The Problem And Proposed Solutions

The Digital Divide debate encompasses issues that are of social, economic and political import. Meaning to say, the issues regarding the digital divide, as a phenomenon and as a current concern that needs to be addressed, is not merely limited to the issue of the existing disparity in terms of access to technology which transverses different sectors of society. This paper attempts to explicate the digital divide, the debate and the foundational issues concerning the phenomenon/problem.In line with the main task of this paper is the identification of the two most important obstacles that need to be overcome and the two important things that the government needs to create in dealing with the digital divide. In meeting the demands of a global economy, technological advancements especially in the field of telecommunications and information technology are key factors in making possible various transactions faster, cheaper, more reliable and convenient. Needless to say, these technological advances are important tools if companies and other business ventures are to survive in the digital economy.These technological advancements however, are evolving far too fast which consequently generate pressing problems that ought to be considered. On a preliminary note, the aforementioned rapid technological evolution poses serious questions if our societal structures can rapidly adapt to these changes and more importantly, if we, ourselves can rapidly adapt and be able to integrate for ourselves these changes. A good example is the Internet and the online community and it is to this topic that we shall now turn.A fuller understanding of the digital divide phenomenon necessitates an understanding of its underpinnings. As Pippa Norris contends, â€Å"the digital divide is understood as a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing three distinct aspects† (Norris). These three distinct aspects according to Norris are the global divide, social divide and democratic divide, resp ectively. Norris elucidates further, â€Å"The global divide refers to divergence of Internet access between industrialized and developing societies.The social divide concerns the gap between the information rich and poor in each nation. And lastly, within the online community, the democratic divide signifies the difference between those who do, and do not, use the panoply of digital resources to engage, mobilize and participate in public life† (Norris). One may thus infer that these three aspects related to the issue of ‘access’ to the Internet involve not mere social, but also economic and political considerations.In an article entitled, What is the Digital Divide, Harouna Ba makes a similar point as Norris. Ba writes, â€Å"lack of access to networked technology will result in a substantial segment of society having neither the skills nor the means to participate in the progressively more knowledge-based U. S. economy† (Ba). As Ba contends, there is a f elt need to address the issue of access along with the social, economic and political considerations that it entails. At this point, the emphasis is on what Norris calls disadvantaged communities.As mentioned earlier, these communities lack not merely access but also and more importantly, the necessary skills and the means to participate in the digital world. Ba identifies a number of obstacles in dealing with the digital divide phenomenon/problem. But, as I reckon it, in relation to the issue of access, the two most important obstacles in dealing with the digital divide are the issues of the disadvantaged communities’ not having the skills that are necessary and their lack of the means that are necessary.These two are barriers to technological access. One may thus infer that the issue of access only becomes a legitimate issue because of these two obstacles. Again, it is not merely a matter of providing the communities with a greater access to computers and the Internet by lo wering the cost of the hardware and software that hardware and software companies manufacture and sell in the market nor is it merely a matter of increasing the ratio of computers to students in our schools and other institutions of learning.This will not solve the digital divide. The solution to the problem lies on our capability to the address the needs of the disadvantaged communities. There is a need for intervention, so to speak. The government has a significant role in addressing these needs. However, the government’s intervention will not suffice. There is a need for a multi-sectoral cooperation in addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities. A crucial question comes into the scenario. What needs to be done?As Ba sees it, what is needed is to develop community-based technology programs that will support the needs of disadvantaged communities. Ba writes, â€Å"Community technology access models are often grounded on community needs and encompass multiple goals to strengthen neighborhoods, educate youth, promote economic development, connect individuals to the social and economic life of the community, and increase participation in civil society† (Ba). It is of utmost importance that we first assess the needs of the community so that we may provide the appropriate solutions.Furthermore, it is important that technology programs be based on the needs of disadvantaged communities so that these communities themselves may have the opportunity to identify and thereby, integrate what the vital functions of technology are to them and the opportunities that it can provide for them. Such an