The Power Of Community Organizers - 1273 Words

Saul D. Alinsky believed in the power of community organizers. In 1972, he wrote a book titled Rules for Radicals in which he created a set of thirteen rules of tactics to be used by community organizers. Community organizers are known as change agents; someone who sees a need for change in an organization and must overcome opposition to bring about change. He wrote a second set of eleven rules comparing ends versus means. This set of rules is used to answer the question, â€Å"Does the end justify the means?† In today’s business world, many people follow some of these rules in how they run their business. In some situations, this is a good thing, in others, not so much. Through studying his rules, I found a few that I agree with and others which I did not. Alinsky’s fourth rule of tactics reads â€Å"Make opponents live up to their own book of rules.† I agree with this in a normative sense. In today’s society, people tend to be quick to judge others for their wrongdoings, but are quickly upset when someone points out our own. I believe that we should take a different approach. Before we point out the flaws of others, we should first make sure we are doing right. Matthew 7:3-5 states â€Å"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and thenShow MoreRelatedCommunity Concerns And Goals : Observance Of Low Group Moral Prompted1664 Words   |  7 PagesCommunity Concerns/Goals Observance of low group moral prompted this community organizing effort. The three prominent behaviors shown were silence (a traditional Native response), an overabundance of an argumentative stance, and unprofessionalism during governmental meetings, exhibited even by elected officials at times. Minkler (2012) states, â€Å"issues to organize around can be found by talking with community members and trying out various themes† (Kindle Locations 2694-2695). Individual membersRead MoreEssay about Bshs 485 Week 2 Capstone Worksheet1200 Words   |  5 Pagesprinciples of consensus organizing demonstrated in the Mon Valley Case Study. Provide 150- to 200-word answers for each of the following principles and the summary. |Strategic principle 1: Solutions to local problems should come from affected communities. | | | |The Mon Valley, a region of cities and towns alongRead MoreComparing The Alinsky Tradition And Friedman Approaches, Marty Martinson And Celena Sue916 Words   |  4 Pageswhich Alinsky dealt with situations which he thought could benefit the parties that were oppressed. He believed power lies with the people and forming of organizations was one of the ways that a society or community would receive positive results. The main premise of the organizations was to select a leader who could be seen as an outsider with a passion to motivate members of that community to plead their cause with the aim of winning. One example in which Alinsky’s approach was successful was duringRead MoreThe Transition From An Agrarian Society1183 Words   |  5 Pagessuccesses for workers’ movements due to the drastic nature of change during this time period. The transition from an agrarian society to an industrial empire had challenged old American values such as outwork and interdependence found within rural communities. Specifically, division of labor and technological advancements during this time period had shifted society from being self-reliant (agrarian) to dependent on large businesses (industry). In Who Built America by Christopher Clark, Nancy HewittRead MoreLeadership707 Words   |  3 Pagesnew book, As One: Individual Action, Collective Power (Portfolio, 2011): †¢ The landlord and tenants – Tenants voluntarily decide to join landlords, but once they do, the boss has the top-down power, controlling access to scarce resources, doling out rewards and sanctions, and di ctating the terms of tenants’ participation. †¢ The community organizer and volunteers – The power for setting direction comes from the bottom up, but the community organizer is the glue that holds things together. VolunteersRead MoreNorma Rae and Labor Issues1478 Words   |  6 Pagescotton textile factory were intolerable and management was abusive. In the summer of 1978, a union organizer from New York came to this small town and approached the employees at the cotton factory to start a union. The union organizer, the mill workers and the management of the factory had very different perspectives as to the ramifications of starting a union. PERSPECTIVE OF THE UNION ORGANIZER Warshovsky was a New York City operative who came to the cotton factory to help the employeesRead MoreShould Activists Be Transition Into A Politician?1361 Words   |  6 PagesCan activists, more specifically community activists, successfully transition into a politician? Can they hold on to community-based interests over self-interest and ensure that the community remains a creator and not an object of policy? In the New York Times, Room for Debate opinion section, Bob Kerry, former governor of Nebraska and U.S. Senator, defines both terms. â€Å"An activist†, he notes, â€Å"is someone who organizes and acts for the purpose of changing a public policy or law. A politician is someoneRead MoreMy Good Friend Miguel Rodriguez Essay1549 Words   |  7 Pagesfavorite Taco truck. I interviewed Miguel because he is a strong individual with solid morals and a community organizer in his hometown of Ventura California. Miguel is 32 years old and is considered a non-traditiona l student at UCLA, we both graduated in June 2016. I am also considered a non-traditional student except I am right at the minimum of the category. Miguel’s years of hard work as a community organizer make him the ideal candidate for an interview because he delivers a unique perspective on educationRead MoreElementary Students Learn About Their Community s Government And Leaders Essay1124 Words   |  5 Pagesdesigned for third grade and fits in with our community, as our government officials are part of our local community. †¢ This lesson may require extra time, as our town of Beacon Falls does not have a mayor, which I think the students would be more familiar with. Instead, the town has a Board of Selectmen. Objectives: †¢ Students will understand how our local government is run. †¢ CCSS CIV 3.1 Students will be able to distinguish the responsibilities and powers of government officials at various levelsRead MoreThe Theory Of Legitimacy Of Political Authority Essay729 Words   |  3 Pagesorganizing, or community organizing, which refers to the collective action of the part of a community or group in order to effect change at the local, regional, national, or international level. They empower communities whose aims can range from encouraging political conversation to increasing mass participation in politics. Despite historically consistent and effective organizing, in the past decades there have been systemic changes that have altered the ways in which organizers organize, and the

