Through Out Many Generations Of Children, One Thing Educators

Through out many generations of children, one thing educators always questioned was why some students understood material and why others couldn’t. Since education is based off of factory line work, educators should’ve seen why some were successful and others weren’t. While most students pushed forward after a setback, others got scared and were afraid to push. The best way to foster success and tackle student anxiety is by pushing the idea of grit since grit is a great way of motivating students to push forward and reach their goals. What is grit you may ask. Grit, according to Angela Duckworth of Philadelphia University, â€Å"girt is passion and perseverance for very long term goals. Grit is having stamina, grit is sticking with your†¦show more content†¦Staying on track of assignments is beneficial element that comes from the motivational side of grit. How is someone gonna achieve their goals if they don t work to achieve them? Angela states,  "grittier kids are most likely to graduate†(Ted Talk). Based on this, Angela suggests that gritter kids will graduate. How does this happen? Because they are motivated, staying on track of assignments will come as second nature to the student. In the beginning of their high school career, some students find themselves slacking on work since in most high schools there is a lot more freedom than in junior high. Due to poor progress some students get the notification from administration that they are not on track to graduate. Instantly some student feel the pressure and get to work because they are motivated to graduate. As for the others they continue on. Graduation day comes, those who pushed themselves get their degree wit flying colors as for others they don’t get their degree. Besides the lack of motivation found in classrooms one other thing that has recently been on the rise is the level of anxiety students are feeling towards anything having to do with education. M any wonder why and ask questions but one thing that comes to mind is that in education we know how to measure IQ. IQ is basically the measurement of how quickly someone a learn something or do assignments or even process material. It can also lead students to feel dumb.Show MoreRelatedSpecial Education And The Benefits Of Technology1639 Words   |  7 Pagesdisabled and gifted children use their full learning abilities. Many special needs children work in regular classrooms for most of the school day. These students also work with specially trained teachers for part of each school day. These teachers work with helping them to overcome their disabilities. These sessions are usually held in a classroom called a resource room. 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I said that because recently I had to evaluate myself on what I really wanted to accomplish and why? Then I realized that my most important goal is attaining my Master degree. I know am on the right path to carry out my goal on becoming a betterRead MoreMy Teaching Philosophy1217 Words   |  5 PagesElementary, where children have been stereotyped as uncontrollable little brats, Middle School, where the students are depicted as uncontrollable, rebellious students, or High School, oh gee whiz? I have decided that I would pursue a career in Elementary School. The grade level I hope to teach is at the elementary school level. My current goal is to either teach the 4th or 5th grade level. Moreover, throughout the semester I have read about or seen different philosophies through the observations IRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education878 Words   |  4 PagesPersonal Philosophy of Education After taking the Educational Philosophies Self-Assessment test, I was able to figure out my referencing scores for my ideal logical instructional principles believed rational of the classification of educational archetypes. The areas of greatest influence in my philosophy of education included Humanism with a total of 21 points, Perennialism and Existentialism with 18 total points in those areas. Essentialism was second with 16 points and Reconstructionism recordRead MoreSocial Prejudice in Schools1738 Words   |  7 PagesIn my report, I am going to talk about the social prejudice that occurs in the schools between students and also teachers. Children from middle-class families generally are more successful in public schools than children from low-income families. 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Compare Contrast Essay on the book Lizard Free Essays

There are two types’ lovers-defeated lovers and victorious lovers. But the reality is there is neither victory nor defeat in love. Only permanent effort and loyalty is the basis of eternal love. We will write a custom essay sample on Compare Contrast Essay on the book Lizard or any similar topic only for you Order Now Let me explain this with an example: The full moon is shining in the sky. It’s full-moon day. Seeing the beauty of the moon, a tempest rises in the ocean beneath. The ocean, in an effort to reach the moon, sends the roaring waves one after another. But alas, can the waves reach the moon, howsoever big they may be! Can the moon ever come down to the earth, whatever is the intensity of the wish! Seeing the plight of the ocean and the moon, a small twinkling star says to itself. Alas! I am but a little star. What can I do for the ocean and the moon? I shall only pray God–let the space in between the ocean and the moons unite them! –So, the waves continue to lash at the vacant space with the hope of reaching the moon. However, the reality is, the cosmos in which the moon and the ocean co-exist, is an integrated whole. So, what do the concepts like separation and distance mean? The ocean and the moon stand united as considered from a higher perspective. Their love stands fructified. You are the creator of your destiny related to your love-life, certainly not the victim. Love is to be lived and experienced in its trials, tribulations, duty and beauty and it is an import part of your self-discovery. Nevertheless, the ocean continues with its efforts to reach the moon. I have chosen the stories, â€Å"Newly Wed,† and â€Å"Lizard† for the purpose of this essay. The writings of Banana touch your heart and appeal to your emotions. Love is the subject that has enchanted and engulfed humanity since time immemorial. The mind-level problems related to love, either take you to the transcendental level, or to an emotional intrigue. For the desperate situation of the heart, one seeks desperate remedies. In the confused state of mind, one surrenders to magic-for example, the enigmatic healer Lizard. The sacred texts proclaim every action (good or bad) has a reaction and the intensity of the reaction is in proportion to the intensity of the action! Every thought, good or evil, is an action. Over this, there is no dispute between the spiritualists and the scientists. One of the rare agreements between the two contending forces; the two opposing forces! The forces that do not normally see eye to eye with each other! Love is not a homogenous force. The psychic circuit of each lover is different and special. The skill of the writer in the story Lizard is how the emotional complexities are tackled. Through the confusion, she strikes a reassuring clarity. Life hurts but her characters have the guts to accept that hurt with courage. In such situations they never tremble or tumble. They are able to find a solution through the medium of love coupled with spiritual solace. Lizard: This is a story from a male perspective. He calls his beloved a Lizard, for she has a small tattoo on her inner thigh. That the man has seen the tattoo in that part, speaks about the obvious relationship. The man is fascinated by the superlative talent the Lizard possesses. Some quotes to highlight her latent qualities and ingenuity: â€Å"I was reminded of her separateness, a being with different organs, bundled in a different sheath of skin, who has dreams at night that are nothing like my own.†Ã¢â‚¬â€the man explains how he sees the Lizard. â€Å"Her profile stood out in sharp relief against the white wall. She seemed like a creature of a different species, one who lives quietly in the dark†Ã¢â‚¬â€this is his observation about the Lizard. â€Å"Her every gesture, every move, brought life to me, a man who had been dormant for so long†.-the man shares his feelings how the Lizard has affected him. These are clearly the signs of man who is in deep love. Oh! Man-love once, before seeking liberation through spirituality! You are the part of the never ending long story through the ages-it is between him and her! The central character of the story is a doctor, who works with children who are emotionally disturbed.   Ã‚  He loves a young woman in whose reptile eyes â€Å"I see my own lonely face, peering down, looking for something to love and cherish. †As a child she had a bitter experience of witnessing a brutal attack. Rightly she becomes an acupuncture practitioner now dedicated to healing those in acute pain. But she can never forget her past. Her love tells her a similar experience, which reduces her mental anguish. He offers her the psychological support; otherwise she is a tough woman. Newlywed: This story has a strange history. It was serialized on posters on the railways around Japan. It makes the issue interesting.   It is about a strange woman that a newly married man meets in the train. This is also a story written from a male perspective. The man’s encounter on a train with a stranger who reveals to him a universal life force that encompasses even â€Å"the slight feeling of alienation he experiences in his marriage â€Å" That young man is reluctantly returning home on the subway to his new and frightening role as husband! Along the way, he meets a mysterious stranger who shows him that the role he has chosen is a positive one. â€Å"The prose is as clean and smooth as a lacquered teacup,† Geraldine Sherman claimed in the Toronto Globe and Mail, speaking about the quality of writing of Banana. That drunken man, discontented, on his way home sits fixed to his subway seat. He doesn’t wish to return to his silly and troublesome wife.   He’s joined by a familiar Japanese character, The Trickster, an old man who transforms himself into a beautiful, wise woman â€Å"smelling like the scent of a place, before I was born, where all the primal emotions, love and hate, blended in the air.† This mysterious fellow-traveler understands the narrator’s innermost thoughts and gives him the courage to carry out his duties. The undercurrent of both the above stories is love. â€Å"They (the scientists) may cross the moon, beat the stars, but probe they must the mystery of my eve’s gaze.† â€Å"Marriage is like a fort. Those who are within, wish to come out. (Newly Wed) Those who are out, wish to get in.† (Lizard) In both the stories, the human emotions are tackled at heir best. Conclusion: Love woks through different layers of an individual’s personality. Its intensity changes with the time and circumstances. Banana has ably pictured this dominant human emotion, appropriate to the situation. ‘Loving’ situations are gift of the God to the one who is experiencing them. Let it be a beautiful experience- Banana propounds this love-philosophy in her unique style. She is a capable narrator many dimensions of love. ============ How to cite Compare Contrast Essay on the book Lizard, Essay examples

