Management Information System Essay Example for Free

Management Information System Essay Question 1 : In the 21st century, information technology has emerged as the fundamental technology of business. Explain how it has helped business and state examples of real time situation which you have read about of experienced. Decision Support, Problem Analysis and Overall Control Business managers often need to make decisions that can affect the business fortunes one way or other. For example, a company with sales outlets or distributors spread over a wide geographic area might want to optimize the logistical operations of delivering merchandise to the outlets. The best solution might be affected by numerous factors such as demand patterns, availability of merchandise, distances involved and the option of using external carriers (who can find two way loads and might prove a lesser cost option over long distances) instead of own vehicles. While it might be possible to use complex mathematical formulas by hand to compute the best solution, computers transform the whole process into a routine task of feeding certain information as input and obtaining suggestions for best solutions as output. The task can typically be done in a few minutes (instead of hours or even days) and it becomes possible to examine several alternatives before deciding upon one that seems most realistic. Identifying problems and analysing the factors that cause them also has been transformed by modern computer information systems. In a typical MIS environment, standard reports are generated in a routine manner comparing actual performance against original estimates. The software that generates the report can be instructed to highlight exceptions, i.e. significant variations between original estimates and actual performance. Managers will thus become aware of problem areas in the daily course of their work simply by looking at the reports they receive, without having to do detailed data collection and computations themselves. Identifying the factors responsible for the problem can also be routinized to some extent by using such tools as variance analysis. Variance analysis is an element of standard costing system that splits deviations from estimates (or standards) into causative factors such as increase in price of materials used, excessive usage of materials, unexpected machine downtimes, etc. With such a detailed report, managers can delve deeper into the problem factor, such as why there was excessive usage of materials. Control is also exercised through variance analysis. Budgets are prepared for all business operations by concerned managers working in a coordinated fashion. For example, estimated sales volumes will determine the levels of production; production levels will determine raw material purchases; and so on. With good information system management, it then becomes possible to generate timely reports comparing actual sales, production, raw material deliveries, etc against estimated levels. The reports will help managers to keep a watch on things and take corrective action quickly. For example, the production manager will become aware of falling sales (or rising sales) of particular products and can prepare to make adjustments in production schedules, and purchasing and inventory managers will become quickly aware of any mounting inventories of unused materials. MIS thus enhances the quality of communication all around and can significantly improve the effectiveness of operations control. Effective MIS Involves Humans and Computers Working together The major aspect to note is that MIS provides only the information; it is the responsibility of concerned managers to act on the information. It is the synergy between efficient, accurate and speedy equipment and humans with common sense, intelligence and judgment that really gives power to MIS. As a chartered accountant with business management qualifications and decades of exposure to business in senior to top level positions, Gopinathan helps small to medium businesses with new business start-up, business performance improvement and marketing. He uses structured business modelling techniques to help with all these, and has launched a business support website to provide the help in a convenient manner irrespective of geographical distances and boundaries. Significance Information technology has grown to permeate the business world, affecting how companies make and market their products, as well as how people communicate and accomplish their jobs in modern organizations. Specialized software shapes best-practices and industry standards, continually changing the face of business in almost every way. Information technology management includes many of the basic functions of management, such as staffing, organizing, budgeting and control, but it also has functions that are unique to IT, such as software development, change management, network planning and tech support. Generally, IT is used by organizations to support and compliment their business operations. The advantages brought about by having a dedicated IT department are too great for most organizations to pass up. Some organizations actually use IT as the centre of their business. Positive Impact on Business: First off, I.T. affects how businesses go about with their usual routine. For instance: the technology allows companies to go paperless, depending only on digital databases to store important data. Many pundits see this as a risk; isn’t digital data flimsy and unreliable, they ask. But the shift offers several benefits as well—including reduction in operational cost, since the business no longer has to buy or rent space or equipment just to store data. Information Technology also affects the accuracy of business operations. When a company uses a computerized accounting system instead of relying on a real live accountant, they eliminate (or, at the very least, significantly reduce) human error. And because such systems allow for faster operations, the company’s workers can concentrate on more pressing tasks. The impact of the Management Information System The impact of MIS on the functions is in its management. With a good MIS support, the management of marketing, finance, production and personnel becomes more efficient, the tracking and monitoring the functional targets becomes easy. The functional managers are informed about the progress, achievements and shortfalls in the activity and the targets. The manager is kept alert by providing certain information indicating the probable trends in the various aspects of business. This helps in forecasting and long-term perspective planning. The manager attention is brought to a situation which is exceptional in nature, inducing him to take an action or a decision in the matter. A disciplined information reporting system creates a structured database and a knowledge base for all the people in the organization. The information is available in such a form that it can be used straight away or by blending and analysis, saving the managers valuable time. The MIS creates another impact in the organization which relates to the understanding of the business itself. The MIS begins with the definition of a data entity and its attributes. It uses a dictionary of data, entity and attributes, respectively, designed for information generation in the organization. Since all the information systems use the