System Information System Planning & Management Essay

System Information System Planning & Management - Essay Example The methodology section entails different mechanisms through which the company will employ to achieve the info for success. The report findings will provide the actual issues for analysis. There will be discussion of the issues and conclusion basing on the rationale. Finally, the recommendations will be suggested to allow for the actual specifications of the report stipulations and measures for improvements. Introduction GLM is a company that deals with the production of a large range of small products made from plastics and their customization. The business has managed to hire competent personnel who have in turn availed viable ideas that have seen the business navigate challenges and manifest excellent performance. The Greens Lime Mouldings (GLM is a business that began as a single entity, but has experienced significant economic revolution through better service offerings to the clients. The business deals in the production of plastic products through the involvement of an appropr iate technology. The systems incorporate persons, technology and data. The information systems are essential in the in provision of options for decision-making. The business targets full satisfaction of the workers through provision of best services on time. The objectives of the report an the business; i. To provide excellent services to the customers ii. To lead in innovation of products iii. To operate in the global scope iv. To utilize best technologies in its operations The Mission Statement To provide the best production and information system services in the globe. The vision statement To provide the best products with a commitment to competence and life- changing services which are critical whole the world through the application of appropriate technology. Even though the company has strategized and formulated the procedures, the company requires clear understanding on the impacts of deviations from its stipulations. The company cannot attain its objectives without strict fo llow up of the set policies. Nonetheless, there are other factors that have to be regarded to as being potential and without their considerations there cannot be significant improvements, instead, there can be decline in the business performance. Considering the role of IS/IT in the enterprise The information technology and the information systems fit in all departments of the company. The information systems help in the improvement of management. For instance, information management systems assist in the decision making process of the business after a critical evaluation of the prevailing situation. The transaction processing systems assist the company’s billing systems in obtaining and disbursing payment to different individuals or companies. The negotiation support systems involve in he exchange of direct information and from the company and into the business. The information technology provides efficiency to individual and improves the accuracy of the operations in the bu siness. A description of your choice of the 3 most important areas of technology for GLM’s business and the benefits and opportunities provided by each of the technologies in relation to GLM’s information systems strategy and aligned business strategy Mobile Technologies Mobile technologies refers to variant types of cell communication know -how. The mobile technology has transformed rapidly in the past few years. The GPS connection device has also enable the connection has

The Bravest Girl in the World Essay Example for Free

The Bravest Girl in the World Essay Malala Yousafzai was just 15 years old when she was shot in the head by the Taliban. The article The Bravest Girl in the World by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb was presented in the December 9, 2013 issue of the upfront magazine. The article explained that the Taliban imposed harsh laws in the Pakistan region-including the banning of schooling for girls. Malala Yousafzai and her father defied those laws and spoke out about every girls right to attend school. Their defiance earned them many admirers and enemies. One day, while she was returning home from school, she was shot by the Taliban. She survived the attack and has become more famous-enabling her to spread her message to the entire world. I am honestly appalled at how a girl going to school is such a big deal in Pakistan. I completely agree with Malala and her dad, girls have the right to have an education and they should be treated equally to boys. I feel this way because education is empowering and can help girls and boys alike to grow up and achieve their dreams- why would anyone want to smash a young girls dream? Reading this story really makes you count your blessings and be thankful to have the privilege of going to school without worrying about your brains being blown out. I can connect to this situation because Im a girl, the main character is also a girl, and we have both been against sexism at one point of our lives. The only reason they had for opposing her learning was that she was a girl.  If it were a boy, they wouldnt have cared one bit about him learning. There are some things that I havent been allowed to do simply because I was a girl. (Paintballing is the only thing I can think of at the moment but I know there were more occasions.) Thankfully, its not to the extreme point of not being allowed to go to school. However, I remember a few years ago my sister wanted to go away to college and all my relatives disapproved because shes a girl and shouldnt go away by herself. My dad still let her go and she happily went to college, got her bachelors degree, and is now working on receiving her Masters degree. The writer communicated her message effectively by using narration. She told us what happened as if it were a story- she was also very descriptive. I noticed that the writer utilized similes; that doorway was like a magical entrance; epithets Bhai Jan, or brother'; and dialogue in the article. The use of these devices helped me understand the story better and made the article more interesting. Why do the Taliban despise the thought of women learning? Is it because they are afraid that its one step closer to equality? Was the gunman ever identified? After a bit of research, I found out that 10 men were arrested in connection to the shooting. Because of this tragedy, I think that laws that protect school children should be implemented. A law should be made against stopping in the middle of the road for random strangers- especially if they have half their face covered. Also, I believe that the best way to respond to this is to have ALL the girls go to school with protection. That way, the chance of another tragedy happening is alleviated. Yousafzai, Malala, and Christina Lamb. The Bravest Girl in the World. _The New York Times_ _Upfront_ 9 Dec. 2013: 12-15. Print.