Philosophy of Music Education in the Indian Context free essay sample

To instill an even greater understanding and love of the domain thus enabling our students develop a genuine interest and continue a life long journey hats undertaken in varying degrees and through diverse roles. Phoenix (1986) stress on the fact that knowledge of methods makes it possible for a person to continue learning and undertake inquiries on his own (p. 11). Estelle Jorgensen in her book Transforming Music Education eloquently describes the need for music education to be transformed for the very reason that children be able to continue developing their knowledge beyond the classroom.Effective music education is built of a foundation that encompasses discussions, goals, materials and strategies, based on a teachers knowledge and experience of music and child development, educational guidelines and overarching, and developing philosophy of music education (Fiske, 2012). Before elucidate my philosophy about music, recognize the need to clarify my stand as a music educator who is passionate and determined to elevate the status of music education within classrooms around India. We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy of Music Education in the Indian Context or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page My Musical Experiences Music has always been a part of me for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories of music, especially the performance aspect, goes back to when I was three years old and sang a solo for a Christmas Concert that was organized by the radio station that my father worked at. I have memories of him kneeling on one knee and playing the guitar for me while I sang after which I was delighted to receive a big present from Santa. Ever since, have enjoyed performing, and have so felt so comfortable on Stage. All along I grew up listening to Christian gospel music and many contemporary arrangements of hymns. Supplementary to that my father offered me a rich experience of Indian Hindustan devotional music. Learned songs by ear and didnt realize what I was missing at this point, imagining what I learned in music to be the only way to absorb and internalize it. Performing was something that enjoyed doing and it came naturally to me, partly because of my early initiation into leading worship at church.My true test of endurance came about when I was introduced to Western Classical Music at the age of 14, through the study of two years of piano. My teacher, like many others around, displayed an extremely formalistic approach and didnt do much to expand my understanding of music beyond what was on the page and how was supposed to read it. In response to this method didnt enjoy learning from the pages of notated music books, as much as I did learning by ear, and intended to develop as a musician who played by ear and improvised at will. Studying opera during undergrad was a trying phase for me because of my inability to connect the dots as easily as I should have been able to. My aural skills remained excellent and I sometimes relied on that to carry me through certain phases. Hard work and determination became my motto, and Spent hours to understand and perfect music that Was assigned to me, as I wanted to do my very best. Although I had composed songs earlier, without notating them, the study of music theory opened up a whole new world for me. Old now add variety and richness to my music through the concepts was learning. Music became a new language for me; I was captivated by the way it lent itself to diverse experiences through different musical roles (something that I wasnt aware of or didnt pay attention to earlier). As a Music Teacher Although initially joined a conservatory to study vocal performance, found myself deeply drawn towards music education, and during my second semester decided to learn more about devising meaningful and persuasive strategies to improve the standard of music education in India. This thought merged from an understanding that I had felt almost cheated for having lost out on so many years of studying music formally, yet effectively. I didnt have a choice because structured music instruction simply wasnt available at all the schools that studied in, or the quality of instruction didnt serve the purpose of educating or informing students like me. What gave the impression of a music class/lesson at school was in reality an .NET acoustic way of keeping students occupied for forty minutes in simple singing, with a concert for parents every once a year.We learned songs by rote to perform them, year after year. During those years though, I didnt realize the limitations that this system came with and continued to enjoy the fact that I was in choir and able to sing. This vacuum remains largely visible and unattended to in schools today, although some music educators in the recent past have taken huge steps towards improving the quality and effectiveness of their instru ction in classrooms around India. Their efforts however remain predominantly an enthusiastic endeavor. What is urgently required is certainly something much more than sincere teaching.It calls for a transformation of the present system, giving room for every child to receive period music education that fits into the whole. The need of every student being met in a transformed educational framework that constantly reshapes itself to accommodate new ideas and strategies. After all, as Reckless (2003) rightly points out that music (music education) is for everyone and notes for an elite few. The turning point in my decision to finally teach music myself came about when I enrolled my four-year-old daughter, Tiara, for after-school piano lessons.I hoped to give her a head start, with the understanding that she neednt have to face the same challenges in learning music, like I had to. However, after a few classes, realized to my complete dissatisfaction that there was no structure, no thought and imagination, and no clarity in what was being thought to her. Her fingering on the piano was all over the place for the two songs that her teacher worked on Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. And Baa Baa Black Sheep Her teacher (l later learned wasnt introduced to classical notation), taught her these songs by writing letters in a book and instructing her to commit it to heart.Lesson after lesson they would follow the same outline with no emphasis on any other musical aspects whatsoever. Cited wasnt going to take this lying down! I had to do all within my capacity to change the face of music education, as the vast majority of people understand it. I began studying about music education as well, to inform and equip myself for the task at hand. Around this period, my voice teacher encouraged me to coach students in voice, and I began shying away from it believing was under qua lified and needed many years of study to begin teaching. However, with a newfound passion and vigor, accepted to coaching some of his voice students and also began to teach small groups of students on the history of music (because I Ovid learning about it). Meanwhile, I started training both my young daughters at home constantly developing new ideas and strategies to introduce musical concepts to them. A friend noticed my teaching style and asked if I would teach her daughter too, and thus began my professional journey as a music educator. Four years since then, I find myself accountable for the music instruction offer to over 250 children across various age groups, who are part of my school.The need is so great within schools, and only a few educators are willing to take the extra effort of educating homeless and being channels of superior music instruction-catalysts of sorts. I am blessed to have a team of ten teachers who share in my vision and work alongside me in imparting music to the children who are part of our music school, Harmon y. My long-term vision is to enhance the music programs in India for the betterment of as many children as possible. Individuals dont realize what theyre missing until theyve been given a taste of it, a glimpse of the bigger picture (much like my case).Through our school performances I aim on providing a window for the change to take place. A transformation that not only affects my students, but others around them as well through their personal interactions with each other and the community as a whole. My Personal Philosophy A field or discipline without philosophical guidance, without critically examined ideals and commitment to their revision in light of the diverse and changing needs of those it seeks to serve, is more akin to an occupation than a profession (Bowman ; Freer, 2012, p. 3). For my vision to bear fruit and show evidence of becoming something concrete, I realize the need to develop my philosophy of music to an extent that equips me with the exquisite tools to be able to initiate the change that I seek after. In the words of Jorgensen (2008), I want to excavate beneath the superficia l and demonstrable skills to think about the ideas and principles Of music teaching, the things that drive and shape. According to Kiev (2002), A practice or discipline or body of knowledge, then, seems to become eligible (If that is the right word) for philosophy, properly so-called, when it becomes for us a way of life: when it cuts so deeply into our natures as human beings that we are impelled to explore and reveal its innermost workings (p. 7). It is necessary for me to clarify the major dimensions of musical experience so I can effectively offer them to, and nurture them within, my students (Rime, 2003, p. 9), this despite the passion and conviction with which I teach and advocate the need for arts in schools. I have begun to develop a synergistic mindset in my philosophy of music education after my reading and researching the literature, coupled with practical experiences over the last few years. Rime (2003) points out A synergistic mind-set is one open to cooperation as an alternative to contention, to searching for points of agreement or confluence as an alternative to fixating on discord, to recognizing nuances in which seemingly opposed views are capable of some level of contention (p. 30). I agree with Reamers democratic view that musical meaning is meaning that individuals choose to give to and take from music, based on their life experiences and their musical orientations. He further adds that there is to be no one right way, and calls for an adaptation of a synergistic blend in music teaching. Music must involve decision making through discernment and connections within a particular role (Rime, 2003, p. 213). Eisner (1987) illuminates the deed for a curriculum that exploits the various forms Of representation and that utilizes all of the senses to help students learn what a period of history feels like(p. 7). Similarly, offering students a basis for understanding music in all contexts involves a thorough exploration of musical meaning within its definitive parameters, along with contemplation or reflection. Introducing students to the music and other art forms of various cultures is a wonderful way to broaden their understanding of the meaning of music. A student does not need to lose his own musical identity in order to study other music. On the contrary, in learning about other music, a students life is enriched.Rime states, In the spirit of adding to the self rather than us obstructing other selves for ones self, the study of the music of foreign cultures enriches the souls of all who are engaged in if (p. 191). Music and Meaning As advocates of music, music educators are often expected to express the meaning of music through words, yet words are incapable of truly describing the beauty and emotion felt through experience. The concern is not to arrive at a definition and to close the book, but to arrive at an experience (Acrid, 1975, p. ). Acrid states that there still lingers belief that a dictionary definition is a satisfactory description of an idea or of an experience (p. 1). Words may attempt to describe music, yet true meaning must be derived from the actual music experience Rime (2003) discusses the difference between meanings drawn from words or language and the meanings found through music. He writes, Language is created and shared through the processes of conceptualization and communication.Music is created and shared through the process of artistic/aesthetic perceptual structuring, yielding meanings language cannot represent (p. 133). The real power of music lies in the fact that it can be true to the life of feeling in a way that language cannot (I-anger, 1942, p. 197). Phoenix (1986) highlights the need to kick for aesthetic meaning in music concluding that there has to be a delicate balance between descriptive proposition that serves the purpose of laying out a historical background and allowing for freedom to gain perceptual features.Though music may evoke emotions in my students as they compose or serve as an outlet for their feelings when they perform, the ultimate significance of music lies in its ability to symbolize/portray deeply felt emotions. In the pages of his article, How Does a Poem Mean, John Acrid (1975) shares with the reader his view that language is not capable of completely conveying the meaning that is discovered through experience. Living through the poetry is more powerful than attempting to interpret it. Believe that language does, however, seer. e a purpose of enhancing and is required when teaching for musical meaning.Words such as diction, metaphor, rhythm, and counter rhythm describe elements that lead to the understanding of form. Once a student can identify changes in the form through performance, he will have