The Use Of Perspective in The Blind Assassin Essay Sample free essay sample

The superb tapestry inThe Blind Assassinis authoritative Margaret Atwood. It is a story-within-a-story. a novel-within-a-novel interwoven in one attractively crafted literary piece. The narrative. set in fictional Ontario and Toronto towns in the 1930s and 1940s. is told in the position of the storyteller every bit good as position of history through newspaper cuttings. Initially. it seems that the secret plan is traveling to be told chiefly in a telegraphic manner through a series of newspaper cut-outs. With these. the reader is treated to a series of human deaths. First. is the tragic decease of Laura Chase who drove a auto off a span when she was merely 25 old ages old. Second. is the decease of Richard Griffen and so Aimee Griffen. 30 old ages subsequently. This twine of deceases is linked by one old woman—Iris Chase. the story’s storyteller. Iris is Laura’s sister. Richard’s married woman. and Aimee’s female parent. We will write a custom essay sample on The Use Of Perspective in The Blind Assassin Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Now in her 80s with a weak bosom get downing to neglect her. she writes about the fortunes of their deceases. The drawn-out narration is told in the first individual. through the position of Iris. Atwood uses Iris and newspaper cuttings to detail flashbacks. As Iris tells her narrative and those around her. the cuttings besides unveil the enigma that surrounds their decease. This is an effectual tool because as the enigmas grow midst. it becomes impossible to set the book down ( Richards. par. 2 ) . Atwood seems to be giving her readers unreciprocated inquiries and dramas with them. She uses Iris to give a sense of play and nostalgia and the cuttings to supply history that will back up these emotions. It is to the late Laura that the writing of the novel is attributed. with a posthumous publication day of the month of 1947 ( par. 6 ) . As Iris writes. it is Laura who touches people and non her. The narrative besides inside informations the love matter between a affluent adult female and a adult male concealing out from the jurisprudence. Their narrative is told in installments throughout the novel and in clip curiously emerges as a unusual metaphor for the lives outside of Iris’ and Laura’s. In this novel. it seems that Atwood treated her readers to at least two different universes: the universe of Iris told in historical item and the universe of phantasy of the fictional lovers. All of these interwoven in one novel makes Atwood’s secret plan dreadfully complicated and convoluted but Atwood effortlessly pull it off ( par. 10 ) . The Blind Assassinshow windows Atwood’s first-class narrative weaving powers. The dizzying start—drawing readers through decades-old flashbacks in the eyes of the storyteller and clippings—suddenly becomes eye-popping and so finally obliging. Atwood’s usage of the narrator’s position gives the narrative a human face. It provides readers with the emotions present in an event that are in fact decades-old. This first-person narrative efficaciously brings readers to that topographic point and that minute where the characters move. Through Iris’ position. all personas voices are heard. All of the personas’ narratives are told and given life. Through the narrator’s position. the complex narratives of the characters are besides given colour. Through Iris. Atwood creatively led her audience to events in history like the optimism in the 1920s. the hungriness and fright during the Great Depression and the political agitation during the late fortiess. Atwood. through Iris. besides gave the readers physical inside informations such as vesture and general manners of life during those times ( par. 8 ) . The newspaper cuttings. for their portion. gave readers a elaborate history environing the characters’ decease. It was these small cut-outs that unveiled the enigmas. Every now and so. the readers will acquire the feeling of â€Å"Oh†¦so that was how it happened. † The cuttings provided replies to inquiries like â€Å"why Iris feels a certain manner about how things turned out. † Even the transitions from the novel ( besides called The Blind Assassin ) that is included in Iris’ memories gave the readers metaphorical mentions. Atwood someway intertwined the lives of the fictional lovers with that of those in Iris’ circle. The novel was Atwood’s originative manner of stating a story-within-a-story. The Blind Assassin is like a show window of Atwood’s many literary techniques. There is history and snippings of poesy within one complex text. It’s like a small spot of the manners Atwood experimented with through the old ages ( par. 10 ) . The authoritative novel. to which Atwood gained a fabulous position as a literary mastermind. offered the heroic narrative of one household through different point of views and assorted angles. The novel that seemed cerebrally confounding at first was resolved through the lens of the cuttings. the fictional novel. and Iris—meaning through history. phantasy. and emotions. Atwood’sThe Blind Assassinis a masterpiece both in the criterions of workmanship and storytelling. The mosaic resulted to a breathtaking journey into the personas’ yesteryear and the absorbing disclosure of the enigmas that surround it. The diverse positions and points of positions Atwood utilised were attractively interwoven in one classical whole. The rhetorical device Atwood used madeThe Blind Assassinmore than merely another narrative of a household in the 1930s. Through this literary scheme. the novel became an insightful history into a tragic yesteryear and the painful journey towards doing sense of that yesteryear. Plants Cited: Richards. Linda. â€Å"Brilliant Tapestry. †January Magazine. ( Oct. 2000 ) . 8 Oct. 2007. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //januarymagazine. com/fiction/blindassassin. hypertext markup language gt ; .

