Study of the Organisation structure of SICT, business environment, description of projects and activities of Staffordshire County Council The WritePass Journal

Study of the Organisation structure of SICT, business environment, description of projects and activities of Staffordshire County Council Abstract: Study of the Organisation structure of SICT, business environment, description of projects and activities of Staffordshire County Council Abstract:1 Introduction2. Background2.1 Aim2.2 Staffordshire ICT:2.2.1 Organisation Structure of SICT:2.2.3 ICT Delivery Model3 Hardware and Software System3.1 Hardware:3.2 Software System:3.3 Business Environment3.3.1 SAP Services:3.3.2 System Development:4 Work Placement4.1 Job Description:4.2 Daily Basis Tasks:4.3 Responsibilities:5 Project Descriptions:5.1 PISCES Reporting:5.2 ECC6 Upgrade Testing:5.3 In House Applications Development:5.3.1 Time Recording5.3.2 School Crossing Patrol6 Benefits:6.1 Interpersonal Development:6.2 Technical Skills Acquired:7 Conclusions:  References and Bibliography:Related Abstract: This report is delivered in accordance to the experience gained from a year placement at Staffordshire County Council. It includes the organisation structure of SICT, business environment, description of projects and activities involved during the placement period. It also illustrates one’s interpersonal and technical skills acquired from the work experience. The report is produced in conclusion to what was learned and achieved by the end of the placement year. 1 Introduction The role of Industrial Placement programmer was appointed in SCC as a part of sandwich degree for placement year on 21st June 2010. It was a fixed term contract until 21st of June 2011. The unit was ICT under Strategic Core Directorate. The contractual hour of work were 37 hours per week and was under probation period for 6 months. The assigned role was of a student placement Programmer in MIS Team. This offered role provided an opportunity to gain exposure in providing business analysis support, working on technical specification, completing new developments and supporting existing systems within a team environment. A year placement in SCC has turned out to be the first step into a professional world. It was an opportunity to experience a wider variety of work in a diverse working environment and knowledge of an organisation structure. There were opportunities to deal with the business and clients directly and understood the importance of delivering services to them efficiently and within the given timeframe. 2. Background Fig 1: Staffordshire County Council Logo Staffordshire county council first came into existence on 1st April 1974 when the Local Government Act 1972 came into force. During the restructuring of an existing local government structure, entirely new ‘two-tier’ system replaced an administrative counties and county boroughs and created metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties. Staffordshire county council is situated in Staffordshire, seventh largest shire county in England which is in the West Midlands with a population of over 800,000. It is a big organisation and Staffordshire’s largest employer with 32,279 jobs. Besides serving the large population its responsibility include more than 400 schools, libraries, a wide range of complex social services in very different urban and rural communities, an extensive road system, and some of the countrys most important natural areas. For the better improvement of the prosperity, health, safety and environment of the whole county, it works with other partner organisations such as district and parish councils, police, and fire and health authorities. Some partner Local Authorities in Staffordshire are as follows: Cannock Chase District Council                                                    East Staffordshire Borough Council  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lichfield District council                                                                      Newcastle Borough Council South Staffordshire District Council                                        Stafford Borough Council Staffordshire Moorlands District Council  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   Tamworth Borough Council etc. The organisation structure of SCC consists of three directorates which are â€Å"Development Services†, â€Å"Children, Young People and Families† and â€Å"Social Care and Health† along with Strategic Core which is made up of the Chief Executive’s Office, Finance, ICT, Communities and Culture and Law and Governance. More focus has been given to Customer Services and strategy by concentrating on ‘People’ and ‘Place’ rather than in current structure providing the needs of customer better than ever before. 2.1 Aim The aim of Staffordshire County Council is to provide high quality services providing value for money and focused on, and delivering around the needs of our customers and communities. To provide better services to the customers, SCC’s new Strategic Plan 2010 – 2015 called â€Å"Staffordshire Unites† has been set which intends to achieve the vision of SCC i.e. â€Å"Through pride and passion in our county we will maximise opportunities for improved wealth, health and well-being. Staffordshire County Council is here for Staffordshire People. 2.2 Staffordshire ICT: SICT is the central unit of SCC. SICT works in collaboration with other council services and partners to improve the delivery of services through the efficient use of ICT. SICT Service Management, SICT Improvements and Staffordshire Learning Technology (SLT) are the three main functional areas identified by SICT for delivering the requirements of the authority in an efficient way. SICT service management takes responsibility of management of ICT infrastructure and its daily services such as Help Desk function, desktop function, desktop equipment, applications etc for the whole SCC, including schools and council’s partner. SICT Improvements develops ICT services such as project management, tendering services and system development of the ICT systems which add value to the business by helping them to transform their services. ICT services are delivered to all County schools and the other education establishments on a trade basis by Staffordshire Learning technology. 2.2.1 Organisation Structure of SICT: The current organisational structure of SICT is mainly divided into three functional areas in order to enable the transformation of the services throughout the Staffordshire by the efficient use of the ICT. All of these service areas report to the Director of ICT Sander Kristel. Refer to appendix E – pg no. 24 2.2.3 ICT Delivery Model Fig 2: ICT Delivery Model (sourced from intranet) 3 Hardware and Software System 3.1 Hardware: The approved hardware packages used in SICT consist of standard equipments such as thin Client devices, laptops and desktop PCs for design application which include 22† inch TFT, keyboard and mouse. Standard printers in use are HP DeskJet 7000(manual), HP LaserJet 3015dn, and HP LaserJet CP3535dn etc. 3.2 Software System: SCIT provides standard SCC Desktop Software Applications for ICT devices which includes software packages that are approved and available as additional cost options. The standard SCC Desktop Software Applications are listed below: Standard Software Name and version of product    Additional SoftwareName and version of product1) Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows XP Professional1) Project SoftwareMicrosoft Project 20032) Office SuiteMicrosoft Office 2003 Professional2) Design softwareMicrosoft Visio 2003 Professional3) Internet BrowserInternet Explorer 83) IXOSIXOS4) PDF File viewerAdobe Acrobat Reader 8.04) TRIMTRIM 5)Anti-Virus ProtectionMacAfee Virus scan Enterprise 8.05) AutoCADAutoCAD6) Desktop Support Remote Control eLANDesk 8.7 The additional software packages downloaded for work purpose are listed below: Software