Ethical Issues Surrounding Human Resources Management Practices Term Paper

Ethical Issues Surrounding Human Resources Management Practices - Term Paper Example Since this test is designed to access the psychological factors of an employee in his perception of the world and in taking decision, it is surrounded by a lot of ethical issues. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment is a psychometric questionnaire developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers based on typological theories originated by Carl Gustav Jung which include introspection and anecdote methods which are largely rejected by the modern psychology. As per Jungs type theory the four cognitive functions, thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuition, are related to 1 or 2 orientations, extraverted and introverted, for a total of 8 functions. The Myers-Briggs theory is based on these 8 functions. Neither the Myers-Briggs nor the Jungian models offer any experimental proof to support the existence, of such orientation, or the manifestation of these functions. The MBTI differs from other personality measuring methods. As per MBTI personality types and their traits, both are inborn. Traits like skills can be improved while types like introvert or extrovert is supported by the environment. (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) â€Å"The types the MBTI sorts for, known as dichotomies are extraversion / introversion, sensing / intuition, thinking / feeling and judging / perceiving. Participants are given one of 16 four-letter abbreviations, such as ESTJ or INFP, indicating what their preferences are. The term best-fit types refers to the ethical code that facilitators are required to follow. It states that the person taking the indicator is always the best judge of what their preferences are and that the indicator alone should never be used to make this decision† (Psychologist). The MBTI normally consist of around 100 multiple choice questions with two options for each question. The participants have the right whether to answer or skip a particular

Marriott Hotels Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marriott Hotels - Research Paper Example For purposes of this brief analysis, too specific to the graphics will be analyzed with relation to formulating a marketing strategy more appropriate to the needs of Marriott Hotel group. Within this analysis, the age groups of 18 to 29 as well as 61 to 75 will be analyzed. The ultimate rationale for picking these two demographic groups is with regards to the fact that the age group between 61 to 75 represents nearly the entire non-business travel and client base that hotels receive in any given year. Similarly, it is necessary to examine the 18 to 29-year-old demographic so that the marketing strategy will not be unnecessarily/unduly focused upon the needs of a much older demographic. Likewise, it is the hope of this author that through a distinct analysis of all of these groups, the marketing strategy which will be formulated will be more able to target specific needs, weaknesses, and strengths that exist with respect to each group. Firstly, with regards to the expectations that 61 to 75-year-old age group integrates with, it is been the understanding of the research that has been performed that the level and extent to which services within the hotel experience are made available are one of the primary determinants for whether or not the experience was ultimately positive or ultimately negative (Borrus 36). Whereas this is not to say that the quality and extent to which services are offered within other age groups and demographics are not the value, it merely underscores the fact that within the specific age group a level of expectation has come to exist with regards to the way in which stakeholders within the hospitality industry will seek to go above and beyond as a means of maintaining a valued customer relationship with some of their most frequent visitors. Naturally, when engaging with an older demographic such as those between the ages of 61 to 75, it is also necessary and has been referenced from the research that this particular group places a high em phasis on the representation of an on staff concierge (Cook 155). Whereas other younger demographics might not require such services due to the pervasive level of the Internet and the readily available information that it provides, this particular older demographic still relies upon in greatly values the existence of a concierge within the hotels in which they stay. This preference and reality must necessarily inform the marketing strategy of the firm as a means not only of saving many of the concierge positions and not letting them fall victim to cost-cutting but also as a means of marketing specifically to this particular demographic. Whereas it is always been necessary for a hotel chain to update and renovate on a regular basis, with respect to the youngest in a graphic which will herein be analyzed, that of the ages between 18 to 29, this demand is of vital importance and preference (Brier 28). As a function of the research which is been performed, the author has noted that this particular demographic places a high level of emphasis and preference with regards to how modern and technically up to date a given hotel might be. Whereas all demographics place a high level of importance upon cleanliness, friendliness of staff, location, and level of services offered, the younger demographic places the most emphasis on the aesthetic values combined with the chic factor. Moreover, as one might expect, the overall level of