The Buddhist Self Of Buddhism - 1510 Words

Dana Zhao Period E The Buddhist Self One of the most widespread religions in the world, and the dominant religion of Asia, Buddhism has developed greatly from when it was first founded. Though Buddhism is commonly thought of as an eastern religion, it’s popularity is spreading more and more to the western world. Though Buddhist beliefs may seem drastically different from traditional western beliefs, there are many ideas worth learning from it. The religion of Buddhism was constructed by the Buddha, born in 623 B.C. as Siddhartha Gautama. He was born into a royal family in Nepal, and enjoyed a life of luxury and contentment throughout his childhood. According to a traditional story, one day, Gautama ventured outside the palace walls and saw four men: a sick man, an old man, a dead man, and a monk. That led him to ask the question â€Å"Why do people suffer?† Gautama was jolted out of his previously sheltered life upon the realization of suffering, sickness, and death. This prompted him to continue to ponder the deeper meaning of life, and eventually, Gautama felt compelled to leave the palace and become a wandering holy man, a truth seeker. Soon after, he adopted the title of â€Å"Buddha†, or â€Å"the enlightened one†. To his followers, he did not claim to be a god or a prophet. He was a human being who sought Enlightenment and understanding of life in the deepest way possible. The main foundations of the Buddhist religion are the Four Noble Truths. These truths stemShow MoreRelatedThe Buddhist Religion And Its Move Into America1175 Words   |  5 PagesUntil about a fifty years ago, most people in the United States did not have much exposure to the Buddhist religion. Our only impression of it might have been statues of a grinning, bald Buddha with a large belly at the entrance of most Chinese restaurants. Those statues seemed a little scary and some thought they should nod or rub the belly as they passed as a gesture of good luck. The religion has come a long way in the last twenty years. Hollywood celebrities such as Richard Gere and TigerRead MoreRelics Of Buddhism And Buddhism847 Words   |  4 PagesRelics are thought to be present in Buddhism since the 5th Century B.C.E, when the original Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was said to have lived, and Buddhism itself was a new religion. They continue today as sacred objects of worship. Relics that are as old as Buddhism itself are said to exist and still be worshipped. Although the idea of relics may seem contradictory to many of Buddhist beliefs, they actually do resonate with many ideals of Buddhist teachings and practices. To see whether relicsRead MoreBuddhism And Its Views On Buddhism973 Words   |  4 PagesBuddhism is one of the major religions of the world; it was founded in India and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, Buddha, or the Enlightened One/Awakened One. Buddhism is non-theistic and is not based on any concept of a supreme or one ruling God. A Buddhist approach is a naturalistic one and the sole purpose of the followers is to end or reduce suffering (dukkha) and attain a state of liberation or enlightenment and the freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth (Nirvana). BuddhistRead MoreThe Changing Self Can Not Be Denied992 Words   |  4 Pages The changing self can not be denied One of the central belief of Buddhist is the denial of the self. In particular, Buddhism criticizes the idea that â€Å"an individual atman is an assumption of an unchanging and constant serf that somehow underlies and is the basis for the variety of changing experiences.† (Gethin 1998, 141) In fact, any individual, no matter its matter of life, is just a particular pattern of a series of casual connectedness. That is a very convincing idea since it is clearRead MoreReligious Ideologies And Practices Behind Buddhism843 Words   |  4 Pagesreligion that I did not consider myself well versed with was Buddhism. From my previous encounters with this religion, I had learned that its teachings embody the idea of karma and rebirth. As means to broaden my knowledge and learn more about the religious ideologies and practices behind Buddhism, I spoke with Professor Ann Burlein of the Religion and Philosophy Department. I had originally planned to attend Professor Burlein’s Buddhism in America class, but due to time conflicts I resorted to meetRead MoreBuddhism Is Considered A Religion Or A Philosophy961 Words   |  4 Pageswhether buddhism is considered a religion or a philosophy but I believe that it is both. According to (https://www.google.com/#q=buddhismBuddhism) is a non-theistic religion or philosophy that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. Buddhism inhabits several traits that consider it a religion and a philosophy. There is not a clear distinction that defines buddhism as one or the other. Some practices of Buddhism displayRead MoreBuddhism : A Religion Of Enlightenment And Self Meditation1562 Words   |  7 PagesBuddhism first came to China from India around 500 AD. Buddha, the enlightened one, is the founder of Buddhism as a religion. Buddhism is China’s oldest foreign religion m erging from Daoism and folk religion. At first, Buddhism did not attract many people, however during 200 AD, Buddhism gained a firm position in China and has continued to be one of China’s top religions. Buddhism, in summary, is a religion of enlightenment and self-meditation. The role of the family in Chinese culture, specificallyRead MoreThe Seven Dimensions Of Buddhism985 Words   |  4 Pagesmaterial. Buddhism is a religion that was founded by an Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha. Buddhism can be understood using all seven of the dimensions. The first dimension used to understand a religion is based off its rituals. Buddhist perform rituals as a way to offer respect to the Buddha and find peace from within. The common ritual practiced by Buddhists is meditation. Meditation is all about focusing and purifying the mind. In meditation, Buddhists go throughRead MoreThe Buddhist Theory Of Human Nature1147 Words   |  5 Pages Proving Buddhist theory of human nature is more plausible than Hindu theory of human nature is important because it helps one have a better understanding of the world. This essay shows that Buddhism is more practical than Hinduism and it is relevant because science is dominant in determining what is true and what is not. Buddhism is closer to the scientific world because it uses sensory information to achieve data. All truth is found through sensory experience, which is what Buddhism believes inRead MoreBuddhism : A New Way Of Life Without Materialistic Needs Essay1547 Words   |  7 Pagesoceans and mountains, culture and society, but most important religions and beliefs. Out of the hundreds of practices and beliefs that make part of planet earth one of the most interesting form of religious practice is Buddhism. Buddhism is the practice of finding peace within one s self by developing inner peace, wisdom and kindness. This practice dates back 2,500 years, and the founder is known as Buddha Shakyamuni. He was born a royal prince in a town called Lumbini; originally part of northern India

