Should Society and Parents control the diets of School Aged Kids?

â€Å"The percentage of overweight children in the United States is growing at an alarming rate with 1 out of 3 kids now considered overweight or obese† according to the article on Kids Health. org ( Overweight and Obesity). Over weight children tend to carry the unhealthy trait over into their adult years. The responsibility of healthy eating and physical activity begin with the parents at home. The parents/guardians are responsible for the well-being of the child. Parents are responsible in teaching their children good eating and excersise habits. Parents are suppose to teach their children portion control along with self control. Many parents don't demand physical activity from their children, which in turn leads to obesity most children today indulge in video games and highly saturated fatty foods. Society plays a part but it starts at home. The parents, are responsible for incorporating fruits and vegetables into ones diet. Children are a product of their environment are surroundings. If children are not taught at home, how can healthy choices be incorporated any where else. In order for a child to make wise descions it has to be taught from home. Obesity also leads to different types of health issues. The health of children today is gradually declining in rapid numbers. It's time for the parents to put healthy living in action starting with themselves. According to (Division of Adolescent and School health, National center for chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) During the last 3 decades, the prevalence of obesity has tripled amoung persons aged 6-19 years. Multiple Chronic disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels are related to obesity. In today's society the disease that were was acquired in older adults, are in rapid rates being diagnosed by younger individuals due to obesity. Its time for a change people. In conclusion, as far as children goes it is the responsibility of the parents to make sure they are eating healthy, and are active physically daily. Parents must stress the importance of healthy eating and active lifestyles. In order for children to live healthy productive lifestyles, it must be practiced at home first. It's time to get fit. Today is the perfect day to start.

A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed

A friend in need is a friend indeed. A man who stands by his friend in adversity is a true friend. Selfless love is the base of true friendship. True friends share each other's joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure. They do not fall off in adversity. They have full confidence in each other. They never betray each other. Prosperity makes friends, adversity tries them. A selfless friend is a blessing; a selfish friend is a curse. The first is an angel and the second is a devil. One makes your career while the other mars it. True friendship means great self-sacrifice on the part of both. A true friend foregoes pleasure and convenience.He goes out of his way and faces difficulties in his way with joy and even with pride. The friendship between Krishna and Sudama is a classic example of genuine friendship. Joy and sorrow, success and failure, good fortune and misfortune, are equally shared by a pair of true friends. They shoulder the burden of life equally for they feel that they sail in the same boat and that they have to sink and swim together. A selfish friend is rich in words and poor in deeds. He talks tall but when you are in trouble, he leaves you in the lurch. A selfish friend is always after grinding his own axe.He does not love you, he only loves your riches. You give him a loan of money; you will lose not only the loan but also your friendship into the bargain. A friend in need is the medicine of life. He stands by us through thick and thin, in weal and woe. He is a source of joy and inspiration. A friend in need is a true guide. He is always loyal and faithful. He is never a victim of misunderstanding. He is not a flatterer and a yes man. He is open and plain. If his friend goes wrong, he will openly tell him that he should desist from such a course. Lucky is the man who has a true friend-a friend in need and adversi A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed A friend in need is a friend indeed. A man who stands by his friend in adversity is a true friend. Selfless love is the base of true friendship. True friends share each other's joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure. They do not fall off in adversity. They have full confidence in each other. They never betray each other. Prosperity makes friends, adversity tries them. A selfless friend is a blessing; a selfish friend is a curse. The first is an angel and the second is a devil. One makes your career while the other mars it. True friendship means great self-sacrifice on the part of both. A true friend foregoes pleasure and convenience.He goes out of his way and faces difficulties in his way with joy and even with pride. The friendship between Krishna and Sudama is a classic example of genuine friendship. Joy and sorrow, success and failure, good fortune and misfortune, are equally shared by a pair of true friends. They shoulder the burden of life equally for they feel that they sail in the same boat and that they have to sink and swim together. A selfish friend is rich in words and poor in deeds. He talks tall but when you are in trouble, he leaves you in the lurch. A selfish friend is always after grinding his own axe.He does not love you, he only loves your riches. You give him a loan of money; you will lose not only the loan but also your friendship into the bargain. A friend in need is the medicine of life. He stands by us through thick and thin, in weal and woe. He is a source of joy and inspiration. A friend in need is a true guide. He is always loyal and faithful. He is never a victim of misunderstanding. He is not a flatterer and a yes man. He is open and plain. If his friend goes wrong, he will openly tell him that he should desist from such a course. Lucky is the man who has a true friend-a friend in need and adversi

Living in city

Body paragraph: Topic sentence: There are many advantages and benefits for people who live In scales Example reasons: plenty of universities and job opportunities -The life is more exciting -The medical services are better Cotter-argument: City life is so competitive, so people have to face up to many difficulties and easier to get stress and some mental diseases. Refutation: Facing up to difficulties, people will work harder and become mature. Conclusion: City life is more exciting and beneficial for anybody who want to experience interesting trials.Nowadays, more and more people from country trend to move to cities for studying and working. Comparing to countries, there are more Job opportunities and entertainment centers for people In cities. Living In cities Is better than living In countries In several ways. There are many advantages and benefits for people who live in cities. Cities are the best place for young people studying and finding jobs. Ho Chi Mini city has 60 universit ies where teachers are more professional and studying facilities, equipments are modern and sufficient.After graduating from these universities, students can find Job easier because of plenty of Job opportunities from foreign and domestic companies. Therefore cities are the best place for people who want to make more money. The life In clues will be more excellent because of good entertainment, shopping centers and delicious restaurants. If you live in small town, you will feel so bored at weekend because no where you can go and no interesting activities you can Join. But living In cities is different. After the hard-working week, you can go out with your friends or family to eat dinner, go shopping or watch movie t movie theater.You will feel so Interesting and exciting with the entertainment centers In Ho Chi Mini city Like bar, disco, galaxy cinemas, megastar cinemas and Vinson, Now zone, Ben Than market†¦ Besides, you can find any kinds of restaurants that you enjoy like Ja panese, Chinese, American,†¦ The medical services in cities are better than those in small town. There are plenty of big hospital with professional doctors and several modern medical equipments, so they can give the best medical services to take care of human health.Besides above advantages of city life, some people say City life is so competitive, so people have to face up to many difficulties and easier to get stress and some mental diseases. This statement is not completely right. English has one proverb is â€Å"no pain, no gain†. Human have to deal with difficulties, so they can become mature and try their best. If not, they are only work slowly and no desire to get promote. They Just do the same thing in their whole life without changes, so day by day they are becoming outdated. In short, City life is more exciting and beneficial for anybody who want to experience interesting trials.

Financial Management in Nonprofit Organizations Research Paper - 1

Financial Management in Nonprofit Organizations - Research Paper Example In fact, such regulative provisions aim to ensure that the organization’s funds are properly used for the stated purpose. As compared to for-profit organizations, a nonprofit enterprise is not allowed to keep huge amount of surpluses with it. Since a nonprofit organization’s financial management is not liable to take any level of risk, it can operate freely with greater degree of certainty. In contrast, for-profit organizations bear some levels of business risks including debt financing. Generally, both nonprofit organizations and for-profit organizations use the incremental budgeting technique. Undoubtedly, restricted financial management operations can reduce nonprofit organizations’ probability of failure. Introduction The term financial management simply refers to the process of planning toward the future of an individual or a business organization so as to ensure a positive inflow and outflow of cash. To be more specific, â€Å"financial management pertains to the optimal sourcing and utilization of financial resources of a business enterprise†; and the two key processes including resource management and finance operations constitute this process (Sofat & Hiro, 2011, p.20). Theoretical frameworks suggest that the application of financial management techniques in non-profit organizations is entirely different from its application in for-profit organizations. This paper will discuss the financial management practices in nonprofit organization. It will also compare and contrast the applications of financial management techniques in nonprofit organizations with that of for-profit organizations. Core Concepts of Financial Management Core concepts of financial management encompass capital budgeting, cash management, cost of capital, capital structure planning, and dividend policy. Capital budgeting is a financial tool used to analyze whether an organization’s long term investments like new plants, machinery, research and develo pment projects, and other new products are worth pursuing. Cash management activities try to maintain an effective balance between inflow and outflow of cash. From the management view point, cost of capital represents the cost of a firm’s funds including debt and equity. The concept of capital structure refers to the way an organization uses particular combinations of ‘equity, debt, and hybrid securities’. Dividend policy refers to a strategic measure that an organization uses to decide the level of returns to be paid to its shareholders. The application of these financial management concepts depends on a number of factors in addition to the size and nature of the organization. Among them, the firm’s efficacy in applying these concepts is vital in order to exercise a control over the organization’s future cash flows. Therefore, firms usually establish separate finance departments so as to deal with their day to day financial operations. Financial Ma nagement in Nonprofit Organizations Unlike for-profit organizations, the p ­rimary goal of a nonprofit organization is not shareholder value maximization; instead, it intends to meet specific socially desirable needs. As Griswold and Jarvis (2011) point out, nonprofit organizations lack financial flexibility as such institutions heavily depend on resource providers that are not engaged in exchange transaction. The resources provided are