dictionary, there is common understanding of terms and terminology in the organization bringing clarity in the communication and a similar understanding of an event in the organization. The MIS calls for a systemization of the business operations for an effective system design. This leads to streamlining of the operations which complicate the system design. It improves the administration of the business by bringing a discipline in its operations everybody is required to follow and use systems and procedures. This process brings a high degree of professionalism in the business operations. Since the goals and objective of the MIS are the products of business goals and objectives, it helps indirectly to pull the entire organization in one direction towards the corporate goals and objectives by providing the relevant information to the people in the organization. A well designed system with a focus on the manager makes an impact on the managerial efficiency. The fund of information motivates an enlightened manager to use a variety of tools of the management. It helps him to resort to such exercises as experimentation and modelling. The use of computers enables him to use the tools and techniques which are impossible to use manually. The ready-made packages make this task simpler. The impact is on the managerial ability to perform. It improv es the decision making ability considerably. Communications Technology Leveraging advances in communications technology is imperative to surviving in the modern business world. Advances in cellular phone technology have revolutionized the way businesspeople communicate with clients, employees, suppliers and strategic partners. The Internet has revolutionized the marketing function in addition to opening up a wide range of communication options. Modern smartphones are changing the game yet again with the introduction of new and innovative applications. A small business owner can now access a web-based customer relationship management service on a smartphone from anywhere in the world, for example, allowing him to obtain vital data about contacts before making calls. Accessibility By making communication more convenient, communication technology has helped to make communication more accessible, especially long-distance communication. Through various computer-mediated communication methodscommunication done through the use of a computer, such as email, instant messages, and social networking websitesyou can easily and instantly communicate with people in other cities, states and countries. This is vastly different from early forms of long-distance communication. Early forms of long-distance communication included the use of homing pigeons and/or runners to carry a message to its destination. How long a message would take before reaching its destination depended on the distance between the person sending the message and the person receiving the message. Mass Communication Organizations, like schools and businesses, use electronic communication to share information with a large number of people. Businesses can send mass emails to employees in order to inform workers about things like rule changes and important meetings. Many academic institutions use mass communication in order to maintain a well-informed campus. In case of an emergency, such as a spreading fire or presence of an armed assailant, mass communication can quickly inform people of the situation, giving enough notice to allow people to take the necessary actions to stay safe. Computer-mediated communication can be socially beneficial. For people who are socially awkward, computer-mediated communication such as online forums and chat rooms can help create a more fulfilling social life. For example, someone who fails at personal relationships because he speaks before thinking about the consequences has more control with Internet communication. He can read back his statements before posting, which will likely reduce the number of awkward moments the person creates. Communication technology offers other benefits, as well. Dating websites, for instance, can relieve some of the frustration involved with dating by allowing you to view the profiles of potential dates so you can determine who is the best match for you. This can save you both time and heartbreak. Considerations While information technology solutions can contribute to the success of your organization, there are a number of unique costs to consider. In addition to the cost of implementing an IT solution, you must employ highly educated and specialized workers to maintain, monitor, expand and repair your IT infrastructure. Question 4 : The role of hospital has changed from medical assistance to health care. What are the important information systems required to be considered while implementing front-end application development for hospital management? HOSPITAL INFORMATION SYSTEM (HIS) A hospital information system (HIS) is essentially a computer system that can manage all the information to allow health care providers to do their jobs effectively. These systems have been around since they were first introduced in the 1960s and have evolved with time and the modernization of healthcare facilities. The computers were not as fast in those days and they were not able to provide information in real time as they do today. The staff used them primarily for managing billing and hospital inventory. All this has changed now, and today hospital information systems include the integration of all clinical, financial and administrative applications. Modern HIS includes many applications addressing the needs of various departments in a hospital. They manage the data related to the clinic, finance department, laboratory, nursing, pharmacy and also the radiology and pathology departments. The hospitals that have switched to HIS have access to quick and reliable information including patients’ records illustrating details about their demographics, gender, age etc. By a simple click of the mouse they receive important data pertaining to hospital finance systems, diet of patients, and even the distribution of medications. With this information they can monitor drug usage in the facility and improve its effectiveness. Many hospitals have as many as 200 disparate systems combined into their HIS. Hospital information systems have become very advanced and new innovations are continuously being introduced. But a HIS is useless if it confuses the hospital employees. The system must be user friendly and should include training by the vendors. A good HIS offers numerous benefits to a hospital including but not limited to the delivery of quality patient care and better financial management. The HIS should also be patient centric, medical staff centric, affordable and scalable. The technology changes quickly and if the system is not flexible it will not be able to accommodate hospital growth. COMPONENTS It can be composed of one or a few software components with specialty-specific extensions as well as of a large variety of sub-systems in medical specialties * Laboratory Information System (LIS) * Radiology Information System (RIS) * Clinical Information System (CIS) * Nursing Information Systems (NIS) * Pharmacy Information System (PIS) SOFTWARE COMPONENT Software Component is a system element offering a predefined service or event, and able to communicate with other components. It should be : * Multiple-use * Non-context-specific * Compostable with other components (inter relationship with other components) * Encapsulated i.e., non-investigable through its interfaces * A unit of independent deployment and versioning Laboratory Information System (LIS) Laboratory Information System (LIS) is a software based laboratory and information management system that offers a set of key features that support a modern laboratorys operations. Those key features include but are not limited to workflow and data tracking support, flexible architecture, and smart data exchange interfaces, which fully support its use in regulated environments. The features and uses of a LIMS have evolved over the years from simple sample tracking to an enterprise resource planning tool that manages multiple aspects of laboratory informatics. Due to the rapid pace at which laboratories and their data management needs shift, the definition of LIMS has become somewhat controversial. As the needs of the modern laboratory vary widely from lab to lab, what is needed from a laboratory information management system also shifts. The end result: the definition of a LIMS will shift based on who you ask and what their vision of the modern lab. Radiology Information System (RIS) A radiology information system (RIS) is a networked software suite for managing medical imagery and associated data. An RIS is especially useful for managing radiological records and associated data in a multiple locations and is often used in conjunction with a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) to manage work flow and billing. An RIS has several basic functions: Patient management * An RIS can track a patient’s entire workflow within the radiology department; images and reports can be added to and retrieved from electronic medical records (EMRs) and viewed by authorized radiology staff. Scheduling * Appointments can be made for both in- and out-patients with specific radiology staff. Patient tracking * A patient’s entire radiology history can be tracked from admission to discharge. The history can be coordinated with past, present and future appointments. Results reporting * An RIS can generate statistical reports for a single patient, group of patients or particular procedure. Film tracking * An RIS can track individual films and their associate data. Billing * An RIS facilitates detailed financial record-keeping, electronic payments and automated claims submission. Clinical Information System (CIS) Clinical Information System is a collection of various information technology applications that provides a centralized repository of information related to patient care across distributed locations. This repository represents the patients history of illnesses and interactions with providers by encoding knowledge capable of helping clinicians decide about the patients condition, treatment options, and wellness activities. The repository also encodes the status of decisions, actions underway for those decisions, and relevant information that can help in performing those actions. The database could also hold other information about the patient, including genetic, environmental, and social contexts. Features : * access the medical literature * ask clinical or administrative questions of aggregates of patient data, * receive automatic warnings or suggestions when the patients data satisfy certain logical rules * receive critiques when proposing therapies or ordering diagnostic tests, * access guidelines for standards of care * analyse trade-offs and the likelihood of alternative outcomes (decision analysis) * receive lists of differential diagnoses Nursing Information System (NIS) Nursing information systems is a type of health care management system. It helps nurses use their nursing skills and computer knowledge within a health care environment. A nursing information system has different features and benefits. Features Nurses can self-schedule work hours based on their work shift and departmental needs. Staff nurse managers or nursing administrators can review each nurses schedule and make approvals. Another nursing information system feature includes documenting patient care plans. Benefits One nursing information system benefit includes saving time. For instance, nursing managers can confirm a nurses work availability without contacting each nurse. Nurses can review a patients treatment plan when working outside the office, such as a home care nurse. Pharmacy Information System (PIS) Pharmacy information systems (PIS) are complex computer systems that have been designed to meet the needs of a pharmacy department. Through the use of such systems, pharmacists can supervise and have inputs on how medication is used in a hospital. Some of the activities which Pharmacy Information Systems have been employed in pharmacy departments include: Clinical Screening The Pharmacy Information System can assist in patient care by the monitoring of drug interactions, drug allergies and other possible medication-related complications. When a prescription order is entered, the system can check to see if there are any interactions between two or more drugs taken by the patient simultaneously or with any typical food, any known allergies to the drug, and if the appropriate dosage has been given based on the patient’s age, weight and other physiologic factors. Alerts and flags come up when the system picks up any of these. Prescription Management The Pharmacy Information System can also be used to manage prescription for inpatients and/or outpatients. When prescription orders are received, the orders are matched to available pharmaceutical products and then dispensed accordingly depending on whether the patient is an inpatient or outpatient. It is possible to track all prescriptions passed through the system from who prescribed the drug, when it was prescribed to when it was dispensed. It is also possible to print out prescription labels and instructions on how medication should be taken based on the prescription. Inventory Management Pharmacies require a continuous inventory culture in order to ensure that drugs do not go out of stock. This is made even more difficult when there are multiple dispensing points. When don manually it is very difficult to maintain an accurate inventory. Pharmacy Information Systems aid inventory management by maintaining an internal inventory of all pharmaceutical products, providing alerts when the quantity of an item is below a set quantity and providing an electronic ordering system that recommends the ordering of the affected item and with the appropriate quantity from approved suppliers. Patient Drug Profiles These are patient profiles managed by the Pharmacy Information System and contain details of their current and past medications, known allergies and physiological parameters. These profiles are used for used for clinical screening anytime a prescription is ordered for the patient. Report Generation Most Pharmacy Information Systems can generate reports which range from determining medication usage patterns in the hospital to the cost of drugs purchased and /or dispensed. Interactivity with other systems It is important that Pharmacy Information Systems should be able to interact with other available systems such as the clinical information systems to receive prescription orders and financial information system for billing and charging.

