The Role of Information Systems to Support an Organization Essay

The Role of Information Systems to Support an Organization - Essay Example These management systems are also termed as collaboration systems. In the days of the past, collaboration among peers or colleagues was not as easy as it has been made by the aid of collaboration systems. The well-known quote â€Å"Two heads are better than one† can be used to define the concept of collaboration systems. It is a common practice in organizations for people to work together and this collaboration usually achieves better results than working in isolation. Pinnadyne (2009) stated that collaboration might involve the activity of generation of an idea, creation of a new concept or implementation of a common goal. Therefore it can be defined as the joint venture to achieve a common goal with a shared direction. Collaboration Systems have the following tools: Content management involves the process of storing information for retrieval by users whenever the need arises. Hartland (2009) explained that it facilitates the workflow of a group of peers or colleagues that would be involved in accessing or adding content in the repository. It can be considered as a collection of processes that provide management of the workflows involved in the system. There might be many users involved in the process of adding data to the repositories therefore there needs to be a mechanism to handle such activities. The data in the content management systems might be of different types for example, documents, video clips, images, personal information etc. Content management system in an enterprise is considered to be their vital asset nowadays as it gives a structured look to their unstructured data, while catering to all the diversity of formats that might exist in the data. Another critical aspect of content management is the ability to keep versions of data as it evolves. The version number is a well-known mechanism to keep track of old and new data. Some organizations do not value older versions of data but it also has a