Public University Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public University Analysis - Research Paper Example The financial statements in this institution contains some remarkable disclosure of the cost that the institution goes through in providing retirement benefits, related gains, assets and lastly all liabilities. These financial statements therefore, are able to provide the employees with a clear view of the risks and rewards that arise from the defined benefits. In addition, all funding obligations which are in relations to all liabilities of the benefits schemes defined are all clearly identified (University of Maryland, 2012). GAASB proposed changes are likely to reduce the liability burden as they will increase the level of accountability an aspect that is likely to reduce the cash lost due to cases of negligence. Proposed changes also address deeply on issues of common deposits and other investment risks such as interest rate risks and even fluctuating of the foreign currency risks. The policy recommendations to disclose all investments that are highly sensitive to these risks wil l reduce the money lost through fluctuating of the currency and changes in the interest rates (University of Maryland, 2012). One of the major economic condition that s likely to affect the growth of this institution is government changes in labor policies. Government is likely to change the policies such as medical policies and retirement policies. Some of the likely changes that are likely to be outlined include; increased amount contributed towards the pension scheme and specified amount that the institution should direct towards payment of medical insurance for its employees. This is likely to reduce the amount of money directed towards improving the status of the university. Second aspect that is likely to affect the future success of university of Maryland is increased government intervention and regulations in university through taxation. This is likely to slower the level of activities in the institution an aspect that will be replicated in the overall growth rate of the ins titution (University of Maryland, 2012). Changes in the foreign currency and interest rates will have direct impact on the overall growth of university of Maryland. The institution conducts many transactions some of which depend largely on the interest rates. Fluctuations in the currency and changes in the overall economy will therefore hamper the level of growth in the university (Gibson, 2012). In university of Maryland grants are used to fund major projects that are aimed at improving the education status in the university. In addition to this, they are used in daily running of the institution. Also, they are sometimes used to cover the liabilities that the institutions have incurred over the past periods in order to reduce burden to the institution (Gibson, 2012). Grants such as federal grants are used by the institution to offer students with the scholarships. This is aimed at helping the needy students who are not capable of paying for their school fees. In addition to this, t hese funds are directed towards equipping the institution with the current technology in order to improve the level of research conducted by the institution. As a result, the institution has been able to conduct many researches in different fields an aspect that has improved the overall growth of the state and economy at large (Gibson, 2012). With GAADB laid procedures on how to use funds in the institutio

Business Letter to the Editor for Western Herald Essay Example for Free

Business Letter to the Editor for Western Herald Essay Overview: With the previous unit, we explored personal writing suitable for academic audiences by reading scholarship from monographic texts and academic journals. For this unit, we’ll shift our emphasis to public writing that is also suitable for academic audiences. While we’ll plan to read academic scholarship, we’ll also explore different genres for which academic texts are suitable, including editorial publications. More specifically, we’ll look at opinions and letters to the editor published by the Western Herald. As we plan to work specifically with the letter to the editor genre, we’ll pay close attention to how argumentation styles, uses of evidence, and consultation of sources differs when writing a scholarly autobiographical academic essay. To prepare for the composition of editorials, we’ll read sample letters to the editors, and arguments pertaining to cultural diversity. The Task Your task will be to compose a letter to the editor that is suitable for publication in Western Herald. For this letter, you will select an issue that you are passionate about on Western’s Campus or the surrounding Kalamazoo area. Your letter should respond to the following questions: What specific issue matters most to me right now? Why should this issue matter to readers of Western Herald? To complete this assignment, you’ll first want to become familiar with the  editorial requirements for submitting letters to Western Herald. These requirements can be found on http://www.westernherald.com/letter-to-the-editor/ Next, you’ll want to read a few letters to the editor published by Western Herlad to get a sense of the stylistics conventions and argumentation strategies authors used to compose these editorials. Finally, you’ll consult course texts that discuss multiculturalism and diversity. You’ll also plan to locate, evaluate, and consult additional editorials and academic essays that address issues of linguistic diversity. In essence, you’ll need to reference sufficient and appropriate evidence necessary for persuading readers of your argument.