Environmental Impact Of Aquaculture Wild-Caught Vs. Farmed Fish Coursework

Environmental Impact Of Aquaculture Wild-Caught Vs. Farmed Fish Coursework Environmental Impact Of Aquaculture Wild Environmental Impact Sustainable development in terms of is fishing refer to the implementation of developmental strategies and policies that there is a sufficient amount of fish that meets the present demand of without compromising the future demand. In this case, a lot of control measure requires to be put in place to ensure that fish resource endowment is not depleted. The acceptable level of resource depletion should be the one that ensures that at any given time, the number of a certain species should not be reduced by half. As such, the acceptable level of depletion should allow further fishing to take place. As such, the fish will not be over-harvested or over-exploited.There is an acceptable level of pollution in aquaculture. These pollutions are mostly treated industrial effluent that contains beneficial feed supplements and microbial that improves the host’s intestinal balance. Furthermore, these effluents contain important fertilizers that enhance the growth of alga e and other small plants that are an important source of fish food. In terms of maintaining the effluent provides important microbial that enhances resistance to poisoning by other chemicals. It, therefore, implies that despite the adverse effects caused by pollution, some it is beneficial to aquatic life, (Martin, Bennett 71)The high demand of healthy food in America has in turn increased the demand for shrimps. This has lead to over-exploitation of the species and hence the environmental concern. To mitigate the effect, such project like â€Å"One shrimp at a time† is important. This because it will not only replenish the depleting stock of shrimps, but also serves as an economic hub. Work CitedMartin, Bennett. Aquaculture , 1780s-1940s: 2007 .Page 71. Print

Burberry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Burberry - Case Study Example However, in 2005, General Universal Stores divested their stake in 2005. The current CEO of the group is Angela Ahredts, who replaced Rose Marie Bravo. (Burberry Official Website, 2010) From its inception, the brand has experienced massive growth and now owns thousand of outlets and franchises throughout England. The company specializes in menwear, womenwear, childrenwear and non-apparel garments. Out of these, the largest share of its revenue comes from womenwear. Burberry is also a household name in the international market. This feat was achieved with the recent trend of globalization and this is where the company pays most attention. The company has no distinctive mission statement. However, reading on from their annual reports it can be seen that the company wants to maximize its revenues in order to increase the business profitability. This is what the entire team and the management of Burberry plc works for and for many years now. In order to achieve their mission of maximizing revenue the company is trying to streamline their operations by moving towards focused collection. Although, this is a generic term but it implies that the company is moving toward more balanced collection in terms of design, style and quality. The company is doing this through constant innovation strategies. They have increased the frequency of new designs coming to retail outlets. The brand also aims to achieve its objective by increasing productivity, streamlining store operations, by adopting a policy of quick expansion and by making use of the latest technology to make their operations more and more efficient. (Burberry Annual Reports of 2008, 2009) From our discussion about Burberry plc Group, we can see that it has been doing brilliantly since its inception. However, in the recent years, the firm is facing some challenges in the form of recession and fierce competition in the industry due to entry of a lot of new firm in this market to cater the needs of the consumer. In the next part of this report, we are going to look at some of the strategies that Burberry has adopted to counter these challenges. Burberry has been greatly affected by the ongoing recessionary phase in which we find global economy in. Economic recession has affected Burberry indirectly in an adverse way. As a result of economic recession, people's purchasing power has been deteriorating and now they have to think twice when buying a luxury item like Burberry. As a result of this, Burberry's profits are fast falling and irked the top management of the company for sometimes now. One example of how Burberry is been affected by continuing recession can be seen in the Burberry Group's income statement for the year which shows a profit of 99.8m as compared to 170.9m that were earned a year before. This was decline of approximately 41%. This shows how badly the firm is affected by the current recessionary wave that the world is experiencing. Another thing that worries Burberry's management is the structure of supply-chain of the company. The company finds that in few of the firm's product categories, it relies on small number of supplier. As a result, these suppliers command more authority over Burberry and this over reliance on few suppliers can cause a lot of trouble to Burberry. However, the only way the situation can be improved is by restructuring the supply-chain management of the company, which the company is trying to undertake with some success. Similarly, most of the firm's

The contribution of the construction industry to economic development Dissertation

The contribution of the construction industry to economic development in Libya - Dissertation Example Over the next ten years i.e. 1991-2001 both GDP of construction industry and national GDP were increased significantly and the contribution of construction industry to Libya’s GDP was also increased significantly. In 2001 this contribution reached at 7.03%. However, since 2001 it again started to lower and quite surprisingly it came to almost 3.95% in the year 2006. In the next three years construction industry has contributed 4.52%, 5.13% and 8.78% respectively. Question 2 These percentage contributions of construction industry to the national GDP tells the way Libya’s construction industry has grown with the growth of the country’s economy. During the period of 1986-1991 construction industry’s growth was quite volatile whereas the national economy has grown consistently. In other words construction industry failed to perform in a constant way with respect to Libya’s economy. Similar trend is also observed over the next ten years i.e. 1991-2001 an d main reason behind such findings is the fact that there is lack of consistency in the growth of construction industry although the national economy has grown on a regular basis. However, data shows that during 2004-2009 this industry has grown constantly (from 2159.2 Million Libyan Dollar to 7577.5 Million Libyan Dollar).