Study of Internet Banking in Malaysia

Study of Internet Banking in Malaysia Introduction. Background of study: Many scholars claim that electronic banking started in the 1970s. However, evidence showed that the first visible ATM machine was introduced in the year 1981. The ATM- Automated Teller Machines- are a great component of internet banking. They serve as a great alternative to the brick and mortal branches. Afterwards, tele-banking followed suit it yet another delivery channel for branch financial services via telecommunications devices connected to an automated system of the bank by utilizing Automated Voice Response (AVR) Technology. Before the introduction of internet banking in Malaysia in June 1, 2000, banks operated under an unconsolidated system. It was very difficult to conduct an interbank transaction. The bottleneck system was too frail to face the ever rising global competition from it international counterparts of who, by then, most have gone e-banking. To fully utilize the benefits of internet banking, the Malaysian central bank decided to consolidate its commercial banks. Prior to the implementation of this policy, there were about 23 banks in Malaysia in the banking system. However, after the consolidation and the implementation of internet banking, only 10 core banking groups survived, though some merged. The introduction of Internet system into the banking sector, drastically shoot up the performance and competitive advantage of Malaysian banking system. Inter and intra banking transactions became more flexible and faster. Banks are now able to grant loans to firms and individuals through faster an d easier means à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"e-banking. Individuals and firms are able to pay from and deposit money to their account without having to pay a physical visit to their banks. Almost all banking transaction can now be made at home at anytime on a system that runs almost 24/7.amybank became the first domestic bank to offer internet banking services. In Malaysia, this service is currently provided to individual customers at a 128-bit encryption technology to allay fears of security among consumers. The services provided in this portal includes bill payment, banking enquiry functions, , funds transfer, and accounts rundown, credit card payment as well as operation history. Customer support service is made available via e-mails in addition to telephone lines. Bellow is summary table of internet banking services provided by 6 Malaysian commercial banks BANK SERVICE TRANSACTIONS Southern Bank PC Banking Real-time fund transfers, credit-card payments, access account balances and auto alerts. Hong Leong Bank [emailprotected] Fund transfers, balance enquiries, statement download, bill payments, cheque-book request, cheque-status enquiry, stop cheque and credit-card payments. ec-banking Account Summary, Funds Transfer, Credit Card Service, Bill Payments, Service Request HSBC Bank Hexagon A desktop-banking system via the HSBC Groups proprietary worldwide communications network. Services include transfer of funds within own accounts and third-party accounts. Multi-Purpose Bank Multi-Link Basic banking services account balance enquiry, fund transfer, bill payments and product info. Also offers desktop share-trading via JB Securities Sdn Bhd. PhileoAllied Bank PALDIRECT PALWORLD Provides banking, share investing, news and information, utility-bill payments, insurance, travel, electronic shopping and communications services. RHB Bank RHB OnLine Balance enquiry, fund transfer, remittance services, fixed-deposit placements, credit-card payments, brokering and bill payments. Source: Internet Banking Patronage: An Empirical Investigation of Malaysia by Suganthi, Balachandher and Balachandran. Despite the many complaints about the slow transmission of data, mobile e-banking using the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) has increased the ease with which transactions are made. The introduction of Global Packet Radio Services (GPRS) and 3G phones has help in defeating the speed problem. Thus, speed is no longer a problem. Bellow is a table of summary of banks three banks and there (3) Malaysian commercial banks. BANK NAME SERVICES OCBC Bank i.wap Banking transactions balance enquiry, transaction history, statement request, fund transfer, cheque-book request, stop-payment request, bill payments. Others news, banking rates, treasury news and credit-card services. Philoe Allied Bank Palworld WAP Banking transactions, bill payments, news, share trading. United Overseas Bank Mobile-phone banking Banking transactions such as balance enquiry, statement request, increase in credit-card limit and others. Source: Internet Banking Patronage: An Empirical Investigation of Malaysia by Suganthi, Balachandher and Balachandran. Despite the benefit that concomitantly associates with e-banking, it success largely depends on the reception its get from the people that use it, i.e. customer, retail and corporate alike. Its of no disputable doubt that many bank account holders have signed up for the internet banking facilities. In fact in Malaysia, CIMB for instance, almost all account holders