identified the poem in action (p. 5). He will no longer ask what the poem means but will see how it means (p. 95). Acrid suggests questions such as, Why does it build itself into a form out of images, ideas, rhythms? How do these elements become the meaning? and How are they inseparable from the meaning? (p. 100). These questions are helpful in leading a student to the ultimate meaningful experience.Likewise, music students may use their knowledge of musical elements, such as rhythm and dynamics, to see how a piece of music means. Rime (2003) says language has the essential function of disclosing and explaining the music. Music elements are inseparable from the performance of the music as they help to explain the musical experience. On their own, however, words and definitions remain dull and lifeless. I believe students should be immersed in the experience, while in a chorus, performing their instruments and listening to those around them. Meaning can be discovered through active participation in music and through the emotion and beauty the music portrays, for Music means whatever a person experiences when involved with music (Rime, 2003, p. 133). Cirris (1975) statement: It is the experience, not the final examination, that aunts (p. 3) is particularly striking. The Indian society places high emphasis on examinations in music as with other subjects, very often overlooking the need for students to value their experience through the process of learning. Sometimes feel pressured by the community to meet high concert performance expectations and good examination results.Although I recognize that performance and the International music exams is a wonderful opportunity in which students can share their music with the community, or understand their level of competency, the true reflection of meaning in the USIA should be experienced in day-to-day music making within my classroom. Do my best not to focus on the examination repertoire alone but to include other music as well giving them a chance to draw out meanings and experience the music. Acrid (1975) describes a poem as a dynamic and living thing (p. 10). He continues stating, One experiences it as one experiences life.One is never done with it: every time he looks he sees something new, and it changes even as he watches (p. 10). Similarly, music is capable of revealing something new each time it is experienced. The meanings my students derive from an initial listening of a piece of music may be vastly different than the meanings understood months or years later. The meaning of music constantly changes with personal life experiences and new perspectives. Rime claims, Music education exists to nurture peoples potential to gain deeper, broader, more significant musical meanings (p. 133).I believe my students should derive their own meanings from the musical experience and without my influence. By explaining meanings to them, I face the fear of casting into oblivion the celebration of their own unique experience with the music, much the same way a language teacher might, in more ways than one, take away from the experience of a students feeling experience of poetry as she explains the meaning in the verses of the poem. Instead of teaching what music means, I will instruct students on how music means, enabling them to derive meaning from experiences that occur beyond the classroom, and within t heir own roles. Feeling through Music Music does for feeling what language does for thought (Bowman, 1 998, p. 200). As a musician, understand the power of music to evoke feelings. Listening to or performing a great work of music in a concert hall may bring tears or chills to the musician in a way that only music is capable. Similarly, students emotional lives may be heightened by experiences in the classroom. According to Rime (2003), the emotional dimension of music-its power to make us feel, and to know through feeling-is probably its most important defining characteristic (p. 2). In Western history, emotion has often been regarded less valuable than intellect (Rime, 2003). Some people do not consider the arts to be as important as other core subjects such as math and reading in education due o the belief that arts are based on emotions and not reasoning or intellect. Recently, however, scientific scholars have begun to recognize that human intelligence, or cognition, is exhibited in a variety of forms, directly related to functions of the body, and tied to feeling.Dimensions of the mind, once thought to be separate and unrelated, are now known to work together, contributing to the things we know and experience. Anthony Damasks, a research neurologist, believes feeling is likely to be the key factor in human consciousness itself and an essential ingredient in human cognition (Rime, 2003, p. 76). The capacity to feel pervades and directs all we undergo as living, aware creatures (p. 78). Direct experiences of feeling are embodied in music and made available to the bodied experience of those engaged with it (p. 80).The use of descriptive and symbolic language in the classroom, in the teaching of a varied repertoire of expressive music, aids in drawing out these responses of feeling from students. Including music that is heavy and loud or delicate and light will bring out an array of feelings. I believe students should be given an opportunity to articulate these feelings through journaling and in- lass discussion. Musical Roles and Intelligence Human cognition, or intelligence IS demonstrated in various forms or roles. Within a particular role and across as well (Rime, 2003, p. 213).I would like to highlight the intelligences within the different roles of music. As a composer, one displays intelligence by linking Of sounds into meaningful configurations through a process of decision making, reflections about previously made decisions, and altering and adding to and deleting sounds previously decided on as new implications and possibilities arise (Rime, 2003, p. 221). Within reforming Rime (2003) talks about discriminating the peculiarities of each sound to be made and how these sounds connect to all others within the performance, a performers ability to explicate the composers thoughts with a personal flair(p. 22). Improvising straddles performance and composition in the midst of performing as it relies largely on intuition in the spur of the moment (Jorgensen, 2008, p. 1 67). Improvising requires one to think-in the- moment, which is difficult and comes with a unique excitement, a role that embraces risks and provides immense satisfaction (Rime, 2003, p. 23). Listening does not necessarily require an individual to be a composer or a performer.Listening without assuming other roles, or being a part of any other role is the most widespread of all, within which musical interconnections and discriminations can be made (p. 224). Jorgensen (2008) identifies about eight ways of being a listener-intellectually, sensually, experientially, formatively, contextually, technically, peripherally, and repetitively (p. 1 14). It is then evident that individuals have different capacities/levels of intelligence and varied areas Of interest, that is genetically determined, based on the cultural milieu and available opportunities to name a few.Gardner (2006) discusses the possibility of identifying an individuals intellectual profile (or proclivities) at an early age and then draw upon this knowledge to enhance that persons educational opportunities and options. Introducing students to different roles in music and identifying areas that they may be interested is certainly beneficial and yields promising results with the passage of time. In my school, I have group lessons where focus on introducing children to as many musical roles as possible. We call this the Core Music Program, and work with the group on composing, per forming, improvising and listening. Although lessons are structured with the Western Classical system in mind, I have begun to think of ways to introduce an informal adaptation of these musical roles as well. Over time, my teachers and I identify certain areas that some children show a keen interest in, and communicate with their parents to schedule private lessons so that these areas may be nurtured with an understanding that each role requires its own way to educate for the developing of the intelligence upon which it calls (Rime, 2003, p. 0). I realize the need to feed into each of these areas, guiding students to make connections and discriminations so that the students can show a steady growth in their musical endeavors. Learning is more than just the continuous accumulation of new knowledge; its a creative reorganization of thought (Keith Save »year, 2012). I am conscious that each of these roles can be approached with an emphasis on creativity and have explained them below in that context.Music and Creativity Young children are constantly creating songs in their games, even unknowing focusing on the so, mi, la relationships in their singing. As they gradually develop physically, mentally and emotionally, they respond to the world around them in many interesting ways. There comes a time when they live in a world of make believe and enjoy taking on different roles, pretending they are fairies, princesses, super heroes etc. Very often they create songs that they feel fit into their new roles thus revealing a creative ability within themselves.Children create songs in their bedrooms and on the playground. Some are quiet songs lulling dolls and teddy bears to sleep. Others are declaratively triumphant works underpinning flying machines and wizard eels (Chubb Smith, 2009, p. 3). Although children have always created music, music education has placed a greater emphasis on the quality of performances than on opportunities for children to develop their creative abilities (Chubb Smith, 2009).My most vivid and treasured music experiences during childhood involved opportunities to be creative within the home environment and performances outside. Although the schools that I was enrolled in didnt offer a comprehensive view of music, I believe that students in India must receive consistent music education during their evolving years, along with plentiful opportunities to develop creative decision-making skills. Classrooms today can provide opportunities for students to think in sound, and students can be led to realize how meaningful and pleasurable music creating can be.Webster (2002) defines creativity in music as the engagement of the mind in the active, structured process of thinking in sound for the purpose of producing some product that is new for the creator (p. 26). He believes creative thinking can be identified in all individuals and can occur at various levels, from the spontaneous songs of he very young child to the products of the greatest minds in music (p. 27). Rime (2003) echoes this sentiment, declaring all humans are capable of being creative to some degree and are capable of improving that degree if they are helped to do so (p. 09). When I witness my youngest students explore the sounds of new or different classroom instruments, experimenting with rhythmic and melodic patterns, I am reminded of the truth in these statements. I believe creativity can be experienced through improvising, performing, composing, and listening at any age. Performing and Improvising. Performers are artists-are creative in imagining and producing musically expressive sounds-precisely because they must make creative decisions with the materials (compositions) with which they are engaged (Rime, 2003, p. 13). Since encourage children in the act Of performing, it is my duty to engage the them in making creative decisions about the music as they perform. Rime discusses the reality that creativity of musical performance is often a shared act (p. 1 14). Even in student groups at beginning levels, the sense, the flavor, the excitement of feeling the music individually and intriguing that individuality to the conjoint musical expression emerging, can be experienced genuinely (p. 1 15).Although students must follow the demands of the conductor and music and blend with sections, Rime believes creativity in the performance ensemble/chorus/band is achievable. When conducting my chorus in the past, I tended to make most of the decisions for my students. I plan to engage the students more in class discussion on the individual creative decisions that must be made when performing a piece, emphasizing each students unique opportunity to contribute and giving them a voice within the choir. Improvisation, or creating in the moment, is also an important activity.In prior teaching, I have engaged students who are part of contemporary band, in simple jazz improvisation that included various scales and chord changes. I wish to incorporate more improvising into their performance setting, and to include all students. There is a certain thrill and beauty in knowing that each improvised performance will be unique. Composing. The act of composing is a process that allows the child to grow, discover, and create him- or herself through artistic and meaningful engagement with sounds (Chubb Smith, 2009, p. ). Insider the work of Michele Chubb and Janice Smith fundamental as I explore ways to engage students creatively through composition. They believe compositional opportunities should be given to every child because the process of composing: challenges children to consider their understanding of the world in new ways, Allows children to exercise their generative potential in music, develops a way Of knowing that complements understandings gained through other direct experiences of music, and . .. Invites the child to draw together the full breadth of his or her musical knowledge (p. 4/5).