Name and version of product 1) Netbeans Netbeans 6.0 2) Microsoft Visual Studio 1) Visual studio 2008 2) Visual studio 20103) Microsoft SQL Server  Microsoft SQL Server 20084)SAP1) SAP BW (3 environments : development, QA, Production) 2)SAP NetWeaver Portal 7 3)Reporting Tool : a)   Report Designer, b)   BEx Query Designer c)  Ã‚   BEx Web Application Designer and BEx Analyzer 4) ECC6 5) SAP CRM5) Microsoft Visual SourceSafeMicrosoft VSS 2005 3.3 Business Environment 3.3.1 SAP Services: The SCC runs SAP as its corporate ERP and is implementing a SAP Children’s Social Care Solutions which were first introduced in 2003. The core SAP ERP Services of SCC are HR, Payroll, Finance and Procurement whereas the SAP Social Care Solutions are based on CRM, RM, BI and adobe forms. SCC also uses SAP Security based on Roles and authorisation. The SCC runs the following systems which require SAP interfaces; SAP SCUK, ECC6, TRIM, Respond, LG45/SAP CRM, FACE, Trojan, Contact point, Capita One Range of Service. The main objective of integrating these systems with SAP is to provide ‘single source’ of information more system integration in future improving the performance and productivity level of the services provided the customer. Fig 4: SAP Social Care Technical environment (sourced from intranet) 3.3.2 System Development: There are currently over 200 application range of in house written and purchased system used in SCC to provide different services. Among them several application systems are used corporately, within Directorates or for specific group. These applications are designed and created with the effective use of wide range of technologies such as dot NET, Java, Oracle and SQL database. There are several application systems that are used corporately, within Directorates or for specific group. GIS/ Local view – graphical information systems ONE/SIMS- education management system Web- CMS, collaboration Oracle LG45 CRM – CRM system for Staffordshire connects partnership The major system developments are related to SAP, Customer First, Traffic management, Adult and children case management system 4 Work Placement 4.1 Job Description: The job title was Student placement programmer, involved working with senior developers of MIS team and Solution Design team and reporting to the placement supervisor. 4.2 Daily Basis Tasks: The day to day jobs included updating appointed tasks in SharePoint (a web application to record projects and task done or appointed to an individual), recording the hours of work done in Time Recording system, monitoring scheduled data load in BW and updating it in the web portal, helping customer with their problems through remote connection to their machine and reporting the work to the appointed business client. 4.3 Responsibilities: Scheduling Data Loads and Maintaining Process Chains in BW BW is one of the application systems of SCC that are relevant to â€Å"Information†. Extraction, Transformation and Load (ETL) Layer is responsible for extracting data from a specific source, applying transformation rules and loading it into the Data Warehouse. The master and transactional data from different source systems are loaded into BW InfoObjects such as DSO, Info cube, Multiprovider etc. The InfoObjects are used to extract data out for creating reports. The data load in BW is performed by using process chains which need to be scheduled so, that the data load runs automatically on its scheduled date and time. Data load was scheduled every month for daily, weekly and monthly ones and all the jobs automatically get cancelled on bank holidays. Maintaining Consistency between all environment in BW System The SAP BW Solution operates on three tier system as follows: DEV (Development) QA (Quality Assurance and Test) PRD (Production) All the developments were carried out and tested first in development environment before transporting developed objects across QA for further testing. After successful testing in QA, the objects are transported again from development to production environment for publishing live updated data. For better performance and future reference it was necessary to maintain all three environments inline as automatic updates are only available for production system. Consistency between all environments were maintained regularly by manually carrying out data loads in DEV and QA environments and adding missing objects which already exist in production system. Managing BW transport Normally in SAP BW , the objects that are either installed from Business content or developed in DEV systems can be transported from DEV systems to QA and Production systems.SAP BW allows to transport works like configuration, objects, roles, and business Explorer(BEx) objects. Transports can be internal transport i.e. between different systems of BW or external transport which is between source systems such as ECC6, CRM to SAP BW system and takes place using RFC (Remote Function Call) during uploading. Internal transportations are carried out according to the need of the user at anytime whereas external transportation takes place only in certain days and has to be informed b filling the transport request form. Transport packages created in DEV environment has its own transport ID which is needed to identify one’s transport to avoid conflicts. The results of either successful or failed transports are displayed in BW system that enables to manage transport across different system. Meetings with team members, business client and placement tutor Team meetings in MIS team were held normally twice in a month whereas in solution design team it used to be once in a week where team manager will notify the latest happenings and news of the SCC, any projects that is going to be start, any health and safety matters, feedbacks of the customer on the ongoing or released projects and other work related issues The meetings with business clients were attended to discuss about the specification and requirements of the products they requested and the deadlines when they want it to be delivered and feedback of the finished product. The placement visit from our placement tutor took place in the office twice in a year. The visit was very beneficial as the tutor tracked down the progress of our work by consulting with our supervisor and team member. The assessment and the advice from the tutor were very helpful to find the state of one’s capability to carry out job and encouraging oneself to keeping up the hard work. Attending inductions, trainings and demos SCC organises inductions and trainings for all the internal employees for their benefits and to maintain their standard of working. In the beginning of the placement period, induction had to be attended where briefings were given about the organisation structure, health and safety policies, rules and regulation, equality and diversity, security policy and other work related issues. In accordance to the job role, ICT Training centre of SCC also gave ICT induction to provide the information on standard equipments and software, computer security, electronic filing and corporate software which helped to get on with the job during first stage. Any applications developed or changed had to be presented to the customer for which demos were conducted upon the request of customer. Creating, Maintaining and Deploying BW Reports In accordance to report specifications reports were designed and created using BEx query analyser and BEx web designer. The web templates were later published into SAP web portal. Writing new applications and maintaining existing system As a developer’s main responsibility, new application were designed and written upon the request of business and also maintained the ones which are already in use. The maintenance required addition of new functionality and validation, updating the version of software and implement further testing. Reuse of code, performance issues, functionality and robustness were the major points to be implemented whist developing a new application. Implement Testing Implementations of testing were required to ensure the functionality and robustness of the applications and reports created for business clients. Unit testing were done for the block of codes written in java or visual basic for applications in accordance to the test plan designed by the development team. Helping Customer with their problems and issues: Customers were provided all the information and solutions to their queries and problems. If necessary they were given further help through remote connection to their machine or through individual phone calls. The issues like setting up customer’s account in ECC6 system, installation of software and showing how to use application functionality were dealt whist providing customer the easy and effective way to solve a problem. 