Current Event Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Current Event Assignment - Essay Example At present, we are at 385 ppm and increasing at 2 ppm each year primarily because of burning of fossil fuels. Because of this, the global temperatures have slowly been rising. The scientists claim that previous observations of melting ice in the polar region and the discovered release of greenhouse gases from our warming soils and waters indicate that the deterioration in our atmosphere is now moving at a faster pace. â€Å"Once CO2 gas is released, a large fraction of it stays in the air for hundreds of years† (Krajik). These same scientists believe that the dreaded process is still reversible if emissions from coal would be eliminated by the year 2030. The use of alternative fuel sources would also contribute a great deal to slowing down the process of global warming. Geoengineering solutions, which are said to artificially remove 50 ppm of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere, would cost a hefty amount of money. Directing said funds to reforestation would yield similar results. Our present age of industrialization has plunged our world into this environmental crisis and â€Å"the greatest danger is continued ignorance and denial, which would make tragic consequences unavoidable." (Sato & Karetcha as quoted by Krajik). The article presents a grim picture of our environment. Where before, our thoughts were in sparing the following generation of the effects of global warming, the article now points out that the devastating effects of global warming is something that our present generation may suffer. The article pointedly brings to our attention the alarming levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, and how these levels are speedily rising. We have no one to blame but ourselves with this grim occurrence. The strides that our industries have taken in the past few years have made us very vulnerable to global warming. Our demands for easier and

Practical Life Activities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Practical Life Activities - Essay Example The same rules stand for child development. Practical life activities provide an integrated approach towards intelligence and movement while depending on logic and will (Montessori, 108a). The very feeling of love and care becomes the guiding path in motivating the will. The result has a very fascinating with children found to be helpful while participating in lunch and snacks preparation; and also keeping themselves busy on the dining table; spreading bread and also adding a bouquet of flowers. The other type of learning that must get into the part of practical activity is that of good manners along with the movement that suits the culture and proper behavior which includes closing the doors quietly, greeting others with smile and not interrupting in a conversation. Practical activities help in developing these etiquettes in a sequence of steps thereby keeping the child aware of orderly living laced with logical activity (Montessori, 201a). The basic Reference Mo

IP Internetworking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

IP Internetworking - Assignment Example It also concerns with ensuring that the wide area network at Houston is in a position of accommodating the traffic in the entire network. Whereas using static addresses has its advantages, the biggest downside is high administrative demands even when minor changes occur in the network. To cater for this, the new phase will use dynamic addressing system so that the hosts acquire Internet protocol automatically. As a result, this lowers the administrative overhead. The virtual local area network is from the departments available in XUM. Consequently, the VLANs are sales vlan2, finance vlan3, human resources vlan4, research and development vlan5, default vlan1 and management vlan6. The creation of the VLAN at XUM results from the departments available. Therefore, there are four data VLANs namely sales VLAN2, finance VLAN3, human resource VLAN4, Research, and development VLAN5. In addition, a native VLAN is the default VLAN1. Furthermore, there is a management VLAN VLAN6 that gets IP addresses to enable the management to manage the switch. It has been possible with remote control tools that allow management to ssh or telnet the switch through the management VLAN. To allow for communication of personal computers on similar VLANs but separated by a switch or a number of switches, a trunk link now exists between the switches. The manager sets the range of virtual local area networks that can communicate via the trunk link (Ahmad, 2002). Trunking is the best method. It was in comparison to creating physical relationships of various VLANs among the switches. In this case, between one switch and another there would have been six links, which would have wasted twelve ports. Further, it means that each of the individual links has different port numbers that make their management extremely difficult in case the network expands to accommodate twice or more the number of VLANS already existing. Use of dynamic trunking protocol has enabled

Marketing SLP 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing SLP 1 - Essay Example Location and its current market strength: Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY) is a company with its stock traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and is also listed in the Fortune 100. It is the largest specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the USA and Canada. Its total market share stands at 21% of the market. Its Headquarters are located in Richfield, Minnesota, USA. The company has a few subsidiaries such as Pacific Sales, Magnolia Audio and Geek Squad. The Best Buy Canada subsidiary does not operate its original name. In fact, it operates under the Future Shop label, which has a quite large market share in Canada (Hill, June 2008, retrieved July 2, 2008). Products : BBY sells all categories of consumer electronics – television sets, computers, i-phones, i-pods, mobile phones, digital and video cameras, Blu-ray discs, computer software, video games, DVD players, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, music and so on. Each store also has a separate department for audio and video equipment. Global operations: Its global network spans Canada, China, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Turkey. The company has plans afoot for further expansion. For example its current network of stores amounting to 1150 in the USA will expand up to 1400 by the end of the current year. It’s planning string of acquisitions in the UK in 2009. For instance it will buy up rivals like Kesa Electricals and DSG International to position itself with a strategic advantage over other competitors. Chinese market: In June 2006, the company negotiated a deal with Feidiao Electrics Co. Ltd., in Shanghai to buy space on one of its buildings at a cost of $31.25 million. This figure includes the cost of decoration and outsourcing. Electronics retailers in China responded to this news with their own marketing tactics. Right now, despite Best Buy’s international presence Chinese electronics retailers have not fallen far behind in competition and sales revenue. Yongle which has nearly 50% of

Proctor and Gambles Takeover of Gillette Case Study

Proctor and Gambles Takeover of Gillette - Case Study Example Kilts needed to ensure that the long-term profitability of Gillette continued, with three well-known brands in its portfolio it was at a disadvantage to companies like P&G which had approximately 150 major brands. To ensure sustainability and future profitability for the shareholders of Gillette he approached the merger with Lafley and P&G in 2002 originally and then subsequently in 2004. The opportunities resulting from this merger included a solid return for current shareholders as well as future profitability for P&G and Gillette as a singular business under the P&G name. Unfortunately, the problems included public reaction which was seen in media attacks following the merger in 2005 as well as the state of Massachusetts. Additionally, the possibility of losing money for shareholders if the deal turned out badly was an ever-present threat. However, the opportunities for profit and a mutually beneficial future for both companies outweighed the potential problems. Between both compa nies, there were defined market shares; P&G did not really hold a market share in razors, toothbrushes, and batteries though it did maintain a large market share in other similar products that would allow it to combine the three Gillette brands into its portfolio and profit. Gillette was more adept at marketing to men, while P&G was more adept at marketing to women. Additionally were the burgeoning foreign markets and the need for increased market shares in those areas. P&G is skilled in marketing and maintaining a significant presence in China while Gillette maintained large market shares in India and Brazil. With this evidence supporting the net benefit of a merger of interests, there does not seem to be much that could improve that.

Affects of Westernization on Youth and Culture Essay Example for Free

Affects of Westernization on Youth and Culture Essay Youth are the back bone to a nation. The young generation occupies a special place in a society. They can change the future of the society with their spirited behavior. In a broader sense, the future of any society depends on the youth. The youth are ready to adapt changes because they are young, in search of truth and they are open to different ideas. Young people have better concentrating span contrary to old ones and that is how changes are brought in a society. All societies pay special attention to the youth. The youth acts as the motivating force of revolution. No revolution can be successful without the efforts of youth in a course of action. Their youthful energy enables them to perform great in every field and enables them to be innovative and skillful. Culture is the complete range of learned human behavior patterns. It includes a set of Customs, beliefs, and traditions. Culture is also shaped by Religion, language, festivals, dress, arts and craft. Culture is passed down from generation to generation. Youth of a society preserves its culture. All Cultures are naturally prone to change and, at the same time, to resist change. There are three general sources of influence that are responsible for both change and resistance to it: Forces at work within a society, Contact between societies and Changes in the natural environment. Within a society, processes leading to change include invention and culture loss. Inventions may be either technological or ideological. Technological inventions include new tools, energy sources, and transportation methods. Culture loss is an unavoidable result of old cultural patterns being replaced by new ones. For example, not many Pakistanis today know how to care for a horse. A century ago, this was common knowledge among many people because buggies and horse-riding were the only means of transportation. Since then, vehicles with internal combustion engines have replaced horses and horse care knowledge lost its importance. As a result, children are rarely taught these skills. Instead, they are trained in the use of the new technologies of automobiles, televisions, cellular phones, computers, and iPods. The processes leading to change that occur as a result of contact between societies are diffusion, acculturation and transculturation. Diffusion is the movement of things and ideas from one culture to another. When diffusion occurs, the form of a trait may move from one society to another but not its original cultural meaning. Acculturation is what happens to an entire culture when unfamiliar traits diffuse in on a large scale and significantly replace traditional cultural patterns. Transculturation is what happens to an individual when he or she moves to another society and adopts its culture. The word westernization is defined as â€Å"The social process of becoming familiar with or converting to the customs and practices of Western civilization†. The youth of Pakistan is talented and dedicated. Unfortunately, the youth today is involved in activities which are neither useful to them nor the nation. All that keeps them busy during the day are games, TV shows, movies and socializing with their peers which these days, is commonly called â€Å"hanging out†. At night, they’re busy chatting on the internet, listening to music, attending late night parties and some are even involved in illegal activities like smoking and drinking. They have no vision and instead of improving themselves or doing something productive, they choose to waste their time. All this is because of westernization of youth in Pakistan. Over the past decade, the youth of Pakistan has been adversely affected by western culture. A significant change has been observed in the culture of Pakistan. Many regional rituals have either been forgotten or replaced by western rituals; young people prefer western attire over national dress, fast food is preferred over regional food, family values are not practiced the way they used to, dating has become very common and violent behavior has become a trend among youngsters. In such a situation, culture cannot be passed on in its original form; it would rather be modified or to be more specific, westernized.