History of Leadership Theory Essay Example for Free

History of Leadership Theory Essay The history of leadership theory can assist managers in understanding where the schools of leadership thought have been, and where leadership will be going. The key objective of this paper is to critically compare and contrast the historical leadership model and theories across history. Across the history of leadership, there are similar and divergent strategies that have matched the influence of the market and people operating within the market (or industry). The essay examines the roles and strategy of historical leadership models as they converge or diverge with one another. Roles are the expectations of leadership behaviour; this is the ideals in which the organization and employees hold to be important in a leader. Strategy can be defined, for the purposes of this paper, as the manner in which the leader assesses and organizes the tasks and requirements of the tasks and behaviours throughout the interactions and roles of the leader or manager. Theories of Leadership The following section explores the historical theories and implications of leadership as pre-classical, classical, modern and post-modern leadership models. Pre-Classical The most prominent pre-classical models of leadership were in the early Greek history, where early scholars set the value-based ideals for centuries of leadership and management (Martinze and Bitici p 7 2006). Socrates established that â€Å"[the] management of private concerns differs from that of public concerns only inmagnitude neither can be carried on without men and those who understand how to employ [others] are successful directors of private and public concerns, and those who do not understand, will err in the management of both† (Wren p 18 2006). This shows the early role of management was to understand the functional variances and magnitude of public concern, thus business was also a political landscape. In later Greek history, Aristotle added to the strategy spectrum of the manager as relating to the specialization of labor, functional roles of departments, choices between centralization and decentralization, the whole of the organization is superior to the part; and, â€Å"On leadership: ‘He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander’† (Wren p 18-192006). Thus the roles of pre-classical era management are relative to the ability to navigate through a highly political economy and direct the organization to answering public and private concerns (Martinze and Bitici p 7 2006). The strategy of the pre-classical era was to recognize the steps involved in the entire scope of the organization based on functionality. This was an effective method of management in the pre-classical era, and can be considered in line with the ideal service industries of the time, such as bath houses, shoe and boot makers, weapons makers, and others. Classical  Adam Smith showed that the leadership strategy â€Å"treated the return or the surplus created as a return to capital† (Wren p 42 2006). After Smith, Jean Baptiste Say (1767–1832) stated that leadership strategy requires knowledge and judgement in â€Å" the probable amount of the demand, and the means of its production: at one time he must employ a great number of hands; at another, buy or order the raw material, collect laborers, find consumers, and give at all times a rigid attention to order and economy; in a word, he must possess the art of superintendence and administration† (Wren p 42-43 2006). Thus the leadership role in the classical era is defined as one that is highly dependent on the decision making process, and that the strategy incorporates demand, production, and consumption through the entire market-industry domain. During this era, human history was entering the industrial phase, where industry was overpopulating the market rather than the traditional farmer markets (Martinze and Bitici p 7 2006). The classical model recognized the effectiveness of a leader as one who must focus on value-based decision makings when information is not whole, when the industry and foundation of the economy is changing, and be able to administrate in a changing economy (Martinze and Bitici p 7 2006) Modern Modern era leadership evolved through the industrial phase, prompted by technology and the early globalizing aspect of the value chain that existed during the post-WW2 era (Martinez and Bitici p 7 2006). The role formulation of leadership in the modern era can be attributed to Jennings (196) who showed the modern era of management should encompass the situation, behaviour, and incorporate situation-based theory models. Jenning’s leader was emphatically described as a hero who â€Å"acts as though possessed by a destiny that requires his being the center of attention, and having arrived there, he never willingly retires from the center until he feels no longer needed† where the strategy â€Å"requires great stamina, self-reliance, and confidence† (Jennings p 96, 122, 1960). Max Weber initialized the modern strategy of leadership as being: †¢ A continuous organisation or functions bounded by rules (Enock p 6 2002) †¢ That individuals functioned within the limits of the specialisation of the work (Enock p 6 2002) †¢ The degree of authority allocated and the rules governing the exercise of Authority (Enock p 6 2002) †¢ A hierarchical structure of offices appointment to offices made on the grounds of technical competence only (Enock p 6 2002) †¢ The separation of officials from the ownership of the organisation (Enock p 6 2002) The authority was vested in the official positions and not in the personalities that held these posts (Enock p 6 2002) †¢ Rules, decisions and actions were formulated and recorded in writing (Enock p 6 