Research Report on The Issues Related To ERP Systems

Question - Prepare research report which discusses the issues related toERP Systems ? Table of Contents Introduction. Implementing ERP in businesses. Benefits of ERP Implementation. Factors Influencing ERP systems Benefit Realization. Expected versus actual ERP implementation Benefits. ERP benefits realization barriers and challenges. Case study of ERP systems in Institutes for Higher Education. Process of ERP Implementation in the University. Conclusion. References. Introduction Large investments are being made by organizations in systems of ERP based on packages. There are some organizations who have manage to achieve improvement in their business from the systems of ERP but still there are many which have failed to acknowledge the identified benefits of ERP at the outset of a project. Package customization is one of the recommended approach by which ERP systems improvisation is possible and hence it also helps in realization of benefits but reaching an efficient system that caters to the desires is achieved hardly (Bingi et al, 2009). The customization degree can also be essential for influencing the benefit realization levels from the systems of ERP. A better strategic fir may be provided by an enhanced tailoring system which is in alignment with the processes of an organization and so it tends to increase the probability of realizing benefits related to ERP systems. There has been very less research related to understanding the relationship that exists b etween customization ERP systems and realization of benefits (Beheshti, 2006). This report will also add to this gap in literature with the help from current framework on benefits management and will examine explicitly ERP projects customization role as it is an important factor that leads to benefit realization. The method of research in this paper will not only be investigative and argumentative but also exploratory with regard to case studies. However there are several factors that affect a firms performance when applying ERP systems which this paper will briefly discuss. Most organizations throughout the globe have started to implement the System of ERP known as SAP. Even though these organizations use similar systems of ERP but still they have the tendency of achieving several value levels and advantages along with several disadvantages as well when factors affecting the system are not tackles appropriately (Balderston, 2008). Benefit realization from ERP systems can only be gain when specific factors contribute towards the process (Bruce, 2008). The significance of ERP systems also cannot be sidelined especially because of the important purpose they serve and so this paper has been developed in order to identify the characteristics along with significance of ERP systems along with those factors that can help contribute to realization of benefit (Bajwa, 2004). The purpose of this report is support by different arguments and several perspectives to either compare or contrast several systems of ERP and the factors affecting them. The report also addre sses different case studies for illustrating ERP systems related important considerations. Implementing ERP in businesses There is no doubt that various advantages are present when ERP systems are implemented in an organizations but for most of the organizations implementing such a system would have helped in solving various technologically related issues such as the issue of Y2K; by crediting such frameworks with diminishing inventories, cutting down the duration of processes, reducing expenses and developing administration hones for inventory network (Chaudhuri et al, 2001). However, these organizations have now moved father from this simple implementation are looked for methods that can help them achieve investment optimization. This is inclusive of implemented functionality extension of systems of ERP and is known as the implementation of second wave, for example warehousing data, managing relationship with the customer or even optimizing through consistent planning. Most researches such as by Mark et al, 2005, have illustrated that implementation of ERP systems mainly attain failure because the exp ected and attained benefits vary. The cost of Information technology and reduction of personnel are 2 prominent issues which led towards expected versus actual benefits disparities (Dillard et al, 2006). Issues related to people also dominate the challenges to attain benefits realization with issues of managing change considered to a prominent barrier as well. Issues of software, hardware and integration are other issues but not as significant. Inadequate discipline, training inadequacy and change management inadequacy with poor team performance are also essential considerations in the implementation process without with benefits cannot be appropriately realized. Even though the organizations have experienced gained across specific implementation related to ERP, they still face problems such as management of change which persists to dominate the organizations from attaining benefits realization (AMR Research, 2002). The core of SAP R/3 and implementing up gradation involve extensive ly building-in the procedures of change management. In order to develop facilitation of an effective process of implementation, engineering the processes of businesses was started especially to understand the gap that helps in determining what modifications are required within the ERP systems of an organization. According to ERP literature related comprehensive review, Schlickter et al 2010, illustrated that prior studies of ERP focus mainly on 8 concerning areas inclusive of tools of ERP, management of supply chain with ERP systems, market of ERP and its industry. Implementation of ERP, according to the study of Parr and Shaks, 2000, the most effective implementation strategy and advocating the ERP projects partition in various small processes of projects as implementations of vanilla systems. Post implementation on the other hand has been comprehensively studies by Staehr, 2010 wherein the author focused on investigation which ERP systems business benefits are present and can be experienced by organizations in the period of post ERP implementation and it was found by them that management agencies were specifically essential in the consideration of benefit realization. Rikhardsson et al, 2006 on the other hand focused of ERP systems related change which structure of organization and the management has to face during the ERP systems implementation process. They depicted that accounting processes coordination requirement, requirement of integrating processes of business and maintenance of competitive position with regard to a particular organization were important barriers faced by organizations when implementing ERP systems (Brynjolfsson, 1993). Furthermore, an enterprise resource planning system has been credited likewise with helping organizations to enhance their esteem by incorporation of activities within a firm by making it actualize the appropriate practices for each methodology in business, understanding the standard techniques, making single information source resulting in lesser diversion. Research suggests that there was an expansion of 40% within connection robotics whilst executing ERP along with a reduction of approximately 65% in creating control work (Weil, 1999). Hence, for this reason, various associations across the globe are showing keen interest in such big frameworks for business purpose. It seems that current organizations prefer to acknowledge the importance of convenient and exact data since it allows their work force to effectively and efficiently maintain their role when choosing their viable choices during practices. 