The Modern Prometheus Essay Example for Free

The Modern Prometheus Essay Such is the subtitle that accompanies Mary Shelley’s classic, Frankenstein. We’ve all heard of the famous monster created by Dr. Victor Frankenstein. But, not many know why the story is subtitled, â€Å"Or, The Modern Prometheus†. In fact, many may not even make the connection to the story of the ancient Greek god who brought fire to humans, his own creation, and was eternally punished for it. However, rhetorical analysis reveals quite a few similarities between the characters, and proves Shelley’s subtitle to be accurate. Both stories deal with topics of overstepping limits, harsh consequences, and lessons learned, which contribute to the overall theme of â€Å"don’t go against the rules of nature†; thereby validating the Prometheus allusion. The topic of overstepping limits stands out as one of the most obvious similarities in both stories. Victor Frankenstein was obsessed with unlocking the â€Å"mysteries of creation†. He expresses this by saying, â€Å"I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet.†For Frankenstein, this is an immoral act that goes against all the laws of nature, as he is in no position to be performing this practice. He is overstepping his limits as a mortal by performing the action of an immortal; essentially, he’s â€Å"playing God†. Shelley uses this as an allusion to the Legend of Prometheus. Prometheus was affectionate of his creation, man. For them, he stole fire from the heavens and gifted it to them, much to Zeus’s dismay. Here as well, Prometheus overstepped his limits by taking from a higher deity, just as Frankenstein did in a different way. Shelley uses this allusion to show that both characters have gone farther than their morals dictate, both through the underlying theme of creation. Blinded by their ambition towards creation, they both went against the laws of nature; Frankenstein through the actual practice of creation, and Prometheus through gifting the fire. By overstepping their limits, both Frankenstein and Prometheus have set themselves up for some severe repercussions to their actions. Of course, disturbing the laws of nature has some pretty harsh consequences. Both characters endure punishment for their actions. After abandoning his creation, Dr. Frankenstein is tormented by the monster murdering his brother, William. Frankenstein finds this out via a letter, in which his father exclaims, â€Å"William is dead! That sweet child, whose smiles delighted and warmed my heart, who was so gentle, yet so gay! Victor, he is murdered!†Frankenstein’s torture continues as the monster murders more of his loved ones, including his friend, Henry, and his wife, Elizabeth. This ends up being another allusion to Prometheus; as after finding out he stole fire from the gods, Zeus sentenced Prometheus to eternal punishment. He was to be bound to a rock and have his liver pecked out. His liver grew back each day, so he would have to endure this for all of eternity. Shelley uses this allusion to forward the point that one must suffer for breaking the laws of nature. Her allusion emphasizes that breaking these rules are fundamentally wrong, and that the perpetrators must pay for their wrongdoings. Through their misery, both characters learn their lesson, with each character being tested in a different way. Frankenstein is put into a situation where he is asked to craft a mate for his monster, but at the last minute destroys his new creation. The mental suffering he endured from his first creation killing his loved ones taught him to think twice before tampering with something he cannot control. This too is a cleverly crafted allusion to Prometheus, as Zeus ordered one of the gods to create a woman of stunning beauty, who was also capable of lies and deceit. He offered this goddess, Pandora, to Prometheus as a companion. However, Prometheus refused this gift, â€Å"knowing only too well that nothing good would come to him from the gods.†He learned not to take any more things from the gods. This allusion shows that the characters have indeed realized that going against nature can only have adverse effects, and emphasizes the point that going against these fundamental laws is wrong and immoral. They realize that ignorance towards these laws can have painful consequences, and that it’s just not worth it. Frankenstein had to learn this the hard way, as did Prometheus. In conclusion, Mary Shelley’s allusions to the Legend of Prometheus in her novel, Frankenstein, are totally valid and both apply to breaking the laws of nature. Both characters were involved with creation and suffered the consequences. After enduring grueling mental and physical punishment, each character also proved that they learned a valuable lesson. We can see that Frankenstein is a modern retelling of the Legend of Prometheus. Time and time again, Frankenstein is tortured by the adverse effects of creating life, and learns that going against the laws of nature can only lead to pain and suffering. He proves this by refusing to finish his monster’s bride, just as Prometheus refused to take Pandora from Zeus. Indeed, Mary Shelley’s decision to subtitle her book, â€Å"Or, The Modern Prometheus† is appropriate and allusive.