à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"i.e. more than 90%- have opted for internet banking due to the ease and flexibility it possesses. Problem statement: However, this success story has only been achievable due to the much resource being invested in creating awareness and expanding the capacity and speed of the system. The questions, Does the result or performance of e-banking justify the resource been used to promote it? How good is the response of the customer, and How well is the system running? Objectives of study The following are the objective of this paper: General Objective: To measure the performance of e-banking in Malaysian economy Specific objective Measure the security level of the system from both the customer and bankers perspectives Measure the level awareness amongst Malaysian denizen Measure the level of convenience in regard to accessibility and speed the users enjoy. Literature Review The advent of internet banking in Malaysia and its rapid growth and adoption has been a popular subject amongst modern researchers. Internet banking has attracted increasing attention since the 1990s. Partly fostered by technological advance, banks started to use the internet as an innovative payment method and as a way to reduce costs, enhance profits and increase customer convenience. Between the 1997 and 2001 Deyoung (2005) the internet banks had started and they managed to identify which online banking have been effective, and the study had shown that most of the internet banks had low profit but the study showed that the internet banks had been growing so fast, and to make these banks survive they need a competitor but the consequences in market share will be limited. Electronic banking (e-banking) is the newest delivery channel of banking services all around the world and has become a vital necessity. The definition of e-banking varies amongst researches partially because elect ronic banking refers to several types of services through which a banks customers can request information and carry out most retail banking services via computer, television or mobile phone (Daniel,1999; Mols, 1998; Sathye, 1999). Burr, 1996, for example, describes it as an electronic connection between the bank and customer in order to prepare, manage and control financial transactions. Many authors appreciate that Internet banking (e-banking) is defined to include the provision of retail and small value banking products and services through electronic channels as well as large value electronic payments and other wholesale banking services delivered electronically. Electronic banking can also be defined as a variety of the following platforms: (a) Internet banking (or online banking), (b) telephone banking, (c) TV-based banking, (d) mobile phone banking, and (e) PC banking (or offline banking) (LuÃ…Â ¡tÃ…Â ¡ik; 2004:9). Electronic banking (e-banking) is the newest delivery channel of banking services. The definition of e-banking varies amongst researches partially because electronic banking refers to several types of services through which a banks customers can request information and carry out most retail banking services via computer, television or mobile phone (Daniel,1999; Mols, 1998; Sathye, 1999). Burr, 1996, for example, describes it as an electronic connection between the bank and customer in order to prepare, manage and control financial transactions. Many authors appreciate that Internet banking (e-banking) is defined to include the provision of retail and small value banking products and services through electronic channels as well as large value electronic payments and other wholesale banking services delivered electronically. Electronic banking can also be defined as a variety of the following platforms: (a) Internet banking (or online banking), (b) telephone banking, (c) TV-based banking, (d) mobile phone banking, and (e) PC banking (or offline banking) (LuÃ…Â ¡tÃ…Â ¡ik; 2004:9). Financial service customers are getting further away from the providers of those services. Petersen and Rajan (2002) found that small business lending, which has been the specialty of local relationship lenders, has been moving further from their customers over time, due in part to remote banking technologies. Remote access technologies in financial services have long been used to increase the geographic market of the financial service provider. Remote access technologies in financial services have long been used to increase the geographic market of the financial service provider. Hannan and McDowell (1990) showed that banks adopted ATMs in order to expand their market share or protect their market against those banks that offered ATMs. Similar arguments have been made about other forms of remote banking technologies by Bouckaert and Degryse (1995), and Degryse (1996). Financial service customers are getting further away from the providers of those services. Petersen and Rajan (2002) found that small business lending, which has been the specialty of local relationship lenders, has been moving further from their customers over time, due in part to remote banking technologies. Remote access technologies in financial services have long been used to increase the geographic market