The Health Care Providers Didn t Understand The Lees...

The health care providers didn’t understand the Lee’s culture. The doctors never took the time to understand the Hmong culture and instead assumed that their practices may have been what was negatively affecting Lia’s recovery. According to Fadiman (2003), in the hospital they would call the shaman â€Å"witch doctoring† (p. 35). Many times the Lees wouldn’t understand the instructions of the doctors and I believe this also impacted the way that they thought of medicine. The doctors loved Lia and so did her parents, but they just had different ways of thinking. The Lees thought that sickness comes from the soul, and the doctors believed that there was a physiological cause for the sickness. The doctors were not open minded about the Lee’s†¦show more content†¦I think the main point in this story is not to give up, but instead to be patient and have the courage to fight back. According to the Hmong culture a shaman helps to cure the soul. A doctor cures physiological problems. As we learn throughout this class there is a difference between an illness and a disease. An illness or a disease may have the absence of the other. In most cases an illness can be present without a disease. In the case of Lia there was a presence of both illness and disease. If txiv neeb and the American doctor would have balanced their practices and learned from each other, this would have positively affected the way the Lees thought about modern medicine. I believe that faith plays an important role in Lia’s case, and if the doctors would have understood the way that txiv neeb thought and vice versa, the Lees would have trusted American doctors and medicine more. Learning from txiv neeb would have also helped the American doctors in Lia’s case and in other cases when treating Hmong patients by understanding their culture. It is important for the doctors to understa nd the Hmong culture and specifically the way that a txiv neeb works because in Merced a third of the population were Hmong and used a tixv neeb as their main source of healing. A txiv neeb takes the time to be with a patient while a doctor would only spend 15 minutes with them. A txiv neeb could have learn how to perform CPR in case it was ever

The Danger Of Cyber Attacks - 1705 Words

COLLECTED DATA The Danger of Cyber Attacks A cyber attack is an online malicious attack that disrupts, steals, and/or damages a system. There are numerous types of cyber attacks, and different ways to carry out one. As the world becomes more dependent on technology, the damage potential for cyber attacks increases. Government agencies around the world are even competing in cyber attacks with one another, for offensive and defensive reasons. Two popular attack methods are malware and denial-of-service attacks. Malware There are many forms of malware, such as viruses and botnets. Malware is any code or software written for the purposes of carrying out malicious actions. Malware has evolved rapidly and is becoming much more sophisticated over time. Anti-malware systems provide the best protection against malware. They typically provide real-time protection by scanning files before, during, or after the software is installed. Anti-malware systems aren t perfect, however. Code can be written in a way that it can be difficult for the system to understand and detect malware inside the code (Shahid, Horspool, Traore Sogukpinar, 2015; Zhang, Raghunathan Jha, 2014). Denial-of-Service A denial-of-service (DoS) attack occurs when an attacker maliciously sends a high load on a server or network in an attempt to disrupt it. A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) occurs when the attacker uses multiple sources instead of one in order to mask its location and/or increase theShow MoreRelatedThe Danger Of Cyber Attacks On Power Plants1542 Words   |  7 PagesThe danger of cyber-attacks on power plants are something that needs to be looked at closely to avoid costly deadly incidents. Cybersecurity has become a vital component of our world today and it needs to evolve fast to keep up in its protection from the outside. Cybersecurity protects us from unauthorized shutdowns, break-ins, financial and social ruin. We live in a world that has become completely reliant on computers for everything. They are able to cause chaos and even shutdown â€Å"nuclear centrifugesRead MoreImportance Of Cloud Security In The Public Sector894 Words   |  4 Pagesweaknesses of cloud comput ing will enable a new acceptance for the usage of cloud computing in public organizations. At this present time there has been a drastic uplift in security breaches of cyber information, and those that are spreading widely and that are accumulating devastating quantities. Most of those attacks are impacting an extremely large variety of private government and entities. The cybersecurity incidents are becoming more prevalent, more impactful, and more complicated and there are noRead MoreThe Problem Of Cyber Warfare1531 Words   |  7 Pagesintentions, new security dangers have arisen along with them. 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Day After Tomorrow Free Essays