Epictetus Philosophy and Marion Jones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Epictetus Philosophy and Marion Jones - Essay Example It is impossible to change destiny or even environment according to one's wishes. By trying to fight against the tide of predestined conditions, one creates misery for himself. To be able to accept situations as they are, it is essential to be devoid of emotions. To be attached to sentiments is to be attached to worldly things that are temporary. If we do not involve ourselves emotionally with anything, and accept what nature has to offer us, we can live in accordance and harmony with nature. Two steps become important to keep ourselves in harmony with nature. The first step is to focus on our actions. Once we understand our actions, it becomes easier to respond appropriately. The second step is to understand the context in which the action occurred. The context helps us to comprehend why the actions happened. For both these factors to be useful, it is imperative that one detached from the situation and action and is able to clinically examine it. He implies this in his statement, "When you are about to undertake some action, remind yourself what sort of action it is." (Handbook 4, trans. Hard). A human has no control over anything except himself. Epictetus believes that people need to maintain their prohairesis. This is known as a person's moral character. It essential to be self satisfied in order to maintain morality. Every problem that one faces in life should be seen as an opportunity to strengthen the prohairesis. Only then can humans achieve eudaimonia. His theory and Jones If we were to imagine a hypothetical situation of Epictetus meeting Jones before she took the performance enhancing drugs, we can safely assume that he would have been against the idea. Epictetus is very clear about his concept of Stoicism. Stoicism requires a pursuit of moral glorification. And it requires being true to one's nature. By using enhancers, Jones has strayed from the dictum of 'following nature'. One cannot act antagonistically to legal laws and remain true to herself. Epictetus would have advised Jones to understand and accept her shortcomings and not attempt to be 'contrary to nature.' He would have warned her that fame and success are material goals and she should not compromise her integrity and prohairesis for something so tangible. His reasoning might have compelled him to think that it was unacceptable on her part to try and outdo her capability. However, Jones realizes this only much later, when she states in an interview that "I think that I absolutely should have to accept responsibility for breaking the law." But she does adhere to Epictetus eventually. She admits to drug abuse and pleads guilty. She accepts that she had been in the wrong and that to make mistakes is human. Jones does accept to her limitations, but only after she has been discovered and not before. If she were in sync with her integrity earlier, she would not have had to face the public humiliation. This proves that the pursuit of happiness through moral means is the best possible achievement in life and everything else is transitory. Even then, she manages to come to terms with her failure as an athlete and an influential figure. She tries to figure out how she can help others by her own experience. In this way, she has in someway, adhered to Epictetus' theory of reviewing one's actions. Prison and realizations It is imperative