of the financial service provider. Remote access technologies in financial services have long been used to increase the geographic market of the financial service provider. Hannan and McDowell (1990) showed that banks adopted ATMs in order to expand their market share or protect their market against those banks that offered ATMs. Similar arguments have been made about other forms of remote banking technologies by Bouckaert and Degryse (1995), and Degryse (1996). According to the birch and young, they can use the internet to get new channels to reorganize the structure of the banks, they also planning to use electronic channels to be above retail banks. The new delivery channels can help to solve all the problems that the traditional Branches have, which are going to help to provide a lot of services and assistance which is to lead to the growth of electronic commerce. (Jayawardhena and foley) (2000). Referring to sulivan (2000) Furst (2000) that most of the traditional banks are not affected by the channels and they had a study between the existence of the internet baking and the profit that they make. Its acceptance is likewise great for example Sanmugam (2005) in his paper presents the side view of the Internet banking users in Malaysia based on a large-scale study. The large-scale survey was conducted in 2004 to examine selected individual characteristics of over 800 bank customers. He used a logistic model o estimate the probability of a bank customer adopting Internet banking. He suggested that his method is very basic and can help banks in gaining in-depth understanding of their internet banking customers. He also borrowed a leaf from Rogers (1995) in classifying innovation adopters into five broad categories i.e. Innovators, Early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. Innovators are the first adopters, who are interested in technology itself and possess positive technology attitudes while early adopters are also fascinated by technology and are keen to take risks. Both early and late majority consist of mainly young working adults. And lastly the laggards we re found to be predominantly older people. He found out that there was a marginal effect made by social economic factors on the predicted probability of the typical adopter. Also, he found that among social economic environmental limitations, non-availability of Internet services in the rural areas is definitely a significant constraint, reducing the predicted. On the other hand, Bauer (2008) holds that the early adoption by customers of this technology was disappointing to most having this in mind; he resorted to examining the demand for remote access to banking accounts by consumers. He focuses mainly if not solely on the consumer perspective and sought to attain the main determining factor in deciding whether or not to use the internet banking facility. He used the micro-economic theory of consumer utility maximization to replica how consumers decide whether or not to use internet services provided by the banks. His findings reveal that when the technology is new, the traditional risk return models including variables allowing for heterogeneous risk add power in modeling the adoption decision. He stressed the importance of perceived risks in internet banking and claim that it is responsible for some of the hesitation to adopt. He also discovered that younger consumers are found to be early adopters only when they have relatively high lev els of risk tolerance. Ironically, older consumers are found to be less likely to adopt internet banking regardless of their risk tolerances. Also, Maugis et al (2004) examined the pre-e-learning period of internet banking. They sought to measure the significance and extent of e-readiness data from banks from ten (10) countries. They develop a conceptual framework for the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"next generation e-readiness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" focusing on different e-Business applications in different economic contexts with potentially different pathways. in concluding, they made the following propositions: (i) different countries (or economies) are characterized by diverse e-Readiness profiles or inclinations distinct by their individual access and capacity setting; (ii) given the range and diversity of characteristics, there may well be a wide array of variables that shape propensities for both admittance and capacity à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" a propos some opportunity; (iii) such propensities facilitate the pursuit of precise applications within the broad opportunity context that a country may have at any moment. Frame and Silber (2004, 2009) Silber (1983) the reason that the banks entered this field was because its going to help them and make their work easier. They also managed to offer a service which gone help to deposit and hold accounts and other staff and another service to reduce depositors to help them to compete with other banks. They had been trying to get new deposits so they made a new web service to help them and make their transaction easier and successful. They tried to put all the information about the new market shares