FTER Hollywood cinema and climate change: The Day After Tomorrow. Ingram, David. In Words on Water: Literary and Cultural Representations, Devine, Maureen and Christa Grewe-Volpp (eds. We will write a custom essay sample on Day After Tomorrow or any similar topic only for you Order Now ) (Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier, 2008). Climate change, like many other environmental problems, is slow to develop, not amenable to simple or fast solutions, and caused by factors that are both invisible and complex (Adam 17). Making a narrative film about climate change therefore does not fit easily into the commercial formulae of mainstream Hollywood, which favour human-interest stories in which individual protagonists undergo a moral transformation before they resolve their problems through heroic action in the final act. Can such classical narratives mediate an issue as complex as climate change without being not only inadequate, but even dangerous, lulling their audience into a false sense of security about our ability to deal with such problems? Ecocritic Richard Kerridge observes that a British journalist responded to the nuclear accident at Chernobyl in 1986 by framing it within the familiar narrative of the Second World War, with its emphasis on ‘a successful outcome and a narrative closure’. For Kerridge, such narrative strategies may be an overly reassuring way of representing environmental threats, and reveal therefore that the ‘real, material ecological crisis’ is ‘also a cultural crisis, a crisis of representation’ (Kerridge 4). Yet, as Jim Collins argues, ‘mass-mediated cultures’, including those of popular Hollywood cinema, are characterised by ‘semiotic complexities of meaning production’, which leave even popular, generic texts open to multiple interpretations (Collins 17). Film theorist Stephen Prince describes a Hollywood movie as a ‘polysemous, multivalent set of images, characters, and narrative situations’, which therefore constitute what he calls an ‘ideological agglomeration’, rather than a single, coherent ideological position (Prince 40). This polysemy may arise from the Hollywood industry’s commercial intention to maximize profits by appealing to as wide and diverse an audience as possible by making movies which, ideologically speaking, seek to have it all ways at once. One consequence is that, when we theorize about the effects popular movies may or may not have on public awareness of environmental issues, those effects are more complex, and less deterministic, than is often assumed is some academic film theories. This essay will explore the range of meanings generated by The Day After Tomorrow (2004), which frames the issue of anthropogenic climate change within the familiar genres of the disaster and science fiction movie. Ideological analysis of the film, combined with a study of its audience reception, suggests that even a classical Hollywood narrative can generate a degree of ideological ambiguity which makes it open to various interpretations, both liberal and conservative. The ideological ambiguity of The Day After Tomorrow derives in part from the way its narrative mixes the modes of realism, fantasy and melodrama. A realist film will attempt to correspond to what we understand as reality, mainly through the optical realism of its mise-en-scene and the sense of psychological plausibility produced by both its script and the performance of its actors. Melodrama, on the other hand, will simplify character and heighten action and emotion beyond the everyday. Hollywood movies tend to work by moving between these two modes of representation. Some genres, such as science fiction and horror, also move between realism and fantasy, a mode which exceeds realist plausibility by creating a totally fictive and impossible diegetic world. As a science fiction movie, then, The Day After Tomorrow deliberately blurs the distinction between realism and fantasy. The narrative begins from a scientifically plausible premise: the melting of the Artic ice-cap, caused by anthropogenic global warming, cools the North Atlantic Current, colloquially known as the ‘Gulf Stream’, and thereby affects the weather in the Northern hemisphere. The movie then extrapolates from this premise beyond even the worst-case scenarios proposed by climate scientists. The switching off of the thermohaline current generates a global superstorm, as a result of which an ice sheet covers Scotland and a tsunami floods Manhattan. The movie’s literary source, it is worth noting, was The Coming Global Superstorm (1999), by Art Bell and Whitely Streiber, whose television talk show on the paranormal suggests an interest in the ‘parascientific’; that is, in speculation beyond what is provable or falsifiable by scientific method. When interpreted literally, that is, as realism, The Day After Tomorrow clearly violates notions of scientific plausibility. The basic climatology in the movie is inaccurate: hurricanes can only form over large bodies of warm water, not the cold seas found in high latitudes, where polar lows are the main storm systems. The movie also distorts the science of climate change, mainly by accelerating the time frame within which its effects take place, and by making them much worse than predicted. Any slowdown in the thermohaline current would take a period of years, at least, and probably centuries, rather than the days featured in the film. Moreover, even if the North Atlantic Current did switch off, average temperatures would still be likely to rise, rather than fall, because of the greenhouse gasses already in the atmosphere (Henson 112-5). The film’s central narrative, in which government paleoclimatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) walks in sub-zero temperatures all the way from north of Philadelphia to the New York Public Library, to rescue his son Sam (Jake Gyllenhall) who is sheltering there, is thus impossible: neither would survive such low temperatures. For helicopters to freeze in mid-air, temperatures would not only be too cold for snow, but also too cold for human survival. Burning books in a library would be insufficient to keep people alive. Such implausibilities are worth pointing out, not because cinema audiences necessarily take what they see as scientific truth, but because science fiction often provides an opportunity to learn some real science. Indeed, as we will see later in this essay, environmental groups used the release of the movie as a ‘teachable moment’ on the science of climate change (Leiserowitz 6). The two-disc DVD edition of the movie includes a documentary on the science of climate change; screenwriter Jeffrey Nachmanoff commented on its release that, although ‘our primary concern’ in making the film ‘was entertainment rather than education. On the DVD, there’s room for both’. Acknowledging that the time frame he created for the movie was accelerated for fictional purposes, and that the ‘superfreeze’ was ‘purely a cinematic device’, he added that ‘the political, agricultural and societal consequences of a sudden change in the ocean currents would still be catastrophic’ (Nachmanoff 1). To dismiss The Day After Tomorrow purely for its scientific inaccuracies, then, clearly misses the point of the movie, which is to use realist elements of climate science as a starting point for melodrama and fantasy, so that it can dwell on the spectacle of extreme weather, appropriate for a blockbuster disaster movie, and also invite the audience’s emotional engagement with the human-interest story that becomes the main focus of narrative. It is to these elements in the film that we will now turn. As a ‘natural disaster’ melodrama, the film works on an opposition between nature and civilization, and invites an ambiguous identification on the part of the viewer: in Hollywood terms, we are invited to ‘root for’ both nature and civilization at various points in the narrative, although the values of civilization eventually become the dominant ones. Before that happens, however, the scenes of extreme weather make the experience of environmental apocalypse strangely attractive. As Maurice Yacowar observes, the natural disaster movie ‘dramatizes people’s helplessness against the forces of nature’ (Yacowar 218). The set pieces of extreme weather in The Day After Tomorrow reveal the sublime power of wild nature: violent, chaotic, powerful beyond human control, and therefore exciting and seductive. Environmentalist Paul Hawken writes that the concept of doomsday ‘has always had a perverse appeal, waking us from our humdrum existence to the allure of a future harrowing drama’ (Hawken 204). As Stephen Keane points out, although disaster movies regularly feature television news reports commenting on the events that are taking place, they do not go on ‘to make the critical point that we are all electronic voyeurs’ (Keane 84). The Day After Tomorrow follows this pattern. The audience’s complicity in seeking cinematic thrills in the scenarios of mass death and destruction caused by the weather is encouraged, rather than questioned, by the movie itself. Indeed, such thrills are the raison d’etre of its genre. Yet the aesthetics of the sublime have always been based on vicariousness; if we take pleasure in the destructive forces of nature, it is from the safe distance of our movie seats, where we are in the position of voyeurs, rather than of victims. This construction of victimhood in the disaster movie depends on narrative alignment: when people die, we do not dwell on them, nor on the bereaved people they leave behind. Typical of the disaster genre, the focus of nature’s destructiveness in The Day After Tomorrow is the city. Hollywood disaster movies, writes Geoff King, share with millennial groups ‘a certain delirious investment in the destruction of the metropolis’ (King 158). When a series of tornadoes attack Los Angeles, the mise-en-scene focuses on familiar landmarks: the Hollywood sign, the Capitol Records building, and a billboard advertising the model Angelyne. Screenwriter Jeffrey Nachmanoff observes on the DVD commentary that preview audiences greeted the moment where the Angelyne sign flattens the television reporter with cheers and applause (Emmerich). The sense of retribution is difficult to avoid: perhaps there is poetic justice in the media figure, parasitical on other people’s suffering, finding his nemesis in Angelyne, the model and aspiring actress who paid to advertise herself on her own billboards, and thus became for some emblematic of the meretricious values of the city. As Mike Davis observes, Los Angeles is often given special treatment in apocalyptic narratives. ‘No other city,’ he writes, ‘seems to excite such dark rapture’. Unlike other cities, the destruction of Los Angeles ‘is often depicted as, or at least secretly experienced as, a victory for civilization’ (Davis 277). Geoff King draws upon Mikhail Bakhtin’s notion of the ‘carnivalesque’ to account for such moments of ‘licensed enjoyment of destruction’, based on an ‘overturning of cultural norms’ (King 162). But the destruction is too cruel, as well as unfocussed and generalised, to be simply an anti-authoritarian gesture. As Susan Sontag noted, science fiction films provide a ‘morally acceptable fantasy where one can give outlet to cruel or at least amoral feelings’ (Sontag 215). Freud’s notion of the ‘death wish’ thus better captures the dark side of such fantasies. For Freud, such aggressions were natural drives that need to be controlled; art provides catharsis for such anti-social instincts. Patricia Mellencamp draws on Freud to argue that American television is both ‘shock and therapy; it both produces and discharges anxiety’ (Mellencamp 246). The disaster movie works in a similar way, mobilising and exploiting our negative drives and emotions. But are there unconscious meanings specific to the natural disaster movie? One reading of such movies is as ‘revenge of nature’ narratives, which enact a fantasy of nature getting its own back for its mistreatment at the hands of human beings. Psychoanalyst Karl Figlio draws on the theories of Melanie Klein to argue that scientific thinking itself is an act of repressive violence towards Nature. ‘Nature killed,’ he writes, ‘is nature in a vengeful mood, a primitive retaliatory phantasy that fuels apocalyptic forebodings. The more scientific the culture, the more it is at the mercy of irrational fears, and the more it is dependent on scientific protection from them’ (Figlio 72). He cites Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as an ‘extreme example of scientific mapping that calls forth revenge from nature’ (75). According to this reading, then, when we watch nature getting its revenge, we as viewers are able to purge our guilt about its degradation. However, as Yacowar notes, the moral attitude of the typical disaster movie is ambiguous. Poetic justice in disaster films,’ he writes, ‘derives from the assumption that there is some relationship between a person’s due and his or her doom’. However, this notion breaks down when the ‘good die with the evil’ (Yacowar 232). The Day After Tomorrow works according to these generic expectations, with Nature at times appearing amoral in its destructiveness, and at other times, a force of moral retribution and punishment. The arrogant businessmen who bribe the bus driver, and the corruptible bus driver himself, get their comeuppance when they drown in the tidal wave that engulfs Manhattan. Jeffrey Nachmanoff reveals in the DVD commentary that, in an early draft of the script, the businessman had been negotiating an insider deal with the Japanese businessman killed by the hailstorm in Tokyo (Emmerich). In the final version, the latter lies to his wife on his cell phone moments before his death. The ethical critique in these scenes fits into the ideological agenda of many disaster films. As King writes, such films ‘include an element of criticism of capitalism, but this is a gesture that for the most part leaves its core values largely intact. A few ‘excesses’ are singled out, such as the greedy cost-cutting that undermines the integrity of the eponymous star of The Towering Inferno, leaving the remainder mostly untouched’ (King 153). In The Day After Tomorrow, then, greedy, self-interested individuals are punished. Yet innocent people also die in the movie, including the climate scientists who freeze to death in Scotland, led by the avuncular Terry Rapson (Ian Holm), and Jack’s friend Frank (Jay O. Sanders), who falls to his death through the roof of a building, after cutting his own rope to prevent his friends from endangering their lives in trying to rescue him. These are figures of heroic sacrifice, also central to the disaster genre, because they bring out the redemptive aspects of the apocalypse. The film does not state clearly where the British royal family stand in this hierarchy of innocence and guilt: what is clear, is that death by climate change is no respecter of class privilege and wealth. The disaster movie, then, is about which values are the key to survival. The rescue of the innocent, French-speaking African family is thus crucial in einforcing the movie’s ethical hierarchy based on racial, national and gender differences: they are saved by the white American woman (Laura), who in turn is saved by the white American male (Sam), thereby enacting in miniature two important themes in the movie. The most important of these is the narrative of male heroism and redemption. Melodrama, writes Linda Williams, is about a ‘retrieval and staging of innocence’ (Williams 7). In this film, the melodramatic plot of father rescuing son makes the moral point that hard-working fathers need to take a more active role in bringing up their sons. The movie implies that, although millions of people may be dead, if one American family can be saved, then at least some good has come out of the eco-apocalypse. This message is more liberal, or at least not as unambiguously patriarchal, as in earlier disaster movies. In keeping with Stephen Prince’s notion of ideological agglomeration, mentioned earlier, although Jack’s wife is a doctor, she ends up playing the role of surrogate mother to a seven-year old boy with cancer, separated from his parents by the storm. The movie can thus be interpreted as either liberal (she is a doctor) or conservative (she is placed in the stereotypical female role of nurturer). The second important theme in the movie is the United States’ self-appointed role as global protector-policeman. The rescue narrative trumpets the frontier values of male physical heroism, strong leadership and individualism, encapsulated by the iconic image of the torch of the Statue of Liberty emerging from the waves of the tsunami that engulfs Manhattan. However, America’s role in world politics is also questioned by a more liberal discourse in the movie, when American refugees are forced to flee illegally into Mexico, in an ironic reversal of the real politics on the national border. This ironic reversal is itself made ambiguous, though, when later the United States government writes off all Third World debt, but in return, wins the right for its citizens to live as ‘guests’ in those countries. It should be noted that not all Hollywood movies with environmental themes are as individualistic in their proposed solutions as The Day After Tomorrow. Some have endorsed more collective forms of action, even in narratives led by strong individuals: an image of placard-waving protestors recurs in Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (1995) and Fly Away Home (1996) as a sign of collective resistance. Ultimately, The Day After Tomorrow prefers American notions of liberal individualism, which it turns into universal values by identifying them with human civilization as a whole. Indeed, civilization, rather than wild nature, becomes the real object of audience identification by the end. The choice of the New York Public Library as the place of sanctuary and rescue is significant in this respect. One of the survivors makes sure he preserves the Gutenberg Bible from burning, not because he believes in God, he says, but because, as the first book ever printed, it represents ‘the dawn of the age of reason’. ‘If Western civilization is finished’, he adds, ‘I’m going to save at least one little piece of it’. Ultimately, then, the movie celebrates reason and science as the values most central to Western civilization. Unusually for a Hollywood disaster movie, scientists are neither evil nor incompetent. As Yacowar notes, specialists in disaster movies, including scientists, ‘are almost never able to control the forces loose against them’. The genre thus serves ‘the mystery that dwarfs science’ (Yacowar 228). This is also true of The Day After Tomorrow, in that the scientists are unable to contain the devastating effects of climate change once they have begun. ‘Ultimately,’ writes