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

Marketing Ethics and Regulation - Essay Example The code of ethics is one which would really help marketers make the correct choices in many aspects of running a business from determining the price, the promotional materials one makes available to public, accuracy in the representation of the product, support claims made about the product, to the kind of message those advertisements would effect to, and a lot more (Marketing Code of Ethics, n.d.). Aside from these internal factors needed to be considered, a marketer would also have to think about giving the best and what is best to not only their customers but at the same time their employees which is more known as Corporate Social Responsibility. With all these responsibilities that one would be facing as a marketer, the code of ethics would be of utmost help. What is the basic idea of being able to align your business to what is ethical? Well, it is said that the simplest basis of doing so would be making sure you act according to the law. The code of ethics is this law plus all the other specifications that a marketer could possibly encounter that the law would no longer be able to provide for. It reminds any marketer to be responsible for anything they do especially in those situations where there is a grey area wherein it is so easy to succumb to a deceptive marketing. One example of which would be perhaps undergoing cost cutting by choosing a more harmful packaging which is cheaper but could harm your consumers while you justify the act that it is for the common good as you would not have to fire any employee and at the same time cutting cost for your consumers. Indeed, the code of ethics really come into play in pushing a marketer to make the right decision not just according to one point of view but in looking at all the angles of a certain decision (Marketing Tutorials, News, How-to and More, n.d). With

Ranking of the Top 10 Undergraduate Programs in Hospitality Research Paper

Ranking of the Top 10 Undergraduate Programs in Hospitality - Research Paper Example Hospitality management is also a comprehensive area of interest that focuses on teaching the students about the management, administration, supervision, marketing, advertising, promotion, and operations of hotels, resorts, restaurants, and travel administration that take account of the cuisine and nourishment, accommodations and tourism facilities for the people. The administration and surveillance of the hospitality management is very confronting as it includes all the actions, movements, endeavor, avocation, and entertainment of the guests from the occasion of their arrival into the hotel, restaurant, or theatre until they depart (Clarke &  Chen, 2007). The management has to prove them complaisant and malleable in an adequate amount so that they are able to fulfill the needs and requirements of their guests in a gratifying and pleasing manner. These courses of study enhances the students’ interpersonal, verbal and non-verbal communication abilities and people skills so tha t the students can develop, improve and enhance their leadership and managerial capabilities and teamwork strategies.  Hospitality management program also develop and augment the entrepreneurial skills of the students that escalates them in their careers and their confidence to do something on own.  There are numerous universities and schools present in todays time throughout the world and especially in the United States region that offer the undergraduate and graduate level programs of hospitality management but the world ranking schools are few that has distinguished and distinct themselves on their exclusive and inimitable standards (Clarke &  Chen, 2007). 1. Cornell University School for Hotel Administration Amongst the world’s top universities/schools that provide the education with majors in Hospitality Management is ‘Cornell University School for Hotel Administration’ (Cornell Univeristy, 2011). This hotel management school plays a distinctive role f rom others due to the reason that it provides the capable, endowed, and predetermined students with a wide range of expert educators, professors, trainers, and researchers with ultra modern and high-tech environment for the knowledge and education. In addition, they provide the students with a sturdy structure of set of business courses that is crucial and vital for hospitality management, as the business management is the cornerstone of it (Corgel & Sturman & Verma, 2011). Image: (Cornell, 2011) Furthermore, the university offers the students to get learning in one of the best and comfortable classrooms, labs, auditoriums and lecture halls and many more where the practical implementations are also a key part of the learning. The prime focus of the university is to develop, anticipate, and furnish their qualities and skills so that they get a leading edge over others in their areas of interests. Associations, group effort, alliance with other students are also the highlighting featu res that the university accentuates.  The official website of â€Å"the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration† (Cornell University, 2011) provides a comprehensive detail of the university program, features, and other details (Corgel & Sturman & Verma, 2011). 2. University of Nevada – Las Vegas ‘University of Nevada at Las Vegas’

Innocents Market Entry In Spain

Innocents Market Entry In Spain Introduction To evaluate the possibility of a market entry in Spain, a brief analysis concerning the company and the market will be conducted in this report. Chapter 1: Profile of the innocent company The large-scale company Innocent Ltd was founded by three friends in London in 1999, where it also has its headquarter and today employees about 275 people (Datamonitor 2009). Before they could start their business they had to find and investor, which was very difficult, as they wanted to go on a competitive market, the big drink and food industry. (Germain Reed p. 48 2009) The UK juice market is dominated by Pepsico owned Tropicana and Copella which is the parent company of the PJ smoothie brand. (Germain Reed p. 111 2009) The product range consists of â€Å"smoothies, smoothies for kids, superfruit smoothies, thickies† followed by â€Å"orange juice† and â€Å"veg pots† in 2008 and extended by â€Å"pure fruit squeezies† for kids in 2009 and a recipe book is available. (innocent 2009) The company has a strong brand image standing for natural, healthy and tasty products. They describe their main values as follows: â€Å"Natural, entrepreneurial, responsible, commercial and generous.† (p. 79) Thereby they created a USP by using only natural ingredients and this leads to a competitive advantage against their major competitors â€Å"Merrydown Plc., Kallo Foods Ltd., Princes Limited, SHS Group Ltd. and Britvic Plc.†(Datamonitor 2009) Innocent can be associated with a social and environmental responsible business, which can be seen in a large number of charity and environmental projects. In general a minimum of 10 % is given to Charity each year (Germain Reed p. 83 2009). Through developed communities on facebook, twitter und youtube Innocent is in a continuous informal dialog with their customers. The multilingual webpage provides consumers with detailed information about Innocent, their operations and an advisor page about healthy eating. (innocent 2009) In contrast innocents deal with Mc Donalds to sell the kids smoothies aroused discussions concerning the brand image. It was found that innocent had put sugar in their Juicy Water in 2007. (Daily Telegraph, 2007) There had been some controversial discussions about the production of smoothies, if they are really fresh and natural when the fruit and ingredients travel on a long way. (Donoghue, 2008) In the first three years sales increased from 2 to 16 million euro. S. 64 the predicted turnover will be between 105 and 110 million pounds in 2009. (Tryhorn Sweney 2009) Innocent is the market leader in its product segment in Europe (Daniel 2009) which serves a niche market and has an 82% market share in the UK. (IRI Infoscan 2009) In general the market decreases but in 2009 Innocents sales increased again, e.g. due to the new product vegetable potsâ€Å". (Sibun 2009) Markets Currently the company operates in the European market in 13 countries. Innocent launched its smoothies at first in the UK and then in Ireland, which was a logical step, as the market provided the lowest risk because of similar conditions. Today Ireland is innocents second largest market. (Germain Reed 2009) Innocent incrementally entered the following markets: Germany, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Finland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark. (Germain Reed, p. 64, 2009) Channels The company concentrates on its core competences are RD and Marketing, such as creating new recipes and their knowledge about fruit in general and creating a brand image. All the manufacturing parts of the business are outsourced to their partners, which saves them a lot of money, because they do not need to invest in technical equipment for the production process. (Germain Reed, p. 58, 2009) Moreover they have subsidiaries in Ireland, France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany. (Reed, 2007) Innocent has distribution partners selling their products to over 10,000 retailers. (innocent 2009) In the UK the innocent products are available in all Sainsburys, Waitrose, Somerfield supermarkets and in some branches of Morrisons, Budgens, Tesco, Safeway and Asda. Furthermore the products are available in chains such as Starbucks, Bagel Factory, Boots, Booths, Road Chef, Welcome Break, Moto, EAT, OBriens and in â€Å"independent sandwhich shops, delis, health food places and the odd meditation centre.† (innocent 2009) Furthermore premium food outlets and food halls of well known department stores should underline their image of quality food. (Germain Reeds, p.122, 2009) The latest discussion this year was the investment of Coca-Cola as a minority stakeholder with 10 20 % for 30 million pounds. It seems to be a common issue for niche companies that they need more capital to grow but at the same time need to convince people that they are still the same company with the same values. Innocent published a statement on their website. They will use the capital to invest in their European expansion. (Thryhorn Sweney 2009) Chapter 2: Analysis of the Spanish market For the assessment of the Spanish market potential for innocent smoothies it is necessary to carry out a market analysis which can be done by following the 12 C framework and Porters five forces. First of all general information about the country and a focus on the macro environmental factors is needed to get an overview about the political, economic, socio cultural, legal regulatory and technological forces a company might have to deal with in that market. Country: The Kingdom of Spain has a population of 40 million inhabitants that live in a country of 499,542 km ². (p. 10) Political forces: Spain is a member of the EU which has a close integration with other members and profits from EU economic supports that helped the nation for a better standard of living. (Country Report, p. 3) Spain has a parliament monarchy (p. 36) which is ruled by a government with a thin majority at the moment and is therefore dependent of regional parties such as the Catalan and Basque to precede new legislations. This has a negative effect on the promptness of economic processes (p. 14) The federal structure with its regional units autonomy faces difficulties with Basque and Catalonia which fight for independence and that represents a risk of political instability (p. 15) Economic forces: As every country, Spain has to deal with recession and the GDP growth is expected to be negative with 2% (p. 49) Furthermore this country has the biggest drop of all developed nations to 1.8 % in annual economic growth in 2009 (p. 17) Since 2008 the major challenges the country has to deal with are falling inflation and the level of unemployment which is very high and might increase further. (p. 17) Weak domestic demand is also a result of the crisis (p. 2) But the financial system itself is well-developed and integrated into international financial markets. Normally the Spanish banks stand for a high standard of solvency. (p. 3) Along to lines of the EU recovery plan, Spain has implemented some activities such as tax cuts and investment projects to stimulate the economy (p. 54) as well as a fiscal stimulus package that should help increasing investments. (p. 3) In general the economic crises with all its effects leads to an economic slowdown and a long-lasting recov ery period. (p. 16) Social cultural forces: The official language is Spanish, but in certain regions the people speak Catalan, Basque and Galician. The main religion is Roman Catholic which a company should keep in mind when creating advertisement. (p. 10) Spain has to face the problem of an aging population and unemployment which increases an inequality in income and causes social tension as well as the increasing immigration in Spain. (p. 4) The income differs as well between the different regions. (p. 22) The tertiary education grows which could provide the opportunities for companies to get well educated people in that country. (p. 3) Most of the population that means around 78 % of the people live in urban areas around the big cities and many of them around the capital Madrid. (p. 65) Legal regulatory forces: Improvement of legal climate was made by the Spanish government with several reforms such as reduction in tax rates and foreign investment regulations are simplified. (p. 80) Government has an important role in wage fixation (p. 2) which could be important to know if companies develop a subsidiary in Spain. In general the intervention of the government in the market is a challenge. (p. 27) Because the legal Spanish rules and trade regulations are adapted to EU standards business across borders should be easier now. (p. 80) Spain has a high economic freedom score and is on 16th place among 43 countries. Property rights, business, trade, financial and investment freedom are very strong. In contrast to that it is weak in government size, labour and fiscal freedom. (p. 83) Technological forces: Weak input form venture capitalists and private sector causes a lack of entrepreneurship and innovation. (p. 23) Compared to other EU members Spain has been not so quick in adopting technological advancements, but there are things done to change it. (p.71) For example the communication and information segment grew fast in 2002-2006 (p. 73) The environmental policies were created by following EU guidelines (p. 4) and different measures are or will be implemented to reduce impact on climate change (p. 8) Impact of hot climate and a possible gap in water supply may influence some companys production process. (p. 88) (Datamonitor Country Analysis Report Spain, April 2009) Market-specific analysis The juice market includes products from concentrate and not concentrated juice as well as fruit and vegetable drinks and nectars. (Juice Report, p. 7) Market potential: The market value for beverages constantly increases in Spain and has an overall growth of 49% from 1999 2012. (Datamonitor table 2009) The beverage industry can be divided in different categories. The smoothies belong to the soft drinks under non-alcoholic beverages. In comparison to the other non-alcoholic beverages smoothies have the highest market value growth in Europe from 1999 2012 with 458 %. (Datamonitor table 2009) To evaluate the market potential for innocent smoothies in Spain it would be necessary to gather more concrete data. Market size: Spain has a population of 40 million people (Country Report, p. 10) Fruit drinks from juice/concentrate have the highest market share with 36.3 % by value in Spain. 100 % fruit juice that means not from concentrate has a market share of 16.6 % by value in 2008 and the vegetable juice 21%. (Juice Report, p11) Hence there is a market for innocents smoothies but as in other countries it is only a niche market. Market growth: In 2008 the total revenue was $ 2.4 billion, that means an annually grow with a rate of 2.2 % in the period of 2004-2008 and it is expected to reach $ 2.7 million by the end of 2013. (Juice report, p. 7) Profit potential: Until 2013 the market volume is expected to grow with a rate of 2.8% annually. The market volume is expected to increase with 14.8 %. (Juice Report,p.29) The market value is predicted to grow until 2013 with a rate of 2,5 %. (Juice Report, p. 28 ) Indirect competitors: In the beverage industry, especially non-alcoholic drinks, softdrinks: concentrates, functional drinks, juices, bottled water, carbonates, tea, coffee, hot drinks, baby drinks are indirect competitors. (Datamonitor table 2009) Concentration: The Spanish drink retail market is less concentrated in comparison to other countries in the EU. (Juice Report, p. 15) It is necessary to find a statistic where the spread and number of different supermarkets or chains can be seen all over Spain, to decide which retailer could be the most effective for innocent. Therefore it is also important to keep in mind that most of the population lives in urban areas around the big cities. Culture/consumer behaviour: Spain is a typical Mediterranean country with different cultural groupings. (see socio cultural forces) How the Spanish people decide for products and what has the major influence on their purchasing behaviour should be analysed in more detail with a closer look on their lifestyle. In general it is known that they live how it comes and are more spontaneous. But one of the purchasing influences could be that the income between regions and people is really different. (Country report, p.22) Choices: If innocent should launch there products on that market requires a deeper analysis of the companys possible strengths and weaknesses in the Spanish market. As well as on the other European markets. innocent has a niche product and has to compete against global big players in the beverage industry. Their strength is the natural product with environmental and social business ethics. The analysis of suppliers is also necessary. The supplier power is not that strong because numerous operate as small companies. The fruit and vegetable growers sell to with the help of wholesalers or directly to manufacturers. (Juice Report p. 16) For innocent it could be possible to order their fruits from Spanish fruit suppliers which could also help them with their image that they support local companies in their supply chain. Competitors on the Spanish juice market are Juver Alimentacion, S.A. with a 13.3 % market share by volume, followed by PepsiCo, Inc. with a market share of 6.3 % and J. Garcia Carrion with 5.6 %. (Juice Report, p. 13) Juver Alimentaction S.L.U company has a wide range of brands and operates mainly in the Spanish market and also exclusive in restaurants. (p.20) PepsiCo, Inc. is a global player with a wide range of brands and products in the food and beverage industry. (p. 23) J Garcia Carrion produces wine, fruit juice and soft drinks operates primarily in Spain. (p. 26) Other beverage products are indirect competitors which the company has to keep in mind. New entrants is possible as well through product diversification of an operating company in this market or for example a foreign companies export products which would be innocent (Juice report p.17) How much of the Spanish juice market is from imported products and how open the consumer is to non national product needs to be find out. Consumption: Demand for juice can be found in Spain as mentioned before, the market share and value of juice is increasing. A deeper end use analysis should be made by the innocent company for their smoothies. A threat of substitutes such as other non-alcoholic drinks as mentioned before can be found on the Spanish market because switching cost would be relatively low for retailers and consumers. (Juice Report p.18) Contractual obligation: Spain is a member of the EU and therefore business practice, ways of insurance and legal obligations should be similar to the other countries innocent already operates in. (See legal + economic forces) For specific matters the company should cooperate maybe with lawyers or business people in that country. Commitments: To extend their products to the Spanish market innocent has the advantage that Spain is a country of the European Union. Trade incentives and barriers should be moderate. But as stated in the Country Report on p. 17 the EU has comparatively high import tarrifs for fruit juice which could make retailers not import juice from foreign countries. Channels: The market access would be in geographical term easy to proceed. Spain has a well developed infrastructure with ports, airports and one of the best railway systems in Western Europe (Country Report p. 24) Innocent could use most of their current supply chain which would save them time and money. The distribution system in the Spanish juice market is dominated by on-trade with 27.9 % followed by independent retailers 25.2%, supermarkets/hypermarkets 24.9 % and 22% others. (Juice Report p. 27) Communication: Media infrastructure as stated in technological forces is growing and available to reach the target group. Marketing in collaboration with retailers and on TV might be the most effective way to reach the target group. In the big cities big adverts might be also a good solution. It would be good to do further evaluation of the costs of the different modes and how often people watch TV or which media such as newspaper, internet and mobiles they use in which way. This also should include how and through which channels the Spanish people do their shopping. Innocent could also use their company cars for promotion tours. Capacity to pay: As found out in the economic forces the unemployment is high and income divers among the people and between the regions, so that it is reasonably that the capacity to pay is very different across the Spanish country and probably higher in big cities. The price level is 10 % lower than the EU average. (eurostat, p. 4)To find out more about the culture of pricing and trends, how insurance terms work and what common conditions of payment are in Spain, a more specific analysis is needed. The ECB controls the fiscal policy in Spain because it is a member of the EU. Price stability is a main intention of the central bank in Spain. (Country Report p. 59) Insurance regulator, to prevent unhealthy practice Currency: As all the other countries that innocent operates in Spain has the Euro currency as well. The Euro is at the moment a stronger currency in comparison to UKs sterling. Exchange controls nearly do not exist anymore (Country Report p.80) and restrictions are widened and adapted to EU standards. (see legal forces) Caveats: Innocent should be aware of the fact that Basque and Islamic terrorist groups have a presences in the country which might be a risk. (Country Report, p. 3) Porters five forces: new entrants, bargaining power of suppliers and buyers the threat of substitutes and the market competitors with their intensity of rivalry (Hollensen p.) are seen as moderate in the juice market in Spain (Juice Report p.15) and are included in the 12 C analysis. Some of the large chains and buying groups boost buyer power. (Juice Report p. 15) Rivalry is weakened because the 3 competitors mentioned earlier are operating in more than one segment. (Juice Report p. 19) Chapter 3 Challenges The principal challenge of the Spanish market is first of all that there are already many companies on the juice market. Innocent offers only a niche product with a relatively high price which could be difficult as a high unemployment rate and an unequal income is characteristically for the country. Furthermore the potential consumers are spread in the country side and in contrast to that a bigger concentration with people live around the big cities. Product: Innocent should think about if they have to adapt their products. It may be that the Spanish people have a different taste. The product labels need to be in Spanish. It might be that people from Catalan and Basque do not buy the smoothies because they are not in their language. The Spanish people might be not open to fruit products from the UK, as they have their own fresh fruits in the country. Promotion: Cultural difference should be taken into account when innocent creates their advertisement. Most of the Spanish population is Roman catholic. All the materials have to be in Spanish so that the people can understand them. To promote the product on this new market innocent will need to invest a lot of time and money to achieve a certain degree of brand awareness and a positive customer perception. Therefore they should first concentrate on regional advertisement and later on national advertisement. Price: They have to explain their premium price to the Spanish consumers and therefore need to create a perception by the consumer that they will benefit from this product. If they want to have a chance it this market they might have to adapt their price to common prices in the Spanish juice market. Place: Innocent has to find distributors that can supply their products to the target group. In every country innocent uses retailers and supermarket chains in the respective country. It will be a challenge for innocent to get stocked with Spanish retailers, as they need those who have a wide spread over the country and a good reputation. The space is rare on the supermarket shelves and they will need a good strategy to convince the retailers to exchange products with those from innocent. Furthermore innocent needs to find such retailers or stores that match to there brand image. When they get contracts with Spanish retailers they might also loose a certain control over the supply chain of their products. Chapter 4 Market entry modes For the first two years it is recommendable that innocent uses export modes as a market entry model. At the beginning the risk is higher that the Spanish people will not accept the smoothies. Export modes are less cost intensive and therefore present a lower risk for the innocent company. For a direct export mode the innocent company needs to build up contacts with distributors or agents in the Spanish market. In the beginning they should mainly concentrate on big cities such as Barcelona and Madrid and the urban areas around these big cities. High end supermarket chains which need to be researched in detail by innocent are most suitable for their brand image. How to go into markets? tried different versions franchise brand, joint ventures? Having team in the country, mix of know hoc innocent and local Try to get in the best outlets PR- vans out on the road Word of mouth When certain distribution level reached, regional advertising, national advertising campaign hotels Trade regulations most of the products import from EU countries without duty or not much depends on product.t preferential tariffs and EU trade barriers are also applied p. 82 â€Å"Spanish law permits foreign investment of up to 100 % of equity, capital movements liberalized, â€Å"authority of Spanish competition commission widened to make enforcement more effective p. 4 Bibliography Dan Germain, Richard Reed Innocent our story some things weve learned. 2009 London, Penguin Books Donoghue, A. (2008) Innocent Smoothiess green claims go pear-shaped. Business Green, 8 August. Sibun, J. (2009) Tough time for smoothie maker Innocent. Daily Telegraph, 8 November. (2007) Innocent has lost its innocence. Daily Telegraph, 20 May

