireless Technologies denotes technologies in which the use of wire for communication is eliminated. Radio and TV broadcasting to mobile phone and Bluetooth are examples of wireless technologies. The latter was un-imaginable till Heinrich Rudolf Hertz in 1886-1988 demonstrated the transmission and reception of radio signals[4]. 2.9.1: DIFFERENT COMMERCIAL WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES Radio FM and AM radio is the first to use wireless technology commercially. This brings wireless technology to the common man[4]. Television Another step ahead with wireless technology is Television broadcast. This introduces wireless technology even closer[4]. Mobile Mobile Technology such as GSM and CDMA made a revolution on communication and it uses time division, frequency division and code division multiplexing. These include the latest and hottest example of wireless technologies[4]. GPS Latest and greatest technology that uses wireless is Global positioning system-radio waves are used for this[4]. Bluetooth/WI-FI/Infrared With the introduction of computers, all these technologies are becoming popular to everyone. All these technologies are based on wireless. Bluetooth uses short range wireless technology that allows connection to various types of electronic equipment like printers, mobiles, camera amongst others to computers. WI-FI is mainly used to establish a wireless LAN and wireless internet connection which is called as hotspots[4]. 2.9.2: INVESTIGATION OF POTENTIAL WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES There are three technologies that best suit the communication of two or more computers using standard network protocol without network cabling. An overview of these three technologies is described below: WAP The WAP protocol stack is made up of the Application layer Session layer Transaction layer Security layer Transport layer It provides an environment in which applications and services for portable and wireless devices are developed and executed. It includes a microbrowser, a markup language interface and push technology for the transmission of data to applications residing on clients plus multimedia message capabilities and content formats. Wireless Application Protocol(WAP) or WAP 2.0 is next generation of the WAP specification that delivers a richer and more secure experience to mobile internet services and even printers. WI-FI Wi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity and is used to define any of the wireless technology in the IEEE 802.11 specification including the wireless protocols 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g. The Wi-Fi Alliance is the body responsible for promoting the term and its association with various wireless technology standards[5]. A Wi-Fi network can also be used to enable connectivity to a larger Local Area Network(LAN) , Wide Area Network(WAN) or the internet[5]. To be able to use Wi-Fi, you must be using a computer or PDA that possess Wi-Fi connectivity already working. Most portable computers can add Wi-Fi using an adapter that plugs into a PC card slot or USB port[5]. Wi-Fi is supported by many applications and devices including video game consoles, home networks, PDAs, mobile phones, major operating systems and other types of consumer electronics[6]. Bluetooth Bluetooth wireless technology is a short range communication technology intended to replace the cables connecting portable and/or fixed devices while maintaining high levels of security[7]. The structure and the global acceptance of Bluetooth Technology means any Bluetooth enable devices, almost everywhere in the world, can connect to other Bluetooth enabled devices located in proximity to one another[7]. Connections between Bluetooth enabled electronic devices allow these devices to communicate wirelessly through short-range, ad hoc networks known as piconets[7]. 2.9.3: WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES COMPARISON There exist numerous technologies to develop a mobile application. Hence, a comparison is made between these technologies in order to select the most appropriate technology depending upon the requirement of the system to be developed. Range Worldwide 10 m 100 m Frequency range 1000-Mbit/s 2.4 Ghz 2.4 Ghz Transmit range 54 Mbps 1 Mbps ~10Mbps Power High 1/5 of Wi-Fi High Penetration Penetrate objects Penetrate objects Penetrate objects Line of sight Not required Not required Not required Cost Cheap Cheap Cheap 2.10: WAP TECHNOLOGY WAP is an enabling technology based on the internet client server architecture model for transmission and presentation of information from the World Wide Web(WWW) and other applications utilizing the Internet Protocol(IP) to a mobile phone or other wireless terminal. However, WAP is a global standard developed by the WAP Forum for wireless devices to access the intranet and telephony services. WAP can also be used to access data from corporate intranets through public or private IP networks[8]. Figure 3 shows the WAP services that are currently offered. Figure 4 2.10.1: FORMATION OF WAP Ericson, Motorola, Nokia and Phone.com founded the WAP forum in June 1997 to create license-free standards for the entire industry to use in order to develop products based on WAP. 2.10.2: WAP SPECIFICATIONS WAP is an open specification that defines a set of protocols application, session, transaction, security and transport layers. To leverage existing programming and development skills, WAP is based on existing standards and protocols such as XML, HTTP, UDP, HTML and Javascript[8]. The key elements of the WAP specification include: A well-known application development framework- The WAP transport model is analogous to the internet model, except for the gateway that is inserted between the web server and the client[8]. WML(Wireless Markup Language) as the standard markup language. A browser inside WAP services that parses WML and WMLScript[8]. A framework to support advanced telephony, like WWW to mobile messaging, call forwarding, mobile to telefax access and address book access[8]. Figure 5 Figure 4 compares a protocol stack based on the internet model to WAP. As you can see, numerous networks are included in WAP with the ultimate goal of targeting multiple networks. WIRELESS SESSION LAYER(WSP) The wireless session protocol is an interface between the application layer and delivers all functions that are needed for wireless connections. A session mainly