ecocritic Sylvia Mayer, ‘the movie makes the point that the most advanced and dedicated scientific work is still powerless against the forces of nature once they are unleashed’ (Mayer 111). Nevertheless, the scientists are the heroes of the movie. Their advice on the risks of climate change was ignored by the politicians until it was too late. As the director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration angrily tells the Vice-President: ‘You didn’t want to heat about the science when it would have made a difference’. The scientists’ computer models prove correct: in the movie, unlike in real life, climate science provides the clear, certain and unambiguous knowledge necessary for survival. Moreover, advanced technology is ultimately a force for good. Jack is able to locate his son in the Public Library under the frozen wastes of Manhattan because of his friend’s portable satellite navigation system (which, of course, would not work in such a massive storm). He is also seen driving a hybrid Toyota Prius earlier in the film. Reason, science and technology thus win the day. However, as Sylvia Mayer also notes, the movie stops short of simplistically advocating a technological fix for environmental problems as complex as climate change (Mayer 117). The values of civilization finally triumph over the destructive forces of wild nature when the pack of wolves, which escaped from Central Park Zoo earlier in the movie, return to attack Sam and his friends when they are searching for medicine and food. That the wolves are computer-generated special effects only adds an extra layer of irony to the triumph of civilization and benign technology in the movie. Indeed, the movie itself can be seen as a paean to the imaginative power of Computer Generated Imaging. In Eco Media (2005), Sean Cubitt argues that The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2002-3) can be read as a celebration of the computer technologies from which it was made, which are an artisanal mode of production that demonstrates a creative place for technology within ‘green’ thinking. There is an ‘increasing belief’, he suggests, ‘that through the development of highly technologised creative industries, it is possible to devise a mode of economic development that does not compromise the land’ (Cubitt 10). The thematic resolution of The Day After Tomorrow is ambiguous, however. The ending of the movie follows the recurrent pattern of the genre identified by Geoff King, in which ‘the possibility of apocalyptic destruction is confronted and depicted with a potentially horrifying special effects/spectacular ‘reality’, only to be withdrawn or limited in its extent’ (King 145). Typically, then, destruction is extensive, but total apocalypse is prevented at the last moment. The superstorm passes, thereby confirming Jack’s earlier opinion that the storms will last ‘until the imbalance that created them is corrected’ by ‘a global realignment’. Gazing at a beautiful, calm Earth, an astronaut in the International Space Station comments that he has ‘never seen the air so clear’. In Winston Wheeler Dixon’s phrase, this could be the ‘exit point for the viewer’ that disaster movies invariably provide (Dixon 133); the moment where the audience is let off the hook with a simplistic, evasive solution to the seemingly intractable problem explored in the rest of the movie. To return to the question posed at the start of this essay, does such an ending merely encourage evasion, denial and complacency in regard to issues such as anthropogenic climate change? Dixon argues that contemporary American cinema serves those who ‘wish to toy with the themes of destruction’, from movies about atomic apocalypse to those that flirt with Nazism. This cinematic ‘cult of death’, he concludes, is ‘the ultimate recreation’ for an exhausted, media-saturated culture, a cult which ‘remains remote, carefully contained within a box of homicidal and genocidal dreams’ (Dixon 139). But the ideological ambiguity of The Day After Tomorrow, as well as its audience reception, suggests that the process of interpretation is more open and varied than this. From an environmentalist perspective, the melodramatic ending of the film is ambiguous. No matter what human beings do, it appears, the Earth will heal itself. According to this reading, the message of the movie is that, because the storm eventually passes, we don’t need to worry. This message resembles the right-wing appropriation of the Gaia hypothesis; that is, the idea, proposed by the British chemist James Lovelock, that the Earth as a whole is a self-regulating system in a natural state of homeostatic balance. In his 1999 book Hard Green: Saving the Environment from the Environmentalists, Peter Huber used the concept of Gaia to justify a conservative manifesto that called for the dismantling of existing environmental regulations. The ‘most efficient way to control’ pollutants such as greenhouses gases, he argued, ‘is not to worry about them at all. Let them be. Leave them to Gaia’ (Huber 128). The notion of Gaia, we should note, is not the sole property of New Age environmentalists or deep ecologists. According to this interpretation, the movie appears to endorse the idea that humanity, through a combination of ingenuity, courage and chance, can survive whatever Nature may throw at us, an argument used by conservatives like Huber to justify a non-interventionist approach to environmental issues. It is a mistake, however, to assume that the final moments of a movie, when narrative closure is achieved, dictate its overall meaning. An analogy may be drawn here with the critical analysis of the role of women in film noir. As Janey Place argues of the female characters in films such as Double Indemnity (1946), ‘it is not their inevitable demise we remember but rather their strong, dangerous, and above all, exciting sexuality’ (Place 48). In a similar way, the most memorable images in The Day After Tomorrow are probably the scenes of extreme weather. The main advertising image for the movie showed the shot of the hand of the Statue of Liberty held above the storm surge: an image of survival which at least includes a sense of struggle, rather than the calm, reposeful Earth revealed at the close of the film. Indeed, the above interpretation of the film as conservative is contradicted by its more explicit message, which advocated liberal political reform in the election year of 2004. Early in the film, Vice-President Becker, played by an actor who bears an obvious resemblance to Dick Cheney, refuses to listen to the advice of scientists on global warming, arguing that to take action would harm the American economy. In another reference to George W. Bush’s presidency, we are told that the administration in the movie has also refused to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. At the end of the movie, Becker, now President, appears on television to apologise to the nation out of a newfound sense of humility: ‘For years we operated under the belief that we could continue consuming our planet’s natural resources without consequence. We were wrong. I was wrong’. Perhaps the most unbelievable part of the whole movie, the President’s public apology confirms the words of the African-American homeless man earlier in the film, who refers to people with their ‘cars and their exhausts, and they’re just polluting the atmosphere’. The disaster has been a wake-up call for America, and the new start will allow for the changes in lifestyle necessary for a more sustainable future. The government will also change its attitude to the Third World from one of arrogance to gratitude. In these moments, the movie works as a secular form of jeremiad; ‘secular’ because the environmental catastrophe is not seen as punishment from God, but as human-created. Opie and Elliott argue that both ‘implementational and evocative strategies’ are necessary in successful jeremiads, and cite Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962) as a powerful exemplar (Opie and Elliott 35). The Day After Tomorrow also uses both pathos and rational argument to convince its audience of the need to take steps to avoid environmental catastrophe. Critical speculation on the effectiveness or otherwise of making a disaster movie about global warming can draw on the conclusions of an empirical study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research of the reception of the movie in Germany. This found that the movie did not appear to reinforce feelings of fatalism in its audience. Less than 10% of the sample agreed with the statement, ‘There’s nothing we can do anyway’, whereas 82% preferred, ‘We have to stop climate change’. Reusswig). Indeed, the Potsdam study makes hopeful reading for environmentalists. It found that the publicity surrounding the film triggered a new interest in climate change, and raised some issues previously unfamiliar to audiences, such as the role of oceans in global warming. A similar study of reception in the United States concluded that the film ‘led moviegoers to have higher levels of concern and worry about global warming, to estimate various impacts on the United States as more likely, and to shift their conceptual understanding of the climate system toward a threshold model. Further, the movie encouraged watchers to engage in personal, political, and social action to address climate change and to elevate global warming as a national priority’. However, whether such changes constituted merely a ‘momentary blip’ in public perceptions remained to be seen (Leiserowitz 7). These empirical studies are important because they show that audience reception is a more complex and variable process than it is sometimes taken for in film theory. According to some versions of psychoanalytic ‘subject positioning’ theory, Hollywood movies like The Day After Tomorrow tend to render spectators passive. Under the influence of Bertolt Brecht’s theories of narrative, film academics such Colin McCabe and Steven Heath argued that only modernist or avant-garde narrative techniques can produce a more active (even revolutionary) film spectator. As the 1992 textbook New Vocabularies in Film Semiotics puts it, psychoanalytic film theory ‘sees the viewer not as a person, a flesh-and-blood individual, but as an artificial construct, produced and activated by the cinematic apparatus’ (Stam 147). In his book The Crisis of Political Modernism (1999), D. N. Rodowick exposes the flaws in such thinking. The politics of political modernism, he writes, assume ‘an intrinsic and intractable relation between texts and their spectators, regardless of the historical or social context of that relation’ (Rodowick 34). But film viewers are flesh-and-blood individuals, and when they are treated as such by film theorists and researchers, the phenomenon of film reception becomes more complex and nuanced, and less deterministic and stereotyped, than that imagined by subject positioning theory. Empirical audience research shows that we do not all watch the same movie in the same way, and that audience responses are complexly determined by a long list of variables, such as nation, region, locality, class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race and, last but certainly not least, individual temperament. When we look at the public reception of The Day After Tomorrow, then, it is clear that different interest groups appropriated the movie in different ways. Both sides of the public debate about climate change interpreted the movie within a realist framework, either positively or negatively, and produced selective readings in order to further their own agendas. Patrick Michaels, one of the minority of scientists who stills rejects the idea of human-created climate change, pointed out the scientific flaws in the movie, and damned Hollywood for irresponsibly playing into the hands of liberal environmentalists by exaggerating the threat of global warming (Michaels 1). Liberal-left environmental campaigners also understood that the movie’s foundation in science was flawed. However, they found its scientific exaggerations and inaccuracies less important than what they saw as its realistic portrayal of the American government’s denial of the scientific evidence for global warming. As former Vice-President Al Gore put it, ‘there are two sets of fiction to deal with. One is the movie, the other is the Bush administration’s presentation of global warming’ (Mooney 1). Gore joined with the liberal Internet advocacy organization MoveOn. rg, which used the movie’s release as an opportunity to organize a national advocacy campaign on climate change. Senators McCain and Lieberman also used the movie to promote the reintroduction of their Climate Stewardship Act in Congress (Nisbet 1). Greenpeace endorsed the ‘underlying premise’ of the film, that ‘extreme weather events are already on the rise, and g lobal warming can be expected to make them more frequent and more severe’. It summed up its response to the movie with the line: ‘Fear is justified’ (Greenpeace 1-2). The use of this movie to encourage environmental debate suggests that it is perhaps only if Hollywood movies like The Day After Tomorrow are people’s sole, or even main, source of information on the environment that we should worry. As Sylvia Mayer argues, Hollywood environmentalist movies ‘have the potential to contribute to the development of an ‘environmentally informed sense of self’ that is characterised by an awareness of environmental threats, by the wish to gain more effective knowledge about them and by a disposition to participate actively in efforts to remedy the problem’ (Mayer 107). In this respect, a classical, Hollywood-style narrative does not necessarily inculcate or reinforce a feeling a complacency or denial it its audience. In any case, no narrative can be as complex as the reality to which it refers; all art is a process of simplifying, selecting and giving shape to reality. Classical narrative forms and genre movies such as The Day After Tomorrow can focus thought and provide an imaginative and provocative response to environmental crisis. WORKS CITED Adam, Barbara (1998), Timescapes of Modernity: The Environment and Invisible Hazards, Routledge, London and New York. Bell, Art and Streiber, Whitely (1999), The Coming Global Superstorm, Pocket Star Books, New York. Collins, Jim (1989), Uncommon Cultures: Popular Culture and Post-Modernism, Routledge, New York and London. Cubitt, Sean (2005), Eco Media, Rodopi, Amsterdam and New York. Davis, Mike (1998), Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster, Henry Holt and Co. , New York. Dixon, Wheeler Winston (2003), Visions of the Apocalypse: Spectacles of Destruction in American Cinema, Wallflower Press, London and New York. Emmerich, Roland, director (2004), The Day After Tomorrow, 20th Century Fox, Two-disc DVD. Figlio, Karl (1996). ‘Knowing, loving and hating nature: a psychoanalytic view’ in George Robertson, Melinda Mash, Lisa Tickner, Jon Bird, Barry Curtis and Tim Putnam (eds), FutureNatural: Nature, science, culture, Routledge, London and New York. Greenpeace International (2004). ‘Big screen vs big oil’. http://www. greenpeace. org/international/news/the-day-after-tomorrow, 1-4. Hawken, Paul (1993), The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability, HarperCollins, New York. Henson, Robert (2006), The Rough Guide to Climate Change, Rough Guides, London. Huber, Peter (1999), Hard Green: Saving the Environment from the Environmentalists: A Conservative Manifesto, Basic Books, New York. Keane, Stephen (2001), Disaster Movies, Wallflower Press, London. Kerridge, Richard (1998), ‘Introduction’, in Richard Kerridge and Neil Sammels (eds), Writing the Environment: Ecocriticism and Literature. Zed Books, London and New York. King, Geoff (2000), Spectacular Narratives: Hollywood in the Age of the Blockbuster, London and New York, I. B. Tauris. Lieserowitz, Anthony A (2004), ‘Before and After The Day After Tomorrow: A U. S. study of climate change risk perception. ‘ Environment. 46 (9), 22-37. www. findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m1076/is_9_46/ai_n856541/print, 1-12. Mayer, Sylvia (2006), ‘Teaching Hollywood Environmentalist Movies: The Example of The Day After Tomorrow’, in Sylvia Mayer and Graham Wilson (eds), Ecodidactic Perspectives on English Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Trier, WVT. Mellencamp, Patricia (1990), ‘TV Time and Catastrophe, or Beyond the Pleasure Principle of Television’, in Logics of Television, ed. Patricia Mellencamp, Indiana University Press, Bloomington. Michaels, Patrick J. (2004), ‘Apocalypse Soon? No, but This Movie (And Democrats) Hope You’ll Think So. ‘ The Washington Post, May 16th 2004, B01. www. washingtonpost. com/ac2/wp-dyn/A28338-2004May14? language=printer Mooney, Chris (2004), ‘Learning From Nonsense? ‘, Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, http://www. csicop. org/doubtandabout/global-warming Nachmanoff, Jeffrey (2004), ‘Jeffrey Nachmanoff on The Day After Tomorrow’. http:// www. amazon. co. uk/gp/feature. html. Nisbet, Matthew (2004), ‘Evaluating the Impact of The Day After Tomorrow: Can a Blockbuster Film Shape the Public’s Understanding of a Science Controversy? ‘, Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, http://www. csicop. org/ Opie, John and Elliott, Norbert (1996), ‘Tracking the Elusive Jeremiad: The Rhetorical Character of American Environmental Discourse’, in James G. Cantrill and Christine L. Oravec (eds), The Symbolic Earth: Discourse and Our Creation of the Environment, University Press of Kentucky, Lexington. Place, Janey (1978), ‘Women in Film Noir’, in E. Ann Kaplan (ed), Women in Film Noir. BFI, London. Prince, Stephen (1992), Visions of Empire: Political Imagery in Contemporary American Film. Praeger, New York. Reusswig, Fritz, Scwarzkopf, Julia and Pohlenz, Philipp (2004), ‘Double Impact: The Climate Blockbuster ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ and its impact on the German Cinema Public. ‘ PIK Report 92, Potsdam, 1-61. http://www. pik-potsdam. de/research/publications/pikereports/summary-report-n-92 Rodowick, D. N. (1999), The Crisis of Political Modernism: Criticism and Ideology in Contemporary Film Theory, University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago. Sontag, Susan (2001), Against Interpretation, Vintage, London. Stam, Robert, Burgoyne, Robert and Flitterman-Lewis, Sandy (1992), New Vocabularies in Film Semiotics: Structuralism, post-structuralism and beyond, Routledge, London and New York. Williams, Linda (1998), ‘Melodrama Revisited’, in Nick Browne (ed), Refiguring American Film Genres, University of California Press, London. Yacowar, Maurice (1986), ‘The Bug in the Rug: Notes on the Disaster Genre’, in Barry Keith Grant (ed), Film Genre Reader, University of Texas Press, Austin. How to cite Day After Tomorrow, Essay examples