Human Resource Management An Integral Sector - 929 Words

Human resource is an integral sector in any form of organization. Governments as well as the private organizations use human resource sector to manage personnel working in various departments of the firms. However the human resource sector keeps changing and the organizations also have to formulate different ways of managing the sector to ensure that it is productive. Battaglio (2014) addresses the dynamism of the human resource in the public sector in the United States in such a dynamic world. The perpetual change of how the human resource management run in the US has led to redefinition of the human resource management roles and their relevance in the public sector. This chapter emphasizes on the need to maintain professionalism in the†¦show more content†¦The institutions must abide to the civic laws. These laws are complex and oftentimes made uniform. They are not based on the context hence making it hard for the public organizations to cope up with the changing environm ents. Purpose and Significance In this book, the author aims at evaluating the plight of the human resource management in a perpetually changing environment in the USA federal government. He seeks to establish the changing roles of the human resource sector given the bureaucratic constraints associated with it. The author cites critiques’ views of the HR as a body that traditionally has been blamed for taking a stance that tends to oppose the management. He asserts that the department was negative about their administrative role often hindering the management from achieving set goals. It has also been blamed for excessively concentrating on the rules and regulations rather than the results and the changing environment which sought a new approach. This challenge saw a campaign for reforms in a bid to make the sector more responsive to the changing environment surrounding it. The likes of Alan Campbell (1978), championed the need for change. His campaign led to the formulation of Civil service Reform Act in 1 978. The HR attitude led to a lift between the HR personnel and the management. The human resource sees itself as the people

Point of View in Everyday Use by Alice Walker Essay

Point of View in Everyday Use by Alice Walker Point of view is described as the perspective from which a story is told (Literature, G25). In the story Everyday Use the point of view is that of first person narrator or major character. The story is told by the mother in the story. The theme of this story is that of a mother who is trying to cope with changing times and two daughters who are completely different. Having the story told from mommas point of view helps to reveal how momma feels about herself and how she defines her daughters Dee and Maggie. Everyday Use is told from mommas point of view which helps to reveal how she feels about herself. Momma feels that she is an uneducated person, she says I never had†¦show more content†¦Reading this story from mommas point of view creates the feeling that one is in the story. The reader can feel and picture every character in the story. Mommas point of view defines how she feels about her daughters and the degrees of separation that exist between the two girls. Momma describes Maggie as a partially educated child who does not look as appealing as her older sister. Maggie was burned in a house fire that left her scared all over her body. She does not wear revealing clothes, nor does she attract men as Dee does. Dee, on the other hand, is described as an educated young woman who is ready to take on any and every adventure. Momma says that Dee used to read to her and Maggie without pity (94). She describes Dee as the stylish child; she always prepared dresses out of mommas old suits and is always up on the current style. Momma likes the different qualities Dee possesses, but she is slightly threatened because they are unfamiliar to her. From the description that momma gives of her daughters the reader can feel the differences that exist in her thoughts about her daughters. Alice Walker uses point of view incredibly sound in her story Everyday Use. The character momma presents just enough information about the characters so thatShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Flowers, By Alice Walker1525 Words   |  7 Pageswas how Alice Walker grew up. She has written stories about her life, and stories that have had an impact on her life based on how she grew up. The two short stories The Flowers and Everyday Use have a common theme of feeling comfortable, safe, and at peace when one is home. Walker uses diction, syntax, and characterization to develop this common theme in her writing. A house is a safe comfortable place where one can feel at peace and in The Flowers and Everyday Use, the author Alice Walker developsRead MoreAn Analysis Of Alice Walker s Everyday Use989 Words   |  4 PagesLaPalme English 102 22 January 2015 Heritage: The Various Interpretations in Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† According to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2015), heritage is defined as, â€Å"traditions, achievements, beliefs, etc., that are part of the history of a group or nation† (â€Å"Heritage†). Heritage takes on mixed meanings for different people as a consequence of life experiences and belief systems. Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† utilizes characters with varying ideas of â€Å"heritage† to enlighten the worldRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker852 Words   |  4 Pagescomes or belongs to one by reason of birth. In â€Å"Everyday Use†, by Alice Walker, the theme of the story can be considered as the meaning of heritage or even the power of education. Alice Walker uses many symbols and motifs such as the following: quilts, education, knowledge, Asalamalakim, and the renaming of Dee. In the story, African heritage and knowledge takes a major role. The African heritage plays a major role in the story, â€Å"Everyday Use†. Alice Walker emphasizes the meaning of heritage by havingRead MoreComparisson of Mother Tounge and Everyday Use1417 Words   |  6 PagesEdgar Hernandez Professor Ali ENC 1102 March 20, 2014 Amy Tans, â€Å"Mother Tongue† and Alice Walkers â€Å"Everyday Use† both share similar traits in their writings of these two short stories. â€Å"Mother Tongue† revolves around the experiences Tan and her mother had due to her mothers English speaking limitations, she also revolves her story around