George Roy Hills Film, The Sting :: Movie Film Essays

George Roy Hill's Film (Movie), The Sting  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Sting is a classic story of revenge for the death of a good friend. Instead of the revenge being an eye for an eye, Hill has the leading characters get their revenge by coning the ,man responsible for the death, out of his money. Within the first ten minutes you are grabbed into the film. Hill breaks the conformity of other films by making the leading characters con-men. This is very different from other films because these men should not be looked at as the good guys but just the opposite. George Roy Hill's film, The Sting uses many forms of irony in the setting of the 1920's Chicago to show the theme of revenge for a friends death. Johnny Hooker played by Robert Redford is the main character in the film. The irony in the film is that he is the 'good guy' and is also a gambling addict and street con-man. Hill also uses other forms of irony, Henry Gandorf played buy Paul Newman owns a gamblingwhore house which has a giant carousal in the middle. The film starts out quickly and keeps up the pace as it goes on. The film is set up like a book its opening credits are shown over each page. The film is also split up into chapters each with its own title. When the title of the chapter shows up it looks like a piece of paper and is turned going into the next scene. The movie is very clever, the plan for the sting is very tricky and surprising to the viewer. Hill shows us most of the plan but leaves out small parts for an ending surprise. Johnny and Henry are very witty and smart, they make us like them from the very beginning and they keep it up until the end. The two con-men meet on behalf of the death of a mutual friend. Before Johnny's friend died he told him of a great man who could teach him to work the big con. The great man is referring to Henry and the big con is something larger that pickpocketing and small tricks. Listening to the music gives you the idea of exactly the type of film it is. The Entertainer is played many times throughout the film and is the perfect song. The song fits the pace of the movie and it shows that it is both fun and serious.

