Religion is Faith Based - 2058 Words

Religion is â€Å"faith Based† for a very obvious reason. Proof is extremely difficult to find, eyewitness accounts are sketchy or written from oral descriptions then scribbled down from memory of â€Å"eyewitness†. Jesus never wrote down any of his teaching, the first mention of Jesus was recorded by Paul approximately 15 years after Jesus death.. The material that I have researched stated that some of the events in the gospel were re-written and changed languages from Aramaic to Greek to Latin and some written words changed meanings between languages also, during the re-writing some of the facts could have been enhanced or eliminated. . During re-writing the events some of the facts could have been enhanced or eliminated. Scholars have stated there is no real concrete lineages to where and when the information came from accept the bible. Written information was rare during the times of Jesus. Now that I have started a disclaimer written in almost all the books the following are the â€Å"facts† I have found to justify my argument. Christianity is a historical religion that is based on Jesus Christ. It is based on Jesus Christ who was born in a stable, executed as a criminal at age 33; according to the bible he never traveled more than 90 miles from his place of birth. There is no written history that he owned anything accept for the cloth on his back, he never attended a formal school. Jesus was born in Nazareth which was located in lower Galilee. Galileans were peasants. The peasantShow MoreRelatedFaith Based On Belief Of Religion1675 Words   |  7 PagesFaith based on belief in the supernatural has been prevalent for the duration of mankind’s recorded history. Every culture around the world, past and present, has developed or adopted a dominant belief system. These belief systems could include the ancient traditions like Greek polytheism, Mayan ritual worship, or Hinduism as well as modern religions such as Christianity, Islam, or Judaism. By preaching goodwill and the golden rule religion has playe d a significant role in promoting ethics in societyRead More Judaism, Christianity and Islam: The Three Oldest Religions are Based on Faith and Commitment1458 Words   |  6 PagesReligion in all aspects is based on faith and commitment. It starts with a faith that people have in something that they have not seen. I have always wondered about the faith people show for their religion. No matter what is happening they stay strong in whatever it is that they believe in. Humans have come a long way from the beginning of time when it comes to forming religions. There are so many different kinds of religions out there in this world right now. And all those religions come from someRead MoreIs Faith a Good Basis of Knowledge in Religion?1328 Words   |  5 PagesFaith in the context of religion is being used to identify a token of confidence. It is important to understand that faith is the source of religion and therefore can exist without religion however religion can certainly not exis t without faith . Religion has been seen as a method of rationalizing various cultural phenomena which characterize the human agency, the human way of acting, reasoning, and feeling. Despite the lack of knowledge on religion it still manages to influence moral values. ReligiousRead MoreFaith-Based Funding1677 Words   |  7 PagesFunding Faith-Based Organizations A trademark of the United States citizen is the desire to help their fellow man. By the government funding social programs, taxpayer money is granted regardless of race, faith, or sexual preference. If a group wants to receive government funding, then complying with all laws, rules and regulations is perfunctory and their core philosophy may not be used as a basis for discrimination. By extending special assistance to faith-based organizations (FBO), the federalRead MoreEssay Faith In Religion And Science1123 Words   |  5 Pagesmankind religion has been one of the most significant elements of a society’s social and cultural beliefs and actions. However, this trend has declined due to the general increase in knowledge regarding our the natural sciences. Where we had previously attributed something that we didn’t understand to the working of a higher power, is now replaced by a simple explanation offered by natural sciences. While advocates of Religion may questi on Natural Sciences by stating that they are based on assumptionsRead MoreReligion s Effect On Religion Essay1333 Words   |  6 PagesReligion is an extremely complex topic with many different outlets for discussion. Authors like Freud and Marx make compelling arguments against religion by focusing one religion s effect human nature and their ability to strive in civilized society. Although these authors are apposed to organized religion, their views are separate in how they appose religion. Rather than denying or accepting religion, Tillich and Bultmann focus on elements of faith and how they effect the general ideas of religiousRead MoreReligion Is An Organized System Of Worship905 Words   |  4 PagesFaith is a belief or a prediction of the future while religion is an organized system of worship followed by a group of people (Pyle 1). While both sound mostly superstitious, they are very necessary for the running of the daily human lives. Humans, for the fear of the unpredicta ble future, often come up with myths that they hope will keep them safe. It serves them well, as it helps them carry on with their daily activities with reduced fear and anxiety. However, the problems begin when they thinkRead MoreSchool Should Be A Place Of Unification Between People And Religion1212 Words   |  5 Pagesbetween people and religion where students can grow into one society. In reality, students turn against, and this disables classmates to bring tout the best of a person. School becomes a fighting ground between religion freedoms in rights as a response to the outrage of the students. The First Amendment preserves the freedom of religion and speech, but people are being restricted of their religious rights. The founding fathers of America tried to create a Constitution where no religion is persecuted.Read MoreComparing Religion And Science From A Sociological Viewpoint1478 Words   |  6 PagesQuestion:1. Compare and contrast religion with science from a sociolog ical viewpoint. Is science just another form of religion, with people like physicist Stephen Hawking among its high priests or mullah? Are science and religions simply both similar social constructions? In your response to this question, specifically consider both how irrational social factors influence everything, and the relationship between faith and proof. First of all, There are a number of debates about the similaritiesRead MoreFaith Based Programs Are Effective With Changing Offender Behavior1338 Words   |  6 PagesDo you believe that faith-based programs are effective with changing offender behavior? Well, even though there seem to be a lot of empirical precedents that suggest a â€Å"positive association between religious involvement and beneficial outcomes, existing outcomes research in faith-based settings have treated the faith in faith-based services as a contextual factor rather than a programmatic one† (Ferguson, Wu, Spruijt-Metz, Dyrness, n.d.). According to Fisher and Ragan (2003 2004), there are

The Rise And Decline Of The Roman Empire - 1809 Words

Planning your Investigation This investigation attempts to answer the question how did the reforms of Augusts, the first Emperor of Rome, result in the Pax Romana? Augustus reigned from 27 BCE to 14 CE after his great-uncle, Julius Caesar, was murdered. The Pax Romana was a time of Roman peace after many civil wars which had occurred after Julius Caesar’s death due to the fact that Senates wanted to attain the power of the throne. But the Pax Romana lasted from 27 BCE to 180 CE with the death of emperor Marcus Aurelius. The place investigated will be the Roman Empire during this time and will be accomplish by using online databases and informational books such as World History: The Rise and Decline of the Roman Empire and World History: The Roman Empire. Words: 130 Evaluation of Sources World history: The Rise and Decline of the Roman Empire The origin of this source is a secondary source book written by Don Nardo in San Diego, California, in 1998. The purpose of writing this book was to inform about the Roman Empire and how different factors led it to rise in glory and then what factors led it to fall to its demise. A value of this book is that Don Nardo is an American historian and a writer. He has written four hundred and fifty books, and he is considered to be one of the most well-known historical authors in America. He specializes in historical works, mostly Greek and Roman, for children and adolescence. Because the book was written in 1998, there isShow MoreRelatedThe Rise of Four Empires in 300 B.C. to 200 B.C. Essay922 Words   |  4 PagesThe great empires that flourished between 300 B.C.E and 200 B.C.E. can all be broken down into the four factors the contributed to their rise. Although each empire faced prolonged periods of conflict, all four empires succeeded in imposing unity and order among the people. The rise of these empires can be attributed to four specific factors crucial to their construction. The factors crucial to the rise of the great empires included having a centralized form of leadership with enforced uniform legalRead MoreThe Fall Of The Roman Empire856 Words   |  4 PagesAlthough it was believed that the Roman Empire would never come to an end, inevitably it fell. The Roman Empire is an extremely historic empire that left a massive legacy behind. It collapsed during the fifth century. The empire was having serious military struggles. They received threats from other European tribes along with diminished military funding. A military who does not have proper funding will slowly fall apart. Other than the military, the Roman Empire had a few key social and culturalRead MoreEssay on His 112/ the Crisis of the Third Century1314 Words   |  6 Pages His/112 September 2 2011 The Crisis of the Third Century The Crisis of the Third Century was the era in which the Roman Empire almost collapsed under the many myriad of pressures including economic depression, civil war, plague and invasion. Because war was expensive, the Roman Empire had to increase taxes and this caused for many of the Romans to be upset and for the economy to be in a crisis. Revolts were also started because many of the civilians retaliated back because ofRead MoreTHE RISE OF THE PAPACY Essay examples1637 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Early in history, the Roman papacy consolidated its power. It became one of the most influential organizations in the medieval period. This rise to power resulted from the decline in the Western Empire, the leadership of Roman bishops, and special grants that gave the church land holdings. This rise to power caused some positive ramifications, such as the protection of the church from heresy. However, the absolute power of the pope also caused corruption and abuses, many of which wouldRead MoreRoman Civilization943 Words   |  4 PagesAt its height, the Roman Empire was the most powerful domain in the world. It was at its largest in the second century AD and it spread across three continents. This Empire had diverse languages and cultures. Nevertheless by the 3rd century A.D, Romans were on swift decline. This fast decline was caused by extreme changes in their civilization. The changes consisted of new leaders controlling the region, Rome becoming spilt up into two sections, and Christianity gaining all of religious control.Read MoreThe Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire Essay1041 Words   |  5 PagesThe era dominated by Roman empire is one the most well-known and influential periods of history, home to famous names from Julius Caesar to Jesus Christ. At its height, Rome’s territory stretched from the Atlantic coastline to the Middle East, reigning over 60 million people, one-fifth of the population of the ancient world. However, the Roman empire’s treatment of their conquered people’s and their own citizens ultimately led to the permanent downfall of Rome. Even in the century before theRead MoreRoman Empire Essay943 Words   |  4 PagesThe Roman Empire was one