The Living Dead Essay -- The Return of the Living Dead Horror Films Es

The Living Dead Since the beginning of film, people have been spellbound by horror movies. They seem to excite the viewer with emotions of fright, excitement and thrill. And since there have been horror movies there have been monsters to bring fright to the viewers during and after the movie. A common monster that can be found in multiple films is the zombie; also know as the living dead. One of the greatest living dead directors and screenplay writers would have to be George A. Romero. From his famous trilogy of living dead movies his final installment, Day of the Dead, proved to the world that zombies can be just as scary as any other horror monsters. He was thought as the only horror director that could make a good horror picture with the living dead. Then in 1985, a director and screenplay writer by the name of Dan O’Brian created the movie, The Return of the Living Dead, which regenerated the genre of the living dead. The Return of the Living Dead and Day of the Dead, both share a common theme that the living dead will always prevail over the living. The Return of the Living Dead begins with Freddy on his first day on the job at a medical supply store. Freddy and a coworker unintentionally release a nerve gas from a secret U.S. military canister. Before they realize what they have done the dead in the shop start coming to life. Thinking the problem can be solved by disposing of the evidence in the store they ask a cremator to burn the bodies. When he agrees and the bodies are burned, unknowing to them the fumes from the smoke cause the gas to rain around the surrounding cemetery. Unfortunately a group of teenagers are partying in the cemetery when the dead start rising from their graves. Before anyone ... ...ach other in the wilderness. So again in indirect ways the living dead have triumphed over living by making them run away from everything they know, into a primitive life environment. Therefore throughout the entire movie the living dead triumphed over the living. The theme that the living dead will always overcome the living is displayed throughout the movies The Return of the Living Dead and Day of the Dead. Both movies showed that this theme came in both direct and indirect contact from the living dead. Most importantly both of these movies created a creature that could not be contained by the living. This puts fright back into the viewer that if one of these stories became true we would have no way of stopping the living dead. So the next time someone makes a joke about the dead coming to life remember that if it does happen this is no hope for mankind.

Extended Marketing Mix

The extended marketing mix (7Ps) The marketing mix is the combination of marketing activities that an organisation engages in so as to best meet the needs of its targeted market. Traditionally the marketing mix consisted of just 4 Ps. For example, a motor vehicle manufacturer like Audi: * Produces products that are of the highest quality and fit for the needs of different groups of consumers, * Offers a range of cars at value for money prices, depending on the market segmented they are targeted at, Sells the cars through appropriate outlets such as dealerships and showrooms in prime locations, i. e. in the right places, and * Supports the marketing of the products through appropriate promotional and advertising activity. The marketing mix thus consists of four main elements: 1. Product 2. Price 3. Place 4. Promotion. Getting the mix of these elements right enables the organisation to meet its marketing objectives and to satisfy the requirements of customers. In addition to the tradit ional four Ps it is now customary to add some more Ps to the mix to give us Seven Ps. The additional Ps have been added because today marketing is far more customer oriented than ever before, and because the service sector of the economy has come to dominate economic activity in this country. These 3 extra Ps are particularly relevant to this new extended service mix. The three extra Ps are: 1. Physical layout – in the days when manufacturing dominated the UK economy the physical layout of production units such as factories was not very important to the end consumer because they never went inside the factory. However, today consumers typically come into contact with products in retail units – and they expect a high level of presentation in modern shops – e. g. record stores, clothes shops etc. Not only do they need to easily find their way around the store, but they also often expect a good standard or presentation. The importance of quality physical layout is important in a range of service providers, including: * Students going to college or university have far higher expectations about the quality of their accommodation and learning environment than in the past. As a result colleges and universities pay far more attention to creating attractive learning environments, student accommodation, shops, bars and other facilities. * Air passengers expect attractive and stimulating environments, such as interesting departure lounges, with activities for young children etc. * Hair dressing salons are expected to provide pleasant waiting areas, with attractive reading materials, access to coffee for customers, etc. * Physical layout is not only relevant to stores, which we visit, but also to the layout and structure of virtual stores, and websites. . Provision of customer service – customer service lies at the heart of modern service industries. Customers are likely to be loyal to organisations that serve them well – from the way in which a telephone query is handled, to direct face-to-face interactions. Although the ‘have a nice day' approach is a bit corny, it is certainly better than a couldn't care less approach to customer rela tions. Call centre staff and customer interfacing personnel are the front line troops of any organisation and therefore need to be thoroughly familiar with good customer relation's practice. . Processes – associated with customer service are a number of processes involved in making marketing effective in an organisation e. g. processes for handling customer complaints, processes for identifying customer needs and requirements, processes for handling order etc The 7 Ps – price, product, place, promotion, physical presence, provision of service, and processes comprise the modern marketing mix that is particularly relevant in service industry, but is also relevant to any form of business where meeting the needs of customers is given priority.