The Business Transformations Organizational Context Information Technology Essay

The Business Transformations Organizational Context Information Technology Essay Business Transformation, in an organizational context, is a process of profound and radical change, focussing an organization on a new direction and taking it to a new level of effectiveness. Transformation implies a basic change of character and little or no resemblance to the past configuration or structure (www.businessdictionary.com, 2010a). IT enabled business transformation is the use of technology in order to fundamentally alter the way business is carried out within an industry and organizations implementing these changes can competitive advantages (Rau, 2006). Information Systems enabling business transformation has evolved greatly over time. The early 70s saw data being centralized and systems linked to a very few business functions and the operations of the bulky main frames. The 80s saw the installation of PCs and LANs and departments set up computer systems, using end-user computing with word processors and spreadsheets making departments less dependent on the IT department. The main focus was central control and corporate learning. The 90s Wide Area Networks became corporate standards with senior management looking for system and data integration. Main focus was central and corporate learning. The millennium brought with it Wide Area Network expansion through the internet to include global enterprises and business partners supply chain and distribution. Senior management look for data sharing while the main focus is on attaining efficiencies and speed in inventory, manufacturing and distribution. (University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, n.d ). The roles and responsibilities of the CIO are ever evolving. Ross and Fenny (1999) highlight the varied roles of the CIO during three eras; mainframe era (1960s 1980s), distributed era (late 1970s onwards) and the web-based era (mostly mid 1990s onwards). The mainframe era CIO was is most cases a Data Processing/Information Systems manager. The key tasks demanded were to deploy new systems to time and budget, and ensuring systems reliability during operations. The distributed era saw the CIO hit turbulent times. CIOs had to learn and master multiple roles in order to survive and prosper. The four main roles of the CIO were Organizational Designer, Technology Advisor, Technology Architect and Informed Buyer. During the web based era, the evolving CIO focuses on business change through new business models, management processes etc. The CIO also argues for greater measure of central coordination and also work with executive colleagues to improve leverage so as to fulfil the need for st rategically aligning operations to IT in a bid to attain higher levels of efficiency and competitive advantage. Lanka Bell is the second largest fixed line telecommunications operator in Sri Lanka with over 1.2 million CDMA and fixed wired lines. It is also the ISP with the largest international backbone in Sri Lanka. Lanka Bell was established in 1997 and was later acquired by Milford Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, a subsidiary of the Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka (DCSL) in 2005. Under new management, Lanka Bell was the first Operator to introduce CDMA into the Sri Lankan market and is presently has the largest CDMA customer base of more than 1.2 million subscribers. In 2008, Lanka Bell invested US $27 million to link Sri Lanka to the Falcon section of the FLAG fibre optic undersea cable, which is owned by Indias Reliance Communications and has more than 87 points of presence (POPs) worldwide. Lanka Bell is the Sri Lankan operator with the largest international backbone capacity. Further, the Lanka Bell team more than quadrupled from about 350 employees in 2005 to about 1500 today. Lanka Bell curren tly has 65 branch offices, and also strategic ties to Abans, Softlogic, Arpico Shopping Malls and multiple banks in easing the obtaining of services and the settlement of bills. In mid 2008, Lanka Bell was the first Sri Lankan operator to commercially launch WiMAX operations. WiMAX is currently being deployed island wide in the provision of data and voice solutions. The WiMAX network enables the coupling of voice and data solutions including Broadband, Leased Lines and VPNs. It also provides for a centralized monitoring and fault locating. WiMAX is one of the most recent technologies to hit the telecom industry in the provision of high speed data, voice and streaming media. Lanka Bell is just 13 years old and as Sri Lanka is a developing country, it cannot be assumed that Sri Lanka has the infrastructure and know-how currently available in more developed nations. In place of a CIO, Lanka Bell has an individual with the designation of General Manager IT. Presently Lanka Bell is upgrading IT/IS infrastructure and data and voice networks to support future expansion and create efficiency. The IT/IS division has presently taken over the IT/IS operations of 16 companies coming under the parent DCSL group and manages all technology related issues. This provides for improved efficiency and significant cost savings on man power and other resources. Further, Lanka Bell is testing the use of HP Blade Servers in collaboration with DMS Electronics (Private) Limited. The Blade systems are state of the art new server systems which support for advanced data processing, storage and redundancy option through SAN (Storage Area Network). These Blade systems consume less po wer, less space and support virtualization, which will enable multiple servers to be installed and managed on one system, which is the technology of tomorrow. The positive outcomes of this could be newer, faster and reliable systems supporting centralized storage and management and thus lowering the overall hardware costs, power costs, maintenance cost and labour costs etc. Tests are also being carried out on mobile CDMA. This technology has already established infrastructure and the company may have a considerable income if the system could be implemented. The organization also conducts tests on the WiMAX network with multiple vendors, testing inter vendor compatibility and the overcoming of identified issues etc. These experiments are being conducted to enable reduction of costs of operation and to also provide a wider range of products and services to customers at more competitive rates. The role played by IS/IT in the telecom industry worldwide is immense. Cansfield (2008) states à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦value in telecoms is created by the IT systems that create the services that run on the network and are purchased by customers. Cansfield (2008) further states à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the performance of the IT systems should be placed under as much scrutiny as the balance sheet. As mentioned in the above paragraphs, it can be seen that IS/IT enabled business transformation is a continuous process and as change occurs, so does the role of the CIO have to evolve. It can be understood from the overview of Lanka Bell that as the company enforces changes to business strategy, it needs the IS/IT strategy to evolve too. For these changes to occur smoothly, the CIO should be able to evolve to match the situational requirements. Literature mostly covers the two areas of IS/IT enabled business transformation and the evolving role of CIOs as separate areas of study; neither providing sufficient comparisons nor emphasizing the relationship existent. Based on initial studies, congruency between the evolving role of the CIO and IS/IT enabled business transformation can be noted. This research is conducted so as to identify how the evolution of IS/IT enabled business transformation influences the change in the roles of CIOs and also to formulate guidelines and recommendations to Lanka Bell. These guidelines and recommendations are intended to assist the top level management match the changes in business environment with the level of IS/IT enabled business transformations and provide a clearer view for the CIO to conduct operations. 