consists of 3 phases: start of the session, transferring information back and forth and the end of the session. Additionally, a session can be interrupted and started again(from the point where it was interrupted)[9]. WIRELESS TRANSACTION PROTOCOL The Wireless Transaction Protocol (WTP) is a transaction-oriented protocol, executed using a datagram service. WTP offers the following functions[9]: Three classes of transaction services Unreliable one-way requests Reliable one-way requests Reliable two-way request/response transactions Optional user-to-user reliability feature The WTP user triggers confirmation for each received message[9]. WIRELESS TRANSPORTATION LAYER SECURITY(WTLS) The wireless transport layer security is an optional layer or stack which consists of description devices. A secure transmission is crucial for certain applications such as e-commerce or WAP- banking and is a standard in these days. Furthermore, WTLS contains a check for data integrity, user authentication and gateway security[9]. WIRELESS DATAGRAM PROTOCOL(WDP) The wireless datagram protocol represents the transfer or transmission layer and is also the interface of the network layer to all the above stack/layers. With the help of the WDP, the transmission layer can be assimilated to the specifications of a network operator. This means that WAP is completely independent from any network operator. The transmission of SMS, USSD, CSD, CDPD, IS-136 packet data and GPRS is supported. The Wireless Control Message Protocol(WCMP) is an optional addition to WAP, which will inform users about occurred errors[9]. 2.10.3: HOW WAP WORKS A typical WAP network consists of the following components[8]: User with WAP-enabled device Gateway Application server The Application server can be located in either a public or private IP network. The gateway is normally located in telecom networks but it can be setup by a company using its own computer systems[8]. A typical scenario using WAP technology A user with a WAP device requests content from the application server[8]. The request reaches the gateway first, which does the protocol translation from WAP to HTTP and routes the HTTP request to the destination server[8]. The server returns WML output and adds HTTP headers to the gateway, depending upon whether dynamic or static pages are requested[8]. The gateway converts WML and HTTP to binary form to conserve bandwidth and returns a WAP response to the user[8]. The browser inside the WAP device interprets the WML and shows the contents[8]. 2.10.4: WAP LIMITATIONS Compared to PCs, wireless devices are limited in terms of processing power, memory, battery life and display size. Other issues of low bandwidth, latency and connection stability brings motivation to come up with new set of WAP technologies[8]. 2.11: INVESTIGATION OF POTENTIAL MOBILE WAP (and Web) INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM Web development on mobile phones has long suffered from a rigid platform and the inability for mobile browsers to keep up with current web technologies. You could test your WML code with a cell phone but most providers charge a premium for Web access and testing could cost a lot. Instead, there exist emulators that are available, some of which are packaged with a full SDK while some even include a full Integrated Development Environment (IDE). 2.11.1: WML EMULATOR Instead of installing an entire WAP SDK, you can install a WML emulator. An emulator allows you to view the contents of your WML files as they would be appear on the screen of a WAP-enabled device. There are various WAP emulators available. Some are illustrated below: WAP PROOF 2008 professional version 4.2.0327 WAP Proof is an emulator of a WAP browser for Microsoft Windows, a universal WML, HTML and XHTML intended for designers of mobile content. It is designed for the preview and debugging of mobile websites. The purpose of a WAP proof is to emulate the rendering of WML 1.3, HTML, XHTML Mobile Profile 1.0 and Chtml documents by different devices. The mobile- oriented content is rendered exactly as if it was downloaded on the real cellphone[10]. The source code of the WML document can also be viewed as illustrated below. KLONDIKE WAP BROWSER This is produced by Apache Software. Klondike looks like a Web browser and is therefore very easy to use for beginners. Local WML files can be accessed easily. Klondike WAP Browser employs the Wireless Markup Language (WML) through an implementation of Klondike WAP Microbrowser Engine, including character entities, text input and validation, single and multiple selection boxes, variable substitution, deck-card task and event shadowing, deck access control, GET and POST methods, variable escaping, timers, and BMPs and BMP anchors[11]. YOSPACE Yospace is a mobile application s innovator and platform provider allowing digital publishers, mobile application developers, and mobile operators to rapidly and affordably deliver mobile video services[12]. WAP developers can use the desktop edition of the emulator to preview WAP applications from their desktop as the emulator provides a reasonably faithful reproduction of the actual handset products. WinWAP This is produced by Slob-Trot Software. WinWAP is a WML browser that works on any computer with 32-bit Windows installed. Moreover, it is web browser for WAP made by Winwap Technologies available for Microsoft Windows and any Windows CE powered device, like the common Windows Mobile powered Pocket PC phones[13]. WML files can be browsed locally from the hard drive or the internet with HTTP(as with your normal browser). 2.11.2: WEB SERVER SERVICES SOFTWARE EasyPHP version 5.3.2 EasyPHP is a complete software package that allows you to use all the power and the flexibility that dynamic languages like PHP offer as well as the efficient use of databases. Package includes an Apache server, a MySQL database, a full PHP execution, as well as easy development tools for your applications. You can change MIME configuration in apache to make the server recognize WML pages, WMLS and WBMP. CERN server It is a generic public domain full-featured hypertext server that can be used as a regular HTTP server. The server is typically running on port 80 to serve hypertext and other documents but it can also serve as a proxy a server on a firewall machine, that provides access for people inside a firewall to the outside world. Furthermore, the server runs on most Unix platforms[14].