to update their customers with every new thing and that have been done with most of the new banks. The rapid growth of the internet indicates that greater competitive pressure contributes to the adoption of Internet banking. They been trying to make banking market more open which they gone make the use of the internet banking more important, the more they used the internet it reduce the interest deposits, there was also a study that they are planning to make everything with technology such as PCs and other staff for people. Some still say otherwise about internet banking (Pavlou, 2003  ; Rotchanakitumnai and Speece, 2003) as the basic model of  «Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  TAM  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ » was extended in many studies by others factors as trust, perceived risks, awareness about Internet Banking, perceived costs. Through these studies, some obstacles to the adoption and the usage of Internet Banking were identified such as the lack of security the human contact, perceived risks Moreover, in order to identify the profile of Internet Banking user, a number of researchers have found that comparing to non users; users rated Internet Banking as being easier, more useful, more trustworthy Also comparing to non users, users are less concerned with human contact, security, perceived risks. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1: Introduction This chapter explains the design and methodology of this research. It begins by identifying this researchs theoretical model, and then followed by a brief discussion on the theoretical framework of the research study. The dependent variable is performance while the independent variables are; security, convenience and speed, trust and awareness of E-banking. The dependent and independent variables will be discussed under the theoretical framework. The second part of this chapter will be the hypotheses developments which are based on the variables. 2: Theoretical Framework Based on the conceptual framework below, it can be seen that there is a total of 4 independent variables which will be analyzed towards one dependent variable in this study. The dependent variable which is, performance of E-banking would be affected in a positive or negative manner based on the independent variables influence. Performance of E-banking Awareness of E-banking Trust Convenience and speed Security 3: Hypothesis Development Dependent variable Performance of E-banking: This deals with the performance measurements for Internet banking and how different people perceive its importance, usefulness and its impacts either negative or positive. Independent variables Security: With the growth of electronic banking have come new forms of security risks which often make users of the this new way of banking H1= Security positively influences performance of E-banking. Convenience and speed: H3= Convenience and speed positively influences performance of E-banking. Trust: H4= Trust positively influences performance of E-banking. Awareness of e-banking: H5= Awareness of e-banking positively influences performance of E-banking. Sampling method We used convenience sampling as our sampling method. Convenience sampling refers to the collect information from the members of the population who were conveniently accessible and available to provide it. For us it was quiet an effective and quick method, most importantly the best as we could attain information from the members of the population swiftly. We used questionnaire method to collect data from our respondents. Sample size The sample size we selected is around 250, we choose this quantity because we felt it was the best and was suitable for the population this is so because in research it has been stated that a sample size between the range larger than 30 and less than 500 is appropriate. The smaller the group size, the harder it is to be certain that the normal curve assumptions have not been violated (Todman and Dugard, 2001). We felt the sample we have elected is a valid and reliable one to carry out and base our investigation on. Sharon K. Ninness (2002) stated this in their research that Roscoe and Siegel and Castellan suggest that in the absence of an unambiguous demarcation between large-n and small-n studies, there is a commonly held assumption among parametric statisticians. Data Collection Method Our data collection methods are two in number. We used both questionnaires and interview to get our data. The questionnaires were distributed to e-banking users in order to get their own rating of the performance of e-banking, while the interview was to ascertain the bankers view of their system. Thus we collected and used primary data. Summary This chapter of the research is basically about the methodology of the project as a whole, it starts off with identifying the theoretical framework model, then a briefly discusses the theoretical framework of the research. The independent and dependent variables have been discussed and elaborated under the theoretical framework, then followed by the development of hypothesis for this research study. Other aspects that make the methodology successful have been also talked about.