Leadership Emotional Intelligence Organization

Question: Discuss about the Leadership Emotional Intelligence Organization. Answer: The emotional intelligence of an individual plays a highly important role, as it determines the extent to which the employee working in an organization is able to control or express his emotions, while dealing with the subordinates at workplace. It is important for any employee to handle the interpersonal relationships with the colleagues and the subordinates in an effective way . The emotional intelligence of an individual not only determines how an individual employee responds to a specific situation, but it also determines the extent to which the employee is able to think empathetically and adapt to the emotional needs of his colleagues. As far as my emotional strengths are concerned, first of all, I would like to mention here that I am not usually discouraged by setbacks in the path of my professional career. I am emotionally strong enough to deal with any form of obstacle. The delay in the completion of a project or the failure of an implemented strategy does not de-motivate me, and I rather consider it to be a challenge that needs to be overcome. Besides, I can retain cool and composure under tough situations, and even if I have to deal with inefficient subordinates, or careless clients, I do not get stressed out . Another very important strength of mine is that whenever I am encountered with challenges, I tend to focus on the ways of overcoming the same, rather than focusing on the hurdle itself. However, I also have certain emotional weaknesses as well. First of all, I am very sensitive to the people around me. For example, suppose I am expected to deliver a public speech during the meeting, I become aware of th e people around me, and I fail to communicate effectively. However, I am working on my communication skills so as to enhance my interpersonal communication skills. Besides, another major emotional weakness I usually suffer from is that I am unable to accept change. For example, if the organization requires us to attend seminars and workshops during the weekend, asking for additional dedication, I tend to lose professional enthusiasm. I often suffer from professional burnout, owing to the intense pressure at my workplace. The primary cause of my professional stress has been my strict deadline based jobs. I often have to work for more than 9 hours a day, and as such I often get exhausted, sitting at my workplace. As a manager, I have to ensure that my subordinates are performing well, and they are able to submit their works within the strict deadline. However, in a few situations, my subordinates fail to complete their tasks within the given time, and that brings additional pressure on me. Since I do not get to control their performance or efficiency rate, I often end up stressing myself. Besides, it often happens that an employee fails to understand his job role, and I have to keep on communicating him the job role unless he completely comprehends the entire situation. This brings about unmanageable workload for me. Again, since I am working in a private sector, I also get stressed if I get apprehensive about the lack of professional security at workplace. The unrealistic deadlines and expectations of my job role add up to the problem. Being a manager, I am expected not only to administer and supervise the action of my subordinates, but also to evaluate their performance. Being professionally stressed out, I often encounter the problem of emotional triggers. I get emotionally triggered when the workers of my team show less likelihood of finishing up a task, the deadline of which is pending in a few days. Besides, I also get emotionally triggered if I get to hear that my subordinates or team members are talking behind my back. For example, if I get to hear that my subordinates are critical of my behavior, or are interrogating my leadership skills, I get annoyed. Besides, any kind of heated argument with my colleagues also produces emotional triggers in me. In order to operate my business activities in an effective way, I also adopt coping strategies so as to deal with the problem of emotional triggers. In order to deal with the problem of emotional triggers, I try to meditate twice a day, so as to keep control over my problems of distress and anxiety. Besides, I also keep a journal, where I try to note down the instances where I feel that I have behave d in an undesirable way. As I go through the instances where I have been emotionally triggered, I try to reflect on the alternative ways in which I could have behaved or responded. This reduces my chance of having emotional triggers during these instances. I have observed that some of the most common examples of negative emotions within the workplace include despair of the employees, anger or aggravation and disappointment. In order to ensure that my subordinates are able to control and manage the emotions, I will try to organize the seminars and the workshops for the subordinates so as to develop their team bonding capacity. Besides, during the weekend once a month I will try to arrange team-based fun, interesting activities that will enhance the team spirit among the employees. Though I have been encountering problems of emotional triggers in the recent face, I am quite open to any form of feedback related to the same. For example, if an employee comes to me and tells me that my behavior offended him, or that I reacted too aggressively on a specific occasion, I ensure that his words do not get unheard. I make a note of what my colleague or subordinate points out regarding my emotional triggers, and later I reflect on what comment or feedback I have received regarding my triggers. Although I get annoyed to find people complaining about my behavior, I respect it when they tell me about my problems on my face. In response to the feedback of my subordinates or fellow colleagues, I would try to change my behavior, or improve my emotional response, by raising my awareness or taking the help of self-reflection. Self-reflection helps in the continual development of my emotional intelligence. As and when I become emotionally aware of my emotional triggers or undesirable emotional responses, I can assess and evaluate my behavior in a more effective way. Hence, I try to reflect based on my personal judgment as well as the feedback I receive from others. The act of self-reflection helps me assess my emotional weakness in a more effective way, and change my behavior accordingly. In case I am being encountered with an angry worker, I will try to keep myself calm and composed. Since the employee is already disturbed or disappointed for some reason or the other, I will try not taking his words personally, and will ensure that I do not get offended by his behavior. I will try to listen to what the employee is offended about, and will actively sympathize with his situation. After listening to his problem, I will take a few minutes, and try to find out a solution. Again, if a worker is stressed out, I will ask him to relax down, and will offer him emotional support to help him combat with the problem. I will ask him to take a short time break and resume his work. In case of an upset and disgruntled worker, I will try to listen to his problem that is bothering him at workplace, and if the problem is professional and related to the workplace, I will ensure him that I will solve the problem. However, I will try to remain professional, and will not get involved in the personal problem of the employee. I am well aware of the fact that emotional response of each worker largely differs from the emotional response of the other, based on the cultural group he belongs to. For example, the people belonging to the US culture usually are more prone to exhibit negative emotions at workplace, such as fear, disgust or discontent. On the other hand, the Japanese people will not usually experience an outburst of emotions in the public. Hence, while dealing with the workers at a diverse workplace, I would try to interpret and understand their behavior in the light of cultural background they belong to. I would also try to participate in a couple of workshops and seminars that can enhance my awareness of cross-cultural communication skills. I believe in the transformational leadership style, and consequently I believe that this leadership style is the most effective style for handling the employees experiencing different kinds of emotion. I do not consider the option of giving out commands to my subordinates, following the style of an autocratic leader, as it often ends up de-motivating and upsetting the workers. Hence, I believe in communicating the strategy, sharing the workload and rewarding my clients for their little share of contribution. The employees with negative emotions, can also be encouraged and motivated to work harder, by offering them sufficient reward, recognition and appraisal for the same. I do not believe in maintaining distance with my clients, and rather I am an emotionally aware leader, who believes in increasing engagement with the respective employees. I am good in interacting with the subordinates, and as such I can easily pick up important emotional cues of my workers. This helps me understand the response or emotional attitude of my employees in a better way. Since the decisions I make in accordance with the organizational strategies of the company, may not be welcome by the employees with different emotional attitude, I am adept in handling their emotions. I have got a high persuasive skill, whereby I can convince my subordinates to work for the goal or the target I have set up. I can motivate the employees, influence their decisions, and believe in encouraging each employee to give their best effort. It is important for a manager to ensure that each of my subordinates is able to express his emotions and feelings in an effective way. Accordingly, I would ensure a culture of open, honest and free interpersonal communication among the team members, so that each employee can express and exchange his emotions with the other. Besides, I would also create a separate email id meant for helping the employees provide their feedback, and thereby express their emotions, positive or negative, to me in a highly confidential way. I would also organize interactive sessions twice each month, so as to help my workers ventilate their emotions and feelings, in presence of each other. I feel that it is important that each employee is being made aware of how their reaction or behavior affects their fellow colleagues. Hence, I would organize professional seminars and workshops for the workers, which can demonstrate how the behavior of a worker can affect the mental state of a colleague. Besides, I will also arrange training programs for helping the workers learn the self-management skills, so that they can control their emotions in a more effective way. I will create awareness among my workers, regarding the importance of emotional intelligence of an individual and his success in the professional life. I would try to organize meetings, focused on the importance of developing emotional intelligence, and I myself would like to demonstrate before the workers, how patience, perseverance and composure can help an employee achieve professional success. In order to create a positive emotional climate at the workplace, I would arrange interesting, fun games that would involve the participation of all the employees. Besides, I would also organize different get-together programs or family outings during the weekends, so that the employees can go out and interact with each other. This would help to eliminate the problems of stressed workplace relation or conspiracy at workplace. In order to achieve best workplace outcome, it is important that the workers are being assigned with duties that best suits their skills and capabilities. Hence, a skill testing assessment will be conducted so as to analyze and evaluate the skills and competencies of the individual employee, and in accordance with the result of this assessment, the employees will be allocated with the tasks. Reference List: Cohn C, 'Strategies To Strengthen Communication Within Your Company' (Forbes.com, 2017) https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckcohn/2014/10/24/strategies-to-strengthen-communication-within-your-company/#11d92ec570fe accessed 20 January 2017 Golman D, 'Emotional Intelligence - Daniel Goleman' (Daniel Goleman, 2017) https://www.danielgoleman.info/topics/emotional-intelligence/ accessed 20 January 2017 Goudreu J, '12 Ways To Eliminate Stress At Work' (Forbes.com, 2017) https://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2013/03/20/12-ways-to-eliminate-stress-at-work/#5fed5a0b7ff7 accessed 20 January 2017 Laack P, '10 Questions To Help You Evaluate 2015' (Forbes.com, 2017) https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauladavislaack/2015/12/17/10-questions-to-help-you-evaluate-2015/#6614d87268ae accessed 20 January 2017 Mckay A, 'Emotional Intelligence Helps You Understand Clients And Staff' (Theaustralian.com.au, 2017) https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/emotional-intelligence-helps-you-understand-clients-and-staff/news-story/178575920ff5c598f7442bdad2439fe4 accessed 20 January 2017 Murphy M, '5 Signs Of High Emotional Intelligence' (Forbes.com, 2017) https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2016/05/08/5-signs-of-high-emotional-intelligence/#17b1539c539c accessed 20 January 2017 Prive P, 'How To Deal With Workplace Stress' (Smh.com.au, 2017) https://www.smh.com.au/news/executive-style/management/how-to-deal-with-workplace-stress/2008/11/20/1226770603031.html accessed 20 January 2017 Prive T, 'Top 10 Qualities That Make A Great Leader' (Forbes.com, 2017) https://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaprive/2012/12/19/top-10-qualities-that-make-a-great-leader/#4c835bb53564 accessed 20 January 2017 Reporters T, 'A Stressful Job Could Actually Be Good For Your Health, Experts Say' (The Telegraph, 2017) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/19/a-stressful-job-could-actually-be-good-for-your-health-experts-s/ accessed 20 January 2017 Satell G, 'Why Communication Is Today's Most Important Skill' (Forbes.com, 2017) https://www.forbes.com/sites/gregsatell/2015/02/06/why-communication-is-todays-most-important-skill/#479f27183638 accessed 20 January 2017

The Commercialism Of Television Essays - Television Advertisement

The Commercialism Of Television The Commercialism of Television To look into the mind of a television addict, we must look at the big picture? First we recognize the voluntary slavery that makes up the majority of modern life. A I see it, people get up early, put on work clothes, and ?work like machines for the rest of the day? getting no satisfaction from their repetitive day-jobs. Then come home around seven o'clock to their families who have already had dinner, and the kids already getting in bed. By that time there is almost no room left for quality family time or anything else to pursue that's worthwhile. Thus the person turns to the television for that instant dose of friendship and gratification that could not be found anywhere else during his or her day. Once the person gets comfy on the lazy-boy, he becomes quickly stimulated and amazed by the intense sound and picture of thirty frames per second, and suddenly forgets thinking about the real world. Notice how some people become extremely annoyed when you talk to them or distract them when they are watching a program, or even a commercial. And might even yell at you for walking in front of the TV. As the hours of straight zombie-like watching go by, the person slips further into the fantasy world of television, and with you breaking that link between them and the tube comes as a shock to them. Someone can be so engulfed that it becomes a regular part of his/her daily routine. As a result of a lot of watching TV, studies have shown that the heart rate, and blink rate have slowed down dramatically and muscular function decreased down to the snap of a finger on the remote or the lift of a drink. The stimulation of the picture and sound shift so rapidly that they must become completely relaxed to soak it all up. Television is like an addiction, and like any addictive substance a moral message lies behind it? The advertising and the programs are only they're to keep the viewer coming back for more. But there are even deeper morals to the story. The televisions main purpose is to distract from what you really want to be doing. Than around the second line of commercials you realize that you could be doing far better things than this, but before that thought gets to you, another flashy commercial pops up that literally says ?damnit stay in your seat, we've got more products to sell you?. And giving the viewer the sense that he/she cannot live without it. And this is where depression can kick in. In these messages there is the potential power to brainwash the viewer into thinking that television is the one and only answer to all the worlds problems, and soon the person will not want to accept the harsh reality of the real world. This becomes a mindset for many people who watch TV. Some will do their best to fight it, like turn the volume down or mute, but hell, never would they turn it off. Even the manufacturers cleverly hide the mute button on your remote. To the broadcasters and corporations, its all a damn game to them, to see whom can get more zombies to stick with their channel. After becoming over-fatigued from stimulation, they'll switch it off. And when they are face to face with real life, they don't understand it, and shrivel back into their corner to the TV, to the world that is so easily accepted. There is a huge difference between the world that we live in, and the fake propped world of television. On a person note; my father roommates with Andre, a forty-five year old minority who is extremely depressed, and has attempted suicide. Visiting my dad every week or so I notice that Andre always had the TV on, and continued sitting in his chair staring at every comedy channel for six hours, but I noticed he never laughed. I believe Andre has fallen deep into the TV world, and uses it as a tool to ignore and/or forget his problems in the real world. ?Odds have it that television only creates a mirage

Yasar Kemal A Master of Words

Yasar Kemal A Master of Words Yasar Kemal was actually telling the story of Turkey’s ordinary people living in over 40,000 villages who experienced the impact of reforms and economic and social development in rural areas. Using archetypal characters, Kemal created a story of epic reach with common human moral and symbolic imagery. Hashtag: #Ya?arKemal Memed, My Hawk A novel, by definition, is fiction, a form of a sequential story describing intimate experiences of imaginary characters. Fiction is an art and many great writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, and Joyce Carol Oates were fiction writers. Turkish writer #Ya?arKemal, who recently passed away, was a prominent fiction writer and best remembered for his first novel â€Å"Memed, My Hawk†, which was published in 1955. BOOK REPORT This Varlik Prize winner is a story of a young peasant boy (Slim Memed) who tried to save his sweetheart (Hatch) from a forced marriage with the Agha (owner of the land and village chief). Hatch was captured as they attempt to escape but Meme, who wounds the Agha escaped into the mountains and later becomes a bandit. The novel to some critics is exciting and dramatic as it successfully portrayed the severity of peasant life in the Taurus highland of Anatolia during the 1930s. It tells the story of Memed, who in his youth rebel against the cruelty of the village chief and saved his people from tyranny. Indirectly, Yasar Kemal was actually telling the story of Turkey’s ordinary people living in over 40,000 villages who experienced the impact of reforms and economic and social development in rural areas. Using archetypal characters, Kemal created a story of epic reach with common human moral and symbolic imagery. For instance, the burning of the thistles ( a group of flowering plants) the choked the village land symbolizes Memed’s personal revenge and a quest for social justice. Published in 2007, the novel â€Å"They Burn the Thistles† is a sequel to â€Å"Memed, My Hawk†. It has descriptive passages that clearly tell the story of the bitter war between the greedy and brutal property owner and poor Turkish peasants. The Reality of Kurdish and Turkish Peasants Life In reality, Kurdish and Turkish peasants living in Anatolian villages in the early 1900s were suffering from the powerful Aghas. For instance, since they need to return three kilos for a very kilo of seed they borrowed from an Agha, they were always impoverished and in debt to that particular Agha. Those who cannot pay were intimidated, harmed, and sometimes sent to jail. Moreover, since many Kurdish Aghas maintained a good relationship with the central government, agricultural policies continue to favour commercial classes and landowners in Anatolian region. For instance, the rise in cultivation and land prices often benefit landowners and family-owned business alone. LITERARY TECHNIQUE THAT WORKS WONDERS The â€Å"Agha System†, which is mostly in the East and Southeast region, is actually a â€Å"Master and Servant† relation. For instance, according to the book The Literary Garland, the peasants were observed to be graceful and dignified when paying their taxes, procure seeds, and even give presents to their landlord and village chief. The harshness of peasants’ life and the need for land reform and better treatment made #Ya?arKemal the greatest writer in Turkey. His novels created â€Å"Slim Memed†, a fictitious character like a Turkish Robin Hood who fights against the Aghas who exploit the peasants.