Essay about Homosexuality Nature Versus Nurture - 2099 Words

HOMOSEXUALITY: NATURE VERSUS NURTURE Nature; all things belong to Mother Nature; the trees, the flowers, insects, the great waters, animals, and even the human race; all following the laws of nature that we are instinctively born with. However somewhere along the line something or someone defies those laws and go against what nature intended. Whether or not this rebellion is fostered by nurture, or if there is an exception to the laws that Mother Nature has set forth is a question that psychologist and many people have encountered and most have yet to find the answer. Homosexuality has been thought of as being something that some are born with and others believe it is a learned behavior. Whether or not nature or nurture is the cause†¦show more content†¦However that would prove to be furthest from the truth. Growing up Brenda couldn’t understand why she liked doing things that boys were doing and why as an adolescent she became attracted to girls and not boys. Eventually Brenda would learn the truth of her true identity and what he had been going through with Dr. Money and his â€Å"experiment†; a life experience that would ultimately lead to his committing suicide (McKenna, Kessler, Tiefer, and Schober, 2002). Subjecting individuals to such traumas can prove to have a psychological hold on people who have to endure such horrific episodes in their lives. Sexual trauma and early exposure to sexual activity is another argument in the quest to determine the roots to homosexuality. There are so many young girls today that start out with sexual activity at an early age; some as early as ten years old. Over time these young ladies are exposed to sexual activity such as oral sex, group sex, and same-sex gratification. They have allowed themselves to be misused by men, for lack of guidance, and find that blaming the men for their broken hearts is an easy way to act on their curiosities about same-sex relations. With the rise of same-sex parenting it is only natural for one to assume that such behavior displayed in the home would raise questions to rather or notShow MoreRelatedDevelopment Across the Life Span: Nature Versus Nurture Essay examples1666 Words   |  7 PagesDevelopment Across the Life Span: Nature versus Nurture Barry University What is Nature versus Nurture? Development across the lifespan is one of the most interesting areas of psychology. The word development refers to human development which can be defined as â€Å"the scientific study of changes that occur in people as they age from conception until death.† (Ciccarelli, amp; White, 2009)Psychologists study this developmental change over time through several different methods. The book highlightsRead MoreEssay on Human Development: Nature vs. Nurture1393 Words   |  6 PagesThe nature versus nurture debate is an old issue within the field of psychology. â€Å"The nature-nurture issue is a perennial one that has resurfaced in current psychiatry as a series of debates on the role that genes (DNA) and environments play in the etiology and pathophysiology of mental disorders† (Schaffner) The debate is essentially about what is inherited (nature) and what is experienced by environmental factors (nurture) and how they affect human development. Naturally, the nature versus nurtureRead MoreHomosexuality: Nature or Nurture811 Words   |  3 Pageswith development across the human lifespan is the theory of â€Å"Nature versus Nurture†. It is an unsolved debate that has been around for centuries. It covers a broad spectrum of topics from intelligence to emotions, or in this case homosexuality. Although homosexuality is often thought of as a trait that is â€Å"genetically determined†, many others disagree and argue that it is rather a learned behavior (Lathe, pg. 20) Is it nature or nurture that causes this so-called â€Å"abnormality†? Or does it depend onRead MoreNature vs Nurture739 Words   |  3 Pagesthis opportunity as an experiment to test his nurture theory of gender identity. What are the expected results of this experiment, assuming that th e nurture theory is valid? Given that this nurture theory is valid, the expected results of this experiment is that Brenda (who was formally Bruce) will grow up thinking that she was born a female and will throughout her entire life spam portray only idealistic female roles. 2. According to the nurture theory, predict the gender identity Bruce wouldRead MoreEssay about Child Development, Nature vs Nurture801 Words   |  4 Pages. The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest issues in psychology. The debate centers on the relative contributions ofgenetic inheritance  and  environmental factors  to human development. Some philosophers such as Plato and Descartes suggested that certain things are inborn, or that they simply occur naturally regardless of environmental influences. Other well-known thinkers such as John Locke believed in what is known as  tabula rasa, which suggests that the mind begins as a blank slateRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture : A Debate Within Psychology1344 Words   |  6 Pages1 Kaeezs Mark Lee F. Tonda PSY 100 Nature Vs. Nurture There s a debate within psychology about whether certain aspects of behavior are genetic or learned characteristics. Certain physical characteristics are genetic, like color of eyes, hair type, and skin color. Other things like driving, talking, or