Population And Food Essay -- essays research papers

 ¡Ã‚ §The United Nations projects that the global population, currently at 6 billion, will peak at about 10 billion in the next century and then stabilize or even decline. ¡Ã‚ ¨(popindex.Princeton.edu) A question immediately following the statement, can the Earth feed that many people? It is understood that even if food crops increase sufficiently, other renewable resources, including many fisheries and forests, are already under pressure.  ¡Ã‚ §Our food production doubled from 1961 to 1994, but there are still people who go hungry. ¡Ã‚ ¨ (popindex.Princeton.edu) This is because the human population has increased more rapidly than the food production. One of the well-known economists Thomas Robert Malthus claimed that there was an imbalance between population growth and our ability to produce food. In his famous work, An Essay on the Principle of Population, his principle of population was based on three main points: population cannot increase without the means of subsistence ; population invariable increases when the means of subsistence are available; and the superior power of population cannot be checked without producing misery or vice. When taking into account Malthus ¡Ã‚ ¦s principle of population it is evident that his fundamental analysis of population has been proven right. Since the earth ¡Ã‚ ¦s resources are finite, when human population increases, it affects human beings. Will there be a problem if population keeps increasing? Rapid population growth and the technical development of society have led to difficulties for farmers worldwide to maintain this dual compatibility. In fact, today farmers face demands for a high productivity as well as environmentally sound, sustainable farming practices. Some economists believe human beings have the ability to produce enough food to feed all the people in the world, but according to Malthus ¡Ã‚ ¦s theory, this cannot happen. When the number of people keeps increasing while the amount of available food stays the same or even declines, human beings will face a scarcity of resources and overpopulation in the world. This is what happening right now. According to a well known biologist-Paul R. Ehrlich, who said  ¡Ã‚ §The amount of food available restrains the size of any animal population, unless space, dise ase, predators, or some other factor sets lower limits ¡Ã‚ ¨(Ehrlich, 66). What he means is that food production is an element that contro... ...ening in Chiapas, and also Sierra Leone, Burundi, Kenya, etc. The majority of hungry people live in developing countries since they are considered less important than people in developed countries. Even though Malthus ¡Ã‚ ¦ principle was printed about 201 years ago, generally, his principle is proven right today. Studies have shown that countries, which have huge populations, will experience misery. If human beings still ignore the problem of the population growth and the food supply, other problems will follow, such as civil strife and food shortages. Furthermore, rapid population growth may affect poverty by affecting the correlates of poverty: low wages, lack of human capital such as education and health, and lack of income earning assets such as land; income inequality and loss of economic growth. The only way to solve the problem between the population growth and the food supply is to reduce our population by using contraceptive tools. The other way is to distribute our fo od evenly to all people around the world. If food were distributed evenly to all people, famine will not happen. Now, it is time to face reality. It is time to change our world. It is time to solve our problem.

Network Assignments

Kim Doe Jung is a commercial attachà © in the Korean embassy. She works as an investment and financial consultant providing useful information and data to those interested to invest in Korea. Prior to the interview we had met at a luncheon organized in our college by the Korean Embassy. The luncheon was targeting students wishing to take their post graduate studies in a foreign country. Also invited along with students were business persons with an interest of investing in the expanding economy of Korea. Kim Doe Jung was a guest speaker and I was able to secure an interview through the help of one of my father’s friend who works in the embassy. She is an MBA graduate from a Korean University specializing in financial matters. The mere thought of interviewing was exciting and inspiring too. She had been able to accomplish what I have always looked forward to; she has my dream career. The interview took place inside the Korean Embassy’s expansive offices. She has a beautiful office facing the oval offices from afar. I was taken right up to her 3rd floor office by a security officer and she received me cordially which was rather flattering as I believed she had to be a very busy person. I had a large interest in knowing what her work duties and responsibilities entail. A commercial attachà © she told me was generally an agent of her own country, sent to a foreign land to represent her country’s commercial and financial affairs in that foreign land, I was hoping for a more specific answer and to get it I asked her to describe her typical average day to me. She arrives early in the morning, the first thing she does is to update the ambassador on any developments in her field. Then businessmen and women start coming in with all manner of issues. Some would wish to enquire on the likely trend that the inflation in Korea is taking