Crisis Management A Brief Study Management Essay

Crisis Management A Brief Study Management Essay An individual, an organization, a government, or the global economy at any point of time may face debacles. This may come in any form and can devastate the present circumstances and can lead to difficult situations. Such occurrences are often termed as crisis. It is therefore defined as a major, unpredictable and upsetting event that intimidates to harm. Even though crisis is an unpredictable form of event, but it is not unanticipated. This report will present a brief overview of crisis associated with the companies that is, organizational crisis will be the main area of study. In addition, this report will also present insights of the modern crisis management techniques adopted by organizations around the world. Furthermore, the report will also throw light on the cases where companies have faced crisis situation and how they dealt and overcame that situation. In this context the company which has been chosen to depict the importance of crisis management and also to reveal how the company surmounted the situation is Nokia. After that, depending upon the findings of the literature study a conclusion will be drawn. Finally some recommendations will be also provided by which will assist companies to address different forms of crisis. Defining Crisis Eminent scholars have stressed on the fact that crisis is a threat to organizations, an unexpected element and short periods of risk (Akers, 2007, p.11). It can affect every segments of the social order that include educational institutions, non profits, churches, business, families, government etc. This study will however focus on the issue in the context of an organization. For an organization crisis can be illustrated as an anomalous and uncharacteristic situation or perception, which is beyond the control of an organization and also threatens to impact their operation. Several cases have also pointed out that if a possible crisis is identified at the initial stage, it will have least impact or the impact can be minimized to a large extent. On the other hand if a company fails to determine the possible crisis at the initial stage, it can adversely affect the operation of an organization. Even in some cases, a crisis can also threaten the survival of a business. Hence for them to s urvive and operate effectively in the market place, superior crisis management techniques and tools should be in place (Fearn-Banks, 2010, p.2). Defining Crisis Management Crisis management is simply defined as a systematic effort to circumvent or manage the crisis that an organization may face during its lifetime. The concept of crisis management was initiated during the 1980s, when large number of environmental and industrial disasters took place (Barton, 2007, p.5). In order to manage a crisis effectively an organization should consider a systematic approach towards the improvement process as it is indispensable to safeguard the reputation of company along with its brands. Therefore companies should enlighten their customers about the happening and to some extent is necessary for survival (Khodarahmi, 2009, p.524). Additionally, eminent scholars such as Appelbaum, Keller, Alvarez BÃÆ' ©dard (2012) added that relatively modern concepts such as strategic planning can also be effective in managing organizational crisis to a satisfactory level. The authors also put emphasis on the fact that a number of US corporations are employing this concept to f orecast and deal with the issues, threats or problems that are beyond the operating control of the firms. Discussion Eminent scholars such as Dinant and Miller have identified seminal researchers in the same field of study. They categorized the study into two major groups namely macro and micro sizes. The primary intention of their study was to offer insights regarding the most committed and active researches in the field of crisis management (Jaques, 2008, p.192-195). Hence based on their study a number of literatures have been consulted to formulate this report. Several authors also highlight that effective communication plays an imperative role towards managing any form of crisis (White, 2009, p.177-178). For example cases such as oil spill of Exxon Valdez, issues at the Enron Energy Company and the disaster of Space Shuttle Challenger portrayed the importance of communication to get rid of the crisis situations. However not only having effective crisis management team helps an organization to deal with any form perils, it also needs to know the types of crises that may impact the functioning of the organization. Types of crisis A company has to deal with different forms of crisis. Some of the major forms of crisis are detailed below:- Natural Disaster: It is about the physical demolition of the organizationà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s assets due to some naturally occurring disasters. For example flood, earthquake and volcanic eruptions etc (Martin, 2012, p.83). Industrial Accidents: In this aspect the crisis occurs primarily due to a collapse in construction, release of toxic substance, fire etc. Product or Service harm crisis: This type of crisis does not demolish the physical assets of the organization, but impacts on the cognitive aspect of the firm. Some of the examples of product or service failure crisis are equipment failure, system failure and failure in communication (Siomkos, Triantafillidou, Vassilikopoulou Tsiamis, 2010, p.770). Capacity: This type of crisis arises due to some faulty or defective goods. It may have health related issues if not handled properly. Public Relation: This is another type of cognitive crisis that an organization faces. In this context the intangible assets of the company are threatened. In addition, this can have direct effect on the brand image and brand value of the company. Apart from that it can also indirectly affect the net sales. The PR crisis occurs primarily because of poor media attention, negative publicity in the media, or it may also arise to the changes in the management of an organization (Pride Ferrell, 2010, p.412). Legal Crisis: A company may face legal crisis due to product liability, health scare or due to any kind of fraud from the employees of the organization. Business or Corporate Crisis: This is one of the most common and vital type of crisis that an organization faces. Some of the common causes for this crisis are sudden shortages in demand, competitor launching a new and advanced product, large number of customer switches, strike by the workforce, strike by suppliers and hostile takeover. Financial Crisis: One of the major crises that a company some time faces with is the financial crisis. Often companies deal with financial crisis and ultimately losing their position from the market. It is a situation where the company witnesses shortage of fund to properly operate in the market. Crisis Management: A Business Case In order to give a real world example, Nokia has been chosen to depict, how actually a company deals and manages crisis. It was during the time of 2005-2006, when the company was charged with defective batteries. The battery that Nokia used to give with the handsets was BL-5C. Customers complained that the battery gets over heated after certain interval of time. Hence it was a product related crisis and can be termed as Product or Service Failure crisis. However, the situation did not remain curtailed to a product failure; it went on to become one of the largest PR crises of all time. The crisis had struck the company in such a way that the company in the subsequent years went on to record low sales. The company has taken early actions to minimize its impact. The strategy adopted by the company was to simply accept the product and replace the defective batteries. The company well understood that if they do not act in this way, their reputation will be strongly affected that may resul t in negative public relation. The decision of the company to replace all the affected batteries paid off and the company succeeded to a large extent. Although the company initially lost some customers, but later on after the implementation of this strategy Nokia regained the confidence of the customers. The company not only handled the situation effectively, but also displayed how they are prepared for any such occurrences in the future (IBN Live, 2007). Meanwhile other companies such as Cadbury have also faced similar situation. It was related with a worm. The chocolate packets had worm in it and several complaints came forward for the same issue. The company managed the concern by launching a PR campaign within two weeks of the news outbreak. Celebrity endorsement also played a major role in the survival of the company. The campaigned helped them to regain consumer confidence within 3 months only. This shows how effective crisis management can actually offer quick and effective results to a company (Manning, 2007, p.506). Facing Crisis In order to successfully diffuse a crisis, an organization at first, needs to know how to handle that crisis before it actually takes place. Different authors have given different approaches to effectively handle crisis, but among those the most popular theory has been provide by the Gonzalez-Herrero and Pratt in the early 1996. The authors, Gonzalez-Herrero and Pratt have divided crisis management into three stages. The three phases are named as diagnosis of crisis, planning-prevention, and adjusting to changes. The model developed by them to address the issue of crisis management is demonstrated below: Diagnosis of Crisis: According to the authors the first stage is about determining the early indicators or signs of the crisis. This is an essential task for the managers and executives to sense the warning indications of the crisis. If they are successful in sensing the early signs, it is the duty of the organization to make the employees ready for facing the situation with firm determination and courage. Planning: The second step associated in this model is about the proper planning towards addressing the crisis. Once the crisis has been identified the next step is to plan how the crisis can be handled. According to the authors, the management team should take immediate action to minimize its effect. Also in order to avoid urgent situations relevant strategies are developed and take quick decision. Adjusting the Changes: The final step is to get accustomed with the new situation. It is the duty of the employees to get along with the changes for the purpose of making the organizationà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s function more effective. Also for getting adjusted to the situation properly, it is also important to evaluate the cause that that led the organization to face the crisis. This will prevent the company from doing any mistakes and will foster them to develop new plans and strategies for the future course of action. This phase is also referred to as the post crisis phase (Coombs, 2011, p.10). Apart from that there is one more method by which companies can effectively handle crisis and is commonly known as corporate crisis management. In this context, the management of the organizations forecasts, identifies, examines and acts immediately upon the issue that led to the crisis. This approach enables organizations to deal with any form of crisis (Heller Darling, 2012, p.153). Conclusion The report was about the importance of crisis management within an organization. In this study the company used for depicting the importance as well as revealing the way a company actually deals with crisis situations is Nokia. The study has reviewed substantial amount of literature or the works completed by earlier scholars in the same field of study. It revealed that an organization may face with different type of crises. It includes Natural Disaster, Industrial Accidents, Product or Service Failure, Capacity, Public Relation, Legal Crisis, Business and Management Crisis and Financial Crisis. Similarly Nokia in this context, also faced product and service related crisis which further turned into PR crisis, but the company has effectively managed the situation. The company has a well prepared crisis management team and also contingency plans. Hence analysing the situation, it can be clearly highlighted that each organization should have a well defined crisis management framework to continue its operations effectively in the market place. Recommendation Some of the ways by which a company can effectively manage crisis are as follows: Issues Management: No organization in this world would like to face any situation that may harm their operation process or may disrupt the functioning. Especially, organizations do not like face any circumstances that fuel media coverage. This is because any issues that are scrutinized by the public can result into pessimistic and negative legal, financial and political impacts. Contingency Planning: It is highly recommended that companies around the world must have contingency plans to deal with different kind of crisis situations. Preparing an emergency plan in advance reflects that a company is aptly prepared for crisis. Thus contingency planning is highly essential in crisis management. Business Continuity Plan: There are situations when, to some extent, organizations will be affected by a crisis. To deal with such scenarios organizations should have business continuity plan. A business continuity plan highly assists organizations to reduce the impact of the crisis. In addition, organization must understand the important elements that run daily operation. Hence, a backup for each element must be in place so that the company functions even during the time of crisis. The company should continuously train each employee regarding how to deal with crisis situation. The training should not only be about physical crisis that may occur due to some natural calamities, but also training should be given to deal with cognitive factors.