163 administrators of various endeavors were approached by the Accenture as an at tempt to understand the use of enterprise resource planning frameworks by organization and how they use it for the purpose of enhancing the execution of their business along with their practices that allow them to maintain their worth of creation (Davenport et al, 2003). It was found that due to their implementation of such venturous framework of data resulted in quality creation, though certain other organizations confirmed equivalent profits than most other organizations. One study of 2006, included 450 administrators from approximately 370 organizations, simply worked on studying the distinguished elements of their ERP framework that improved their esteem; they also identified their use of frameworks so as a means of improving separation and intensity (Harris and Davenport, 2006). In other for organizations to amplify their profits from the activities regarding business intelligence, analysts have come up with a guide that discusses use of business intelligence and allow oganisations to advance their business intelligence; the methodology for such a guide the involves development of Business Intelligence Maturity Models (Rayner Woods, 2011). This model effectively guides and organization so as for them to enhance their process of administering corporate information along with amplifying the profits that their organization acquires from their use of business intelligence. On a yearly basis, organizations are recognized for their use of business intelligence and are awarded Business Intelligence Awards of Excellence by Gartner. For this reason, one can expect an organization that has received such a grant to be highly developed as per the model. The following report is now focuses on an investigation discussing the BI venture of an organization (Carlino et al, 2000); this very organization was later awarded with the Business Intelligence Award of Excellence by Gartner (false name Acme Manufacturing). In brief however it can be said that service platform of distinct nature is offered by enterprise information systems for improving the working efficiency of a specific firm. These systems of information have a wide usage in several fields and enhance the enterprise activities efficiency improvisation. The implementation of ERP systems however do challenge the organizations but realizing actual rather than expected benefits of the process can help in catering to the challenge. Benefits of ERP Implementation In order to recognize the benefits of ERP implementation, one needs to understand that ERP frameworks are rather confuse bundles of programming that provide a back up to most authoritative exercises being carried out within an organization. For this reason, it can be said that several components affect the relationship between an hierarchical gainfulness and the interest in ERP. The following discusses the impression of a director regarding their profits due to their utilization of ERP frameworks. In order to acquire full advantage of a product, the ERP merchants suggest that organizations should execute their bundles of products with insignificant changes. For this reason, most organizations have adopted the best-of-breed approach that allows them to separate the bundles of programming for every procedure or capacity that is chosen (Rayner Woods, 2011). In other words, they use a coordinated approach of corporate framework that allows them to sort all important capacities of business for the organization. Factors Influencing ERP systems Benefit Realization In regards to the significant growth that ERP has experienced since the 1990s, organizations have come across several challenges when applying the ERP framework. Research suggests that not only most of the international organizations but also several other medium and small organizations have now begun to implement and use ERP. Though, it is necessary to understand that despite of ERPs promising advantages such as organizational profits and considerable investment of capital, ERP implementation may not necessarily always be successful (Al-Sehali, 2010). One downside to it would be the delay in schedule due to its implementation along with increased financial budget. Similarly, theories suggest that ERP implementation have often failed to provide organizations with their expected results or outcomes and achieve their own targets. When comparing ERP to other information systems, one major problem emerging in the use of EP is complexity of the nature of the technology being used along with its compatibility and standardization. This is further augmented by problems caused by human participation such as the culture within an organization, resistance of workers towards change, the incompatibility of the business processes, any type of project mismanagement, the commitment towards the project by the top management and many others; these are stated to be among the most common risk factors that may lead to failed implementation of ERP (Al-Mashari, 2003). One famous system within business management is ERP, that not only provides an organization with the benefits of maintaining and achieving time capabilities but as also allow them to maintain beneficial communication. Apart from the above research that has specifically focused on the benefits and factors of the ERP system, the following consists of some research on implementation of the second wave (Australia). Some of the factors that will allow organizations to clarify their organizational consideration include software system design, user involvement and training, skill mix, technology planning, organization fit and project control management. In order to research the risk factors deteriorating benefits realization related to ERP systems, a multileveled approach was adopted for collecting data with the help of primary stages of exploration prior to starting a more significant in-detail investigation of a selected case study (Davenport, 1998). The adoption of this approach is justified because when attempts are made for operationalization of research questions then several practical issues can develop which can present a strong case of argument for some exploratory research conduction for further developing an refining the reference terms for this report. According to an exploratory research conducted by Miles and Huberman, 1994, it was evident that the industry of ERP is categorized broadly under 3 prime groups which are inclusive of vendors supplying the software for ERP, the integrators of system facilitating the software implementation and the organization related clients. In this study, the interviewees from all these mentioned groups of stakeholders were approached to conduct 17 interviews in total (Davenport, 2000). From this study it was evident that the ERP systems higher investment was confirmed by all these groups implying that benefit realization is of elaborative significance to various companies but still the benefits deliverance from various implementations related to ERP were low in a disappointing manner. IT was further reported by a study performed by Panorama Consulting Group 2011 that approximately 85 percent of studies of ERP examine customization of ERP and several other authors believe in examining the advantage s delivered through this customization. The definition of benefits management is that process by which an organization is able to organize and manage in a manner that the IT usage in the most appropriate manner is observed (Deloitte Consulting, 1998). There have been several studies developed to address models and frameworks that can help in managing the whole benefit from ERP process of management inclusive of Benefits realization from the model of Cranfield process, Benefit realization through active model and the Benefits identification mode. Even after these tools are available, still various organizations have not gained the ability of translating them into working practices effectively. According to a survey performed by Ward et al, 2007, best practices of management depicted to appear that only participating organizations in minority adopt an approach of comprehensiveness to manage advantages from the investments of IS or IT (Gartner, 