6.0 Literature Review: IT enabled business transformation has many definitions by different academia. Rau (2006) defines IT enabled business transformation as the use of technology in order to fundamentally alter the way business is carried out within an industry and organizations implementing these changes can competitive advantages. Oestreich (2009) says of IT enabled business transformation that it is the integration of all activities and functions along business processes into a single process agile value chain. Similarly, Markus and Benjamin (1997) also view the transformation as a business process that crosses several functional lines. In studying the above definitions, it can be summarized that Rau (2006) views IT enabled transformation as the use of technology in attaining competitive advantages, while Oestreich (2009) views it as the integration of processes. Markus and Benjamin (1997) view is integration across functions. Based on the above, a definition can be formed where IT enabled transformat ion is the use of technology to attain competitive advantages by integrating processes across functional lines. Ever since the commercialization of computers in the late 1950s, IT has been an enabler to business transformation. Ross and Fenny (1999) differentiate the levels of IS utilization during three eras. The mainframe era commenced with the automation of clerical tasks and overtime developed transaction processing capabilities. It was during this stage that Electronic Data Processing was initiated in the accounting function. In good time, firms began automating other functions until mainframe computing affected the organizational activities or most large organization. The distributed era commenced with the development of business applications for mini computers and personal computers and typically targeting needs of knowledge workers. This initially resulted in islands of computing within organizations. IT was increasingly perceived as a tool for cross-functional integration and collaboration. It was at this stage that certain companies took IT as a competitive weapon and strove to innov ate along the supply and distribution chains. Further changes evident were globalization and business process re-engineering. Towards the end of the era, ERP systems emerged and they seamlessly integrated all required transaction processing within a distributed network. Organizations invested huge sums in ERP development. The web-based era brought with it the development of the internet, extranet an intranet based applications for business. Organizations began to realize they could offer low cost value-added services via the web. Intranet applications linking the organization provide for data sharing and business process standardization. Knowledge management is a key development of the web-based era. Extranet applications have also developed to link an organization with multiple partners in supply, distribution, manufacturing etc. Rouse (2005) states in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a whole new segment of interactive computing emerged. In the late 1960s, Digital Equipment Corporat ion (DEC) minicomputers dominated the interactive computing market while in the mid 1980s, Apple came out with the Macintosh, which became the industry standard in the sense of its features and benefits. He further states that most of todays attention has been dominated by the internet. The process of transformation in itself is of complex nature and many academics have suggested models. Venkatraman (1994) provides a framework based on two dimensions: the potential IT benefit range and degree of organizational transformation, and states the benefits from deployment of IT are marginal if superimposed on existing organizational conditions. In cases where investments in IT functionality are complimented by organizational changes in characteristics, benefits accrue. A diagram of the model is given below: Source: Venkatraman (1994) Ventakraman (1994) further describes the distinctive characteristics of each stage: Localized Exploitation covers the leveraging of IT functionality to redesign focused, high-value areas of business operation. Internal Integration covers the leveraging of IT capability to create a seamless organization process reflecting both technical interconnectivity and organizational interdependence. Business Process Redesign addresses redesigning the key processes to derive organizational capabilities for competing in the future as opposed to simply rectifying current weaknesses; use IT capability as an enabler for future organizational capability. Business Network Redesign is articulating the strategic logic to leverage related participants in the business network to provide products and services in the marketplace; exploiting IT functionality for learning from the extended network as well as for coordination and control. Business Scope Redefinition is the redefining of the corporate scope that is enabled and facilitated by IT functionality. Venkatraman (1994) conclusively states that, successful companies will be differentiated by their ability to visualize the logic of the new business world and leverage IT to create an appropriate organizational arrangement internal and external to support business logic. The transformation trajectory is a moving target, shaped by fundamental changes in the competitive business world. Managements challenge is to continually adapt the organization and technological capabilities to be in dynamic alignment with the chosen business vision. Rouse (2006) in his book provides a broad systems-oriented view of transformation and a theoretical view on the forces that prompt transformation and the nature of how it is pursued. He also addresses the issue of transformational leadership and organizational and cultural change. Towards the end, he provides a collection of transformational case studies. Perumal and Pandey (2008) define the process of transformation as, a drastic change in the way of running a business. This change may span across processes, people, technology, policies, vision or any other business component, and has a direction for meeting a specific business goal. They provide a table containing the stages of the transformation process and further state that any business transformation impacts in one or more of the following ways; workforce culture becomes manageable, processes become efficient, automation of manual activities, business rules are altered, strategy gains direction. The following is an illustration of the various transformational process stages: In analysing the above paragraphs, it can be noted that Ventakraman (1994) defines the stages or levels of transformation based on two variables; the range of potential benefits and the degree of organizational transformation. An organization can map itself into one of the five stages, given it matches the required criteria. Perumal and Pandey (2008) state transformation spans across processes, people, technology, policies, vision or any other business component, and has a direction for meeting a specific business goal and provide seven stages for transformation. Each stage has sub-steps and if conducted in the correct manner, each element of business gets favourably transformed during the process. The Booz Allen Hamilton (2010) transformation life cycle defines five stages for transformation. It also defines the key enablers to successful transformation which are people, process, technology and physical infrastructure. The model also illustrates the process areas of capability devel opment, ownership building and program stewardship, each are related collectively performed sub processes to achieve a set of predefined goals. In analysing the above paragraphs, Feldhues (2006) presents the Gottschalk set of CIO Leadership Roles. These nine roles described can be applied to a CIO and also to the role expected of a CIO. Furthermore, Edwards et al. (2009) presents five types of present day CIOs and describes them against six criteria he has defined. Also, Kaufeld et al. (2000) provide Charis extended IT Leadership Growth model in emphasizing the role of IS/IT management. This model divides the IS/IT leadership into a four stage process where, when the leadership evolves, the characteristics of the previous stages are included in the new stage, thus improving and increasing competencies and abilities. Lanka Bell was incorporated in 1997 and since inception has been a key player in the telecom and Internet Service Provider (ISP) industry in Sri Lanka. Lanka Bell commenced with around 300 members of staff and very limited technology and systems. Most of the processes at inception had a lot of manual processing involved as they were only partially automated. As operations progressed, the influence of IS/IT upon operations increased. IS/IT was always a part of the business as the telecommunication industry is very dependent on IS/IT systems (Cansfield, 2008). The hierarchy of IT leadership at Lanka Bell also evolved over time with new designations being created and others removed. Currently, the role of the CIO at Lanka Bell is played by the General Manager IT. In 2005, as Lanka Bell saw a new management takeover, the strategic importance of IS/IT and the need for good leadership was recognized. Research can be classified as primary and secondary research. Primary research refers to the researcher collecting his/her own data rather than depending solely on published literature while secondary research refers to the researcher seeking out literature from a number of sources including journals, books conference proceedings etc with a view to show he/she is well read in the area (Biggam, 2008). Further to the above, research methods in general can be classified as action research, experimental research, case study approach, computing research are some examples. The Lecture notes (2010) mention Kock (1997) describes action research as research where the researchers aim is to directly improve the organization studied while also generating scientific knowledge, while Oates (2006) describes experimental research as a strategy investigating cause and effect relationships and seeking to prove or disprove the relationship between a factor and an observed outcome. It also mentions of Yins (2003) description of the case study approach as an empirical study investigating in real life context, even when boundaries are not clearly evident. Computing research is mentioned as being composed of eight major approaches (Galliers, 1992). Dr. Bandu Ranasinghe