2002) The modern era leader’s role was to serve the organization, and the strategy employed was hierarchical, top-down management. This was adequate for its time, however, the bureaucratic model of organizational leadership did little to promote a value and knowledge based leadership era seen in other theories. Post Modern The post-modern era of leadership is the current theories in place. Entrepreneurial leadership is a formal process that incorporates informal ideas. The leadership qualities are often determined by a number of forces, such as â€Å"The size of the organization, its predominant management styles, the complexity of its environment, its production process, its problems, and the purpose of its planning system all play a part in determining the appropriate degree of formality† (Pearce and Robinson p 13 2004). The effective post-modern leadership strategy focuses on four key points, as outlined by Kouzes and Posner (2002): seize the initiative; make challenges meaningful; innovate and create; look outward for fresh ideas. A post-modern leader values entrepreneur ideals and seizes the initiative through enthusiasm, determination and desire (Kouzes and Posner p 170 2002). The leader wants to exhibit innovation by seeking new ways and new opportunities through invention and motivation. The concept of innovation requires that the leader be ready to focus on opportunities for ways to do what has never been done (Kouzes and Posner p 175 2002). Conclusion The pre-classical era focused on the implementation of public and private beuaracracy into the leadership domain, where the ideals of the ‘whole’ and the ability to command were held in the higher regard as traditional utility. The value of the leader was therefore based on the ability to command and conquer. In later classical theories, the value of leadership changed to incorporate decision-making strategy and value distribution over commanding, but the similarity to pre-classical is the ability to conquer through administration. The modern eras changed the role of a leader from the earlier theories by incorporating behaviour theory over command and conquer ideals. Weber’s leadership model parallels Aristotle’s, in that individual specialization and decision based decentralization better served the organization. The post-modern era of leadership incorporates elements from all the historical theories of leadership, but marks the importance of continuous improvement and constant appraisal, communication, and informalities.

Low Cost Leadership Strategy

Low Cost Leadership Strategy In the world of businesses today, every organization definitely needs information systems in their way of doing business. Laudon and Laudon define information system as a set of interrelated components that retrieve, process, store and distribute the information to support the decision making in an organization. In fact, those who acquire a decent information system would eliminate those who dont have to fight against it. The ever changing world of information technology brings new challenges for every organization to set up an information system that would provide numerous advantages. According to Laudon and Laudon (2009), there are six main reasons why business are investing millions of dollar in information system and technologies, among them are operational excellence; new products, services, and business models; customer and supplier intimacy; improved decision making; competitive advantage and last but not least, survival. Therefore, Aalsmeer Flower Auction (will be known as Aalsmeer throughout the research paper) who is encountering several problems would need the help of information system to overcome the problems. 2.0 Information strategy 2.1 Analysis of current situation Aalsmeer is facing threats from various sources and should utilize the information technology today in defending their business. Laudon and Laudon (2009) believe that the more successfully a firm can align the information technology with business goals, the more profitable it will be. Apart from that, business people who claim themselves do not understand information technology will pay a hefty price in poor performance (Laudon and Laudon, 2009). In the market today, electronic driven flower market is becoming more and more dominant than the traditional way of doing business. Besides, the competitive environments among the retailers encourage them to merge and forming a larger company with an increased in demanding power. Indeed, they are demanding fresher products, more varieties, smaller quantities and multiple deliveries and this inevitably exert pressures on Aalsmeer who needs to change their way of doing business in order to survive. It is advisable for Aalsmeer to adopt a new strategy for the organization to achieve their business objectives and ensure competitive advantage in the industry. The objectives of Aalsmeer at the moment are: Enable innovation for the business processing methods Redefine the value chain to reduce transaction costs Integrate smoothly with wholesalers and retailers Increase the market share to increase profit 2.2 Low-cost leadership strategy After examine the current situation of Aalsmeer, low-cost leadership strategy is undoubtedly the most suitable for the company now. Low-cost leadership strategy is centered on the capability of Aalsmeer to produce and deliver the products of high quality at low costs. A company having low-cost leadership when extends its value to customers expectation, can further strengthen its strategic position in the market place, (Alagse, n.d). In fact, information systems could be use to lower the operational costs and hence, lower prices for the customers. The typical example is Wal-Mart, which is a company continuously