1998). This was an evidence that helped the Ashurst et al 2008 concluding that rea lizing benefits remained an excellent example for consistent gaps existing between theories of management and practices (Birnbaum et al, 2009). Benefits realization Cranfield process model is the most known and widely used model in the literature of benefits management. The main element of this model for realizing benefits lies in the network of beneficial dependency. This model has been chosen to realize benefit by considering associated factors (Gefen et al, 2002). The framework of BDN is designed for allowing the objectives of investment and to acknowledge the benefits resulting from it to link it in a structures manner to the operations of a business as per the requirements of an organization (Gartner, 1998). The figure of this network is provided below: According to several studies such as Park et al, 2010, there are various barriers to realize benefits effectively under ERP systems which can be obtained by using Benefit management models inclusive of factors such as discipline inadequacy, change management lacking, improper training, poor procedures of reporting, inadequate engineering of process, misplaced advantages of ownership, inadequacy of Internal staff, resources poor prioritization, functionality poor software, inadequacy in consistent support, poor performance in business, project team with under performance, managing applications poorly and even modifications performed in a poor manner (Al-Sehali, 2010). Expected versus actual ERP implementation Benefits A range of benefits both tangible and non-tangible are available for companies implementing ERP. Reducing in finance cycle closure was the primary benefit that companies expected achieving. High rating is also given to management and their evidence is provided in the following figure which has been illustrated by a study performed by Clarke et al, 2010 (Al-Sehali, 2010): Also, there has been evident discrepancy existing between those companies expecting for achieving something through ERP systems and those which actually are achieving through implementation of ERP. Organizations realize usually various benefits unexpectedly associated with improving performance (Kalling, 2003). These can be negated because of the maturing companies and the ERP system associated experience with industrial benchmarks availability. ERP benefits realization barriers and challenges Benefits realization barriers are inclusive of obstacles related to inadequate software functionality. Most of the issues however have a relation to issues of people in the organization. Change management however is the crucial barrier which requires appropriate management. It has been identified by several researchers such as Hammer that programs establishing positive behavior towards information systems introduction are important factors of success to their implementation successfully (Olson, 2004). This has made companies to focus in enhanced manner on strategies of managing change. This has been referred by Hammer as the re-engineering process of organizations and he further argued that an important precedent for any strategy related to managing change is cultural change being fostered first in the organization. The methodology of ASAP implementation of SAP focused considerably to focus on strategies of managing change and inclusive of various resources supporting the process (OL eary, 2000). Enhanced research is needed in the complicated issues that involve management of change and resources evaluation for assisting in the process of change. Case study of ERP systems in Institutes for Higher Education In the initial years of 20th century, the well-known Cambridge University known as MIT or the Massachusetts Institute of technology was reaching towards its success with total faculty members approximately 8000 and with more than 10000 students. These students and faculties had to face pressure from people living outside and an important challenge of operational budget management came in front of the Institute. It seems that due to the federal growth and expenditure in US, there is a downfall in the expenditure for research while an increment in MITs tuition fee leading to admission blockade for several students (Balderston, 2008). Such problems may become responsible for the increment gap which will eventually increase the difficulties faced by MIT in attracting stakeholders. Hence, for this reason, MIT intends on changing its current financial system and process by improving their system of main-time financial information. For this purpose, MIT came across two options; one includes developing single improved system while the other includes purchasing such a system from the market (Beheshti, 2006). MIT decided to purchase a ERP system due to the complications that may arise from developing the system which may revolve around the financial cost of the development. This purchased system simply was based on the practices carried out within the corporate industry. Sought profit seems to come through as one of the major and key findings in this study that allows enhancement of the choice making process. It was found that the organizations that are considered to maintain top performance have utilized their data examination forcefully so as to enhance their choice making. Such discoveries are discussed by Gartner which is considered one of the best business examiner firms; they conducted an overall review of over 1500 chief information officers and stated that business intelligence (BI) has become possibly one of the most obvious and essential need for business organizations when followed by ERP frameworks (Gartner, 2008). A report by Cutter Consortium in 2003, approximately 70% of the respondents were discovered to use activities involving Business Intelligence and warehousing of information, when reviewing over 142 organizations. The importance of BI is reflected by the income of $7.7 billion by the BI merchant in 2012. Process of ERP Implementation in the University The implementation of an ERP system, namely SAP was initiated by MIT in the initial period of 1995. The initial aim was to release the changing system of estate management at MIT with regard to SAP central finances (Ranyer and Woods, 2011). The second implementation aim was on increasing the DLCS across the university and then apply the ERP system related steps over there. A team dwelling on important and skilled professionals from the staff of index consultation and organizations from department of IT and administration within MIT institute was established by MIT for measuring the ERP systems from the perspective of several product sellers for selecting the most appropriate one for the company. Finally it was decided by MIT that SAP and Oracle were two such vendors which appropriately suited the requirements of ERP systems providers especially for the current problems that the company faced (Sarkis et al, 2003). A large share in the market is grabbed by MIT and this company had more awareness in the business community with best suitability which implied that the company had complete knowledge of highly technological SAP and was able to utilize newer facilities of contemporary nature. SAP R/3 was selected by MIT after considering all the reviews available for all the selected vendors with regard to selecting appropriate implementation of ERP. Several challenges are faced by companies operating in the corporate sector that commonly provides operations in bigger competitive environments related to financing in comparison to several of other non-profit sectors which have managed to gain advantage from the ERP systems throughout the past decade. High education institutes are motivated by such success stories and they have developed an urge to implement systems of ERP appropriately with same goals that can help in increasing corporate sector adoption, for example, increase the operational efficiency while lowering the prices. Hence, MIT decided to implement