of the greatest and longest lasting empires to date, but by A.D. 476 the empire was divided in two and its downfall was inevitable. There are many reasons for the downfall of the Western Roman Empire, some political some economical, but the four biggest factors were religion, war, size, and the decline of the Military. The problems that brought about the downfall of the Western Roman Empire were not unsolvable, but the leaders lacked the will and organization to fix themRead MoreThe Rise and Fall of Rome Essay1409 Words   |  6 PagesThe rise and fall of one of the greatest empires known to man, the Roman republic, were caused by several key factors. Three of which were the decline of monarchy within the empire, foreign conquests and expansion of the growing empire, and political battles between powerful officials. The decline of monarchy which caused the rise of the republic was caused by the expulsion of the last Etruscan king. An ancient Roman tale tells of how the last Etruscan king, Tarquinius Superbus, was driven fromRead MoreROMAN EMPIRE AND THE HAN DYNASTY IN CHINA1441 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ROMAN EMPIRE AND THE HAN DYNASTY IN CHINA Rodrick Carter HIEU 201 Liberty University 29 November 2014 Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty in China The Roman Empire and Han Dynasty in China are two kingdoms that, despite the geographical difference between them, managed to achieve great success and failure in equal measure. Both were characterized by imperial dynasties that were headed by the emperors and they held large territories. Both of these kingdoms faced various challenges afterRead MoreFall of Rome DBQ Essay815 Words   |  4 Pages The Fall of Rome The great Roman Empire expanded across all of Europe and into the Middle East. Its military was one of the finest. With major trading in Africa and Britain, the economy flourished with brining many citizens a healthy income. With amazing advancements in culture and technology, Roman society was at its finest. During the Pax Romana, the Romans had 200 years of peace and good ruling by level headed dictators and emperors. Despite Rome’s greatness in all

Slavery in Brazil Free Essays

Edmund Burke, the acclaimed author and philosopher once said, â€Å"Slavery is a weed that grows on every soil. † Between the 16th and 19th century in the Americas, millions on millions of slaves were brought to the New World. There purpose was to work. We will write a custom essay sample on Slavery in Brazil or any similar topic only for you Order Now The economy of most European colonies in America was dependent on slaves. The land that was discovered in Americas was useless with out sufficient slave labor to exploit it. In this essay, I will focus on two nations where slavery played an enormous role in the development of that country. First, The United States, where in 1860 in South Carolina over 50 percent of the population were slaves. Next, Brazil, the nation where about one third of all salves from Africa were brought. In this essay I will compare slavery in The United States to slavery in Brazil, I will dissect the similarities and differences while focusing on why and how the slaves came, the demographic and religious aspects, the treatment of the slaves, and the aftermath on both countries due to slavery. Around the year 1530 the Portuguese came to Brazil in search of land and natural resources, specifically sugar. As the Portuguese and the indigenous people of Brazil battled for land, the Brazilians resisted against being enslaved. As the Portuguese presence grew in Brazil so did disease, causing the death of most of the working indigenous people. As the number of sugar plantations grew, the demand for workers did as well. This is the main reason why Brazil began to import slaves from Africa. Although the origin of slaves in The United States was similar to Brazil, there were some differences. In the year 1619, only around 10 years after the British began to colonize US, a Dutch slave trader exchanged about 20 Africans for food in Jamestown, Virginia. Like Brazil, the U. S needed workers for plantations, but while Brazil focused on the sugar plantations, the U. S was focused on the tobacco plantations. In general, both Brazil and the U. S lacked a major resource in order to maintain a strong economy, that resource being workers. Although Brazil used more slaves towards sugar and the U. S used more towards tobacco, in general the slaves worked in mines or they worked in a sugar, rice, tobacco, or cotton plantation. Although the U. S played a larger role in the process, both Brazil and the U. S participated in the Triangular Slave Trade. Some say the Triangular Slave Trade is the reason why 10 to 15 million of Africans were shipped to the Americas between 1650 and 1860. The slave trade was simple yet wrong on so many levels. The slave trade took several different routes, but there were two popular ones. The most common route would first start in Europe where the Europeans would trade manufactured goods for slaves in Africa. Next, the slaves were transported across the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil and the Caribbean where the slaves were sold for huge profits or traded for sugar, coffee, and tobacco. The journey from Africa to the Americas was known as the middle passage. Olaudah Equiano was a slave captured and sold into slavery. In his book, The Life of Olaudah Equiano the African, when describing the middle passage he writes, â€Å"I was soon put down under the decks, and there I received such a greeting in my nostrils as I had never experienced in my life; I became so sick and low that I was not able to eat. I now wished for the last friend, death, to relieve me; but soon, to my grief, two of the white men offered me eatables; and, on my refusing to eat, one of them held me fast by the hands, and laid me across, The white people looked and acted, as I thought, in so savage a manner; for I had never seen among my people such instances of brutal cruelty. The closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, almost suffocated us. The air soon became unfit for respiration, from a variety of loathsome smells, and brought on a sickness among the slaves, of which many died. The shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable. As you can tell, the conditions were brutal to say the least. Another popular triangular route taken was ships from the U. S colonies would take rum and other products to Africa in exchange for Slaves. From there, the slaves were taken to Brazil and the Caribbean and sold for profit or sold for sugar and molasses to take back to the U. S where then the sugar and molasses was sold to rum makers. In general, the slave trade was horrific and inhumane, however, it is the reason that the U. S and Brazil were able to maintain a steady economy. Although there were many similarities between the Brazilian slaves and the U. S slaves, there were quite a few specific differences as well. One of the largest differences in slavery between Brazil and the U. S was demographic. Generally speaking, the Brazilian slaves were usually decreasing while the U. S slaves were usually increasing. This is due to several reasons. First, the Brazilians had a much lower proportion of female slaves compared to the U. S who had an equal sex ratio. In Brazil, due to the lack of female slaves, they had a much lower birth rate then the U. S did. Both the death rate and suicide rate was also higher in Brazil compared to the U. S. Due to the low birthrate and the high death rate, Brazil had trouble to maintain a population resulting in having to continuously import slaves. On the other hand, the average number of children born to an early 19th century U. S slave woman was 9. 2; this is twice as many as Brazil and the Caribbean. All these reasons are why Brazil had a much larger number of recent arrivals from Africa while the U. S had a predominately American slave born population. Also, this is why out of the millions and millions of Africans who were brought to the New World, over one-third landed in Brazil and between 60 and 70 percent ended up in Brazil or the sugar colonies of the Caribbean. According to Henry John Temple, the well-known British Prime Minister of the 19th century, he suggests that there were about 3,000,000 slaves in Brazil in the 19th century. Although it is hard to know the exact number, most historians agree that it was around 3,000,000, which would be about forty percent of the whole population. On the other side, in 1860, the slaves in the U. S were only about 13 percent of the entire population. Generally speaking, in Brazil slaves worked on much larger plantations then in the U. S. Most Brazilian plantations held about 150 slaves per plantation. In the U. S, it was quite different. According to Carl Deglar, who wrote, Slavery in Brazil and the United States, he states, â€Å"Out of all the plantations in the U. S, more the half the slaves worked on units with 20 slaves or less. † In the U. S it would not be uncommon for the slaves to deal with their owners on a daily basis, while in Brazil some worked on plantations with hundreds and hundreds of other slaves where it would be rare to encounter your owner. When comparing Brazil and the U. S today, the demographic differences during the days of slavery is one of the main reasons why the two countries are so different One may think that since the slaves were brought to the U. S and Brazil for similar reasons then they all were treated the same, had the same rights, and were viewed the same. Although this is by no means entirely false, there are a few specific differences on how the slaves were treated in the US compared to how the slaves were treated in Brazil. Religion among the slaves was vital for some while non-existent for others. In the U. S, religion was discouraged for the slaves. The average white American slave owner thought there was no need to ever have a slave practice a religion. This could be due to the fact that nowhere in the Catholic Christian teachings does it say it’s acceptable to enslave and treat a fellow Christian as the owners were treating their slaves. In 1831, Virginia passed a law stating, â€Å"Slaves and free Negroes were forbidden to preach, exhort or teach in any prayer-meeting or other association for worship where slaves of different families are collected together on penalty of not more than thirty-nine lashes. In Brazil, the Christianity of a slave was viewed quite different. Some slave owners even viewed it as an essential for a slave to work on his farm. In some cases the slaves would even have to perform a religious ritual even before they stepped foot in Brazil. Instead of being viewed as complete property, the slaves in Brazil were given a chance to practice a religion, in pa rticular, practice the teachings of the Catholic Church. The slaves that departed from Angola, Africa to Brazil were baptized before they got on board the ship. When they arrived in Brazil, the slaves were acknowledged as baptized and had to begin learning the prayers, doctrines, and functions of the Church. In Brazil, marriage was actually acceptable and valid. In 1711, the Constituicoes Primeiras of the Archbishopric of Bahia reaffirmed the legitimacy of marriages between slaves, and between free persons and slaves. According to the Constituicoes, masters could not prevent their slaves from marrying, nor could they separate them once they had wed. Although this may sound promising, it sounds better then it actually was. Most slave owners did not abide by the law that you could not separate a married slave. In general, they still viewed them more as property then people. According to Fernando Henrique Cardoso, the former president of Brazil, he states, â€Å"Of the 660,000 slaves in all of Brazil in 1875, who were 14 years or older, only about 1 out of 6 was recorded as married or widowed. † In terms of religion, it is true that the Brazilian slaves had more rights then the U. S slaves, but not by much. As you can see both the U. S and Brazilian slave owners were more determined on making profit by making the slaves strenuously work then anything else. Although both Brazil and U. S slave owners had complete ownership and control over their slave, the way they treated them did differ between countries. Theoretically, both Brazil and the