Value Chain Model Essay Example

Value Chain Model Essay Int. J. Management and Enterprise Development, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2006 Porter’s value chain model for assessing the impact of the internet for environmental gains Nazim U. Ahmed and Sushil K. Sharma* Department of Information Systems and Operations Management Ball State University Muncie, IN 47306, USA E-mail: [emailprotected] edu E-mail: [emailprotected] edu *Corresponding author Abstract: The revolutionary potential of the internet promises to transform economic and environmental gains. By reducing the amount of energy and materials consumed by business, the internet stands to revolutionise the relation between economic growth and the environment. The internet is improving the capability to understand the science of environmental degradation and communicate that knowledge to public and private decision makers. It also helps decrease resource waste and associated pollution by improving the efficiency of economic activity and provides improved sensors and instantaneous telecommunications links to control pollution spillovers, better manage shared resources and reduce waste. This paper examines the impact and potential of internet-based technologies in the performance of important information and communication functions for resolving the environmental issues using Porter’s value chain model. Managerial implications of using the internet for environmental gains for SMEs are also discussed. Keywords: internet; digital technologies; environment; Porter’s value chain model. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Ahmed, N. U. and Sharma, S. K. (2006) ‘Porter’s value chain model for assessing the impact of the internet for environmental gains’,Int. J. We will write a custom essay sample on Value Chain Model specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Value Chain Model specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Value Chain Model specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Management and Enterprise Development, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 278–295. Biographical notes: Dr. Nazim U. Ahmed is a Professor of Information Systems and Operations Management at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA. His research interests include environmental management, total quality management, productivity improvement, supply-chain issues and e-commerce. He has published articles inInternational Journal of Production Research, Journal of Operations Management, Journal of Business Research,Transportation Research,International Journal of Operations and Production Management,Information and Management,Information Resource Management,Management Decisions,Production and Inventory Management, Journal of the Academy of the Marketing Science, International Journal of Policy and Information, Computers and Industrial Engineering and other journals. Dr. Sushil K. Sharma is an Associate Professor of Information Systems and Operations Management, at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA. Co-author of two textbooks and co-editor of four edited books, Dr. Sharma’s research contributions have appeared in many peer-reviewed national and international journals, conferences and seminar proceedings. Dr. Sharma’s primary teaching and research interests are in e-commerce, information systems Copyright  © 2006 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Porter’s value chain model ecurity, ERP systems, database management systems and knowledge management. Dr. Sharma has wide consulting experience in information systems and e-commerce and has served as advisor and consultant to several government and private organisations including World Bank-funded projects. 1Introduction 279 Studying natural environment is always a complex exercise because natural environment is produced by combined interactions among geological, hydrological , biological and human social systems and is therefore one of the most complex systems. The complexity of issues involved in understanding the impact of the industrialised world on the environment requires an interdisciplinary approach. For example; ecosystem and natural resource management involves integrating scientific knowledge of ecological relationships within a broader policy and economic framework. Transportation issues often carry important implications for the environment (Anderson and Bateman, 2000). In this study, we are examining the impact and potential of internet-based technologies in the performance of important information and communication functions for resolving the environmental issues using Porter’s value chain model. Internet-based technologies offer the potential to improve pollution prevention and environmental monitoring; for instance, the capabilities and limitations of satellite and other remote sensing systems to scan ecosystems and enhance the effectiveness of monitoring large tracts of land (Benedick, 1991). Internet and related information technologies help to capture process and transmit information with far more ease and efficiency than in the past; they can play a role at each point of this process, improving both the quantity and quality of scientific understanding about pressing environmental problems (Dodson, 1995; Starik and Marcus, 2000). The internet, has also proved valuable in allowing multiple researchers to access and process data simultaneously thus multiplying the analysis capability. The Human Genome Project1 demonstrated this capacity through immediate online publication, making the code results available to all scientists over the internet (Bentley, 1996). Thus, the internet provides numerous avenues for collecting, distributing and analysing environmental information, making it available to greater numbers of researchers, reducing redundancy and increasing our capacity to understand the complex global ecosystem. The graphical capabilities of the internet help policymakers and others to ‘see’ and understand the sources of environmental degradation. Images, such as the ‘ozone hole’ or the impacts on agriculture of a doubling of global temperature, are becoming increasingly available on the web. Furthermore, an OECD study indicates that generalised use of internet retailing could eliminate the need for 12. % of retail-building space, saving the energy and materials needed to build, operate and maintain buildings (OECD, 1999) and product delivery from e-tailers, contrary to common opinion, may use 40% to 90% less fuel than if customers drive their cars to the mall (Romm, 1999). UPS expects to improve on these numbers by using the internet to fill what would otherwise be empty trucks as they make the return trip from a delivery. Added benefits from these efforts are reduced traffic congestion, air pollution and fuel use. Even larger gains can be had with products that can be digitised and delivered entirely online, like software, music, N. U. Ahmed and S. K. Sharma entertainment, and some consulting services (Wired, 1999). Along this line Egghead Software has closed all physical stores and moved to a completely online business model (Libert and Ribaudo, 1996). The internet helps in product life cycle through improved supply chain management. By using the internet to integrate customers, manufacturers and suppliers, wasteful over production and spoilage can be largely eliminated (Siekman, 1999). An Ernst and Young study estimates that internet applications could reduce inventories by 25% to 35%, while IBM estimates the savings could be as high as 50% (Romm, 1999). All of these study indicate that the internet could prove an important innovation for reducing environmental degradation. The internet has also helped reduce environmental impacts in agriculture, water pollution etc. The internet has served as an important innovation in facilitating what is called ‘precision farming methods’ that dramatically lower the amount of inputs needed for any given crop (Chong et al. , 2005). There are not many articles in current literature dealing specifically with the internet and natural environment. However, there are a lot of articles dealing with different aspects of environment from awareness to benefits, to strategy implementation and so on, which can be impacted by the internet. One of the questions of the past decade is how individual environmental concerns shape corporate environmental actions (Avila, 1993; Starik, 1995; Bansal and Roth, 2000). Bansal and Roth (2000) mentioned that personal concern and values could affect a firm’s environmental efforts in important ways. First, values and concern can help decision makers discriminate, identify, and prioritise (Dutton, 1997). Second, environmental concerns will induce some individuals to champion eco-initiatives (Anderson and Bateman, 2000; Lawrence and Morell, 1995). Third, a firm’s top management will be more proactive in their environmental effort if their value systems reflect environmental concerns (Dutton and Ashford, 1993). Environmental decision-making is also dependent on concerns of external stakeholders such as customers and suppliers (Johnson, 1998). It is logical that the internet can be used effectively to convey relevant information to different stakeholder group which in turn will make them more understanding of the need for sustainability. Positive economic impacts of environmental strategies are discussed by Porter and Van der Linde (1995) and Cordano (1993). Porter and Van der Linde suggested that by reengineering the production process, firms could reduce environmental impacts and simultaneously reduce the cost of inputs and waste disposal. Cordano (1993) proposed that revenues could be increased through green marketing, sale of waste products and outsourcing a firm’s environmental expertise. Additionally, there are suggestions in the literature that eco-initiatives will improve corporate image (Hart, 1995; Russo and Fouts, 1997). Here we can also use the internet to make business processes reengineering, marketing and other functions more environmentally friendly. Despite the potentially important role that the internet is playing in improving environmental activities at a macro level, little research has been performed to date that examines the factors that affect environmental supply chain management at a micro level. This paper examines the impact and potential of internet-based technologies in the performance of important information and communication functions for resolving the environmental issues using Porter’s value chain model. The intent of this paper is to examine the internet as a communication and information dissemination tool for resolving environmental issues at a macro and a micro level, and identify the eco issues and eco criteria using Porter’s value chain model. Porter’s value chain model 2Impact and uses of internet-based technologies at macro level 81 Internet-based technologies are providing fast, easy and cost-effective means through which to access, use, create and disseminate information. E-mail, which knows no geographic boundaries, provides a cost-effective method of communication with other similar organisations and individuals. E-mail also provides a means of direct access to government representatives. Listservs, which are focus group discussions d isseminated via e-mail, provide opportunities for individuals to join in conversations about timely, focused topics. Organisational webpages provide mechanisms through which environmental organisations can affordably disseminate information about themselves to a large, geographically dispersed audience. Additionally, there is much useful information and data on the web to further grassroots environmental activists’ causes, which have never before been freely and easily accessible. The ability to transport computer files over the internet allows for rapid distribution of timely information. The internet also provides access to free downloadable software. The internet is a unique medium because of its speed, low cost, easy capacity for forwarding messages and unlimited capacity (Frantzich, 1999). The various interest groups can easily converse with each other and present their collective voice to national and international organisations to further their environmental causes. Neighbourhood organisations can use internet-based technologies to communicate effectively within their own communities and across neighbourhoods to build and expand their intracommunity and intercommunity power base (Craig, 1998). Internet technologies facilitate a shift from representative democracy to a more direct democracy, as the technology provides the ability for wide range participation by people outside existing power structures (Grossman, 1995). To understand the significance of the impact of internet-based technologies on the information functions of grassroots environmental justice initiatives, two guiding concepts are suggested, borrowed respectively from the fields of sociology and political science. First, the internet breaks the insider/outsider dichotomy as related to the flow of information. Traditionally, insiders such as government officials have had privileged access to certain kinds of information and do not seek information and advice from citizen for various decision-making related to environmental concerns (Chatman, 1996). The internet appears to be breaking down this traditional insider/outsider dichotomy and political empowerment, and makes it possible for citizens to participate in environment-related policy making. The internet is changing the flow of political information and thereby changing the pattern of political participation (Hill and Hughes, 1998). Secondly, the internet allows direct communication, bypassing many information intermediaries and also substantially reduces the cost of communicating through space and time, allowing for greater organisation around shared interests, and allowing for a more heterogeneous base of participants in political processes (Pierce et al. 1992). Using the internet, the media, opposition politicians, environmental entities, individual citizens, community groups and other nongovernmental organisations, can easily obtain vast quantities of data on environmental results. Substandard performance by governments or companies is easier to spot. Transparency may also smoke out cases where special interests distort the policy process. Power, in the form of the ability to create and disseminate information, has been given to relatively powerless segments of society through the use of internet-based technologies (Zelweitro, 1998). N. U. Ahmed and S. K. Sharma Using the internet to connect satellite imaging and global positioning systems to digital controllers on farm tractors and harvesters allows the precise applications of fertilisers and pesticides to local conditions in the fields. The result is higher yields, quality and profits and at the same time much lower environmental impacts. Similarly, the forestry giant Weyerhaeuser is using digital maps and satellite imagery to classify forest type, age and health (Horrigan et al. , 1998). This information is delivered to field crews over the internet through handheld devices and laptop computers. The technologies allow forest managers to extract maximum value from precious natural resources while reducing the environmental damage. The various impacts of the internet to resolve environmental issues at the macro level are shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 indicates how internet-based technologies have been helping to improve environmentalism through various means at a macro level. Figure 1 The impact of internet-based technologies to environmentalism at macro level Communication medium Internet-based technologies are providing fast, easy, and cost-effective means through w h i c h t o a c c e s s , u s e , c r e a t e , a n d disseminate information using e-mail, listservs, websites and other web-based channels. Greater policy transparency and comparative analysis Using internet, the media, opposition politicians, environmental entities, individual citizens, community groups and other non-governmental organisations, can easily obtain vast quantities of data on environmental results. Sub-standard performance by governments or companies is easier to spot. Internet helps to provide more data driven decision-making. Dematerialisation, the substitution of physical materials with information The substitution of books, periodicals, s t e r e o s , v i d e o r e c o r d e rs , c am e r as , telephones, and answering machines and any other information oriented products by interest-based digital products. The impact of internet-based technologies to environmentalism at macro level Integration and coordination with governments, suppliers, customers, and competitors Internet technology is integrating and coordinating activities of governments, suppliers, customers and other competitors for environmental gains. 