integration entails that a disadvantaged community sees the relevance of technology in their lives. It may thus be inferred that for Ba, the digital divide may be addressed by people empowerment.Our concerted efforts must be directed to empowering the disadvantaged sectors of society. How can this be done? People empowerment is made possible through community education. As Ba contends, there is a lot of work to be done especially in â€Å"the areas of learning and teaching with and/or about advanced technologies in informal settings for under-served communities† (Ba). This is one of the main reason why government initiatives and interventions in the past only had a limited success in dealing with the digital divide phenomenon.There indeed are initiatives and interventions but they do not address the problem. They miss the point, so to speak. As Ba notes, state governments attempt to address the digital divide via two government agencies; the Public Utility Commission (PUC) and the Department of Education. The PUC by appealing to telecommunication companies and the likes for universal service and the Department of Education by making provisions for computers in school for those students that do not have access to a computer and the Internet at home.These attempts miss the point because they have been made on the unfounded assumpti on that the digital divide issue is merely an issue of ‘access’ and thus, can be solved by making computers and the Internet more accessible to individuals. But what can these initiatives and interventions accomplish if in the first place, the problem is that individuals from disadvantaged sectors of society lack the necessary skills and the means to be able to access and thereby, utilize technology? The plain truth of the matter is that technology evolves much faster than society can adapt to it.Furthermore, why limit the provisions with the students? Why not youth in general? Why exclude out-of-school youth? This merely shows that the limited success of state initiatives and interventions may be explained by the fact that their assumption is unfounded and that their digital divide programs are not grounded on community needs and thus, ineffective. The digital divide phenomenon/problem is not merely a problem of access. The preceding discussion makes it clear that it i s not a mere matter of identifying â€Å"the have from the have not†.Even this distinction is grounded on further distinctions in terms of the social, economic and the political. These further distinctions albeit different from each other, are very closely interrelated that they all affect changes in the others. Human society is complex. It is not simply a social system. It is also a political system and every political system is also an economic system. The human mind too is complex. There are countless possibilities in terms of scientific and technological advancements. Science and technology evolves too fast.In contrast to science and technology, our societal structures and institutions do not. They do not because there are many other significant things to consider. Perhaps, this is the predicament of our time. Works Cited Ba, Harouna. â€Å"What Is Digital Divide†. August 20 2007. . Norris, Pippa. Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Inter net Worldwide (Communication, Society and Politics). Cambridge Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Arthur Miller increases the tension within the play Essay

In this piece of coursework I will be analysing the tragic play â€Å"A view from the bridge† specifically pages 35 to 42. I also will be discussing how the author Arthur Miller increases the tension within the play which continues to create an impact towards the later stages of the play. The play tells us a story of Eddie which has already happened. This is why Alfieri takes the role of two crucial characters in the play: a chorus and the role of a lawyer. When I say chorus I mean he doesn’t just tell us the story but reflects on the story as well as telling us what to feel and think of the tragedy, just like the ancient Greek chorus. I believe that the title â€Å"A view from the bridge† is a metaphor for the role Alfieri plays due to the reason that he is a Sicilian American lawyer who probably lives in a lat in Manhattan however he crosses the bridge to a poor estate called Brooklyn. This helps us understand Alfieri is a chorus that who is like eyes looking down from the bridge. When Alfieri says â€Å"I knew, I knew then and there I could have finished the whole story then and there† Alfieri using the technique of doubling shows that he is confident and tries to make the audience in awe of the play I also believe that miller created the character Alfieri as his voice to express his feelings and tell the audience what he Miller thinks through Alfieri because when Alfieri says â€Å"it wasn’t as though a mystery to un ravel. I could see every step coming† this shows that Alfieri knows what will happen next yet unlike Miller, Alfieri is powerless to help Eddie this is shown when Alfieri says â€Å"I sat here many afternoons asking myself why, being an intelligent man, I was so powerless to stop it†. The play uses a great deal of dramatic irony as a technique to keep us interested in the play due to the reason that we are privileged miller gives us insights into the play letting us the audience know what some of the characters are not aware of. For example, when Rudolpho says â€Å"lemons are green† trying to correct Eddie, Eddie replies â€Å"I know lemons are green for Christ’s sake† Eddie says this in a angry tone leaving