U. S had laws against murder, abuse, and over working the slave. The difference is, generally speaking, in Brazil some of those laws were carried out while in the U. S, it was rare to see anyone ever defend a slave. In the U. S, the slave owner acted as the judge and jury for any issue involving his slave. In Brazil, a slave had somewhat of a right to a jury. For instance, say a slave owner murdered his slave in the U. S. In most cases it would go unheard of, but even if it were taken to court, it would have been extremely rare if the owner were prosecuted for anything. Now, if a slave owner murdered his slave in Brazil, by law the court should have prosecuted the case as if the slave was a free man. Although it may sound that slavery in Brazil was a lot less harsh, in reality, this judicial approach in Brazil is what should have happened, but as you can guess, it rarely ever did. Henry Koster, a famous German author and film director, in his novel, Travels to Brazil, he states, â€Å"occasionally a cruel master was fined for maltreating his slaves but, I have never heard of a punishment having been carried farther then this trifling manner of correction. † Although by law, the Brazilians compared to the U. S had stricter laws protecting the slaves, when it comes down to the truth, in both countries the slave was viewed more as property then human, mistreating your slave was seen as mistreating your property. One of the biggest differences when comparing U. S slavery to Brazilian slavery concerns manumission. Manumission, meaning the act of freeing a slave, was undoubtedly less common in the U. S compared to Brazil. The number proportion of free slaves in Brazil compared to the number proportion to free slaves in the U. S proves that manumission was more frequent in Brazil. In 1818, for every one free African in Brazil, there were only three slaves. This ratio is compared to with that in the U. S in 1860, when for every one free African, there were eight slaves. By 1872, the number of free Africans in Brazil was more then double the amount that were still slaves. The numbers show that there’s indisputable evidence to prove that manumission was more frequent in Brazil. It is important to note that Brazilian slave owners were freeing the sick and the old more so then the U. S, however, the sick and the old simply would not have been capable to produce offspring in numbers to explain the large number of free Africans in Brazil. Marvin Harris, the famous American anthropologist, along with many other historians suggests another explanation to why there were such a higher percentage of free Africans in Brazil compared to The United States. As stated before, in Brazil in the late 19th century, the free Africans greatly outnumbered the slaves. The big difference was that Brazil needed those free Africans in order to maintain their economy. The free black slaves in Brazil produced food, were craftsmen, and even slave catchers. They performed the tasks that slave labor was too hard to achieve and the whites thought they were too good to do. This was not the occurrence in The United States. First, the U. S was importing more food rather then growing it like Brazil did, and the food that was being produced in the U. S was produced by whites in the South and Northwest. Also, the U. S had enough white men to perform the tasks that the free Africans in Brazil were doing. Therefore, for the U. S there was no economic reason for the whites to turn towards manumission as Brazil did. It did not matter if you were a slave in Brazil, The United States, Caribbean, Central America, or anywhere else, something that they all had in common was the attempt to run and become a free man. Some succeeding, some did not. In Brazil, escaped slaves formed communities like the ones they were forced to leave in their homeland. These communities were called quilombos. Compared to the U. S, the slaves in Brazil had a greater and a better chance for escape. The number of escaped slaves, the number of revolts, and the size of the quilombos were all greater in Brazil. Although there were plenty of revolts and escapes in the US, generally speaking, there were fewer participants then Brazil. In most of The United States, the climate was to cold in the winter to survive on your own compared to Brazil where the climate was reasonable. Also, Brazil was full of forests to hide in compared to the U. S where the areas were policed heavier. The large quilomobs communities in Brazil may contribute to the fact that today, in Brazil the blacks are seen as Brazilians while in certain parts of The United States, the blacks are still seen as Africans. During the days of slavery, discrimination towards blacks was clearly brutal and ruthless. The horrific and saddest result of slavery in The United States is that race prejudice still exists today. I am not saying that blacks are thought of as they were in the 18th century, but in The United States today, especially in the South, there is still discrimination towards colored people. After slavery was abolished in The United States, by no mean did that make the whites and blacks have equal rights. Even after the abolition of slavery, a black man still could not vote, give testimony in court for a white man, marry white women, hold office, and many other terrible things. Brazil, on the other hand, as writer Herbert Alexander puts it, â€Å"the race problem had been allowed to solve itself. † For example, in the seventeenth century, one of the three main officers when the Brazilians fought the Dutch was Henrique Diaz, a black man. This is something you would have never saw in The United States. The United States and Brazil were one of the last nations to abolish slavery in all of the Americas. The Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865, ended slavery in the United States. In 1888, due to international political pressure, Brazil being the last nation to do it in the Americas, finally abolished slavery. Unlike The United States, Brazil was able to abolish slavery with out catastrophic violence. In both Brazil and The United States, the horrific terror of slavery in the 16th to 19th century is something everyone would want to forget. However, during that time period slavery was the reason why both The United States and Brazil’s economies were both stable and on the rise. Overall, when looking into the history of slavery in both The United States and Brazil, although there are differences and similarities, the time period of slavery explains greatly to why present day life in both unique countries is what it is. Bibliography Alexander, Herbert B. â€Å"Brazilian and United States Slavery Compared. † – Wikisource, the Free Online Library. N. p. , 2 Feb. 2001. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. Bergad, Laird W. The Comparative Histories of Slavery in Brazil, Cuba, and the United States. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2007. Print. Brogan, Hugh. The Penguin History of the United States of America. London: Penguin, 2001. Print. Carmody, Padraig. â€Å"Unit Three: Studying Africa through the Humanities. † Exploring Africa. N. p. , 4 Nov. 2002. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. Carter, Tom. â€Å"Race and Slavery in America. † Opinion Forum RSS. N. p. , 28 Feb. 2009. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. Davis, David Brion. Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World. New York: Oxford UP, 2008. Print. Degler, Carl N. Slavery in Brazil and the United States: An Essay in Comparative History. 4th ed. Vol. 75. Washington, D. C.? : American Historical Association. , 1970. Print. â€Å"Differences In Slave Laws In Colonial Brazil And Colonial British North. † 123HelpMe. com. 10 Dec 2012 Dodson, Howard. â€Å"How Slavery Helped Build a World Economy. † National Geographic. N. p. , 3 Feb. 2003. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. Equiano, Olaudah, and Shelly Eversley. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or, Gustavus Vassa, the African. New York: Modern Library, 2004. Print. Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History. New York: W. W. Norton , 2008. Print. Gomez, Flavio S. Africans and Slave Marriages in Eighteenth-century Rio De Janeiro. N. p. : Sheridan, n. d. Print. Koster, Henry. Travels to Brazil. New York: Kessinger, 2012. Print. Mattoso, Katia MAE. To Be a Slave in Brazil, 1550-1888. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 1986. Print. Mintz, Sean. â€Å"American Slavery in Compara tive Perspective. † Digital History Copyright. Mintz S and McNeil S, 3 Jan. 2003. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. Paine, Thomas. â€Å"African Slavery in America. † Pennsylvania Journal and the Weekly Advertiser. Philadelphia] 14 Apr. 1775: n. pag. Print. Reis, Joao Jose. Slave Rebellion in Brazil: The Muslim Uprising of 1835 in Bahia. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1995. Print. Tony, Dunnel. â€Å"History of African Slavery in Brazil. † Suite101. com. The University of Nottingham, 8 Sept. 2009. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Laird W Bergad. The Comparative Histories of Slavery in Brazil, Cuba, and the United States. Print. 115-120 [ 2 ]. Herbert B. Alexander â€Å"Brazilian and United States Slavery Compared. † Web. 12 Dec. 2012. [ 3 ]. Olaudah Equiano. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. Print. 35 [ 4 ]. Sean Mintz. â€Å"American Slavery in Comparative Perspective. † Web. 12 Dec. 2012. [ 5 ]. Laird W Bergad. The Comparative Histories of Slavery in Brazil, Cuba, and the United States. Print. 115-120 [ 6 ]. Jose Joao Reis. Slave Rebellion in Brazil: The Uprising of 1835 in Bahia. Print. 8 [ 7 ]. Laird W Bergad. The Comparative Histories of Slavery in Brazil, Cuba, and the United States. Print. 117 [ 8 ]. Carl N. Degler. Slavery in Brazil and the United States: An Essay in Comparative History. Print. 006 [ 9 ]. Herbert B. Alexander â€Å"Brazilian and United States Slavery Compared. † Web. 12 Dec. 2012. [ 10 ]. Flavio S. Gomez. Africans and Slave Marriages in Eighteenth-century Rio De Janeiro. Print. 42-50 [ 11 ]. Carl N. Degler. Slavery in Brazil and the United States: An Essay in Comparative History. Print. 1009 [ 12 ]. Henry Koster. Travels to Brazil. Print. 77 [ 13 ]. Carl N. Degler. Slavery in Brazil and the United States: An Essay in Comparative History. Print. 1012 [ 14 ]. Herbert B. Alexander â€Å"Brazilian and United States Slavery Compared. † Web. 12 Dec. 2012. How to cite Slavery in Brazil, Papers

Could the American Revolutionary War Have Been Avoided free essay sample