the relationship of a mother and daughter. Alice walker on the other hand writes a story narrated by â€Å"Mama† the mother of two daughters Maggie and Dee andRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1102 Words   |  5 Pagespoem â€Å"Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers† can be read similar to Alice Walker s short story Everyday Use† both are compared by the women’s ways of showing their strengths and how they identify their values, expressions and strength. Advertised in the general outlines of the plot, both literary themes talks of a quest for freedom, the characters identity and self-expression. Adrienne Rich â€Å"Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers† Alice Walker â€Å"Everyday Use† Comparison Paper Analyzing the two types of literatureRead Moreâ€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker Essay1310 Words   |  6 PagesIn its simplest form, a child is a product of a man and a woman but Alice Walker one of the foremost authors during the twentieth century, adds depth to her black American women by focusing on the role that race and gender played in their development. Family reunions can be times of great anticipation, excitement and happiness but for Dee, a young, beautiful, African American and our leading character, it was a reunion with underlying, unspoken tensions. Dee was Dee but Dee had changed; a new husbandRead MoreThe Meaning And Maintenance Of Heritage In Alice Walkers Everyday Use974 Words   |  4 PagesThe Meaning and Maintenance of Heritage in Alice Walkers Everyday Use In Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use,† Walker uses, the symbolic significance of the quilt in this story to represent the heritage of this family as their heritage signifies where they came from and their traditions and cultural values. Walker demonstrates, that the importance of the quilt was to display the family’s history from generation to generation in hopes that each would understand and appreciate their familys background.Read MoreSame Theme, Different Development in of Virginia Woolf and Alice Walker’s The Legacy and Everyday Use690 Words   |  3 PagesTwo major literary works of Virginia Woolf and Alice Walker’s The Legacy and Everyday Use, both of them have the common that is the theme of the story carries â€Å"the heritage† issue but the focus of it is different. In The Legacy, the focus of the heritage was a relic diary of Angela for her husband. Implicitly, we can conclude that the heritage was meant to be recognition of Angel a to her husband. While the focus in Everyday Use, the focus of the heritage was the quilts, and in the final story weRead MoreEveryday Use Analysis Essay1708 Words   |  7 PagesEllen Johnson Mr. Roberts AP English 4 13 Apr 2010 Dee: the Sister Who Lost Her Identity Alice Walkers Everyday Use is a short story about the clash between a mother and daughter. Dee is the child returning home to visit. The visit is not exactly pleasant and ends after a stand-off between her and Mama. Many readers see Mama as finally standing up for her own ideals while also refusing to conform to the rules Dee wishes her to follow. Dee follows different rules of society and religion thanRead More Point of View in Alice Walkers Everyday Use Essay examples1136 Words   |  5 PagesPoint of View in Alice Walkers Everyday Use Alice Walker is making a statement about the popularization of black culture in Everyday Use. The story involves characters from both sides of the African American cultural spectrum, conveniently cast as sisters in the story. Dee/Wangero represents the new black, with her natural hairdo and brightly colored clothing. Maggie remains traditional: the unchanged, unaffected bystander. Nowhere in the dialogue do Walkers characters

The Issue Of Human Rights - 1444 Words

Since the first successful organ transplant was performed, the life-changing procedure that has saved thousands of lives has become a much desired route for those in need of a new organ. The unfortunate scenario in most cases is that someone needs to die in order for another to live. With voluntary organ donors now growing in numbers upon their own death, there is still a high demand for organs that is not being met to the satisfaction of many patients who are on a waiting list. When the subject of human rights is discussed, one ethical question can be asked. Is volunteering to sell an organ by choice or for financial purposes unethical? What if a person wanted to sell their organ and in return was able to get free life insurance or give†¦show more content†¦The debate around the black market of organ sales is an ongoing battle. It is a topic that should be more seriously addressed since the black market for organs already exists (Park, 2012). Reports of people flying to dif ferent countries and buying the organ they need are relevant and happening whether it is illegal or not. This is where the debate on the issue of organ sales can become problematic. It is not rational for a wealthy person to be able to buy their way to health while a poor person is left on the waiting list. Even worse is the exploitation of the poor to gain more donors by incentivizing them with money. With stories coming from Bangladesh about poor people donating kidneys not even knowing what a kidney does is abusive and inhumane (Resnisck, 2012). To control the market of organ sales, legalizing the option could increase the supply to meet the demand as well as create a safer environment for the donor. Then the question would be how does one fairly create a system that gives equal opportunity to all people no matter their social status? No solution has been implemented, but realistic recommendations have been given in order to grow the organ donor population. In other countries lik e Spain, every person is automatically signed up as a donor (Park, 2012). If a person does not want to be a donor, they have to contest it with their government. In Israel, those who have family members that are already donors are put higher on

Critical Criminology Companion Theory