and what the government is doing about it, how their investments are doing, any viable investment opportunities available. Koreans also drop by just for a casual visit, others have solid reasons like wishing the Korean government to negotiate for   trading concessions and low export duties for their goods. This is her typical day. Day in day out she is supposed to have answers to these questions as well as be able to analyze the recommendations she receives from the public. Her answers enabled me to have an idea of what to expect in my career dreams and was able to get from her responsibilities the enormity of the challenges a career diplomat goes through. To her, being a diplomat job is quite a challenge and ideal candidates for the job have to exercise diligence and good work ethics. One has to have high analytical and communication skills, be a team player, have a willingness to learn new things, physical stamina to withstand long working hours and ability to cope and interact with persons of diverse communities. This was very helpful, and this being my dream career, I was able to know the areas I needed to improve on as well as appreciating my strengths (Zachary Bromer, n.d). The working conditions are just marvelous as I could discern from what I could see: her office was smart and exotically furnished with expensive Korean rugs, she was also expensively dressed. She told me that her job is well paying as one has to be well compensated for accepting to work overseas away from her family. This interview, I must say, was an eye opener. It was my first interview with a person of such a high social standing and who represents interest of a far away state. Her confidence and intelligence were equally inspiring. Now I have a strong conviction to follow my intended career path, armed with the information that she gave to me.I have to act with reasonable diligence, work to improve on my strengths and weaknesses to achieve my life time goal of a career diplomat. Reference: Zachary Bromer, Salary.com contributor; Dream job: diplomat Available online at http://www.salary.com/careers/layouthtmls/crel-display-cat10-ser136-par236.html Accessed

A Comparison between Taylorism and the scientific method Essay

When most people think of Scientific Management, they think of Frederic Winslow Taylor. He led a movement against waste and â€Å"soldiering† which revolutionized the Industrial age. He called his theory â€Å"Scientific Management†, although many who come after debate the appropriateness of the title. It seems more appropriate to call the theory â€Å"Taylorism†, as many do. There are others who have also contributed to the school of Scientific Management, most notably Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, Henry Gantt, and Henry Ford. There are common characteristics of each of these approaches, which create the style of management called Scientific Management. This paper, however, will focus on Taylor and what he called â€Å"Scientific Management†. First, we will look at the scientific method, however, so that an accurate answer to the question â€Å"Is scientific management scientific? † Can be found. Then we will look at the ways in which Scientific Management, as espoused by Taylor, was not scientific. Finally, we will look at the ways in which Scientific Management is related to the scientific community. First, a brief overview of the scientific method. The scientific method can be broken down into five basic steps: 1. Observation, leading to naming of the Problem or Question. 2. Form a Hypothesis (educated guess) which may explain the observations, and make predictions based on the hypothesis. 3. Testing of the Hypothesis to examine if it is true, using proper controls. 4. Check and Interpret the results. 5. Publishing results to be verified by others . Of course, when testing the hypothesis, all relevant test information must be included so that the results can be tested by others. In science, a hypothesis which cannot be dis-proved, becomes a theory. It is the role of science to prove a hypothesis wrong – when a hypothesis can withstand attempts to disprove it, its status as a theory grows until it is accepted as a law. A common example is Newton’s theory of gravity. He observed that objects always fell down to the ground. He formed a hypothesis that there was a force acting on the object to pull it to the earth. He predicted that this force would act equally on all objects. He tested this hypothesis and recorded his results. He published these results for review, and they have been validated time and again by scientists, giving them the status of â€Å"Newton’s LAW of Gravity†. Scientific Management, as seen by Taylor, did not really follow the scientific method. However, it did use scientific tools. This is a careful distinction. Essential in the verification of a scientific hypothesis, there must be testing which can be reproduced by other scientists. This means that the same set of tools for measurement must be available, the same mathematical formulas used, and the same population sample for testing. First, let’s examine the relationship between Taylor and the scientific method. As stated by Taylor himself: The majority of these men believe that the fundamental interests of employes and employers are necessarily antagonistic. Scientific management, on the contrary, has for its very foundation the firm conviction that the true interests of the two are one and the same; that prosperity for the employer cannot exist through a long term of years unless it is