There are several reasons that ignited the war such as the refusal of the Olive Branch Petition by King George Ill, the Pamphlet, Common Sense, published by Thomas Paine that stirred up the colonists, and the several acts passed against the colonists by the British Parliament, and the Albany Plan of Union, that had great potential in preventing the war. If the British parliament responded to the concerns, grievances and proposals of the colonists, things would have turned out differently.The First Continental Congress met in Carpenters hall in Philadelphia and every colony sent delegates except for Georgia. Although the delegates objective of this meeting was to Inform the grievances of the colonies to the King and parliament, they had deferent solutions to their problems. Some wanted to separate, while others wanted resolution with England. The meeting came to an end after the Declaration and Resolves set a common ground for all the colonies and agreed to meet again after one year if the British do not respond to the grievances of the colonies. We will write a custom essay sample on Could the American Revolutionary War Have Been Avoided? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page If England had listened to the concerns of the colonies and addressed them, the Second Continental Congress would not have met and the number of delegates and people that seek to separate from their mother country would have decreased and the war could have been prevented. When the Second Continental Congress met, the delegates sent the Olive Branch Petition to George Ill requesting a compromise and declared their loyalty to the crown even though the King did not agree. The Olive Branch Petition could also have prevented the war if the King acknowledged and compromised with the colonies since the delegates primary Intentions were looking for WAP to make peace with the crown. Therefore, the King of England had the power to prevent the war but rather chose not to. Thomas Paine was born In Defrost, England to a poor Quaker family. In London, he met Benjamin Franklin and Franklin encouraged him to move to America in 1776, Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet titled Common Sense which laid out nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense.He said everything that is right or reasonable pleads for separation. This pamphlet sold a total of 400,000 copies, of which 120,000 were sold solely in America. Common Sense got Americans stirred up to strive for independence from England. Throughout in his life, Paine believed in free thinking, standing up for ones beliefs, and people have the right to be free. Paine was an influential person for the American Revolutionary war.If this pamphlet had not been published, It would not have caused the people to revolt, question the King and seek for Independence from the crown thus, would have prevented the American Revolutionary war from happening. After the Seven Years War, England had a large amount of national debt. Parliament imposed Stamp Act and Revenue Act to help pay boycotts against British goods. The parliament responded to resistance towards the taxes by repealing the Stamp Act and passing the Declaratory Act.The Declaratory Act stated that Parliament could take whatever action they thought fit for the good of the empire. The colonists were blinded by the Stamp Act when it was repealed and failed to see the significance of the Declaratory Act. As a result of this Act, the British Parliament passed several acts against the colonists. The Quartering Act of 1766 required Americans to house British soldiers at their own expense and Townsend Acts of 1766 taxed all imported goods coming into the colonies.In addition, parliament gave rights to the East Indian Company to sell tea directly at a cheaper price than that of the colonist importers. This angered the businessmen involved in importing the teas leading them to dump 342 boxes of tea into the Boston Harbor later known as Boston Tea Party. The King responded to Boston Tea Party by forbidding town meetings, by requiring the colonists to pay for the tea, and most importantly, by closing the Boston Harbor. This threatened the other twelve colonies because they thought they could also face similar punishment. Each of the acts passed by parliament intensified the tension between the British and the colonists because the colonists believed that taxation without representation is illegal. These acts played a major role in starting the Revolutionary war but also had the power to avoid it if the parliament had not imposed a high burden taxes and duties upon the colonists the tension would not have been as great as it was. Benjamin Franklin reposed the Albany Plan of Union at the Albany Congress in 1754 which was an early attempt to unite the colonies and form an army to fight the French and Indian war.Unfortunately, this plan failed to pass because colonial legislators did not want to give up control of their own affairs. If this plan had passed, England would not have sent troops to fight the war and would not have gotten itself into a deep national debt and thus the colonist did not have to be taxed to compensate the expenses of the war . In conclusion, as important as the American Revolutio nary war was to the American story, it could have been prevented from happening.To being with, Benjamin Franklins proposal of the Albany Plan of Union could have solved the tax problems that arose from the French and Indian War. Even after the Franklins proposal failed to pass, if the British parliament addressed the concerns of the colonists the war could have been avoided. If Thomas Pains Common Sense pamphlet was not published, it would not have put the colonists in rebellious stage. Lastly, if King George Ill had not ignored the Olive Branch Petition, the American Revolutionary war could have been prevented in that way also.

Printable organs concepts

The topic of 3-D printable organs very evidently, is starting to receive an increasing amount of attention. The whole mechanism of creating live tissue and organizing cells to form organs seems impossible and amazing.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Printable organs concepts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Until recent time, scientists had problems to keep cells in balance and preserve their survival, as there were few issues. Presently, it has been accomplished by combining stem cells with liquid medium in which the cells have the ability to spawn and continue growth (Benayoun 2013). The process of 3-D printing has been around for some time, printing physical objects, ranging from robotic parts, to photographs, guns and other everyday items. It is clear that no one thought that this process could go so far. In personal opinion, printing 3-D objects is very useful, as it saves time and increases efficiency of pr oduction and social involvement. Printing organs is very much relative and as of right now, people are unable to grasp the concept very closely. It seems extremely futuristic and the majority of population cannot even imagine the technology, particularly the printer that will create live organs. But in case this does work, it would prove extremely beneficial for humanity. There are many people who are on the waitlists for skin transplants, not to mention organs. It is difficult to find donors and there is no guarantee that the organ or tissue will be accepted by the body. Person’s own stem cells can be used in creating organs, and it means that they will be better accepted by the organism, so there will be very little risk involved and chances of survival are greatly increased.Advertising Looking for essay on biology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This sort of development will have very many benefits that will solve p roblems between hospitals and patient care. For a very long time, since doctors started experimenting and practicing transplanting organs, there has been a battle among professional and patients. The ethical questions on who must decide where the organs will go and how to separate those in particular need from those who can wait some time longer has been under debate. One thing for certain is that there is no way to predict the long term deterioration in patient’s health, so it quite impossible to develop a degree of needs between individuals. As previously discussed, the topic of 3-D organ printing is receiving enormous amount of attention and people are starting to wonder if there will be any ethical problems. With the ability to create living tissue, people are starting to wonder if it will become possible to replicate a whole human being and cloning has been mentioned as one of the unwanted outcomes. The merging of â€Å"real† people with artificially created human organism has been described in numerous science fiction movies and books but no one has imagined that it might become a part of reality. The primary problem is that people will start playing God, and the whole ethical issue of whether the cloned or â€Å"printed† people will be considered an individual or will they be a mere duplicate that can be experimented on and used for organs is questioned (Magnus 2008).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Printable organs concepts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The existence of soul and character will become very problematic, as these are things that are impossible to discover or quantify. This can be compared to infants that are grown in labs, using modern technology but the cells that are used are taken from parents and are already formed, as comparing to stem cells that are neutral and then, are later manipulated to produce the required organ. This sort of artifi cial involvement and unnatural modification by humans can be the basis for much debate and argument. One thing for sure, is that the progress and technological advancements cannot be stopped and the future is defined by the knowledge and human ability to better people’s organisms. This sort of technology can be compared to the current prostatic usage and it has proven to be extremely beneficial for people. If it is acceptable to better joints and bones, then organs can be added to the same category. There should not be a problem with the organs because it is the patient themselves that donates their own stem cells and so, there is no ethical dilemma present. But people are starting to wonder if it will become possible to replicate brains and human individuality. It would be wise to leave this issue to the future because the current debate is centered on organ manufacturing and this without a doubt is a positive direction that must be further studied and developed.Advertising Looking for essay on biology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The growing attention to 3-D organ printing is continuing to increase the amount of people who consider this technology extremely beneficial. The most recent advances have explained how the technology is used and people are becoming more familiar with and used to the whole idea. The mixture of stem cells and bio liquid allows for layered growth of cells into any organ that humans have. The further progress in computer technology and bioresearch has made it evident that almost any part of human body can be â€Å"printed† (Fernandes 2011, p. 164). The following diagram illustrates the technique, where a â€Å"form† of an organ is used and stem cells surround it and start growing, replicating the physical copy of the organ. (Loh 2012, p. 3). Scientists are now talking about being able to produce tracheas and organs that have an intricate system of blood vessels and nervous endings. The use of produced live tissue has already been applied in testing drugs and treatments. Another most recent developed was in the production â€Å"a self-healing hydrogel that binds in seconds and is able to be stretched repeatedly† (Loh 2012, p. 4). As genetics and DNA has been extensively studied in the past, this can be considered the continuation of the already existing experimentation. It is fascinating that scientists have developed a technique of â€Å"inserting† genetic material into the cell and are able to manipulate the living processes (Khademhosseini 2008, p. 128). I think that this sort of technology is inevitably connected to humanity and evolution. People were given intricate brains in order to discover ways to better ourselves. Unfortunately, it will probably be impossible to replicate individualities because there is much more immaterial and unexplained aspects involved in making someone who they are. Just as there are limitations on certain things that people cannot achieve, like flying, walking through walls or changing into other live organism or objects, Nature will not allow people to become creators of other human beings. Of course, it is possible that some secret governmental facilities are in fact cloning people who are already walking amongst the population but there is no conclusive evidence. One thing for sure, is that problems must be dealt with as soon as they arrive and not before, otherwise, there will be an overload of the mind. References Benayoun, J 2013, The Latest in Biotech: Printable Organs. Web. Fernandes, P 2011, Advances on Modeling in Tissue Engineering, Springer New York, United States. Khademhosseini, A 2008, Micro and Nanoengineering of the Cell Microenvironment, Artech House, Campridge, United States. Loh, X 2012, Polymeric and Self Assembled Hydrogels, Royal Society of Chemistry Cambridge, United Kingdom. Magnus. T 2008, ‘Stem Cell Myths’, The Royal Society, vol. 363. no. 1489, pp. 9-22. This essay on Printable organs concepts was written and submitted by user Trinity Osborne to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Evaluating the information system needs and requirement for golden fleece hotel and developing strategic information system plan The WritePass Journal