tying your shoes are learned. People wonder if personality and mental abilities are genetic or learned. There are good arguments for both the nurture, and nature side of these three issues: intelligenceRead MoreNature vs. Nurture Essay1987 Words   |  8 PagesKeith Mierzejewski Methods of Critical Thinking Research Paper December 11, 2010 Nature vs. Nurture One of the most enduring debates in the field of psychology is the controversial idea of nature vs. nurture. Throughout the endless history of the debate, no clear conclusion has been met, only hypotheses have been formed. At the center of the debate, human behaviors, ideas, and feelings are being determined, whether they are learned or inherited. Determining physical traits, such as eye colorRead MoreNature Vs Nurture : Nature And Nurture928 Words   |  4 PagesAs mentioned briefly in my self-introduction post, the nature-nurture portion of our textbook is the one part of this course I stated I looked forward to the most. I have always found myself engaged in a constant internal battle regarding nature versus nurture. Adding to this internal battle is the fact that I am married to an identical twin†¦a twin who drastically differs from his brother in several ways. These differences between my husband and his twin have resulted in my questioning if theRead MoreNature vs Nur ture: Do Genes Or Environment Matter More? Essay1037 Words   |  5 Pageswill be forever or if the society they grow in creates all of their attributes. This nature versus nurture debate affects many aspects of life, including the treatment of serial killers and psychopaths, and recognition of emotional and mental disorders, the acceptance of homosexuality, and even video game regulation. The nature theory states that only a person’s genes develop their personality, while the nurture theory states that personality is developed only because of the impact of societyRead MoreThe Nature of Development Essay2289 Words   |  10 Pageswork. They are shaped by parents, peers, and biology. From their mannerisms, to the way their chin points, nurture and nature affect every aspect of human life. There is a debate brewing in the psychological, sociological and scientific communities over which of these two have the higher influence. While most of the members of these communities acknowledge the fact that both nature and nurture affect development, some believe that only one solely determines certain aspects of life, such as gender

Interview with a Manager - 2122 Words

| MANAGER INTERVIEW | | | Introduction: â€Å"Leadership is understanding people and involving them to help you do a job. That takes all of the good characteristics, like integrity, dedication of purpose, selflessness, knowledge, skill, implacability, as well as determination not to accept failure† (Burke 1995). The purpose of this paper is to interview a manager from an organization and find out the leadership styles she uses to effectively manage the staff there. This paper also looks at the approach she uses toward employment satisfaction, how she motivates the employees and analyzes the different approaches she uses in her job. The manager that I interviewed works in Loui Cafà © in Penn University. Her name is Bobby Hill and she†¦show more content†¦If everyone worked equally aiming towards the same goal, the employees will be satisfied with their job and in turn the customers will be happy with the service they received. Laura L. Paglis and Stephen G. Green states in the article, â€Å" Leadership Self-Efficacy and Managers Motivation for Leading Change† that leadership efficacy helps in building the relationship of the manager with the employees, gaining their commitment to the organization to change goals that have been set, and overcome any problems that they face along the way. It has been found that managers with higher self-efficacy are more likely to initiate efforts into achieving the set goals for the organization (Paglis et al, 2002). Ms. Hill works as a transactional leader in the cafà © as she sets goals and rewards or punishes the employees according to their performance in the job. She helps them achieve their potential by training them to work effectively. While aiming for customer satisfaction, she also makes sure that the employees are satisfied with the work environment and the co-workers they work with and gives them employee benefits appropriately. Mark A. Griffin, Malcolm G. Patterson and Michael A. West point out in the article, â€Å"Job Satisfaction and Teamwork: The Role of Supervisor Support† that job satisfactions depends on three main factors; the organization and formation of the group, the process that the group uses to get their work done andShow MoreRelatedInterview HR Manager1004 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Kierra Johnson February 24, 2015 Interview of a HR Manager / Specialist For my interview of a HR manager or specialist I chose to interview someone from a popular company who has a plant local to where I live in Oxford, PA. I interviewed Eric Maholmes the Human resource director for Tastycake which is now Flowers Baking Company of Oxford, Inc. I asked Eric a variety of questions from his educational background, to his duties as director, and what the hardest parts of his job are. MrRead MoreSport Manager Interview941 Words   |  4 PagesSport Manager Interview Paper For my Sport Manager Interview I interviewed Mr. Matt Seibring who is an