Question: Discuss about the Critical Criminology Companion Theory. Answer: Introduction A crime is an act that violates law or legal ethics. Criminology deals with the study of crime. There are various theories on criminology that have developed over past 250 years while some of them have become irrelevant[1]. The concept of criminology began in the 18th century when classical school of criminology was invented by an Italian scholar Cesare Beccaria and then in the 19th century the positivists approach of criminology was defined by Cesare Lombroso. In the 20th century, two more criminology theories were invented and these were social structural criminology and social process criminology. There are several factors which is the reason of criminal offences. The factors can be psychological, social, geographical, political and economical. The scientific study about criminals and crime is known as criminology. The rate of crime has increased over the years. It has negative effect on the person who is the victim of crime and on the locality which is affected with crime[2]. The classical versus positivists schools of thought During the mid-18th century an intensifying debate started among the scholars regarding a more rational way to criminal punishment in order to abolish the cruel and harsh public executions which were used to make the people scared and be obedient. The concept of Utilitarianism was invented by an Italian scholar Cesare Beccaria and he said that the behaviour of a people is highly motivated with the avoidance of pain and pursuit of pleasure. In case of Classical School of Criminology formulating decisions are described with deterring crime[3]. It is believed by classical school that human commit the act which is the criminal act but they have their freedom to choose right or wrong which cannot be prohibited. According to him, crimes only results when rewards and pleasures on attempting a crime will be greater than that of punishment as in this case the person who is attempting the crime becomes so engrossed with the thought of that reward, the pain of punishment gets faded away from his mind[4]. Different elements of classical theory are- People have that willing capacity to choose their own preferences as lawful solutions to settle their crimes and problems. Crime becomes really appealing hen it gives great benefits just with a little effort. It is possible to control crime with the fear of punishment. Punishments which are perceived to be obvious, swift and severe will depress criminal behaviour. Certain and severe behaviour is noticed in the punishment given for the crime. In the 19th century, a new concept was discovered by Cesare Lombroso, known as the father of the criminology. This concept is called positivist theory and the views of this concept created a questionable existence of the classical theory[5]. Positivist School of Criminology believes in rational independence where criminal behaviour is presumed and qualified measurement is done on the number of crime[6]. Lombroso mentioned in his book of The Criminal Man that those who are criminals they are born with some physical traits which differ from the normal persons for instances, the criminals are born with physical features like high cheekbones, flattened noses, hard eyes, baldness, scanty beards, fleshy lips and have no sensitivity to pain[7]. These physical characteristics are also possible if a person inherits the nature of criminology from his or her parents or ancestors. Lombroso modified his positivist theory and thus other two types of theories were identified and these are the criminal old and the insane criminal. He further concluded that criminality tends to attempt less serious crimes and the insane criminal are not inborn criminals and they are turned criminal later due to alteration of their brain which automatically depresses their morals, ethics and virtues. Changes in understanding victimisation over time Victimisation refers to the state of being victimised. In the 18th century Cesare Beccaria said that the punishment has to be really severe so that the criminals dont even think of attempting a crime and this will also make them realise that the pain of punishment will outweigh the reward from the crime. Then in the 19th century, this theory was argued and the positivists told that the punishment must fit the criminal and not the crime and Cesare Lombroso told that criminals are born with some physical traits which make them appear different from those who are normal people. Again in the 20th century, social structural criminology was discovered which described that society is an organism and treated crime as a state of social pathology. Apart from the above theories, there are four theories of victimisation and these are described below- The victim precipitation theory- This theory states that those who have been victims of crime can get indulge either actively or passively in criminal offences that can lead them to injury or even death. The passive precipitation means when the victim unconsciously expresses behaviours that instigate a sense of attack. For example- the minority groups and the sexual oriented people often faces violence due to their nature of threatening people holding a special position[8]. Active precipitation on the other hand means that victimisation occurs due to provocative nature of the victim himself or herself such as a woman who gets raped active contribute to be victimised due to her provoking dress, relationship or being too intimated to a stranger. Precipitation theory is based on the structure which is based on the structure of oriented nature of crime. The lifestyle theory- This theory states that individuals are victimised due to their own lifestyle choices which invites a criminal offence to take place with the persons who have made such lifestyle choices like going alone at night, dwelling in bad areas of town or making friendship with bad companies. This theory also states that victimisation is not a random process but the choice of a lifestyle can put a person in danger of getting victimised. The lifestyle behaviours of the persons are the contributing reasons of victimisation since those individuals put themselves in the elevated risk of such danger[9]. With the help of several premises lifestyle theory is constructed. Criminal victimization is followed by uneven time and space. Deviant place theory-this theory states that more an individual will be exposing to dangerous places, the more higher will be his chance to fall victim of a crime. Deviant place theory is also known as Victim precipitation theory which suggests innate ideas about confrontation with the criminal when crime is performed by anyone. For example, if a person in a nutshell is facing a neighbourhood which is deviant, then its only way to escape from being victimise is to leave that place. Official versus unofficial data In order to facilitate democratic accountability, it is important to get the statistics of crime so that the police of the country can be informed and this will allow the public to detect the risk of crime in their locality. As per the recent statistics, an approximately 6.2 million crimes were reported in England and Wales from the Crime Survey for England and Wales. The survey further reported that 2.0 million cybercrime and 3.6 million frauds took place in the in the full year of 2016. This survey had covered more than 11.8 million incidents of crime. The trend of crime in the UK has risen to 3% as per the cases of frauds had been submitted to the police[10]. Furthermore, bulk of financial fraud has been unreported to the police and a study shows that this fraud cases on the UK issued-cards has attained an