Rudolpho to wonder why Eddie just snapped at him like that however the audience know that Eddie is boiling with rage at Rudolpho who is stealing the women he loves and Rudolpho is everything Eddie cannot be The audience is also aware of the strain Eddie who is simmering with rage feels as he cannot deals with his love for Catherine. Alfieri sums up these feelings when he says â€Å"we all love somebody, the wife, the kids – every mans got somebody they love, heh? But sometimes†¦ there’s too much†¦ and it goes where it mustn’t. † Eddie hates the fact that Catherine should have relationships with anyone except him. Eddie is jealous of Catherine and Rodolpho’s relationship because Catherine loves him and not Eddie: he doesn’t like the fact that his feelings are one way only Tension is built up by the lack of ability of characters to communicate. An example of this is when Beatrice says Eddie is not a proper husband: â€Å"your wife gettin’ the money alright, Marco? MARCO â€Å"oh, yes† this shows that Beatrice is indirectly asking to Eddie why he cannot be a proper husband and care for his wife like Marco does. However through what I have read and gathered. To my understanding Beatrice is very loyal, compassionate and patient towards Eddie as she knows about Eddies feelings towards Catharine. â€Å"well be an uncle then† when she says this Beatrice is trying to remind Eddie that he is only her uncle and nothing else. In addition to that she is also trying indicate that Eddie is being overprotective as if he is her boyfriend. Miller also builds up the suspense and tension at the end of act 1 by showing Marco’s true strength when he lifts a chair from one corner with one hand keeping it straight, â€Å"raised like a weapon†, above Eddie’s head. This leaves us with a sort of cliffhanger in which the end of act 1 has changed the course of the story and has added to the mystery of Marco and his relationship with Eddie. To wrap up I would say that Miller builds up the tension and suspense between 35 to 42 due to the reason that he is ending act 1 so he has to create suspense so that the audience come back for act two anticipating what will happen next. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Principles of the Human Relations Movement

Principles of the Human Relations Movement Free Online Research Papers In today’s successful organisations, the most important focus is managing individual employee satisfaction and motivation, apart from complying with formal rules and operating procedures, to maintain high quality productivity. Unlike the classical perspectives of management such as Scientific Management and Bureaucracy, â€Å"the importance of informal social factors in the work place such as co-worker relationships and group norms that influence employee motivation and performance is highlighted† (Macky Johnson, 2003, p.82) under the ‘Human Relations Movement’. This essay will discuss how the Human Relations Movement has been adapted and carried out successfully in New Zealand by the restaurant chain, Starbucks Coffee. By focusing on the principles of maintaining a socialised natural group working environment and two-way communication between employees and managers, this essay will demonstrate how they became the most powerful and well-known coffee franchise restaurant in New Zealand market. To start with, the Human Relations Movement firstly emphasises the importance of the working environment for employees as a socialised natural group in which social aspects for both employees and managers take precedence over functional organisational structures. Elton Mayo, who was called â€Å"the founder of both the Human Relations Movement and of industrial sociology† (Pugh Hickson, 1989, P.152), had the basic idea that â€Å"workers had strong social needs which they tried to satisfy through membership of informal social groups at work place† (Nicholson, 1998, p.215). Opposing the classical perspectives of management principles of the Scientific Management and Bureaucracy, Mayo claimed that scientifically clarified rules, strict work procedure and incentive money payments were not the only stimulus to inspire workers and that they were â€Å"less factors in determining output than were group standards, sentiments and security† (Robbins, Millett Waters-Mar sh, 2004, p.815-816) after he proceeded an experiment, called the ‘Hawthorne Experiment’. According to the Hawthorne Studies, employees were motivated to work harder and efficiently when managers provided a more comfortable and informal working environment taking into account individual satisfaction and their personal needs rather than manipulating employees by way of higher remuneration. Mayo demonstrated that an organisation could not generate much beneficial output if managers â€Å"treat workers simply as economic individuals wanting to maximise pay and minimise effort† (cited Nicholson, 1998, p.215). As a result, â€Å"managers would no longer consider the issue of organisation design without including the effects on work groups and employee attitudes† (Robbins Barnwell, 2006, p.47). They now see their jobs as dealing with human beings rather than simply with work. One of the most well-known and influencing coffee franchise restaurants in New Zealand, Starbucks Coffee, tries its best to offer an informal and social working environment in which employees can enjoy themselves and be enthusiastic, in order to satisfy and motivate those employees at the same time increasing company sales. The company expects and encourages every employee to participate in developing plans, creating and achieving