3The Porter’s value chain model Politi cal empowerment through internet technologies Internet is helping citizen participation through community organisations as a collective voice to local governments. Neighbourhood organisations can use internet-based technologies to communicate effectively within their own communities and across neighbourhoods to build and expand their intra-community and inter-community power base for environmental concerns. Internet-driven, web-based technologies have a tremendous impact on procurement, manufacturing, and distribution to significantly compress time and reduce costs throughout the supply chain (Benjamin and Wigand, 1995). To better understand the impact, we have mapped the environmental issues on Porter’s value chain model. In the later section, we have mapped the impact of the internet on these environmental issues (Porter and Miller, 1985). Our identification of environmental issues using Porter’s value chain model are detailed in Table 1. Porter’s value chain model Table 1 Identification of environmental issues using Porter’s value chain model Primary activities Environmental issues Eco-performance criteria A-criteria In-bound logisticsReturnable containers Percentage of returnable containers Cost of returning the containers Amount of pollution due to non-returnable containers Percentage of returnable containers Operations Outbound logistics Efficient transport route Less pollutable transport mode Warehousing and storage space requirements Supplier relation Product Process Material Storage and warehousing Packaging Shipping Load-distance Amount of fuel consumption Amount of pollution generated in transport mode Amount of fuel consumption Amount of storage space needed to per unit of output Percentage of outputs using JIT Number of suppliers who has environmental programme Number of supplier ISO 14000 certified Number of suppliers on JIT Service life Percentage of output recycled Percentage of output reused Amount of waste generated per hour of use Decibel of noise Amount of toxicity Time to degrade Amount of raw material needed Amount of energy needed per unit of output Amount of pollution generated per unit of output Percentage of production related waste recycled Percentage reduction in production elated waste Amount of hazardous material Percentage of substitution for hazardous material Warehousing cost per unit of output shipped Pound of material used in packaging Percentage of degradable material in packaging Percentage of packaging recyclable Load-distance Fuel consumption per mile per item Amount of fuel consumption Amount of fuel consumption Percentage of output using JIT Number of suppliers who has environmental programmes Number of suppliers on JIT Service life Percentage of output recycled Time to degrade Amount of raw material needed Amount of pollution generated per unit of output Amount of energy needed per unit of output Percentage substitution of hazardous material Warehousing cost per unit of output shipped Pound of material used in packaging Percentage of packaging recyclable Fuel consumption per mile per item N. U. Ahmed and S. K. Sharma Table 1 Identification of environmental issues using Porter’s value chain model (continued) Primary activities Environmental issues Eco-performance criteria A-criteria Marketing and sales Service Communication of environmentally friendly product offerings Value added service in the environmental area Environmental awareness and audit Percentage of total advertising expenditure for environmentally friendly products Percentage growth of sales of environmentally friendly product Percentage of market research dollars environmentally friendly products Total dollar amount of environmental value added service provided Number of customers provided with environmental value added services Number of environmental value added offerings Number of customers on environmental audit programmes Percentage of customers on recycling programme Percentage of total advertising expenditure for environmentally friendly products Total dollar amount of environmental value dded service provided Percentage of customers on recycling programme Support activities Product take backPercentage of product take-back Percentage of customers on take-back programme Cost per unit of product take-back Percentage of product take-back Procurement Human resource development Environmental purchasing Environmental training and awareness Number of suppliers wh o has environmental programme Number of supplier ISO 14000 certified Number of suppliers on JIT Percentage of employees trained in environmental programme Percentage of employees participating in environmental programmes Number of suppliers who as environmental programmes Number of suppliers on JIT Percentage of employees participating in environmental programmes Technological Environmental auditNumber of employees trained in environmental audit Number of employees participating in environmental audit Waste reductionNumber of units or plants using Number of employees participating in environmental audit Percentage change in development technology Recycling technology Energy reduction technology waste reduction technology Percentage change in waste reduction in last five years Number of plants or units using recycling Percentage of output recycled Percentage of units or plants using energy reduction technology Percentage of total energy reduction in last five years waste reduction in last five years Percentage of output recycled Percentage of total energy reduction in last five years Porter’s value chain model Table 1 Identification of environmental issues using Porter’s value chain model (continued) Support activitiesEnvironmental issues Eco-performance criteria A-criteria Infrastructure Reuse technologyPercentage of outputs being reused Number of products in the reuse programme Environmental policy Number of environmental initiatives nd initiativesin last three years Number of incentive schemes for environmental leadership Frequency of environmental audits EnvironmentalPresence of an environmental website Number of products in the reuse programme Number of incentive schemes for environmental leadership Frequency of environmental audits Percentage of employees communication Frequency of up-dates Percentage of em ployees using environmental website using environmental website Eco-criteria are environmental performance criteria that can be used to track the impact of environmental strategies or decisions in the value chain. For example, for inbound-logistics, one of the ways to achieve environmental efficiency is to use returnable containers. Several criteria such as the percentage of returnable containers, cost of returnable containers, amount of pollution reduction by returnable containers etc. , can be used as eco-criteria. Among several eco-criteria, which can be used to track impact of a strategy or decisions, some could be more important than others. For efficiency and simplicity one can use one or some but not all of the eco-criteria. These are called A-criteria. For the environmental strategy of using returnable containers, the A-criteria can be a percentage of returnable containers. 4Impact of internet technologies at micro level 4. 1 Inbound logistic: efficient transport and logistic management Internet-based technologies will enormously help the environment industry improve its value chain by conveying real-time information to ensure a product’s timely arrival. Information include raw materials to manufacturers, goods to distributors, products to retailers and purchases to customers. Retailers, customers, suppliers and manufacturers can now have immediate access to their supply chain information to track valuable shipping information (Rayport and Sviokla, 1996). Real-time information available to manufacturers and retailers will help them to manage their transportation and logistics resources more effectively. This would not only help for efficient transport routes and less pollutable transport mode but help to manage warehousing and storage space requirement with better efficiencies. Efficient package delivery by truck may replace at least in part inefficient personal driving to malls, supermarkets, bookstores and the like. The transportation sector is responsible for about one-third of US energy consumption today. The internet holds the prospect of reducing transportation energy intensity by replacing some commuting with telecommuting; replacing some shopping with teleshopping; replacing some air travel with teleconferencing; enabling digital transmission or e-materialisation of a variety of N. U. Ahmed and S. K. Sharma goods that are today shipped by truck, train and plane, including formerly printed material, software, construction materials, and the like; improving the efficiency of the supply chain and increasing the capacity utilisation of the entire transportation system. As traditional manufacturing and commercial companies put their supply chain on the internet, and reduce inventories, overproduction, unnecessary capital purchases, paper transactions, mistaken orders, and the like, they achieve greater output with less energy consumption. These things will have a larger environmental benefit than pollution prevention, especially in the energy-intensive manufacturing sector. The internet allows vastly superior supply chain management, which can dramatically reduce inventories, improve forecasting, and eliminate mistakes and wasted production. This would improve capacity utilisation, and holds the potential for increased material reuse. Avoiding overproduction, waste, and mistakes, and fostering material reuse, can have disproportionately large energy and environmental impacts. Web-based technologies enable buyer and supplier to operate more efficiently, as a result of visibility of orders throughout the entire distribution network. Transactional outsourcing for transportation, warehousing, packaging, and related activities is being replaced by network outsourcing, where these individual functions are managed integrally by a third-party provider. Also, the Logistics Management module helps companies transport goods more efficiently because suppliers and customers configure optimal truckload and delivery schedules. This reduces wasted truck (or other carrier) space, wasted time, and fuel mileage due to inefficient routing. 4. 1. 1 Warehousing and storage space requirements The internet-based technologies will enormously help the companies improve its value chain by conveying real-time information to customers, suppliers and manufacturers. This would help companies to accurately predict consumer demands and that will result into a reduction of excess inventories at the retail level by replenishing them on a just-in-time basis. This could decrease the space needed to store excess inventories, thereby minimising the environmental impacts of warehousing: the consumption of open spaces by warehouses; the materials used to build them; and the energy needed for heating, cooling and lighting (Stein and Sweat, 1998; Basile, 1998). The internet makes mass customisation possible because it facilitates information exchange between companies and individual customers. The internet and innovative production technologies are helping companies to manufacture products specifically designed for individual consumers. Customisation enables producers to manufacture the products that are needed by customers thus reducing product waste or slashing inventories by reducing stockpiles of soon-to-be obsolescent equipment and machines (Mathieson, 1998). For example; e-book or publishing on demand may eliminate the waste thus saving on paper and reducing printing and storage costs (Basile, 1998). Mass customisation could have profound environmental benefits for reducing the energy and Porter’s value chain model 4. 1. 2 Relationships Internet technology has enabled a firm to begin to extend the concept of its value chain to include all of the firm’s suppliers and business partners into a single web. This enables companies to work directly with companies around the world. One-to-one buyer-supplier relationships are quickly being replaced by interenterprise collaboration enabled by horizontal and vertical marketplaces. Defined products and services are giving way to dynamic, customer-configurable offerings, where products and services related to those products are bundled to meet the unique requirements of individual customers. In addition to efficiently balancing demand (orders) with supply (availability and capacity), effective demand and supply planning significantly impacts the bottom line. Optimisation of the planning process can drive revenue growth, reduce inventory investment, and lower operating costs. . 2 Operations Through mass customisation, manufacturers can formulate products specifically for individual customers: detergents that fit the cleaning needs of particular workplaces; pesticides that fit the insect population of specific localities, lawn-care products that fit the nutritional needs of unique landscapes; and cosmetics and personal hygiene products formulated to avoid a particular allergen or exposure to a particular chemical or chemicals (Schafer, 1997). Efficient product, processes and technology: e-materialisation Many of the materials such as newspapers, books, dictionaries and encyclopedias, periodicals, stereos, video recorders, cameras, telephones, and answering machines, are products designed to manipulate, store and transmit information. Similarly, many of our institutions, from the post office to the local bank, consume energy and materials by occupying structures that exist mainly to process information. As a technology for manipulating, storing and transmitting information, the internet can perform many of the same functions as these material objects, and in some cases much more quickly and conveniently. This substitution of bits and bytes for physical goods has been called ‘dematerialisation’. Dematerialisation through the internet helps not only to assimilate and communicate information, and conduct financial transactions online, but also has the potential to dramatically reduce the raw materials used in the production of goods, the energy consumed in manufacturing, and the solid waste generated by businesses and consumers. For example, the manufacture of film, processing chemicals, and photographic paper is a significant source of emissions of toxic chemicals such as ethylene chloride, methanol, acetone, toluene, chromium, selenium, and methyl ethyl ketone (US-EPA, 1994). Digital photography avoids the major environmental impacts of film manufacturing and photo processing. Few companies offer customers to receive and store pictures electronically, thus, enables broad distribution without any material required. Financial transactions performed via the web require far fewer material resources and none of the energy involved in moving information stored on paper to and from the home or office. It is estimated that electronic billing saves approximately 50 to 75 cents per bill in envelopes and postage, and another $1 in handling costs. N. U. Ahmed and S. K. Sharma The internet is helping companies and organisations to reduce energy costs and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by providing them with tools and strategies that can improve the environment, while increasing profits and productivity. E-materialisation of paper alone holds the prospect of cutting energy consumption by about 0. 25% of total industrial energy use. By 2010, e-materialisation of paper, construction, and other activities could reduce US industrial energy and GHG emissions by more than 1. 5% (Romm et al. , 2003; Romm, 1999). 4. 3 Outbound logistics Manufacturers invest large amounts of money in the design of packaging. The environmental costs of packaging are enormous. The packaging results into solid waste. Using internet for selling, and marketing products makes attractive pollution-causing packaging a less attrac