Climate change Essay Example for Free

Climate change Essay In this era of industrialization there is no doubt that countries are developing in terms of resources and technology but there are repercussions as well. Scientists are of the view that human activities are contributing to not only a rise in world temperatures but also to the extreme climatic occurrences. Such climatic induced natural disasters have displaced many people from the shelter of their homes, have turned fertile lands into barren parts and have caused a depletion of fresh water resources (China tells rich nations to pay up on climate change, 2008). â€Å"It is predicted that the average global temperature will rise from between 1. 5 and 5 degrees Celsius over the next 100 years leading to a rise in sea level by one meter or more along with other disastrous climatic changes† (Climate Change: Economic Sense and Non-sense of Carbon Mitigation Policies, 2002). But the world today is so engrossed in reaching the top most position amongst industrialized countries that there is absolute ignorance about the causes of climatic disasters. Although there are people who believe that the drastic temperature increase over the last 100 years is a natural phenomenon, but the wide majority of the scientists argue that human activities are the root cause. â€Å"When it was realized that the radical climatic changes are an important issue and need to be tackled, the first milestone was launched in 2005, termed as the Kyoto protocol which aimed at reducing the gas emissions from industrialized countries† (Pettifor, 2008). But the main problem regarding this protocol is that some of the world’s biggest current and future polluters are not a signatory to this agreement as a result of which this protocol is unlikely to have any impact on the climatic changes (Climate Change, 2008). Population growth in such countries is allowing for the set up of more industries which will eventually accelerate the problem on hand. If technologies which cause less pollution and are comparatively cheaper are created and adopted then even countries which are not committed to the climatic change improvement will adopt them for their own economic self interest. Such technologies can be implemented in electricity production and transportation because these are the two factors which contribute to environmental pollution in all developing countries. In many countries carbon free alternatives have already been implemented for energy production and transport purposes and the added costs have been considered to be meager when compared to the benefits. Emission trading is a phenomenon that allows for the achievement of pollution reduction at reduced costs whereby a country which is able to meet its target of reducing emissions sells its pollution permit to another country which is unable to meet the target set (Howden, 2007). Policies are required both in developing and the developed countries to finance the regime of saving the planet. These policies include certain incentives and subsidies for the innovator who adopts the carbon free technologies in his production plant , taxes and charges enforced on those who fail to follow the reduced emission target and also government regulations that allow remove the barrier to entry for new entrants willing to adopt the lower carbon alternatives. In January 2007 the EU set out proposals for a global agreement on saving the planet from further climatic deterioration (Climate Change: Economic Sense and Non-sense of Carbon Mitigation Policies, 2002). Two key targets to be met by 2020 were set which included a 20% reduction in energy consumption and use of renewable energy resources to be increased by 20%. The EU countries also committed to cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions by 30% given that other developed countries also commit to reductions in gas emissions under a global agreement (Climate Change, 2008). It is the rich countries that need to be pressurized to take steps in the mitigation of climatic changes and provide finance for the poorer countries that may be reluctant to cut down on emissions since it would have adverse affects on their economy (Climate Change, 2008). In spite of the current economic turmoil which the entire world is facing, the U. S has promised to provide subsidies to the car industry to help them develop green cars which will help in creating a cleaner and less polluted environment. This step taken by the U. S motivated the EU member states to do the same. Similarly the German government is thinking of offering tax incentives to the general public to install energy efficient heating systems in their homes and to purchase the carbon free, environmentally friendly green cars. And the list goes not stop here, governments of different countries are thinking of providing subsidies to industries to produce green appliances, green airplanes, efficient lighting equipment, and better insulation and so on (Howden, 2007). To implement all this money is required which is expected to come from private investors. In the future years it is predicted that a vast portion of government spending will be directed towards saving the environment from climatic changes (Pettifor, 2008). China, one of the most enthusiastic country in dealing with the climatic change crisis has emphasized on the need for rich nations to contribute 1% of their GDP to help poorer nations counter the effects of the drastic climatic changes, to enable them to adopt the ‘green technologies’ and to simply assist them in tackling disasters like earthquakes, floods, heat waves and droughts (China tells rich nations to pay up on climate change, 2008). A main human activity which is adding to global warming is deforestation which has been occurring worldwide at a large scale. Carbon emissions caused by deforestation cause far more damage then either factories or cars do. Countries are implementing strict regulations regarding deforestation and have imposed penalties on those indulging in this act on lands where it is prohibited. No new technology is required it is just the enforcement policies, political will and incentives that need to be provided to government and individuals alike to make them realize the importance of forests to the environment. But poorer nations are unwilling to cut down on deforestation since it means compromising on their source of income and ultimately compromising on their economy. Forestry experts and policy makers have held meetings in Germany to try and put deforestation on top of the agenda of UN for dealing with climatic changes but Papua New Guinea, one of the world’s poorest nations refused to co-operate when it declared that it can’t cut down on deforestation unless it was offered financial incentives to do so. Natural forestation acts as a thermostat for the earth generating much needed rainfall and stabilizing the amount of harmful gases in the environment yet governments are ignorant or rather choose to stay unaware of this fact and are focusing more on implementing economic policies , encouraging bio-fuel subsidies and carbon capture schemes to tackle the problem of climatic changes (Summary for Policy Makers, 2007). For domestic users of energy, education and training programs need to be implemented to break down the reluctance of adopting environmentally friendly products and to help in creating a carbon free environment. For industries as well staff training, rewards system, awareness programs can reduce energy consumption considerably and reduce the green house gases emissions (Pettifor, 2008). There are certain economic policies which can be implemented to achieve the desired effects like taxes and charges on industries emitting carbon toxicants above a certain given level can be imposed which will induce them to eventually cut down on polluting the environment. Voluntary agreements between the governments and industries as well as between developing countries like the Kyoto protocol can accelerate the adoption of technological advances and cause considerable emission reductions (Climate Change: Economic Sense and Non-sense of Carbon Mitigation Policies, 2002). But on the other hand it needs to be kept in mind that although harsh regulations and standards and tax impositions may have the desired effect in the industrial sector but when it comes to domestic households, who are also a major contributor to environment emissions due to car usage and domestic heating, we need to think out of the box and come up with more feasible and practical solutions Individuals need to be convinced of the need to adopt technology and embrace ‘green appliances’ and for that the main motivation is the monetary incentive. Majority of the global population is not an early adopter of technology and for their sake it needs to be kept in mind that they will look for reduced costs rather than being termed the most techno-savvy person of the year (Pettifor, 2008). People need to be educated rather than forced into adopting renewable energy resources. Same goes for the industrial sector of the rich nations though harsher methods to cut down on their emissions can be applied as well by the government. It is the poorer nations that show the maximum reluctance and are unwilling to co-operate in the regime to save the earth from further climatic destruction. These nations are more concerned about their economy since already they are far behind the rich nations and on top of that the international bodies impose restrictions on them to cut down on emissions which eventually mean a restraint on their business operations (Summary for Policy Makers, 2007). The short term efforts that are being done to save the world from global warming and ozone depletion are basically a waste of resources and money since they tend to have little effect. It would be wiser to spend more yet come up with long term viable solutions which promise an improvement in the climatic conditions. Those who are worried that the cost of saving the world from climatic changes need to realize that the atmosphere cannot determine if the reduced carbon emission has come from an expensive decision or a cheap choice because it can only feel if the emissions have reduced or not. Works Cited 1. China tells rich nations to pay up on climate change. (2008, November). Retrieved November 9, 2008, from NewScientist. com: http://environment. newscientist. com/article/dn15148-china-tells-rich-nations-to-pay-up-on-climate-change. html? DCMP=ILC-hmtsnsref=news1_head_dn15148 2. Climate Change. (2008). Retrieved November 6, 2008, from EUROPA Commission: http://ec. europa. eu/environment/climat/home_en. htm 3. Climate Change: Economic Sense and Non-sense of Carbon Mitigation Policies. (2002). Centre for Economic Performance , 2. 4. Howden, D. (2007, May 14). Deforestation: The hidden cause of global warming. Retrieved November 8, 2008, from The Independent: http://www. independent. co. uk/environment/climate-change/deforestation-the-hidden-cause-of-global-warming-448734. html 5. Pettifor, A. (2008, October 28). Beyond the triple crisis: a green new deal. Retrieved November 7, 2008, from http://www. opendemocracy. net/article/beyond-the-triple-crisis-a-green-new-deal 6. Summary for Policy Makers. (2007, May 5). Retrieved November 5, 2008, from http://www. globalpolicy. org/socecon/envronmt/climate/2007/0504ipccthree. pdf