their goals. First of all, Starbucks Coffee, for example, treats every employee equally and they are all called ‘partners’. Therefore, those employees can feel more familiar and closer to their work place which could otherwise have been formal and difficult to feel part of. Also, Starbucks Coffee puts its effort into paying attention to employees, so as to satisfy their personal needs and wants. Managers schedule and allocate employees’ work hours and schedule time off with the needs of those employees being central. Additionally, emplo yees, including part-time employees, for instance, are provided a number of benefits such as medical and dental health care coverage, vacations, discounts on merchandise, etc, apart from money. Also, Starbucks Coffee develops tools and courses to support and train employees towards their future career development. Although the costs of these partner benefits are rapidly rising, Starbucks Coffee covers the financial risks and funds to display benefits and training courses, because it is aware how employee satisfaction affects the productivity and behaviour towards customers. Accordingly, great treatment of employees in the well-developed and humanly concentrated environment has brought Starbucks Coffee much impact on the high quality services to customers and thus an increase in company sales each year. In addition to the Human Relations Management being focused on the importance of the working environment for employees as a socialised natural group that is aimed at satisfying personal needs and wants of each employee, there is another significant principle of the Human Relations Movement. This is two way communications between employees and managers. According to the Hawthorne experiment, which was performed by Elton Mayo, as explained above, Bartol (2005) advocates that â€Å"collaborative and co-operative supervisor-and-worker relationships was emphasised† (Bartol, Tein, Matthews Martin, 2005, P.43) Mayo carried out an experiment about the effects of physical conditions of work. During the experiment, he observed the impact on the productivity of workers by varying the lighting conditions, however there was no particular change found that affected workers. Mayo (1932, P.153, as cited in Pugh Hickson, 1989) eventually realised that â€Å"communication between workers an d the research team was very full and open throughout the experimental period.† Mayo had discovered that the communication was one of the most effective fundamentals to stimulate the motivation of employees so as to boom a level of production. Unlike the classical perspectives of management principles of the Scientific Management and Bureaucracy, which stated the significance of one way communication by giving orders and requirements from managers to workers, the Human Relations Movement stresses â€Å"the importance of an adequate communication system, particularly upwards from workers to management (Pugh Hickson, 1989, P.155). In today’s organisations, employees have a right to express and indicate their opinions and personal thoughts towards the management, so that the decisions can be made widely throughout whole organisation. As a result, in order to operate this management system, the role of managers in the organisation requires them to have â€Å"social skil ls as well as technical skills† (Bartol, Tein, Matthews Martin, 2005, P.43) to understand the influence of human control on organisational outputs. Starbucks, for instance, performs its operations under the principles of the Human Relations Movement by displaying two-way communication between employees and managers in their work environment. In the first place, Starbucks Coffee ensures all its policies, standards and procedures are communicated between employees and managers. Managers in this organisation allow employees to provide their own suggestions and complaints, therefore Starbucks Coffee can improve its effectiveness and correct any deficiencies. The managers conduct daily and weekly interviews to listen to what individual employees want. Starbucks Coffee also holds a special survey for employees every 18 to 24 months, called a ‘Partner View Survey’. By operating this survey, employees give the management feedback as they are requested to point out what in the organisation performs well and issues which it needs to consider more closely. In addition, Starbucks supplies training courses for managers so that t hey can act as role models for employees and can lead and control employees in a positive manner. This organisation is concerned about the importance of personal control with every employee so as to construct a closer and informal relationship with each other. Starbucks Coffee is hence continuing to develop passionate, motivated employees who have a large impact on their consistent sale increases. As stated so far, the Human Relations Movement is mainly based on the satisfaction and motivation of each individual employee rather than a formally structured organisational group. As distinct from Scientific Management and Bureaucracy, a socialised natural work environment for employees and two-way communication between employees and managers, especially upwards from employees to managers, conceptualises the Human Relations Movement. Starbucks Coffee could become one of the most successful coffee franchise restaurants in New Zealand, because it has adapted well to and operate effectively in modern management based on the Human Relations Movement. Managers show their respect towards individual employee by treating every employee equally. Also the organisation offers employees a lot of personal benefits rather than incentives. Besides, the management in Starbuck Coffee open their minds to communicate efficiently with employees as they conduct a survey, interview and receive feedback. Overall, as a result, the Human Relations Movement is an obviously essential method of the management that modern organisations must apply to operate as a successful and influencing business in the market. 