Evaluating the information system needs and requirement for golden fleece hotel and developing strategic information system plan Executive Summary Evaluating the information system needs and requirement for golden fleece hotel and developing strategic information system plan Executive SummaryIntroductionBackgroundReview of Problem EvaluationBenefits of IS Strategic PlanConclusionRecommendationsWhy SWOT Analysis?Why Critical Success Factor (CSF) Analysis?Recommendations on IT InfrastructureRelated Executive Summary This project is designed to get in detail from survey and past relevant literature the impacts of Information System(IS) adoption in sponsoring company and be able to produce a report that will help in advising the   management and the owner of Golden Fleece Hotel (GFH) on the feasibility of the IS in their business and proffer a recommendation on the adoption of the IS strategy. Currently, the sponsoring company has not employed any form of IS strategy in their business activities. They currently depend on the traditional (face-to-face) business means. However, the management have decided to take step forward in expanding their business, on that process this project has been requested by GFH owner and the manager with the aim of getting decision management support. The data gathering of this project will be through survey such as research of relevant academic literatures such as journals and books. Subsequently, the collected data will be analyse and produce a clear and relevant management supporting report which will help to solve the real life problem. Introduction In the history, the relationship between an organizations strategic plan and information systems (IS) was of little importance to the organizations management as information systems were seen as the same with data processing concerning corporate issues and it was systematical placed as a back-room operation for the running of everyday tasks. However, in current times, information systems has become an essential part for the management of organizations, thus there has been an increasing realization for the incorporation of information systems into the strategic planning of organizations. This is because, information systems and information technology (IT) enable organizations flourish – as it helps organizations grow in scope, offer improved services and innovative products. However, the development of a strategic IS plan concentrates on identifying the most appropriate IS for an organization and the implementation plan with its main objective to ensure the alignment of the current business strategy with a new IS strategy (Earl, 2003). Additionally, a strategic IS plan can be interpreted as a formal exercise, where successions of consistent steps are embarked on, which results in the definition of IS requirements as well as the identification of a lasting strategy.   This project will avail Golden Fleece Hotel (GFH) the case study of this project, with a framework focused on enhancing GFHs future and at the same time, provide GFH with technological infrastructures that will support the business to cope with business changes. Thus, the next chapter comprises of a review of certain aspects of this project, such as the sponsor’s details, overview of research chapter, the objective, scope and structure of the project. Background The project sponsor is Golden Fleece Hotel; a privately-owned Hotel (Medium Enterprise) that provides full hotel services such as reservation, restaurant and client services. The hotel was founded in the year 1999 in South Yorkshire and provides catering to customers in two basic group- business people and pleasure travelers that wanted a more personal hotel experience. The hotel’s top management team comprises of two (2) persons – the owner and the Manager. The hotel has four (4) main Units: Restaurant/Catering, Housekeeping, Reservation and Client Services.   Despite the size of the hotel, GFH still operates business in a traditional manner with poor information technology (IT) infrastructure for their business processes. The hotel does not have any form of electronic commerce (e-commerce) system like website and online transaction support system. However, they always fill a paper card any time they need to get their customers details as a means of making reservatio n and showing of their business services. In order to fit well in today’s dynamic information era, GFH plans to increase its business operations and services so as to respond to the needs of their customers and the changing situation of their business. Review of Problem Currently, GFH is not conducting business in modern way, they still work manually. This shows that majority of their business with customers are always carried out in person or through paper works. However, GFH have a substantial amount of customers that want to contact or make reservations with them in modern way (via internet), but GFH do not have the technological infrastructure to connect with its clients. They have a number of employees that are lacking significantly in IT and technical skills, for this reason this made GFH ability not to achieve its desired goals and objectives. Finally, GFH has no formal IS strategic plan to define its management activities that will enable the business achieve its business objective. Additionally, the research into the development of IS strategic plan will be evaluated and reviewed to allow the selection of the suitable methodology(s) for the development of the plan for GFH. However, the next chapter covers the evaluation of the project succe ss. Evaluation From the literature, different development methodologies have different foci and structure; hence leading to different planning or development methodologies for SISP. For instance, Porter’s Value Chain Analysis (VCA) and Critical Success Factors (CSF) methods; the VCA focuses on events that concern adding direct value to an organization while CSF ensures the concentration of the vital requirements concerning the IS need of an organization. Both methods have different structure and focus. However, as VCA focuses on adding direct value, it consequently puts IS straight into the domain of adding value to the organization instead of cutting cost. Practically, VCA simply offers organizations a model that covers advanced level information, but on the other hand, fails to tackle issues concerning the development and application of the plan. Nonetheless, Porter (2001) argued that in order to ensure success in the application of the plan, organizations need to formulate their business strategy in a way that integrates either cost leadership, market differentiation or focus in an appropriate way to attain a viable long-term competitive lead in their preferred market area. However, Kim and Mauborgne (2005) argued that Porter’s value chain model is not the only alternative for organization, as it concentrates solely on internal processes as an alternative to data, thus it does not properly outline the data structure required by the organization. They argued further that an alternate way to achieve the SISP implementation success with profits and high growth as well as gaining a competitive edge, is for organizations to create a Blue Ocean Strategy that goes beyond Porters model by concurrently pursuing both the low cost and differentiation strategy at once. For instance, DELL Computers had an initial strategy to sell directly to the customers at a lower price, thus making their service distinctive from other competitors. They also provided a toll-free telephone number and special (online) features or enhancement in their services as they allowed direct interaction with their clients which helped them understand their client requirements better. However, Pant and Hsu (1995) advised that it is essential for Porter’s VCA to be implemented in combination with selected methods that will tackle issues concerning the development and application of the plan as well as outline the right data structure. Similarly, the CSF is thought to be useful, as it enables the development of IS around the success factor and is a method extensively used (Seddon, et al. 2002), but conversely a comprehensive strategic IS plan cannot be performed with it – as there is no definition for the data architecture (Pant Hsu, 1995). Nonetheless, this is not to say that the CSF method cannot be used for SISP development, because in the case of GFH, it could serve its purpose as CSF analysis is easily performed as well as conducted with little resources. Similarly, the SWOT analysis requires little resources and typically reflects an individuals current position and perspective of the organization involved in the analysis. However, this perspective can be misrepresented to explain an earlier decided course of action instead of being used as a method to uncover new possibilities. Also, the threats from a SWOT analysis could be seen as opportunities, however, it depends on the persons or groups involved in the analysis. However, in the case of GFH, the synergy of strategies will not guarantee success for the organization, but in accordance with Mentzas (1997) viewpoint of SISP development, a multi-phase study of GFH business should be conducted before the implementation of a strategic IS plan – so that the synergy of strategies can enhance the organization. Basically, the multi-phase studies are considerations that concern the environment of an organization as well as the alignment that should accompany the configuration of GFHs environment with the business strategy of GFH. However, the stages of the multi-phase study suggested by Mentzas does not cover difficult organizational phenomena that are swayed by human factors; thus it scarcely covers the human aspects, underlying forces and contextual realities concerning the development of a strategic IS plan (Lindsay, 2003). Nevertheless, this is not to imply that the strategies/models in this literature cannot be used for the development process of a strategic IS plan. They can be used in an organized way that enables each strategy look after the lapses of the other strategies; just as Earl’s advocated the use of multiple methodologies for the development an information systems strategy; and in accordance with the findings from Meckel et al., (2004) survey, Small Medium Enterprises use a combination of methods/methodologies to develop their strategies for the enhancement of their business. Thus, developing an IS strategy for GFH may involve the use of multiple methodologies, with the aim of evolving IS into the products/services of GFH as well as creating new strategic opportunities through the use of IS. However, the level and type of strategy to implement is normally determined by the significance of information systems to the organization, the nature of the organization, and the organizationâ €™s current environment (Robson, 1997). Consequently, the formation of an IS strategy for GFH will involve essential factors for instance organizational structure, culture, the business strategy, technical infrastructure containing the availability of technical skills as well as the perceptions and prospects of employees; thus, highlighting the dynamic nature and requirements of an information systems strategy. However, the formation of an information systems strategy is subjected to continuous modification as the interest and perceptions of the main groups and actors involved in the development process changes (Walsham Waema, 1994). Nonetheless, the methodology(s) that will be used to develop a strategic IS plan for GFH will focus not only on being conceptual or managerial but on the environment and suitability of IS in GFH. Benefits of IS Strategic Plan Brown (2005) suggested that recognizing and understanding the importance of information systems for an organization is essential to ensure that information systems are implemented strategically. However, an important benefit of IS strategic plan for GFH will be novelty, because it will create value for the business. Fundamentally, introducing new technologies in an organization is simply associated with novelty (Power, 2006). Furthermore, Information System strategic plan will assist GFH to develop new standards for their business, increase the throughput of employees, reduce operations costs, and encourage collaboration within and outside the business plus improving customer satisfaction and services (Shore, 2006). Practically, integrating IS into GFH will bring benefits of effectual communication between them and their customers, because it will conquer the concerns of culture, time