Personal reflection paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Personal reflection - Term Paper Example Studying deeply about leadership skills and characteristic allow a person to transform into a dynamic personality with a solid business goal. The learning course which I have studied has all the elaborate information on the qualities one need to imbibe to promote their leadership status. According to (Murthy,2005)â€Å"A leader is an agent of change, and progress is about change. Leadership is about raising the aspirations of followers and enthusing people with a desire to reach for the stars†. A leader is a person who possesses a unique quality indifferent from others. The information that I have collected during my study about leadership will enable me to grow as a strong leader in future. The understanding of leadership qualities and characteristic is essential for an individual to transform into a dynamic leader .A true leader is evolved after passing through much positive and negative experiences. Here, the learning of the course material has provided me with enormous information and suggestion about the way in which, I can upgrade my mental and physical capacities. I believe that understanding the issue related to the individual differences and uniqueness of my personality goes a long way in acknowledging my personal strength and weaknesses. I have been studying the different personality like Type A and B which has the ability to teach a person the category of personality type he fall into .As I categorized my personality; I acquired a basic foundation on which I can built my leadership personality. Moreover, the personality test like Myers Brigg test and HPI has the core potentiality to educate a person about his natural skills and versatility. Being a leader is not an easy task, for this one must have the enormous quality to manipulate one’s emotional behavior. This is where the Emotional intelligence which I studied will come into play. Emotional

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 5

Research - Essay Example The questionnaire was too long and the length might often influence participants to withdraw from the survey as time is important for everyone. Another flaw associated with the questionnaire was that in answering options, the ‘do not know’ option was not included. This is inappropriate as there might be participants who are unaware of a particular product or service. On the other hand, two good aspect of the questionnaire is that questions were worded very simply; this firstly made it very easy for participants to understand and secondly, the questionnaire encompassed all aspects of the research topic, thereby enabling the researcher to obtain an insight of people’s perceptions about products and services offered by the food chain. Generating idea: The initial step is very crucial as it involves generation of ideologies that are based on SWOT and current market trend analysis. The ideologies take into account various factors such as, return on investment, ROI and widespread distribution cost. (Takeuchi and Nonaka 137-146). During this particular phase, the manager has to ensure that overall new product development process is kept nimble and flexible discretion should be applied over which the activities are to be executed. Screening the idea: In this particular step, the idea is validated. The phase mainly involves elimination of ineffective concepts prior to allocation of resources to them. The individuals responsible for framing the idea should screen the same on the basis of factors such as, benefits associated with the idea that can be provided to the target market, market coverage of the product, expected intensity of competition, sales forecast, feasibility of the product and so on and so forth (Brands, â€Å"8 Step Process Perfects New Product Development†). Concept testing: Concept testing is very different from test marketing. This step involves patent research, designing due diligence

Business Strategy and Planning Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Strategy and Planning - Case Study Example During the 1960s, distribution was decentralised. In 1973 the company became a plc. The oil crisis of the early 1970s forced it to improve efficiency. During the 1980s and early 1990s expansion into the north-east of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland made it 'national' in the scale of its operations. By the end of 1994 (Sainsbury's 125th year), the company had 355 stores in UK and an off-shore store in Calais. With the start of the new millennium Sainsbury's sold Homebase and Shaws Supermarkets to focus on the core UK business, comprising Sainsbury's Supermarkets, Sainsbury's Local, Sainsbury's online and Sainsbury's Bank. The acquisition of convenience store chains Bells Stores, Jacksons, JB Beaumont and SL Shaw increased its presence in the UK convenience sector. Today Sainsbury's serves 16 million customers each week in 455 supermarkets and 301 convenience stores across UK. The company employs 153,000 workers to deliver 'Great Food at Fair Prices'. Sainsbury's sells 6bn of British food every year, and in March 2006, reported a 5.3% rise in sales, its fifth quarter growth in a row. Sainsbury's was for decades the premier supermarket in the UK; it lost this position however in 1995 to Tesco, further slipping to No.3 in 2003 behind Walmart-owned ASDA. According to the latest TNS rankings released in June 2006, Sainsbury's remains the UK's third largest supermarket on 16.0% market share, while ASDA remains second largest at 16.4% and Tesco has increased its share to 31.1% (The information in the above paragraphs were collected, paraphrased, collated and abridged from the four web sites of: (1) http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/home/htm, (2) www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/ (3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainsbury and (4) http://www.fairinvestment.co/uk/default.aspx, all retrieved August 8, 2006). About TESCO. Tesco is the largest British supermarket chain and has significant operations in other countries. Originally specializing in food they have moved into areas such as clothes, consumer electronics and cars. By 2003 it had over 2000 stores, including a large number of convenience stores in the UK. Outside of the United Kingdom they also operate in the Republic of Ireland, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, and Malaysia. Tesco was founded by Jack Cohen, who was selling groceries in the markets of the London East End from 1919. The first Tesco store was opened in 1929 in Edgware, London. The firm was floated on the stock exchange in 1947. The first Tesco self-service store opened in 1948 in St Albans and was still trading as of 2002. The first Tesco supermarket was opened in 1956 in Maldon, Essex. Its first "superstore" was opened in 1968 in Crawley, West Sussex. It began selling petrol in 1974 and its annual turnover reached 1000 million pounds in 1979. It introduced a loyalty card in 1995 and later an Internet shopping service. During the 1990s it expanded into Eastern Europe, Ireland and East Asia. In July 2001 it became involved in internet grocery retailing in the USA when it obtained a 35% stake in GroceryWorks. Tesco has expanded also by taking over other chains, including: Victor Value, England, 1968