1359 Words Reference List Badol, K., Tein, M., Matthews, G. Martin D. (2005). Management: A Pacific Rim Focus 4E. Mc Graw Hill Australia. James, H. (2003). The Gurus who created Modern Management and why their ideas are bad for Business today. Cambridge. MA Perseus Books Group. Macky, K. Johnson, G. (2003). Managing Human Resources in New Zealand (2nd ed.). Mc Graw Hill Australia. Nicholson, N. (1998). Encyclopedic Dictionary of Organisational Behaviour. Blackwell. Pugh, D.S. Hickson, D.J. (1989). Writers on Organisations – An invaluable introduction to the ideas and arguments of leading writers on MGMT (4th ed). Penguin Business. Robbins, S.P. Barnwell, N. (2006). Organisation Theory – Concepts and cases (5th ed.). Pearson education Australia. Robbins, S.P. Judge, T.A. (2007). Organisational Behavior. Robbins, S.P., Millett, B. Waters-Marsh. (2004). Organisational Behaviour. Pearson. 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Alcan - IT Principles Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Alcan - IT Principles - Case Study Example The rate of change in the operating environment is subject to consumer demand, government regulations, or fundamental changes in the proprietary technologies. Alan is in the mining sector with operations in primary metal, engineering products, packaging, and Bauxite and Alumina (Dube, Berner & Roy 2009). These areas of interest are very mature technologically with well-developed value chains. There is very little groundbreaking change that can force system-wide changes to the business processes. As compared to fields like IT and electronics, the areas of interest of Alcan are slow to change. Therefore, on the scale of change, we conclude that Alcan is an organization that does not change rapidly. Analyzing the operations of the company by sources of competitive advantage shows that the company relies on efficient operations to improve its bottom line. Again, the products developed by Alcan have been in the market for a very long time and the applications are not changing in any significant way to warrant the use of development of new products as a source of competitive advantage. For instance, the technology for making soft drink cans relies on the aluminium sheet produced by Alcan. Therefore, Alcan cannot rely on developing better sheets for making cans as a source of competitive advantage (Dube, Berner & Roy 2009). These two characteristics classify Alcan as an efficient, predictable operator. There are five governance archetypes used in IT governance according to Weill and Ross. They include Business Monarchy, IT monarchy, Federal System, IT Duopoly, Feudal and Anarchy. The archetypes delineate governance systems that span from a very centralized system to completely unmitigated structures. Alcan is at different levels in each of the five decision areas identified by Weill and Ross. The development of the global IT direction for the organization has not been the role of any one person. In fact, the case shows that each business unit developed its own IT agenda and pursued its own direction in IT development.  Ã‚  

FDI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

FDI - Essay Example ssets in a domestic facility.2 In a foreign direct investment scenario there are normally two parties that are involved; the foreign affiliate and the parent business enterprise when the two are combined they form the multinational company. For instance, if a United Kingdom company decides to make a takeover of the majority stake in a South African and thus assumes its operations then that is a typical example of a foreign direct investment. The South African firm is the parent business company while the UK Company is the international business affiliate for that particular investment. However, that is not the only form that foreign direct investment has to be conducted it can take varied form depending on the interests of the parties concerned, as well as the environment of that particular investment.3 There are two primary types of foreign direct investment namely; inward foreign direct investment and outward foreign direct investment. Inward foreign direct investment occurs when there is an investment of foreign capital in the local resources. For instance, a Canadian firm takes over a significant stake in United Kingdom mining company and thus assumes its operations. Countries are making efforts to attract inward foreign direct investment since they stimulate economic growth as well they inject new capital into the economy thus making it more robust.4 Various countries implement different foreign direct investment regimes depending on their need to attract foreign investments in their economy. Some of the common factors that determine growth of inward foreign direct investment include; tax breaks from the government in that sense that foreign firms are allowed tax relaxation to a certain extent to encourage more inward investment for foreign based organization. Low-interest rates are yet another collective initiative that governments implement to facilitate the uptake of inward foreign investment from overseas companies in order to stimulate the local