Marshall Plan Essay

How important was the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall plan to the crystallization of Cold War Tensions in Europe in the years 1945-1951? When considering the crystallization of Cold War tensions in Europe one can not overlook the impact of both the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. Although events were often ‘a cycle of action and reaction which makes the identification of ultimate causes difficult and probably impossible’ both the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall plan signaled a turning point in relations between east and west Europe. The solidification of Cold War tensions in Europe is, for the sake of this essay, the point at which it was clear that relations between the United Sates and the Soviet Union were unsalvageable as their ideological differences became increasingly polarized. Although the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan were considered by the American administration as ‘two halves of the same walnut’ to fully explore the consequences of the American policies one must look at them separately. The Truman Doctrine hailed in a new era for the US’s foreign policy through the definition of containment and the introduction of formal institutions such as the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence agency and the Department of Defense. This showed a move towards a more assertive foreign policy, arguably provoking the Soviet Union and escalating tensions between the two powers. Similarly the Marshall Plan’s encroachment on what the USSR saw as their sphere of influence through their offer of financial aid triggered a threatened Soviet Russia to intensify their authority over satellite states. Their dramatic actions in Czechoslovakia can be seen as evidence of the importance of the role the Marshall Plan played in escalating tensions in Europe as these events can be viewed as a direct consequence of changing US foreign policy. However to fully appreciate the complexities of the issues covered when looking at the development of Cold War tensions in Europe one must place these events in a wider contextual framework. To ignore the political, social or economic issues which form the background of this timeframe would be to oversimplify the issue. It is therefore imperative to look as the situation from both US and Soviet viewpoints whilst considering the issues the nations were dealing with domestically. By 1951 Europe was undeniably divided, with two power blocs emerging, east and west. Whilst the formulation of these tensions had originated from a shared history dating back to before the war, the culmination of these tensions is undeniably linked to both the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall plan as they ‘solidified divisions of Europe’. The Truman Doctrine, through the role it played in outlining the Soviet Union as the enemy and defining the American policy of containment, was a hugely significant step towards the crystallization of Cold War Tensions in Europe. The Truman Doctrine argued that, after Britain’s need to reduce its participation in aiding Greece, congress must ‘immediately extend financial aid’ because of the threat of ‘communist domination’. However, far from solely asking for economic and military aid for Greece and Turkey the doctrine took on the role of calling for the ‘global containment of communism’. The combination of a definition of the United States’ foreign policy towards communism and the demonstration of their commitment through action did help the move towards a divided Europe. Furthermore it solidified and defined the ideology upon which US foreign policy was made. A key consequence of the Truman Doctrine was the changes it caused in the United States’ decision-making process. As Painter explains, the support elicited for the strategy of containment meant that American administrations were ‘able to act on their beliefs about the relationship between politics, economics and US security’. This signaled an era in which the US would base their foreign policy around their capitalist ideology, one completely at odds with the Soviet Union. These beliefs were strengthened by the introduction of new governmental institutions such as the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence agency and the Department of Defense arguably moving towards a more ‘activist foreign policy’ presenting a clear threat to the USSR. Kennan, seen as the father of containment was a crucial figure in the emergence of Cold War tensions in Europe through his writings that inspired the Truman doctrine. Whilst looking at the effects of the Truman Doctrine it is imperative that we look at the role Kennan took in not only promoting containment as a strategy of foreign policy but also defining the Soviet Union. From Moscow Kennan sent the ‘Long Telegram’ suggesting that the USSR was an aggressive nation and that the only successful form of American foreign policy would be a long term strategy of containment. Kennan encouraged the US to view the Soviet Union as ‘inherently expansionist and aggressive’, in effect suggesting that the USSR should be seen as the enemy. While Kennan explained his actions as not ‘directed at combating communism but restoration of economic health’ in Europe it is clear that his constant rhetoric describing the Soviet Union as a threat that needed to be contained did much to not only encouraging domestic fear and anti communist views but also to provoke the Soviet Union into changing its foreign policy. Kennan would further influence the escalation of tensions through the role he played in the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan, like the Truman Doctrine, may not have intended to divide Europe, for a number of reasons this was the final outcome. Based around the ideas that ‘The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want’ the Marshall Plan was seen as necessary to avoid the spread of communism. The Marshall Plan was seen by the American administration as the ‘next important step against the perceived Russian threat’ as it was imperative to remove the misery and want which was rife in an economically ruined Europe. However, to the USSR the Marshall Plan was perceived quite differently, it was a western attempt to encroach on their sphere of influence. The Marshall Plan had far wider reaching consequences that simply supporting a recovering Europe economically. Through looking at the Soviet reaction to the Marshall Plan we see that it played a key role in the crystallization of Cold War tensions in Europe. The reaction to the Marshall plan by the Soviet Union marked a turning point in relations between east and west Europe as they served to split countries whose ideologies were drifting further apart. As the Marshall Plan was arguably the spark set off the chain of events it can be seen as hugely important in the crystallization of Cold War tensions in Europe. Whilst the Truman doctrine may have put a strain on relations between America and the Soviet Union the Marshall Plan as Myrdal, who guided the Economic Commission for Europe saw it, it would ‘secure the iron curtain and bring on war’. The Marshall plan therefore seems to have been the point at which Europe was split as it presented to the nations of Europe the choice between the two great powers and their ideologies. To revisionist historians such as Kolko the Marshall plan served the purpose of bringing Soviet fears to the fore and thus increasing tensions. It is clear that the Marshall plan ‘forced Stalin to reassess his stance towards East and West Europe’ which escalated Cold War tensions. Many revisionist historians will argue that the Soviet reaction to the Marshall Plan was one natural for a country that felt weak and under attack. It could be argued that the Marshall Plan in the eyes of the USSR was a concerted attempt by the United States to undermine Soviet influence in Eastern Europe. To Taubman and Kolko it is therefore clear that it was the Marshall Plan that sparked the escalation of tensions. Whilst it could be argued that this was not the case as the Marshall Plan was open to Soviet participation Crockartt shows that the US administration took steps to avoid communist participation in the plan. Kennan, who as aforementioned had been clear about his views on containment and the Soviet Union made sure that the plan ‘be done in such a form that Russian satellites would either exclude themselves†¦or agree to abandon the exclusive orientation of their economies’. This therefore encouraged divisions within Europe, as now there was a clear indication of whether or not the country subscribed to East or West ideologies. Furthermore many argue that the inclusion of Soviet states was due to a ‘desire not to invite the charge that the ERP was an anti-communist measure’ rather than a genuine offer of financial aid. One could therefore argue that it was not surprising that the plan caused tensions, as soviet inclusion was highly unlikely. The extent to which the Soviet Union felt threatened can be seen through actions taken as a result of the Marshall plan, seen by historians such as Gaddis as a turning point in the development of the Cold War. The Soviet Union now seemed to act on a wish to unite the communist parties around Eastern Europe through the introduction of organizations such as Comiform. The Communist information Bureau can be seen as an attempt by Stalin to bring the communist parties around Europe under more soviet control. Furthermore the Molotov Plan, seen by many as a Soviet version of the Marshall plan, aimed to provide financial aid for struggling economies that fell under soviet influence. The influence the Marshall Plan can be seen clearly through the introduction of the Molotov plan as it suggests that either Eastern European countries were so affected by their rejection of the Marshall Plan they needed a similar proposal or Stalin felt so threatened he felt the need to create his own version. However perhaps the most striking Soviet reaction to the Marshall Plan was the events that took place in Czechoslovakia in 1948. The impact can be illustrated in the fact that the only remaining non-communist leader in Eastern Europe was removed, shocking the United States and heightening the divisions between east and west, polarizing both powers. The Czech coup, in which the communist part, with strong Soviet support assumed total control over the Czech government and purged any non communist political figures. Furthermore the ‘Stalinization’ of both Czechoslovakia and Hungary’s societies due to fears brought about by the Marshall plan further intensified the differences between east and west. Through the introduction of the collectivization of farming, an emphasis on manufacturing and a suppression of opposition eastern European countries were forced to become more extreme in their politics, separating Europe and increasing Cold War tensions. The reaction by the US illustrated the impact of events in Czechoslovakia as they it aided the swift implementation of the Marshall Plan, the creation of West Germany and in under a year the creation of NATO. It is clear to see therefore that the Marshall Plan played a key role in escalating tensions between the east and west in Europe. However, these views have been challenged. Although the impact of the combination of the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine was undeniable in moving Europe towards a period of Cold War tensions the extent of their impact is a source of debate. The importance of the Marshall Plan is undermined by a number of issues that show that although it may have played an important role in the crystallization of Cold war tensions in Europe it was by no means the only influence. Historians such as Crockartt will point out the fact that one needs to consider the fact that both nations had hugely differing political styles and circumstances. The Soviet Union entered this period with ‘enhanced prestige after playing a key role in defeating the Nazis’and possessed, through ruling communist parties, tight control over their sphere of influence. The United States however placed a much greater emphasis on the justification of their actions abroad through official documents and formal organizations, as they did not, as the communists did, have puppet rulers in foreign governments. Therefore it could be argued that these differences in political style were the truly important factors in the consolidation of Cold War tensions rather than particular events or policies. However, whilst the differing political styles may have been important these were long term issues that had a constant role in the diplomacy between the USSR and the US. It would be difficult therefore to argue that these played any decisive part in the crystallization of the tensions these differences helped to create. Therefore it could be argued that actions such as the announcement of the Marshall Plan and documents such as the Truman doctrine were the real cause of the solidification of these tensions. One must look at this period of time not just as a chronological series of events but place these events within the framework of the political, social and economic features also prominent at the time. Much of the post-revisionist historiography, with the benefit of hindsight, takes into account these complexities and sees the causes of Cold War tensions in Europe as far more diverse. When these issues are taken into account we see that there was a host of issues at the time all culminating to solidify Cold War tensions in Europe. As aforementioned the Soviet Union entered the period with a new identity, that of a great power of the world. Both the US and the Soviet Union had to react to this change of order and historians such as David Reynolds will even argue that the Cold War was inevitable given the shared history between the two powers. However although tensions may have been inevitable, as mentioned earlier, the solidification of these strains seems to revolve around the implementation of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan as they polarized the nations ideologies and pulled them further apart. As Crockartt explains revisionist historians view American economic expansionism for capitalist profits as at the heart of tensions between the United States and the USSR and it was the differences in the two nations ideologies that solidified divisions. American determination to keep ‘western Europe (as a) safe arena for international capitalism’ was the fundamental force of strains between the US and the Soviet Union. The wording of President Truman’s message to congress on March 12 1947 regarding US involvement in Greece and Turkey arguably shows the intertwined nature between American foreign policy and capitalist gains. In his address persuading congress to assist Greece and Turkey Truman refers to capital spent on the Second World War as an ‘investment’ in world freedom. The document makes it clear that, to the US administration economic stability and freedom from communism are inextricably linked. The Marshall Plan can hoever be seen as the manifestation of these ideologies and therefore this argument suggests the Marshall Plan had an even greater influence. Furthermore the importance of the Truman Doctrine in heightening Cold War tensions in Europe is called into question as Painter points out Stalin did little to significantly support the efforts of the Greek communists. Whilst some may argue that this because of the success of US aid, others would see it as undermining the significance of the Truman doctrine as Stalin only showed slight concern for the success of communist rebels in Greece. However this could be because of strains in Soviet relations with Yugoslavia being a greater priority that the potential of a Greek communist uprising. Furthermore although Soviet reaction to the Truman Doctrine may have shown reluctance to act on Stalin’s part, US actions in Greece, Turkey and Iran showed their ‘determination to maintain Western access’ to overseas trade zones. The Truman Doctrine and the Marshal plan played an undeniable role in escalating Cold War tensions between 1945 and 1951. Although they may not have formed the basis of these tensions, which had built up in the post-war years, they seem to act as the nail in the coffin for US/Soviet relations. One could argue that as a result of the definition of not only their differences, but also the definition of the Soviet Union as aggressive and expansionist, the Truman Doctrine waved in an era of hostility. The Marshall Plan further polarized European states as one either subscribed to Marshall aid, or didn’t, in effect the Iron Curtain was drawn. One must never overlook the issues that formed the basis of tensions between the US and the USSR as these similarly contributed to the crystallization of cold war tensions. At the crux of strains between the US and the USSR were the disparate ideologies the two nations held at the heart of their foreign policy and as a result the contrasting ways of looking at events and actions. This period sees the polarization of these ideologies and therefore the solidification between the two nations can be seen as inevitable. However, fundamentally the Marshall Plan and The Truman Doctrine provided a platform for these tensions to develop and escalate and because of this they were hugely important in the crystallization of Cold War Tensions in Europe. Bibliography: Primary Sources: President Truman’s Message to Congress; March 12, 1947; Document 171; 80th Congress, 1st Session; Records of the United States House of Representatives; Record Group 233; National Archives. Secondary Sources: Crockatt, R., Fifty Years War: United States and Soviet Union in World Politics (London 1996) Barros, J., Trygve Lie The UN Secretary-General Pursues Peace, 1946-1953 (Illinois 1989) P.125 J. L., Gaddis, We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History (1997) J. L., Gaddis, Strategies of Containment†¬: A Critical Appraisal of American National Security Policy During the Cold War†¬ (Oxford 1982)†¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ Hogan, M. J., The Marshall Plan: America, Britain, and the Reconstruction of Western Europe, 1947-1952 (US, 1990) Review by Charles S. M., in American Visions and British Interests: Hogan’s Marshall Plan Kolko, G., The Limits of Power: The world and United States Foreign Policy, 1941-1949 (1970) Painter, D. S., The Cold War: An Interdisciplinary History (London, GBR) Taubman, W., Stalin’s American Policy: From Entente to Dà ©tente to Cold War (New York 1982) p.172-3

Christian Ethics

INTRODUCTION (DEFINITION) Christian ethics are theological teachings which govern decision making and the moral position of the Church based on various sources of guidance. These are traditions, church authorities, human experience, the Natural Law, the Bible; in particular Jesus’s Commandment of love, the Beatitudes and the 10 Commandments â€Å"You shall not steal† (Ex 20:15). HISTORICAL SETTING Christian ethical teachings vary between denominations for example, the Catholic Church places particular emphasis on Natural Law and authoritative bodies.The Protestant Church turns to scripture as its main source of ethical guidance due to the belive in â€Å"sol scriptura† (salvation through scripture alone, a belief originating in the Reformation of the Church. ) Despite these differences, the Bible remains the common source of morality among all denominations. SPECIFIC EXAMPLE: ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS/CLIMATE CHANGE Christian environmental ethics are specifically conc erned with the belief in humanity’s role as stewards of the Earth and how this role should be responsibly undertaken being a privileged bestowed by God.Prominent issues within Christian environmental ethics include Climate Change and deforestation. Climate Change is defined as a long term change in the Earth’s climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature. There are many factors believed to be contributing to Climate Change. These include an overconsumption of fossil fuels which when used emit greenhouse gases. The Church’s stance on Climate Change is that it is the result of humanity abusing the role as stewards of the Earth by taking more than they need from it.Using the words of Pope John Paul II, Climate Change is caused by modern society being given to â€Å"instant gratification and consumerism. † There are many national and international Christian initiatives which aim to address Climate Change such as Carit as Australia’s â€Å"A Just Climate† campaign. Established in 2011, this campaign aims to promote ecological sustainability to minimise the impact of Climate Change. Its focus is the poorer communities of the world, being the most vulnerable to the effect of Climate Change such as rising sea levels.Its methods include: community awareness programs and facilitating participation of poor communities in national discussions. Internationally, the Ecumenical World Council of Churches (WCE) is an example of the Christian communities response to Climate Change. It has been present since 1992 at every United Nations Climate Change Conference and is especially concerned with the effect Climate Change has on the world’s poor, promoting the concept of sustainable communities.It’s motivation lies in Genesis 2:15 in which God entrusts Adam with the Garden of Eden â€Å" the Lord God, took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it. † Today , humanity like Adam has the obligation to the world as responsible stewards. Using the words of Pope Benedict XVI â€Å"The wonder of God’s creation reminds us of the need to protect the environment and to exercise responsible stewardship of the goods of the Earth. † INTRODUCTION- DEFORESTATIONDeforestation is the loss of forest cover being converted into things such as agricultural land, golf courses and cattle paddocks. Consequences are wide ranging and include soil erosion, extinction of tree species as well as the endangerment or extinction of animal species which inhabit these forests. The Church’s opinion of deforestation is similar to that of Climate Change. Responsible stewardship of the land would not have caused not have caused such damage as deforestation has done.Society’s role as custodians of the land is demonstrated in the Bible by the quote â€Å"The land is mine;) with me you are but aliens and tenants† (Lev 25:23). This excerpt i llustrates society’s role as caretakers of the land and that the responsibility is to preserve the world. From this and other teachings found in the Church, it can be seen that the Christian ethical stance on forestation is that taking from the Earth should not be motivated by overconsumption but by sustainability.As Pop John Paul II said â€Å"Man cannot make arbitrary use of the Earth, subjecting it without restraint to his will. † Various Christian organisations established for the protection of the environment include Catholic Earthcare Australia (CEA), founded in 2003 by Australian Catholic Bishops. Its aim is to promote understanding of the sacredness of nature and functions as an advisory agent on ecological matters for Catholic Bishops and initiating sustainability programs.An example of this is the publication of â€Å"On Holy Ground† which is a faith based program for reflecting on environmental issues created by the CEA in conjunction with the Catholi c Education Office (CEO). An international example of the Church’s response to deforestation and other sustainability issues is POPPA Benedict XVI’s address at the opening mass of World Youth Day Sydney, 2008. He states â€Å"There are also scars which mark the surface of our earth: erosion, deforestation†¦ in order to face and insatiable consumption. With such a large audience the message of sustainability was spread to many countries. CONCLUSION Ethical issues are significant to the adherents of Christianity as they provide a means to living based on the teachings of Jesus who preached love and respect for God’s creation. The growing environmental concerns of Climate Change and deforestation are examples of modern society’s neglect of the Earth and, by extension their obligations to caring for it. Christian adherents are therefore called to encourage change and sustainability in the world around them.

Supply and Demand Simulation Paper

Supply and Demand Simulation Paper Free Online Research Papers The cause of aggregate supply and aggregate demand in the simulation could be conclusive due to the volume of apartment rental services available in Atlantis economy at a given overall price level. The rising prices of apartments in comparison due to a monopolized market in Atlantis suggests for Goodlife Management to expand their services to meet a higher level of aggregate demand. They are the only management company in Atlantis that are renting apartment, except for Oakridge Builders who were rent detached homes, and most of the residents in Atlantis probably could not afford to rent homes. An increase in demand of affordable apartments should lead to an expansion of aggregate supply in the economy. However, aggregate supply could also be determined by the supply performance available based on the current economy, therefore, reflecting the productivity of the economy and the cost of frequent available apartments. Due to the overall increase of apartments, and eventually condominiums services provided by Goodlife Management in a span of nine years, helped shift the aggregate demands. Oakridge Builders started making their properties slightly affordable, which sparked a competition in the housing market, and shifted the demands slightly over to detached homes and decreased the rental properties of Goodlife Managements. This aggregated shift during the rental period forced Goodlife Management in turning some of their two bedroom apartments into condominiums to compete in the market. The competitive market of supply and demand forced Goodlife Management in their decision-making to adjust to the rising market by lowering some of their apartments to bring in more tenants. Goodlife Management had to adjust because they had a surplus of available apartments that were not occupied, and their rent was high, which affected the demands of apartments being rented due to their rising prices. The four key points that the reading and simulation highlighted were aggregate supply, aggregate demand, supply curve, and equilibrium. The fisrt two has already been explained in paragraphs one and two. The last two are supply curve and equilibrium, which will be explained accordingly. According to Investopedia, a Forbes Media Company, supply curve is basically a graph showing the hypothetical supply of a product or service that would be available at different price points (Investopedia, 2008, p.1), which can cause an upward slope, since higher prices gives businesses an incentive to supply more in the hope of making greater revenues (Investopedia, 2008, p.3). Equilibrium or economic equilibrium according Jess Benhabib of the Princeton University Press, is simply a state of the world where economic forces are balanced and in the absence of outside influences the values of economic variables will not fluctuate (2007, p.488). The impact of aggregate supply and demand changes can influences an automotive industry severely. The balance in the automotive market can maintain at the same level as long as outside influences such as gas prices and consumer spending are eliminated in the automotive market equation. However, if these forces are implemented in the economical equation, then the market prices will rise due to consumer spending because it reflects a growing economy, or the market prices will fall due to increase of gas prices. An example is the severe price drops in Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) within the last eight years. In the nineties, the demand for (SUVs) were high, which caused the prices of (SUVs) to be in the $40,000 range, now (SUVs) are in $20,000 to $30,000 range, which is about a $10,000 difference a decade ago. The outside influence of gas, emissions, and global warming forced automobile manufacturers to start building mid-size and emission efficient (SUVs) and made it affordable to the public. Cost of SUV Illustration: | | * | |$40k * | * | | * $30k * | * | $20k * | | * | $10k | | | |$0k_____________________________________________ 0Yrs 90 95 00 05 10 In summary, according to the simulation process, the demand curve is sloping downward, which causes the quantity demand to increase as the price decreases. The suggestion was for Goodlife Management to reduce its rental rates, in turn increasing its demands for apartment rentals. In retrospect, the supply curve is upward sloping, and quantity supplied increases as the price decreases. An increase in rental rates would cause Goodlife Management to lease out more apartments. Quantity demands balances out quantity supplies only at the equilibrium point. However, when prices are below equilibrium, the quantity demands exceeds the quantity supplies, which in turn causes a shortage in the housing market. In opposition, when prices are above equilibrium, quantity supplies surpass the quantity demands, which cause a surplus in the market. Adjustments in the market will only level off when equilibrium is properly attained. References Benhabib, J. (2007). Princeton University Press: Cyles and chaos in economic equilibrium. Retrieved February 3, 2008, from http://press.princeton.edu/titles/4958.html. Investopedia. (2008). Investopedia: Economics basics of supply and demand. Retrieved February 3, 2008, from investopedia.com/university/economics/economics3.asp Research Papers on Supply and Demand Simulation PaperAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfDefinition of Export QuotasPETSTEL analysis of IndiaTwilight of the UAWMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2The Project Managment Office System