relies heavily on information system to reduce costs and this leads them to one of the largest profitable company. They replenish the products as soon as the customers make payments at the cashier. The computers collect information from the stores and send it to suppliers and therefore, Wal-Mart does not need to spend large amount of money on maintaining large inventories. Aalsmeer offer relatively standardized products with features that are acceptable to customers; in other words, with minimum differentiation at the lowest competitive price. In addition, Aalsmeer who are suggested to follow a low-cost leadership strategy need to maintain constant efforts aimed at lowering their costs, but yet creating values for the customers. Such efforts include investing in technologies, establishing tight control of production and overhead costs, minimizing the cost of sales and services. Specifically, investing technologies means to develop a new information system for Aalsmeer to achieve the objectives stated earlier which would be discuss later on this proposal. Implementing the strategy means Aalsmeer must consider its value chain of primary and secondary activities and effectively link them to be successful. The critical focus now is to increase the efficiency of how the business process. In detail, processes and procedures of selling flowers to customers must be simplified, achieving efficiency and effectiveness and last but not least, monitoring the cost of activities provided by others that interface with the companys inbound and outbound logistics. For instance, the delivery travel costs. Moreover, when Aalsmeer successfully implements the low-cost leadership strategy, it can still obtain a high return even when the Porters five competitive forces are strong. Porters five forces Explanation Traditional competitors When Aalsmeer is offering the lowest cost in the market, the competitors will undoubtedly consider competing in a price war, and even if it does, Aalsmeer will still continue to earn profit after the competitors compete away their profits. Customers If there is any customers tends to drive prices below the cost of the next most efficient company, that company might choose to exit the market and leaves the low-cost company with a monopoly position. Therefore, customers would lose bargaining powers when that happens since low-cost company would be in a position that has power to raise the prices. New market entrants Aalsmeer who successfully utilize the low-cost strategy generally will sell in large volume to earn high profit. This indirectly creates a barrier for the new entrants who need to enter the industry at large scale (large enough to achieve the same economies of scale with low-cost company). Suppliers Once Aalsmeer achieve the lowest cost in the market, it enables them to absorb a greater amount of cost increases from suppliers before it must raise prices charged to customers. Moreover, Aalsmeer who will be dominating the market may force the suppliers to hold down the level of price increases, reducing the power of suppliers. Substitute products and services Aalsmeer, as a low-cost leader will be in a more attractive position relative to the substitutes. They could reduce prices to maintain the price-value relationship to retain customers from going to the electronic driven market. 2.3 Enterprise Resource Planning The information system that is suggested for Aalsmeer would be the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), which can be define as a set of integrated programs capable of managing a companys vital business operations for an entire multi-site, global organization. ERP attempts to integrate the key business processes of an entire firm into a single software system that allows information to flow seamlessly throughout the organization. For instance, the transactions with customers and flower growers. Indeed, the key to ERP is real time monitoring of business functions, which allows timely analysis of key issues such as quality, availability, customer satisfaction, performance and availability. It is a set of integrated software modules and a central database that enable data to be shared by many different business processes and functional units throughout the enterprise (Curtis Cobham, 2005). Sources: extolcorp ERP functional units Financial and accounting The Aalsmeer is facing challenges from the electronically driven flower markets and due to this reason, it is vital for them to have a complete accounting system. All the transaction ought to be recorded quickly with no error or minimal error in order to let the other departments to take the next actions immediately. It also includes cash management and forecasting, credit management and financial reporting. It would gives Aalsmeer an edge if they could forecast the cash flow and make important decisions when necessary such as, stop buying stock of flowers when they flower markets are down in particular period. Human Resource Since consumers are demanding fresher products, more varieties and smaller quantities, the human resource definitely needs an information system that can divide the jobs to each employees from each department of the organization. Therefore, the company could satisfy the demands from the consumers. Besides, human resource process also involves performance management and travel expense reporting. The new system could do a performance analysis of the current situation and make necessary changes to it. Apart from that, the travel expenses such as petrol fees can be monitored closely to avoid any extra expenses being used. Manufacturing and production Whereas the manufacturing and production processes includes mainly the procurement process, which is the action of obtaining flowers at