Good Man Hard to Find Essay -- essays papers

Good Man Hard to Find O'Connor's "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" In "A Good Man Is hard to Find," Flannery O'Conner really puts the reader in the middle class mode and throws a little religion at us. By this I mean that she takes us to an important part of her mind and soul. One could even say that she lets the Devil come out in her own little way. In reading " A Good Man is Hard to Find," we find ourselves in a setting of a lower middle class family with a dominant mother, annoying grandmother and a whinny mother-in-law. I tend to believe that she is to be the main character. The grandmother is representative of godliness and Christianity. However just from this one story I get the feeling that she could be telling of the changes that took place in the US after W.W. II when violence began to grow rapidly. Women were coming home from the war, and men were demanding their voting rights. In the 50's crime was on everyone's mind, on television and in the moon. O'Connor's knew taht society was drastically changing for the worse, and she probably knew that one day we'd ...

Essay --

Book Review: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls The Glass Castle, written by Jeannette Walls, it’s her memoir. I found myself unable to put down the book once I started reading it. It’s a combination of the family finding happiness and wondering if anything is ever going to get better for them. I was surprised to discover this was her life as a child. This story is set in Jeannette’s point of view from what she had to deal with through her childhood. When the book opens, it starts off with Jeannette seeing her mother digging in the trash, then does a flash back to when she is 3 and talks about her life from then on out. They live like nomads, moving along Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. They grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. One time when they were driving Jeannette fell out of the car. The crazy thing was no one noticed for about an hour. She sat on the side of the road just waiting for them to return. â€Å"I rolled several yards along the embankment, and when I came to a stop, I was too shocked t...

Essay --

Almost all young men hit a point in life where his mindset transitions from the imagined indestructability to the comprehension of humanity. Many see it as a steady change with no definite stage of illumination, nonetheless a sequences of open-minded phases or â€Å"the stepping stones into maturity.† For a select few, there is an insight, bounded by a catastrophic occurrence that incites a renovation in one’s outlook on something. Whichever comes to play, the unavoidable renovation subsists. The short story â€Å"Greasy Lake" by Thomas Coraghessan Boyle exposes this rational alteration in three young but â€Å"undeveloped† men as they face a chain of faults, penalties, and reiteration. â€Å"Greasy Lake" is an extremely polished short story that hints the proceedings rising up to the young men’s major transition. This coming of age story can definitely be realistic to comparable tales of men all throughout the biosphere as an imprinted transitional event leading to maturity. For the individuals in this story, a domino effect of problems reveals probable and definite penalties rising to this transition. In the very beginning of this short story, the author lays one of the most significant foreshadows, that depicts immature to mature, and how the characters think they are tougher than they actually are. Describing the â€Å"bad† things the boys do the narrator states, â€Å"We wore torn-up leather jackets, slouched around with toothpicks in our mouths, sniffed glue†¦we drank gin and grape juice†¦. We were nineteen. We were bad" (306). It was almost as if Mr. Boyle wanted the reader to think the boys were full of themselves; and to think that the boys were trying to act older than what their mindset holds. The boys perceived their mirror image as the archetype o... ...ble.† (309). The character’s repetition of their pristine clarification of life originates in the arrangement of a second chance contribution to justify their â€Å"malevolent guy† identity that they preferred previously. As the characters assemble their views and mirror on the previous happenings, two older ladies in a Mustang enter into the lot. The girls were not looking for the decease body that was lifelessly bobbing up in down the lake. No, that would make the ending too non-predictable; the girls from the Mustang epitomize an alternative chance to satisfy the boys’ malevolent behaviors. Beforehand stand simple takings, girls in â€Å"tight jeans [and] stiletto heels" (310) holding a vast number of narcotics and enticement in which they were in desperate exploration for one long night earlier, but with the dark’s happenings still new in their attention, Digby declines.

Seminar Option

(1) What are some factors both developmental and environmental associated with the safety of infants through the second birthday? â€Å"Sharing a bed with a newborn is dangerous if the adult is drugged or drunk-and this in danger of â€Å"overlying† the baby. It may be that co-sleeping is beneficial but bed-sharing is not, partly because adult beds. Unlike cribs, are often soft, with comforters, mattresses, and pillows that increase a baby’s risk of suffocation (Alm, 2007)†. (Berger 2012, p. 137). (2) What is cot death? Cot death is a diagnosis that’s made when an apparently healthy baby dies, without, warning, and for no clear reason.No one knows why babies die in this way. It must be a combination of factors that affect a baby at a vulnerable stage in their development. Some babies may have a problem with the part of the brain that controls breathing and walking. These babies don’t respond if their breathing is slightly restricted, such as if ther e are bed clothes covering their nose or mouth. Sadly, there’s no failsafe way to prevent cot death. However, you can do a number of things to keep your baby safe and reduce the risk. Put your baby to sleep on his/her back in a cot or Moses basket. For the first six months this should be in a room with you.Healthy babies placed on their back to sleep are not more likely to choke. This is the safest place and position for your baby to sleep in. At about five months of six months, babies start to roll. At this age the risk of cot death reduces and it’s safe to let your baby find his/her own comfortable sleeping position. But you should still put your baby down to sleep on his/her back. If you wake up and see that your baby is on his/her front, and he/she’s younger than six months old, gently roll him/her onto his/her back. Babies older than this can usually roll on to their back themselves.You don’t need to get up and check throughout the night, as likely t o change position regularly when he/she sleeps. Don’t smoke during pregnancy or allow anyone to smoke around your baby. If you smoke during or after pregnancy, your baby’s risk of cot death increases. Cot death is more common in babies who are regularly exposed to smoke. The risk to your baby is increased if anyone in the house smokes, even if it’s in another room with a window open. Visitors should smoke outside so the air around your baby is always smoke-free. Never smoke in the same room as your baby.The safest place for your baby to sleep for the first six months is in a cot or Moses basket in the same room as you. Never share a bed with your baby if you or your partner are a smoker (even if you never smoke near your baby), have been drinking alcohol, are taking any medication or drugs or are very tired† (Baby Center, L. L. C. 2012). â€Å"Many factors can affect the development of a fetus. Environmental agents that can negatively affect prenatal deve lopment are called teratogens. Teratogen exposure tends to be most detrimental during the first trimester (the first three months) of pregnancy, when formation of the organs and brain occurs.However, some substances, such as alcohol, can have an effect at any point in pregnancy. Alcohol consumption can harm a developing embryo or fetus, although how much is too much remains much is too much remains unclear. â€Å"The only way to be absolutely certain that your baby is not harmed by alcohol is not to drink at all during pregnancy or while you are trying for a baby,† says the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG). Pregnant women who continue to drink are at increased risk of experiencing a miscarriage or still birth.Infants exposed to alcohol before birth may show signs of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FAST) including learning problems, behavioral problems, and physical disabilities, the RCOG reports. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which results in mental retardat ion and facial abnormalities, is uncommon. Unlike FAST), which can occur with only moderate exposure to alcohol. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome only occurs due to heavy drinking during pregnancy† (Demand Media, Inc. 2012). (3) How can you, as an early childhood care professional help parents plan for developmental and environmental factors associated with the safety and health of infants and young children?As an early childhood care professional I can help parents plan for developmental and environmental factors associated with the safety and health of infants and young children by providing parenting education services â€Å"that assist parents or primary caregivers to strengthen their knowledge and skills thereby enhancing positive parenting practices and promoting the health and optimal development of young children and by providing family support services that work with families to strengthen their resiliency and to address the stressors that impair their ability to nurture or su pport the healthy development of their children (ucla. du 2012). (4) Discuss some safety factors associated with toys. â€Å"There are many factors that should be considered in choosing a toy. Assuming that selected toys have been carefully made out of safe materials, the most important thing a consumer should do is consider the age and developmental stage of a child. Even when a child is very intellectually advanced, the age and developmental level of the child must be considered. When toys have labels indicating that they are not appropriated for children under three, they have not been safety tested for infants and toddlers.Genreally the concern is the size of the toy pieces and the risk or potential for choking† (CapitalKids. com 2012). References: Berger, K. (2012). The developing person through childhood. (6th ed. ). New York: Worth Publishers http://www. babycentre. co. uk/baby/health/cotdeath/? oo=0 http://www. livestrong. com/article/92641-factors-affecting-fetus-dev elopment/ http://www. healthychild. ucla. edu/Publications/Documents/ParentEd. pdf http://www. capitolkids. com/toy_safety. html