The Character of Mama in Alice Walker’s Everyday Use Essay -- essays r

â€Å"I am a large, big boned woman with rough, man-working hands† Mama describes of herself in the short story Everyday Use by Alice Walker. Mama, who additionally takes the role of narrator, is a lady who comes from a wealth of heritage and tough roots. She is never vain, never boastful and most certainly never selfish. She speaks only of her two daughters who she cares deeply for. She analyzes the way she has raised them and how much she has cared too much or too little for them, yet most of all how much they value their family. Mama never speaks of herself, other than one paragraph where she describes what she does. â€Å"My fat keeps me hot in zero weather. I can work outside all day, breaking ice to get water for washing† (Walker, 60). She does not need to tell readers who she is, for her descriptions of what she does and how her family interacts, denotes all the reader needs to know. Although Mama narrates this story rather bleakly, she gives readers a sense of l ove and sense of her inner strength to continue heritage through â€Å"Everyday Use†. Regretfully, though readers can see how Mama has had a difficult time in being a single mother and raising two daughters, Dee, the oldest daughter, refuses to acknowledge this. For she instead hold the misconception that heritage is simply material or rather artificial and does not lie in ones heart. However, from Mama’s narrations, readers are aware that this cultural tradition does lie within ones heart, especially those of Mama’s and Maggie’s, and that it is the pure foundation over any external definition. One situation in particular that Mama brings up is the time when she offers to Dee to bring some of the ancestral quilts with her to college. She claims, â€Å"I had offered Dee a quilt whe... ...rn fifty and more years ago. Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrell's Paisley shirts. And one teeny faded blue piece . . . that was from Great Grandpa Ezra's uniform that he wore in the Civil War" (Walker, 65). These quilts, which have become an heirloom, not only represent the family, but are an integral part of the family. A concept in which Dee, could just not possibly understand. Mama then grasps the quilts out of Dee’s clutch and places them on Maggie’s lap, for Maggie knows that the quilts are personal and emotional rather than by any means financial (p.66). These quilts are for â€Å"Everyday Use.† In this last scene, Mama proves to herself that you do not need an education, or generation knowledge to be able to posses strength. For Mama had inner strength all along, she just needed her true rich and beautiful beliefs of her heritage to shine through, and they did. The Character of Mama in Alice Walker’s Everyday Use Essay -- essays r â€Å"I am a large, big boned woman with rough, man-working hands† Mama describes of herself in the short story Everyday Use by Alice Walker. Mama, who additionally takes the role of narrator, is a lady who comes from a wealth of heritage and tough roots. She is never vain, never boastful and most certainly never selfish. She speaks only of her two daughters who she cares deeply for. She analyzes the way she has raised them and how much she has cared too much or too little for them, yet most of all how much they value their family. Mama never speaks of herself, other than one paragraph where she describes what she does. â€Å"My fat keeps me hot in zero weather. I can work outside all day, breaking ice to get water for washing† (Walker, 60). She does not need to tell readers who she is, for her descriptions of what she does and how her family interacts, denotes all the reader needs to know. Although Mama narrates this story rather bleakly, she gives readers a sense of l ove and sense of her inner strength to continue heritage through â€Å"Everyday Use†. Regretfully, though readers can see how Mama has had a difficult time in being a single mother and raising two daughters, Dee, the oldest daughter, refuses to acknowledge this. For she instead hold the misconception that heritage is simply material or rather artificial and does not lie in ones heart. However, from Mama’s narrations, readers are aware that this cultural tradition does lie within ones heart, especially those of Mama’s and Maggie’s, and that it is the pure foundation over any external definition. One situation in particular that Mama brings up is the time when she offers to Dee to bring some of the ancestral quilts with her to college. She claims, â€Å"I had offered Dee a quilt whe... ...rn fifty and more years ago. Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrell's Paisley shirts. And one teeny faded blue piece . . . that was from Great Grandpa Ezra's uniform that he wore in the Civil War" (Walker, 65). These quilts, which have become an heirloom, not only represent the family, but are an integral part of the family. A concept in which Dee, could just not possibly understand. Mama then grasps the quilts out of Dee’s clutch and places them on Maggie’s lap, for Maggie knows that the quilts are personal and emotional rather than by any means financial (p.66). These quilts are for â€Å"Everyday Use.† In this last scene, Mama proves to herself that you do not need an education, or generation knowledge to be able to posses strength. For Mama had inner strength all along, she just needed her true rich and beautiful beliefs of her heritage to shine through, and they did.