Hannah Essay Example

Hannah Essay Example Hannah Essay Hannah Essay This autobiography is called butterflies and was written by an author called Roger Dean Kisser. Roger Dean was raised up in an orphanage with kids Just like him, at that age he was between 6 and 7 years old not old but very young, every morning they would get up early and march to breakfast. This orphanage was full of beautiful creatures, butterflies, everywhere watching the anonymous house parents pinning them onto the heavy cardboard sheet, how cruel it was to kill something of such beauty, something so small can mean something special to him. In this critical essay I will be explaining how Rogers Dean uses significant language in this event, by collecting quotes throughout the biography, and proving the point, and answer the essay question which is, how Roger Dean felt being kept in an Orphanage. Ever since when he was a little boy of 6 years old, growing up in an orphanage with kids Just like him must have been trouble, One Saturday morning returning from the dormitory and witnessing the house parents pinning butterflies to a cardboard, after the phone rang which had to be answered he quickly went to check the board sheet where all he beautiful butterflies pined causing one innocent butterfly to fall over and leaving the other wing unattached, without touching anything. : A few minutes later the house parent arrived back to think he did something but he didnt, but wouldnt get believed. Roger Dean felt guilty picking up the torn wing spitting on its wing and trying to get it sick back together so it could fly away and escape this nasty place Just wasnt working, I guess. Being yelled at for absolutely nothing wasnt the best. Getting smacked with the cardboard paper across his head, pieces everywhere, throwing the roadbed on the ground telling him to pick it up and put it in the garbage. At this point roger dean was getting in trouble for things he didnt do though he was telling the truth but yet again the house parents didnt believe him at all. l sat there in the dirt by that big old tree, for the longest time trying to fit all the butterfly pieces together so I could bury them whole but was too hard to do In this quotation it explains that he was Broken and how he wanted to treat the butterfly with at least some respect by gathering all the pieces and trying to put them into place so that he an bury them whole, but was finding it really difficult. Every year when butterflies decides to enter this orphanage and try land on me I shoo them away because they did not know that the orphanage was a bad place to live and a bad place to die For Roger Dean Kisser growing up being looked after up into that orphanage, until he was older to look after himself taking half of his childhood away from him, leaving him forever with the thought of, orphanage was a bad place to live and certainly not a good place to die.

Character and Setting in Popular Music

Whether through characters and scenes music in popular music or written literature like novels, a character can convey emotions and thoughts. The audience understands through the present role. Just as we find the character we like, we also find characters that look down. The setting is almost the same. Whether explicitly given or implicitly set, the audience will think about the picture. Sometimes it's a beautiful place, sometimes it's a place we'd rather ignore. In this article, we will explain the role of the environment in public machinery. Analyze the relationship between the central figure and the surrounding environment. Do you set character limit options or affect plot development? Does the environment play an important role in raising the theme of the story? Popular Machinery was written to imagine details to the audience. Men and women in the story are anonymous, there is no clue to the explanation of the story, there is no mention of the city, state or country where the sto ry takes place. This allows the reader to draw the context and detail of the story in his own way. Perhaps the reader has heard of it or is in a similar situation and you can put your face and place in the story. The setup details are very simple, but it is also the most detailed information on every element of the story. Whether through characters and scenes music in popular music or written literature like novels, a character can convey emotions and thoughts. The audience understands through the present role. Just as we find the character we like, we also find characters that look down. The setting is almost the same. Whether explicitly given or implicitly set, the audience will think about the picture. - Setting is a term indicating where the behavior occurred in the narrative work and the past time. However, the settings can be used for other purposes of the novel, such as as a symbol supporting the novel theme. Various settings of red letters such as market, forest, Hester Cott age are examples of this. The market is a typical department of a tough Puritans society In psychology literature, the word personality has become common. This is a term popular in the early 20 th century. Back then, people believed that people had a particular character and had a series of virtues and moral personality traits, including integrity, honesty, generosity, reliability. But by the middle of the century this word became unpopular and rarely used. The main reason for being rejected by psychologists is that according to the mainstream theory at the time, human behavior is determined not by individual but by environment.

Occupational Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Occupational Performance - Essay Example It also tries to explain why the impairment could cause difficulties and the consequences for the individuals of these difficulties and finds ways in which these difficulties might be reduced or overcome. Occupational performance can be defined as the ability of a person to perform tasks for the purpose of carrying out her/his occupational roles in a satisfying manner. The importance of analyzing functional performance is of crucial importance to occupational therapy. The assessment of an individual's / group or populations' level of functioning is very important in planning an occupational therapy for an individual. Occupational therapists take into account the many types of occupations humans might engage, sort them into categories called 'areas of occupation' Let's look at the various performance roles first: Occupational performance roles are patterns of behavior in different kinds of occupation in ones daily life i.e. self-maintenance, productivity, leisure and rest. The roles are determined by individual's physical, mental and spiritual conditions and her/his relationship with external environment. Biomechanical components refer to the operation and interaction of and between physical structures of the body during task performance. This can include range of motion, muscle strength, grasp, muscular and cardiovascular endurance, circulation, elimination of body waste. From the perspective of the task or sub-task, this component refers to the biomechanical attributes of the task; for example, size, weight, dimension and location of objects. Sensory-Motor Performance Component refers to the operation and interaction of and between sensory input and motor responses of the body during task performance. Cognitive Performance Component: refers to the operation and interaction of and between mental processes used during task performance. Intrapersonal Performance Component: refers to the operation and interaction of and between internal psychological processes used during task performance. Interpersonal Performance Component refers to the continuing and changing interaction between a person and others during task performance that contributes to the development of the individual as a participant in society. Elements of Occupational Performance are the body, mind and spirit. The Occupational Performance Model (Australia) acknowledges that together these core elements of human existence form the human body, the human brain, the human mind, the human consciousness of self and the human awareness of the universe (Popper, 1981) Body Element: The tangible physical components of human structure consists the body element. Mind Element: the basic intellectual component of an individual is called the Mind element Spirit Element: is defined loosely as that aspect of humans which seeks a sense of harmony within self and between self, nature, others and in some cases an ultimate other; seeks an existing mystery to life; inner conviction; hope and meaning.As stated earlier the areas on which occupational performances are observed are Self-maintenance, productivity, leisure and rest. Self-Maintenance Occupations are regular tasks and sub-tasks done by an

Zara Plus Sized A Case Study for a New Product Line Assignment

Zara Plus Sized A Case Study for a New Product Line - Assignment Example Accordingly, Zara does not currently have any offerings in plus sizes or for the fuller figured woman. Therefore, this is a lucrative market in which Zara’s competitors are capitalizing and Zara apparel is not. If Zara intends to maintain its competitive edge in this evolving market, it will be forced to integrate a full figured line of clothes into its product offerings. Normally, the apparel industry is already one that is almost wholly driven by consumer tastes; however, now that consumer needs play such a key role, the evolution of the industry takes place even more rapidly than prior market demands dictated. Objective The overall objective is to create a prosperous new line of plus sized/full figured women’s clothing to augment the existing profitability of the Zara apparel firm. This objective will be accomplished by designing and producing a new line of full figured/plus sized women’s clothing, internally marketing that new product line, working to streaml ine and maximize the profitability of the new product line, monitoring its growth and success, and expanding the product line to different markets based on the profitability both online and in the initial US market introduction. As such, Zara’s primary objective is to achieve market share in an existing market with existing products. According to analysis of Ansoff’s matrix referenced below in Figure 1.0, this strategy is the safest of Ansoff’s 4 strategies. Figure 1.0 However, it is a well known fact that even with this safest of strategies, it is not without its limitations. Most prominent among these drawbacks is the fact that competitors will necessarily react to Zara’s entry into the market. As Zara will be attempting to cut down on the number of customers and market share which these firms previously held, expect the competition to be fierce. By carefully measuring Zara’s objectives within the metrics of SMART (specific, measurable, attainabl e, and time bound), Zara apparel will ensure that the metrics and milestones of the product launch are well defined, possible, and timely. SPECIFIC/Measurable With the plus sized clothing market approaching US 20 billion dollar a year industry in the United States alone (Stark, 2012), it will be Zara’s intent to capture 0.00875% of the US market - equating to total sales figures of around US 165 million dollars per annum. Figure 2.0 below shows overall sales objectives for the first year of the new product line as compared with the overall size of the plus sized clothing economy in the United States. Figure 2.0 Attainable/Time Bound It is the understanding of this analysis that such a figure is attainable given Zara’s current market share and net profits as of fiscal year 2011 totaling over US 2.14 billion dollars (Irish Times, 2011). Even without accessing total internet sales into the overall tally, each of Zara’s 49 stores in the United States will be respons ible for generating around US 3.34 million dollars in sales of plus sized clothing in order to reach the sales number set forth by this analysis. For purposes of this analysis, the sales goals, both online and in