Importance of hand washing

Importance of hand washing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the main causes of transmission of infection is contaminated hands. Routine hand washing is one of the most effective measures used to prevent or control this transmission of infectious diseases. To ensure its effectiveness however, specific techniques needs to be carried out. The following are some of the topics which will be addressed: The importance of hand washing Proper hand washing techniques Short-term alternatives to hand washing Promoting good hand hygiene The Importance of Hand washing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hand washing is an important technique in removing or reducing the number of microorganisms from the hands. This in turn will reduce the potential transmission of these microorganisms directly to others or to surfaces where they can be picked up by others. Washing of ones hands will also decreases the risk of transmission of infectious agents to self. Hand washing is especially important among healthcare workers. â€Å"Contaminated hands of health care workers are a primary source of infection transmission in health care setting† (Perry and Potter, 2009, p.655). Of equal importance is also hand washing among young children. In this instance it can help prevent common illnesses such as the flu and help them stay healthier.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some of the most common diseases that can be spread through hand to hand contact are infectious diarrhea, the flu, the common cold and also some intestinal disorders. This can affect people who are more vulnerable to infectious diseases such as those with reduced defenses including the elderly or even very young children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other consequences of not washing the hands or improper washing of hands includes food related illnesses for example E.coli infection or salmonella. These conditions can also lead to intestinal problems which can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Effective Hand washing Techniques   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hands should be: washed under running water, using a single dose of liquid soap or antiseptic; vigorously rubbed together for 10-15 seconds; rinsed thoroughly under running water and dried with a disposable paper towel (Gould D.Drey, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hand washing technique may sound simple, but to be effective it must be done correctly. Gould D.Drey (2008) made reference to Feldmans criteria which was developed to evaluate hand hygiene technique. Some of the criteria listed in the article were; whether soap bubbles appeared, the absence of environmental contamination by avoiding splashing and coverage of the hand surfaces.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another evaluation technique mentioned by Gould D. Drey (2008) was done by Taylor who according to the article, nurses were persuaded to perform their hand washing routine with their eyes shut. A dye was then used to show the parts of the hand that had not received contact. In this instance if parts of the hand did not receive contact during washing this was a sign of inadequate hand washing. Short-Term Alternatives to Hand washing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"In addition to hand washing with antiseptic products, hand disinfection also includes the use of alcohol containing waterless hand sanitizers† (Handwashing, Cover story, 2002). The article further went on to say alcohol was an effective alternative when water or towels are not readily available. The availability and convenience of hand sanitizers and antimicrobial gels can also increase compliance in hand cleansing particularly in instances where soap and water are not readily available. Promoting Good Hand Hygiene   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to promote good hand hygiene some of the reasons for being non-compliant must be addressed. Lack of time and a heavy workload were stated as barriers to hand hygiene compliance (R. Baret and J. Randle, 2008). This is mostly evident among health care workers. Some of the things that can be done to improve non-compliance includes; effective communication and education about infection control, reminders posted visually to promote good hand hygiene, conveniently located dispensing equipment with hand sanitizers, only to list a few.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Practicing good hand hygiene prevents the transmission of nosocomial infections which are only acquired while in heath care facility. Not only are the health care workers to wash hands but encouraging patients and their visitors to do the same will to continue the cycle of infection control. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The practice of hand washing is no longer only a means of personal hygiene but an important measure of infection control. The incidents of transmitting infectious disease can be minimized by ensuring that hands are washed after using the restroom, before and after eating, when hands are visibly dirty or contaminated, after contact with animals or other persons intact skin, after contact with body fluids, after contact with inanimate objects and the list is not redundant by any means.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A major way to reduce the incidents of transmitting infections is to think of frequent hand washing, not to be optional but as a rule. Secondly, always keep in mind that the use of gloves does not eliminate the need to wash hands. To protect your health it is recommended you wash your hands as often as necessary.