Kant vs Descartes

Thing in ItselfRene Descartes’ method of doubt provides the argument for the existence of the mind, which is, perhaps, the cornerstone of his philosophy. Immanuel Kant, on the other hand, treats ‘reason’ or rationality as a crucial factor in his philosophical accounts. With regard to Descartes, the concept of the ‘thing in itself’ can be analyzed in terms of his method of hyperbolic doubt, such that he cannot doubt that he exists. As for Kant, the concept of the ‘thing in itself’ can best be understood in terms of his treatment on the distinction between the noumenal or rational world and the spatiotemporal world.Descartes method of doubt tells us that the only thing that an individual can be sure of is his existence, such that the fact that one can begin to doubt one’s existence is proof that there must be that something which ‘doubts’. Given that there is a looming ‘doubt’, it cannot be questioned that t here is indeed something that doubts, and that ‘doubting’ thing is a thinking thing. At the least, the attribute of being able to doubt makes Descartes to believe that he exists for if he did not then he would not have doubted his existence in the first place (Garber, p. 226).As a result, Descartes gives primary emphasis to the mind such that our sensory perceptions cannot wholly provide us with real knowledge. For instance, Descartes provides his classic example of the wax. A wax has a certain size, shape, texture and odor among many others. After the wax is melted, Descartes tells us that many of the physical properties of the wax as observed by our sensory perceptions have changed. Thus, our senses cannot give us the assurance of the essence of the wax, or of things in general. It is at that point that Descartes believes that the deductive mind should be the basis for our inquiries on the essence of objects.Hence, it can be said that the concept of the ‘thing i n itself’ in terms of Descartes’ philosophy stands as something which claims that there is a material, external world outside of the mind. Things by themselves, then, would be as they are whether or not the mind is able to grasp these external entities. Descartes is also known for his belief in the mind and body dualism, such that the mind is a separate entity from the corporeal or physical body. In its entirety, it can be said that Descartes is espousing the idea that the thing in itself is one which is in the external world, although it can also be the thinking thing, or the mind. As for the objects external from the mind, these objects are things in themselves for the reason that the mind is able to acquire knowledge through them, specifically through a deductive inquiry into their nature and essence.Immanuel Kant, on the other hand, espouses the idea of noumenon as synonymous with the ‘thing in itself’, which is that the noumenal realm is the realm whi ch is not accessible precisely because of the limits of the rationality. From here, it can be said that Kant acknowledges that there are indeed ‘things in themselves’ only that human reason is unable to completely grasp these ‘things in themselves’ in the noumenal realm. Kant’s noumenon is to be distinguished with his concept of the phenomenon. On one hand, the phenomenon is that which is grasped by our sensory perceptions or that which is perceived. On the other hand, the noumenon is the actual object which gives the perceived phenomenon (Clarke, p. 55).In order to make the distinction clearer, one can resort to the example of, say, the object ‘pencil’. In terms of Kant’s philosophy, the actual ‘pencil’ is the actual object and the essence of the actual ‘pencil’ cannot be grasped even through our reason and sensory perceptions. On the contrary, what we can only be able to grasp is the phenomenon that ema nates from the actual pencil. That is, our senses are only able to acquire the various attributes of the actual pencil such as size, color, shape and texture among many others. We are never able to grasp the essence of the actual pencil, only the ‘properties’ or the phenomenon that come from it.The contrast between Kant and Descartes’ treatment of the thing in itself resides on their basis for which upon the ‘thing in itself’ can be accessed. Apparently, both Kant and Descartes give a substantial consideration for the mind or reason in trying to understand the material world and the rest of the objects as ‘things in themselves’. Thus, once the mind or reason is deprived of its role in discerning the objects around it, or if the mind or reason is removed from the task of contemplating the ‘thing in itself’, there is strong reason to believe, as far as Kant and Descartes are concerned, that any effort to philosophize about the se things would be futile.More importantly, the distinction between Kant and Descartes resides on the fact that Kant is inclined to believe that we cannot entirely comprehend the essence of any ‘thing in itself’ and that only the phenomenon can be accessed by reason and our sensory perceptions. On the other hand, Descartes does not explicitly make a claim denying the reason of the ability to comprehend the essence of objects. On the contrary, Descartes tells us that we should rely on the deductive process through the minds in our quest for understanding the world of objects and less on the sensory perceptions for they may simply give us a limited account of the world.In conclusion, it can be said that the distinction between Kant and Descartes in terms of their take on the concept of the ‘thing in itself’ differs solely on whether or not the noumenon or the actual objects are accessible. Both Kant and Descartes agree on the substantial function and purpose of reason in discerning the world or at least the ‘thinking thing’ in the words of Descartes. Without the mind, one can hardly arrive at a substantial thought on the world, or that there can be no ‘hyperbolic doubting’ to begin with. The use of the mind is significant in both the philosophies of Kant and Descartes, especially in their analysis of the concept of the ‘thing in itself’.Works CitedGarber, Daniel. â€Å"Descartes and Method in 1637.† PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 2 (1988): 226.Clarke, Michael. â€Å"Kant's Rhetoric of Enlightenmentkant's Rhetoric of Enlightenment.† The Review of Politics 59.1 (1997): 55.