and distance. Furthermore, with the help of databases, the business associates of GFH will enhanced consistency and support in relation to collaboration. Essentially, the reason why most organizations adopt Information System is to move their business into the international space of competitiveness, since information systems helps and supports such ambitions (Ward Peppard, 2003; Applegate et al., 2008). Though, information systems benefits can be categorized as tactical, strategic and operational where measurements concerning tangible and intangible are classified under operational (Turban et al., 2005). But, the tangible benefits GFH will achieve from implementing IS strategic plan which comprise – the inventory reduction and improvement in productivity. Whereas the intangible benefits include innovative or enhanced processes and standardization in relation to systems integration (Turban et al., 2005). Nevertheless, GFH will also achieve some strategic benefits like there will be increased in growth; market share and leadership will improve competitive advantage. Conclusion The aim of this project was to develop a strategic IS plan for GFH. However, the SWOT and CSF analysis was used to critically evaluate both the internal and external environment of GFH. Additionally, in relations to the theories and processes of IS strategic plan discussed in the literature review, a good integration was developed to ensure that the literature review theories and processes were implemented in the practical elements of the project, as the processes and methodologies for developing a strategic IS plan was followed. Also, GFH’s business operations were evaluated and its business plan aligned with the recommended IS strategies by means of the CSF analysis. Moreover, the content of the literature review served as a guideline for the development of the entire strategic IS plan. Therefore, this goes to prove that the content in the literature review was comprehensively integrated into the project’s practical elements. Nonetheless, the information systems were basically recommended to completely support the business strategies of GFH, as detailed implementation plan was proposed. Nevertheless, the SWOT and CSF analysis was used to significantly evaluate both the internal and external environment of GFH and therefore, one can say that the product delivered to GFH satisfied the scope of GFH’s requirements. Recommendations Practically, todays’ operational effectiveness and efficiency in most organizations can be seen as a strategic plan. This means that it’s possible for an organizations strategic plan to arise from anywhere, anybody, or from comprehensive planning as well as from trial and error. However, strategic thinking is the best way of doing things as strategic planning and the synthesis involved are simply contributors of the entire strategic development phenomenon. Nevertheless, from the literature covered, selecting methodology for an organization like GFH is determined through the suitability of the methodology into the organizations situation. Additionally, the literature in this chapter has shown that it will be difficult for one methodology to completely support the full analysis, development and implementation of a strategic IS plan. Therefore, I will apply or use the strategy that allows the use of multiple SISP methodologies. In other words, I will choose a number of methodologies used by SMEs from the findings of Meckel et al., (2004) survey to formulate a strategic IS plan for GFH. Moreover, during the selection of methodology, it is important to think through the amount of resources made accessible for the development phase. Thus, a resource issue for the development phase of is the confinement of time and man power for the SISP development. As a result, the SWOT analysis will be used in the formation of an IS strategy for GFH, as it requires little man power and the time duration required for its development is minimal. In addition, the SWOT analysis is simpler and straightforward when compared with Porter’s Five Forces analysis. In addition, the CSF analysis will also be used for integrating the business-IS strategy and the identification of information systems requirements. This method will be used, as it focuses on the information necessity, which is required by GFH. Why SWOT Analysis? This methodology SWOT analysis was carefully chosen to enable the evaluation of GFH’s strength and weakness as well as their opportunities and threats. Basically, in relations to the strength and weakness, emphasis will be on the internal environment while for the opportunities and threats, emphasis will be on the external environment. However, the primary aim of the SWOT analysis is to attain continuous competitive advantages for GFH through the implementation of strategies that use the internal strengths of GFH, by reacting to the environmental opportunities, and simultaneously reducing the effect of external threat as well as circumventing the internal weakness of the company. Consequently, enabling SWOT analysis to produce a comprehensive plan, as the threats and weaknesses established in the SWOT analysis will be prevented. On the other hand, SWOT analysis can allow an organization to use a lazy course by looking for strengths that fit opportunities and overlook the oppo rtunities that they feel cannot be used to their advantage. However, in order to avoid this lazy approach, the SWOT analysis would be used to identify the best opportunities for GFH and then plans will be in place to stretch GFH to ensure that they meet these opportunities. Nonetheless, the assessment area in relation to SWOT analysis is greater than that of Porters Value Chain Analysis for the reason that SWOT concentrations on both the internal and external environment of an organization, whereas Porters Value Chain concentrates only on the internal environment; thus offering more advantages when compared with Porters Five Forces. Furthermore, the assessment area of SWOT concerning the internal environment of GFH will lead to the identification of certain areas that will lead to exceptional accomplishments as well as critical failure features in GFH. This analysis will aid GFH maximize the strong elements/factors they have and avoid areas of weakness during decision making. Also, the assessment area in relation to the external factor will provide GFH the ability to analyze the external openings and threats concerning their competitors as well as creating a better understanding of customers needs, thus allowing GFH to assert itself properly in the mar ketplace and encourage the exploration of prospective strategic options (Robert, 2004). However, to portray a perfect picture of the SWOT analysis, Robson (1997) developed the SWOT matrix together with four kinds of exposures for risk that are incorporated into the SWOT matrix. The matrix shows the kind of reactions that may well be suitable to cope with every risk. A sample SWOT matrix and likely reactions are presented in Figure 6. Practically, from figure 1, the use of the SWOT matrix makes SWOT analysis easier to decide which task should be prioritized when compared to Porters Value Chain analysis or Five Force. Basically, the SWOT matrix makes it possible to identify possible risks visible in information systems and recognize ways to reaction to the risk. Why Critical Success Factor (CSF) Analysis? This methodology, CSF analysis consists of a set of factors that include expertise and responsibilities that are considered as very important factors for the continuous success of an organization. Basically, CSFs are a small number of things that need to work aptly to make certain of an organization’s continued existence and success in the marketplace (Turban, et al., 2005). However, in the case of GFH, CSF analysis will help GFH enhance its business – as it will ensure information systems aid the business strategy of GFH by determining essential information requirement and activities that for the IS plan. According to Peffers and Gengler (2003), the CSF analysis of an organization centers on the fundamental scopes of anticipated performance of the organization. Hence, the CSF analysis will provide GFH with an improved understanding of the required strategic information for the future of the business. Practically, the CSF analysis of GFH will examine the business objectives and ascertain the necessary elements that are needed for every objective. Afterwards, the necessary IS required to help the CSFs sustain GFHs business growth and success is identified. Consequently, by achieving the CSF analysis, GFH will be able to position itself properly in the marketplace (Ward Peppard, 2003). Therefore, it is essential for GFH to constantly monitor all the CSF, to make certain their performance is up to standard. In addition, the CSF analysis will provides real support for the development of a strategic IS plan, as it focuses on key activities for business success as a result preventing any focus on trivial activities. Furthermore, it enables proper allocation of resources to key areas of the business during the development of a strategic IS plan (Avison Fitzgerald, 2003). Recommendations on IT Infrastructure The recommendations and design of the functional structure of the future information technology (IT) department and conceptual technical architecture of the future information technology (IT) department of GFH was proposed to help GFH overcome the difficulties they face. As stated in the case study, the main concern at the moment is incorporating networking functions into the business activities of GFH to lessen their manual processes. Basically, GFH will use the strategy of e-vision opportunities, e-marketing and e-operations. As implementing the e-vision opportunity will entail using innovative business ideas like changing their normal manual processes of manually booking from customers and keeping physical records of customers. They should be able to automate these processes by using a computerized system electronic booking processing system for booking accommodation. This way, GFH will be able to generate a method of understanding the needs of customers and it will also ensure t hat there is a surge in the effectiveness and efficiency of the processes at GFH. Similarly, GFH can also implement the e-marketing strategy by moving most of it business activities to the internet, so that they will be able to maximize customer interaction at GFH. This is achievable, since the automated systems in place. Practically, with the automated system, it will change certain functions at GFH and drive GFH towards web-based creativity; hence the e- marketing opportunity will be applied in the process as it’s connected to customer interaction that centers on the use of web-based creativity to change the strategic technique used to interact with customers. Lastly, the e-operation opportunity should be used to transform GFH strategy for business by using web technology to enhance the operations of GFH. In addition, GFH will be able to develop an electronic database for customer to amass details or information concerning their booking. Thus the recommendation for this aspect of the network an activity of GFH is that a new and dedicated server should be installed to sustain better and faster networking activities. The system should be able to monitor the speed of the network and the network usages as well as the number of users at any particular time. Furthermore, for security purposes, the installation of firewall is a must to ensure that the network packages are filtered. Also, a firewall will stop any outside virus from attacking the new network system. Furthermore, GFH will be saving or cutting operations cost by adopting a printer sharing strategy; where the printers will be programmed to run as network printers, therefore supporting any printing requirement from different departments within GFH. However, the future functional structure for the IT department will be designed to ensure that GFH is able to deliver reliable services on a regular basis to its customers. The new functional structure will allow GFH practice appropriate configuration management in supporting all of its IT applications/services. Evaluating the information system needs and requirement for golden fleece hotel and developing strategic information system plan Executive