the operational level. As the problems stated, the growers are becoming more professional and starting to utilize the electronic way of selling their flowers. The system could manage the inventory effectively by not wasting any extra capital to rent the inventory, or having insufficient place to keep the flowers. This is to ensure the flowers are in good quality control and further strengthen the links between wholesalers and retailers when they actually get what is ideal for themselves. Supply Chain Management It is composed of three sub processes: demand planning, supply planning and demand fulfillment. Demand planning is to understand the customers buying patterns and then develop aggregate long-term or short term forecast of demand on the flowers. Whereas the supply planning includes the strategic inventory with distribution planning and demand fulfillment is to provide a fast, accurate and reliable delivery for customer orders. It also helps to determine what type of supplies is required, what quantities are needed to meet the demand, and how the shipments of supplies and products to customers are to be scheduled, monitored and controlled. Customer Relationship Management A system that helps in all aspects of customer encounters, including marketing and advertising, customer service after the sale and programs that retain loyal customers. Aalsmeer ought to understand the needs of current and potential customers to increase customer retention and loyalty, which leads to a bigger market share. With the processing system capturing data of every customer with the company, Aalsmeer would then know the best way to sell the flowers based on the analysis such as customer preference, time of purchasing, ways of purchasing and many more. This could ensure an increase in efficiency of the selling force and then, increase the productivity by focusing on the most profitable customers. 2.4 Advantages of ERP Agile manufacturing underpins the success of Smart car, DailerChryslers city car brand. Smart has successfully responded quickly to customer demands ever since they have adopted the ERP system from Baan, the Dutch software vendor (Geoff Nairn, 2003, as cited in Curtis Cobham, 2005). The optimized production is due to shorter processes but yet still came out with reliable products. Advantages Explanation Improvement of Work Process It ensures good work processes based on best practices which lead to increased efficiency. In this case, the ERP could helps in reducing costs for the organization, such as human resourcing or transaction cost. Besides, it eliminates the problem of synchronizing changes between multiple systems and provides a top-down view of the enterprise at anytime. Increase in Access to Data for Operational Decision Making The data is integrated from all the departments in the organization to provide excellent support for operational decision making. In addition, it allows the company to provide greater customer service and support, strengthen customer and supplier relationship, and also generates new business opportunities. The system connects the necessary software for accurate forecasting and this allows inventory levels to be kept at maximum efficiency. 3.0 Methodology 3.1 System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Kay. R (2004) believes that System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a model created for an organization when adopting a new information system. In fact, SDLC is a sequential series of steps to build an information system and it is one of the most common development strategies. It is best to follow the SDLC which consists of five phases: system planning, system analysis, system design, system implementation, system operation and maintenance. The phases are interconnected by the inputs and outputs, and if the previous phase has poor outputs, the rest would be affected. 3.1.1 System Planning The first phase of SDLC is system planning, which happen when there is a request of a new system. Aalsmeer realizes that they need a new information strategy in order to remain strong player in the market. A preliminary investigation ought to be conducted to review the existing system and identify the problems. Indeed, a feasibility study could be carried out to identify whether the proposed new system is feasible to be implemented. If the new system is possible, practicable, reasonable and applicable in four main aspects, then the management should invest on it in order to get benefits in a long term. Aspects Why? Technical feasibility To determine whether a new IS can be developed with available technical resources. Does Aalsmeer Flower Auction have the hardware, software and equipments? Can it be developed with current technology? Economic feasibility To determine whether the new IS has a reasonable cost despite the changes it will brings Can Aalsmeer Flower Auction bear with the cost? Operational feasibility To determine if the new IS will be used effectively and efficiently after it is developed Are the changes to business operation minimal? Schedule feasibility To determine whether the new IS can be developed within an acceptable time frame? After conducting the feasibility test, Aalsmeer could then decide the actions to be taken based on the preliminary investigation report. 