Assistant Director in Competitive Sports. I asked Mr. Matt questions that related to his job and basically to help prepare and give me advice for my career plans in the future. In the Assistant Directory role they have professional staff that reports all information and how everything is going throughout the work day. Mr. Matt manages the coordinators and has to make sure all of the supervisorsRead More Manager Interview Essay1137 Words   |  5 PagesI chose to interview Regina Geis, who holds the administrative role as acting supervisor for the County Mental Health adult day program, which provides services for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Ms. Geis has held this position for 15 months. This is her first managerial position within a human service agency. Her style of management has changed over this short period of time. She feels that she is now more direct with her direction with staff. She stated, â€Å"Maybe now I come across asRead MoreCase Manager Interview1193 Words   |  5 PagesCase Manager Interview Case Manager: Merventine Scott Organization: Family and Youth Services Assessment and reassessment 1. When clients are referred to your organization, what process or procedure is followed to assess your client (such as psychological, social, medical, et cetera)? When clients are referred to Family and Youth Services an initial assessment is performed, which includes information on a clients demographics, residential status, income, insurance coverage, mental or medicalRead MoreNursing Manager Interview649 Words   |  3 PagesThe Nurse Manager Name here South University The Nurse Manager Responsibilities of nurse manager Nurse mangers is the leader of a specific department or unit of a healthcare facility. The nurse manager is responsible for recruitment and retention of the nursing staff, collaborating with other health care providers on patient care, and assisting patients and their families when needed. The nurse manager works with administration communicating and interpreting the facility’s policies and proceduresRead MoreEssay on Interview a Manager577 Words   |  3 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The manager interviewed for this assignment was Chief Warrant 3 Linwood Bowers, the Chief of the Personnel Support Directorate of the White House Communications Agency (WHCA). Chief Bowers has held his present position for four years. The focus of the interview was the unique challenges of good communication. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;One of the unique challenges Chief Bowers has had to face is the different language that permeates throughout the organizationalRead MoreA Interview On My Sales Manager Interview1766 Words   |  8 PagesI structured this paper by giving you the insight about all the question I asked and the responses I received, ending it off with the list of facts I learned and knowledge I gained throughout the interview. For my sales manager interview I was fortunate enough to interview Chad Keaton, a wealth management advisor and a managing director of Northwestern Mutual. Mr. Keaton graduated from East Tennessee State University in 1989 with Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing. Moreover, he joinedRead MoreManager Interview Paper2066 Words   |  9 PagesManager Interview Paper Job satisfaction, Motivation and Leadership in the Workplace Introduction As a business major, I surround by numerous success stories from internet, magazines and visiting business professionals in different lectures. They all achieve a certain kind of success although they may have totally different background, organizational culture and management style. Therefore, it is hard for me to find the common point behind their successes. When I start to learn organizationalRead MoreManager Interview Report3580 Words   |  15 PagesTHE INTERVIEW REPORT DESCRIPTION On October 20th, 2011 I had the opportunity to interview Mrs. Thuan Mccular in Texas Woman’s University, Denton Texas. Mrs. Thuan Mccular is the Information Technology Service Manager of Texas Woman’s University, Denton Texas. Her major duties and responsibilities are to ensure that, the university technical support service is very effective and more so, she manage employee’s relations matters and salary administration of her department. Mrs. MccularRead MoreInterview : The Successful Hr Manager Essay1138 Words   |  5 PagesInterview # 2 Date: 03/21/2016 Interview Transcript Interviewee: What are the characteristics that make you a successful human resources manager? Interviewer: The successful HR manager ... is a leading figure, distinct, very important, have the status of reference to all of the project, which contains figures and team members who have different backgrounds. There are varying obstacles and many challenges for the HR manager to overcome and, therefore, he must have the knowledge to manage these challenges

Dictatorship to Democracy Overnight in Indonesia - 1315 Words