ELL Families and Schools Essay

The American education system has been faced with a grave challenge of ensuring that students from minority language groups have to read and write well in the English language. Being English literate has become an important aspect for the realization of academic success in the American schools which has an impact on the accessibility to the educational and economical opportunities that are to be found within the United States. This challenge has been compounded by the fact that there has been a growth in the diversity of the ever-increasing language-minority students. This paper shall examine the interaction between the families of English Language Learners and the schools touching on the social-cultural influences and bilingualism and home language use. The paper shall further analyze the parental and community resources for English acquisition in the Seattle area. Background: The number of English Language Learners (ELLs) has been steadily increasing which has become a significant challenge to the education system in the United States. According to statistics, in 1979, the number of language minority students was estimated to be six million and by 1999, the number had shot to an estimated fourteen million. In a survey done to establish how such students fared in the county, it was observed that less than 20% could score above the standard gauge as established by the respective states. Whereas only 10 percent of those who spoke English were found to drop out of school at high school level, the scenario was even worse for language minority students whose percentage was slightly more than 30 for those who could speak English and slightly more than 50 for those who could speak English with some difficulties (August and Shanahan, 2006). For the language-minority students who have difficulties in reading and writing English in a proficient manner, they have a limited participation in the American schools, workplaces and the society in general. Such individual usually faces an uphill task in competing for the employment opportunities and accessing power. The impacts of the inadequacy in the proficiency of the English language is not only a detriment to the self through self impoverishment but also impacts negatively on the nation through reduction of the country’s potential in terms of economy, innovativeness, quality of life and increased productivity (August and Shanahan, 2006). Socio-cultural influences on ELLs: The English language Learners (ELLs) can not be regarded as a single group as they exhibit variations when critical factors are put into consideration as opposed to the common feature that they are all learners of the English language. Socio-cultural factors play an important factor in the analysis of these learners. Such factors include the prior academic schooling; literacy levels in the homes; socio-economic status of the families; and the cultural influences in regard to the native language and the country of origin (Carrigg, 2006). In prior academic schooling, there are variations in what is regarded as elementary or primary education whereby it may refer to â€Å"k-8, k-6, 1-6, or 1-5 grades† (Carrigg, 2006, para 3). The location of the schooling [whether urban or rural] is also important in the analysis on the performance of the student. Literacy in homes is a critical element in determining academic excellence in students. Vocabulary is first acquired in the homes and with educated parents; his becomes critical to the school going children. The socio-economic status of the family is also an important aspect in language acquisition. Poverty stricken homes have very little support if any to the academic language. There are also cultural barriers but their influences on language acquisition are not serious. What should however be noted id the fact that culture and the native language has a more pronounced impact on the older student compared to a younger one (Carrigg, 2006). Bilingualism and home language use: Most parents of the English language learners avoid speaking their first language believing that this would help their children in the development of proficiency in the English language. This is regarded as a generalized fallacy and that the parents who engage in this deny an important aspect to the children in their developmental process. The knowledge of the first language is crucial for the children’s maintenance of family relationships and cultural identity of the children (van Broekhuizen, 2010). The parents generally assume that learning two languages is a difficult task and could impede the development of language. They believe that the child will be unable to develop mastery of either language when exposed to the bilingualism thus would lack proficiency compared to those who learn just a single language. They also hold the belief that the two languages would confuse the child and they would have to speak the English language with an accent. This is however not true as it has been established that close to 50 percent of children around the globe can learn more than two languages becoming fluent and proficient in both languages (van Broekhuizen, 2010). In fact some studies have suggested that bilinguals in some instances have outperformed their monolingual counterparts when it comes to performance of more complex issues (Brainy-Child. com, 2010) Parental and community resources for English acquisition in the Seattle area: The Seattle Public Schools are engaged in an effort to ensure that students who graduate from the schools are ready for the colleges through the implementation of a Strategic Plan which was to be conducted in a creative and relentless manner. The plan was committed to engaging all the families in what was dubbed as School-Family Partnership Plan. The family engagement has been defined as efficient involvement of family members or any other caring adult individuals in the education of the children via academic support; advocacy; and partnership in the school system. The family engagements are implemented to ensure that students graduate when they are fully ready for either college, careers or life (Seattle Public Schools, 2010). To accomplish the mission of family engagement in the education system, various positions have been created to enhance the process. These positions include the director for family engagement, family engagement coordinators, and family engagement teams. The District parent/Family Advisory Committee has also been established to provide leadership, professional development, childcare, and transportation among other services that many be required. There are other components that have been established under the new plan to promote the engagement of parents in the education system (Seattle Public Schools, 2010). How to improve school partnerships with the ELL Families: Since the parents are the child’s primary teachers, it is important for programs that serve the English Language Learners to form a collaborative relationship between the parents and the teachers. In this regard, parents need to be provided with opportunities to participate in the child’s education. It is the duty of the teachers to â€Å"share information with parents about the standards, curriculum, and instructional methods that are used in their child’s class and help parents understand the results of various placement and achievement assessment measures that are used in the classroom† (Coltrane, 2010, para 9). It is vital for the home and school to work together to ensure that the students’ abilities are well nurtured and developed. Conclusion: The importance of the relationship between the families and school especially in English Language Learners’ schools can not be ignored. In fact such relationships are crucial in the development of language proficiency amongst the learners in a more comprehensive manner. ELL schools should therefore be encouraged to establish sound relationships with the families of learners to ensure academic success. Reference: August, D. and Shanahan, T. , (2006). Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Retrieved on 24th July 2010 from; http://www. cal. org/projects/archive/nlpreports/executive_summary. pdf Brainy-Child. com, (2010). The Impact of Bilingualism on Overall Language Development and Academic Success. Retrieved on 24th July 2010 from; http://www. brainy-child. com/article/bilingual. shtml. Carrigg, F. , (2006). Teaching ELLs in the Content Areas. Retrieved on 24th July 2010 from; http://www. state. nj. us/education/njpep/pd/iel/powerpt/TeachingELLsin_ContentAreas. ppt. Coltrane, B. (2010). Working With Young English Language Learners: Some Considerations. Eric Digest. Retrieved on 24th July 2010 from; http://www. ericdigests. org/2004-2/young. html. Seattle Public Schools, (2010). Seattle Public Schools: School Family Partnerships District Plan 2009-2010. Retrieved on 24th July 2010 from; http://www. seattleschools. org/area/fam/documents/SFP%20District%20Pl