5 Project Descriptions: 5.1 PISCES Reporting: PISCES is the new Social Care solution for Children’s system which went live on 25th of April 2011 after the successful migration of business partner cases into the system from CISS database system. Reports for PISCES system are produced using SAP BW suite of reporting tools. The reports are accessed via the SAP Portal, using standard Internet Web Browser. Two of major reports of PISCES namely â€Å"Children Subject to CPP Statutory Visits† and â€Å"Looked after Children Statutory Visits† was created in accordance to the given specification from CYP F directorate. The reports were created using the BEx Query Designer and BEx Web Analyser which were later published into Web portal for user access. Refer to Appendix B- pg no 21 5.2 ECC6 Upgrade Testing: SCC upgraded SAP R/3 source system to SAP ERP central component ECC6 which went live on 25th of October 2010. SCC uses ECC6 as the main enterprise resource planning software for Human Resources, Payroll, Finance and Procurement to collect and combine data from these different modules and provide to the organisation under one instance. The main reason behind this upgrade was to enable products to function upon foundation of central component. SAP BW uses ECC6 as one of its main source system and projects the source system changes. It is necessary to ensure that upgrading the source system on SAP BW environment would not impact the data modelling object built-in SAP BW system. To implement the changes in production system, tests were first required to carry out in development environment followed by QA environment. In this project, the assigned role was of a tester and the responsibility was to implement testing in accordance to a test plan designed by BW analysts. The test involved switching of the source system, data reloading to have the initializations and deltas to come from the new system. During test the old source system (both transactional and master) were deleted in the BW system before reloading data from ECC6 to ensure the consistency in the data from a system. After the successful completion of testing in BW Development and QA environment, the upgrade was finally implemented in production system which was also tested after the go live process. 5.3 In House Applications Development: The system development areas involved adding functionality to the existing applications, rewriting codes for the existing system, analysing business requirements, designing, implementing and testing the new systems, writing user guides and technical manuals. The software development team use Agile Software development to develop their new system and maintain existing system. The advantage of Agile based approach is modification of the requirements which is often applicable in a fast changing environment and deliver functionality rapidly to ensure customer satisfactions. 5.3.1 Time Recording The Time Recording application is an electronic time recording system used by SCC’s staff to record their flexi time. It allows user to know the duration of time they have worked, whether they are up or down on their time. Using this application senior managers calculate the average working pattern and needs of their staff of to see the true cost of projects and resources. It provides a central repository of the time recording information and an easy interface with level of functionality to the user. This application comprises of custom frontend developed by using Java programming language making it user friendly and SAP backend architecture providing the scalable and robust underlying architecture. For this existing application, it was required to add a new functionality to the system which allows user to filter the list of products and its related activities from the frontend and restricts user to input any times following the 30th April for any given financial year. A new custom filtering form was created to implement these functionalities. Refer to Appendix C – pg no. 22 5.3.2 School Crossing Patrol School Crossings is an application designed and developed for Road Safety Office to manage the information about school crossings, patrols that staff a school crossing and the physical location of the actual school crossings. It was required to design the new system to replace the existing Access database which did not meet most of the needs of the School Crossings Patrol service and was not supported by ICT. Thus, this application was rewritten as it is crucial to the running of the service both operationally and from a performance management perspective. The new system consists of a web based frontend written in Visual Studio 2010 IDE using ASP.Net and Visual Basic (VB) and the backend uses a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 database.   There is an integration of SAP into the new system to avoid data duplication. The database for this system was designed and created which was then integrated with the frontend application. Designing of basic framework, applying windows authentication and validations, adding functionality such as establishing hyperlinks, creating menus for web page, data grid views, adding, editing and removing data from the frontend were the tasks involve during implementation of this project. 6 Benefits: The placement was beneficial in regards to development of personal and technical skills. More self-confidence was build to face any real time problems and challenges. 6.1 Interpersonal Development: During the placement period, working with two teams with a wide range of members enabled to successfully initiate, maintain and manage positive social relationships with them in a range of contexts. Providing good customer services in a manner that customer is provided all the required information and quality products in time. Working cooperatively and effectively as a part of a diverse professional team contributing more effort with best conduct. Improvement of communication skills and ability to communicate confidently with the seniors and other colleagues about the work related problems and query. Ability to prioritise time during work to fit around study commitments and social life. Understanding of the establishment and functions of organisation structure. Analysing business requirements and importance of delivering quality services before deadline. 6.2 Technical Skills Acquired: A year experience in SCC has enhanced the technical knowledge and skills in programming and developing systems. Sound knowledge of SAP software, architecture and its modules such as ECC6, CRM, BI and SAP NetWeaver. Better understanding of Business Intelligence, analytical, reporting and Data Warehousing solution provided by SAP BI System. Efficient use of reporting tool â€Å"SAP NetWeaver BI† and a web browser â€Å"SAP NetWeaver Portal†. Introduction to the ABAP programming language specifically used in SAP modules. Practical experience of using object oriented programming language, utilising the concurrency/multithreading concepts and implementation of Hash table in java for better performance and memory management purpose. Integration of SAP ECC6 with java application by the use of Remote Function Calls (RFC) modules from the java platform. Use of ASP.net programming language to create web based GUI application and adding a windows authentication for security. Creation and population data tables, views using SQL statements and design database diagrams in Microsoft SQL server. 