increase of 39% than the previous year. Officially 35% of crime is reported every year. Officially there is 40% of crime. Although most of the fundamental criminal issues get reported with official crime statistics till the 19th century and it also included the dark figures of crime also but in the mid 20th century, apart from this official data, unofficial crime statistics were initiated to explore and investigate the dark figures of crime. Dark figures of crime are the violence that doesnt get reported via official data to the police but these are reported in unofficial crime statistics so that preventive measures are generated and crimes can be controlled[11]. This unofficial data source is categorised into two sections and these are social-science and private-agency records and both of these are done by surveys. The social science sources include self-reports of criminal involvement and surveys of victimisation. The self-report was used initially to ventilate the offences of hidden crime in the 1940s and it is still used today in the UK. Surveys of victimisation is the most recent and probably the m ost influential and evident forecasts of hidden crimes. The survey of victimisation aims to illuminate the dark figures of crime from the perspective of the victim rather than to only exposing the crime. As per a recent statistics, an estimated 6.9 million criminal offence against households were reported, sexual offences in the UK have also sparked up to 32%. The result of these surveys helped the UK police to have an idea of the dark figures of unrecorded crime[12]. Both the police statistics and the crime surveys provide flawless information but the main difference is that the crime surveys cannot count crimes without individual victims whereas police statistics count crimes on the basis of the memory of its respondents and representatives of the sample[13]. The three Rs in criminology are rehabilitation, re-entry and recidivism. Recidivism is referred as a tendency to evolve a previous mode of action or behaviour, specifically it means relapse into a criminal behaviour. Rehabilitation means teaching a criminal to live a productive and normal life. Re-entry refers to the process of teaching criminals to live a free life i.e. transition to free living is induced in them and it includes the time when they were in prison, the process of their release and the way they are supervised after imprisonment. Different definitions of crime In criminology, the definitions of crime are dependent on the approach of how a crime has been attempted. For examples- Homicide refers to the killing of a person by another. Homicides are of two types: Criminal homicides and State-sanctioned homicide[14]. When sanction of punishment in the state is conducted by someone, then they are non criminal homicide. The criminal prosecution gives capital punishment, death punishment based on major parameter of the crime. Purposeful murder, accidental death is criminal homicide. In case of certain category manslaughter is also the cause of crime which is homicidal case. Murder refers to the intentional killing of a human being. Murder is also a crime which is the reason of personal jealously, revenge or self protection. First degree murder is referred to the intentional killing while second degree murder refers to the unintentional killing[15]. Felony murder refers to the death that occurs during serious felony like kidnapping or robbery. Manslaughter means that due to reckless conduct of the killer, a person gets killed unintentionally. Negligent homicide means killing someone due to negligence. Battery means making offensive act of physical contact with someone. Vehicular assault means reckless driving that causes injury to the others. Vehicular assault may be accidental or sometime intentional. In case of this type of assault several accidents can occur. Spousal assault means violence between domestic partners[16]. Spousal assault is performed in the case of domestic abuse or harm. It is forcefully done by the spouse. Rape is the act of forcibly compelled sexual intercourse with an adult who is below 18 or above 18 or with someone which as per law is considered as incapable of consent like in case of disabled women. Sodomy is the act of forced oral sex or consensual participation of same acts between a juvenile and an adult. Conclusion This assignment comprises a brief idea of criminology. It has discussed the concept of criminology both from the perspective of the classical schools of though and positivist idea. It has also explained how the concept of criminology and victimisation has changed over time with various theories of victimisation and criminology[17]. It has explained the importance of official and unofficial data in recording criminal offences and has also mentioned their basic difference. Lastly it has also mentioned various definitions of crimes in various contexts followed. Bibliography Anthony, Thalia, The Critical Criminology Companion (Hawkins Press, 1st ed, 2008) Bernard, T.J., (2013).Vold's theoretical criminology(p. 179189). New York: Oxford University Press. Burke, Roger Hopkins,An Introduction To Criminological Theory(Willan, 1st ed, 2014) Conklin, John Evan, Criminology (Pearson, 1st ed, 2013) Criminological Theory Essentials + The Concise Dictionary Of Crime And Justice, 2Nd Ed (Sage Pubns, 1st ed, 2015) Ellis, Lee, Richard D Hartley and Anthony Walsh, Research Methods In Criminal Justice And Criminology (Rowman Littlefield Publishers, 1st ed, 2010) Geo?rgulas, Stratos, The Politics Of Criminology (Lit, 1st ed, 2012) Heidt, J. and Wheeldon, J.P., (2015).Introducing criminological thinking: Maps, theories, and understanding. Sage Publications. Herrmann, Christopher R, Risky Business (1st ed, 2012) Lutgens, Frederick K, Deviant Behavior + Mysearchlab (Prentice Hall, 1st ed, 2008) Morgan, Rodney, Robert Reiner and Mike Maguire, The Oxford Handbook Of Criminology (Oxford University Press, 1st ed, 2012) Rekers, George Alan, The Journal Of Human Sexuality (Stanley and Lewis, 2nd ed, 2005) Tierney, John,Criminology(Taylor and Francis, 1st ed, 2013) Wegener, Hermann, Friedrich Lo?sel and Jochen Haisch, Criminal Behavior And The Justice System (Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2nd ed, 2003) Wilkins, Leslie T, Social Deviance (Routledge, 1st ed, 2014) Williams, Franklin P and Marilyn D McShane, Criminological Theory (Pearson/Prentice Hall, 1st ed, 2010)

Key Issues in Delivering IT Business Value