Effect of Organisational Culture on Information Technology

Effect of Organisational Culture on Information Technology The Effect of Organizational Culture on Information Technology/Business Strategic alignment in Saudi Firms Abstract This research effort is intended to study the dynamic relationship between the IT Strategy and the overall Business Strategy in Saudi Firms. IT strategies perceived to be developed in isolation, meaning that such strategies are put forward by IT managers without any involvement of top business managers. The IT manager may be oblivious or he/she may not have a clear idea of the business strategy leading to a strategic diversion where all important technical investments decisions are made by the IT director alone. The researcher recognized some major factors that influence alignment including Organizational Culture; therefore the researcher investigated the current organizational Culture at large selected Saudi firms. In addition, perceptions of Information Technology Value and utilization in the targeted companies was identified and analyzed through set of questionnaires and interviews in order to help the researcher to establish the relationship between Information Technology and Organizational Culture, since it would be a valuable part of forming the proposed strategic alignment model. The Saudi firms, where questionnaires have been distributed, and interviews have been conducted are SABB (Saudi British Bank), Saudi Airlines, AL-Marai, and AlTawniah. The researcher is aiming to collect further data from previous Strategic Alignment Models, and collect more information through additional interviews and questionnaires in order to interpret and validate the findings of the first stage that will lead to the design of the final stage of the Strategic Alignment Model. All data will be combined to give the base for a Strategic Alignment Model. This new model will be a practical one that should fit the Saudi environment. 1. Introduction Strategic alignment has become one of the most important topics for researchers in all industries. Its main objective is to establish and arrange a relationship between business and IT strategies. From a competitive advantage point of view, organizations with such alignment will have edge over others. 2. Context of the Research In the last few decades, the gap between business strategy of organizations and their IT strategy has been noticed by researchers and practitioners across the globe. Numerous research articles have been written to indicate this fact and to highlight the importance of bridging the gap between IT strategy and business strategy of organizations, to achieve coordinated results and efficiency for the enterprise. MIS professional, researchers have understood the significance of the issue which exists at global level [1]. Figure (1) summarizes the Information System/Business relationship which can be described as ‘Interdependent; where any changes in the IS (Software, Hardware, Database and Telecommunication devices will have an impact on the Business and vice versa; any change in the business (Strategy, Rules and Procedures) will have its impact on the Information Systems function of the organization [2]. FIG01-07Since Information systems and organizations influence each another. On the one hand, information systems must be aligned with the organization to provide information that is important to different groups according to the organization need. On the other hand, the organization must be aware of and open itself to the influences of information systems in order to benefit from new technologies [3]. Figure 1: The interdependence between organizations and information systems (Laudon Laudon, 2006) The interaction between information technology and organizations is very complex and is influenced by a great many mediating factors, including the organizations structure, standard operating procedures, politics, culture, surrounding environment, and management decisions as shown in figure (2). One mediating factor was selected by the researcher, which is the organizational culture, and the purpose of this selection will be discussed in a later section. Managers must be aware that information systems can markedly alter life in the organization. They cannot successfully design new systems or understand existing systems without understanding organizations. Managers decide what systems will be built, what they will do, how they will be implemented. Sometimes, however, the outcomes are the result of pure chance and of both good and bad luck [2]. 3. Original Work in Strategic Alignment Strategic Alignment is defined as the process of creating and managing a business driven IT organization, for which the main focus is implementing information oriented Solutions, that is most important to meeting the business goals, objectives, and strategies of the enterprise [4]. In order to make organizations successful, it is important for all parts of the organization to move in the same strategic direction. Of particular importance is that the business strategy and the IT strategy are complementary. If they are trying to move the organization in different directions the risk of failure may increase. Given the high level of resources invested in IT by most organizations it is important for it to be used as a strategic resource to contribute towards the achievement of business objectives. The strategic alignment would measure the relationship between an organizations IT function and its business objectives. The degree to which alignment is present in an organization will depend o n many factors. These factors will include the knowledge of the subject by management, the organizational infrastructure and culture, the nature of the business, the technology in use, and the ability of the organization to manage change. It is very important to realize that Strategic alignment is a process and not a project. Also Alignment issues should be considered at all levels of the organization, meaning that the occurrence of alignment at one level does not guarantee alignment at another [5]. 3.1 Strategic Alignment Models Alignment models show the relationship between the various domains (Business: mission, vision, objectives and tactics and Technical: processes, skills and knowledge) that influence alignment, which is dynamic with a strategy or technology decision impacting on one or more of the other domains. The alignment model within an organization must be continually reviewed due to the ongoing change in the internal and external environments. Corrective action must be taken to realign the organization when necessary. Many managers do not realize that a decision imposed on one domain may impact on one or more of the other domains [6]. Different people depending on their experience and background will have different strengths in each domain. An IT professional would likely have strengths in IT strategy or infrastructure while a business manager would likely have strengths in business strategy or organizational infrastructure. This could lead to problems if communication channels are not strong an d management processes are not in place to facilitate alignment. There are number of models which were designed to attempt to come up with such an alignment. Some of the most important models are the following: A. Strategic Alignment Model (Henderson and Venkatramon, 1993) The model has four domains or variables: business strategy, IT strategy, organizational infrastructure and IT infrastructure [7]. Butler and Fitzgerlad defined the context of the business strategy domain as business scope which refers to â€Å"the decisions that determine where the enterprise will compete†; distinctive competencies which â€Å"pertains to the areas that determine how the business will compete in delivering its products and services† and business governance which concerns â€Å"the choices that enterprises make when competing in the market place, e.g., whether alliances are entered into or not†. While administrative infrastructure refers to â€Å"the roles, responsibilities, and authority structure†; the business processes are â€Å"the manner in which key business functions are carried out† and skills refer to â€Å"the knowledge and competencies of organizational actors. In the context of IT strategy define technology scope as â€Å"the specific types of technology that are considered to be critical to the organization†; systemic competencies refer to â€Å"the salient characteristics and technological strengths of the IT systems† and IT governance as â€Å"issues refers to the manner in which IT systems are developed†. On the other hand, The IT architecture as â€Å"the policies and decisions made in regard to the integration of application systems, systems software, and hardware into cohesive platforms that are captured by the IT architecture dimension†; The processes are referred to as â€Å" how IT systems are planned, developed, implemented, and operated† and the skills dimension is captured by â€Å"the experience, competencies, commitments, values, and norms of the participants in the planning, development, implementation, and operation processes† [8]. B. Top-Down Alignment Model The theory consist of an input-process-output model, seven constructs, six Causal relationships and six hypotheses as shown in figure 4 The input-output-process model provides the initial bases for the theory. The Seven constructs are: the external environment, the internal environment, Planning resources, the planning process, the strategic information systems plan, the implementation of the strategic information systems plan, and the alignment of the strategic information systems plan with the organizations Business plan. These seven constructs exhibit causal relationships among each other illustrated through hypotheses [9]. 4. Knowledge Gap Based on the above, and through screening some of the existing strategic alignment models in the literature review, the researcher figured out that to achieve such an alignment there is a need to consider and integrate the following points: 1. Most of staff, if not all, is unaware of business goals, especially in the environment of Saudi Arabia [10]. 2. Important technical investments decisions are made by the IT manager alone [11]. 3. No relationship exists (Gap) between Business strategy and IT strategy [12]. 4. A lot of factors are not taken into consideration when forming strategic alignment, such as Structure, Culture, politics, and others [13]. 5. Strategic alignment models discussed only top management level and discarded other levels [14]. 6. Previous strategic alignment models are hard to be understood and implemented in reality [15]. The models discussed in the literature review may have achieved one or two of the above six points, however, there is no existing model that has achieved the above six points altogether. Based on the above, I have selected Strategic Alignment as a starting and a centre area of my research that the researcher is building on to fulfill the other points mentioned. The model that the researcher is aiming to establish, differs from the existing ones in that it will meet the requirements and challenges of the Saudi environment taking into consideration the 6 above points. 5. Research Aims Significance * To bridge the gap between Business Strategy and Information Technology Strategy through developing and designing a simple Strategic Alignment Model, that includes the essence of the major research works in addition to other strategic alignment theories available * To highlight the role of socio-cultural aspects as a critical success factor for successful IT implementation, which were not taken into consideration in the past * To measure the contribution of such a model to business performance. * To encourage Saudi Firms to use such a model to gain competitive competition. * To reduce the associated costs of implementing Information Systems in Organization 6. Research methods The researcher has used the mixed research methodology. Mixed research involves the mixing of quantitative and qualitative methods or paradigm characteristics within a stage of the study or across two of the stages of the research process. It collects data either sequentially of simultaneously to best understand research problems [16]. Advantages of using mixed research includes: the major goal for researcher who design and conduct mixed research is to follow the fundamental principle of mixed research, in other words, the researcher should mix quantitative and qualitative research methods, procedures, and paradigm characteristics in a way that the resulting mixture or combination has complementary strengths and non-overlapping weaknesses. When different approaches are used to focus on the same phenomenon, while providing the same result, is a strong evidence for the result. Other important reason for doing mixed research are to complement one set of results with another, to expand a set of results, or to discover something that would have been missed if only a quantitative or a qualitative approach had been used[17]. Questionnaire One of the most widely used research techniques can be defined as collecting data through written questions [17]. There are a number of different ways in which questionnaires can be administered; for example: posted to the intended respondents or administered over the telephone or face-to-face. A questionnaire design provides a quantitative description of trends, attitudes, or opinions of a population by studying a sample of that population. From sample results, the researcher generalizes or makes claims about a population [18]. Interviews Interviews are considered to be the main tool of the qualitative researcher for data collection [18]. Additionally, since the interpretive stance is also being followed, interviews are viewed to be the main and appropriate source from where data has been collected. According to Walsham, interviews allow the best access to the interpretations that the participants have regarding the actions and events, which have or are taking place and the views and aspirations of themselves and other participants. An added benefit is that it allows researchers to step back and examine the interpretations of their fellow participants in some detail, and this is an advantage that other methods may not allow [18]. Data analysis Data gathered will be analyzed through frequency distributions. These will give way to reviewing the data categories and the number of referrals in each category. With relation to data analysis, the indicators that will be used in evaluating the study include the age of the respondent; the social status; the educational attainment of the respondents; the occupation of the respondents and their length of stay in the company they belong to [19]. The research has involved 4 large organizations, SABB (Saudi British Bank), Saudi Airlines, AL-Marai, and AlTawniah, where interviews have been conducted with CIOs and CEOs to have a clear idea about the companys business strategy. Also, other interviews will take place with IT directors to investigate about the Information Technology (IT) strategy and its relationship with the business strategy. In addition,2 sets of questionnaires were distributed among different levels of the organizations to come up with the types of organizational culture and the use of Information technology in those organizations. At the end, data were collected and analyzed through using SPSS software. 7. Expected Research Outcomes The results from this research are anticipated to be of great help to top managers, strategic planners, IT managers, and other work force in Saudi environment, and will contribute to the following factors: * Increasing the awareness of the importance of Strategic Alignment Model Concept. * Selling the quick wins, by having strategic alignment achieved effectively. * Showing the importance of the use of Information Technology in organizations * Identifying the organizational culture as a major factor of achieving strategic alignment. * Encouraging decision makers and top management to apply and implement strategic alignment throughout the organization. * Highlighting the weaknesses of previous strategic alignment models and the lessons learned, which would help other researchers for future work 8. Indicative Thesis Structure The thesis will contain seven chapters (tentative): Chapter 1: Introduction: Presents an overview about the research subject. It shows the importance of strategic alignment in all sectors, followed by bridging the gap between business strategy and IT strategy, and the factors that affect strategic alignment. The research aims and significance then was explained followed by a brief discussion of the research methodology, research framework, then prospected research contribution was mentioned. Chapter 2: Literature Review: Provides the literature review for this research. It begins with explaining Business strategy, Business planning and its tools, followed by a discussion of IT strategy, IT planning, and its tools. Then a discussion of strategic alignment was presented. And ended with an overview of previous strategic alignment models. Chapter 3: Research design and methodology: Describes the research design and methodology conducted in this study. It starts with discussing the research general strategy, methodology and the reasons for selecting the methods of data collection. Followed that is a detailed explanation of the quantitative and qualitative methods, were a detailed description of the design of the research instruments was presented. Chapter 4: Developing the Parameters of the Strategic Alignment Model: Presents the need for a strategic alignment Model that can bridge the gap through identifying 3 parameters: Organizational Culture, Business strategy and its domains, and IT strategy and its domains Chapter 5: Questionnaires Analysis: Discusses and examines the data collected through the questionnaires for both, identifying the organizational culture, and the use of IT in the 4 Saudi firms Chapter 6: Interviews Analysis: Talks about and analyses the data collected through the interviews in the 4 Saudi firms. Chapter 7: Conclusion and Recommendations: Proposes the new strategic alignment model, and concludes the study and gives recommendations and future directions. 9. Training Undertaken * Using electronic library resources in Sep-2006. * Stage I part A on 30/Aug/2006. * Stage I part B on 31/Aug/2006. * Stage II Part A (presentation) on 26/Jul/2007. * Stage II Part B (Academic writing) on 26/Jul/2007. 10. Review of the research Undertaken * Wrote 2 chapters of the thesis (Introduction, Overview and Background about Business Strategy, IT Strategy, and Previous Strategic Alignment Models). * Completed of first level of data gathering (questionnaires Interviews). * Passed the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) Foundation Certificate. * Published two conference papers. * Presented posters at the ARU 1st 2nd Annual Research Student Conference 11. Action Plan The necessary steps for completion of the research are as follows: 1. Type of organizational culture and Information Technology use was investigated by the researcher through questionnaires(phase 1) 2. Interviews with CEOs and IT managers were conducted in terms of Business strategy and IT strategy existence(phase 1) 3. Data analysis was carried out, which involved performing statistical analysis (SPSS) into the gathered data. 4. Distributing mores questionnaires and conducting further interviews to in order to establish a relationship between Organization Culture and Strategic alignment and show its important effect on the selected Saudi firms 5. All data from the (phase1) and (phase 2) will be combined and linked together to give the base for designing the Strategic Alignment Model. 