Dictatorship to Democracy Overnight Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia that was under a military dictatorship for 32 years. The dictatorship era started after the failure of communist coup d’à ©tat by Indonesia’s Communist Party in 1966. General Suharto, the one who had the biggest role in failing the coup d’à ©tat, ousted the first president and established an autocratic anti-communist regime known as the New Order, which attracted political and economic support from Western governments during the Cold War. At the beginning of this era, he said he would practice a kind of semi-direct democracy, while later, even the news in newspapers was controlled by the government. His era was ended in 1998 by a huge student revolution and riots†¦show more content†¦In contrast to the New Order era government’s reaction to separatist movements in Indonesia, the reformation era government in its early days made a mistake by giving a referendum to East Timor, a province in central Indonesi a that had longed to form its own country since the New Order era. The referendum was to stay with Indonesia or to stand as an independent country, and the province chose the latter choice. This influenced other provinces that are not satisfied with the reformation era government due to the centralized development in certain parts of the country to start separatist movements. Even though Indonesia was led by a dictator during 1966-1998, there were still elections during the period. The election at that time was to elect one of the three political parties to get their members as new members of House of Representatives. Since there were only three political parties, each time there was going to be an election, the campaigns never ended up in chaos and the election ended in peace. After General Suharto was ousted in 1998, there was some kind of a â€Å"party craze†, everyone intended to make their own political party, without any limitation from the government. Consequently, in the 1999 election, people had to choose from 48 political parties. It could be imagined how a country that was still very unstable after a revolution, had an election with tons ofShow MoreRelatedThe Cause of Globalization18688 Words   |  75 Pagesrole of political institutions ranging from trade unions to constitutional systems (Garrett Lange, 1995). I offer a brief analysis of these perspectives with respect to three prominent classes of variables: levels of development, the extent of democracy, and the balance of power between the left and right. The strongest result is that 946 COMPARATIVE POLITICAL STUDIES / August-September 2000 countries at higher levels of development are more likely to open their borders to the internationalRead MoreInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 PagesFor example, we continue to increase emphasis on emerging markets and the importance of now recognized global leaders such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China—the so-called â€Å"BRIC† economies—as well as the â€Å"second wave† emerging markets, such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and other countries in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. We have also included the most current insights on the role of technology in global business and the increasing importance of corporateRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pages9 9,800 10 Other Americas Total 263,625 Chinese and Sino-descendants Living Outside of China Place of Residence Manchuria Thousands % of Total Pop. 47,560 98 Thailand 3,690 16 Malaysia 2,452 34 Indonesia 2,000 2 Vietnam 1,000 4 Singapore 893 68 Burma 300 1 Cambodia 218 4 Philippines 149 1 United States 118 0 All Others 170 Total 58,550 Indians and Indo-descendants Residing OutsideRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesculture: when there is insufficient conflict Understanding the purpose of the organization and embedding it in the culture Critical theory and psychoanalysis present challenging perspectives for organizational design Social democracy and the democratic organization Democracy, rationality and power A psychodynamic perspective on design – create the boundaries Critical theory and psychoanalysis challenge understandings of leadership and management Conclusions 330 330 332 332 332 339 340 341 342

Support And Business Intelligence Systems - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Support And Business Intelligence Systems. Answer: Business Intelligence Every business organisation has to perform various functions to operate its business. The accounting function is one of those functions which has its own significance for the business. It includes collecting, analysing and recording the relevant business data in financial terms. Accounting function facilitates the maintenance of records of all the important elements of the business such as assets, liabilities, revenues, expenditures etc. The function of accounting therefore supports the business by providing necessary information to the business managers to make sound economic decisions. Previously, the accountants were manually involved in handling the accounting function. Due to the wide range of accounting activities such as collecting, recording, summarising, interpreting, analysing and reporting the data in the form of financial reports the accountants used to find it quite cumbersome. But, with the advancement of the technologies in the recent era, the accounting function has b ecome easier to be undertaken by the business managers in limited time with more accuracy. The development of business intelligence has contributed immensely to reduce the complexities of accounting function. Business intelligence is the concept that is technology driven (Chen, Chiang Storey, 2012). It is used to analyse the data and present the actionable information that aids business managers, executives and other users from