Free Essays on Rape And Tolerance

It was about 5pm in the afternoon when a young girl of 13 decided to seek solitude within her cousin’s home. Just three hours earlier, she had just been grounded for breaking curfew. Running away seemed like the better alternative to hanging out around an empty house. Her cousin Eric was usually always home and never minded receiving unannounced company. When she showed up it was no different. Eric did, however, already had a few friends over, which wasn’t anything new. Everyone in the neighborhood either worked for Eric, or bought from him. He happened to hold some prestige. As things run in the â€Å"hood,† there are just some people you messed with and others you didn’t. Eric was the latter of those. After a few games a spades, a couple of Eric’s boys decided they wanted to get some alcohol from the store just a few blocks from the house. Eric felt that was a pretty good idea and opted to go with them. The only thing keeping him was an already drunken buddy of his sleep on the couch and the 13-year-old cousin watching television on the floor. Eric was kind of hesitant in leaving his spade buddy there without his supervision, because he felt no one was above stealing, but his cousin assured him that she would keep an eye on everything. Deciding it was just a quick run, Eric, certain that she would watch his stuff, headed out the door. She returned her focus onto the television. It was probably about 15 minutes later when the guy woke up and got off the couch. He began asking the girl about what she had be watching and where everyone else had went. She told him about the run for alcohol and preceded to explain the show she had been watching. He then sat right next to her on the floor and rested his arm around her on the floor. Unnerved, she kept watching t.v. , pointing out particular parts she wanted him to pay attention to, seeing that this was only a rerun and it just happened to be a very good one. A commercial break ca... Free Essays on Rape And Tolerance Free Essays on Rape And Tolerance It was about 5pm in the afternoon when a young girl of 13 decided to seek solitude within her cousin’s home. Just three hours earlier, she had just been grounded for breaking curfew. Running away seemed like the better alternative to hanging out around an empty house. Her cousin Eric was usually always home and never minded receiving unannounced company. When she showed up it was no different. Eric did, however, already had a few friends over, which wasn’t anything new. Everyone in the neighborhood either worked for Eric, or bought from him. He happened to hold some prestige. As things run in the â€Å"hood,† there are just some people you messed with and others you didn’t. Eric was the latter of those. After a few games a spades, a couple of Eric’s boys decided they wanted to get some alcohol from the store just a few blocks from the house. Eric felt that was a pretty good idea and opted to go with them. The only thing keeping him was an already drunken buddy of his sleep on the couch and the 13-year-old cousin watching television on the floor. Eric was kind of hesitant in leaving his spade buddy there without his supervision, because he felt no one was above stealing, but his cousin assured him that she would keep an eye on everything. Deciding it was just a quick run, Eric, certain that she would watch his stuff, headed out the door. She returned her focus onto the television. It was probably about 15 minutes later when the guy woke up and got off the couch. He began asking the girl about what she had be watching and where everyone else had went. She told him about the run for alcohol and preceded to explain the show she had been watching. He then sat right next to her on the floor and rested his arm around her on the floor. Unnerved, she kept watching t.v. , pointing out particular parts she wanted him to pay attention to, seeing that this was only a rerun and it just happened to be a very good one. A commercial break ca...

Analysis of the Prejudice behind the Removal of Mexican American Lessons

Analysis of the Prejudice behind the Removal of Mexican American Lessons Freedom of speech is just one of the many rights we ensure as citizens of America. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, or so it’s said. Sadly, it seems as though that’s not always the case. In the instance of the ban of Mexican American Studies in Arizona, the opinion of those who didn’t fully understand the concept was taken over the students and teachers fighting for their rights to education as United States residents. The decision to ban the Mexican American Studies was a biased decision and it does not make America appear equal when it comes to racial identity. When these ethnic studies were officially banned, it constituted a form of oppression for the folks who were affected by this action. The teachers whom all the students in these classes looked up to were reassigned and the bond the students had built with each other and their teachers was taken away. For some, coming to school and learning about their own heritage was a life changing experience. â€Å"Providing students a way to interact with notions of identity, history and culture in an academic setting clearly improved the graduation rates of low income Hispanic students† (Ramos 1). It gave them hope that someday things would get better, and it even created a sense of belonging in today’s society. But the individuals who supported the ban did not take the time to actually experience what went on in these classes. â€Å"The state legislature contends that these programs are indoctrinating students with anti-American biases but there has been no such evidence to suppo rt this claim† (Ramos 1). They just assumed the teachers were giving Americans a bad name for how poorly they treated Mexican Americans in previous years and wanted these students to eventually â€Å"overthrow† the government. These assumptions were certainly not the intentions of the teachers, in fact the actual intentions were just to show the students they had rights as Mexican Americans and deserved to be treated equally. Forbidding these students to obtain knowledge about equality is definitely a form of oppression. America, as a whole, has a history of poor treatment for races or ethnicities other than white, and this forbidden Mexican American Studies ban in Arizona could be the foundation of additional bans around the country. If that begins to happen, it could cause a lot of controversy nation wide with Mexican Americans because it is preventing them from learning who they really are. â€Å"The Arizona ethnic studies ban has more to do with the politics of our countries changing demography and political power then they do with educational attainment and what is best for the future of the state† (Ramos 1). This makes America look like a racist country because its citizens are disposing of the opportunity to study the history of differing races. As one student stated, â€Å"America is full of people with different backgrounds. If learning ethnic studies is anti-American, then what does it truly mean to be American?† Regrettably, it appears to mean that Americans can be very judgm ental toward others not similar to them. It’s quite unfortunate that the definition of an American is questionable. The country is constantly changing, and those who are surrounded by it must adapt. At the core of the Ethnic Studies ban is fear; much is at stake for each side. The side opposing the education of these studies is prominently made up of white officials high up in the government. They are afraid of a prospective uprising of the Mexican Americans and what consequences that may cause. There are numerous points to be taken into consideration, such as government positions potentially taken over by Mexican Americans instead of the Caucasians currently holding the positions. These white officials undoubtedly mull over the idea of losing control of the government, so to avoid any possibility of this happening they took the easy way out and got rid of any threat they may have had. The ban was placed on courses that meet the following criteria: 1) â€Å"promote the overthrow of the United States government;† 2) â€Å"promote resentment toward a race or class of people;† 3) â€Å"are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group;† or 4) †Å"advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals† (Lee 1). This created a safety net for the opposing side by making sure no class like this would be taught again in Arizona. â€Å"The reality is the ethnic studies ban in Arizona is nothing more then a byproduct of a state legislature which has become adept at manufacturing crises in order to win elections† (Ramos 1). The sad reality of the situation is the fact that power is more important than the history of an entire race. The side attempting to save the Ethnic Studies assembled the Mexican American students and teachers who believed in the program and it’s success. They were fighting for their rights as American citizens for freedom of education. Not only that, but the future was at stake for almost all of these individuals. For the students, these classes kept their interest in school and education as a whole. Many anticipated graduating, going off to college, and eventually making a life for themselves. â€Å"A Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) analysis revealed the MAS programs improved the graduation rates of low income Hispanics† (Ramos 1). This shows that the curriculum immensely aided to the success of the teenagers taking the course. Without it, several of these adolescents could potentially lose interest in school and not persist with the plans they once had. It was very ironic when the new law stated â€Å"the legislature finds and declares that the public school pupils sh ould be taught to treat and value each other as individuals and not be taught to resent or hate other races or classes of people† because in their classrooms, they were all treated with dignity and respect and were taught that they had rights, too (Lee 1). Banning the Mexican American Studies is resent or hate toward the Mexican race, so the legislature is very hypocritical and unfair. The Mexican American Studies ban in Arizona was an unfortunate event for a multitude of Mexican American students and teachers. It removed so many opportunities for these people, and could potentially change the future for some. â€Å"Bottom line these programs help the educational attainment of those that need it. If there is a crisis, it is in the leadership of the Arizona State legislature, which has chosen to manufacture a controversy, when the focus should be on how best to educate Arizonas future workforce† (Ramos 1). Numerous controversies could occur and that would cause a great deal of problems. Equal rights should be dispersed for everyone living in the same region, no matter the ethnical differences.

Global warming Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Global warming - Research Paper Example This document will examine how human beings are contributing to global warming. There have been many studies on the topic of global warming, but experts say that humans are the cause for the drastic climate changed going on around the world due to resource consumption, resource disposal, and population growth. According to Watts (2007), human activities have influenced the atmospheric temperatures across the globe. The rising global temperatures have become an issue of concern due to the impact it has on animal and plant lives across the globe. Increasing human population has resulted to increase in consumption and generation of materials and all contribute to global warming (Casper, 2009). The climate change has affected the activities of human by changing the land use and human struggle to reverse the situation. The understanding of how man has contributed to global warming can be gained by considering the impact of the human population, consumption and disposal of waste influence the atmospheric temperatures (Watts, 2007). Also, the knowledge is essential because it can direct organizations and the states to design policies that can regulate human activities hence reducing global warming. According to Casper (2009), there is an increasing global demand for energy and other commodities both processed and unprocessed goods. Developed nations are the major consumers of fossil fuels hence they are leading in greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the United States has about five percent of the world population but contributes about twenty five percent of carbon emissions in the globe (Murtaugh & Schlax, 2009). Murtaugh and Schlax (2009) further argues that the United Nations Population Fund suggested that, by the year 2050, the world growing economies such as India and china will contribute more than fifty percent of the carbon emissions. The level of emission of greenhouse gas

The Financial Folly of MLB Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Financial Folly of MLB - Case Study Example The case has sub - issues within the main case that include the behavior of other teams that participate in the league. The character and trend in behavior of the teams together with their fans is a factor that can make it a topic of consideration or discussion. In such a particular case, strategies that have to be used to solve the problem have to be critically analyzed. The strategy that has been used here is that of taxation, and the owners are planning to switch formulas. The strategy will be done in a way that the largest percentage of money is awarded to the team with the largest revenue unlike where before the largest percentage was given to the team with the lowest revenues. This strategy comes with the opportunity in instilling motivation among the teams but faces the challenge of revenue allocation because determining the percentage for the middle teams will not be easy. In relating to the main issue of performance of the organization, the economic policy might bring about mixed results. At first, due to resistance from other teams and stakeholders, revenues will be low but they are bound to increase with time after a clear understanding of the policy and the teams have been synchronized. As a recommendation, the government should take the initiative and offer more revenues and percentages to the organization that are in the economy. Apart from job security being guaranteed, there is also job satisfaction to both the owners of the Baseball League and the

Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada Research Paper - 2

Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada - Research Paper Example It deals with the issues concerning its organizational culture that encourages excellence by shielding itself from a nefarious effect of political influence which can negatively affect its organizational objectives of providing an efficient transport system for the region's population not only today but fifty years from now. It had adopted transparency in all its transactions with the publication of all relevant data and information on its Web site regarding its activities, agenda and future plans so that all the agency's community investments are maximized. The paper also gives a brief background on the dynamic region of southern Nevada and how the RTCSN plays an important part in its vital transformation. The agency is well managed as an empowered organization through its internal advocacy (like re-organization) and external advocacy (in cases like plans for transport systems such as building new roads) to minimize traffic congestion and future transport challenges. Introduction Th e region of southern Nevada includes the five counties of Clark, Esmeralda, Nye, Mineral, and Lincoln; this is incidentally also the region where the majority of the state's population live due to the rest of the state being an inhabitable desert. This region encompasses the Las Vegas Valley and the region is a major educational center of the area. Moreover, most of its economy is based on the tourism-related industries of gaming (gambling), leisure, vacation (senior retirees), hotel, hospitality, and travel. This means there is a lot of movement within this region, which is a reason for existence of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTCSN) to regulate and plan all the transport-related concerns of this region with regards to this sudden population expansion due to the influx of tourists (both local and foreign), migrants (temporary workers seeking jobs, mostly in construction) and those potential retirees attracted by the warm climate, no state taxes and na ture attractions at Lake Tahoe. It is estimated Nevada entices some five million visitors annually with revenues of about US$ 6 billion (Leong, 2008, p. 2). Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada is the agency mandated by state and federal governments for maintaining a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive (3C) transportation planning process. The RTCSN has been re-named (in 1981) as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for southern Nevada in view of its expanded responsibilities. This new agency has to operate using the same modern management tools used in all big corporations and is the subject or topic of this paper. Among other things, it has to operate within budgets, use organizational skills to attract the best-qualified people to its ranks and obtain the cooperation of the riding public to achieve its goals of efficiency and sustainability (RTCSN, 2012, p. 1). Discussion The RTCSN has to be operated like any private enterprise in order to maximize all the resources given to it and achieve its mission of sustainability such as maintaining the air quality through encouragement of Club Ride Commuter Services that promotes walking, biking, pooling of cars and vans, and in the use of the mass transit system, which it operates and carries about 64 million passengers per year.  