The Three Little Pigs (From The Wolfs Point Of View) :: essays research papers

The Wolf Who Wanted a Friend One day I was walking through the meadow, feeling very sad and lonely. I wanted a friend to spend time with. My mother sent me out to play, but I couldn't find anyone to play with. I looked everywhere until I came to a house made out of straw. I knocked on the straw door, and a little pig answered and told me to go away! I thought that was very rude of him. I told the little pig that I wanted to come inside and play. The little pig said, "Not by the hairs of my chinny chin chin!" I was so sad. Just as I was about to walk away my dumb allergies started acting up. I sneezed so hard that I blew the house down. The little pig ran away and I ran after him, trying to tell him I was sorry. He ran to his brother's house and I knocked again. This time they both told me to go away. I almost cried! I just wanted to play with them. They told me, "Not by the hairs of our chinny, chin, chin!" I turned to walk away and just then, I sneezed so hard that my hat blew off my head. I turned back to get my hat and sneezed again! This time I blew the house of sticks down. I was so embarrassed! My friends, the pigs, came running out of the rubble, and scampered away. I ran after them to ask if they wanted to play catch. They ran into another house. This one was really nice. It was made out of bricks. I knocked on the door and they told me to go away again! I started to cry. When I cry a lot, I sneeze a lot. I sneezed and sneezed and sneezed some more. I heard them laugh at me! I started to get mad and wanted to tell them to stop, so I climbed on to the roof of their house and tried to yell into their chimney, but I slipped and fell right in.

Protection From Abuse And Neglect :: essays research papers

Protection From Abuse and Neglect I have recently been elected in a new statewide project in Minnesota to create and provide leadership in a small scale voluntary association for children . The focus of the small scale association is based on the United Nations General Assembly that adopted a Convention on the rights of the Child. It is a program to provide information and knowledge on the substantive right for "Protection from abuse and neglect" designed specifically for children. The right states that " the State shall protect the child from all forms of maltreatment by parents or others responsible for the care of the child and establish appropriate social programs for the prevention of abuse and the treatment of victim". The purpose of the new state-wide small scale association is to inform children through first-hand knowledge and example on the protection from abuse and neglect. The substantive right is very important for children to know and understand in case they, or someone they know is ever involved in an abusive situation. The small scale association is limited to children so they can feel free to express their experiences and ask questions openly to others without having to worry about adult supervision. This may interest children to comment on situations and on general conversation that they normally would be scared to ask their parents. I feel that this is relevant to children in today's society because these situations of abuse and neglect occur in many households, and children either do not know their rights or fail to take action to them. The kinds of topics and issues discussed in the association and in connection with children's rights will vary according to importance. The beginning stages of the meetings will consist of examples and definitions of what abuse and neglect constitute. We will then as a group apply what we know to everyday situations in which these forms of maltreatment by parents or others responsible for them. Next we would apply these situations to the substantive right for Children according to what the United Nations Generally assemble established. In connection with the "Bill of Rights" and through discussion, children will learn that they might have been involved in a situation of abuse or neglect and failed to realize it. This gets aback to the focus of the small scale association which is to inform children what the "Protection from abuse and neglect" really means and what they can do about it. After the early stages of the meetings where we introduce the substantive right, the group will become further involved in field trips and

Immigraton Laws Essay -- essays research papers fc

Immigraton Laws The first immigrants to the territory now the United States were from Western Europe. The first great migration began early in the 19th century when large numbers of Europeans left their homelands to escape the economic hardships resulting from the transformation of industry by the factory system and the simultaneous shift from small-scale to large-scale farming. At the same time, conflict, political oppression, and religious persecution caused a great many Europeans to seek freedom and security in the U.S. The century following 1820 may be divided into three periods of immigration to the U.S. During the first period, from 1820 to 1860, most of the immigrants came from Great Britain, Ireland, and western Germany. In the second period, from 1860 to 1890, those countries continued to supply a majority of the immigrants; the Scandinavian nations provided a substantial minority. Afterwards the proportion of immigrants from northern and Western Europe declined rapidly. In the final period, from 1890 to 1910, fewer than one-third of the immigrants came from these areas. The majority of the immigrants were natives of Southern and Eastern Europe, with immigrants from Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Russia constituting more than half of the total. Until World War I, immigration had generally increased in volume every year. From 1905 to 1914 an average of more than a million immigrants entered the U.S. every year. With the start of the war, the volume declined sharply, and the annual average from 1915 to 1918 was little more than 250,000. In 1921 the number again rose; 800,000 immigrants were admitted. Thereafter the number declined in response to new conditions in Europe and to the limitations established by U.S. law. The first measure restricting immigration enacted by Congress was a law in 1862 banning American vessels from transporting Chinese immigrants to the U.S.; 20 years later Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act excluding Chinese immigrants.(Immigration) In 1875, 1882, and 1892, acts passed by Congress provided for the examination of immigrants and for the exclusion from the U.S. of convicts, polygamists, prostitutes, persons suffering from contagious diseases, and persons liable to become public charges. The Alien Contract Labor Laws of 1885, 1887, 1888, and 1891 prohibited the immigration to the U.S. of persons entering the country t... ...ion (Rumbaut, 617). Despite evidence to the contrary, many Americans still believe immigration to be harmful. This is simply not the case. As stated, legal immigrants provide a benefit not only to themselves, but also to native people. Though the problem of illegal immigration must be addressed, it should be done in such a way as not to discourage legal immigration. America was founded and populated by people from other countries. We must continue this if we expect to survive in the 21st century. BIBLIOGRAPHY Blotnick, Srully. "Unleashed (Immigrant Professionals)." Forbes 26 Jan. 1987: 108. Mandel, Michael J. "The Immigrants: How They are Helping to Revitalize the U.S. Economy." Business Week 13 July 1992: 114-18. "Immigration," Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1994 Microsoft Corporation. Copyright (c) 1994 Funk & Wagnall's Corporation. "Pending Legislation", www.usbc.org/surveys/npg-poll.htm Rumbaut, Ruben, "Origins and Destinies: Immigration to the United States since World War II," Sociological Forum 9:4 (1994), pp. 583-621. "The New Americans: Yes, They'll Fit in too." The Economist 11 May 1991: 17-20.