corporate end in making informed decisions for their business (Negash, 2004). Business intelligence encompasses a wide range of tools, methodologies and advanced applications which facilitate collection of the useful data for the business organisation, from various sources within and from outside the business. The tools of BI can be used to create various statistical reports and data visualisations so that the results can be analysed and made available to the corporate decision makers. The potential benefits of the BI tools lies in accelerated and improved decision, increased operational efficiencies and optimised internal business processes. In the area of accounting function business intelligence plays great role. It has facilitated improved decision making by providing right financial information on the right time to the management of the business so that they can take required actions on time. It involves developing those systems and processes which can collect, transform and consolidate the internally or externally generated organisational data in the data warehouses that is easily accessible. The application of business intelligence helps the business managers in analysing the complex accounting data and hence it is majorly used as analytical tool by the organisations these days. The analysed data helps the business managers in understanding the financial results of its important transactions and events. The information provided by the use of important tools of business intelligence facilitates improved decision making (Turban, Sharda Delen, 2011). With the use of business intelligence various accounting functions can be performed in the shortest possible time with greater accuracy. The concept of business intelligence is even broader than the technology as it provides wide range of tools to support the accounting and financing of the business. It not only helps in analysing the financial but also non-financial data that is important to operate business successfully. The traditional accounting software that were used before the introduction of business intelligence were based on the core principles which could deliver income statement, balance sheet and the cash flow statements but they could not deliver insights for effective management of business. Therefore, the firms used to get trapped down by the huge time that was consumed for editing and working with the static data that used to be reported by these software. However, the tools of business intelligence functions in dynamic manner to provide more actionable information regarding the financial performance of the firms. Thus it makes available the real time data with no time lag. Also, business intelligence often uses the tools like key performance indicators to allow the managers to assess the current financial position of the business and thereby recommending the appropriate course of action (Elbashir, Collier Davern, 2008). The implementation of BI also facilitates the prompt availabilit y of financial data so that the quick actions can be taken on the correct time without the delays. Before the development of business intelligence tools the business managers had to wait for the accountants to provide them relevant financial information which was typically provided on the annual basis (Anandarajan, Anandarajan Srinivasan, 2012). Therefore, business intelligence has enabled the firms to quickly respond to the changes that occurs in the financial condition of the company (Williams Williams, 2010). The implication of Business intelligence may threaten few accounting roles in respect to production of management information but at the same time, it also offers new opportunities to develop the projects in the areas of finance transformation. The implementation of business intelligence tools and applications to the business also releases the capacity of management accountant to adopt decision support roles so as to improve the overall decision making. With the increased complexities of businesses in the current era, the need for management and financial information has increased and business intelligence has successfully evolved to serve those information needs. Business intelligence has matured itself as a technology and has expanded its scope to cover the analytical and reporting tools and also the performance measurement tools that can be used by the accountants (Watson Wixom, 2007). The use of BI tools and methodologies can create competitive advantage for the companies over the similar firms operating in the same industry. Business intelligence is also appreciated because of its cost effectiveness. The implementation of business intelligence technologies can enable the management accountants to provide a broader range of information to the users in easily accessible formats. The BI software not only facilitates the reporting and monitoring of accounting information but also supports forward looking analysis by combining financial as well non-financial data (Turban, Sharda Delen, 2011). It also releases accountants from the rigorous reporting cycle to accept decision supportive roles. Therefore, it can be concluded that the development and implementation of business intelligence in the accounting function has not resulted in the reduced role of accountants. Rather, it has made them more responsible towards the strategic objectives of the business. These management accountants are now required to perform