Budget cuts on education in california Research Paper

Budget cuts on education in california - Research Paper Example Now one might ask why this would be caused. Budgets cuts are affecting students the most. They are paying for less and because of the cuts campuses are stretching their resources. As the state continues to reduce funding levels, the system will most likely continue to raise fees for the operational costs of the schools. (Newell) The combination of rising unemployment, declining consumer spending, declining asset values, and foreclosures has led to declining state revenues. And the number of people in poverty is growing, adding costs to state budgets for programs such as Medicaid and social services. Education is by far the largest component of state budgets. Some 46 percent of all state general fund expenditures is devoted to elementary, secondary, and higher education.(Johnson) According to Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, California is reducing funds towards K-12 education as well as reducing the length of the school year. Doing this is thought to lower the misfortunes of the recession, as well as giving us a kick start in improving our debt. Now this is an argument for why cutting school will be beneficial to the state of California. Unfortunately, what also goes along cutting education is the money given to students who are unable to fully pay tuition. Therefore, the state of California has also decided to cut grants which in turn will lower the chances of many intelligent individuals who suffer from poverty to enroll in a well known University. Both of Californias public college systems raised their fees recently. California State University trustees approved a 5 percent increase for next semester, and University of California regents passed an 8 percent increase for fall 2011.Those hikes are on top of repeated increases over the past few years (Guerra). With all these cuts and rising tuition this will cause a major downfall in the uprising of many intelligent individuals. California will fall back on education and this will

How Case Managers Benefit from Electronic Medical Records Essay

How Case Managers Benefit from Electronic Medical Records - Essay Example † from SAM Advanced Management Journal, 74, p. 54+. The paper deals with the EMR implementation in health care organizations and the way case managers would benefit from this step. In the modern globalized world high-speed development of technological innovations leads to an overall growth and expansion of computerization. Different companies, firms and organizations are looking for the most convenient ways to facilitate the work of their employees. Therefore, case managers in health care organizations underline the necessity of electronic medical records implementation. Unfortunately, it is evident that very often case managers reject electronic medical records usage. In accordance with Seeman and Gibson (2009) such kind of behavior should be analyzed in terms of Davis's technology acceptance model and Ajzen's theory of planned behavior. The first benefit for case managers when using electronic medical records is the way to costs cutting and health care industry efficiency. Th is can be explained by direct functions of EMR. This technology enables fast and efficient collection of the following data: (demographic, financial, and medical  information). The storage, transmission and processing of the collected data facilitates the work of case managers. There is no need to penetrate into useless and boring paper activities. There is a right way to process data in digital format. Consequently, it is evident that EMR implementation will change â€Å"handwritten order documentation, minimizing transcription errors, and fundamentally reducing clinical mistakes† (Seeman and Gibson, 2009, p. 54). Case managers claim that physicians are able to make more relevant and appropriate decisions in case this technology is implemented. Sometimes, such promptness guarantees lives saving. In accordance with the article, case managers underline the importance of digital data processing in the process of their performance. A possibility to save huge amounts of data fa cilitates the job of case managers in the modern world of digital age. In spite of the fact that the concept of electronic medical records was developed 40 years ago, only the modern digital age enables keeping and collecting data of patients in different amounts. Unfortunately, health care organizations do not pay much attention to implementation of EMR into practice. The article states that less than 10% of American hospitals have enabled their case managers to facilitate their work by means of EMR. Another intimidating fact is that case managers may not have such an opportunity to facilitate their job. There are some predictions that by 2014 electronic medical records are introduced across America, but these predictions can hardly be true. Therefore, the article comprises different points of technological advancement of case management. Summary of the article â€Å"Supporting Management Programs† A strong criticism is also evident in the article â€Å"Supporting Managemen t Programs† (n.d.): â€Å"The issue is one of adoption [of EMR]. Are people really ready to do this? As long as it's easier to script it out and hand it to a voice-activated nurse, that's what the physician will do† (Supporting Management Programs). Another important point, represented in the article is the fact that case managers have many other obligations and it is too hard for them

Economic questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economic questions - Assignment Example ect an offer of zero units, but at an offer of one unit they will accept it if they are self-interested and risk-neutral because it is one more unit than they would be getting if they rejected the one unit offer. c) The subgame perfect Nash equilibrium does not match the actual behavior at all. The different assumptions we can make in part a to explain this is basically that if people feel that the amount they are getting is unfair, they will try to hurt the other person as well as themselves by making sure nobody gets anything. 2- In this situation, the drug-dealer’s best option is to go to the park because if the officer is at the park the dealer will still make 50 deals whereas if they are both on the street he will only make 30 deals. The officer can do better if she stays on the street but knows the drug dealer will do better at the park given that they both choose the same place. Therefore, the most likely payoff would probably be the bottom right square where 50 deals are made and 120 are stopped. However, Player Two has a bigger payoff when they are at different locations. Because of this, a mixed-strategy Nash equilibrium shows that the dealer would average about 100 deals, meaning the officer would be able to stop an average of 70 deals. If Player Two is self-regarding, Player One will benefit more from sending payment if Player Two delivers (P,D). In this situation Player One will also make a profit if they don’t send payment and Player Two delivers (NP, D). In the other two situations Player One & Player Two will benefit equally (NP,K) and Player One will lose in the payment – non delivery situation (P,K). If Player Two is reciprocal, Player Two stands to benefit more from a payment and delivery situation (P,D), as well as benefiting more from a payment and non-delivery situation and a non-payment, non-delivery situation (NP, K). The only situation where Player one benefits more is where they don’t pay but the item is still delivered (NP,

How Case Managers Benefit from Electronic Medical Records Essay

How Case Managers Benefit from Electronic Medical Records - Essay Example † from SAM Advanced Management Journal, 74, p. 54+. The paper deals with the EMR implementation in health care organizations and the way case managers would benefit from this step. In the modern globalized world high-speed development of technological innovations leads to an overall growth and expansion of computerization. Different companies, firms and organizations are looking for the most convenient ways to facilitate the work of their employees. Therefore, case managers in health care organizations underline the necessity of electronic medical records implementation. Unfortunately, it is evident that very often case managers reject electronic medical records usage. In accordance with Seeman and Gibson (2009) such kind of behavior should be analyzed in terms of Davis's technology acceptance model and Ajzen's theory of planned behavior. The first benefit for case managers when using electronic medical records is the way to costs cutting and health care industry efficiency. Th is can be explained by direct functions of EMR. This technology enables fast and efficient collection of the following data: (demographic, financial, and medical  information). The storage, transmission and processing of the collected data facilitates the work of case managers. There is no need to penetrate into useless and boring paper activities. There is a right way to process data in digital format. Consequently, it is evident that EMR implementation will change â€Å"handwritten order documentation, minimizing transcription errors, and fundamentally reducing clinical mistakes† (Seeman and Gibson, 2009, p. 54). Case managers claim that physicians are able to make more relevant and appropriate decisions in case this technology is implemented. Sometimes, such promptness guarantees lives saving. In accordance with the article, case managers underline the importance of digital data processing in the process of their performance. A possibility to save huge amounts of data fa cilitates the job of case managers in the modern world of digital age. In spite of the fact that the concept of electronic medical records was developed 40 years ago, only the modern digital age enables keeping and collecting data of patients in different amounts. Unfortunately, health care organizations do not pay much attention to implementation of EMR into practice. The article states that less than 10% of American hospitals have enabled their case managers to facilitate their work by means of EMR. Another intimidating fact is that case managers may not have such an opportunity to facilitate their job. There are some predictions that by 2014 electronic medical records are introduced across America, but these predictions can hardly be true. Therefore, the article comprises different points of technological advancement of case management. Summary of the article â€Å"Supporting Management Programs† A strong criticism is also evident in the article â€Å"Supporting Managemen t Programs† (n.d.): â€Å"The issue is one of adoption [of EMR]. Are people really ready to do this? As long as it's easier to script it out and hand it to a voice-activated nurse, that's what the physician will do† (Supporting Management Programs). Another important point, represented in the article is the fact that case managers have many other obligations and it is too hard for them

Ethical Systems Essay Example for Free

Ethical Systems Essay Ethical systems form the basis of moral beliefs; they are the moral philosophies that order moral principles systematically. (Thomson and WardSworth, 2005) Ethical systems can be broadly classified into deontological and teleological ethical systems. A deontological system concerns itself with the nature of an act that is under judgment, if an act is good but results in bad consequences than if it still considered a good act. Teleological systems judge consequences of an act, if an act is bad but results in beneficial consequences then it is considered moral. Ethical formulism judges the intent of the author thus, it is a deontological system. If a person performs an action from goodwill and it results in bad consequences, it is a moral action. This system also uses predetermined principles to judge goodness: that people should not be used as a means to an end, that behavior is moral when it is freely chosen and autonomous (someone worked to do a good thing is not really moral. ) and that actions should be based on behavior being universal. Utilitarianism is a teleological system whose goal is judged by consequences of an action. In this case when an action contributes much to the good of majority it is moral, regardless of the individual or minority who may have suffered because of the action. Following this system, Winston Churchill by allowing Coventry to be bombed in World War II so the Germans would not know the Allies had cracked their military code did a moral thing even though hundreds of English people were killed, when they might have been saved had they been warned. A smaller group was sacrificed for the sake of the greater good in this case, ending the war earlier and saving thousands more. Religion is a frequently used ethic system based on a willful a rational God. For believers there is no reason to question the authority of God’s will. The controversial issue is the interpretation of God’s will. According to Barry when is a dilemma; God’s will can be found in 3 ways; if one feels uncomfortable about a certain action, it is probably wrong. Religious authorities can provide guidance on right and wrong and thirdly the scripture provides answers to moral dilemmas. (Thomson and Wadsworth, 2005) The natural law ethical system proposes that ‘what is good is natural and what is natural is good’. These are innate instincts for example self-preservation is inborn, natural and basic and all actions related to it such as self-defense, prohibition of murder are moral acts. The basic problem with this system is where it is difficult to identify what is consistent and congruent with human nature. Focus on basic inclinations make this a teleological system because an action like killing may be wrong but if it is done in self-defense then it is considered a moral act since it is line with the self-preservation instinct. The ethics of virtue is a system that focuses on defining a good person as opposed to a ‘good action’. Here reason cannot be used to find out what is good. This system is teleological as it conserved with achieving a good end and more specifically happiness. One does good because of one’s character, if one has a bad character they will usually choose the immoral path. For example, a person who is broke and sees a stranger drop money without realizing calls the strangers back and gives him his money, he has performed a moral act because he has a habit of integrity. Someone else would steal because it is in his or her character to do so. The ethics of care system emphasizes human relationships and needs. It has been referred to as a feminine morality as it is founded on the natural human response to care for unborn child, ill and hurt. Some Eastern religious like, reject a rule-based form of ethics preferring instead to lead an individual in caring for needs. Braswell et al, 2002). The ethic behind rehabilitation is another illustration of ethics of care system. (Thomson and Wardsworth, 2005) This system is in line with teleological system of ethics because it does not simply classify action as wrong or right, rather it is concerned with the needs of others and effects of the actions on them, which learns more towards judging consequences corporations rather than the actions themselves. Egoism proposes that what is moral is what is good for one’s survival and personal happiness. This premise in its extreme directs that people should do whatever is beneficial to them. This disregards other people, using them as means to ensure happiness and in effect it means they have no meaning or rights (Thomson and Wadsworth, 2005) Egoism, sees an individual who performs a completely selfish act as immoral even impossible as it is not in line with true nature of human beings who like all other species have instincts for survival, self preservation and self in trust which is merely part of this natural instinct. This position is neither logical nor flexible single it would be in support of exploitation of the weak by the strong, which by all other systems is wrong. The system that closely matches my own beliefs is the religious ethical system. This is because the basis for ethics provided is rational since it can be identified wit a perfect God-figure. In addition, the similarity of the principles of these ethics in most of the religious are an indicator that they are acceptable to a wide majority hence they cover the needs of most of mankind adequately. In addition, scripture provides answers to ethical problems in all circumstances, something that most other ethical systems do not. The issue of say the birth contradicting only comes up when there is failure to understand the context of scripture. Belief in a God means that we do not have the responsibility of determining what is right, or wrong, since an unquestionable authority has determined them already.