Summary Evaluating the information system needs and requirement for golden fleece hotel and developing strategic information system plan Executive SummaryIntroductionBackgroundReview of Problem EvaluationBenefits of IS Strategic PlanConclusionRecommendationsWhy SWOT Analysis?Why Critical Success Factor (CSF) Analysis?Recommendations on IT InfrastructureReferencesRelated Executive Summary This project is designed to get in detail from survey and past relevant literature the impacts of Information System(IS) adoption in sponsoring company and be able to produce a report that will help in advising the   management and the owner of Golden Fleece Hotel (GFH) on the feasibility of the IS in their business and proffer a recommendation on the adoption of the IS strategy. Currently, the sponsoring company has not employed any form of IS strategy in their business activities. They currently depend on the traditional (face-to-face) business means. However, the management have decided to take step forward in expanding their business, on that process this project has been requested by GFH owner and the manager with the aim of getting decision management support. The data gathering of this project will be through survey such as research of relevant academic literatures such as journals and books. Subsequently, the collected data will be analyse and produce a clear and relevant management supporting report which will help to solve the real life problem. Introduction In the history, the relationship between an organizations strategic plan and information systems (IS) was of little importance to the organizations management – as information systems were seen as the same with data processing concerning corporate issues and it was systematical placed as a back-room operation for the running of everyday tasks. However, in current times, information systems has become an essential part for the management of organizations, thus there has been an increasing realization for the incorporation of information systems into the strategic planning of organizations. This is because, information systems and information technology (IT) enable organizations flourish – as it helps organizations grow in scope, offer improved services and innovative products. However, the development of a strategic IS plan concentrates on identifying the most appropriate IS for an organization and the implementation plan – with its main objective to ensure the alignment of the current business strategy with a new IS strategy (Earl, 2003). Additionally, a strategic IS plan can be interpreted as a formal exercise, where successions of consistent steps are embarked on, which results in the definition of IS requirements as well as the identification of a lasting strategy.   This project will avail Golden Fleece Hotel (GFH) – the case study of this project, with a framework focused on enhancing GFHs future and at the same time, provide GFH with technological infrastructures that will support the business to cope with business changes. Thus, the next chapter comprises of a review of certain aspects of this project, such as the sponsor’s details, overview of research chapter, the objective, scope and structure of the project. Background The project sponsor is Golden Fleece Hotel; a privately-owned Hotel (Medium Enterprise) that provides full hotel services such as reservation, restaurant and client services. The hotel was founded in the year 1999 in South Yorkshire and provides catering to customers in two basic group- business people and pleasure travelers that wanted a more personal hotel experience. The hotel’s top management team comprises of two (2) persons – the owner and the Manager. The hotel has four (4) main Units: Restaurant/Catering, Housekeeping, Reservation and Client Services.   Despite the size of the hotel, GFH still operates business in a traditional manner with poor information technology (IT) infrastructure for their business processes. The hotel does not have any form of electronic commerce (e-commerce) system like website and online transaction support system. However, they always fill a paper card any time they need to get their customers details as a means of making reservatio n and showing of their business services. In order to fit well in today’s dynamic information era, GFH plans to increase its business operations and services so as to respond to the needs of their customers and the changing situation of their business. Review of Problem Currently, GFH is not conducting business in modern way, they still work manually. This shows that majority of their business with customers are always carried out in person or through paper works. However, GFH have a substantial amount of customers that want to contact or make reservations with them in modern way (via internet), but GFH do not have the technological infrastructure to connect with its clients. They have a number of employees that are lacking significantly in IT and technical skills, for this reason this made GFH ability not to achieve its desired goals and objectives. Finally, GFH has no formal IS strategic plan to define its management activities that will enable the business achieve its business objective. Additionally, the research into the development of IS strategic plan will be evaluated and reviewed to allow the selection of the suitable methodology(s) for the development of the plan for GFH. However, the next chapter covers the evaluation of the project succe ss. Evaluation From the literature, different development methodologies have different foci and structure; hence leading to different planning or development methodologies for SISP. For instance, Porter’s Value Chain Analysis (VCA) and Critical Success Factors (CSF) methods; the VCA focuses on events that concern adding direct value to an organization while CSF ensures the concentration of the vital requirements concerning the IS need of an organization. Both methods have different structure and focus. However, as VCA focuses on adding direct value, it consequently puts IS straight into the domain of adding value to the organization instead of cutting cost. Practically, VCA simply offers organizations a model that covers advanced level information, but on the other hand, fails to tackle issues concerning the development and application of the plan. Nonetheless, Porter (2001) argued that in order to ensure success in the application of the plan, organizations need to formulate their business strategy in a way that integrates either cost leadership, market differentiation or focus in an appropriate way to attain a viable long-term competitive lead in their preferred market area. However, Kim and Mauborgne (2005) argued that Porter’s value chain model is not the only alternative for organization, as it concentrates solely on internal processes as an alternative to data, thus it does not properly outline the data structure required by the organization. They argued further â€⠀œ that an alternate way to achieve the SISP implementation success with profits and high growth as well as gaining a competitive edge, is for organizations to create a Blue Ocean Strategy that goes beyond Porters model – by concurrently pursuing both the low cost and differentiation strategy at once. For instance, DELL Computers had an initial strategy to sell directly to the customers at a lower price, thus making their service distinctive from other competitors. They also provided a toll-free telephone number and special (online) features or enhancement in their services as they allowed direct interaction with their clients which helped them understand their client requirements better. However, Pant and Hsu (1995) advised that it is essential for Porter’s VCA to be implemented in combination with selected methods that will tackle issues concerning the development and application of the plan as well as outline the right data structure. Similarly, the CSF is thought to be useful, as it enables the development of IS around the success factor and is a method extensively used (Seddon, et al. 2002), but conversely a comprehensive strategic IS plan cannot be performed with it – as there is no definition for the data architecture (Pant Hsu, 1995). Nonetheless, this is not to say that the CSF method cannot be used for SISP development, because in the case of GFH, it could serve its purpose as CSF analysis is easily performed as well as conducted with little resources. Similarly, the SWOT analysis requires little resources and typically reflects an individual’s current position and perspective of the organization involved in the analysis. However, this perspective can be misrepresented to explain an earlier decided course of action instead of being used as a method to uncover new possibilities. Also, the threats from a SWOT analysis could be seen as opportunities, however, it depends on the persons or groups involved in the analysis. However, in the case of GFH, the synergy of strategies will not guarantee success for the organization, but in accordance with Mentzas (1997) viewpoint of SISP development, a multi-phase study of GFH business should be conducted before the implementation of a strategic IS plan – so that the synergy of strategies can enhance the organization. Basically, the multi-phase studies are considerations that concern the environment of an organization as well as the alignment that should accompany the configuration of GFHs environment with the business strategy of GFH. However, the stages of the multi-phase study suggested by Mentzas does not cover difficult organizational phenomena that are swayed by human factors; thus it scarcely covers the human aspects, underlying forces and contextual realities concerning the development of a strategic IS plan (Lindsay, 2003). Nevertheless, this is not to imply that the strategies/models in this literature cannot be used for the development process of a strategic IS plan. They can be used in an organized way that enables each strategy look after the lapses of the other strategies; just as Earl’s advocated the use of multiple methodologies for the development an information systems strategy; and in accordance with the findings from Meckel et al., (2004) survey, Small Medium Enterprises use a combination of methods/methodologies to develop their strategies for the enhancement of their business. Thus, developing an IS strategy for GFH may involve the use of multiple methodologies, with the aim of evolving IS into the products/services of GFH as well as creating new strategic opportunities through the use of IS. However, the level and type of strategy to implement is normally determined by the significance of information systems to the organization, the nature of the organization, and the organizationâ €™s current environment (Robson, 1997). Consequently, the formation of an IS strategy for GFH will involve essential factors – for instance organizational structure, culture, the business strategy, technical infrastructure containing the availability of technical skills as well as the perceptions and prospects of employees; thus, highlighting the dynamic nature and requirements of an information systems strategy. However, the formation of an information systems strategy is subjected to continuous modification – as the interest and perceptions of the main groups and actors involved in the development process changes (Walsham Waema, 1994). Nonetheless, the methodology(s) that will be used to develop a strategic IS plan for GFH will focus not only on being conceptual or managerial but on the environment and suitability of IS in GFH. Benefits of IS Strategic Plan Brown (2005) suggested that recognizing and understanding the importance of information systems for an organization is essential to ensure that information systems are implemented strategically. However, an important benefit of IS strategic plan for GFH will be novelty, because it will create value for the business. Fundamentally, introducing new technologies in an organization is simply associated with novelty (Power, 2006). Furthermore, Information System strategic plan will assist GFH to develop new standards for their business, increase the throughput of employees, reduce operations costs, and encourage collaboration within and outside the business plus improving customer satisfaction and services (Shore, 2006). Practically, integrating IS into GFH will bring benefits