Authority Power Politics

Authority/Power/Politics Authority What is Authority The word authority derives from the Latin word auctoritas meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence or commands which originate from an auctor, indicating that authority originates from a master, leader or author. Essentially authority is imposed by superiors upon inferiors either by force of arms (structural authority) or by force of argument (sapiential authority). Usually authority has components of both compulsion and persuasion. For this reason, as used in Roman law authority is differentiated into potestas (legal or military power) and imperium (persuasive political rank or standing). Weber on Authority Max Weber in his sociological work has identified and distinguished three types of authority. Weber defined authority as the chance of commands being obeyed by a specifiable group of people. Legitimate authority is that which is recognized as legitimate and justified by both the ruler and the ruled. Weber divided legitimate authority into three types: The first type discussed by Weber is Rational-legal authority. It is that form of authority which depends for its legitimacy on formal rules and established laws of the state, which are usually written down and are often very complex. The power of the rational legal authority is mentioned in the constitution. Modern societies depend on legal-rational authority. Government officials are the best example of this form of authority, which is prevalent all over the world. The second type of authority is Traditional authority, which derives from long-established customs, habits and social structures. When power passes from one generation to another, then it is known as traditional authority. The right of hereditary monarchs to rule furnishes an obvious example. The Tudor dynasty in England and the ruling families of Mewar, in Rajasthan (India) are some examples of traditional authority. The third form of authority is Charismatic authority. Here, the charisma of the individual or the leader plays an important role. Charismatic authority is that authority which is derived from â€Å"the gift of grace† or when the leader claims that his authority is derived from a â€Å"higher power† (e. . God or natural law or rights) or â€Å"inspiration†, that is superior to both the validity of traditional and rational-legal authority and followers accept this and are willing to follow this higher or inspired authority, in the place of the authority that they have hitherto been following. Some of the most prominent examples of charismatic authority can be politicians or lead ers, who come from a movie or entertainment background. These people become successful, because they use their grace and charm to get more votes during elections. Examples in this regard can be NT Rama Rao, a matinee idol, who went on to become one of the most powerful Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh. History has witnessed several social movements or revolutions, against a system of traditional or legal-rational authority, which are usually started by Charismatic authorities. What distinguishes authority, from coercion, force and power on the one hand and leadership, persuasion and influence on the other hand, is legitimacy. Superiors feel that they have a right to issue commands; subordinates perceive an obligation to obey. Social scientists agree that authority is but one of several resources available, to incumbents in formal positions. For example, a Head of State is dependent upon a similar nesting of authority. His legitimacy must be acknowledged, not just by citizens, but by those who control other valued resources: his immediate staff, his cabinet, military leaders and in the long run, the administration and political apparatus of the entire society. Power What is Power Power is a measure of an entity's ability to control the environment around itself, including the behavior of other entities. The term authority is often used for power, perceived as legitimate by the social structure. Power can be seen as evil or unjust, but the exercise of power is accepted as endemic to humans as social beings. Often, the study of power in a society is referred to as politics. Sources of Power Power may be held through: Delegated authority (for example in the democratic process) Social class (material wealth can equal power) Personal or group charisma Ascribed power (acting on perceived or assumed abilities, whether these bear testing or not) Expertise (Ability, Skills) Persuasion (direct, indirect, or subliminal) Knowledge (granted or withheld, shared or kept secret) Celebrity Force (violence, military might, coercion). Moral persuasion (including religion) Operation of group dynamics (such as public relations) Social influence of tradition (compare ascribed power) In relationships; domination/submissiveness Politics What is Politics Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments, but politics has been observed in other group interactions, including corporate, academic, and religious institutions. It consists of â€Å"social relations involving authority or power† and refers to the regulation of a political unit, and to the methods and tactics used to formulate and apply policy. Politics at Workplace Politics – the other face of the creative, innovative and manipulative and human mind, which always seeks power, recognition and authority. So how can there be no politics at the place where hundreds and thousands of human minds are spending most part of their day and there’s a constant struggle for power and recognition. Yes, double standards, secrecy, camps, demoting others and/or self promotion, in short – politics is all over the workplace. No organisation is and will be completely free from the politics. Office politics refers to the use and manipulation of situations, power and people to secure their position, gain from the situation, let others down or even increase their own power, image and status within the organisation. The results or the benefits can be tangible or intangible, depending upon the situation. Politics at workplace is a game can be played equally well by a single player or teams together, can result in the interest and benefit of the organisation or go against it, can benefit those who don’t play or can throw them out of the organisation. It is a double edged sword which can either create a happy, dynamic