The Failure of Artificial Intelligence Essay -- Exploratory Essays Res

The reality of AI, or artificial intelligence, is generally regarded to be a teleological fait accompli: sooner or later, they argue, computers will actually think. Of course, with the backing of many a member of MIT's Media Lab and corporate IT departments anywhere, this conclusion is unquestionable. I would here like to avoid downplaying the great strides made in recent years by computer technologists in promoting this evolutionary vision. But certain aspects of this technological revolution have, indeed, already been achieved. Parallels between current AI eschatology and the triumphs of one Clever Hans are striking both in terms of those creating the technology and that which expresses it. The story of Clever Hans is too famous to bear repeating in detail here, but one should be reminded that Hans's ability to do simple addition and subtraction was facilitated by his handler unconsciously giving him signals about how many times he should move his hoof to indicate the correct answer to the questions put to him. This behavior was reinforced when the handler gave him food for correct answers. His equine intelligence is hardly surprising just on the basis of the facts alone: similar miracles have been developed to exploit the grand smarts of pigeons, chicks, pigs - the what-have-you of the animal world - by many a diligent entrepreneur. What was extraordinary about Hans's case was that the horse's handler himself had no idea he was giving the subtle signals that led to the miraculous results. If the answer was "five" Hans's handler would inadvertently nod the correct number of times and Hans would follow suit, clomping with his hoof five times, knowing full and well that t his game of "horsey-see-horsey-do" would result in a tast... ...is cowardice. AI provides the next great frontier. With careful modeling after the old one, learning from their new environments, with the downloading of current intelligences we will be able to gain some kind of perfection. Who else but us, now, should be the creators of the next world? After all, we've done such a good job with this one. Works Cited Busch-Snell, Alexandra. "Temporal Cyberprojection Through Ultimate End-User Modeling." Studies in Contemporary Biomechanics 44 (1998): 90-120. "Learnings: a Cybervision." Proceedings in Cybernetics 4.1 (1999): 122-47. Phillipi, Phillip. The Alpha Centaurians: a Comprehensive Study. New Punswick: Knopfwurst, 2000. Smedley, Joshingua. "It's Alive, By Me." Cyberjournal/Diss. Erstwhile Institute of Technology, 2002. Squeamous, Crampillion. "Wonks in Cubeville." Progressive Work Studies 17 (2001): 10-22.

Market Segments Essay

Three good ways to define market segments: (1) Who the customers are; (2) Where they are; (3) How they behave. How does each of these definitions apply to you? Name three market segments of which you could belong. Why? What products or services are you being targeted for? Some of the best ways to define a market segment are: Identifiable: The process should identify one or more relatively homogeneous groups of prospective buyers with regard to their wants and needs and/or their likely responses to differences in the elements of the marketing mix—the 4 Ps (product, price, promotion, and place). (Mullins, 2010) Accessible: The segmentation criteria should measure or describe the segments clearly enough so that members can be readily identified and accessed, in order for the marketer to know whether a given prospective customer is or is not in the tar- get market and in order to reach the prospective customer with advertising or other marketing communication messages. (Mullins, 2010) Sizeable: the segmentation process should determine the size and market potential of each segment for use in prioritizing which segments to pursue. (Mullins, 2010) A part of analyzing market segments is to understand who and where are the customers and why do they differ. Market segments should be formed in that way that difference between buyers within each segment is as small as possible. Segmentation helps marketers’ distinguish one customer group from another within a given market which is geographic area, demographic characteristics, social class, and stage in family life cycle, personality, self-image or benefits. Since every buyer has their own individual needs, preferences, resources etc, it may become a challenge if marketers are looking to cater every customer’s needs. Since I am an athlete, I can be targeted for running shoes of a particular style that provides me with the support and stability that I need when I run. Based on my needs, I am most segmented to be a prospective buyer that is moved by price and promotion, making sure I am getting the best deal for the product that I am interested in. In the end, the product that provides the best bundle of benefits—given the customer’s particular needs— is most likely to  be purchased (Mullins, 2010). Reference Mullins, J. W., Walker, Jr., O. C., & Boyd, H. W. (2010). Marketing management: A strategic decision making approach (7th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Free Essays on Comparison Of Stories