and adopt ERP. According to Bingi Godla, 2009, MIT has appropriately invested in implementing ERP so as to increase their institutional business processes; research suggests that over $5 billion is invested yb Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the implementation of ERP in the past few years. Currently, the vendors of ERP continue to increase their products scope by increasing the number of products in the market as a response of the increased and modern need of the market. Some examples of these products include SAP ORACLE softwares; these are management softwares developed for the student lifecycle. However, it is important to note that the implementation of ERP in MIT has been regarded and noticed to be challenging (Stewart et al, 2000). In a study conducted, implementation of ERP had turned out to be unsuccessful in approximately 60-80% of contexts education; ERP failed to meet the needs of MIT and the results had not turned out to be satisfactory; thus, further emphasizing the fact that ERP was initially only made for corporate business organizations. Even though ERP has the capability of providing several customization options, these options are responsible to increase the failing risk through work scope increment and cost of implementation enhancement which in turn delays the implementation scheduling. Additionally, some other authors a lso further stated that ERP implementation lead to several other tensions and affected the universities in many other ways; these new issues are simply dependent upon what the university perceives them as. Conclusion To conclude, we know institutes providing higher education have adopted ERP so as to gain integration within their management system so as to manage complex operations easily (Chaudhuri Ganti, 2001). We know that several universities are currently experiencing pressure to deliver high quality service of education to their students at lower or minimum cost; be it due to the declined investment from the government or reducing stakeholder increments. Due to these reasons, ERP has become more and more appealing to such institutes since it allows them to satisfactorily gain their expected standards. The benefits of implementation of ERP are being investigated by both, corporate organizations and universities across the globe. For institutes, the main reasons include enhancing their educational system while reengineering their business processes (Dillard Tuthas, 2006). Though, in the corporate sector, reengineering of business processes is much easier than in universities. This can be ex plained by comparing the corporate sector, institutes of higher education have a tendency to obtain very short limitation provided the capital equivalent to time spent. Additionally, the revenues of these universities also is in turn directly connecting to the position of the university academically in comparison to an administration with efficiency (Well, 1999). This would help the universities itself to gain a rare option that can alter the operational models increasing operation related risks and also adopting several thoughts than the corporate sector. The culture and structure of the organization such as that in the case study, also mostly affected under the implementation of ERP. A formal and hierarchical process in the sector of corporate with regard to making decisions effectively, helped in making the ENGCO operate in alignment with the standardized process and eventually becoming more successfully in reengineering process at a larger scale than that of MIT that posses an autonomic and collegial environment (Birnbaum Edelson, 2009). In regards to this, the change and relationship management plays an essential and significant role in the implementation of ERP in institutes providing higher education (Wilderman, 1999). The above study simply further confirms that ERP implementation results in various challenges in both, universities and corporate businesses. Mainly, this study chose the universities- MIT (the main case study); San Francisco and any other universities are classified as universities of research conducting very big activities of research in the classification of higher education institution. References Al-Mashari, M. (2003). Enterprise resource planning: A taxonomy of critical factors. European Journal of Operational Research, 146(2), pp. 352-364. Al-Sehali, S. H. (2010). The factors that affect the implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) in the international arab gulf states and united states companies with special emphasis on SAP software (saudi arabia), University of Northern Iowa. Ash, C., Burn, J. (2003). A strategic framework for the management of ERP enabled e-business change. European Journal of Operational Research, 146(2), pp. 374-387. Bajwa, D. S., (2004). An integrative framework for the assimilation of enterprise resource planning systems: Phases, antecedents, and outcomes. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 44(3), pp. 81-90. Balderston, F. E. (2008). Managing today's university: Strategies for viability, change, and excellence, jossey-bass higher and adult education series. ERIC. Beheshti, H. M. (2006). What managers should know about ERP/ERP II. Management Research News, 29(4), pp. 184-193. Bingi, P., Godla, J. K. (2009). Critical issues affecting an ERP implementation. Information Systems Management, 16(3), pp. 7-14. Birnbaum, R., Edelson, P. J. (2009). How colleges work: The cybernetics of academic organization and leadership. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 37(3), pp. 27-29. Bruce, D., (2008). MIT selects saps r/3 to support reengineering efforts. Unpublished manuscript. Chaudhuri, S., Ganti, V. (2001). Database technology for decision support systems. Computer, 34(12), pp. 48-55. Dillard, J. F., Yuthas, K. (2006). Enterprise resource planning systems and communicative action. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 17(2), pp. 202-223. AMR Research. (2002). AMR Research predicts enterprise applications market will reach $70 billion in 2006. Brynjolfsson, E. (1993). The productivity paradox of information technology. Communications of the ACM, 36(12), 67-77. Carlino et al, (2000). AMR Research predicts enterprise applications market will reach $78 billion by 2004. Davenport, T.H. (1998). Putting the enterprise into the enterprise system. Harvard Business Review, (July/August), 121-131. Davenport , T.H. (2000) . Mi s s i o n critical Realizing the promise of enterprise systems. Boston: Harvard Business School. Deloitte Consulting. (1998). ERPs second waveMaximizing the value of ERP-enabled processes. New York. Gartner , (1998). 1998 ERP and FMIS study Executive summary. Stamford, CT. Gefen, D., Ridings, C. (2002). Implementation team responsiveness and user evaluation of CRM: A quasi-experimental design study of social exchange theory. Journal of Management Information Systems, 19(1), 47-63. Kalling, T. (2003). ERP systems and the strategic management processes that lead to competitive advantage. Information Resources Management Journal, 16(4), 46-67. OLeary, D.E. (2000). Enterprise resource planning systems: Systems, life cycle, electronic commerce, and risk. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Olson, D.L. (2004). Managerial issues of enterprise resource planning systems. McGraw-Hill International. Rayner Woods, (2011), ERP Strategy: Why do you need one, and key considerations in defining one. Gartner RAS core Research. Sarkis, J., Sundarraj, R.P. (2003). Managing large scale global enterprise resource planning systems: A case study at Texas Instruments. International Journal of Information Management, 23(5), 431-442. Stewart et al, (2000). Organizational readiness for ERP implementation. In Proceedings of the Americas Conference on Information Systems (pp. 966-971). Weil, M. (1999). Managing to win. Manufacturing Systems, 17(November), 14. Wilderman, B. (1999). Enterprise resource management solutions and their value. Stanford, CT: MetaGroup.