6. Design the proposed Strategic Alignment Model 7. Writing up of the PhD thesis and preparation for the oral exam. 8. The plan of work also includes writing and submitting papers, attending conferences related to the study and presenting the work. Gantt chart The following chart depicts the action plan of the project and the time expectations for each step in details and it is as follows: Years 2007 2008 2009 2010 Tasks 2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 References [1] David W. Nickles, IT-BUSINESS ALIGNMENT: WHAT WE KNOW THAT WE STILL DONT KNOW, Proceedings of the 7th Annual Conference of the Southern Association for Information Systems, 2005 [2] Kenneth C. Laudon and Jane P. Laudon, Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm, 9th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2006 [3] McNurlin, B.C., and Spargue, R.S., Information Systems Management in Practice, 6th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2002 [4] Raymond Pap, Introduction to Strategic Alignment, Idea Group Inc, 2001 [5] Yolanda E. Chan, Why havent we mastered Alignment? The importance of the informal organization structure, MIS Quarterly Excusive, 2002 [6] Allen, D. and Wilson, T., â€Å"Vertical trust/mistrust during information strategy formation, International Journal of Information Management, 2003 [7] Henderson, J.C. and Venkatraman, N., â€Å"Aligning business and IT strategies†, in Luftman, J.F. (Ed.), Competing in the Information Age: Strategic Alignment in Practice, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 1996 [8] Butler, T. and Fitzgerlad, B., â€Å"Enterprise Transformation and the Alignment of Business and Information Technology Strategies: Lessons from Practice, 1998 [9] Ruohoueu Parnisto, Proceedings of the First European Doctoral Seminar on Strategic Information Management, Turku centre for computer Science, 1996 [10] Hatem Tamimi, Ala M. Abu-Samaha Sufian Yousef ,Perceptions of Information Technology/Information Systems Value/ Utilisation in Saudi Organisations Proceedings of the ECIME conference, France, pp 1 12, September 20 21, 2007 [11] Bassellier, G. and Benbasat, I. (Business Competence of Information Technology Professionals: Conceptual development and influence on IT-business partnerships), MIS Quarterly 28(4): 673-694, 2004. [13] Baker, E.H. Leading Alignment, CIO Insight 1(45) 19-20, October 15, 2004. [14] Benbya, H. and McKelvey, B. (2006). Using Coevolutionary and Complexity Theories to Improve IS Alignment: A multi-level approach, Journal of Information Technology 21(4): 284-298 [15] Chan, Y.E., Sabherwal, R. and Thatcher, J.B. Antecedents and Outcomes of Strategic IS Alignment: An Empirical Investigation, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management 51(3): 27-47, 2006. [16] Creswell, JW, Research design: qualitative and quantitative approaches, Sage, Thousand Oaks, California, 1994 [17] Tashakkori and Teddlie, Mixed methods in social behavioral Research, Sage Publications, Inc, 2002 [18] Denzin and Lincoln, the Landscape of Qualitative Research, Sage Publications, Inc, 2003 [19] Walsham, Interpretive case studies in IS Research: Nature and Method, European Journal of Information Systems, 1995 Publications 1. Hatem Tamimi, The Effect of Organizational Culture on Information Technology/Business Strategic alignment in Saudi Firms, 1st Annual Research Student Conference, ARU, Cambridge,2006 2. Hatem Tamimi, Ala M. Abu-Samaha Sufian Yousef ,Perceptions of Information Technology/Information Systems Value/ Utilisation in Saudi Organisations Proceedings of the ECIME conference, France, pp 1 12, September 20 21, 2007 3. Hatem Tamimi, The status of IS Planning in Saudi Firms, 2nd Annual Research Student Conference, ARU, Cambridge,2007 4. Hatem Tamimi, Strategic IS Plans; do they exist in Saudi Firms?, IACeT2008,The International Arab Conference on e-Technology, Arab Open University, Amman-Jordan, October 15-16, 2008 Appendix A The Designed Questionnaire Survey On Strategic Information System Planning Assessment in Saudi companies. The objective of this survey is to investigate how Saudi managers use Information Technology (computer-based information, software, database, networks, communication, and other devices) to support their Strategic Planning. Your assistance in providing information regarding how often you use IT systems, the reasons for using these systems, and whether these systems satisfy your informational needs will be greatly appreciated. This survey is conducted under the direction of Mr Mike Smith, Department of Information Technology, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, UK. All responses are confidential and will remain anonymous. The success of this study depends on the completeness and the quality of information you provide. We ask you to be as thorough and free as possible in answering the questions in this. Thank you for your time and cooperation! NOTE: Please answer this questionnaire only if you are a user of Information Technology (computer-based information, software, database, networks, communication, and other devices). If you are not a user of Information Technology would you ask a manager in your corporation who is to complete this questionnaire. I. PERSONAL BACKGROUND 1. Organisation name: 2.Sex (M/F): 3. Age: 4. Education: Please choice highest degree attained (Please choice one): A. High school graduate or less B. Baccalaureate Degree C. Masters Degree D. Doctorate 5. Please indicate (how many) college (University) level courses you have completed in Information Technology (Information Systems, Computer Science, Programming, Networks or Communication). (Please choice one): 0 1 2 3 4 ≠¥5 II. PRESENT JOB RESPONSIBILITIES 6. Functional area (Please choice one) : A. Accounting B. Finance C. Marketing D. Manufacturing E. Research and Development F. Personnel G. Corporate Administration H. Information Systems I. Other (Please specify): 7. A. Management Level (Please choice One): 1. First Line Supervisor or Manager 2. Mid-level Manager (Supervising other managers) 3. Executive (Top) Level Manager (Vice president, President, Chairman of the Board of Directors etc. B. Job Title: III. USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (PC, Software, Databases, Networks, Internet, and other devices): 8. Managers perform a number of Planning roles. For each of the following roles, please indicate the value of IT. (Please choice a number for each role): Decision roles Of Great Value Of Moderate Value No Value At All Does Not Apply Choice A. Capitalist (Identifies and initiates changes) 5 4 3 2 1 0 B. Trouble Handler (Handles important and unexpected troubles) 5 4 3 2 1 0 C. Resource Allocation (Approves and allocates all organisational resources 5 4 3 2 1 0 D. Negotiator (Represents the organisation at major negotiations 5 4 3 2 1 0 1. Planning consists of several steps. For each of the following steps, please indicate the value of IT. (Please choice a number for each step) : Decision steps Of Great Value Of Moderate Value No Value At All Choice A. Identifying problems or issues 5 4 3 2 1 B. Generating alternative courses of action 5 4 3 2 1 C. Evaluating the out comes of each alternative 5 4 3 2 1 D. Ranking the alternatives and choosing one 5 4 3 2 1 E. Implementing the chosen alternative 5 4 3 2 1 2. As a Planner you may use both IT-based and non IT-based in decision making. The percent of IT you use for supporting the following Planning tasks is: (Please choice a number) Decisions >80% 61% to 80% 41% to 60% 21% to 40% None Choice A. Long Term (Strategic) Planning 5 4 3 2 1 0 B. Mid-Term (Tactical) Planning 5 4 3 2 1 0 C. Short Term (Operational) Planning 5 4 3 2 1 0 3. Managers have a mental model (i.e., an image, idea, or conceptualization of the organisation) which they use for planning, controlling and operating purposes. How helpful is the Information Technology Systems (IT) you are presently using in forming or revising the mental model of your corporation? (Please choice a number): Very Helpful Moderately Not Helpful Helpful At All 5 4 3 2 1 12. How valuable is the information the existing IT provides to your mental model in guiding your planning, controlling and operating decisions? (Please choice a number): Of Great Value Of Moderate Value Of No Value At All 5 4 3 2 1 13. Overall, how important is IT for Planning that are critical to the success and effectiveness of your managerial duties? (Please choice a number): Very Important Moderately Important Not Important At All 5 4 3 2 1 Iv. SOURCES AND TOOLS USED TO OBTAIN IT-BASED INFORMATION 14. You obtain the IT-based you use for Planning mainly (Please choice one): A. By yourself B. Through a designated person C. Through a request to an information systems group D. Other (Please specify): 15. Please indicate, on the average, how many hours per week you actually use a personal computer (PC) or a terminal to obtain computer-based information which is essential for the performance of your duties. (Please choice one): A. >16 hours B. 9 -16 hours C. 5 -8 hours D. 1 -4 hours E. 16. Please indicate the average number of hours per week use each of the following hardware pieces: A. I dont use any hardware pieces. Yes/No? Hours/week hours B. 1. Stand-alone personal computer (PC) hours 2. PC or other terminal connected to an internet hours 3. PC or other terminal connected to an â€Å"On-line† distributed computer system hours 4. PC or other terminal connected to a Local Area Network (LAN) hours 5. Other (Please specify) : hours 17. Please indi Effect of Organisational Culture on Information Technology Effect of Organisational Culture on Information Technology The Effect of Organizational Culture on Information Technology/Business Strategic alignment in Saudi Firms Abstract This research effort is intended to study the dynamic relationship between the IT Strategy and the overall Business Strategy in Saudi Firms. IT strategies perceived to be developed in isolation, meaning that such strategies are put forward by IT managers without any involvement of top business managers. The IT manager may be oblivious or he/she may not have a clear idea of the business strategy leading to a strategic diversion where all important technical investments decisions are made by the IT director alone. The researcher recognized some major factors that influence alignment including Organizational Culture; therefore the researcher investigated the current organizational Culture at large selected Saudi firms. In addition, perceptions of Information Technology Value and utilization in the targeted companies was identified and analyzed through set of questionnaires and interviews in order to help the researcher to establish the relationship between Information Technology and Organizational Culture, since it would be a valuable part of forming the proposed strategic alignment model. The Saudi firms, where questionnaires have been distributed, and interviews have been conducted are SABB (Saudi British Bank), Saudi Airlines, AL-Marai, and AlTawniah. The researcher is aiming to collect further data from previous Strategic Alignment Models, and collect more information through additional interviews and questionnaires in order to interpret and validate the findings of the first stage that will lead to the design of the final stage of the Strategic Alignment Model. All data will be combined to give the base for a Strategic Alignment Model. This new model will be a practical one that should fit the Saudi environment. 1. Introduction Strategic alignment has become one of the most important topics for researchers in all industries. Its main objective is to establish and arrange a relationship between business and IT strategies. From a competitive advantage point of view, organizations with such alignment will have edge over others. 2. Context of the Research In the last few decades, the gap between business strategy of organizations and their IT strategy has been noticed by researchers and practitioners across the globe. Numerous research articles have been written to indicate this fact and to highlight the importance of bridging the gap between IT strategy and business strategy of organizations, to achieve coordinated results and efficiency for the enterprise. MIS professional, researchers have understood the significance of the issue which exists at global level [1]. Figure (1) summarizes the Information System/Business relationship which can be described as ‘Interdependent; where any changes in the IS (Software, Hardware, Database and Telecommunication devices will have an impact on the Business and vice versa; any change in the business (Strategy, Rules and Procedures) will have its impact on the Information Systems function of the organization [2]. FIG01-07Since Information systems and organizations influence each another. On the one hand, information systems must be aligned with the organization to provide information that is important to different groups according to the organization need. On the other hand, the organization must be aware of and open itself to the influences of information systems in order to benefit from new technologies [3]. Figure 1: The interdependence between organizations and information systems (Laudon Laudon, 2006) The interaction between information technology and organizations is very complex and is influenced by a great many mediating factors, including the organizations structure, standard operating procedures, politics, culture, surrounding environment, and management decisions as shown in figure (2). One mediating factor was selected by the researcher, which is the organizational culture, and the purpose of this selection will be discussed in a later section. Managers must be aware that information systems can markedly alter life in the organization. They cannot successfully design new systems or understand existing systems without understanding organizations. Managers decide what systems will be built, what they will do, how they will be implemented. Sometimes, however, the outcomes are the result of pure chance and of both good and bad luck [2]. 3. Original Work in Strategic Alignment Strategic Alignment is defined as the process of creating and managing a business driven IT organization, for which the main focus is implementing information oriented Solutions, that is most important to meeting the business goals, objectives, and strategies of the enterprise [4]. In order to make organizations successful, it is important for all parts of the organization to move in the same strategic direction. Of particular importance is that the business strategy and the IT strategy are complementary. If they are trying to move the organization in different directions the risk of failure may increase. Given the high level of resources invested in IT by most organizations it is important for it to be used as a strategic resource to contribute towards the achievement of business objectives. The strategic alignment would measure the relationship between an organizations IT function and its business objectives. The degree to which alignment is present in an organization will depend o n many factors. These factors will include the knowledge of the subject by management, the organizational infrastructure and culture, the nature of the business, the technology in use, and the ability of the organization to manage change. It is very important to realize that Strategic alignment is a process and not a project. Also Alignment issues should be considered at all levels of the organization, meaning that the occurrence of alignment at one level does not guarantee alignment at another [5]. 3.1 Strategic Alignment Models Alignment models show the relationship between the various domains (Business: mission, vision, objectives and tactics and Technical: processes, skills and knowledge) that influence alignment, which is dynamic with a strategy or technology decision impacting on one or more of the other domains. The alignment model within an organization must be continually reviewed due to the ongoing change in the internal and external environments. Corrective action must be taken to realign the organization when necessary. Many managers do not realize that a decision imposed on one domain may impact on one or more of the other domains [6]. Different people depending on their experience and background will have different strengths in each domain. An IT professional would likely have strengths in IT strategy or infrastructure while a business manager would likely have strengths in business strategy or organizational infrastructure. This could lead to problems if communication channels are not strong an d management processes are not in place to facilitate alignment. There are number of models which were designed to attempt to come up with such an alignment. Some of the most important models are the following: A. Strategic Alignment Model (Henderson and Venkatramon, 1993) The model has four domains or variables: business strategy, IT strategy, organizational infrastructure and IT infrastructure [7]. Butler and Fitzgerlad defined the context of the business strategy domain as business scope which refers to â€Å"the decisions that determine where the enterprise will compete†; distinctive competencies which â€Å"pertains to the areas that determine how the business will compete in delivering its products and services† and business governance which concerns â€Å"the choices that enterprises make when competing in the market place, e.g., whether alliances are entered into or not†. While administrative infrastructure refers to â€Å"the roles, responsibilities, and authority structure†; the business processes are â€Å"the manner in which key business functions are carried out† and skills refer to â€Å"the knowledge and competencies of organizational actors. In the context of IT strategy define technology scope as â€Å"the specific types of technology that are considered to be critical to the organization†; systemic competencies refer to â€Å"the salient characteristics and technological strengths of the IT systems† and IT governance as â€Å"issues refers to the manner in which IT systems are developed†. On the other hand, The IT architecture as â€Å"the policies and decisions made in regard to the integration of application systems, systems software, and hardware into cohesive platforms that are captured by the IT architecture dimension†; The processes are referred to as â€Å" how IT systems are planned, developed, implemented, and operated† and the skills dimension is captured by â€Å"the experience, competencies, commitments, values, and norms of the participants in the planning, development, implementation, and operation processes† [8]. B. Top-Down Alignment Model The theory consist of an input-process-output model, seven constructs, six Causal relationships and six hypotheses as shown in figure 4 The input-output-process model provides the initial bases for the theory. The Seven constructs are: the external environment, the internal environment, Planning resources, the planning process, the strategic information systems plan, the implementation of the strategic information systems plan, and the alignment of the strategic information systems plan with the organizations Business plan. These seven constructs exhibit causal relationships among each other illustrated through hypotheses [9]. 