7 Conclusions: In conclusion, an experience of a year placement at SCC has been invaluable and memorable moments of the life. It has been very beneficial providing knowledge of organisation structure, working environment and methodologies, customer services and development of both technical and personal skills. There is a strong belief that everything learned during this period will contribute in final year project on analysing requirements, managing time, selecting the suitable programming language and IDE for developing application, utilising new programming and testing methodologies. It will help in the accomplishment of future career goals i.e. to stand out as a successful developer in any competitive business market.   References and Bibliography: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Staffordshire County Council History http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staffordshire [accessed 09/04/2011] 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Staffordshire County Council (2011) Organisation Information staffordshire.gov.uk/yourcouncil/home.aspx [accessed 10/04/2011] 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence sap.com/services/education/catalog/netweaver/bi.epx [accessed 10/04/2011] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAP_NetWeaver_Business_Intelligence [accessed 10/04/2011]

Sociological concepts and perspectives from the media Essay

Sociological concepts and perspectives from the media - Essay Example Author and date: Jimmy Wales, 1 March 2011 Source: Guardian online newspaper at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/01/plagiarism-education-web-wiki-follies The central issue in this article is the problem of people using the web to find and copy material from and passing it off as their own in their academic works, in other words, the problem of plagiarism using web-based sources. It is shown that new online tools are now being used to detect such incidents. The Internet is blamed for fostering â€Å"a cut-and-paste culture of uncritical plagiarism†. The problem is particularly evident among school and university students who copy material directly from sites such as Wikipedia. Two such cases of plagiarism are mentioned involving prominent people. In the first, the German defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was found to have plagiarised parts of his PhD from the University of Bayreuth, and consequently resigned. In the second, Saif Gaddafi is mentioned as possibly also having plagiarised his PhD thesis at the London School of Economics. These cases were exposed using specially created wikis on a site named PlagiPedia to handle the large-scale collaborative effort. They used Google Docs earlier but it was found to be only suitable for small group collaboration. The first case took two weeks of effort led by the university â€Å"to identify the specific sections from this thesis that were lifted straight from other sources†. Over 40,000 comments and twelve hundred pages of details of the accusations were compiled. The media and computing professor at the university remarked how fast the revocation decision had been reached. Similar tools are also now available for exposing plagiarism in the media following the unveiling of a ‘churn engine’ called churnalism.com by Britain’s Media Standards Trust. Press releases can now be checked to find out â€Å"the extent to which they have been recycled, verbatim, in on line news articles†. The possibilities brought about by the new online tools are likened to the revolutions currently taking place in the Middle East in which sites such as Twitter and Facebook are playing significant roles. Whereas previously there were typically small committees of experts checking for plagiarism, it is now possible to allow larger collaborative efforts, which are far more effective. However, as pointed out, while such sites can help to initiate activism, ultimately it is the network of people who really know each other face-to-face that bring about the change. This articles highlights two points. Firstly, the ease with which people can plagiarism using web-based sources and secondly, the newer collaboration tools that now make it possible to detect issues of plagiarism. The first shows a modern form of deviance whereby people can get easy access to information and also think they can easily get away with it. The second demonstrates the powerful potential of online collaboration, which is a form of social interaction. In both cases, the Internet plays the central role as the medium of global information and communication. The issue also highlights the need to rethink educational practices and mass media reporting processes. Either plagiarism should be detected more readily to stamp out the practice or the seriousness of the issue should be seen as lending support for completely replacing coursework with exams. Article 2: Youth Culture

Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Ethics - Assignment Example The idea of isolation and possibly being hated by fellow students pains her very much making her at times to yell loudly and burst into tears. The teacher’s first suspect on the Denise case of the dead rat seemed to be a provoking kid and seem not to care much since she just looks very comfortable when the teacher glances at her. The information needed to resolve this dilemma is the reasons that could be the motive behind such mistreatment to Denise. The dilemma would only be solved when the key reasons as appear to why this harsh handling of Denise continues by the fellow students. The first solution is to seek on how to bridge the information gap by finding the right facts that would have played a role towards the mistreatment of Denise. This would unearth the core issues quickly. However, Johns, McGrath & Mathur (2008) indicate that striking an adequate information balance is difficult due to varying divergent views of each character. Unethical teacher behavior would provide the environment for poor behaviors amongst the students. There should be strict restrictions and punishments towards awkward behavior like putting dead rat into another student’s locker. This will instill discipline and order amongst the student. However, a few cases of such kind would still appear. Unethical teacher behavior would make it impossible to implement the solution. According to Paul (2012), there should be interactive sessions, for the students to interact freely and associate with each other with courage and confidence. A talk should be undertaken with the whole students’ fraternity to elaborate on the key significance of being each other’s brother’s keepers and the essence of peaceful coexisting

Media Studies †Relationship between a media genre and society Essay Example for Free