Influence Families and Households free essay sample

Examine the ways in which social policies and laws may influence families and households (24 marks) Social policies are plans and/or actions set out by the government which will affect a family in one way or another. Depending on the social policy which is in place, this new action or law will either have a direct effect on the family, for example; in 1969 the ‘Divorce reform act’ was introduced making it legal for married couples to divorce. Before this divorce was non-heard of, and now this new law underestimated the whole idea of marriage and allowed couples to think that marriage was not for life. This divorce law had a direct effect on the family because the traditional nuclear family was no longer the norm within society; this new law allowed new and more family diversity to become known and universal. Other social policies will have an indirect affect on the family for example; in 1870 the Fosters Act ‘compulsory education’ was introduced for all children. We will write a custom essay sample on Influence Families and Households or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This law had an indirect effect on the family as the family had to follow this law which was set out by the government making families behave in certain ways; sending their children to school was a must. It is argued that social policies are adapted in order to encourage people to live within certain types of households and therefore it discourages other types of households. Feminists say that social policies favour the traditional nuclear family. Sociologist Allan (1985) says that policies are in favour for gender roles and generational relations within the family. Daphine Johnson, 1982, states that the compulsory education act encourages the nuclear family due to the organization of schools. The school hours, roughly around 9am – 3pm, discourages single parent families and dual worker families as these hours make it hard for the parents to deal with the employer’s needs and wants whilst combining childcare needs too. Therefore the compulsory education act introduced in 1870 was in favour of the nuclear family because the male breadwinner would spend his day at work, whilst the mother dealt with the domestic issues, for example getting the kids ready and sent to school, come home, cook, clean, then pick the children up after school, help them with homework, then when the father returns from work she will deal with his emotional and physical needs too. Also the fact that the government do not fund for free nursery supervision this then encouraged mums to look after their children and take on that responsibility, and the child benefit that the mother receives also helps with that too; therefore the mum is now not thinking about having to work to earn money as her husband will carry on being the breadwinner of the family, whilst she looks after the children. Functionalist sociologist Fletcher (1966) says that the NHS, were there to help the traditional family to look after their members health. Therefore such policies similar to the NHS are in benefit to society and the families in society as each policy is there to protect them. However the New Right would argue that functionalists depend on the state too much and the New Right believe that the less families that depend on the state the better. Sociologist Roy Parker, 1982, says that the state assistance is not given to the elderly because the government expect that the families will look after them. Yet again this is in benefit to the nuclear family as the wife of the family are expected to take on their relatives domestic problems too as well as her intermediate family, encouraging her to stay out of work, or if she must work only being able to work part time. These social policies are all encouraging a certain type of social behaviour within certain family households. These social policies in support of the traditional nuclear family are trying to reduce the percentage of social problem. Sociologist Murray, 1984, says that the welfare benefits and housing provided by the government in fact weaken the self reliance of families. The child support agency (1993) is seen as being suited for all family types, divorced, separate and never married couples who live apart, but although it supports all family types this agency is seen as supporting the traditional nuclear family still as the work that the child support agency entitles makes it hard for the fathers to avoid finical responsibilities for their children, and imposes costs on parents who do not live as one. This policy has an effect on certain households and family types as different family structures will find it more expensive finically if they do not live together as one, whereas a nuclear family will receive help which is not as finically expensive as families who are not traditional. However although there are many sociologist which see that most social policies are in favour of the traditional nuclear family, not all sociologist agree. Brenda Almond (2006) says that the most recent policies are not in favour of the traditional nuclear family well in fact that most policies these days are undermining he traditional family structures. In example to this the Tax legislation law goes against families where both parents are working because two earner families will pay less tax than one earner families. The divorce reform act makes it too easy for families to break up and for parents to get a divorce, therefore encouraging family diversity and undermining the idea that marriage is a lif e term commitment. The wide, universal knowledge of civil partnership also encourages family diversity and makes it known that conventional families are no longer the norm within society. Fox Harding (1991) believes that social policies are not supporting the conventional nuclear family, and are going against everything that the nuclear family stands for. Cohabitation laws when not married encourage a new family structure and different type of household. Divorce laws do no longer guarantee long term sustainability of a family. New Right are against family diversity and the welfare state. New Right thinkers Murray, Marsland and Saunders believe that the government should not interfere with the family institution. Although the New Right are against all this they believe that children have suffered from maternal deprivation, because most social policies are discouraging mothers to stay at home and look after their kids. They also argue that acts such as the Divorce reform act also discourage from the nuclear family as divorce is now to easy to get and therefore leads to more family diversity. The New Right are now starting to blame certain social policies and the idea that children are suffering from maternal deprivation as the cause of more social problem within society. The New Right think that cause of acts such as Tax legislation and the Divorce Reform act, deviant behaviour within society such as crime and underachievement in Education is cause of certain policies. Different households such as lone parent households have a negative impact on the children involved and encourage deviant behaviour. Marsland argues that social problems such as crime, is caused by too many social policies, and because of more public friction and private misery due to some social policies the government have to create more social policies to get rid of the social behaviour which is causing social problems. In criticism of New Right policies up to 1977 were in fact were there to make sure that the family were not getting overpowered with social policies and the right of individuals within the family. So policies such as the rape act were made to improve the health and safety within the society. In conclusion most social policies and laws have a different type of impact on the family depending on the family structure and household. Most social policies acts underestimate the idea of a traditional nuclear family and do encourage different norms within society which could link to the increase in deviant behaviour within the household and society.