of effectual communication between them and their customers, because it will conquer the concerns of culture, time and distance. Furthermore, with the help of databases, the business associates of GFH will enhanced consistency and support in relation to collaboration. Essentially, the reason why most organizations adopt Information System is to move their business into the international space of competitiveness, since information systems helps and supports such ambitions (Ward Peppard, 2003; Applegate et al., 2008). Though, information systems benefits can be categorized as tactical, strategic and operational – where measurements concerning tangible and intangible are classified under operational (Turban et al., 2005). But, the tangible benefits GFH will achieve from implementing IS strategic plan which comprise – the inventory reduction and improvement in productivity. Whereas the intangible benefits include innovative or enhanced processes and standardization in relation to systems integration (Turban et al., 2005). Nevertheless, GFH will also achieve some strategic benefits like there will be increased in growth; market share and leadership will improve competitive advantage. Conclusion The aim of this project was to develop a strategic IS plan for GFH. However, the SWOT and CSF analysis was used to critically evaluate both the internal and external environment of GFH. Additionally, in relations to the theories and processes of IS strategic plan discussed in the literature review, a good integration was developed to ensure that the literature review theories and processes were implemented in the practical elements of the project, as the processes and methodologies for developing a strategic IS plan was followed. Also, GFH’s business operations were evaluated and its business plan aligned with the recommended IS strategies by means of the CSF analysis. Moreover, the content of the literature review served as a guideline for the development of the entire strategic IS plan. Therefore, this goes to prove that the content in the literature review was comprehensively integrated into the project’s practical elements. Nonetheless, the information systems were basically recommended to completely support the business strategies of GFH, as detailed implementation plan was proposed. Nevertheless, the SWOT and CSF analysis was used to significantly evaluate both the internal and external environment of GFH and therefore, one can say that the product delivered to GFH satisfied the scope of GFH’s requirements. Recommendations Practically, todays’ operational effectiveness and efficiency in most organizations can be seen as a strategic plan. This means that it’s possible for an organizations strategic plan to arise from anywhere, anybody, or from comprehensive planning as well as from trial and error. However, strategic thinking is the best way of doing things as strategic planning and the synthesis involved are simply contributors of the entire strategic development phenomenon. Nevertheless, from the literature covered, selecting methodology for an organization like GFH is determined through the suitability of the methodology into the organizations situation. Additionally, the literature in this chapter has shown that it will be difficult for one methodology to completely support the full analysis, development and implementation of a strategic IS plan. Therefore, I will apply or use the strategy that allows the use of multiple SISP methodologies. In other words, I will choose a number of methodologies used by SMEs from the findings of Meckel et al., (2004) survey to formulate a strategic IS plan for GFH. Moreover, during the selection of methodology, it is important to think through the amount of resources made accessible for the development phase. Thus, a resource issue for the development phase of is the confinement of time and man power for the SISP development. As a result, the SWOT analysis will be used in the formation of an IS strategy for GFH, as it requires little man power and the time duration required for its development is minimal. In addition, the SWOT analysis is simpler and straightforward when compared with Porter’s Five Forces analysis. In addition, the CSF analysis will also be used for integrating the business-IS strategy and the identification of information systems requirements. This method will be used, as it focuses on the information necessity, which is required by GFH. Why SWOT Analysis? This methodology – SWOT analysis was carefully chosen to enable the evaluation of GFH’s strength and weakness as well as their opportunities and threats. Basically, in relations to the strength and weakness, emphasis will be on the internal environment while for the opportunities and threats, emphasis will be on the external environment. However, the primary aim of the SWOT analysis is to attain continuous competitive advantages for GFH through the implementation of strategies that use the internal strengths of GFH, by reacting to the environmental opportunities, and simultaneously reducing the effect of external threat as well as circumventing the internal weakness of the company. Consequently, enabling SWOT analysis to produce a comprehensive plan, as the threats and weaknesses established in the SWOT analysis will be prevented. On the other hand, SWOT analysis can allow an organization to use a lazy course by looking for strengths that fit opportunities and overlook the opportunities that they feel cannot be used to their advantage. However, in order to avoid this lazy approach, the SWOT analysis would be used to identify the best opportunities for GFH and then plans will be in place to stretch GFH to ensure that they meet these opportunities. Nonetheless, the assessment area in relation to SWOT analysis is greater than that of Porters Value Chain Analysis – for the reason that SWOT concentrations on both the internal and external environment of an organization, whereas Porters Value Chain concentrates only on the internal environment; thus offering more advantages when compared with Porters Five Forces. Furthermore, the assessment area of SWOT concerning the internal environment of GFH will lead to the identification of certain areas that will lead to exceptional accomplishments as well as critical failure features in GFH. This analysis will aid GFH maximize the strong elements/factors they have and avoid areas of weakness during decision making. Also, the assessment area in relation to the external factor will provide GFH the ability to analyze the external openings and threats concerning their competitors as well as creating a better understanding of customers needs, thus allowing GFH to assert itself properly in the marketplace and encourage the exploration of prospective strategic options (Robert, 2004). However, to portray a perfect picture of the SWOT analysis, Robson (1997) developed the SWOT matrix together with four kinds of exposures for risk that are incorporated into the SWOT matrix. The matrix shows the kind of reactions that may well be suitable to cope with every risk. A sample SWOT matrix and likely reactions are presented in Figure 6. Practically, from figure 1, the use of the SWOT matrix makes SWOT analysis easier to decide which task should be prioritized when compared to Porters Value Chain analysis or Five Force. Basically, the SWOT matrix makes it possible to identify possible risks visible in information systems and recognize ways to reaction to the risk. Why Critical Success Factor (CSF) Analysis? This methodology, CSF analysis – consists of a set of factors that include expertise and responsibilities that are considered as very important factors for the continuous success of an organization. Basically, CSFs are a small number of things that need to work aptly to make certain of an organization’s continued existence and success in the marketplace (Turban, et al., 2005). However, in the case of GFH, CSF analysis will help GFH enhance its business – as it will ensure information systems aid the business strategy of GFH by determining essential information requirement and activities that for the IS plan. According to Peffers and Gengler (2003), the CSF analysis of an organization centers on the fundamental scopes of anticipated performance of the organization. Hence, the CSF analysis will provide GFH with an improved understanding of the required strategic information for the future of the business. Practically, the CSF analysis of GFH will examine the business objectives and ascertain the necessary elements that are needed for every objective. Afterwards, the necessary IS required to help the CSFs sustain GFHs business growth and success is identified. Consequently, by achieving the CSF analysis, GFH will be able to position itself properly in the marketplace (Ward Peppard, 2003). Therefore, it is essential for GFH to constantly monitor all the CSF, to make certain their performance is up to standard. In addition, the CSF analysis will provides real support for the development of a strategic IS plan, as it focuses on key activities for business success – as a result preventing any focus on trivial activities. Furthermore, it enables proper allocation of resources to key areas of the business during the development of a strategic IS plan (Avison Fitzgerald, 2003). Recommendations on IT Infrastructure The recommendations and design of the functional structure of the future information technology (IT) department and conceptual technical architecture of the future information technology (IT) department of GFH was proposed to help GFH overcome the difficulties they face. As stated in the case study, the main concern at the moment is incorporating networking functions into the business activities of GFH to lessen their manual processes. Basically, GFH will use the strategy of e-vision opportunities, e-marketing and e-operations. As implementing the e-vision opportunity will entail using innovative business ideas like changing their normal manual processes of manually booking from customers and keeping physical records of customers. They should be able to automate these processes by using a computerized system – electronic booking processing system for booking accommodation. This way, GFH will be able to generate a method of understanding the needs of customers and it will also ensure that there is a surge in the effectiveness and efficiency of the processes at GFH. Similarly, GFH can also implement the e-marketing strategy by moving most of it business activities to the internet, so that they will be able to maximize customer interaction at GFH. This is achievable, since the automated systems in place. Practically, with the automated system, it will change certain functions at GFH and drive GFH towards web-based creativity; hence the e- marketing opportunity will be applied in the process as it’s connected to customer interaction that centers on the use of web-based creativity to change the strategic technique used to interact with customers. Lastly, the e-operation opportunity should be used to transform GFH strategy for business by using web technology to enhance the operations of GFH. In addition, GFH will be able to develop an electronic database for customer to amass details or information concerning their booking. Thus the recommendation for this aspect of the network an activity of GFH is that a new and dedicated server should be installed to sustain better and faster networking activities. The system should be able to monitor the speed of the network and the network usages as well as the number of users at any particular time. Furthermore, for security purposes, the installation of firewall is a must to ensure that the network packages are filtered. Also, a firewall will stop any outside virus from attacking the new network system. Furthermore, GFH will be saving or cutting operations cost by adopting a printer sharing strategy; where the printers will be programmed to run as network printers, therefore supporting any printing requirement from different departments within GFH. However, the future functional structure for the IT department will be designed to ensure that GFH is able to deliver reliable services on a regular basis to its customers. The new functional structure will allow GFH practice appropriate configuration management in supporting all of its IT applications/services. References