Media’s Negative Effect on Women Body Image

I. Images in the media are having a negative impact on female body image and has given society a blurred meaning as to â€Å"beautiful† A. Models 1. Models give an unrealistic view of the ideal woman; they give the idea that you cannot be beautiful unless you are thin. 2. â€Å"The average model is taller and weighs 23 per cent, or almost a quarter, less than the average woman who is 5'4†³ and weighs 148 lbs. † (Canadian Women’s Health) 3. Model’s bodies have been getting thinner by the years, and as the bodys keep slimming down women and girls in society are becoming more unhappy with their selves. B. Economic goals . â€Å"There are no official statistics for spending on diet products, but estimates vary from $40bn to $100bn in the US alone – more than the combined value of the government's budget for health, education and welfare. † (Cummings) 2. By the media presenting an almost impossible ideal to get and maintain, the cosmetic and diet industry becomes profitable. 3. Ads are directed mostly to younger girls purposely. C. Health issues 1. Exposure to images of thin, young, air-brushed female bodies is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and the development of unhealthy eating habits in women and girls. . The American research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders, Inc. says that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control (bulimia, anorexia, excess exercising, laxatives, skipping meals. ) 3. This has even affected younger girls, as low as 5-6 years old. 4. Nearly half of all preadolescent girls wish to be thinner, and as a result have engaged in a diet or are aware of the concept of dieting. (Tiggeman) 5. Researchers generating a computer model of a woman with Barbie-doll proportions, for example, found that her back would be too weak to support the weight of her upper body, and her body would be too narrow to contain more than half a liver and a few centimeters of bowel. A  real woman built that way would suffer from chronic diarrhea and eventually die from malnutrition. II. Although the damage has been well done, by eliminating the fake women pictures and providing the society with a healthier view of themselves, women’s views about themselves would be a lot healthier and they would feel uch happier. A. Although these campaigns have just started with their healthy ideas, many companies have tried to help with this problem and have received much positive feedback. 1. In 2004, Dove launched the very successful Campaign for Real Beauty which features real women, not models, advertising Dove's firming cream. (Dove) 2. Dove has also recently launched a new campaign, 3. In Septem ber 2006, a news and media furor erupted when Spain banned overly thin models from its fashion runways. 4. Dove produced this video in response to the negative comments of the changes of the company’s models called Evolution which shows the transformation from a regular women to a model and how unrealistic perceptions of beauty are. 5. In 2010, Dove ® set out a bold new vision for the brand with the Dove ® Movement for Self-Esteem. ( Dove) III. Not everyone agrees, however, that this is something wrong. A. The people that prosper from these ideas say 1. Women need to have more self control. a. It’s not like women can just avoid these ads, they are everywhere and have come to dominate our society. Depression and low self-esteem is not something that women want to have. Not everyone is born the same. 2. Obesity is a problem, thinner is healthier. a. Thinner can be healthier because obesity has become a growing issue but the media has taken it to their advantage. b. The thinness shown in magazines and models is not healthy, the models are always underweight which leads to fainting and serious health conditions including malnutrition. Works Cited â€Å"Beauty and Body Image in Media. † Media Awareness Network. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Nov 2011. . Cummings, Laura. â€Å"The diet business: Banking on Failure. † BBC news. N. p. , 05/02/2003. Web. 20 Nov 2011. . â€Å"Body Image and the Media. † Canadian's Women's Health Network. N. p. , 2005. Web. 20 Nov 2011. . â€Å"The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. † Dove. Dove, n. d. Web. 20 Nov 2011. .