Molecular Mass Calculations

Molecular Mass Calculations The molecular mass of a molecule is the total mass of all the atoms making up the molecule. This example problem illustrates how to find the molecular mass of a compound or molecule. Molecular Mass Problem Find the molecular mass of table sugar (sucrose), which has a molecular formula C12H22O11. Solution To find the molecular mass, add the atomic masses of all of the atoms in the molecule. Find the atomic mass for each element by using the mass given in the Periodic Table.  Multiply the subscript (number of atoms) times the atomic mass of that element and add the masses of all of the elements in the molecule to get the molecular mass. For example, multiple the subscript 12 times the atomic mass of carbon (C). It helps to know the symbols for the elements  if you dont know them already. If you round off the atomic masses to four significant figures, you get: molecular mass C12H22O11 12(mass of C) 22(mass of H) 11(mass of O)molecular mass C12H22O11 12(12.01) 22(1.008) 11(16.00)molecular mass C12H22O11 342.30 Answer 342.30 Note that a sugar molecule is about 19 times heavier than a water molecule! When performing the calculation, watch your significant figures. Its common to work a problem correctly, yet get the wrong answer because its not reported using the correct number of digits. Close counts in real life, but its not helpful if youre working chemistry problems for a class. For more practice, download or print these worksheets: Formula or Molar Mass Worksheet (pdf)Formula or Molar  Mass Worksheet Answers (pdf) Note About Molecular Mass and Isotopes The molecular mass calculations made using the atomic masses on the periodic table apply for general calculations, but arent accurate when known isotopes of atoms are present in a compound. This is because the periodic table lists values that are a weighted average of the mass of all natural isotopes of each element. If you are performing calculations using a molecule that contains a specific isotope, use its mass value. This will be the sum of the masses of its protons and neutrons. For example, if all the hydrogen atoms in a molecule are replaced by deuterium, the mass for hydrogen would be 2.000, not 1.008. Problem Find the molecular mass of glucose, which has a molecular formula C6H12O6. Solution To find the molecular mass, add the atomic masses of all of the atoms in the molecule. Find the atomic mass for each element by using the mass given in the  Periodic Table. Multiply the subscript (number of atoms) times the  atomic mass  of that element and add the masses of all of the elements in the molecule to get the molecular mass. If we round off the atomic masses to four significant figures, we get: molecular mass C6H12O6   6(12.01) 12(1.008) 6(16.00) 180.16 Answer 180.16 For more practice, download or print these worksheets: Formula or Molar Mass Worksheet (pdf)Formula or Molas Mass Worksheet Answers (pdf)

Electronic Devices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Electronic Devices - Essay Example First these devices are introduced and their symbols are presented. Then a historical paragraph is written which throws light on the evolution of modern Op-amplifiers. In the subsequent sections operating modes and two applications, i.e., over temperature sensing circuit and analog to digital convertor are presented. The report is concluded with the references used and a paragraph of conclusions drawn from this study. The term operational amplifier goes all the way back to about 1943 where this name was mentioned in a paper written by john linear R. Ragazzinni with the title â€Å"Analysis of problems inverting dynamics† and also covered the work of technical aid George A. it was 1947 that the operational amplifier concepts was originally advanced. The vary first series of modular solid state operational amplifier were introduce by Burr-Brown Research corporation and G.A Philbrick Researches Inc. in 1962. The op-amp has been a workhorse of linear systems ever since. A developm ental background of the op amp begins early in the twentieth century, starting with certain fundamental beginnings. Of these, there were two key inventions very early in the century. The first was not an amplifier, but a two-element vacuum-tube-based rectifier. The input stage is a differential amplifier. The differential amplifier used as an input stage provides differential inputs and a frequency response down to d.c. The first was not an amplifier, but a two-element vacuum-tube-based rectifier.