strategic functions and they are no more the mere spectators in the organisation which has adopted the business intelligence. Overview of Ransomware attack 2017: Wannacry is one of the major cyber-attacks that occurred in May, 2017. A crypto-worm named as wannacry was involved in this attack to disrupt the functioning of organisations which were using Microsoft windows as their operating systems. The malware encrypted the important data of various corporate bodies and then demanded ransom in the form of crypto-currency termed as Bitcoin to release the significant data of the victims (Mohurle Patil, 2017). The main organisations that were majorly impacted by the attack were from Ukraine, India, Taiwan and Russia. The National Health Service organisations were also severely affected by the Wannacry attack (Perlroth, Scott Frenkel, 2017). Key risk areas which can be exposed to the Ransomware attack: Patients health: The most critical area which can be affected by the Ransomware attack as the patients of the hospitals can be injured due to such attacks either temporarily or permanent. These attacks may result into performance of inadequate medical acts or the turning off typical medical devices that were actively functioning before the attack. Records of patients: The management of the hospital maintain important records containing the valuable data of its patient including their names, addresses, health issues involved and the information regarding the medical service provider. Since, these records are generally maintained on the electronic basis, they are more prone to the cyber-attacks (Gordon, Fairhall Landman, 2017). Health care services: The healthcare services provided by the hospitals are its major asset. Potential disruption of such services can devastate the health of its patients. Intellectual property assets: The data regarding experimental procedures for the surgeries, results of tests and studies, the information regarding the drugs formula etc. is of high value for the team conducting research work in this medical organisation and also it may be of important for the external parties like other researchers or foreign pharmaceutical competitors. In the events of cyber-attacks such as Ransomware attack the research work of years could disappear. Organisational reputation: The reputation of health care organisation and the medical professionals is highly dependent on their functioning. If the overall functioning of hospital is disrupted due to such cyber-attacks than it will adversely affect the credibility of the institution if it exposed to the general public. Impact on the Ransomware attack on the above identified areas: Disturbed health of patients: The most critical area which can be adversely impacted is the heath of the patients of hospital who can be injured temporarily or permanent as a result of such cyber-attacks. The direct impact of such attacks could be experienced in the inadequate performance of respective functions by the hospital staff towards their patients. Loss of sensitive and significant data and intellectual assets: The valuable records containing significant information of the patients can hamper the performance of the organisation as the absence of necessary data could cause extreme confusion among the hospital staff regarding their clients. Loss of credibility: The disruption from the cyber-attacks can cause severe dissatisfaction among the patients and their relatives which impedes the goodwill of the medical institution in the market. Loss of competitive advantage and sabotage: In the event of non-fulfilment of demands of the attackers the data is exposed to the external world. Consequently, such highly sensitive and valuable data could be revealed to the local competitors or pharmaceutical companies of foreign competitors. Legal repercussions: The loss of sensitive data regarding the patients can call for governmental interventions in the form of heavy penalties and fines. Cyber security controls that can be implemented to protect hospitals from Ransomware attacks: Implementation of antivirus programs: The system users of the hospital organisation must make sure that their systems are duly protected by the authentic antivirus program which is regularly and successfully working in the system so as to prevent and detect any cyber-viruses in their operating systems (Martin, Martin, Hankin, Darzi Kinross, 2017). Use of up to date software: The medical staff must ensure that only those devices are purchased from the market and used in the regular operations that are totally updated to incorporate the most recent security features in such devices. Implementation of firewalls: A firewall is the system of network security that works as a barrier between the authorised and unauthorised network. The hospitals must implement such firewalls to prevent any unauthorised person or event to access the systems of the organisation so as to protect the sensitive and confidential data kept in the electronic mode (Kruse, Frederick, Jacobson Monticone, 2017). Use of unique identification numbers for devices: The computer systems and other medical devices must be password protected so that they can be accessed by the authorised users only. Adequate training to the hospital staff: The employees of medical institutions must be given adequate training to maintain the cyber-security (Luo Liao, 2007). 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