Enabling a Remote Workforce. Essay Example for Free

Enabling a Remote Workforce. Essay Productivity Are employees who telecommute more productive than their traditional office colleagues? 1 Savings What types of savings from a telecommuting program should employers expect? 2 Planning What kind of planning does an organization need to do to properly implement a successful telecommuting program? 2 Eligibility How do managers determine the eligibility of employees for telecommuting? 3 Social Interaction What types of social limitations do remote workers experience? 3 Communication Limitations Are organizations disadvantaged due to communication limitations with remote workers? 4 Management How do managers successfully manage and support remote workers? 5 Technical Issues 5 Network What are the security, bandwidth, and infrastructure implications for the company network to support remote access? 5 Hardware/Software Needs What are the hardware, home infrastructure, and software licensing needs for the remote user? 6 Telecommuting Variations What are alternative solutions or variations for telecommuting programs? 7 Connectivity What are the tools and considerations to accommodate remote network access? 8 Communication How do you allow your employees to communicate electronically and verbally from home? 9 Collaboration What are the tools that foster communication? 9 IT Support What are the options and challenges to providing remote employees with technical support? 10 Cost How much does deploying a remote workforce cost? 10 Conclusion 11 Introduction There are a number of good reasons why companies should consider supporting a remote worker program including an expanded labor pool, reduced traffic congestion costs (late arriving/stressed out employees), improved recruitment and retention of staff, facility cost savings, reduced parking costs, reduced sick leave and improved worker productivity. Conversely, there are some disadvantages that companies should also be aware of including an isolated work force, family turf problems, lack of social interaction with other employees and the fear by remote workers that they will be overlooked for promotions. Companies obviously have a lot to factor in deciding whether or not to implement a telecommuting program. Thus, the goal of this paper is to provide consideration points to many of the common questions facing such companies. The questions and discussion herein are divided into two primary categories: technical and organizational. They are intended to provide more generalized information that decision makers can use to enhance their understanding of telecommuting issues. Organizational Issues Productivity Are employees who telecommute more productive than their traditional office colleagues? In general, remote workers appear to be more productive than traditional office workers. In an October 1995 survey of Fortune 1000 managers, 58% reported increased productivity by employees who telecommuted. Also, according to the State of Californias Telecommuting Pilot Program, companies that implemented a remote work force experienced productivity increases ranging from 10 30%. Further, telecommuters working for American Express produced 43% more business than their office-based counterparts1. Clearly the case can be made that remote workers are indeed more productive. The primary explanation for improved productivity is a quieter work environment, which offers fewer interruptions. Certainly the remote worker also faces interruptions in their daily work, such as family business, neighbors, chores, television, etc. However these interruptions are generally much fewer than those experienced by the traditional office worker. Savings What types of savings from a telecommuting program should employers expect? The biggest savings for companies result from reduced absenteeism costs and reduced real estate costs. Oftentimes when employees need to take care of personal business such as doctor visits, car repair, tending to children, etc. they call in sick for the entire day. However, remote workers can take care of personal business and still accomplish some or most of their work tasks from home. The International Telework Association Council estimates that employees who telecommute can save their employers $10,000 each in reduced absenteeism costs2. According to PC World, telework can cut corporate real estate costs from 25 to 90%, which can result in substantial savings for employers. In fact, ATT saves $25 million per year from employees who are full-time telecommuters3. Many companies who have implemented a successful telecommuting program have instituted hoteling systems in their offices. A hotel is essentially an empty cubicle that is set up with a phone, network connections and basic office supplies that any employee can use, often by making a reservation with an office administrator. Hoteling offers telecommuting employees a place to work in the office when necessary without employers having to provide them with a full-time workspace. Planning What kind of planning does an organization need to do to properly implement a successful telecommuting program? Without doubt one of the most important keys to implementing a successful telecommuting program is proper planning. And since every organization has their unique differences (i.e. size, industry, complexity, culture, locale), there is no single formula for such planning. However, successful telecommuting programs should address the following at a minimum: * Perform an initial assessment * Consider organizational strategy and culture * Consider the role of management * Consider the need for staff input * Determine which staff tasks are most amenable to telecommuting * Consider regulatory compliance and legal issues * Determine technology needs * Prepare a cost-benefit analysis and/or ROI analysis4 Eligibility How do managers determine the eligibility of employees for telecommuting? According to Langhoff, tasks that are most appropriate for telecommuting are jobs where a person works alone, handling information such as reports, proposals, data or research. Writers, salespersons, accountants, programmers, graphic artists, researchers, engineers, architects, public relations professionals all are prime candidates for telecommuting5. In determining eligibility for telecommuting, managers should first consider whether the employees tasks can be performed remotely. Second, an examination of the individuals level of performance should be made (i.e. are they hard working and self-motivated or do they need constant supervision and coaching?). Of course it can be tricky selecting who can and cannot telecommute; therefore companies should be aware of the potential legal implications stemming from employees who wished to work remotely but were turned down. Social Interaction What types of social limitations do remote workers experience? Too often companies only view telecommuting as providing benefits to them and to their employees; however, there remains potential downsides. One potential downside is the lack of social interaction between employees. Employees who work at an office setting spend a considerable amount of their day interacting with other employees. These water-cooler discussions foster a camaraderie that translates into value for companies when the same employees work on projects together or are in need of support from each other. Also, the camaraderie indirectly benefits the company when management is trying to achieve buy-in on various initiatives. Lastly, having close relationships allow employees to maintain a healthy mental balance at work resulting in an overall higher level of morale. Once telecommuting is introduced into the mixed, some or all of those relationships are lost. Analysis of past telecommuting research shows that the most cited problem associated with negative impacts of telecommuting is the feeling of isolation and loss of morale6. Although isolation feelings and loss of morale (and the resulting decrease in a companys value) are difficult metrics to measure, some workable solutions have been devised to combat these negative issues. Other solutions have included limiting telecommuting days and making sure to include telecommuting employees in company events7. Communication Limitations Are organizations disadvantaged due to communication limitations with remote workers? The office environment offers some benefits that telecommuting cannot provide. Most important amongst these benefits is the companys ability to communicate to its employees. Most offices display signs of the companys direct communication whether it is embodied in mission statements, annual goal and targets, or newsletters. Indirectly, the company communicates with corporate color schemes, promotion company clothing, and other branding material such as coffee mugs. All of these communications are omnipresent throughout the corporate office setting and help to build company pride, employee loyalty, and a sense of corporate culture. Employees who tend to work remotely are only exposed slightly to this communication through email, conference calls, and other mailed material. This lack of corporate communication may lead to low motivation, lack of identification with the company, and reduced company loyalty8. The solution to the communication challenge is to ensure that corporate communication includes channels to the remote worker. In fact, companies should recognize that off-site employees need more direct and indirect communication such that employees do not develop those negative feelings. Also, companies should make a concerted effort to limit telecommuting days and to include all telecommuting employees in company events9. Management How do managers successfully manage and support remote workers? Another challenge with telecommuting employees revolves around their direct management. Not only do managers find it much more difficult to monitor the productivity and effectiveness of their telecommuting employee, but they are also challenged by having to change their management style to incorporate the limitations brought about by telecommuting10. Managers who have telecommuting employees are also faced with more potential issues such as family conflicts arising from their employee working from home. These conflicts cross the boundary of work and personal life, and almost always negatively impact productivity. Lastly, it is the role of managers to provide organizational support to the telecommuting employee. With the employee being off-site, the manager is usually limited to email and telephone to support his employee. This limitation further restricts a managers effectiveness and typically utilizes more of a managers time in sorting out support logistic11. Solutions to the managers challenge involve setting up a detailed action plan between manager and telecommuting employee. This action plan should be supplemented with an active communication plan12. Once expectations for both parties are clearly outlined in the action plan, both parties can then communicate progress or support needs more efficiently. Moreover, managers can adapt their management styles to telecommuting employees by setting results-based milestones and orienting tasks into projects such that managers still retain control of certain processes13. Technical Issues Network What are the security, bandwidth, and infrastructure implications for the company network to support remote access? Before considering the strategy to deploying remote access for a company, a survey should be done of the existing network and current remote access configurations. Once a complete analysis of the current configuration and future needs are assessed, then the following issues need to be included in your strategy of preparing and deploying the company network for a remote force: security, bandwidth, and infrastructure.14 Table N1 3 Areas of Security15 Internal Network Usually the most secure of the three, but still should be reviewed for any fallacies. External Network Must secure the PC in the remote location (i.e. firewalls, RSA encryption, etc) to prevent unauthorized access and snooping from the remote location. Remote Worker Least secure, must require security policies to be followed about passwords, where to connect, and who to trust. With more remote workers, there will be an increased demand of bandwidth on the network. Will the remote employees be productive with the current infrastructure that your network can provide? Perhaps considerations for upgrading from16: From To Dial-up (56K) ISDN (128K-256K) ISDN (128K-256K) T1 (up to 1.5M) T1 (up to1.5M) T3 (44.736 Mbps) With the increase demand more infrastructure will be required for allowing an increasing number of remote workers to connect to the corporate network (more servers, security hardware, and routing hardware). Hardware/Software Needs What are the hardware, home infrastructure, and software licensing needs for the remote user? For the employees who