Media Studies – Relationship between a media genre and society Essay On one level, dystopian films have a direct relationship with society. By their very definition, dystopian films present a negative representation of a future or alternate society. They are often mis-labeled as science fiction films because of their futuristic setting but although here are obvious similarities, their overriding artisticness is more closely united to another genre: film-noir. Stylistically, many dystopian films hark back to the darkest times in Western Society’s recent past; indirectly referringto the struggles of the depression, the oppression of totalitarian governments and the horrors of World War Two, reinvented into a fictionalized, dark future. More recently, post 9/11 fears have informed the ideas of dystopian films. Wikipedia’s definition of ‘dystopia’ clearly illustrates this connection: A dystopia is any society considered to be undesirable and is most usually used to refer to a fictional (often near-future) society where current social trends are taken to nightmarish extremes. It is the second part of this definition that is particularity relevant to this essay –Dystopian films are inseparably connected to the society in which they are created, inducing a ‘nightmarish’ future by reflecting issues, concerns, fears or values that exist in the public consciousness of that particular society. The central premise of these films is of a world gone mad, sometimes through the greed, ignorance or stupidity of man, sometimes though external influences. These dystopian worlds may be shaped my social, technological, medical, environmental, political or economic forces. Within this environment, there is (usually) an individual who realizes the flaw and tries to challenge or rectify it. Depending on the filmmaker and the viewing ‘market’, it will either end happily, with the protagonist victorious; or not. Wikipedia’s definition concludes that, â€Å"a dystopian all too closely connected to current-day society.† Three dystopian films, created in different societies at different times, all display the connection between society and genre, albeit in very different ways. These films are Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1926), Andrew Nichol’s Gattaca (1997) and Alfonzo Cuaron’s Children of Men (2006). Metropolis is widely regarded as the first science fiction film, although it also can be seen as the blueprint for Dystopian films, Inspired by the skyline of 1920’s Manhattan, Lang created a throbbing, dystopian uber-city of the year 2000, where a decadent aristocracy thrives on the swear of laboring hoards underground. Filtered through both German Expressionism and Christian symbolism, this dark fairy tale pits man against machine, and the head against the heart. Metropolis can be easily read as a criticism of capitalism and the social and economic divisions in post WW1 Germany. Its resolution suggests a socialist solution, built on mutual respect and closer link between the ‘head’, and the ‘hands’ . An economically depressed post World War one German society, including an ambitious politician, Adolf Hitler, certainly identified this story with their own lives. Ironically, Jewish Lang’s criticism of the ranked nature of German society and how the downtrodden masses in the city of Metropolis turn quickly to violence is a visionary vision of the rise of fascism. The ideas behind Metropolis were drawn from contemporary German society, although it was Lang’s visit to New York in 1924 that inspired his city of the future. He described this first real metropolis as, â€Å"a street as if in full daylight lit by neon lights and topping them, oversized, luminous advertisements, moving, turning, flashing on and off, spiraling†¦the buildings seemed to be a vertical veil, shimmering almost weightless, a luxurious cloth hung from the dark sky to dazzle. â€Å"From this impression, Land and his designers shaped their futuristic city by blending of all the latest artistic trends, of which Germany was at the forefront: Art Deco, Surrealism and Expressionism. Here we see society’s influence on this work. Another important cinematic technological advancement was the revolutionary special effects of Eugen Schà ¼fftan, who created advanced visual displays widely acclaimed in following years. Among the effects used are miniatures of the city, a camera on a swing, and most notably, the so-called Schà ¼fftan process, the use of models and mirrors to create the illusion of varying scale, later also used by men such as Peter Jackson in his Lord of the Rings trilogy. The scene where Rotwang creates the robot Hel in Maria’s likeness still amazes as a masterpiece of special effects, as well as commenting on the possible negative effects of technology when placed in the wrong hands. Mid to early 20th century Dystopian fiction/films were largely concerned with totalitarian governments, faceless bureaucracy, surveillance and control issues. They were a reflection of the political chaos of the middle of the century, where World War Two, the advent of the Cold War and other global conflicts threatened the democratic way of life. Films such as On the Beach and Forbidden Planet all referenced the growing conflict between the Soviet Union and the USA, and the threat of ‘alien’ invasion and nuclear holocaust. New Zealand director Andrew Nicols Gattaca is set in a near-future America where, non-enhanced babies are born only to the poor and the sexually reckless. Those who can afford it consult with a genetic technician before initiating a pregnancy, and select their future childs traits for optimum success: sex, life expectancy, intelligence, and appearance. Children with pre-selected genes are classified at birth as Valids. They are the ruling elite, eligible for top careers and entitled to high social status. In-Valids labor at unskilled jobs with no way up or out. Clearly, the ideas of genetic selection has direct links to the ‘unlocking’ of the DNA Genome (Gattaca itself is named after the letters used in describing DNA) and the explosion of gene science taking place in the late ‘90’s. Gattaca acts as a warning to western society about this fast-advancing area of science, and where it could all lead. The film celebrates the stubbornness and cunningness of Vincent, an In-Valid, with a serious heart defect who defeats his genetically superior brother and the ‘system’ through determination and belief. Gattaca is a celebration of the triumph of human spirit over a pre-ordained existence. Like many other mainstream dystopian films, Gattaca’s narrative construct follows an individual’s struggle and victory against ‘the system,’ offering hope over defeat for its audience. It seems that most Dystopian films are aim to frighten and provoke. And what makes these films, and this genre work, is their ability to tap into the ideas and beliefs of contemporary society. As a rule, the more realistic and alarming a dystopia is, the more frightening and provoking it is. One such recent film that explores the possibilities and probabilities of its society’s future is Alfonzo Cuaron’s Children of Men. The 2007 film set in 2027 shows that for the past 18 years, no humans have been born, due to some medical disaster. It is the end of the human race and civilization has collapsed, apart from in Britain, where the film is set. However, to keep a semblance of order, draconian laws control who may stay in Britain†¦shades of pre-war Germany, where fear of outsiders is used to control the populated. What makes this film so plausible is not necessarily the plot but world that has been created around the characters and storyline. There are references to post 9/11 America and their government’s ‘Homeland Security Bill’, where the removal of freedoms by the government are justified for the greater good. This always leads to â€Å"the Uprising† of the deprived and downtrodden. Curaon populates this world with a present-day who’s who of ‘pressure groups’, which allow the audience to make connections with society. Like all dystopian films, Children of Men show how those things that already exist in our society could lead to if left unchallenged. Regardless of when these films are made, they take contemporary concerns of the society in which they are created and take them to a nightmarish conclusion. Philosopher Slavoj Zizek’s summaries of dystopian films do not point toward alternate reality, they simply make reality more that what it already is. The nightmare that we are expecting is here. This is a genre that has captured the imagination of the filmmakers and audiences alike as it is in our nature to speculate on where the events of today will lead. It is the creativity and imagination of the filmmakers that will determine how successful their vision is.