Information Systems Case Study

Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies J. G. Thoburn Coventry University, UK S. Arunachalam Coventry University, UK A. Gunasekaran University of Massachusetts, North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, USA Keywords Information systems, Agile production, Small-to-medium-sized enterprises Introduction Today, manufacturing organisations are increasingly required to be highly optimised.Abstract The ability to respond swiftly and effectively The necessity of maintaining optito produce new products and services has mal operations and becoming an agile and responsive enterprise is become not so much a method of gaining competitive advantage, but more a means of becoming increasingly important to survive in the global market. survival. Many companies have seen the need Consequently, all resources in the to adopt a whole range of practices that reduce companies need to be effectively inputs and waste, and allow greater responmarshalled.Tradit ionally SMEs siveness to customer needs and the markethave concentrated on the 4Ms  ± money, materials, machine and place. In reaction to changing requirements manpower but have often neand conditions, manufacturing paradigms glected the effective management continue to be defined. It is possible to identify of information, which many authors suggest is at the heart of two trends: those addressing predominantly any agile organisation.The effect the relationships required in local and global is inadequate or fragmented infor- trading environments such as that described mation systems (IS) that do not by Porter (1996) and those systems focusing on address the demands of operational or the wider strategic needs organisational structures within an enterof the company. The study reprise such as business process re-engineering ported here examines the diversi(Hammer and Champy, 1993).Arguably, the ties of problems that occur in agile manufacturing paradigm combines both. three different companies and, Changes in information technology and compares their systems to the communications in the last two decades have ideals of agile manufacturing. further shifted the balance towards the customer. There has been a huge growth in the number of computers in use, putting huge power on the desktop, at ever-decreasing hardware cost.The arrival of the Internet and the expansion of the free market in telecommunications present the option of simple and low cost communication. Now it has become easy for all players in the supply chain, or even individual consumers, to measure specification, price and supply performance against their needs. They can purchase goods that precisely meet their requirements from anywhere in the world, bypassing any perceived shortcomings of their local marketplace.In response to the need for agility or the requirements to link different parts of the International Journal of Agile organisation or elements of a supply chain Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 effectively, systems are emerging that may # MCB University Press fundamentally change the organisation of [ISSN 1465-4652] manufacturing. In order that they might [ 116 ] achieve this, companies must clearly understand and organise their information resources at the earliest possible stage in their development.It is clear that only those enterprises that are able to respond to market demands with minimum delay will survive. Kidd (1996) argues: The agility that arises can be used for competitive advantage, by being able to respond rapidly to changes occurring in the market environment and through the ability to use and exploit a fundamental resource, knowledge. People need to be brought together, in dynamic teams formed around clearly defined market opportunities, so that it becomes possible to level one another's knowledge. Through this process is sought the transformation of knowledge into new products and services.High reaction flexibility will be no more than a qualif ier in the future, just as high quality is today. This flexibility cannot be realised by high-tech equipment alone. Human creativity and organisational ability, if necessary supported by advanced computer based tools, will be the basis for survival and success strategies. This paper describes studies over a period of 15 months, of three companies, and analyses how far they are away from possessing the ability to become agile, by examining the areas that were dysfunctional.It explores the importance of information management and appraises information systems in place in these companies. It discusses the need for a more structured and holistic approach to transferring information in its various forms to the different areas of an organisation, aiming to give optimal access to information while eliminating wasteful duplication as well as generating and testing new knowledge about the firm's changing requirements. Information defined The term information is widely and often inaccurately used. Many authors agree that J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A.Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 there are three elemental types: data, information and knowledge. However, this paper argues that there is a fourth, intelligence, which is distinct from the others. All but data require an understanding of the socially defined context  ± where the information, knowledge and intelligence came from, the assumptions surrounding them, and their importance and limitations. Each of them may be defined as follows: .Data: a series of observations, measurements or facts. . Information: information is data organised into meaningful patterns by means of the application of knowledge. The act of organising data into information can itself generate knowledge, when a person reads, understands, interprets and applies the information in a specific wor k situation. . Knowledge: the intellectual capital resident within an organisation. The facts, experiences or competencies known by a person or group of people, or held within an organisation, gained by individual or shared experiences, training or education. Intelligence: what a company needs to know about its competitive, economic, technical and industry environment to enable it to anticipate change and formulate strategies to best provide for the needs of the marketplace and its specific customers. Yet many aspects of a company's IS are based, not around formal or technology based solutions, but rather on informal or human oriented systems. Mintzberg (1997) examined a wide range of managerial work, predominantly in large organisations. He reported that managers, while 40 percent of their time was devoted to gaining and sharing information, usually used informal systems centred on people.Nevertheless, he concluded that: the job of managing is fundamentally one of processing inform ation. that managing a company was essentially a matter of control. However, this implies a rigidity of framework and formality that does not fit well with today's organisation, and certainly does not promote agility. Flatter, less hierarchical business systems localise control and make it difficult for management to achieve enterprise-wide regulation. Smith (1984) however, believed that the vitality of living systems was not a matter of control, but rather of dynamic connectedness.Veryard (1994) argues that: systems are a dynamic interplay between adaptation and non-adaptation. This is precisely what is required in agile organisations, where there remains the need for stability and accountability, in an environment of necessary and perhaps rapid change. Dynamic connectedness in an agile organisation is provided by the flows of formal and informal information. Veryard further suggests that: the future belongs to symbiosis  ± external integration in pursuit of common business aims. The authors' research and experience shows that informal systems are equally important in every part of the organisation.This appears to be especially true in smaller organisations, where they have less developed formal systems, or formal systems are not performing optimally. In order to better understand and integrate the IS, the vital role of informal systems must be taken into account. The need for information systems in SMEs to successfully communicate and control For the better part of this century, classical management writers such as Henri Fayol (1949) and Gulick and Urwick (1937) taught This is evidenced in those extended enterprises now reported to be emerging.If this biological view is pursued, it can be seen that biological organisms, especially human ones, achieve precisely the continuous adaptation that is described in the agile paradigm. The most successful individuals are able to blend information from their external environment, with knowledge of their own capabilit ies, using formal and informal systems, whilst retaining information and knowledge in memory. There is constant building and retention of knowledge, with competencies taught by example as well as by the formal methods to be found in education and training.Concurrently, many of the control and co-ordination systems, even those learned, become largely autonomic, permitting more effective processing of environmental and circumstantial changes. Such systems may be clearly observed at work in individuals when they are, for example, driving a vehicle. Failure to function effectively in those circumstances leads to severe consequences. Also, by combining with other individuals, capabilities may be extended to be far more than the sum of the parts.Accordingly, biological systems may provide useful models for what may be expected to occur in manufacturing organisations of the future. With biological organisms, the need for adaptive ISs is most profound in growth and early learning stages, or in times of a significantly changing environment. Failure to adapt and learn from conditions [ 117 ] J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 ay lead to survival difficulties. Similarly, small or growing companies, or those adapting to rapidly changing market conditions will require a dynamically linked IS that binds together all parts of the enterprise, and allows it to adapt to its external environment. This may be very different to the rather rigid systems of the past, operating on pre-defined rules and algorithms. Yet it must be within the reach of the smallest company functioning at low resource levels, which may well preclude expensive and complex IT based systems.Information management differences between large companies and SMEs The EC and the UK Government's Department of Trade and Industry have identified SMEs as critical to future economic growth and job creation within the European Union. They form large and important sectors in most industrialised countries, especially in Europe and the USA. Yet significant differences exist between the management of SMEs and larger companies, where much of the research in this field is concentrated.Just as a small fishing boat and a passenger liner may share the same ocean, so SMEs share the global trading environment with large organisations, and are no less susceptible to environmental effects. Indeed it may be argued that just like the smaller vessel, they are much less able to ride out the storms of uncertainty and rapid change, because of their lower resource base. As a result, they must be more, not less vigilant and adaptive than their larger counterparts, with intelligence systems able to influence their strategy and knowledge base much quicker.The Society of Practitioners of Insolvency in the UK concluded (SPI, 1998) from thei r 1998 survey that many companies, mostly SMEs, fail from lack of information  ± with loss of market being the single most important factor. Case studies Research took place in three companies over a period of three months with Company A, and more than six months each for Companies B and C, when one of the authors was in daily attendance. The companies were self-selected for study. Full access was allowed to every part of the business, its operations, management and financial systems, and to all employees.Research took the form of observation, participatory ethnographic and action research. Questioning of employees used unstructured or semi-structured interviews. [ 118 ] Company A was part of a large international group, operating in a number of countries and in every major geographical area in the world, with a group turnover at the time of the study around ? 1 billion. The group consisted in total of eleven divisions each producing a different product. The division studied was l ocated in France, and had approximately 200 employees. The company has been established a number of years and operates under an ISO 002 based system, as well as a number of other quality assurance regimes. The organisation manufactured a variety of special, large-scale products for the oil field, nuclear and defences industries worldwide. These complex products were produced individually to specific customer requirements. Lead times on nuclear products ranged from one to two years, and for the others, from six to 12 months. The products were manufactured as individual one-off specials, in a job-shop operation. The company was divided into seven departments, three by product sector, and the remainder by function.One of the latter was the information technology department. Unlike other departments, although it had a functioning office in the French division it was not a part of the local company; IT was attached directly to the parent company in Germany. Its responsibilities encompass ed the development and operation of the main computer and software systems used on the site for production management, purchasing, sales, production costing, and time and attendance systems. The department had additional responsibilities for networks and PCs which variously ran under MsDOS, Windows and Macintosh formats.Where information transfer took place between departments, it was almost entirely carried out manually, transferring information to paper, and then manually transferring it to the next system. No section used the same nomenclature or data dictionary for parts and components. The organisational design was partly hierarchical and partly a matrix structure, and used a predominantly formal communications network. There were a substantial number of formal and informal meetings, through which much of the departmental and inter-departmental co-ordination was attempted.All formal systems describing the company's operation and administration were well documented. Each departm ent, though relatively autonomous, seemed to be run with apparent efficiency. The operations and production