and improved environment at the workplace or can destroy it. Politics at workplace is often hard to resist and be away from. It compels and makes you compete. Although a part of all the organisations across the world, the politics at workplace has taken the more advanced and dangerous form in India, where the people staying away from it are being seen as a threat. Office politics has made employees good actors, hiding the facts and even true self from their own colleagues and organisation and being hypocrites for their reasons. Grey side of the issue Every workplace has conflicts, but how the employees and the organisation tackle it goes a long way in ensuring the success of the employees as well as the organisation. Politics at workplace is complex, and can turn the organisation into an ugly and nasty battlefield. Most often, the power is the bone of contention. The powerful employee can take advantage of the situations and manipulate things. The employees can take the things to them at a personal level. This, in turn, can harm their personal and professional lives. Playing on other people’s emotions to make things work for them, people have stooped to such levels where they have put their own morals and conscious aside. But the organisation feels the brunt of the continuous politics at workplace when it starts effecting the overall performance, efficiency and productivity of the organisation. This is mainly due to the considerable amount of time spent on the politics and thinking about the strategies and the moves, rather than the job and the work. Ultimately, this can lead to losses for the organisation and even the loss of jobs for the employees. Workplace Politics: A necessary evil Again, the question arises about the employees who do not become a part to this politics at their workplace. Experts say that giving up to the politics without being a part of it and fighting it, especially when it is unfair, is not advisable either. Sometimes, the politics becomes the necessary evil simply for self defense. As often, the people staying away are taken as a threat and become the victim of the workplace politics and are eliminated. As it has become unavoidable to avoid the politics at today’s workplace, it has become necessary for every employee to: connect to people, try to identify the source of power, bserve and be aware of the happenings around, people’s strengths and weaknesses and their emotional intelligence. Avoiding politics at workplace Although it is practically impossible to make your workplace free from the politics, but the organisation and the employees can follow certain ethics for themselves to make their workplace healthier: Avoid distor ting or manipulating the truth and the facts. Be yourself. Don’t have different faces to suit different people and different situations. Be fair in your dealings. Take decisions based on other’s performance and not on the basis of your relations with them. Be flexible, approachable and accessible to others. Rigidity can isolate you. Communicate – Lack of proper communication is the root cause of most of the problems. Therefore, ensure a timely and open communication system. Hiding information, rumors or distorted information can aggravate the situation and problem. Proper communication will also help to combat the effect of gossip. Have a broader perspective. Don’t work to satisfy your ego every time. Give a fair chance to everyone to put forward their thoughts. Last but not the least; be clear in your conscious. Don’t compromise on your morals and ethics and, don’t hesitate to apologize if you realize that you are wrong. It would be right to conclude that being a part of the interpersonal relations, politics at workplace is prevalent everywhere, and is unavoidable in most cases. But it’s more important to play the game right. Know the rules, stay true to yourself, don’t harm someone personally or his/her career, don’t take grudges home. Try to create a win-win situation for yourself, others and the organisation. Politics at workplace – can be good or bad – depends on how people take it and make it! Don't confuse authority, power, and politics If you work in an organization, you need a clear understanding of three closely related concepts–authority, power, and politics. Unfortunately, for many employees these concepts often confuse, frustrate, or elicit anxiety or indifference. The traditional concept of organization is built upon the principle that someone has the â€Å"right† to command someone else, whose duty is to obey the command. This â€Å"right† is bestowed by the formal organization, and we call it authority. It is important to note that â€Å"right to command† does not connote the â€Å"capacity to command. Most of us would be making a mistake if we were to equate right and capacity–i. e. , authority and power. This is especially true in a professional environment. We must always be careful to undergird our right to command with the appropriate power, the capability to secure dominance of one's values or goals, if we want to develop and maintain highly effective organizations. Even though it may be socially unacceptable to admit that one aspires to power or worries about power relationships, we must recognize that power and politics enter into every organizational decision. Positive power. However, concern about power and politics does not mean that a person is committed to such Machiavellian tactics as â€Å"doing unto others before they do unto you. † Power has a positive side as well. Organizations could not function without some kind of power relationships. The positive side is characterized by a concern for group goals and their achievement. Leaders enjoy the greatest overall influence when they help their followers feel powerful and accomplish greatness on their own. The direction of communications, their frequency, and their content reveals a great deal about the power relationships within an organization. It is as simple as who talks to whom about what. Office politics. The process by which power is exercised and sometimes acquired is called politics. In politics, contesting forces compete for favorable outcomes on decisions involving who gets what and how. Political activity is usually stronger where there are no prescribed routine answers or no stated policy. It also centers around the interpretation of existing policies and those situations involving value judgments. Any