Wildfire Mitigation Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Forest Essays

Wildfire Mitigation Thesis: Politicians are proposing sweeping changes in bills, which have caused great controversy, in efforts to correct the problems that the Forest Service has faced in restoration projects. Are these bills necessary or is there a better solution that politicians are overlooking? Introduction: Humans have been changing the Western forests' fire system since the settlement by the Europeans and now we are experiencing the consequences of those changes. During the summer of 2002, 6.9 million acres of forests was burnt up in the West (Wildland Fires, 1). This figure is two times the ten year annual average, and it does not look like next summer will be any better (Wildfire Season, 1). Foresters have been trying to restore the forests back to their original conditions by thinning and prescribed fires but have encountered countless delays. Politicians are proposing sweeping changes in bills, which have caused great controversy, in efforts to correct the problems that the Forest Service has faced in restoration projects. Are these bills necessary or is there a better solution that politicians are overlooking? Changing Forest: The Western forests are drastically different from what they were like before the European settlement. In pre-European time, the forests were open and park-like with only 25-35 trees per acre surrounded by areas of open grasslands. One could easily ride a horse through the spacious forest. This, however, is not possible in today's forests. Today, for example the Ponderosa pine forests, have over 500 trees per acre, creating thick dense areas of trees, brush, and bushes (President Bush, 4). The pre-European forests were subject to frequent low inte... ...ewed 1 Nov. 2002 .<http://thomas.loc.gov/> Jungwirth, Lynn. "Opinion: Conservation is everyone's business." American Forest. Autumn 2002: 4. "Land of Fire." Scientific American Nov.2002: 10. Little, Jane. "Hogans of Hope." American Forest. Autumn 2002: 39-42. President Bush, George. "Healthy Forest: An Initiative for Wildfire Prevention and Stronger Communities." 22 Aug. 2002. Viewed 2 Nov. 2002.<http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/healthyforests/Healthy_Forests_v2.pdf>. "Step 1. Characterizations of the Watershed." Forest Service: 17 pars. Viewed 7 Nov. 2002. <http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/spl/south_platte_web/step_1.htm>. "Wildland Fires of 2002 Summary." National Fire News. 11 Oct. 2002: 1 pg. Viewed 2 Nov. 2002 .<http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html>. "Wildfire Season Heats Up Debate in Washington." Forest Source. Oct 2002: 1&5.

Ethics in Asia: a Study of Several Ethical Issues in Japan

Understanding Business Ethics in Asia: A Study of Several Ethical Issues in Japan, Indonesia and Mongolia Anggita Putri, Nasa Lkhagvasuren, Takashi Ushijima Brigham Young University International business ethics has been an issue researched and understood by companies, government entities, NGOs, and other institutions worldwide. Understanding business ethics becomes more important as entities understand the significance of cultural values in different countries.De George (1997) describes that as business is going global and cultural values are becoming more evident, it is â€Å"more urgent for agreement on common values that make world trade and commerce possible without any party feeling or being exploited†. This agreement on common values has been achieved on some scale and level; however, in many parts of the world, cultural values and circumstances usually still hold more weight in the decision process. This paper addresses several ethical values in three representative As ian countries: Japan, Indonesia, and Mongolia.The three countries are located in three different parts of Asia with difference in economy, social, and culture values. Therefore, each country has its own unique way of approaching and overcoming ethical issues. For each of the different issues, we will provide background information and history and then we will discuss and develop the issue. First, the paper will address Nabakari-Kanrishoku (Nominal Manager) which is an ethical issue in the workplace in Japan. Second, the paper will discuss gratification giving in local and national government which is a prevalent ethical issue in Indonesia.Last, the paper will talk about the development of ethical standards in Mongolia. The conclusion of the paper will summarize the importance of understanding cultural aspects while implementing ethical standards in different countries, and discuss a few ethical theories that will help frame the ethical issues discussed. Japan Background Information Since the birth of the idea of Capitalism, a conflict of interests has existed between employers and employees. In general, employers’ genuine best nterest is to maximize their profits; whereas, the employees’ interests are to receive wages out of the least work hours. However, without regulations, laws, or rules, historically, the conflict has tended to favor the employers. Therefore, working long hours has been one major ethical issue in workplaces all over the world, especially in capitalistic countries. Nabakari-Kanrishoku (nominal manager)-hereinafter referred to as NK- is a unique phenomenon in Japanese society which represents the working-long-hours ethical issue in Japan.Labor Standard Act (hereinafter referred to as LSA) prohibits that working hours exceed 40 hours per week unless (1) the agreement exists between the employer and the employee and approved by municipalities (Article 36) or (2) the employer pays overtime rate to the employee (Article 37). Ethica l Issues in Workplace in Japan: Nabakari-Kanrishoku (Nominal Manager) The dilemma exists between employers and employees under recession. Employers have to make sure their business runs appropriately and generates a sufficient amount of profits.In the case of a recession, employers/companies have to cut costs significantly because increase of revenue is rarely expected. In general, the large amount of expenditure is labor costs; therefore, cut labor costs, such as layoffs, increase the workload of each employee. However, the increase of workload often causes overtime work for each employee and the increase of overtime premium adversely affects the cut labor costs (Mizuno, 2012). Therefore, employers/companies have to face the dilemma of how extensive their cut labor costs will be while also dealing with the increase in employee workload and overtime work.Responding to such a dilemma, NK emerged in the Japanese business society as a loophole of LSA when Japan started experiencing rec ession in the 1990s. LSA states that management representatives are not subjected to the work-hour regulation ratified by LSA article 32, which stipulates 40working-hours per week as a legal ceiling of weekly working-hours (Article 41). Therefore, some employers/companies promote and consider managers as management representatives to avoid the weekly working-hours regulation in order to have them overwork without an overtime premium.Those management representatives are often not credited with any authorization or allowance for the position. The media sarcastically began to call these management representatives â€Å"Nabakari-Kanrishoku† (nominal managers). Unethical Consequences of Nabakari-Kanrishoku The major reason why NK is an ethical issue is that employers/companies tend to force NK to overwork. LSA is set up for balancing employer and employee interests to protect employees’ health and human rights. Then, the relationship between employers and employees tends to favor the employers side without LSA regulation because of its power balance.NK is not protected by the LSA weekly working-hour regulation, so they are highly likely to overwork. The research conducted by JILPT (Japan Institute for Labor Policy and Training) indicates that most managers (60. 2 percent of department chief and 53. 