3.1.2 System Analysis Next, it is the system analysis phase, where the purpose is for Aalsmeer to learn how to improve the existing system, and then determine what the new system should do in order to achieve the goals. Therefore, the organization could find some facts about the current system, such as the strength and weakness of it and produce a report with what is required in the new system. Requirement Anticipation Requirement Specification Requirement Investigation In fact, Aalsmeer could gather the facts by study existing documentation, interview with employees, observation and questionnaire. Then, operational details and performance criteria need to be specified and examined, i.e. the speed of the ERP system after developed. After that, this phase carefully analyzes the information and then prepares a system requirement document which should include managements and users requirements, and recommended plan to develop the new ERP. 3.1.3 System Design This is the phase where after the management level has decided to develop a new system for the organization. A blueprint, which is a detailed plan that satisfied all requirements specified, needed to be develop at this phase. Aalsmeers management should discuss this with all the employees in order to develop a system that satisfies everyone. Programs related are written, tested and documented by the analyst. In addition, internal and external controls are to be designed to ensure the system would be reliable, accurate, maintainable at any time and secure. Lastly, this phase would end up with system design specification where the blueprint is presented to managements and the actual users for review and approval. 3.1.4 System Implementation At this phase, the developed ERP system will be installed in the organization. In addition, operational documentation and procedures of the new ERP system are prepared for the Aalsmeer employees. The employees would need to attend classes to be trained in order to utilize the system effectively. This is a phase of conversion from old system to new system. Indeed, the new system is a huge and complex one, so Aalsmeer could install the software step by step and therefore, it would not crash the whole system when some particular department has problem using it. Aalsmeer could create a legal contract that indicates the system is approved and will be signed by users and stakeholders (Stair Reynolds, 2008). A post-implementation system evaluation could be done to access the quality of the system. Apart from that, it is to examine whether the system operates ideally and are the costs and benefits within the earlier expectations. 3.1.5 System Maintenance This phase is an on-going process as the purpose is to support the operation of the system through proper maintenance, enhancement and protection. Under the maintenance process, any broken hardware is repaired or replaced to avoid any surprising break down. Besides that, the Aalsmeer needs to optimize the system to make the system run smoothly. For example, by compressing the data base, or delete the old and unused files. When there are any errors detected, modification should be done as soon as possible (Stair Reynolds, 2008). On the other hand, enhancement is needed at particular time interval to increase the system capability such as adding more hard disk space to store a large database of customer information. In addition, new functionalities and features could be added when there is a change in the ways of doing business. Lastly, the protection on the system to ensure it is not attacked by any virus or hackers. The firewall of the system is configured and monitored to minimize the chances of being attacked. Besides, backing up the database is definitely a good way to protect all the customer information which is private and confidential. King Stairs Software (n.d.) mentioned that a proper backup strategy is vital for business as well as personal users. 4.0 Impacts and effectiveness of ERP Systems changeover can be effected in some ways which not only has certain benefits, there will be drawbacks as well (Curtis Cobham, 2005). 4.1 Organization The purpose of this research is to identify a way for Aalsameer to strengthen itself in the market. It is believed that the company is able to reduce the operational cost, due to the effectiveness of the system to finish up the work in lesser time given. The new system would emphasize on the information technologies, where the large amount number of workers is no longer needed. Apart from that, the organization can offer lower cost compared to rivals. The ERP system enable the organization to fight with the electronically driven market and thus, accelerating the business growth. Besides, the budget saved can be use on the marketing campaign to promote the new system of organization to public, and thus, they would be well aware of the new operating business model. However, Aalsameer should consider whether the system supports the business objectives (OBrien Marakas, 2008). If the system does fully support the business objectives, it is worth to be invested even though they may face problems on capital, when hiring the system vendors to develop it. If the system does not support the objectives, Aalsmeer may need to re-consider the actions taken before. 4.2 Management Whereas for the management level, the reports statement such as invoice, can be generated through online now. It saves the time for everyone the processing time is cut down in a systematic way. To top it off, it reduces the workload easily and the burden of management level can be taken off. Therefore, it increases the efficiency of management level since they can rely on the ERP system more than before. By using a complete and efficient ERP system, it also reduces the error or mistake which could possibly occur when the work is done by human alone. The process of paper work simply becomes easier, simpler and faster for management and they could put more attention on other problems. For example, searching for more potential customers via new marketing communications. On the other hand, they can put more emphasis on matters that could possibly cut down the operational cost such as downsizing the number of workers in the