organization that attempts to totally reduce these arenas of political activity by instituting rules, regulations, and policies from the top would quickly strangle in its own red tape. Political processes form the dynamic that enables the formal organization to function. In a sense, power and politics act as the lubricant that enables the interdependent parts of the organization to operate smoothly together. When we pretend that power and politics don't exist, we greatly reduce the ability of an organization to get things done, especially when innovation and change are involved, because they abandon procedures we have always followed. Since power and political processes are a fact of life in all organizations, we must develop and use the appropriate skills to achieve the organization's goals. Managers must avoid working in isolation and instead as part of the flow of social forces. They must understand that a managerial position is not self-perpetuating. References Don't confuse authority, power, and politics, By Ted Gautschi, Consultant, Wellesley Hills, MA — Design News, May 4, 1997

Bowling Alone

This essay deals with the correlation between a healthy, progressive society and one that is engaged civilly with sociological matters and ties. The statistics expressed in Putnam's essay show a rather rapid decline in our societies' civil engagement in the last quarter century. Putnam emphasizes the valiant importance of a strong and active society for growth and development in a democracy. Without further social development Americans could deteriorate their once strong, socially engaged society down to a individualistic democracy that would shatter our national image.Putnam's essay is titled, â€Å"Bowling Alone†, he gives emphasis, and depth to this title in several different ways throughout his article. Perhaps, the most interesting and whimsical piece of information that he shares though is a bowling statistic. More contemporary Americans are bowling than ever before in history, although, bowling in organized leagues has plummeted in the last decade. Between 1980 and 1993 the total number of bowlers in America increased by 10 percent, while league bowling decreased by 40 percent.This statistic, that shows the rise of solo bowling threatens the very, livelihood of bowling business proprietors because many of those people who bowl as members of leagues consume three times as much beer and pizza. Common knowledge then comes into play, the profit money in bowling does not derive from the balls and shoes but rather the other expenditures such as, beer and pizza. The broader social significance, in this matter though, however lies in the social communication and conversations that can derive from beer and pizza, as compared to solo bowlers.Putnam offers other information that supports his claim, besides bowling statistics. In some parts of the essay, he shares that organizational groups, as a whole have experienced a massive decline in new membership, over the last quarter century. Church-related groups are the most common type of organization joined by A mericans, women especially. Other examples of popular organizations frequently joined by Americans are, school service groups, sports groups, professional societies, literary groups, labor unions, fraternal groups, and veterans' groups. All of these organizational groups share one common trait, a decline in new membership.There are consequences that ensue after a society begins, to lose it civilly engaged citizens, for private, less trusting ones. In a survey done, over 35 countries, it shows that social trust and civic engagement are strongly correlated. The greater the amount of associational membership in a society, the more trusting its citizens, are likely to be. Trust and engagement are two components of the same underlying factor, social capital. America is still ranked relatively high by cross-national standards in both areas of social capital; and its citizens are more trusting and more engaged than people in most other parts of the world, still.What, these trends show in t he past quarter- century, however, have placed United States significantly lower in the international rankings of social capital. An alarming possibility that this information provides is in another quarter-century at this rate of change, America could be roughly equivalent to South Korea, Belgium, or Estonia today. Two generations' decline at the same rate would leave the United States at the level of today's Chile, Portugal, and Slovenia. Putnam does not offer any concrete solutions to these current trends, but he shares his advice and wisdom on such a complex problem.Giving more responsibility to the institutions that raise our children could be the answer. Perhaps finding new ways to reach younger generations at a more significant point in childhood could curve this trend. For example, instituting more programs and organizations rather than the typical sports or academic activities, offered. Reshaping the classroom and offering more social progressive classes could play a signif icant role in instilling a strong social reinforcing importance to a young person. Another possibility for a helpful change in this current trend could be given in a representative media source, for the people, by the people.There is no doubt that our current media today seems to be a giant circus that focuses only on irrelevant issues and seeks only high ratings. Perhaps, a media source that actually is not focused on getting ratings or pushing certain agendas on Americans could be the answer. Most news sources today seem to disinterest many Americans with blown up stories, and each stations political ideologies. Creating a station with no bias, giving direct information to the people about real issues in this country could generate more interest in our country's politics.Television has the ability to reach more people than any other source in the world, why not use it to reach the social outcry in America? and be a solution rather than the problem. In conclusion, Putnam's essay of fers a non-bias factual account of a growing problem that future generations may face. There is no clear solution to this debate, what is clear though, however, is the significance of this issue. To solve this, it will take many solutions and variables. Counter trends have shown what lies ahead, new social groups must take the supremacy and give it power.