4 percent of department head) feel their workload cannot be accomplished within their given working-hours (40 hours per week) so overwork is unavoidable (Ogura, 2009). NK’s overwork often leads to two types of unethical consequences. One is that employers/companies do not pay an adequate amount of wages to employees who are NK and overworked.The other is that overworking NK’s damages their health and causes them to be non-workable. Both types of unethical consequences are exposed by the lawsuit of McDonald Japan in 2008. Mr. Hiroshi Takano, former store manager of the McDonald Kousaka Branch, overworked for 136 hours in a month at maximum and worked 63 days in a row (Yashiro, 2009). Even though he had worked many hours as a store manager, he did not receive a premium and his wages ended up on the same level as his subordinate’s wages, who received overtime premium every month (Yashiro, 2009).After being overworked, he was diagnosed with an asymptomatic cerebral infarction due to overwork and lack of sleep. Under such condition, employees cannot have a healthy, balanced life. The lack of healthy, balanced life then leads to negative impacts on their performance in the workplace; therefore, employers/companies must avoid utilizing NK as their labor cost cut strategy in ethical and business management terms. When working at a Japanese Bar, Murasaki, one employee was obviously an NK.He was expected to work and run the bar even if there were enough employees to operate. He always overworked and rarely took a day off. He ended up quitting his job when he fell sick due to overwork, and the bar experienced a tough situati on after he quit. Murasaki’s unethical management not only damaged one employee, but also its business administration. Indonesia Background Information Similar to any other developing country, corruption is a prevalent ethical issue in Indonesia. Corruption takes many forms and is practiced in all levels of government.Because Indonesia is a country with many islands with over 30 provinces, corruption is more common in some areas than in others. Srinivasan (2012) argued that there are two major categories of ethical issues: societal, that consists of widespread corruption and weak legal enforcement systems, and organizational, that consists â€Å"of creating corporate cultures within organizations that breeds ethical conduct†. Both of these categories have happened in government institutions throughout Indonesia.Some major changes that the Indonesian government has made are: replacing employees, especially government institution managers that are guilty of corruption, c hanging the internal system and procedures of the institution, and encouraging citizens to help institution managers and staff to avoid corruption. One form of corruption that is very common in Indonesia is called gratification. Gratification in Local and National Government in Indonesia After the democratic revolution in 1998, Indonesia faced several presidential changes.When the current president was elected, he formed a national committee of corruption eradication (Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi or KPK) to eliminate corruption from all levels of government. Since it was formed, the committee has been able to identify and investigate corruption cases from top managers in the government. In 2010, the committee also did a survey to assess public sector integrity on a local and national level. The committee specifically focused on gratification cases using these indicators: the monetary value of gratification, as well as the time, the meaning , and the purpose of gratification giving.T he committee found that among 50 government institutions on both the national and local level that were surveyed, 24 of them have a lower integrity rate than the appointed standard integrity rate for the survey. Most institutions out of the 24 surveyed were at the local level. The giving of gratification happens when citizens pay extra fees to the institution’s staff other than the established fees to quicken and complete their documentation process or to obtain certain permits so that they don’t have to wait in line or to wait for a few days.The research also found that gratification often happens at the beginning of the documentation process. Gratification frequently occurs when obtaining citizenship cards and building permits. For example, if a certain company wants to obtain a building permit, a representative of the company would give extra money to one of the staffs that process the document to either make sure that building permit is ready within one day or to n ot disqualify the company if it misses some required papers.The committee also discovered that the working environment of institutions has an effect on whether citizens are likely to be involved in gratification giving. The committee argued that uncomfortable service environments and incomplete information cause citizens to be reluctant in processing their documents. This possibly creates external procedures by using a middle-man or giving gratification money to the institution’s staff. Overcoming the IssueDe George (1997) quoted these sentences from the Wall Street Journal: â€Å"In May 1996, the United States proposed that the â€Å"World Trade Organization (WTO) outlaw bribery on government projects. In reply, the Indonesian Trade and Industry Minister Tunky Ariwibowo said: â€Å"We do not have common standards on issues like corruption†¦ Any effort to relate them to trade will be detrimental to the functioning of the WTO in the future' (Wall Street Journal 6 May 1 996: A14)†. As a comment to that reply, an editorial writer from the Wall Street Journal wrote a column entitled â€Å"Is Corruption an Asian Virtue? Corruption is clearly not an Asian virtue. De George continued to say that â€Å"both the Wall Street Journal's question and the statement by the Indonesian Minister exemplify deep misunderstandings and differences between the two, and between the groups they represent†. It is clearly difficult to pinpoint what kind of ethical values should be the same for every country because there are different factors that contribute to the development of the economy and society of a country. In the research done by the national committee of corruption eradication, 56 percent of citizens believes that gratification is not acceptable.However, many of the citizens do not fully understand the meaning of gratification, the ethical consequences of the issue, and are not assertive enough in stopping the practice. Most citizens agree that gr atification is illegal and that it is something which needs to be eliminated in order to create a system that is fair and effective for every citizen. Therefore, trainings and campaigns are needed for both the government institutions and the citizens in order for each group to support the discontinuation of gratification giving. Mongolia Background Information Mongolia is a landlocked country with a population of three million people.Mongolia was under strong Russian and Soviet influence; therefore, Mongolian politics followed the same patterns as the Soviet politics of the time. After the breakdown of communist regimes in Eastern Europe in late 1989, Mongolia saw its own democratic revolution in early 1990, which led to a multi-party system, a new constitution in 1992, and a transition to market economy. The growth of the economy attracted more attention from foreign investors, whose interest in investing in the country has recently skyrocketed due to the discovery of rich minerals in MongoliaEthical dilemmas in the work field did not become a big issue until 1990.It was difficult for a lot of Mongolians to adapt to changes in the work field because people were used to being told what they should do at work. The Development of Ethical Standards in Mongolia As in any other country, gaining a deeper understanding of the Mongolian attitude towards business ethics depends to a large extent on knowledge of the local market condition and historical background. According to IMF, The Mongolian economy is growing rapidly from 9% to 14. 