organization. Since the organization is utilizing the ERP system now, it is possible to rely on the technology instead of human hand to do the work. However in reality, it may be difficult for the management to layoff the employees who may be had work for the company long time, but it is essential to make the decision as it benefits the organization, after all. 4.3 Employees Certainly, there would be several impacts on the employee of the organization, who is the direct users of the new ERP system. Firstly, it may create a chaos in them, where the new system would take over their position by terminating them. Besides, elderly employees who are not familiar with new technology, or not used to changes in working environment will definitely suffer in using ERP when the system is installed. Indeed, employees who are not good at adapting to the surrounding will face hardships this may create a negative environment in the organization. However, it is believed that after few months, they will eventually find themselves comfortable with the ERP. Moreover, the new system will ease the burden of the employees, and increase the time for them to focus on their work. For instance, they can provide a good and reliable quality of customer service which in long term, will bring up the reputation of Aalsmeer Flower Auction. Moreover, since the ordering and payment are all done online now, it simplifies the working process. Indeed, employee would be more ambitious in completing their tasks. 5.0 Conclusion All in all, Aalsmeer definitely needs a new information strategy as well as a new information system in order to achieve the business objectives. Ideas suggested to Aalsmeer are considered carefully and it is believed as the best way for the organization now. If Aalsmeer would to follow the proposal carefully, they would achieve the business objectives and make a success in the market today. References Books Curtis, G. Cobham, D., 2005. Business Information Systems. 5th ed. Edinburgh Gate: Pearson Education Limited Laudon, K.C. Laudon, J.P., 2007. Essentials of business Information Systems. 7th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Laudon, K.C. Laudon, J.P., 2009. Essentials of management Information System. 8th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. OBrien J.A. Marakas, G.M., 2008. Introduction to Information Systems. 14th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Stair, R.M. Reynolds, G.W., 2008. Principles of Information Systems: a managerial approach. 8th ed. Boston: Thomson Course Technology. Websites Alagse, n.d. Promoting through leadership . [Online] Available at: http://www.alagse.com/strategy/s10.php [Accessed 2 April 2010] Kay, R., 2002. QuickStudy: System Development Life Cycle. [Online] Available at: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/71151/System_Development_Life_Cycle [Accessed 5 April 2010] King Stairs Software, n.d. The importance of backup. [Online] Available at: http://www.kingstairs.com/articles/doc0003.html [Accessed 24 April 2010] Extol, 2006. Secured Enterprise Application. [Online] Available at: http://www.extolcorp.com/solution/sea_ecerp.html [Accessed 25 April 2010]

The Emotions of Captivity in Psalm 137 Essay -- expressing anger, lame

The book of Psalms contains some of the most beloved pieces of scripture across centuries and cultures of this world. Psalms have been frequently cited is sermons, devotionals, movies, poetry, and songs. Most often, Psalms are attributed to King David of the 10th century BCE. But regardless of the authorship of the different psalms, each seem to carry a special place in describing human relationships to God, to country, to friends, to enemies and more. As time has progressed, certain psalms have become favorites because of their encouraging and uplifting messages, such as the timeless Psalm 23. However, other psalms are neglected in Christian circles because of the difficulty they present in interpretation. Often, these psalms are overlooked because of their themes of apparent anger, resentment, or wrath. These psalms are not as frequently preached on or discussed, despite the fact that many believers would readily quote 2 Tim 3:16, â€Å"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work,† (NIV). What then must the believer say about these difficult psalms? Psalm 137 is one of a selection of psalms that is frequently difficult to discuss because of its content. The pericope begins with what may appear as a lament like any other in the book, but ends with horrifying imagery of a desired revenge. How does a believer give the proper respect due to the holy Scriptures among such vitriolic language? This paper will assert that proper interpretation of the following pericope involves careful attention to the historical and cultural background, structure, genre, and language of the written text. By... ...mans, 2000. McCann, J. Clinton. The Book of Psalms, The New Interpreter’s Bible. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1996. Ogden, Graham S. â€Å"Prophetic Oracles Against Foreign Nations and Psalms of Communal Lament: The Relationship of Psalm 137 to Jeremiah 49:7-22 and Obadiah.† Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 24 (1982): 87-97. Rodd, Cyril S. Psalms 73-150, Epworth Preacher’s Commentary. London: The Epworth Press, 1964. Savran, George. â€Å"How Can We Sing a Song to the Lord? The Strategy of Lament in Psalm 137.† Zeitschrift fà ¼r die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 112 (2000): 43-58. Schwartz, Stephen. â€Å"On the Willows,† in Godspell—A Musical Based Upon the Gospel According to St. Mathew. New York, NY: Arista Records, 1974. Youngblood, Ronald F., F. F. Bruce, and R. K. Harrison. Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.