social trends in art essays

social trends in art essays Art is something which can be analyzed to give deeper insight as to the common values and beliefs shared by the members of a certain society. Regardless of the place of origin or the time period of a form of art, it will always be a reflection of the social structure in which it's creator/s lived. However, the way the artist perceives the culture common to his time period is very relative. People pertaining to a higher social class had different values and ideologies than members of a lower class. This different view of life can be seen very clearly in individual forms of art such as painting and music. These specific forms of artistic expression required very little money, thus could be exercised by anyone including members of a lower class. Other forms of art such as architecture and sculpture required more money and in most cases wealthy patrons such as kings or queens. Architecture also required large numbers of workers which often made it hard to see any individual influe nce in the design, however showed the collective ideology of all of the people involved. The cost of labor and materials was also so great that very affluent members of society were needed to financially support the whole process. Sculpture was also an artistry that required great amounts of material and labor. This resulted in a more normative form of art which portrayed societal aspects in a way that was of interest to the financial backers. By studying both popular and normative art together it is possible to obtain a greater perspective on a specific culture. Outside influences from other countries can also affect the art and the artists of a certain society. As a country sees more and more immigrants from a certain area, the art will begin to reflect the ideologies these outsiders bring in with them. This same change can be seen more drastically in the case of an invasion. The architecture would change drastically, since it is normative art a...

Observation #3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Observation #3 - Essay Example After observing them for a few minutes, I figured out that they were neighbors living in a close neighborhood. One of them had a little baby in a pram, and the other one was telling her about her children who had gone to school. She was giving the other one tip upon handling a cranky baby. So, I figured out that the main topic of discussion was child care. They had not yet started doing grocery. After that, the same night, I again went out on a venture to observe a male-female interaction. I entered an ice cream parlor. I witnessed a couple. I took the table next to theirs so that I could hear their conversation. I could sense some romanticism, and it took me no time in concluding that they were dating. They were in their mid-twenties. They were looking very happy and excited over something. When I heard closely, the man was talking about how he had got the job, and what his plans about marriage were. The woman looked

Monogamous Sexual Inercourse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Monogamous Sexual Inercourse - Essay Example She also asked if they ever thought about marrying a virgin and they all said no. This writer thinks we have a new era where commitments are temporary, which is a bit of an oxymoron. If you marry and a relationship does not work you change to a new commitment. Some do it in through marriages some do not bother to marry. This is creating multiple problems in our society. Nine out of ten people polled by UNICEF believe the social fabric of our culture is under threat because of family breakdown. This article says much of the break down is to be blamed on the high numbers of single parent homes and step families. Since monogamy is not longer expected children do not have the same support base in the family that they had in the past. We see a rise in crime at younger and younger ages. We see more and more children treated for depression an anxiety. Our children no longer know where they belong. It appears that when there is an abandonment of long term commitment sexually there is also no long term commitment to parenting and we see a change in the behavior of children (Daily Mail, 2007). This is of course not good for the children it is also very expensive for our society. The second problem that comes with having multiple sexual partners is the number of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) reported today. The more partners an individual has the more likely they are to contract and STD. The cost of STD treatment including HIV rises every year. In 2006, if all STD numbers were combined it reaches epidemic levels in the United States (Update to CDC’s Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines). It appears to this writer that multiple sexual partner is not wise from a wellness perspective. We stop smoking because it can cause illness why would we not advocate remaining monogamous to prevent illness? This writer sees the switch to multiple sexual partners and its generally