4. Knowledge Gap Based on the above, and through screening some of the existing strategic alignment models in the literature review, the researcher figured out that to achieve such an alignment there is a need to consider and integrate the following points: 1. Most of staff, if not all, is unaware of business goals, especially in the environment of Saudi Arabia [10]. 2. Important technical investments decisions are made by the IT manager alone [11]. 3. No relationship exists (Gap) between Business strategy and IT strategy [12]. 4. A lot of factors are not taken into consideration when forming strategic alignment, such as Structure, Culture, politics, and others [13]. 5. Strategic alignment models discussed only top management level and discarded other levels [14]. 6. Previous strategic alignment models are hard to be understood and implemented in reality [15]. The models discussed in the literature review may have achieved one or two of the above six points, however, there is no existing model that has achieved the above six points altogether. Based on the above, I have selected Strategic Alignment as a starting and a centre area of my research that the researcher is building on to fulfill the other points mentioned. The model that the researcher is aiming to establish, differs from the existing ones in that it will meet the requirements and challenges of the Saudi environment taking into consideration the 6 above points. 5. Research Aims Significance * To bridge the gap between Business Strategy and Information Technology Strategy through developing and designing a simple Strategic Alignment Model, that includes the essence of the major research works in addition to other strategic alignment theories available * To highlight the role of socio-cultural aspects as a critical success factor for successful IT implementation, which were not taken into consideration in the past * To measure the contribution of such a model to business performance. * To encourage Saudi Firms to use such a model to gain competitive competition. * To reduce the associated costs of implementing Information Systems in Organization 6. Research methods The researcher has used the mixed research methodology. Mixed research involves the mixing of quantitative and qualitative methods or paradigm characteristics within a stage of the study or across two of the stages of the research process. It collects data either sequentially of simultaneously to best understand research problems [16]. Advantages of using mixed research includes: the major goal for researcher who design and conduct mixed research is to follow the fundamental principle of mixed research, in other words, the researcher should mix quantitative and qualitative research methods, procedures, and paradigm characteristics in a way that the resulting mixture or combination has complementary strengths and non-overlapping weaknesses. When different approaches are used to focus on the same phenomenon, while providing the same result, is a strong evidence for the result. Other important reason for doing mixed research are to complement one set of results with another, to expand a set of results, or to discover something that would have been missed if only a quantitative or a qualitative approach had been used[17]. Questionnaire One of the most widely used research techniques can be defined as collecting data through written questions [17]. There are a number of different ways in which questionnaires can be administered; for example: posted to the intended respondents or administered over the telephone or face-to-face. A questionnaire design provides a quantitative description of trends, attitudes, or opinions of a population by studying a sample of that population. From sample results, the researcher generalizes or makes claims about a population [18]. Interviews Interviews are considered to be the main tool of the qualitative researcher for data collection [18]. Additionally, since the interpretive stance is also being followed, interviews are viewed to be the main and appropriate source from where data has been collected. According to Walsham, interviews allow the best access to the interpretations that the participants have regarding the actions and events, which have or are taking place and the views and aspirations of themselves and other participants. An added benefit is that it allows researchers to step back and examine the interpretations of their fellow participants in some detail, and this is an advantage that other methods may not allow [18]. Data analysis Data gathered will be analyzed through frequency distributions. These will give way to reviewing the data categories and the number of referrals in each category. With relation to data analysis, the indicators that will be used in evaluating the study include the age of the respondent; the social status; the educational attainment of the respondents; the occupation of the respondents and their length of stay in the company they belong to [19]. The research has involved 4 large organizations, SABB (Saudi British Bank), Saudi Airlines, AL-Marai, and AlTawniah, where interviews have been conducted with CIOs and CEOs to have a clear idea about the companys business strategy. Also, other interviews will take place with IT directors to investigate about the Information Technology (IT) strategy and its relationship with the business strategy. In addition,2 sets of questionnaires were distributed among different levels of the organizations to come up with the types of organizational culture and the use of Information technology in those organizations. At the end, data were collected and analyzed through using SPSS software. 7. Expected Research Outcomes The results from this research are anticipated to be of great help to top managers, strategic planners, IT managers, and other work force in Saudi environment, and will contribute to the following factors: * Increasing the awareness of the importance of Strategic Alignment Model Concept. * Selling the quick wins, by having strategic alignment achieved effectively. * Showing the importance of the use of Information Technology in organizations * Identifying the organizational culture as a major factor of achieving strategic alignment. * Encouraging decision makers and top management to apply and implement strategic alignment throughout the organization. * Highlighting the weaknesses of previous strategic alignment models and the lessons learned, which would help other researchers for future work 8. Indicative Thesis Structure The thesis will contain seven chapters (tentative): Chapter 1: Introduction: Presents an overview about the research subject. It shows the importance of strategic alignment in all sectors, followed by bridging the gap between business strategy and IT strategy, and the factors that affect strategic alignment. The research aims and significance then was explained followed by a brief discussion of the research methodology, research framework, then prospected research contribution was mentioned. Chapter 2: Literature Review: Provides the literature review for this research. It begins with explaining Business strategy, Business planning and its tools, followed by a discussion of IT strategy, IT planning, and its tools. Then a discussion of strategic alignment was presented. And ended with an overview of previous strategic alignment models. Chapter 3: Research design and methodology: Describes the research design and methodology conducted in this study. It starts with discussing the research general strategy, methodology and the reasons for selecting the methods of data collection. Followed that is a detailed explanation of the quantitative and qualitative methods, were a detailed description of the design of the research instruments was presented. Chapter 4: Developing the Parameters of the Strategic Alignment Model: Presents the need for a strategic alignment Model that can bridge the gap through identifying 3 parameters: Organizational Culture, Business strategy and its domains, and IT strategy and its domains Chapter 5: Questionnaires Analysis: Discusses and examines the data collected through the questionnaires for both, identifying the organizational culture, and the use of IT in the 4 Saudi firms Chapter 6: Interviews Analysis: Talks about and analyses the data collected through the interviews in the 4 Saudi firms. Chapter 7: Conclusion and Recommendations: Proposes the new strategic alignment model, and concludes the study and gives recommendations and future directions. 9. Training Undertaken * Using electronic library resources in Sep-2006. * Stage I part A on 30/Aug/2006. * Stage I part B on 31/Aug/2006. * Stage II Part A (presentation) on 26/Jul/2007. * Stage II Part B (Academic writing) on 26/Jul/2007. 10. Review of the research Undertaken * Wrote 2 chapters of the thesis (Introduction, Overview and Background about Business Strategy, IT Strategy, and Previous Strategic Alignment Models). * Completed of first level of data gathering (questionnaires Interviews). * Passed the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) Foundation Certificate. * Published two conference papers. * Presented posters at the ARU 1st 2nd Annual Research Student Conference 11. Action Plan The necessary steps for completion of the research are as follows: 1. Type of organizational culture and Information Technology use was investigated by the researcher through questionnaires(phase 1) 2. Interviews with CEOs and IT managers were conducted in terms of Business strategy and IT strategy existence(phase 1) 3. Data analysis was carried out, which involved performing statistical analysis (SPSS) into the gathered data. 4. Distributing mores questionnaires and conducting further interviews to in order to establish a relationship between Organization Culture and Strategic alignment and show its important effect on the selected Saudi firms 5. All data from the (phase1) and (phase 2) will be combined and linked together to give the base for designing the Strategic Alignment Model. 6. Design the proposed Strategic Alignment Model 7. Writing up of the PhD thesis and preparation for the oral exam. 8. The plan of work also includes writing and submitting papers, attending conferences related to the study and presenting the work. Gantt chart The following chart depicts the action plan of the project and the time expectations for each step in details and it is as follows: Years 2007 2008 2009 2010 Tasks 2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 References [1] David W. Nickles, IT-BUSINESS ALIGNMENT: WHAT WE KNOW THAT WE STILL DONT KNOW, Proceedings of the 7th Annual Conference of the Southern Association for Information Systems, 2005 [2] Kenneth C. Laudon and Jane P. Laudon, Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm, 9th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2006 [3] McNurlin, B.C., and Spargue, R.S., Information Systems Management in Practice, 6th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2002 [4] Raymond Pap, Introduction to Strategic Alignment, Idea Group Inc, 2001 [5] Yolanda E. Chan, Why havent we mastered Alignment? The importance of the informal organization structure, MIS Quarterly Excusive, 2002 [6] Allen, D. and Wilson, T., â€Å"Vertical trust/mistrust during information strategy formation, International Journal of Information Management, 2003 [7] Henderson, J.C. and Venkatraman, N., â€Å"Aligning business and IT strategies†, in Luftman, J.F. (Ed.), Competing in the Information Age: Strategic Alignment in Practice, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 1996 [8] Butler, T. and Fitzgerlad, B., â€Å"Enterprise Transformation and the Alignment of Business and Information Technology Strategies: Lessons from Practice, 1998 [9] Ruohoueu Parnisto, Proceedings of the First European Doctoral Seminar on Strategic Information Management, Turku centre for computer Science, 1996 [10] Hatem Tamimi, Ala M. Abu-Samaha Sufian Yousef ,Perceptions of Information Technology/Information Systems Value/ Utilisation in Saudi Organisations Proceedings of the ECIME conference, France, pp 1 12, September 20 21, 2007 [11] Bassellier, G. and Benbasat, I. (Business Competence of Information Technology Professionals: Conceptual development and influence on IT-business partnerships), MIS Quarterly 28(4): 673-694, 2004. [13] Baker, E.H. Leading Alignment, CIO Insight 1(45) 19-20, October 15, 2004. [14] Benbya, H. and McKelvey, B. (2006). Using Coevolutionary and Complexity Theories to Improve IS Alignment: A multi-level approach, Journal of Information Technology 21(4): 284-298 [15] Chan, Y.E., Sabherwal, R. and Thatcher, J.B. Antecedents and Outcomes of Strategic IS Alignment: An Empirical Investigation, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management 51(3): 27-47, 2006. [16] Creswell, JW, Research design: qualitative and quantitative approaches, Sage, Thousand Oaks, California, 1994 [17] Tashakkori and Teddlie, Mixed methods in social behavioral Research, Sage Publications, Inc, 2002 [18] Denzin and Lincoln, the Landscape of Qualitative Research, Sage Publications, Inc, 2003 [19] Walsham, Interpretive case studies in IS Research: Nature and Method, European Journal of Information Systems, 1995 Publications 1. Hatem Tamimi, The Effect of Organizational Culture on Information Technology/Business Strategic alignment in Saudi Firms, 1st Annual Research Student Conference, ARU, Cambridge,2006 2. Hatem Tamimi, Ala M. Abu-Samaha Sufian Yousef ,Perceptions of Information Technology/Information Systems Value/ Utilisation in Saudi Organisations Proceedings of the ECIME conference, France, pp 1 12, September 20 21, 2007 3. Hatem Tamimi, The status of IS Planning in Saudi Firms, 2nd Annual Research Student Conference, ARU, Cambridge,2007 4. Hatem Tamimi, Strategic IS Plans; do they exist in Saudi Firms?, IACeT2008,The International Arab Conference on e-Technology, Arab Open University, Amman-Jordan, October 15-16, 2008 Appendix A The Designed Questionnaire Survey On Strategic Information System Planning Assessment in Saudi companies. The objective of this survey is to investigate how Saudi managers use Information Technology (computer-based information, software, database, networks, communication, and other devices) to support their Strategic Planning. Your assistance in providing information regarding how often you use IT systems, the reasons for using these systems, and whether these systems satisfy your informational needs will be greatly appreciated. This survey is conducted under the direction of Mr Mike Smith, Department of Information Technology, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, UK. All responses are confidential and will remain anonymous. The success of this study depends on the completeness and the quality of information you provide. We ask you to be as thorough and free as possible in answering the questions in this. Thank you for your time and cooperation! NOTE: Please answer this questionnaire only if you are a user of Information Technology (computer-based information, software, database, networks, communication, and other devices). If you are not a user of Information Technology would you ask a manager in your corporation who is to complete this questionnaire. I. PERSONAL BACKGROUND 1. Organisation name: 2.Sex (M/F): 3. Age: 4. Education: Please choice highest degree attained (Please choice one): A. High school graduate or less B. Baccalaureate Degree C. Masters Degree D. Doctorate 5. Please indicate (how many) college (University) level courses you have completed in Information Technology (Information Systems, Computer Science, Programming, Networks or Communication). (Please choice one): 0 1 2 3 4 ≠¥5 II. PRESENT JOB RESPONSIBILITIES 6. Functional area (Please choice one) : A. Accounting B. Finance C. Marketing D. Manufacturing E. Research and Development F. Personnel G. Corporate Administration H. Information Systems I. Other (Please specify): 7. A. Management Level (Please choice One): 1. First Line Supervisor or Manager 2. Mid-level Manager (Supervising other managers) 3. Executive (Top) Level Manager (Vice president, President, Chairman of the Board of Directors etc. B. Job Title: III. USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (PC, Software, Databases, Networks, Internet, and other devices): 8. Managers perform a number of Planning roles. For each of the following roles, please indicate the value of IT. (Please choice a number for each role): Decision roles Of Great Value Of Moderate Value No Value At All Does Not Apply Choice A. Capitalist (Identifies and initiates changes) 5 4 3 2 1 0 B. Trouble Handler (Handles important and unexpected troubles) 5 4 3 2 1 0 C. Resource Allocation (Approves and allocates all organisational resources 5 4 3 2 1 0 D. Negotiator (Represents the organisation at major negotiations 5 4 3 2 1 0 1. Planning consists of several steps. For each of the following steps, please indicate the value of IT. (Please choice a number for each step) : Decision steps Of Great Value Of Moderate Value No Value At All Choice A. Identifying problems or issues 5 4 3 2 1 B. Generating alternative courses of action 5 4 3 2 1 C. Evaluating the out comes of each alternative 5 4 3 2 1 D. Ranking the alternatives and choosing one 5 4 3 2 1 E. Implementing the chosen alternative 5 4 3 2 1 2. As a Planner you may use both IT-based and non IT-based in decision making. The percent of IT you use for supporting the following Planning tasks is: (Please choice a number) Decisions >80% 61% to 80% 41% to 60% 21% to 40% None Choice A. Long Term (Strategic) Planning 5 4 3 2 1 0 B. Mid-Term (Tactical) Planning 5 4 3 2 1 0 C. Short Term (Operational) Planning 5 4 3 2 1 0 3. Managers have a mental model (i.e., an image, idea, or conceptualization of the organisation) which they use for planning, controlling and operating purposes. How helpful is the Information Technology Systems (IT) you are presently using in forming or revising the mental model of your corporation? (Please choice a number): Very Helpful Moderately Not Helpful Helpful At All 5 4 3 2 1 12. How valuable is the information the existing IT provides to your mental model in guiding your planning, controlling and operating decisions? (Please choice a number): Of Great Value Of Moderate Value Of No Value At All 5 4 3 2 1 13. Overall, how important is IT for Planning that are critical to the success and effectiveness of your managerial duties? (Please choice a number): Very Important Moderately Important Not Important At All 5 4 3 2 1 Iv. SOURCES AND TOOLS USED TO OBTAIN IT-BASED INFORMATION 14. You obtain the IT-based you use for Planning mainly (Please choice one): A. By yourself B. Through a designated person C. Through a request to an information systems group D. Other (Please specify): 15. Please indicate, on the average, how many hours per week you actually use a personal computer (PC) or a terminal to obtain computer-based information which is essential for the performance of your duties. (Please choice one): A. >16 hours B. 9 -16 hours C. 5 -8 hours D. 1 -4 hours E. 16. Please indicate the average number of hours per week use each of the following hardware pieces: A. I dont use any hardware pieces. Yes/No? Hours/week hours B. 1. Stand-alone personal computer (PC) hours 2. PC or other terminal connected to an internet hours 3. PC or other terminal connected to an â€Å"On-line† distributed computer system hours 4. PC or other terminal connected to a Local Area Network (LAN) hours 5. Other (Please specify) : hours 17. Please indi