management elements were especially highly developed, Company A J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 and had been subjected to repeated internal scrutiny as well as by local universities.Despite this, the company experienced considerable difficulties in meeting quoted leadtimes. Those lead-times were already longer than their major competitors, and the company was also losing price-competitiveness. As much as 50 percent over-run on lead times was common, and substantial underachievement of possible turnover, and erosion of market share resulted. Otherwise the company and its products enjoyed a long-standing high reputation, though the managers believed that without this, considerably greater eros ion of market would have occurred.Their major competitors, predominantly Japanese and American, through price, technical improvements, and a significantly better responsiveness and delivery performance, were nevertheless making increasing gains at the company's expense. The company was a self-contained profit centre, a division of a larger group that trades throughout the UK. There were approximately 25 employees on the site, though there were wide fluctuations in the total due to a self-imposed seasonality in turnover. Certain support services such as accounting and human resources management were provided from the central holding company.Otherwise the company was responsible for all aspects of its operations. The company was engaged in metal finishing to the engineering industry and as a first tier supplier to several Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). It had two production lines and operated under an ISO 9002 system. The formal IS of the company revolved around the sales or der processing (SOP) system operated from group headquarters and accessed remotely over a fixed link. SOP formed part of a non-standard accounting system, originally written for another group company operating in a non-manufacturing sector.The system itself was user unfriendly and slow, and no intuitive use was possible. At the start of the study only one person, the production supervisor, had any training in SOP. However, that training gave even him only limited knowledge of the system. Cryptic codes and generic descriptions entered by him into SOP made it impossible for others to distinguish between one product and another, and the division could not operate in his absence. Product and process knowledge was almost wholly vested in the production supervisor's head.There was no formal planning or production scheduling system, and no collection system for information concerning production times and material usage. Inter- Company B nal and external rejects were not generally noted or analysed. The company had three stand-alone personal computers, two of them extremely outdated. The central management-accountant exercised the most stringent control, and the company was expected to make bottom-line operating profits each month. The whole operational objectives became focused only upon this, and ignored other fundamentals.To reduce costs, â€Å"non-essential† spending such as machine maintenance, health and safety, training, housekeeping and sales were ruthlessly cut. Those â€Å"savings† often represented all of the profits made by the division. The lack of an IS significantly increased the time spent preparing reports, reduced their accuracy and eroded local management time. At the start of the study, new management was installed in the company. Several initiatives aimed at improving operating performance were considered. The absence of any suitable or appropriate IS soon emerged.In some cases, lack of coherent historical information prevented the j ustification of proposed initiatives, while the effectiveness of others could not be judged within the imposed monthly timescale. Machine and process measurement systems were designed and put into place. They quickly showed that processes were incapable. Similarly, measures of rejects and returns showed that external rejects were in excess of 30 percent while internal rejects were almost 60 percent. An analysis indicated the causes of the problems, and allowed them to be addressed.Reject rates fell to less than 1 percent within a few weeks. However the centre continued to rigorously apply the accountant's previous control measures. A monthly operating profit remained a continuous and absolute requirement even though large backlogs of rejects, and uncoated, badly corroded customer parts required processing, and machines needed to be brought to reliable operating condition. Consequently, employee training was vetoed, and workforce stabilisation measures overturned. In a climate previo usly dominated by dismissals and redundancy, the workforce actively delayed the implementation of an IS.After some time, substantial employee involvement began to overcome this barrier, and they became enthusiastic participants in data collection and process improvement. Customer confidence began to return and the customer base marginally improved. However, the new IS also begun to uncover previous managerial shortcomings, especially at group level. In response, draconian short-term financial measures were applied [ 119 ] J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 rom the centre, and initiatives overruled. The workforce was further reduced, and training programmes cancelled. Workforce morale and customer confidence fell sharply. The division has now closed. Company C was a private limited company, whose dire ctors were its owner-managers. There were approximately 60 employees, with recruitment rising because of rapid growth and expansion. The company was in its third year of trading. The company operated under a newly introduced ISO 9002 based system. The company had two product lines. The first produced simple, low volume components for the automotive sector.The second built components for the machine tool industry. The operations involved in both of these activities were largely manual. The second group of products were much more complex  ± many containing more than one thousand sub-components. A number of variants of each were produced, and all work was carried out by hand. Much of the information within the company was held on personal computers. The internal system was networked into three sections; operations management (OM), purchasing and administration. OM includes quality assurance and control (QA), and a computer aided design (CAD) station.Each section was independent of th e others. Employees were inadequately trained in the use of software and frequent problems arose through their lack of understanding of the packages in use. There was considerable duplication of data entry, with employees in each of the sections entering and extracting information in an unstructured manner. Where information transfer took place between sections, it was almost entirely carried out manually, transferring information to paper, and then manually transferring it to the next system. No section used the same nomenclature or data dictionary for parts and components.Manufacturers' references and descriptions were entered in a casual and unstructured way, making cross-referencing impossible. The data structure of each system was entirely different, and there were further large differences even within systems. CAD and QA were not integrated into the OM system. Consequently, internal systems were largely unsynchronised. As they grew in size, so the problems that they created we re progressively magnified. Build and wiring order was an important factor, particularly in the case of control cabinets. It could significantly affect productivity, quality and finished appearance.Company C Consequently, the order and format of cutting and build lists were central to production aims. Despite this, methods of list production failed to recognise this. It was difficult to derive build-order from examination of design information alone. Product variants caused additional difficulties and required translation by unskilled production operatives. As a result, operatives frequently transferred build instructions onto handwritten sheets and maintained unofficial work instruction systems. There was no formal method of transferring or retaining their build-order knowledge.Comparative attributes, and a summary of the most significant problems arising from the collection and use of information, knowledge and data for each of the three companies are shown in Table I. Identified success factors/ dysfunctional areas In order to more accurately compare and analyse the areas of dysfunction in each of the companies it is necessary to use an objective measure. Bailey and Pearson (1983) have produced one of the most definitive and widely used lists of factors that identify the success factors in ISs. Li (1997) added a further seven factors.These 46 elements have been used to form a matrix, shown in Table II, against which the ISs of the case study companies can be compared. However we have made minor modifications to some of the original criteria to widen references from a computer based information system (CBIS) to simply information system (IS). A hash (#) is shown in the description in these cases. A seven-point scale has been used to describe the degree of success or dysfunction of the IS when first observed. The scale used is as follows: 0 Not applicable 1 Significantly unsuccessful or dysfunctional 2Moderately unsuccessful or dysfunctional 3 Broadly neutral  ± neither successful nor unsuccessful 4 Moderately successful 5 Significantly successful X No information available. Discussion and analysis The companies studied were self-selected, with the only common factor being that they were experiencing operational difficulties which extended to their trading environment in one form or another. There was nothing to suggest that they were other than typical of [ 120 ] J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studiesInternational Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 Table I Company attributes Company B UK Manufacturing General engineering Throughout UK Yes Yes 25 Very high Low ? 170k ? 40 million Low Hierarchical High Very low Central Mixed, central file server, local PCs High Low Very low Yes No Very low Manual Management accountant Very high Yes Medium High Very Low Yes Yes Low Directors High Yes Company C UK Manufactu ring Automotive/machine tools English Midlands No N/A 60 Fairly high Low ? 1. 8 million ? 1. million Both high and low Team based Low Medium Local owner/directors Local PCs Characteristic Company A Country of operation Type of company Sales sector Sales area Part of a group High degree of central control Approximate number of employees on site Employee turnover rate General level of employee skills Approximate site sales turnover Approximate group sales turnover Product complexity Organisational structure Organisational formality Degree of manufacturing sophistication Origin of principal control Type of information systemDegree of manual systems Degree of computerisation Degree of IS training Islands of information Local networking Degree of IS integration Transfer between systems Provider of IT support Informal information systems External audit systems (e. g. ISO 9002) France Manufacturing Nuclear engineering/oil and gas production Worldwide Yes No 180 Low Very high ? 12 million ? 900 million High Hierarchical/matrix High Very high Local Mixed, central mainframe (financial), local mainframe and PCs Low High Medium Yes Some Low Manual IT department Medium Yes 121 ] (continued) J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 [ 122 ] Table I Company B . . . . . . . Characteristic Company A Company C Principal symptoms . . . . . . . Poor lead time performance Higher prices than competitors Loss of market share Serious loss of available turnover through lower throughput times . .Poor quality performance Poor lead time performance Extremely small customer base offering low value work Low profitability High degree of seasonality Poor quality performance Poor lead time performance Poor cash flow Frequent stoppages due to material shortages High degree of duplication and wasted effort Principal ca uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Failures in communication in verbal systems  ± formal and informal Need to manually transfer data between separate IT systems leading to delays and inaccuracy Poor communication with suppliers and failure to keep adequate ata on vendor performance Lack of unified IT and IS strategy . . . . . . . . Lack of any formal operations management and scheduling system Failure to keep manufacturing performance records Control using inappropriate measurements Failure to monitor customers' records and address reasons for erosion of customer base Failure to understand market conditions Failure to understand employment market Self-imposed seasonality High staff turnover and absenteeim Constant loss of skills and competencies Lack of skills sharing Poor training Inappropriate SOP systemInformation systems unable to cope with rates of growth Unstructured data gathering Inappropriate transfer of information to factory floor leading to proliferation of informa l systems Failure to feed back information and knowledge from production Failure to understand employment market Limited knowledge base and deliberate limiting of skills base Lack of understanding of quality failures Lack of appropriate IT training Inappropriate IT systems Ad-hoc IT systems leading to Lack of unified IT and IS strategyJ. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 Table II Success factors and dysfunctional areas Factor no. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 Description factor Top management involvement Competition between computer based information system (CBIS) and non-CBIS units Allocation priorities for IS resources (#) Chargeback method of payment for services Relationship between users and the CBIS s taff Communications between users and the CBIS staff Technical competence of the CBIS staff Attitude of the CBIS staff Scheduling of CBIS products and services Time required for systems development Processing of requests for system changes Vendor's maintenance support Response/turnaround time Means of input/output with CBIS centre Convenience of access Accuracy of output Timeliness of output Precision of output Reliability of output Currency of output Completeness of output Format of output Features of computer language used Volume of output Realisation of user requirements Correction of errors Security of data and models Documentation of systems and procedures User's expectation of computer-based support User's understanding of the systems Perceived utility (worth vs. ost) User's confidence in the systems User's participation Personal control over the IS (#) Training provided to users Job effects of computer-based support Organisational position of the IS unit (#) Flexibility of th e systems Integration of the systems User's attitude toward the IS (#) Clarity of output Instructiveness of output Support of productivity tools Productivity improved by the IS (#) Efficiency of the systems Effectiveness of the systems A 3 2 3 X 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 X 4 4 4 3 2 3 3 2 4 4 4 2 4 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 Company B 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 C 2 3 2 0 4 2 2 2 2 2 3 1 2 3 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 1 2 4 2 3 3 4 4 1 2 5 4 2 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 companies of their size or sector. The studies aimed to determine the extent of use of ISs, report effectiveness and what contribution, if any, their systems had to the areas of dysfunction. They were intended to be preliminary studies from which initial conclusions could be drawn, with reference to published work. By spending a considerable amount of time in each company, and becoming involved with various aspects of their operations, and interacting with employees at all levels in each company, there is a high level of confidence that the systems observed were unaffected by short term experimental bias.Company A, with the highest turnover and backed by a large multi-national parent company was the most resource rich [ 123 ] J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 company. It possessed a highly sophisticated and well-designed production and operations management system, backed by logistics, quality and design departments each equally efficient in their own right. The IS appears from Table II to perform reasonably well. Yet consistently it was unable to meet promised lead times, often by a substantial margin.It was found that the purchasing department was at the centre of many of the problems, with poor communication with suppliers, and adversarial purchasing based p rincipally on price. The consequence was many late deliveries and variable quality. Yet the true cause of the problems was not discovered to be there. The principal means of information transfer between different sections of the company's IT system was manual. Because of incompatible systems, even at PC level, where both Apple and MsDOS based systems were employed, communication was impossible. Each department's system had grown on an ad hoc basis to fulfil its own needs, without reference to others. Each data transfer took place using printed information, usually in the form of schedules, which was translated, then re-entered manually.There were often delays, some considerable, while this process took place. Subtle yet cumulative changes of data and information took place because of translation errors. This had the effect of de-synchronising the whole system. But the most significant effects on leadtime were not to be found in the IT system, but rather in verbal communication syste ms. A large number of formal and informal meetings were held to exchange information often in response to increasing delays against the planned schedule. In response to pressure, the spokespersons from individual departments often gave incorrect answers, sometimes inadvertently because of the cumulative errors or delays in information transfer.Other times, errors were deliberate, where attempts were apparently made to save face, or under pressure from a senior manager or colleagues, to agree to plans that they knew to be unrealistic. Different participants often repeated this process in turn during a meeting. Accordingly, this information was recorded and became crystallised into the formal system with the result that delays were progressively magnified. Thus it was lack of true dynamic connectedness of the system that created the problems that led to continual poor lead-time performance. In contrast, the IS in Company B was not only seriously deficient and absent in many places, bu t was dysfunctional in every area where it did exist. IT systems were limited, unfriendly and uncoordinated, with training and documentation absent.In the wider system information, and particularly feedback, was deliberately withheld, and knowledge generation stifled in response to the corporate culture. The annual haemorrhage of accumulated skills combined with the lack of training and poor human resources policies substantially added to the problem. Inappropriate measurement and control of the feedback systems that did exist reinforced this culture, and the problems that were occurring. Because of poor management techniques, both internal and external intelligence was ignored for considerable periods of time. At the times attention was placed upon this aspect, the system was incapable of multiple focus, and one set of problems was replaced with another.The response of senior group managers was particularly interesting. As IS was put in place or repaired, long-accumulated problems began to emerge which pointed to previous management failures. Their immediate response was to try to dismantle newly implanted systems, and halt knowledge generation and dissemination, and return to the previous culture. Once they took these steps, failure was inevitable. In Company C, the problems were quite different. There was a clear belief in the ability of computers to solve problems by their mere presence. Yet the growth and structure in their IS was wholly unplanned and uncoordinated, and was incapable of supporting the rapid growth of the organisation.There was substantial redundancy and duplication of software systems, and poor understanding of their capabilities that led to the disablement of important reporting and control facilities. Poor system management and training allowed proliferation of duplicated files, and it was often difficult to determine the correct version of any instruction. As a consequence, a considerably higher level of employee time was expended than necessary, substantially increasing costs. Poor data gathering, knowledge management and information generation techniques exacerbated these problems, and informal systems proliferated. Yet simple trial measures to return acquired manufacturing process and merge formal and informal systems, improved quality, productivity and worker-satisfaction.Information systems in an agile company should contribute to responsiveness as well as to overall corporate and organisational aims (Burgess, 1994; Goldman and Nagel, 1993; Kidd, 1994). There are a number of broadly accepted principles of the agilemanufacturing paradigm that provide the [ 124 ] J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 basis for a rapid and flexible response to changing trading conditions. That is to say there is emphasis on strategies (Goldman et a l. , 1995), technologies, systems (Cho et al. , 1996; Gillenwater et al. , 1995) and people (Goldman et al. , 1995; Kidd, 1994).In many cases, many authors have placed great emphasis on the technological capabilities of the organisation (Adamides, 1996; Medhat and Rook, 1997; Merat et al. , 1997). Such resources may not be available to smaller companies. Does this necessarily mean that small companies may not be agile. This would be directly contradictory to the long held view that the strength of smaller companies is their inherent flexibility and responsiveness. Nevertheless, from the comparisons shown in Table III it is possible to conclude from this study that the more dysfunctional, and less dynamically connected the IS, the less able the company is to achieve agile outcomes, flexibility and responsiveness, in the broadest sense of its definition (Gehani, 1995; Kidd, 1996). Conclusion and implicationsIn this section consideration is given to three broad issues arising from the case studies: potential implications of the results; preliminary conclusions; and plans for further work. The studies found broadly in line with previous work, though we have suggested that the normal three-part definition of information of data, information and knowledge be extended to include a fourth, intelligence. We have further observed the fundamental importance of informal systems particularly in the case of the two smaller companies B and C. Here personnel at every operational level relied heavily on informal information, and constructed their own systems, either to protect their position, or to operate more effectively.We have also propounded the biological view that human behavioural systems in particular provide a useful view of how responsive organisations should behave if flexibility and responsiveness is the desired outcome. This paper then considered the companies against the background of agile manufacturing and compared their actual performance to the ideals of the paradigm. It can be concluded that in every case in this study, the more dysfunctional and less dynamically connected the IS, the less able the company is to be agile in the broadest sense of its definition. However current tools and techniques of evaluation and design of ISs are far less wellTable III Comparative performance against agility principles Company A Strategy Agile principles Technology Systems Lack of direct integration of IT systems and connectedness of IT and people-centred systems Absent, deficient or dysfunctional. Without effective coordination or integration People Flexibility Outcomes Responsiveness Low Good strategic Good to awareness excellent Low People highly trained, valued and rewarded but failure in communications in people-centred systems People poorly valued and rewarded. No training and deliberate withholding of knowledge in response to company culture Poor B Poor strategic Badly provided, maintained and awareness  ± understood with lack of internal and external intelligence Poor C Strategy held in individuals at board levelLimited, uncoordinated and unplanned. Computers seen as an answer by simply being present Uncoordinated and incapable of adapting to rapidly increasing demand Poor HR policies Rapidly decreasing leading to staff shortages and low reputation. Poor knowledge management Rapidly decreasing [ 125 ] J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 suited to the needs of many companies (Sauer and Lau, 1997), SMEs in particular, and the achievement of their strategic, commercial and operational goals.This suggests that a new and simpler technique is required that aims to lay down the foundation for an IS at an early stage in the development of a company. This system must be capable of being applied by non-specialist managers in circumstances where there may be a mix of information technology and manual systems. Nevertheless it must be one that incorporates the four elements of information that have been defined in this paper. Work to devise such an audit and planning tool, together with a methodology for its application, is currently being undertaken. References Adamides, E. D. (1996), â€Å"Responsibility-based manufacturing†, International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 11 No. 6, pp. 439-48. Bailey, J. E. and Pearson, S. W. 1983), â€Å"Development of a tool for measuring and analysing computer user satisfaction†, Management Science, Vol. 29 No. 5, May, pp. 519-29. Burgess, T. F. (1994), â€Å"Making the leap to agility: defining and achieving agile manufacturing through business process redesign and business network redesign†, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Vol. 14 No. 11, pp. 23-34. Cho, H. , Jung, MY. and Kim, M. (1996), â€Å"Enabling technologie s of agile manufacturing and its related activities in Korea†, Computers and Industrial Engineering, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 323-34. Fayol, H. (1949) General and Industrial Management, Pitman, London. Gehani, R. R. 1995), â€Å"Time-based management of technology: a taxonomic integration of tactical strategic roles†, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 19-35. Gillenwater, E. L. , Conlon, S. and Hwang, C. (1995), â€Å"Distributed manufacturing support systems  ± the integration of distributed group support systems with manufacturing support systems†, Omega  ± International Journal of Management Science, Vol. 23 No. 6, pp. 653-65. Goldman, S. L. and Nagel, R. N. (1993), â€Å"Management, technology and agility: the emergence of a new era in manufacturing†, International Journal of Technology Management, Vol. 8 Nos 1/2, pp. 18-38. Goldman, S. , Nagel, R. and Preiss, K. 1995), Agile Competitors and Virtual Organisa tions, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY. Gulick, L. H. and Urwick, L. F. (1937), Papers on the Science of Administration, Institute of Public Administration, New York, NY. Hammer, M. and Champy (1993), Re-engineering the Corporation, HarperCollins, New York, NY. Kidd, P. T (1994), Agile Manufacturing: Forging New Frontiers, Addison-Wesley, London. Kidd, P. T. (1996), Agile Manufacturing: A Strategy for the 21st Century, IEE Colloquium Digest Nos. 96/071, March, p. 3. Li, E. Y. (1997), â€Å"Perceived importance of information system success factors: a meta-analysis of group differences†, Information and Management, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 15-28. Medhat, S. S. and Rook, J. L. 1997), â€Å"Concurrent engineering  ± processes and techniques for the Agile Manufacturing Enterprise†, IIE Conference Publication, No. 435, pp. 9-14. Merat, F. L. , Barendt, N. A. , Quinn, R. D. , Causey, G. C. , Newman, W. S. , Velasco, V. B. Jr, Podgurski, A. , Kim, Y. , Ozsoyoglu, G. and Jo, J . Y. (1997), â€Å"Advances in agile manufacturing†, Proceedings  ± IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Vol. 2, pp. 121622, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ. Mintzberg, H. (1997), â€Å"Rounding out the managers job†, IEEE Engineering Management Review, pp. 119-33. Porter, M. E. (1996), â€Å"What is strategy? †, Harvard Business Review, November-December, pp. 61-78. Sauer, C. and Lau, C. 1997), â€Å"Trying to adopt systems development methodologies  ± a casebased exploration of business users' interests†, Information Systems, pp. 255-75. Smith, K. K. (1984), â€Å"Rabbits, lynxes and organisational transitions†, in Kimberly, J. R. and Quinn, R. E. (Eds), New Futures: The Challenge of Managing Corporate Transitions, Dow-Jones Irwin, Homewood, IL, pp. 269-94. SPI (Society of Practitioners of Insolvency) (1998), Insolvency, The Director, London, June, pp. 82-84. Veryard, R. (1994), Information Co-ordination: The Management of Informati on Models, Systems and Organisations, Prentice-Hall International (UK) Ltd, Hemel Hempstead, p. 22. [ 126 ]