In both Alice Walker’s story â€Å"The Flowers† and William Faulkner’s story â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† the story’s ending exemplifies the type of change that takes place in the main character. Myop, the protagonist of â€Å"The Flowers,† undergoes a maturing, learning experience, while Emily, the protagonist of â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† undergoes a physical change, solely passive. Moreover, each of these characters differs in their approach to the change that happens to them. It is the ending in the stories that clearly finalizes the changes that takes place in each protagonist. The wording of the ending suggests the way in which the characters faced the change. In â€Å"The Flowers,† â€Å"Myop laid down her flowers.† She takes an active role to place her childhood away. It is based solely on her free will; she chooses to mature. On the other hand, Emily is found dead with â€Å"A long strand of iron-gray hair.† Gray hair is a symbol of old age, something that occurs to a person, against their will. Emily’s age change takes place because it is forced upon her. The author describes Emily throughout the story noting her age, â€Å"She was over thirty then, still a slight woman, though thinner than usual.† However, later the townspeople notice a difference in her: "When we next saw Emily, she had grown fat and her hair was turning gray. During the next few years it grew grayer and grayer until it attained an even pepper-and-salt iron-gray, when it ceased turning. Up to the day of her death at seventy-four it was still that iron gray, like the hair of an active man." These two characters are similar in that they both undergo change, but are different in the way they go through with it.... Free Essays on Comparison Of Stories Free Essays on Comparison Of Stories In both Alice Walker’s story â€Å"The Flowers† and William Faulkner’s story â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† the story’s ending exemplifies the type of change that takes place in the main character. Myop, the protagonist of â€Å"The Flowers,† undergoes a maturing, learning experience, while Emily, the protagonist of â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† undergoes a physical change, solely passive. Moreover, each of these characters differs in their approach to the change that happens to them. It is the ending in the stories that clearly finalizes the changes that takes place in each protagonist. The wording of the ending suggests the way in which the characters faced the change. In â€Å"The Flowers,† â€Å"Myop laid down her flowers.† She takes an active role to place her childhood away. It is based solely on her free will; she chooses to mature. On the other hand, Emily is found dead with â€Å"A long strand of iron-gray hair.† Gray hair is a symbol of old age, something that occurs to a person, against their will. Emily’s age change takes place because it is forced upon her. The author describes Emily throughout the story noting her age, â€Å"She was over thirty then, still a slight woman, though thinner than usual.† However, later the townspeople notice a difference in her: "When we next saw Emily, she had grown fat and her hair was turning gray. During the next few years it grew grayer and grayer until it attained an even pepper-and-salt iron-gray, when it ceased turning. Up to the day of her death at seventy-four it was still that iron gray, like the hair of an active man." These two characters are similar in that they both undergo change, but are different in the way they go through with it....

Exploring The Novel Sula By Toni Morrison Essays - Sula, Free Essays

Exploring The Novel Sula By Toni Morrison Essays - Sula, Free Essays Exploring The Novel Sula By Toni Morrison A Strong Woman is Outcast Melody Carter Women in 20th Cen. Lit. Prof. Fiona Paton Paper 2- Nov 10, 2000 In the novel Sula, by Toni Morrison we follow the life of Sula Peace through out her childhood in the twenties until her death in 1941. The novel surrounds the black community in Medallion, specifically the bottom. By reading the story of Sulas life, and the life of the community in the bottom, Morrison shows us the important ways in which families and communities can shape a childs identity. Sula not only portrays the way children are shaped, but also the way that a community receives an adult who challenges the very environment that molded them. Sulas actions and much of her personality is a direct result of her childhood in the bottom. Sulas identity contains many elements of a strong, independent feminist character. However, the people in Medallion do not see Sula in a positive light. When she returns to Medallion as an adult Sula is seen as evil and regarded with much fear. The reason Sula outcast from the community is specifically due to the fact that she is a woman who refuses to contain herself in the social norms set up for the town. She refuses to marry and frequently sleeps around. The characters that exist around Sula serve as a point to compare the different ways the community treats those who are different. Specifically the way the characters, Shadrack and Hannah are treated by the community can be compared to the way the community treats Sula. In one way or another, Sula, Shadrack, and Hannah are outcast from the community in the bottom. Shadrack and Hannah however are not regarded with near as much fear or resentment the town feels towards Sula. The difference between the way the town treats Hannah and Sula is particularly alarming. After the death of Sulas father, Hannah has no real relationships with men. She sleeps only with the husbands of her friends and neighbors husbands. Although Hannah sleeps with married men the people in Medallion have a certain respect for her. The men, surprisingly, never gossiped about her. She was unquestionably a kind and generous woman...(p 2013). Hannah has affairs with the same men over and over again. Because of this most often the wives of those men take it as a compliment when Hannah sleeps with them. Hannah is Sulas mother and has indirectly taught a young Sula to view sex as a source of pleasure. Seeing her step so easily into the pantry and emerge looking precisely as she did when she entered, only happier... (p2013). This affects directly the relationships Sula has with men in her adult life. She too sleeps with only the husbands of other women. Sula has never witnessed a healthy relationship between a man and a woman. This is regarded by the community as terrible. Sula uses the men she sleeps with for pleasure, taking no consideration as to how the men feel. She refuses to have such patriarchal relationships as Hannah did. Hannah may indeed have received pleasure from the men she slept with but she remained the submissive participant in her relations. Hannah rubbed no edges, made no demands, made the man feel as though he were complete and wonderful just as he was- he didnt need fixing... (p 2012). Sula, on the other hand, has a need to feel in control right down to the mechanics of her affairs. And there was the utmost irony and outrage in lying under someone, in a position of surrender, feeling her own abiding strength and limitless power. (p2048). She not only took sex from men as pleasure, but sought out to claim power over them. Sula was trying them out and discarding them without any excuse the men could swallow. (p2044). This made the women upset and furthered their hatred for Sula. Sula had power by sleeping with these very same men who held power over submissive wives. The town regards all of Sulas actions as evil. They called her a roach and a bitch, but above that spread a nasty rumor that she slept with white men. There was nothing lower she could do, nothing filthier.