Child Abuse: An Inexcusable Crime Essay -- Violence Against Children

Child abuse occurs in families of all different social classes and of all different cultures. According to the Heritage Foundation, abuse and neglect of American children has increased 134% since 1980 ("The Child Abuse Crisis†). No excuse for child abuse exists. Children are among the most defenseless group of people in society, and to harm those who are defenseless is simply unacceptable. Abusers may make excuses for their actions or even deny they are harming the child, but they are wrong. Child abuse causes significant damage to the victim’s physical and psychological health, the victim’s behavior and social skills, and society as a whole. The most obvious form of child abuse is physical abuse, which involves physical harm or injury to a child (Smith and Segal). While physical abuse can come through the form of neglect, inaction on the parent’s part is not the only issue. Other common examples of physical abuse include actions such as the following: Chocking, shoving, pinching, spitting, hair pulling, arm twisting, pushing into or pulling out of a car, banging someone’s head, pinning against a wall, punching, attacking, and even harming to the point of death. According to Dr. James Kent, there are four different categories of physical abuse; these categories are termed â€Å"flashpoint,† â€Å"spare the rod,† â€Å"you asked for it,† and â€Å"who needs it.† The term â€Å"flashpoint† refers to the parent’s need for psychotherapy to address the root of the problem. The â€Å"term spare the rod† refers to the parent’s need for help in learning altern ative discipline methods. The term â€Å"you asked for it† refers to the parent’s need for help in actually managing the child’s behavior and the need to address the parent’s or parents’ lack of economic stability.... ...buse Suffer Long-Term Consequences." Family Violence. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect." 2008. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. "Emotional Abuse." Emotional Child Abuse – Definitions of Child Neglect and Other Emotionally Abusive Behavior. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2014. Grapes, B. . Child Abuse: Contemporary Issues Companion. Greenhaven Press, Inc., Print. National Coalition for Child Protection Reform. "Poverty Is the Leading Cause of Child Abuse." Child Abuse. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Child Abuse and Poverty." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. Smith, Melinda, and Jeanne Segal. Ed. Lawrence Robinson. â€Å"Help Guide,† Aug. 2013. Google. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.

Database Models :: essays research papers

In this paper I will be discussing the differences and similarities of the three database models we have talked about in class the Entity-Relationship, Object model, and the UML modeling. First let’s look at the definition of the three models. The Entity- Relationship Model is used to visually represent data objects and is used for database design. It is easy to understand which makes it easier to communicate the design to the end user. The form used in the ER model can easily be transformed into relational tables. (Information Technology Services [ITS], 2004) Another database model we went over in class is the Object Model. There are three concepts to understanding the Object Models one of them being the Data Abstraction which is the process of condensing data down to its essentials. Another one is the Inheritance in the object model is the means of defining one class in terms of another. The third concept in the object model is the Encapsulation which is the concept of including processing or behavior with the object instances defined by the class. Encapsulation allows code and data to be packaged together. The third database model would be the UML model that stands for Unified Modeling Language used for writing software blue prints. The UML can be used to visualize, specify, construct, and document the artifacts of a software-intensive system. (Safari Tech Books Online, 2002, chap. 2) Some of the similarities in the database model are that all three can be used in the database design process in some way. In our previous class DBM 380 we used the ER model for our projects even from our preceding projects we can create the database model in an Object or UML model. Of the three database models I find that the Entity Relationship model was the easiest to create and explain to an end user it also transforms effortlessly into relationship tables which worked well in Access. The Object model and UML model seem to be more of a language model than the ER model seems to be more for just databases although the Object model addresses both programming and databases. The UML model is more for intense software programming such as Java programming it would allow you to visualize and document your programming steps before starting the code.

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