travel often, they are usually provided some mobile computing solutions and they have found ways to work from remote locations. However the new generation of employees, the remote worker will work from the comfort of their home. Working from home brings a new set of issues in to play. HARDWARE * Can the employee keep work and personal items separated? * If not, should the company provide additional hardware? * If the company does NOT provide additional hardware, then how much of the employees hardware can be expensed if upgrades are necessary? * The employee may need/require a fax machine, an additional phone line, or other office equipment. SOFTWARE * Software licensing has be clear-cut as far as how many computers can use the same license, however what about home workers? * The companys site licensing may not cover home computers and will require the company to pay extra for these licenses. INFRASTRUCTURE * For someone at home who has a DSL, Cable, or Dial-Up connecting, how much of that should the company pay for? * Support, Support, Support. Who will provide the maintenance and support? * Is the home PC secure? If not, who will provide the hardware/software in order to secure it? Also consider how much of the companys data should be on the personal machine. What happens if the home PC is hacked? Telecommuting Variations What are alternative solutions or variations for telecommuting programs? Outlined in this paper is the most common setup for a company to develop telecommuting options for their employees. However most of these configurations allow the employee to use limited resources over the Internet (access to shared folders, documents and e-mail). Depending on the size, the costs of setting up an infrastructure for telecommuting workforce could be unaffordable. The following are other options available to companies who wish to have a telecommuting workforce. Citrix Remember or heard about the mainframe days? Well, history tends to repeat itself. As more PCs were becoming powerful, we moved away from the mainframe days. However with the Internet, the paradigm of sharing resources has returned and now software applications and operating systems have the enhanced ability to handle more than one user concurrently. Citrix17 allows concurrent remote users access to a single server that will give a separate session for each user. Each user will have access to the same set applications on one machine. This solves the software licensing issues of working from a remote location as well as reduces amount of maintenance of hardware/software for the IT department. Satellite Offices Companies are opening satellite offices to reduce commute times for employees and help alleviate city traffic and parking congestion problems. This will result in reduced land costs since these centers are away from the city where the cost of living is lower.18 Telework centers are similar to a satellite office, but operate by independent parties. Unlike satellite offices, numerous employees use them. Think of these options as outsourcing building/infrastructure issues. Connectivity What are the tools and considerations to accommodate remote network access? In todays information environment, connectivity has become essential for a significant portion of the workplace. Access to email, network resources, server applications, and the Internet is a continual activity for the white-collar professional. At a minimum, companies would be well served to support webmail. In much the same vein as portal email (Hotmail, Yahoo), mail is maintained on the company server. This server is then linked to a website, and employees can gain secure access to the company server via any browser. Once logged in, an individual has the full functionality of their account to compose, receive, store, and delete email without explicitly needing to connect to the company network. However, there will be a resulting lack of security employees need to be encouraged to create and regularly modify complex passwords, and to close public web sessions. That said, the security risk is only to an individual email account; not the company network as a whole. A second logical step for an IT department is to enable Virtual Private Networking (VPN). This will allow employees to connect their remote machines to the company network after establishing an Internet connection through an ISP. This machine then behaves just as a networked office-located computer. For users maintaining both an office and remote computer, this solution requires any desktop applications be maintained on both systems. To avoid this duality, many users will first establish a VPN connection and then emulate their office computer with built-in Windows 2000 and Windows XP remote desktop tools or 3rd party tools such as VNC19. In essence, the remote machine then acts as a terminal or monitor to the office computer, and the user can run the applications found on that machine without any needs for secondary software. The downside to this solution is that emulation is only as good as the connection speed. Communication How do you allow your employees to communicate electronically and verbally from home? Todays telephone solutions for the telecommuter generally consist of providing an office phone with call-forwarding features to an employees business cell phone an often times reimbursed expense. This avoids some of the problems associated with using a home line for a combination of business, personal, and dial-up use. The office system simplifies contacting an individual (Simply dial an extension and press 7 to connect to the forwarded line rather than maintaining a constantly changing set of employee contact information). A home line alternative is a distinctive ring system multiple phone numbers (home, office, fax) use a single line with each producing a unique ring that can be directed to an appropriate voice mail box or machine (PC, fax). A second alternative consists of an off-premise-extension (OPX) or foreign exchange (FX) system. While more expensive, these systems truly mimic the office with a separate home line that is identical to an office extension20. Electronic mail is a requirement for most remote users. IT departments can help support employees using multiple computers to access their email by allowing mail to be retained on the company server rather than downloaded to the individual PC. (As an unrelated benefit, this provides much greater redundancy in the event of a computer hard drive crash). Please see the discussion on web mail for more on remote e-mail use. A less intrusive substitute to phone conversations is instant messaging. While this has potential for both misuse and unproductive use (where conversation is more efficient), this is often times an ideal mechanism for sharing small tidbits of information and is especially valuable for troubleshooting. A more extensive tool would be the newsgroup in combination with a company intranet. Here, employees can develop an extensive knowledge base of processes, questions and answers. Collaboration What are the tools that foster communication? At the lowest end of the technology spectrum, there is the traditional conference call a virtual audio meeting with many parties. In an effort to fight the inherent isolationism of remote workers, the videoconference personalizes the conference call as participants better identify with the visual image than the audio. To implement, however, youll need additional webcam hardware, videoconferencing software and a fast Internet connection. Chat rooms (a variation on the aforementioned instant messaging) are suitable for short discussions or as supplements to a meeting (agenda, minutes, links, data, follow-ups) Web conferencing often includes both videoconferencing and chat room features, but distinguishes itself in that it allows a moderator to emulate his/her desktop to the attendees. Among the forefront of the software leaders in this area is WebEx21. IT Support What are the options and challenges to providing remote employees with technical support? One of the drawbacks to working remotely is the absence of immediate technical support for both trivial and complex hardware and software issues. Given that troubleshooting is often a hands-on activity, solving problems for telecommuters is likely to be frustrating and time-consuming. However IT managers can take a number of steps to reduce downtime. * Standardize the equipment and installation. The more alike your users systems are, the better positioned you will be to reproduce and diagnose problems. * Maintain an inventory of back-up equipment in the same way that a car repair shop offers loaner cars. * Set up remote users so their desktops can be emulated by technical support in this way an IT department can provide step by step demonstrations to fix problems * Maintain an easily accessible FAQ and update it with each new problem and solution Managers may also want to consider outsourcing their technical support requirements. Companies like Voyus22 provide 24 hour help desk support and web-based support applications. Cost How much does deploying a remote workforce cost? The decision that the companies face is how much ownership the company will take for each of the types of telecommuters. For an occasional telecommuter, the employee will more than likely take on the costs. For a heavy telecommuter, the company will probably need to cover the costs to the employee. Telecommuter Type Frequency Implementation Costs Involved Occasional Infrequently Dial-up, Web-based applications Regular Scheduled intervals Remote Connection, 3rd Party Software, Laptop, Firewall, Router. Heavy Frequently to Full Time Provide second computer, VPN connection, ISP costs, other office equipment, maintenance. It is not the technology costs that make or break the telecommuting decision, but its the organizational issues that should benefit the company if deployed properly. Conclusion Telecommuting seems to be the answer to the increased workload versus work/personal life balance issue that many companies are seeking. While there exist many challenges towards implementing a successful telecommuting plan, there also seem to be many practical solutions. The real issue seems to stem from whether a company will change its processes and standards to allow for telecommuting to co-exist with office employees. Such a decision, as this paper has outlined, is not as simple as providing remote employees with an internet connection. Rather, the decision has significant technical and organizational ramifications that need to be well thought out before implementation; otherwise, the company is doomed to make the mistakes of many companies that have haphazardly gone down this path. 1 http://www.langhoff.com/faqs.html 2 http://www.youcanworkfromanywhere.com/infocenter/facts.htm 3 http://www.youcanworkfromanywhere.com/infocenter/facts.htm 4 http://www.tfw.org.uk/teleworking/contents.htm 5 http://www.langhoff.com/faqs.html 6 Pinsonneault, A. (1999). The Impacts of Telecommuting on Organizations and Individuals: A Review of the Literature, Cahier du GreSI, 99(9). 7 Guimaraes, T., and Dallow, P. (1999). Empiracally Testing the Benefits, Problems, and Success Factors for Telecommuting Programs, European Journal of Information Systems, 8, 40-54. 8 Davenport, T.H. and Pearlson, K. (1998). Two Cheers for the Virtual Office, Sloan Management Review, 39(4), 51-65. 9 Guimaraes, T., and Dallow, P. (1999). Empiracally Testing the Benefits, Problems, and Success Factors for Telecommuting Programs, European Journal of Information Systems, 8, 40-54. 10 Kirvan, P. (1995). How to Manage Systems for Remote Workers, Communications News, 33, 67. 11 Kirvan, P. (1995). How to Manage Systems for Remote Workers, Communications News, 33, 67. 12 Guimaraes, T., and Dallow, P. (1999). Empiracally Testing the Benefits, Problems, and Success Factors for Telecommuting Programs, European Journal of Information Systems, 8, 40-54. 13 Davenport, T.H. and Pearlson, K. (1998). Two Cheers for the Virtual Office, Sloan Management Review, 39(4), 51-65. 14 Ascend Communications, 2002, Telecommuting Network Guide: A Resource for Planners, Excutives, and Information Managers, http://users.skynet.be/teletravail/PDF/solut_technique.pdf 15 Jessica L. Hirsch, 2000, Telecommuting: Security Policies and Procedures for the Work-From-Home Workforce, http://www.teleworker.org/articles/telework_security.html 16 Bandwidth Savings, 2003, Services In Detailed, http://www.bandwidthsavings.net/servicesdetail.cfm 17 Citrix.com, 2003, Home Page, http://www.citrix.com 18 Hall, Aric, Bilski, Alicia, Wadman, Scott, 2003, Ways People Telecommute, http://members.tripod.com/~trom/page3.html 19 http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc 20 Wrobel, Leo A., February 1997, Helpful Hints for MIS Managers Supporting Telecommuters and Nomadic Users -Part I: Voice Communications, http://www.rewireit.com/articles/w0297.pdf 21 http://www.webx.com 22 http://www.pcsupport.com/