A forest of symbols. How appropriate is this phrase as a description Essay

A forest of symbols. How appropriate is this phrase as a description of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness - Essay Example Instead, he finds meaning in the outside nature of things, what can be seen and touched and therefore proved. This emphasizes the importance of symbolism in bringing out the meaning of the story as Marlowe, concentrating on the outside, will make finding true meaning difficult at best. However, Marlow’s experience in the Congo has changed him to a man who cannot ignore the deeper meanings of the symbols around him. Like the rest of the story, in which everything seems to be reversed with its opposite or at best misunderstood in its entirety, the opening of the novel depends largely upon symbols as a means of conveying this sense of inner conflict between the nature of a thing and itself. The concepts of inward and outward, civilized and savage and light and dark are recurrent themes throughout the novel, introduced at the novel’s beginning and illustrating how each of these words are actually defined by cultural rather than actual standards. The bulk of the book concentrates on Marlowe’s telling of his adventures on the Congo River as a steamboat captain sent in to find a station master who has gone missing. As he struggles to make his way up the river to the interior where this man is supposed to be waiting for him, Marlowe begins to gain a deeper understanding of what is actually occurring in the forest outside the realm of what he’s been told by the Company. The trip on the Congo serves as a frame for a variety of adventures Marlow experienced as a younger man including encountering abject poverty, the frightening sight of ‘black men’ (never humans) working, chain gangs, uncomfortable station managers and broken down steamer ships. He is exposed to the most self-centered and greed-oriented individuals who appear to view the jungle as their personal treasure chest, to be exploited in any way they see fit, rather

Indicate the divergence about social of UK in EU Essay

Indicate the divergence about social of UK in EU - Essay Example However, it was observed that the European Union failed to create effective constitutional machinery which affected the proper administration of its member countries. The making of the Lisbon Treaty in December 2009 created a change in the above situation. Further expansion programs helped in the creation of a faction known as the European Communities which came into effect from 1967. It was observed that the European Community was formed by the joint collaboration of three communities which rendered its focus mainly on strengthening the economic and cultural base. The other three countries which joined the European Commission in 1973 were observed to be Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The administrative power of the European Union was given a further impetus with the enactment of the Maastricht Treaty which came into effect in 1991. People residing within the member countries of the European Union were conferred the European citizenship which helped them commute within the member states. However, United Kingdom showed a steady divergence to the social policy measures of the European Union which highlighted on labor and other social issues. United Kingdom was found to ‘opt-out’ from the Social Chapter of the Maastricht Treaty. (Profile: The European Union, 2010). The United Kingdom holds a prominent position amongst the European countries constituting the European Union. United Kingdom has held its permanent representation to the body of the European Union as UKRep. It is observed that the making of the UKRep helped in further enhancing the ties of United Kingdom to the European Union. The UKRep constituted helps United Kingdom to potentially represent itself in the body of European Union through the acts of its various representatives. The representatives of United Kingdom through UKRep help in the focusing of issues pertaining to the country by attracting

Assignment on Training and Development within Vodafone

Assignment on Training and Development within Vodafone Human Resource Management (HRM), a relatively new term, that emerged during the 1930s. Many people used to refer it before by its traditional titles, such as Personnel Administration or Personnel Management. But now, the trend is changing. It is now termed as Human Resource Management (HRM). Human Resource Management is a management function that helps an organization select, recruit, train and develops. Human Resource Management is defined as the people who staff and manage organization. It comprises of the functions and principles that are applied to retaining, training, developing, and compensating the employees in organization. It is also applicable to non-business organizations, such as education, healthcare etc. Human Resource Management is defined as the set of activities, programs, and functions that are designed to maximize both organizational as well as employee effectiveness Scope of HRM without a doubt is vast. All the activities of employee, from the time of his entry into an organization until he leaves, come under the horizon of HRM. The divisions included in HRM are Recruitment, Payroll, Performance Management, Training and Development, Retention, Industrial Relation, etc. Out of all these divisions, one such important division is training and development. TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT is a subsystem of an organization. It ensures that randomness is reduced and learning or behavioral change takes place in structured format. TRADITIONAL AND MODERN APPROACH OF TRAINING AND DEVLOPMENT Traditional Approach Most of the organizations before never used to believe in training. They were holding the traditional view that managers are born and not made. There were also some views that training is a very costly affair and not worth. Organizations used to believe more in executive pinching. But now the scenario seems to be changing. The modern approach of training and development is that Indian Organizations have realized the importance of corporate training. Training is now considered as more of retention tool than a cost. The training system in Indian Industry has been changed to create a smarter workforce and yield the best results TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES The principal objective of training and development division is to make sure the availability of a skilled and willing workforce to an organization. In addition to that, there are four other objectives: Individual, Organizational, Functional, and Societal. Individual Objectives help employees in achieving their personal goals, which in turn, enhances the individual contribution to an organization. Organizational Objectives assist the organization with its primary objective by bringing individual effectiveness. Functional Objectives maintain the departments contribution at a level suitable to the organizations needs. Societal Objectives ensure that an organization is ethically and socially responsible to the needs and challenges of the society. Role of HRD Professionals in Training This is the era of cut-throat competition and with this changing scenario of business; the role of HR professionals in training has been widened. HR role now is: 1. Active involvement in employee education 2. Rewards for improvement in performance 3. Rewards to be associated with self esteem and self worth 4. Providing pre-employment market oriented skill development education and post employment support for advanced education and training 5. Flexible access i.e. anytime, anywhere training The HR functioning is changing with time and with this change, the relationship between the training function and other management activity is also changing. About Vodafone Vodafone Group Plc is the worlds leading mobile telecommunications company, with a significant presence in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the United States through the Companys subsidiary undertakings, joint ventures, associated undertakings and investments. The Groups mobile subsidiaries operate under the brand name Vodafone. In the United States the Groups associated undertaking operates as Verizon Wireless. During the last few years, Vodafone Group has entered into arrangements with network operators in countries where the Group does not hold an equity stake. Under the terms of these Partner Market Agreements, the Group and its partner operators co-operate in the development and marketing of global products and services, with varying levels of brand association. At 30 September 2009, based on the registered customers of mobile telecommunications ventures in which it had ownership interests at that date, the Group had 