Relationship between Business Strategy and IT Strategy

Relationship between Business Strategy and IT Strategy BUSINESS-IT ALIGNMENT (BITA) The relationship between Business strategy and IT strategy and the influence of organisation culture on this strategic alignment in Saudi firms will form the basis of the research in this research. As such, the literature reviewed here will survey major research and practice in the business-IT strategic alignment domain for the purpose of deriving a research framework, or model, of business-IT strategic alignment that will unite the key principles contained within the literature. The intention is to develop a model simple enough for application that will provide a practical tool both for management and IT practitioners. 2.1 BITA A CHRONLOGICAL HISTORY Study on the strategic alignment concept will soon be reaching a quarter of a decades worth of knowledge. Henderson Sifonis (1988) began studying this notion during the late 80s when alignment emerged from a focus on strategic business planning and long-range IT planning where IT plans were created in support of corporate strategies Chan Reich (2007, p. 298). Nevertheless, strategic alignment has retained its interest and value in the business and IT communities and is still a popular topic today for organisations; perhaps even more so as technological advancement continues to dominate the exchange of information. Not surprisingly, its evolution has followed closely the developmental progress of IT itself which began with the operational era continuing through the re-engineering viewpoint and the new economy as figure 2.1 illustrates: The initial phase, the operational era, was concerned primarily with the operations that an organisation performed and focused on setting up mainframes, managing networks of PCs, and backing up organisational data. IT provided the nuts and bolts to facilitate automation of back-office functions through the development of software and had only a supportive role. Strategic alignment was thus viewed merely as a supporting act for every-day operations with its software applications. The second phase, re-engineering, arose from the increasing trend toward dependency on the automation of business processes by IT which not only offered back-office functions support but the promise of total automation within an organization as a whole through IT software applications. At this stage, IT was still viewed only as a supportive tool with no representation in the business end of an organisation. For example, business managers expressed their system needs which the IT department embraced and went on to develop and deploy a new software application in isolation. These early strategic alignment projects were not always successful. It was discovered that the development of software (with embedded processes) for automation of a business function was no guarantee of improvement over its earlier manual operation, indeed it could end up being more time-consuming and therefore less efficient as operators were not necessarily au fait with the application. There was not a full unde rstanding of what IT could do and how it could enhance a companys position beyond speeding up communications and thereby creating more ‘time for production or interfacing. A ‘Them and Us atmosphere prevailed with the ‘techies in a separate world to the mangers or drivers of the business, neither fully understanding the others needs [elements that are also considered further in the organisation culture aspect of this research and dealt with in the next chapter]. In the 1990s, Baets study of European banks (Baets, 1996) supported the findings of Vitale and colleagues ten years earlier (Vitale et al., 1986) that knowledge of IT had to be on a par with expert business knowledge for the two to create any comprehension and thereby effective application of strategic alignment in organisations. The third phase, new economy, saw IT commanding greater importance and status as organisations began to emerge that were embracing e-commerce. The demands of the new e-business projects required involvement of IT representatives in their management and strategic planning. The implementation of Internet technologies to augment business processes for productivity or profitability improvements brought the role of IT into the spotlight, according it recognition and strategic responsibility. Along with the newly elevated status of the old IT department there was a greater familiarity with technology and its capabilities and the prejudice that had previously scorned the ‘nerds dissipated somewhat as managers and personnel became more knowledgeable and the IT personnel more essential beyond a lab coat and a screwdriver [cf: artifacts causing division, Schein (1992) and Trompenaars (1997) in chapter 3]. Despite the current global economic crisis and the demise of the new economy IT con tinues to assume new responsibilities and organisations have even more need for strategic alignment projects. An IT department in 2010 must manage relations with partners and bear business responsibilities concerned with the development and customisation of software that will improve how a business functions; practice effective project management to control costs and maximise efficiency and ensure that the introduction of any new hardware or software support operations and infrastructure, â€Å" maintaining the crucial corporate data that helps managers throughout the enterprise to make intelligent and informed decisions Hoque (2002, p. 31). Kearns Lederer, (2003) and Seggie et al. (2006) agree that strategic alignment is a means to gain competitive advantage and Sabherwal Chan (2001), Wagner et al. (2005) and Zhou et al. (2008) further add that it improves organisational performance. 2.2 DEFINING BITA Determining a conclusive definition for alignment is as challenging as its function and application. There are many perspectives and multiple definitions including in chronological order: strategic alignment (Henderson and Venkatraman, 1993); harmony (Luftman, 1996); fit (Porter, 1996); bridge (Ciborra, 1997); integration (Weill and Broadbend, 1988); fusion (Smaczny, 2001); IS alignment (Chan et al., 2006; Benbya and McKelvey, 2006) business-IT alignment (Luftman, 2007); and IT alignment (Chan, 2007). It is understandable that there is such diversity as definitions depend on our understanding of language. The semantics involved are precarious because the new technologies are often described in technical terms and applying simplistic synonyms to explain the intention of alignment in the context of business IT in terminology that is understood without associated jargon is very difficult. Overall, the definitions offered, though they have nuances of difference between them, do relate to the improvement of organisational capability through technology. Broadbent and Weills (1993) early definition, purports that it is the degree to which information strategies support, stimulate and/or enable any business strategies. A later definition offered by Reich and Benbasat (1996) asserts much the same but frames it in terms of the missions of the IT and business objectives and plans on both sides. Luftman (2000) was the first to introduce the element of evolution into the definition and argued that it required strength [as the key element] from leadership, senior management and working relationships, combined with a complete understanding of the business and technical environments, fitting prioritisation, mutual trust, and of course, effective communication. Hirschheim and Sabherwals (2001) definition included the idea of a reciprocal arrangement as fundamental to its meaning and stated that alignment was the achieved between strategy and supporting structures that allowed both IS (information systems) and business to function and communica te responsively each way to one another. Most accepted definitions do highlight the alignment dichotomy described by Kearns and Lederer, (2000), where the argument is that the IS plan ought to align with the business plan (ISP-BP) and vice versa (BP-ISP) the business plan ought to align with the IS plan. Each perspective serves to increase the understanding of IT at organisational level and assist the prioritisation of IT projects. Reich and Benbasat (1996) were protagonists of the ISP-BP model, which they declared signified, IS managements comprehension of the business strategy. Whereas Bensaou and Earl (1998) contrarily preferred the BP-ISP alignment model as they believed it assumed a greater understanding on the part of the business comprehension of the IT aspects and thus the plan and the resources would ally more effectively together as a result of this knowledge, understanding and commitment. These elements are believed to be enablers of alignment (Luftman et al., 1999). In the definitions offered some view alignment as a specific happening or event and others regard it is an ongoing process. Duffy (2001) saw BITA as a process of achieving competitive advantage through a developed and sustained business and IT symbiosis. Maes et al. (2000) claimed BITA to be a continuous and continual process that involved management and design sub-processes with conscious and coherent interrelation of all elements and mechanisms within the business/IT relationship offering contribution to the ongoing performance of the organisation. Moodys (2003) definition saw BITA as a form of comprehensive resources management (people/ technology/ outside resources) that provides a set of IT services and capabilities that are in line with the business needs and priorities. And Senn (2003) was assured that each action executed by IT individuals was to focus on the creation and delivery of shareholder/stakeholder value through supporting business operations and/or achieving business goals. 2.3 BITA PERSPECTIVES AND DIMENSIONS With the diversity of definitions offered to explain the meaning of the strategic alignment concept, as outlined in the previous section, there is a need to further explore the differences to discover why there is such variety. Part of the explanation may be that as the concept has evolved it has been closely linked to the evolution of technological capabilities. Attitudes have changed as organisations have adopted new technologies and personnel have become more familiar with their potential and their operation. These dynamics and the evolution of strategic alignment are reflected in the number of conceptualisations and their definitions will be analysed in the context of the differing perspectives afforded to them. BITA with regard to its perception as a strategy, an event, a continuous process, a performance indicator, an assessment tool, a social influence and as an operation will be briefly outlined below to expand on the definitions in the literature from their different dimensi ons. 2.3.1 BITA AS A STRATEGY It has been a tradition for literature to refer to Business-IT alignment as ‘strategic alignment. Considering it in these terms frames it as an intellectual notion rather than something more concrete or practical and as such it can be high-jacked to represent whatever strategy suits the organisation that is considering alignment. There is no harm in referencing alignment in this manner for it allows debate and therefore change, essential for evolution and adopting a ‘strategy suitable to the structure, culture and level of alignment required. By referring to it in this way however, the literature suggests that strategic alignment is dependent on the fit between IT strategy and business strategy, and on how the IS plans are established to support such a fit (Teo and King, 1997). Many authors in the strategic alignment field approach alignment purely at the strategic level, e.g. Baets (1992), Broadbent and Weill (1993), Chan et al. (1997), and Luftman (2003). At the core of their conceptualisations is the notion that business strategy itself must first be analysed and only thereafter be used to determine a complementary IT strategy. In this scenario the business strategy is paramount and the IT strategy contribution secondary, it is a means to an end rather than a means in its own right. However, despite the alignment between business strategy and IT strategy where emphasis is laid on defining IS strategy plans (Benbya and Mckelvey, 2006) strategic alignment continues to be problematical in many organisations. Thus, reaching an agreed definition that details IS strategic plans is important for strategic alignment; however, is it not enough on its own for the achievement of such alignment (van der Zee and de Jong, 1999). 2.3.2 STRUCTURAL TOPOLOGY AFFECTING BITA The literature often takes for granted the strategic element of the concept and delves further into its implications for organisations, concentrating on the behaviour and nature of BITA what it does when you introduce it [and also is a strong feature of the organisational culture types discussed in the following chapter]. This depends largely on what type of a structure into which it is introduced. A formal structure, an informal structure or a hybrid structure, each having its own merits and each being capable of effective function when the circumstances and environment are conducive to the choice made (Brown and Magill, 1994). Against their three identified structures, Earl (1989) identified five potentially suitable structures: centralized, business unit, business venture, decentralised, and federal. Tavakolian (1989) found a direct correlation between competitive and conservative strategies within an environment and the corresponding decentralised or centralised IT structures ev ident in an organisation and this finding is supported to some extent by Bergeron et al. (2001) with the caveat that it is not solely the complexity of structure that impacts performance but that other factors are influential too. Chans (2001) view is that informal structure, â€Å"†¦relationship-based structures that transcend the formal division of labour and coordination of tasks†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Chan, 2001, p67) can be just as effective as formal structure with the human element rather than intellectualised models and processes driving alignment, often with more impact and success than a formal arrangement. Structure, therefore can add a new dimension to the perspective of alignment as it places it in a setting that will impose its own constraints on the practice and execution of alignment exercises and ideals. 2.3.3 BITA AS AN END IN ITSELF For some authors it alignment doesnt seem to ‘do anything rather it is a business unit that lacks the dynamics others see in it. The implication is that it is something that is ‘brought in like an object concrete and physical and recognised by its static end state where some sort of equilibrium is achieved between the IT and business sides in an organisation. In the previous section, some of the definitions only present strategic alignment as an outcome achieved through the employment and adoption of different models, techniques and processes (Ortiz, 2003). Broadbent and Weill (1993), Chan et al. (1997), Luftman (2003) and Reich and Benbasat (1996), also see strategic alignment as something to be arrived at, a destination that is terminated when an optimal situation has been achieved. This may be a misunderstanding of the full meaning as the attitude that having strategic alignment the business married with the technology required for effective fulfillment of objectives cannot stand alone and it would be naà ¯ve to believe that BITA was a panacea for all business problems so perhaps the authors see it as an optimal achievement when all the other factors, or perspectives, also come into play to make BITA a worthwhile ‘thing in itself. 2.3.4 BITA AS A CONTINUING PROCESS If a business is static it will stagnate and if a business wishes to grow, like IT, it must always continue to evolve through a naturally occurring dynamics that are integral to the implementation of policies such as strategic alignment. Baets (1996), Luftman et al. (1999), and Rondinelli (2001) agree that these dynamics require constant monitoring and appropriate adjustment. Therefore, strategic alignment is not something attainable but something constantly in development, as it is variously described by Henderson and Venkatraman (1993), Baets 1996, Maes et al. (2000), Duffy (2001), Moody (2003), and Senn (2004). â€Å"An issue that has remained relatively unchallenged and unquestioned is how to align IT that is relatively fixed once implemented in an organization, with a business strategy and associated information requirements that are constantly in need of adjustment Galliers (2007, p. 228). Even within this perspective there are two schools of thought; the classical school of thought with emphasis on contingency adaptations and the ‘processual approach (Whittington, 1993) that emphasises the importance of addressing internal and power issues, particularly how cultural elements influence the formal elements of rationality and the decision process in strategic alignment and rejects IT as merely an adaptation but gives it greater weight as a resource. Furthermore, practitioners are being advised to adopt a view of strategic alignment as a continual process. In Pearlmans (2004) article advice to CIOs, in summary, is that they should communicate, demonstrate, lead, collaborate, govern and build if they wish to achieve alignment. 2.3.5 BITA FOR PERFORMANCE INDICATION It is the consideration of several authors that strategic alignment is not only a process but also a tool whereby they can reflect on the business value that organisations might possess, or not. In studies analysed the relationship between strategic alignment and competitive advantage or organisational performance were tracked, (Venkatraman, 1989; Sabherwal and Chan, 2001; Kearns and Lederer, 2003; Wagner, 2005; Seggie et al., 2006; Zhou, 2008). Tallon and Kraemer (2003) were responsible for the additional concept of business value being included as an element to the performance indication point of view of strategic alignment and analyse business value by relating it to organisational IT goals and measuring the IT return of investment from a strategic alignment viewpoint. 2.3.6 ASSESSMENT USING BITA In response to the question: `how do organisations know how good their strategic alignment is? different authors have developed Maturity Models (MMs) (de Koning and der Mark, 2002; Duffy, 2001; Luftman, 2003; van der Raadt et al., 2005). MMs describe the development of a specific domain over time. This perspective is in itself a more mature outlook than other perspectives as it has to consider many of the dynamics before being able to construct an effective strategic alignment. Because of the in-built review and evaluation required for this perspective it has to look at all aspects that the alignment may affect. Researchwork and systems are subject to assessment and revision through these maturity models and their monitoring. On the basis of the assessments of those MMs, organisations can fine tune and calibrate their strategic alignment: Identify any alignment-related aspects/processes improvements required to obtain a higher level of strategic alignment maturity. Initiate any change processes to ensure that the identified improvements eventuate. In much the same way, acceptance of the cyclical nature of strategic alignment as posited by Burns (1996) ‘lead-lag model implies assessment in response to intermittent predictable and unpredictable changes as does the ‘punctuated equilibrium model of Sabherwal et al. (2001) where interruptions to stability demand a fresh look at the long term plan and goals of strategic alignment. 2.3.7 BITA AS A SOCIAL INFLUENCE If an organisation intends to work toward achieving strategic alignment it will necessitate communication that will involve negotiation, collaboration and mutual understanding elements not always present a specific organisational structure or culture. This communication can blur the boundaries of traditional or conventional approaches and therefore becomes a driving force behind social attitudes and perceptions. Chan (2002) and Huang and Hu (2007) uphold this view that maintaining effective communication in an organisation will impact on corporate strategic alignment culture. Concord must be developed for effective channels of communication, transparency in the exchange of knowledge and sharing of learning (Hoque, 2002; Daneva and Hu, 2007), and the use of informal communication is just as important a factor for adjustment and control (Mintzberg, 1993; Chan, 2002; vander Raadt et al., 2005), to generate an atmosphere of trust and an effective response to business needs from an IT pe rspective. Reich and Benbasats (2000) study further confirms that strategic alignment is more likely to succeed when business and IT executives have an [importantly] expressed and [understood] shared common vision of ITs contribution. 