Question: Discuss about the Key Issues in Delivering IT Business Value. Answer: Introduction In this age of Digitalization and globalization where operations are becoming increasingly difficult to manage, IT systems have become very important for all the enterprises. IT, which was once seen as just an enabler by the enterprises, has now also become a key differentiator in terms of the benefits and advantages. Efficient IT systems and technology also gives the competitive advantage to enterprises. For example, organizations having IT systems that forecasts demand with minor error will have a huge advantage over competitors who does not have the efficient systems to forecast. However, there are also numerous cases in the past where IT implementations have proven disastrous for organizations. There is very popular case FoxMeyer drug (Scott, Vessey, 2015) wholesaler that becomes bankrupt from the failed implementation. What makes this implementation failed and why IT failed to deliver value in this case gives rise to some very important questions about the nature of IT projects . The mystery here is that having the best technology and hiring a best consulting partner does not guarantee success. Many more things are required. Researchers have classified this failure as failure of management in aligning the IT with business strategies and goals and have huge expectations from IT implementations. Some scholars said that due to lack of skilled manpower and process owner in FoxMeyer lead to failure that can define the processes with the consultants and test the results (Chung, Ahmad, Tang, 2015). Apart from this, there are many more failures in IT projects like Hershey implementation, Nike implementing new IT systems. It would be correct to say that Information Technology has emerged as a key organizational function. However, it is not easy to implement the IT for organizations. The large organizations can still invest towards IT and make its implementation successful. However, the mid size organizations and the small size organizations would find it difficult to implement the IT. It is believed that the small and mid size organizations may have various internal and external issues while implementing or delivering the IT value. This risks or issue could be social or cultural in nature. Therefore, it is recommended that the organizations must have a clear understanding of all the internal and external factors before making any IT investment. Academicians, researchers and scholars have developed several models whereby the issues are discussed in detailed with respect to enterprises case studies and appropriate approaches are suggested. However, there is no direct formula for getting value by implementing IT. Management of each company needs to evaluate their own systems and define appropriate IT strategy that can be comprised of various models or customized to get the value. At the same time, organizations first have to understand their definition of value. Earlier, there was lack of guidance on value measurement models however currently with the evolution of IT, there are models that are developed with the help of corporate people and that is why they are fully practical with lot of insights at ground level. Discussion on such issues pertaining to delivering IT value along with various models will be the course of action of this literature review. Main concepts and model evolution There is no dearth of research on this topic with the growing evolution of IT in every aspect of life today. However, one of the pioneer Weill (1992) introduced the concept of IT conversion effectiveness to explain the issues involved in failure of some major IT projects. Weills definition of effectiveness is attributed to 4 factors top management commitment to IT, Enterprises past experience with IT, User satisfaction and political turbulence. This model does not talk about financial indicators(Rai, Arun, Patnyayakuni, 1996)). After that, there are many models developed in this area to refine and get maximum value out of IT implementations projects although there are many similarities. Lucas (1993) developed a hybrid model, which is mix of process and variance model. According to this model, 2 conditions if occurs in sequence lead to effective outcome. The first one is necessary but not sufficient that IT should be aligned with the firms task. The second condition effective IT design is not sufficient for performance outcome unless it is used. If monitored closely, Lucas stressed on one of the factor of Weill (1992) which is user satisfaction. This is important aspect and many models include it. User understanding of the system, effective training and their satisfaction is one of most important factors for success of IT projects where it is difficult to overcome resistance of change and bring them out of their comfort zone of doing things traditionally. Lucas also added other variables in his model. One of the shortcomings of Lucas model was it talks about alignment of IT with organizations task but does not talk about cost structure. Suppose Oracle ERP is very much aligned to much particular business but the decision to use Oracle should take cost of the software, implementation cost and volume of the business. Grabowski and Lee (1993) consider alignment and balance between organizations strategy, cost structure and IT portfolio. For example, if processes of organization are niche and not standard, they should consider IT systems that are customizable and that support customizations at low cost unlike SAP ERP systems where customizations are not recommended more than 15%. Building on the previous models, Markus and SOH (1993) developed another influential process model that captures the actions of CIOs of different industries implementing IT. This model basically studies how the organizations evaluates the value derived from IT and suggests some more details into the entire journey of getting value from implementing IT systems. They break the IT journey of enterprise into 3 phases: The first phase talks about IT expenditure may or may not become IT assets depending on the IT management. Here the stress is on quality of management. Phase 2 comprised of these IT assets may or may not create the desired IT impact depending on how appropriately they are use. This phase may include user satisfaction and acceptance of IT systems. Phase 3 talks about this impact may or may not lead to organizational performance depending on competition, market dynamics. This model was powerful in a sense that it is very detailed and it was moved away from the earlier models by stressing on that there cannot be necessary and sufficient conditions between IT expenditure and organization performance due to many other factors at every stage of the journey. Beath, Goodhue and Ross (1994) developed model on top of Markus and SOH stating that IT asset consists of human resources, technology and relationships between IT and users. They stated that IT delivers value by impacting 3 critical processes, which are system development, business planning and business operations. They stress on importance of high quality assets as necessary condition for creating value. There is also loop in this model that improvement in any of the 3 business processes would require in quality