323 million customers, excluding paging customers, calculated on a proportionate basis in accordance with the Companys percentage interest in these ventures. The Companys ordinary shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Companys American Depositary Shares (ADSs) are listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market. The Company had a total market capitalisation of approximately  £71.2 billion at 12 November 2009. Vodafone Group Plc is a public limited company incorporated in England under registered number 1833679. Its registered office is Vodafone House, The Connection, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2FN, England. Vodafone Training and development We provide training and development opportunities to help our employees gain new skills and experiences, and encourage them to reach their full potential. Vodafone offers a wide range of online courses related to specific aspects of the business or key skill sets. Performance Dialogues All employees complete an annual Performance Dialogue with their line manager, enabling them to review their performance annually and set clear goals and development plans for the year ahead. The process ensures our people can make a clear connection between their goals and Vodafones business objectives. Development Boards Vodafone employees with key skills are discussed at an annual Development Board, where their line managers rate their performance and potential. We use this information to identify employees with leadership potential in each local operating company. These employees are encouraged to complete leadership development training, such as Inspire. Inspire leadership development Inspire is a global programme designed to identify and develop high potential employees and accelerate their progression into leadership roles. Participants take part in a three-month international rotation and receive commercial training and personalised leadership development through Imperial College, Oxford Said Business School and the Hay Group. They also gain from exposure to and learning from members of our Executive Committee. The programme promotes cross-cultural understanding within Vodafone and encourages employees to take advantage of the breadth of experience across the Group. Promoting career opportunities within Vodafone We want people to develop at Vodafone and promote recruitment from within. This encourages people to progress their careers within the company, either through promotion or a change of role to broaden their experience. All vacancies across Vodafone are advertised on the job-posting page of our global intranet, which encourages the transfer of talent across the Group. Equal opportunities and diversity We believe employee diversity is an asset to our business. Men and women of various ages from different backgrounds and cultures, with a range of different experiences, help us understand and serve our customers around the world. We have a strategy to improve diversity and inclusion across the Group. It aims to ensure Vodafones workforce reflects its diverse customer base, and that the company has an inclusive working environment that embraces the benefits diversity brings. Vodafone aims to create a working culture that respects the value of differences among colleagues and encourages individuals to contribute their best within an environment that is inclusive, open, flexible and fair. We will not tolerate discrimination or unfair treatment on any grounds. Employees must act with integrity and respect for their colleagues and customers. We are committed to helping talented people from diverse backgrounds meet their potential at all levels of the company. Gender diversity We are working to improve gender diversity at Vodafone, as part of our diversity and inclusion strategy. This includes carrying out senior leadership training on inclusion and diversity. At Group level, we instruct our recruitment consultants to recommend a minimum of one credible female candidate for interview for every vacancy we advertise at management level. We recognise that women can often be more affected by family commitments than men and encourage flexible working to help employees balance their work with their family commitments. Cultural diversity With operations worldwide, Vodafone is not only multinational but multicultural. We encourage our managers to gain experience working in different countries and almost half our senior managers have international experience. International rotation is a key part of our Inspire programme for employees with high potential. See Training and development. Employees with disabilities We are conscious of the difficulties experienced by people with disabilities, and make every effort to ensure access to the Groups facilities and services. Disabled people are assured of full and fair consideration for all vacancies for which they offer themselves as suitable candidates. We do our best to meet their needs, particularly in relation to access and mobility. Where possible, modifications to workplaces are made to provide access for the disabled. Every effort is made to continue the employment of people who become disabled during their employment, through the provision of additional facilities, job design and appropriate training. Reward and recognition We aim to provide competitive and fair rates of pay and benefits in each market where we operate. This helps us attract and retain the best employees. Pay and benefits vary in each local operating company. Vodafone rewards employees based on their performance, potential and contribution to the success of the business. We want to ensure that our people feel their efforts are recognised. Our global short and long-term incentive plans reward performance. Health, safety and wellbeing The health, safety and wellbeing of our employees is a priority for Vodafone. We believe all incidents and injuries are preventable and we are committed to ensuring that our people can do their work safely. And we understand that employee wellbeing is vital for a healthy and effective workforce. Our wellbeing framework tackles significant issues such as attendance and stress management, as well as helping our people understand the importance of work-life balance and the benefits of healthy lifestyles. Many of our operating companies run programmes which aim to keep their employees healthy and free from stress, including flexible working initiatives. Flexible working enables employees to balance work and family commitments better and helps us to attract and retain the best people, as well as use space more efficiently. Our health, safety and wellbeing principles apply equally to Vodafone employees, our service providers, contractors and suppliers. We set consistently high health and safety standards across the Group, and have robust management systems to ensure these are implemented. Our Group Health and Safety Policy covers health and safety management, radio frequency fields and health, and driving safety. Each local operating company must comply with this policy and implement a health and safety management system that is consistent with local operating conditions and legislation. We also provide health and security advice for employees travelling abroad on business. Our Group Health, Safety and Wellbeing Board oversees implementation of health, safety and wellbeing management by local operating companies. Operating companies share information and advice through our Health, Safety and Wellbeing Network and at annual conferences. Employee volunteering Many of our employees give their time as volunteers to support good causes. This benefits charities and communities but also allows our employees to learn new skills. We encourage employee volunteering and help to raise additional funds from third parties. Most of our local operating companies have programmes to encourage employees to volunteer in working hours. Examples of employee volunteering programmes include: Refurbishing a residential care home for young children, by Vodafone Malta to mark its seventh annual Corporate Responsibility Day. Distributing blankets, clothes and food supplies to 10,000 needy families. Over 160 Vodafone Egypt employees volunteered three hours each on average to the cause. Giving blood at Vodafone Albanias Blood Donation Day, in co-operation with The Red Cross. Donors are urgently needed in Albania because 8% of the population carries Thalassemia, a blood condition that can be treated with blood transfusions. Vodafone Australias Beyondyou programme, to help employees make a personal difference to their community and the environment. Beyondyou offers individual and team volunteering, as well as career development opportunities with community partners. Employees can take one additional day of paid leave each year to volunteer.