2.3.8 BITA AND OPERATIONS Strategic alignment [when it is all-encompassing and embraced by all as part of an organisational culture] necessarily involves organisational issues of communication, structure and, particularly, coordination processes that are operational to the business in specifically performed actions (Wieringa, 2008). Operational strategic alignment consists of aligning the operational activities of IT and business people with each other so that optimal IT support for business requirements is achieved. In this context, Peak and Guynes (2003) put the onus of success on the IT side of the equation, though it does imply some reciprocity in the initial communication of ‘quality requirements and they state that strategic alignment will only be attained when an organisations IT staff can deliver quality information and quality IT products and services to the business side. 2.4 BITA MODELS 2.4.1 MIT90S FRAMEWORK (1991) During the 1980s, research conducted at the world renowned MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) initiated interest in the academic community to the potential of the strategic power of IT. In the attempt to exploit the possibilities revealed in the model from the research it was suggested that radical innovation involving IT investment could carry substantial reward if key elements of strategy, structure, technology, management processes and individuals and their roles were kept in alignment (Morton, 1991). Organisation can be visualised as a set of five forces in dynamic equilibrium subject to external influences from the technological environment and the socio-economic environment. In this view, a core task of general management is to ensure that all five ‘forces (represented by the boxes), can flow without restriction or impediment in order to achieve the organisations goals and objectives. With management at the centre of the model its role is central too. Though some areas might not necessarily be in direct contact with each other they are connected via the management process which plays the principal role and ensures organisational response to shifts in demands from the external variables. 2.4.2 THE HENDERSON AND VENKATRAMAN STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT MODEL (1993) Henderson Venkatramans (1993) strategic model (Figure 2.3) is a widely used four-part illustration favoured by many researchers and organisations for the assessment of the level of alignment in a company. Each of the four parts [quarters] contain three distinct and individuals elements which, when collectively analysed, can be used to define each quarter operationally. These twelve elements- further expanded in Table 1 are used to establish the level and type of alignment within a corporation (Henderson Venkatraman, 1993; Papp, 1995). Table 1 Components of the Strategic Alignment Model Within the model it can be seen how external influences may affect change on either processes [lower sectors] or strategies [upper sectors]. A vertical link couples the upper and lowers sectors and shows the relationship between strategic fit to accommodate strategy with infrastructure. A horizontal link for functional integration shows how IT strategies must adapt as business strategies change, and displays the dependence and required response of each sector upon anothers adaptations particularly in relation to skills and operation. Giving focus to three of the four quarters of the model at a given time can permit a simultaneous address to both strategic fit and functional integration (Papp, 1995; Luftman et al., 1999). The SAM (Strategic Alignment Model) model has proven empirical authenticity and has provided valid conceptual and practical value (Goedvolk et al,. 1997; Avison et al., 2004). Nevertheless, it is subject to confines, eg, the applicability of the SAM model may vary depending on the IT-intensity of an industry and the assumptions expounded might not be relevant to the circumstances (Burn and Szeto, 2000). As mentioned, the model does have recognition and a number of scholars have further elaborated on it (e.g., Luftman et al., 1993). Goedvolk et al.s (1997) extension of the SAM model gave greater focus to technical and architectural attributes. Avison et al.s (2004) addition to the SAM model was able to provide practitioners and academics with further practical ways to attain alignment in their advocacy of examining projects retrospectively to determine alignment. This form of alignment monitoring, can allow pre-emption in a change in strategy and implementation of a new alignment perspective by re-allocation of project resources. The SAM model inspired Maes et al. (2000) to produce a framework that incorporates even more layers pertinent to function and strategy where information providers are separated from the systems providing information in a new information domain representing knowledge, [and exchange of information through] communication and coordination. Their third dimension addresses specific sub-architecture areas. 2.4.3 IS CAPABILITY AND ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCE MODEL (2004) Peppard and Wards model (2004) shows IS capability at the core of everything, inherently affecting competencies and emanating an influence on all areas that interrelate [business strategy/business operations/IT operations and services/IS/IT strategy] and impact upon the organisational performance. Such focus on the importance of this core element demonstrates the value IS capabilities can create and is therefore an organisation-wide responsibility that cannot be delegated to the IS function alone (Peppard et al., 2000). Peppard and Ward (2004) later asserted that though an organisation might envisage an IT based innovative strategy, it will be their IS capabilities that permit such a vision to come to fruition. 2.4.4 CO-EVOLUTIONARY IS ALIGNMENT (2006) By 2006 the model suggested by Benbya and McKelvey (2006) through its graphic presentation appears a more fluid representation suggesting, even visually, that there is more of a flow between relationships in alignment. It still addresses the need to analyse relationships between business and IT (horizontal IS alignment) but introduces a need to merge the views at different levels [strategic/operational/individual] of analysis (vertical IS alignment) through shared understanding and communication. The co-evolutionary IS alignment perspective conveys the necessity for mutual adaptation within a dynamic interplay of co-evolving elements. Co-evolution does not necessarily seek harmony between the elements but a respect for their position and the innovation that may result from the circumstances and environments in which they function. 2.5 ASSESSMENT APPROACHES OF BITA In this section MMs (maturity models) are referred to that have been developed for the assessment of BITA. 2.5.1 DUFFYS MM (2001) Duffys (2001) MM is founded on the principle that a dependable, mutually compatible partnership between IT and business executives is elementary in order to achieve a worthwhile BITA. Without this premise there cannot be a successful desired outcome. Accepting that there is a level of interdependence between IT and business objectives, any schism or division between IT and non-IT areas would sabotage any efforts to establish alignment. This model is arranged about a series of key success drivers (the domains: human resources organisation and management/innovation and renewal strategy/IT/business architecture/IT/business partnership/operational excellence/ROI strategy management) which are operationalised in KPIs (key performance indicators) that each contain five contributory factors aspects designed to address explicit and significant questions within the KPI where it is included. The six domains are briefly explained below: Human resources organisation and management. In this domain reference is made to an organisations personnel and emphasis is given to the importance of workforce recruitment, retention and management by an organisation. Innovation and renewal strategy. The focus here is how innovative an organisation is with an emphasis on currency and validity having a bearing upon understanding when renewal is required to processes and capabilities in an organisation. IT/business architecture. This domain is concerned with the relationship and interaction of entities involved in the information and applications in the business environment of an organisation. IT/business partnership. This domain reflects how the recent upgrading of the role of the IT function affects an organisation â€Å"Technology is critical to business success and this co-dependency drives the need for the IT and non-IT executives to pursue a win/win relationship Duffy (2003, p. 4). Operational excellence. This domain deals with the performance outcomes of the organisation. Duffy recognises that operational excellence can only be achieved if an organisation can recognise the value of ideals embedded in learning and partnerships, and can respond to market demands promptly. ROI strategy and management. This domain investigates the importance of the metrics and processes required for efficient and effective financial management within organisations and accepting IT costs and benefits as having parity with business ones. Duffys six domains address the â€Å"IT and non-IT assertion as well as certain strategic elements within an organisation but there are no explicitly stated maturity levels for them. Instead, Duffy merges the six domains of the model into four BITA scenarios where organisations fall into the following categories: â€Å"uneasy alliance†, â€Å"supplier/consumer relationship†, â€Å"co-dependence/grudging respect†, and â€Å"united we succeed, divided we fail†. These laymans terms are loose at best and though intended to be descriptive only serve to confuse in their interpretation. Such scenarios are the maturity levels in the model. 2.5.2 LUFTMANS MM (2003) Luftmans model (2003) was constructed on the basis of practical experience and research into enablers and inhibitors of alignment (Luftman et al, 1999), incorporating reference to various other models [here listed chronologically and not in order of importance or influence]: Nolans stages of growth model (Nolan, 1979), SAM (Henderson and Venkatraman, 1993) and CMMs (Capability Maturity Model) reach and range concept of (Keen, 1996). Luftmans MM is an endeavour based in six domains (skills/technology scope/partnership/governance/competency measurements/communications) to discover a specific organisations BITA profile. A brief description of each domain follows: Skills: addresses practical human resources issues such as cross-training in IT and business issues regarding the cultural environment and its impact on innovation and organisational change. Technology scope: refers to how much provision of comprehensible and flexible infrastructure comes from IT, the implementation of emergent technol Relationship between Business Strategy and IT Strategy Relationship between Business Strategy and IT Strategy BUSINESS-IT ALIGNMENT (BITA) The relationship between Business strategy and IT strategy and the influence of organisation culture on this strategic alignment in Saudi firms will form the basis of the research in this research. As such, the literature reviewed here will survey major research and practice in the business-IT strategic alignment domain for the purpose of deriving a research framework, or model, of business-IT strategic alignment that will unite the key principles contained within the literature. The intention is to develop a model simple enough for application that will provide a practical tool both for management and IT practitioners. 2.1 BITA A CHRONLOGICAL HISTORY Study on the strategic alignment concept will soon be reaching a quarter of a decades worth of knowledge. Henderson Sifonis (1988) began studying this notion during the late 80s when alignment emerged from a focus on strategic business planning and long-range IT planning where IT plans were created in support of corporate strategies Chan Reich (2007, p. 298). Nevertheless, strategic alignment has retained its interest and value in the business and IT communities and is still a popular topic today for organisations; perhaps even more so as technological advancement continues to dominate the exchange of information. Not surprisingly, its evolution has followed closely the developmental progress of IT itself which began with the operational era continuing through the re-engineering viewpoint and the new economy as figure 2.1 illustrates: The initial phase, the operational era, was concerned primarily with the operations that an organisation performed and focused on setting up mainframes, managing networks of PCs, and backing up organisational data. IT provided the nuts and bolts to facilitate automation of back-office functions through the development of software and had only a supportive role. Strategic alignment was thus viewed merely as a supporting act for every-day operations with its software applications. The second phase, re-engineering, arose from the increasing trend toward dependency on the automation of business processes by IT which not only offered back-office functions support but the promise of total automation within an organization as a whole through IT software applications. At this stage, IT was still viewed only as a supportive tool with no representation in the business end of an organisation. For example, business managers expressed their system needs which the IT department embraced and went on to develop and deploy a new software application in isolation. These early strategic alignment projects were not always successful. It was discovered that the development of software (with embedded processes) for automation of a business function was no guarantee of improvement over its earlier manual operation, indeed it could end up being more time-consuming and therefore less efficient as operators were not necessarily au fait with the application. There was not a full unde rstanding of what IT could do and how it could enhance a companys position beyond speeding up communications and thereby creating more ‘time for production or interfacing. A ‘Them and Us atmosphere prevailed with the ‘techies in a separate world to the mangers or drivers of the business, neither fully understanding the others needs [elements that are also considered further in the organisation culture aspect of this research and dealt with in the next chapter]. In the 1990s, Baets study of European banks (Baets, 1996) supported the findings of Vitale and colleagues ten years earlier (Vitale et al., 1986) that knowledge of IT had to be on a par with expert business knowledge for the two to create any comprehension and thereby effective application of strategic alignment in organisations. The third phase, new economy, saw IT commanding greater importance and status as organisations began to emerge that were embracing e-commerce. The demands of the new e-business projects required involvement of IT representatives in their management and strategic planning. The implementation of Internet technologies to augment business processes for productivity or profitability improvements brought the role of IT into the spotlight, according it recognition and strategic responsibility. Along with the newly elevated status of the old IT department there was a greater familiarity with technology and its capabilities and the prejudice that had previously scorned the ‘nerds dissipated somewhat as managers and personnel became more knowledgeable and the IT personnel more essential beyond a lab coat and a screwdriver [cf: artifacts causing division, Schein (1992) and Trompenaars (1997) in chapter 3]. Despite the current global economic crisis and the demise of the new economy IT con tinues to assume new responsibilities and organisations have even more need for strategic alignment projects. An IT department in 2010 must manage relations with partners and bear business responsibilities concerned with the development and customisation of software that will improve how a business functions; practice effective project management to control costs and maximise efficiency and ensure that the introduction of any new hardware or software support operations and infrastructure, â€Å" maintaining the crucial corporate data that helps managers throughout the enterprise to make intelligent and informed decisions Hoque (2002, p. 31). Kearns Lederer, (2003) and Seggie et al. (2006) agree that strategic alignment is a means to gain competitive advantage and Sabherwal Chan (2001), Wagner et al. (2005) and Zhou et al. (2008) further add that it improves organisational performance. 2.2 DEFINING BITA Determining a conclusive definition for alignment is as challenging as its function and application. There are many perspectives and multiple definitions including in chronological order: strategic alignment (Henderson and Venkatraman, 1993); harmony (Luftman, 1996); fit (Porter, 1996); bridge (Ciborra, 1997); integration (Weill and Broadbend, 1988); fusion (Smaczny, 2001); IS alignment (Chan et al., 2006; Benbya and McKelvey, 2006) business-IT alignment (Luftman, 2007); and IT alignment (Chan, 2007). It is understandable that there is such diversity as definitions depend on our understanding of language. The semantics involved are precarious because the new technologies are often described in technical terms and applying simplistic synonyms to explain the intention of alignment in the context of business IT in terminology that is understood without associated jargon is very difficult. Overall, the definitions offered, though they have nuances of difference between them, do relate to the improvement of organisational capability through technology. Broadbent and Weills (1993) early definition, purports that it is the degree to which information strategies support, stimulate and/or enable any business strategies. A later definition offered by Reich and Benbasat (1996) asserts much the same but frames it in terms of the missions of the IT and business objectives and plans on both sides. Luftman (2000) was the first to introduce the element of evolution into the definition and argued that it required strength [as the key element] from leadership, senior management and working relationships, combined with a complete understanding of the business and technical environments, fitting prioritisation, mutual trust, and of course, effective communication. Hirschheim and Sabherwals (2001) definition included the idea of a reciprocal arrangement as fundamental to its meaning and stated that alignment was the achieved between strategy and supporting structures that allowed both IS (information systems) and business to function and communica te responsively each way to one another. Most accepted definitions do highlight the alignment dichotomy described by Kearns and Lederer, (2000), where the argument is that the IS plan ought to align with the business plan (ISP-BP) and vice versa (BP-ISP) the business plan ought to align with the IS plan. Each perspective serves to increase the understanding of IT at organisational level and assist the prioritisation of IT projects. Reich and Benbasat (1996) were protagonists of the ISP-BP model, which they declared signified, IS managements comprehension of the business strategy. Whereas Bensaou and Earl (1998) contrarily preferred the BP-ISP alignment model as they believed it assumed a greater understanding on the part of the business comprehension of the IT aspects and thus the plan and the resources would ally more effectively together as a result of this knowledge, understanding and commitment. These elements are believed to be enablers of alignment (Luftman et al., 1999). In the definitions offered some view alignment as a specific happening or event and others regard it is an ongoing process. Duffy (2001) saw BITA as a process of achieving competitive advantage through a developed and sustained business and IT symbiosis. Maes et al. (2000) claimed BITA to be a continuous and continual process that involved management and design sub-processes with conscious and coherent interrelation of all elements and mechanisms within the business/IT relationship offering contribution to the ongoing performance of the organisation. Moodys (2003) definition saw BITA as a form of comprehensive resources management (people/ technology/ outside resources) that provides a set of IT services and capabilities that are in line with the business needs and priorities. And Senn (2003) was assured that each action executed by IT individuals was to focus on the creation and delivery of shareholder/stakeholder value through supporting business operations and/or achieving business goals. 