of IT assets. Sambamurthy and Zmud (1994) uses the term IT impact in place of IT assets in Markus and SOH model or business value in Beath, Goodhue and Ross model. This model argued that raw materials (Knowledge, data, technology) and resource competencies (knowledge of business process owners, knowledge of consultants, experience of consultants with technology) creates IT impacts. Its a variable model in the sense that it stated that higher the competencies, greater will be the IT impact which will create business value. This model does not talk about how increase in IT impact will increase business value. Martinsons (1999) develops model which is customized Balanced scorecard for IS systems. It measures the IS activities based on 4 aspects i.e. user orientation, business value, internal process and future readiness. This model was highly accepted and influential. It is may be because this was customized version of Balanced score card model which is already accepted by the industry. However, there was no discussion on use of this models and details missing for each metrics. This also needs support from stakeholders and implementing it is a big task. There is still research needed in this area as not many models were favorable for implementation from the CIOs point of view. Some models lack financial details, some lack theory though they also seem to converge on some important points and provided valuable insights but following any one of them can be a challenge. Mitra et al (2011) develop model after interviewing CIOs of 23 companies that consists of exhaustive portfolio of IT metrics organized in 9 cells. This model is most practical and powerful till data as this addresses one of the most important concerns of the CIOs that IT metrics should play important role in driving IT conservations. Organization can select subset of cells for implementation. The beauty of this model is that it is very comprehensive that focuses on customer satisfaction, innovations, reliability, cost, compliance and so on. There are various case studies also that demonstrate the practical use of this model and how this model can be implemented in parts. Apart from this, there are many researches that help to identify the key issue in delivering IT business value. Change resistance is one of the big deciding factors in any project. Key users are in their comfort zone and thus resist the new technology, change or new way of doings things. They will make excuses making it difficult of implementers and if change is not managed efficiently by higher management, this resistance will ultimately lead to collapse of the value (Ram, Crokindale, Wu, 2013). Training is also another important factor. Sometimes, due to lack of training, users prefer to do things traditionally. They use worksheets instead of state of art software which defeat the whole purpose of IS. Selection of improper software without considering the requirement initially may lead to collapse. Some software are customizable while some are not. It is very important that appropriate software is selected and experienced consulting company should be engaged (Muller, Jugdev, 2012). Inability to control and define the scope of the project may lead to financial losses and also effect timeline. Conclusion With the advent of IT capturing every aspect of life and latest technology of Digitalization, connected homes, internet of things, there is no doubt that IT will only going to increase in coming days. However, there are always challenges in delivering and measuring IT business value. There are various models developed over a period of time on the same. While many of them have limitations, some are proven very beneficial also for enterprises and documented as case studies. No particular model can be beneficial for all. It is not one size fits all, it is one of its kind and can be developed specific to particular enterprise based on the nature of IT project. CIOs can employ a mix of models, which suits them, or follow a particular model to improve the key metrics associated with IT projects. Many models also converge on importance of having competencies, user interaction, and quality higher management and so on. Each organization should prepare their own IT strategy aligned with their vision and mission statements Also, financial or non financial metrics, both are not complete if considered alone. This is the mistake some models did and the evolution of Value measurement models tells that key performance metrics should be comprehensive comprising of both financial as well as non-financials. Also, there are many common issues and risks that may not be a part of metrics model but prevents IT business value reaching its full potential like change resistance, improper requirements, lack of documentation, lack of knowledge that must be focused on so as to get the true IT business value. Bibliography Beath, C., Goodhue, D., Ross, J. (1994). Partnering for business value: The shared management of the IS infrastructure.ICIS 1994 Proceedings, 40. Chung, S. H., Ahmad, S. I., Tang, H. L. (2015). Symptoms, causes and remedies for failures in enterprise systems implementation.International Journal of Business Information Systems,19(1), 103-118. Lucas, H. C., Jr. (2005). Information technology: strategic decision making for managers. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons Inc Martinsons, M; Davison, R and Tse, D. (1999). The Balanced Scorecard: A Foundation for the Strategic Management of Information Systems. Decision Support Systems 25(2) 71-88 Mitra, S; Sambamurthy, V and Westerman, G. (2011) Measuring IT Performance and Communicating Value MIS Quarterly Executive, 10(1) 47 59 Mller, R., Jugdev, K. (2012). Critical success factors in projects: Pinto, Slevin, and Prescott-The elucidation of project success.International Journal of Managing Projects in Business,5(4), 757-775. Rai, A., Patnayakuni, R., Patnayakuni, N. (1996). Refocusing where and how IT value is realized: An empirical investigation.Omega,24(4), 399-412. Ram, J., Corkindale, D., Wu, M. L. (2013). Implementation critical success factors (CSFs) for ERP: Do they contribute to implementation success and post-implementation performance?.International Journal of Production Economics,144(1), 157-174. Sambamurthy, V., Zmud, R. W. (1992).Managing IT for success: The empowering business partnership. Financial Executives Research Foundation. Scott, J. E., Vessey, I. (2015). The magazine archive includes every article published in Communications of the ACM for over the past 50 years.Communications of the ACM,45(4), 74-81. Soh, C., Markus, M. L. (1995). How IT creates business value: a process theory synthesis.ICIS 1995 Proceedings, 4. Weill, P. (1992). The relationship between investment in information technology and firm performance: A study of the valve manufacturing sector.Information systems research,3(4), 307-333.