The Ethical Code Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Ethical Code Letter - Essay Example However, there are some unethical practices amongst our outside sales personnel which are of great concern to the management of the organization. For example, our outside sales personnel are fond of receiving gifts from our customers. The management feels that this will compromise the efficiency in the manner in which these people are performing their work (Morgan, 27). Another issue is that the organization wants to increase diversity amongst its human resource personnel. This would include hiring personnel of different races, political orientation, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, and ethnic background. To guide the conduct of our employees based on the factors above their is a need of developing a code of ethics. This code of ethics gives an outline on the general standards of ethics that all the employees of the organization are supposed to follow. In as much as this code will not address or outline all the ethical issues that an employee might face during his or her employment, it is the greatest hope from the management that it will guide an employee in making an ethical decision on a day to day basis (Morgan, 33). Dear employees, the organization requires that all its employees comply with the necessary laws, and regulations that govern the state. This is very important for the welfare of the business organization and that of its employees. For example, when an employee of the organization engages in acts of robbery, then this is a clear violation of the law. On this note, the organization won’t have an option, but to dismiss the employee under consideration. The management of the organization knows that at certain occasions, employees might try to steal from it. However, it is important for the employees to follow the principles set up by consequentialism theory (Morgan, 27). Under these principles, the employee under consideration must ask himself or herself what would be the consequences of the actions under consideration when

Nutritional Knowledge amongst community pharmacists Dissertation

Nutritional Knowledge amongst community pharmacists - Dissertation Example Appendix 3: Results of Reliability Analysis 57 Acknowledgment Nutritional Knowledge amongst Pharmacists Abstract This study ventured to examine the nutritional knowledge and awareness among community pharmacists in the West Yorkshire region in the United Kingdom, to find ways by which the potential of this group of health care professionals can be harnessed to advance health promotion and disease prevention in the neighbourhood. Descriptive research was adopted in the conduct of the study, utilizing quantitative techniques and survey methodology. A 37-item researcher-constructed questionnaire was developed and piloted to establish stability reliability using the pre-test - post-test procedure. Respondents were selected by way of simple random sampling, where a total of 84 respondents voluntarily participated in the study. Results of the study were presented using both descriptive and inferential measures. Key findings revealed that the respondents are most knowledgeable in the areas of pregnancy and elderly and general nutrition and that these pharmacists are taking an active stance in their expanding role as nutrition counsellors. However, 87.5% of the pharmacists admitted they do not have sufficient nutritional background. The nutritional assessment showed that the mean overall percentage score was 62.81%. Only the scores in the areas of general nutrition and drug – nutrient interactions showed significant relationship with nutritional background. Among the recommendations formulated to support the counsellor role of the community pharmacists are: incorporation of substantial modules in nutrition in the pharmacy curriculum, institution of formal mechanisms to foster interest among pharmacist to hone their expertise in nutritional counselling, and encouraging research in the field of nutrition in the pharmaceutical context. 1.0. Introduction and Literature Review The role of a professional pharmacist was depicted by Reeves (2005) as one which â€Å"has fitted itself and its practitioner to the needs of the public health and welfare, whatever they might be and regardless of mode or pattern ... [one] who holds dear the glorious heritage of the thousands of years† (p. 175). The task of pharmacists may be traced back early in history to be of common ancestry with a physician in general practice as apothecaries. As recalled by Bond (2009), apothecaries used to dispense medicines prescribed by doctors, and / or recommend medications for those members of the population who can not afford to consult a physician. In the modern era, pharmacists are health care professionals whose specialty includes the actions, use and chemistry of drugs, as well as their formulation into medicines, and the methods by which these are utilised in the management of illnesses. The main function of a pharmacist is, therefore, to apply such expertise to enhance the efficacy of patient care. Another role of a pharmacist is to guide patients in deriving the greatest benefit from their prescribed medication and in offering advice to the general public regarding the management of the so-called self-limiting and minor conditions (Bond, 2009). Pharmacists also help consumers in the selection of effective medications from a range of over-the-counter drugs or as members of a team of health care professionals. Traditionally, pharmacists practice their profession in association with a health care facility or either as independent or salaried