2.3 BITA PERSPECTIVES AND DIMENSIONS With the diversity of definitions offered to explain the meaning of the strategic alignment concept, as outlined in the previous section, there is a need to further explore the differences to discover why there is such variety. Part of the explanation may be that as the concept has evolved it has been closely linked to the evolution of technological capabilities. Attitudes have changed as organisations have adopted new technologies and personnel have become more familiar with their potential and their operation. These dynamics and the evolution of strategic alignment are reflected in the number of conceptualisations and their definitions will be analysed in the context of the differing perspectives afforded to them. BITA with regard to its perception as a strategy, an event, a continuous process, a performance indicator, an assessment tool, a social influence and as an operation will be briefly outlined below to expand on the definitions in the literature from their different dimensi ons. 2.3.1 BITA AS A STRATEGY It has been a tradition for literature to refer to Business-IT alignment as ‘strategic alignment. Considering it in these terms frames it as an intellectual notion rather than something more concrete or practical and as such it can be high-jacked to represent whatever strategy suits the organisation that is considering alignment. There is no harm in referencing alignment in this manner for it allows debate and therefore change, essential for evolution and adopting a ‘strategy suitable to the structure, culture and level of alignment required. By referring to it in this way however, the literature suggests that strategic alignment is dependent on the fit between IT strategy and business strategy, and on how the IS plans are established to support such a fit (Teo and King, 1997). Many authors in the strategic alignment field approach alignment purely at the strategic level, e.g. Baets (1992), Broadbent and Weill (1993), Chan et al. (1997), and Luftman (2003). At the core of their conceptualisations is the notion that business strategy itself must first be analysed and only thereafter be used to determine a complementary IT strategy. In this scenario the business strategy is paramount and the IT strategy contribution secondary, it is a means to an end rather than a means in its own right. However, despite the alignment between business strategy and IT strategy where emphasis is laid on defining IS strategy plans (Benbya and Mckelvey, 2006) strategic alignment continues to be problematical in many organisations. Thus, reaching an agreed definition that details IS strategic plans is important for strategic alignment; however, is it not enough on its own for the achievement of such alignment (van der Zee and de Jong, 1999). 2.3.2 STRUCTURAL TOPOLOGY AFFECTING BITA The literature often takes for granted the strategic element of the concept and delves further into its implications for organisations, concentrating on the behaviour and nature of BITA what it does when you introduce it [and also is a strong feature of the organisational culture types discussed in the following chapter]. This depends largely on what type of a structure into which it is introduced. A formal structure, an informal structure or a hybrid structure, each having its own merits and each being capable of effective function when the circumstances and environment are conducive to the choice made (Brown and Magill, 1994). Against their three identified structures, Earl (1989) identified five potentially suitable structures: centralized, business unit, business venture, decentralised, and federal. Tavakolian (1989) found a direct correlation between competitive and conservative strategies within an environment and the corresponding decentralised or centralised IT structures ev ident in an organisation and this finding is supported to some extent by Bergeron et al. (2001) with the caveat that it is not solely the complexity of structure that impacts performance but that other factors are influential too. Chans (2001) view is that informal structure, â€Å"†¦relationship-based structures that transcend the formal division of labour and coordination of tasks†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Chan, 2001, p67) can be just as effective as formal structure with the human element rather than intellectualised models and processes driving alignment, often with more impact and success than a formal arrangement. Structure, therefore can add a new dimension to the perspective of alignment as it places it in a setting that will impose its own constraints on the practice and execution of alignment exercises and ideals. 2.3.3 BITA AS AN END IN ITSELF For some authors it alignment doesnt seem to ‘do anything rather it is a business unit that lacks the dynamics others see in it. The implication is that it is something that is ‘brought in like an object concrete and physical and recognised by its static end state where some sort of equilibrium is achieved between the IT and business sides in an organisation. In the previous section, some of the definitions only present strategic alignment as an outcome achieved through the employment and adoption of different models, techniques and processes (Ortiz, 2003). Broadbent and Weill (1993), Chan et al. (1997), Luftman (2003) and Reich and Benbasat (1996), also see strategic alignment as something to be arrived at, a destination that is terminated when an optimal situation has been achieved. This may be a misunderstanding of the full meaning as the attitude that having strategic alignment the business married with the technology required for effective fulfillment of objectives cannot stand alone and it would be naà ¯ve to believe that BITA was a panacea for all business problems so perhaps the authors see it as an optimal achievement when all the other factors, or perspectives, also come into play to make BITA a worthwhile ‘thing in itself. 2.3.4 BITA AS A CONTINUING PROCESS If a business is static it will stagnate and if a business wishes to grow, like IT, it must always continue to evolve through a naturally occurring dynamics that are integral to the implementation of policies such as strategic alignment. Baets (1996), Luftman et al. (1999), and Rondinelli (2001) agree that these dynamics require constant monitoring and appropriate adjustment. Therefore, strategic alignment is not something attainable but something constantly in development, as it is variously described by Henderson and Venkatraman (1993), Baets 1996, Maes et al. (2000), Duffy (2001), Moody (2003), and Senn (2004). â€Å"An issue that has remained relatively unchallenged and unquestioned is how to align IT that is relatively fixed once implemented in an organization, with a business strategy and associated information requirements that are constantly in need of adjustment Galliers (2007, p. 228). Even within this perspective there are two schools of thought; the classical school of thought with emphasis on contingency adaptations and the ‘processual approach (Whittington, 1993) that emphasises the importance of addressing internal and power issues, particularly how cultural elements influence the formal elements of rationality and the decision process in strategic alignment and rejects IT as merely an adaptation but gives it greater weight as a resource. Furthermore, practitioners are being advised to adopt a view of strategic alignment as a continual process. In Pearlmans (2004) article advice to CIOs, in summary, is that they should communicate, demonstrate, lead, collaborate, govern and build if they wish to achieve alignment. 2.3.5 BITA FOR PERFORMANCE INDICATION It is the consideration of several authors that strategic alignment is not only a process but also a tool whereby they can reflect on the business value that organisations might possess, or not. In studies analysed the relationship between strategic alignment and competitive advantage or organisational performance were tracked, (Venkatraman, 1989; Sabherwal and Chan, 2001; Kearns and Lederer, 2003; Wagner, 2005; Seggie et al., 2006; Zhou, 2008). Tallon and Kraemer (2003) were responsible for the additional concept of business value being included as an element to the performance indication point of view of strategic alignment and analyse business value by relating it to organisational IT goals and measuring the IT return of investment from a strategic alignment viewpoint. 2.3.6 ASSESSMENT USING BITA In response to the question: `how do organisations know how good their strategic alignment is? different authors have developed Maturity Models (MMs) (de Koning and der Mark, 2002; Duffy, 2001; Luftman, 2003; van der Raadt et al., 2005). MMs describe the development of a specific domain over time. This perspective is in itself a more mature outlook than other perspectives as it has to consider many of the dynamics before being able to construct an effective strategic alignment. Because of the in-built review and evaluation required for this perspective it has to look at all aspects that the alignment may affect. Researchwork and systems are subject to assessment and revision through these maturity models and their monitoring. On the basis of the assessments of those MMs, organisations can fine tune and calibrate their strategic alignment: Identify any alignment-related aspects/processes improvements required to obtain a higher level of strategic alignment maturity. Initiate any change processes to ensure that the identified improvements eventuate. In much the same way, acceptance of the cyclical nature of strategic alignment as posited by Burns (1996) ‘lead-lag model implies assessment in response to intermittent predictable and unpredictable changes as does the ‘punctuated equilibrium model of Sabherwal et al. (2001) where interruptions to stability demand a fresh look at the long term plan and goals of strategic alignment. 2.3.7 BITA AS A SOCIAL INFLUENCE If an organisation intends to work toward achieving strategic alignment it will necessitate communication that will involve negotiation, collaboration and mutual understanding elements not always present a specific organisational structure or culture. This communication can blur the boundaries of traditional or conventional approaches and therefore becomes a driving force behind social attitudes and perceptions. Chan (2002) and Huang and Hu (2007) uphold this view that maintaining effective communication in an organisation will impact on corporate strategic alignment culture. Concord must be developed for effective channels of communication, transparency in the exchange of knowledge and sharing of learning (Hoque, 2002; Daneva and Hu, 2007), and the use of informal communication is just as important a factor for adjustment and control (Mintzberg, 1993; Chan, 2002; vander Raadt et al., 2005), to generate an atmosphere of trust and an effective response to business needs from an IT pe rspective. Reich and Benbasats (2000) study further confirms that strategic alignment is more likely to succeed when business and IT executives have an [importantly] expressed and [understood] shared common vision of ITs contribution. 2.3.8 BITA AND OPERATIONS Strategic alignment [when it is all-encompassing and embraced by all as part of an organisational culture] necessarily involves organisational issues of communication, structure and, particularly, coordination processes that are operational to the business in specifically performed actions (Wieringa, 2008). Operational strategic alignment consists of aligning the operational activities of IT and business people with each other so that optimal IT support for business requirements is achieved. In this context, Peak and Guynes (2003) put the onus of success on the IT side of the equation, though it does imply some reciprocity in the initial communication of ‘quality requirements and they state that strategic alignment will only be attained when an organisations IT staff can deliver quality information and quality IT products and services to the business side. 2.4 BITA MODELS 2.4.1 MIT90S FRAMEWORK (1991) During the 1980s, research conducted at the world renowned MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) initiated interest in the academic community to the potential of the strategic power of IT. In the attempt to exploit the possibilities revealed in the model from the research it was suggested that radical innovation involving IT investment could carry substantial reward if key elements of strategy, structure, technology, management processes and individuals and their roles were kept in alignment (Morton, 1991). Organisation can be visualised as a set of five forces in dynamic equilibrium subject to external influences from the technological environment and the socio-economic environment. In this view, a core task of general management is to ensure that all five ‘forces (represented by the boxes), can flow without restriction or impediment in order to achieve the organisations goals and objectives. With management at the centre of the model its role is central too. Though some areas might not necessarily be in direct contact with each other they are connected via the management process which plays the principal role and ensures organisational response to shifts in demands from the external variables. 2.4.2 THE HENDERSON AND VENKATRAMAN STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT MODEL (1993) Henderson Venkatramans (1993) strategic model (Figure 2.3) is a widely used four-part illustration favoured by many researchers and organisations for the assessment of the level of alignment in a company. Each of the four parts [quarters] contain three distinct and individuals elements which, when collectively analysed, can be used to define each quarter operationally. These twelve elements- further expanded in Table 1 are used to establish the level and type of alignment within a corporation (Henderson Venkatraman, 1993; Papp, 1995). Table 1 Components of the Strategic Alignment Model Within the model it can be seen how external influences may affect change on either processes [lower sectors] or strategies [upper sectors]. A vertical link couples the upper and lowers sectors and shows the relationship between strategic fit to accommodate strategy with infrastructure. A horizontal link for functional integration shows how IT strategies must adapt as business strategies change, and displays the dependence and required response of each sector upon anothers adaptations particularly in relation to skills and operation. Giving focus to three of the four quarters of the model at a given time can permit a simultaneous address to both strategic fit and functional integration (Papp, 1995; Luftman et al., 1999). The SAM (Strategic Alignment Model) model has proven empirical authenticity and has provided valid conceptual and practical value (Goedvolk et al,. 1997; Avison et al., 2004). Nevertheless, it is subject to confines, eg, the applicability of the SAM model may vary depending on the IT-intensity of an industry and the assumptions expounded might not be relevant to the circumstances (Burn and Szeto, 2000). As mentioned, the model does have recognition and a number of scholars have further elaborated on it (e.g., Luftman et al., 1993). Goedvolk et al.s (1997) extension of the SAM model gave greater focus to technical and architectural attributes. Avison et al.s (2004) addition to the SAM model was able to provide practitioners and academics with further practical ways to attain alignment in their advocacy of examining projects retrospectively to determine alignment. This form of alignment monitoring, can allow pre-emption in a change in strategy and implementation of a new alignment perspective by re-allocation of project resources. The SAM model inspired Maes et al. (2000) to produce a framework that incorporates even more layers pertinent to function and strategy where information providers are separated from the systems providing information in a new information domain representing knowledge, [and exchange of information through] communication and coordination. Their third dimension addresses specific sub-architecture areas. 2.4.3 IS CAPABILITY AND ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCE MODEL (2004) Peppard and Wards model (2004) shows IS capability at the core of everything, inherently affecting competencies and emanating an influence on all areas that interrelate [business strategy/business operations/IT operations and services/IS/IT strategy] and impact upon the organisational performance. Such focus on the importance of this core element demonstrates the value IS capabilities can create and is therefore an organisation-wide responsibility that cannot be delegated to the IS function alone (Peppard et al., 2000). Peppard and Ward (2004) later asserted that though an organisation might envisage an IT based innovative strategy, it will be their IS capabilities that permit such a vision to come to fruition. 2.4.4 CO-EVOLUTIONARY IS ALIGNMENT (2006) By 2006 the model suggested by Benbya and McKelvey (2006) through its graphic presentation appears a more fluid representation suggesting, even visually, that there is more of a flow between relationships in alignment. It still addresses the need to analyse relationships between business and IT (horizontal IS alignment) but introduces a need to merge the views at different levels [strategic/operational/individual] of analysis (vertical IS alignment) through shared understanding and communication. The co-evolutionary IS alignment perspective conveys the necessity for mutual adaptation within a dynamic interplay of co-evolving elements. Co-evolution does not necessarily seek harmony between the elements but a respect for their position and the innovation that may result from the circumstances and environments in which they function. 2.5 ASSESSMENT APPROACHES OF BITA In this section MMs (maturity models) are referred to that have been developed for the assessment of BITA. 2.5.1 DUFFYS MM (2001) Duffys (2001) MM is founded on the principle that a dependable, mutually compatible partnership between IT and business executives is elementary in order to achieve a worthwhile BITA. Without this premise there cannot be a successful desired outcome. Accepting that there is a level of interdependence between IT and business objectives, any schism or division between IT and non-IT areas would sabotage any efforts to establish alignment. This model is arranged about a series of key success drivers (the domains: human resources organisation and management/innovation and renewal strategy/IT/business architecture/IT/business partnership/operational excellence/ROI strategy management) which are operationalised in KPIs (key performance indicators) that each contain five contributory factors aspects designed to address explicit and significant questions within the KPI where it is included. The six domains are briefly explained below: Human resources organisation and management. In this domain reference is made to an organisations personnel and emphasis is given to the importance of workforce recruitment, retention and management by an organisation. Innovation and renewal strategy. The focus here is how innovative an organisation is with an emphasis on currency and validity having a bearing upon understanding when renewal is required to processes and capabilities in an organisation. IT/business architecture. This domain is concerned with the relationship and interaction of entities involved in the information and applications in the business environment of an organisation. IT/business partnership. This domain reflects how the recent upgrading of the role of the IT function affects an organisation â€Å"Technology is critical to business success and this co-dependency drives the need for the IT and non-IT executives to pursue a win/win relationship Duffy (2003, p. 4). Operational excellence. This domain deals with the performance outcomes of the organisation. Duffy recognises that operational excellence can only be achieved if an organisation can recognise the value of ideals embedded in learning and partnerships, and can respond to market demands promptly. ROI strategy and management. This domain investigates the importance of the metrics and processes required for efficient and effective financial management within organisations and accepting IT costs and benefits as having parity with business ones. Duffys six domains address the â€Å"IT and non-IT assertion as well as certain strategic elements within an organisation but there are no explicitly stated maturity levels for them. Instead, Duffy merges the six domains of the model into four BITA scenarios where organisations fall into the following categories: â€Å"uneasy alliance†, â€Å"supplier/consumer relationship†, â€Å"co-dependence/grudging respect†, and â€Å"united we succeed, divided we fail†. These laymans terms are loose at best and though intended to be descriptive only serve to confuse in their interpretation. Such scenarios are the maturity levels in the model. 2.5.2 LUFTMANS MM (2003) Luftmans model (2003) was constructed on the basis of practical experience and research into enablers and inhibitors of alignment (Luftman et al, 1999), incorporating reference to various other models [here listed chronologically and not in order of importance or influence]: Nolans stages of growth model (Nolan, 1979), SAM (Henderson and Venkatraman, 1993) and CMMs (Capability Maturity Model) reach and range concept of (Keen, 1996). Luftmans MM is an endeavour based in six domains (skills/technology scope/partnership/governance/competency measurements/communications) to discover a specific organisations BITA profile. A brief description of each domain follows: Skills: addresses practical human resources issues such as cross-training in IT and business issues regarding the cultural environment and its impact on innovation and organisational change. Technology scope: refers to how much provision of comprehensible and flexible infrastructure comes from IT, the implementation of emergent technol