accompanied by prosperity for the employee, and vice versa; and that it is possible to give the workman what he most wants high wages and the employer what he wants a low labor cost–for his manufactures. Taylor’s observation is that most people view the fundamental interests of employers and employees as antagonistic. His hypothesis is that this is not the case, in fact, that the goal of the employers for low cost manufacturing and the goal of the employee for high wages are compatible. Already, there is a mistake in his logic, he does not set out a hypothesis to answer the fundamental question – Do employees and management share the same objective? However, Taylor’s real hypothesis (although not stated) is that labor can be performed more efficiently. He sets out to test this hypothesis. His motion and time studies can all be performed by others to validate the results. He used these studies to dramatically improve production and efficiency, however, he had the opposite goal – in fact, the result was so extreme there was an investigation of the practice lead by the United States Congress against claims of de-humanization ! Another scholar notes: â€Å"Nevertheless, the industrial engineer with his stop watch and clip-board, standing over you measuring each little part of the job and one’s movements became a hated figure and lead to much sabotage and group resistance. † In many ways, Scientific Management is very scientific. First, it relies upon measurements and replication of results. Second, it has the same ethical questions as medical sciences. Finally, scientific management as espoused by Taylor has been modified by new hypothesis. A result of measurements and replication of results was the revolutionizing of the labor force from a â€Å"rule-of-thumb† or trial and error process to a demonstrable, formulaic process for the completion of each step in the production process. However, this result brought up the ethical question of humans being viewed as machines. As what is happening in modern times with stem cell research and other human scientific inquiries, the notion of â€Å"man as machine† raised some serious ethical concerns in America. However, this concern also opened the door for competing hypothesis to explain what the relationship is between employer’s goals and employee’s goals and how they can be brought together. The school of Human Relations came from this line of inquiry, exemplified by the results of the Hawthorne Study (which also followed scientific principles in how it was conducted! ). The following contrasts the assumptions of Taylor’s Scientific Management with the results of the Hawthorne study: Traditional Hypothesis (Scientific Management) †¢ people try to satisfy one class of need at work: economic need †¢ no conflict exists between individual and organizational objectives †¢ people act rationally to maximize rewards †¢ we act individually to satisfy individual needs Human relations Hypothesis †¢ organizations are social systems, not just technical economic systems †¢ we are motivated by many needs †¢ we are not always logical †¢ we are interdependent; our behavior is often shaped by the social context. †¢ informal work group is a major factor in determining attitudes and performance of individual workers †¢ management is only one factor affecting behavior; the informal group often has a stronger impact †¢ job roles are more complex than job descriptions would suggest; people act in many ways not covered by job descriptions †¢ there is no automatic correlation between individual and organizational needs †¢ communication channels cover both logical/economic aspects of an organization and feelings of people †¢ teamwork is essential for cooperation and sound technical decisions †¢ leadership should be modified to include concepts of human relations. †¢ job satisfaction will lead to higher job productivity management requires effective social skills, not just technical skills Frederic Taylor introduced great advantages into modern production and efficiency. However, he misrepresented his theory when he called it â€Å"Scientific Management†. It is well understood that he was referring to the techniques he used to create benchmarks and quality procedures for work processes. However, as a general theory, he does not set out to answer the question he claims he is answering: Do management and employees share the same goals? In this way he has misrepresented himself. However, he opened the door to scientific evaluation and inquiry into this own theory. His use of measurements and work-units follows mathematics perfectly and augments a science of human motion. He also shared his theories with his contemporaries, which allowed for discussion of the hypothesis and challenge – even before Congress, much like stem cell research today. Finally, he created a theory which could be challenged by others. Mayo, Barnard, and the Hawthorne Studies all set out to show the differences between what the employers want and what the employees want, and how to reach an equitable solution. Bibliography Net MBA: Business Knowledge Center. Frederic Taylor and Scientific Management, Internet Center for Management and Business Administration, Inc, . Taylor, F. W, The Principles of Scientific Management, Harper & Row, London, 1911 Walker, Michael, The Nature of Scientific Thought, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1963 Wertheim, E. G. Professor, Historical Background of Organizational Behavior, Northeastern University, College of Business Administration, Boston, MA,