4%. With continuing economic progress and interest growth from foreign investors, business ethics are likely to increase in importance.Because some actions may be considered moral in one culture and viewed unethical in another, it is important to understand the ethical values of other countries. Choi & Zuzaan (2011) in Journal of Applied Ethics conducted a survey that identified the action and behavior of role models as a principal infl uence on unethical behavior in Mongolia. The result of the survey indicated that 45. 6 percent of the respondents said that unethical practices exist in their industry and 25. percent of the respondents wanted to eliminate cheating customers, dishonesty in making or keeping a contract, miscellaneous unfair competitive practices, and dishonest advertising. Giving of gifts, gratuities, and briberies are very common in Mongolian business practice, but 10. 7 percent of the survey respondents want to eliminate this unethical practice. Most international comparison agencies indicate that Mongolian companies make less effort in instilling ethical practices in their employees than in other Asian firms. However, the majority of managers in Mongolia (60. 8 percent) think their companies make an effort to some extent.The survey results show that nearly half of the companies rely on a code of ethics and do not think that companies put enough effort into building ethical values in their organiza tions. If companies can put more effort into building ethical values in their organizations, they will be more successful in implementing their organization’s ethical values and feel more responsible to local communities. It is not uncommon for business managers to experience conflicts between their personal ethical beliefs and the interest of their companies. Almost half of company managers have experienced this type of conflict in their career.More than half of the managers responded that they would act depending on the situation. One of the main reasons managers make unethical decisions is often related to personal financial needs. As the Mongolian economy continues to develop, this is expected to diminish. Looking to the Future How is today’s level of ethical standards in Mongolia compare to ten years ago? Half of the respondent managers said that it has gotten better. For example, before the 1990’s transition period, it was common for Mongolian children to drop out of school in order to help their parents herd privatized livestock.Helping parents with livestock was given greater importance than education because it helped families accumulate wealth. Conversely, 90 percentof the total populations are high school or university graduates today. The transition resulted in making education more important in society and introducing ethics in school. Hopefully this gradual development will lead to a higher business ethic in society in the long run. Because Mongolia is a developing country, the country will continue to struggle with ethical values in the business field.However, Mongolians have already started to practice codes of ethics and training employees in ethics. Old, Mongolian tradition, the remaining tradition of the Soviet period, and the transitional process influences how Mongolians view their personal and business ethics. As the Mongolian economy grows and progresses, an increase in building ethical value will also come along wit h all the other practices. Conclusion Ethical theories, such as utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, and social contracts can also play into the decision making process. For example, the bribery case in Indonesia can relate to disclosure decision criteria.Think about if those that have been involved in bribery think twice before doing so and ask a question whether this decision will affect image and reputation if it goes public. They may have avoided giving gratification money and would encourage others not to do so. Take another example, what if the nominal managers use the dignity decision criteria? They may not force their employees to work long hours because it would mean treating the employees as a mean to an end in themselves, not just as a means. As discussed above, three different Asian countries presented different ethical issues.Nominal Manager may be a prevalent ethical issue in Japan but it may not be in Mongolia. Gratification giving is very common in Indonesia bu t it may not be in Japan. De George (1997) argued that each economy is a combination of the country’s political system and cultural values. Consequently, ethical justifications differ from country to country. He further gave an example of Confucian values, which include â€Å"co-operation over competition; community over the individual; paternalism over the market; long-term over shortterm interests; harmony over conflict; and loyalty, harmony and respect over their opposites†.These values could appropriately explain the transition in countries that uphold those values and why some countries, especially in Asia, view some ethical issues differently than other countries References Choi, T. , & Zuzaan, B. (2011). Business Ethics in Emerging Markets: Evidence from Mongolia. Ramon Llull Journal of Applied Ethics 1:89-120. De George, R. T. (1997). Ethics, Corruption, and Doing Business in Asia. The Asia Pacific Journal of Economics & Business 1. 1: 39-52, 114. Direktorat Pe nelitian dan Pengembangan. (2011).Integritas Sektor Publik Indonesia Tahun 2010: Fakta Korupsi Dalam Layanan Publik [Public Sector Integrity of Indonesia Year 2012: Corruption Facts in Public Sector]. Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi [Committee of Corruption Eradication]. Health, Labour, and Welfare Ministry of Japan. (n. d. ). Soumusho Hourei Deta Teikyou Shisutemu [Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry of Japan's Legal Data Providing System]. Retrieved 10 18, 2012, from Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry of Japan: http://law. e-gov. go. jp/htmldata/S22/S22HO049. html Mizuno, Y. (2012, 1 10).Roudou Jikan House no Kadai to Kaikaku no Houkousei [The working-hour legal problems and the direction of the restructure]. RIETI Discussion Paper Series, 1-11. Ogura, K. (2009). Kanrishoku no Roudoujikan to Gyoumuryou no Oosa [The Amount of Managers' working-hours and Workload]. Nihon Roudou Kenkyu Zasshi [Japan Labour Research Journal], 73-87. Srinivasan, Vasanthi. (2011). Busine ss Ethics in South and South East Asia. Journal of Business Ethics: 73-81. Yashiro, A. (2009). Naze Nabakari Kanrishoku ga Umareru no ka? [Why nominal managers emerged? ]. Nihon Roudou Kenkyu Zasshi [Japan Labour Research Journal], 38-41.

`` Belle Isle `` By James Scott Memorial Fountain - 947 Words

Belle Isle has been a point of controversy for Detroiters for as long as it has existed. The public park once was a point of protest in 1940, when an argument over a canoe led to the police beating of a black man. The beautiful James Scott memorial fountain, which stands as a major attraction on Belle Isle to this day, is no exception, and was the subject of much scrutiny. The ideals of Detroiters, and their working spirit is a stark contrast to those of James Scott, and the fountain is not at all representative of who they are. Although the James Scott Memorial may fulfill its purposes as a centerpiece for the island and as an everlasting tribute to Scott, it is not representative of Detroit, its principles, or its people. James Scott was a wealthy man, born in 1831, who inherited a large sum of money from his father. He then used that wealth to invest into real estate, and made his fortune. His methods were often less than savory, and according to reports, â€Å"Scott tried to in timidate his competitors and, if that did not succeed, he sued them. † Although Scott’s methods were not the best, they were not illegal, as many assumed. In response to allegations that the money used was tainted, one of Scott’s few colleagues publicly responded in a newspaper, saying that â€Å"The [illegible] that Mr. Scott possessed at the time of his death was left to him by his father, Judge Scott, who died about 60 years ago†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He further elaborated that instead of squandering the inheritance, like