Strategic Information Systems Analysis

Strategic Information Systems Analysis Information systems that are developed in response to the corporate plan are called Strategic Systems. The main goal is to give the organisation a competitive lead. Strategic Systems can provide products or services that are less expensive, varied and focused on particular market segments or pioneering. Business strategies are implemented by strategic information systems as they have the systems in which resources are applied to information services and strategic business opportunities with an intention of companys computer system to perform well. Strategic information systems are always systems that have evolved in response to the corporate initiative. In other cases, the idea came from business people and Operational Information Services supplied the technological potential to realize profitable results. Most systems seemed to support activities such as business. They mechanize the operations of greater efficiency, control and efficiency, but they are not in themselves to increase business profitability. They are easy to use, more than enough reliable information to management in order to keep the business running smoothly, and they are used in the analysis plan for new directions. Strategic Information Systems, on the other hand, is an integral and necessary part of business, and directly affect the market share, profits and all other aspects of the Market Square to profitability. They can even bring in new products, new markets, new ways of doing business. They directly affect the organizations competitive stance, which gives him an advantage against competitors. ISSUES In 1980, the number of frameworks have appeared analyzing information systems from a strategic perspective. General problems in a dozen of their strategic information systems frameworks (frameworks SIS), has been described, including the following. Most of the frameworks of the SIS is American (and thus may be culturally related).Since there are a large number of frameworks available, each is at the best of a relative benchmark. Also, because of the variety it can be costly to find a suitable framework, and even more expensive one to find inappropriate. SIS frameworks are usually post-hoc requests for global strategic framework and so do not contain any special features of the computer world, where it was not clear if the frameworks were developed. It has been argued that,the SIS frameworks are externally imposed, meanings and restrain creativity, focus away from the bright ideas and are generated internally, creates the conditions for a power struggle over its meaning, and move the focus of control of the SIS from the outside. Finally, even the simplest framework can be understood in more ways than one, creating the possibility to the hidden divisions. SONY CORPORATION Sony Corporation announced the creation of Corporate IS Solutions (ISS), by April 1, 1998. The new organization will prepare for Sony in the emerging digital age by strengthening the management information system. Sony Corporation has a number of corporate structural changes in recent years. Sony divisional company structure was first introduced in 1994, and was further strengthened in 1996. Sony has also reorganized its board of directors and corporate executive officer positions created in 1997. In response to changes in business environment due to digitization and the growth of a networked society, the Sony Group has diversified its business to digital satellite broadcasting, electronics, entertainment, insurance and finance to take. Sony hopes to use the ISS for further information systems capabilities to enhance the speed and flexibility of management decisions to improve. The purpose of the ISS will be to increase the efficiency of the management of Sonys information systems (MIS) to improve the infrastructure and the role of MIS in the strategic planning and business promotion to increase. ISS proposes an advisory committee will consist of people from outside consultants and IS representatives of the worldwide operations of Sony. The Advisory Committee will counsel the president on technology issues for the strategic planning of information systems from Sony. In addition, ISS representatives are located in each of the ten divisions of corporate companies to implement projects that contribute in the firm. Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications and information technology for the consumer and professional markets. Its music, pictures and computer entertainment operations make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Business Strategy The companys competitive strategy can be featured as a hybrid strategy where the low cost(cost leadership), invested in a low price with a differentiation aggregated on the basis of quality, reliability, flexibility, innovation and create sustainable value for all key stakeholders. The companys current business strategy can be featured as a sales strategy that the companys acquisition and subsequent integration of these followed in MNE SBU structures. The turnaround strategy is not driven by poor financial performance but by the desire of the new shareholders to increase productivity and change organisational culture and structure, the required measures to claim dependable competitive advantage at a low cost, lean and entrepreneurial enterprise. IS Strategy From a strategic perspective, the problem is the extent to which improvements in information processing power can help improve the way the knowledge is created and shared both in and around the organisation. Competitive pressures have resulted in the maintaining high quality the strategic IS is developed centrally so the approach to corporate strategic planning information can be regarded as an incremental. Overall, the strategy aimed at integrating existing IS as external integration with broader chain partners in order to support both cost leadership and differentiation strategy. STRATEGIC INFORMATION AND PLANNING METHODOLOGIES AT SONY The role of strategic information systems planning is difficult and often time organizations do not know how to do it. Strategic information systems planning are a big change for organizations, from planning for information systems based on the needs of users based on business strategy. Also, strategic information systems planning changes planned features in major ways. Thus, the time horizon for planning changes from one year to three years or more and development driven by current and future business needs rather than incremental needs of the user. Increasing the time horizon is a factor that results in poor response from the top management to the strategic information systems planning process is difficult to keep their attention for a long period. Other questions related to strategic information systems planning on the scope of the planning study, the focus of the planning exercise corporate organization against strategic business unit, the number of studies and their sequence, c hoosing a strategic information planning systems or develop a methodology if one is not suitable, the target of planning and deliverables. Because of the complexity of strategic information systems planning process and the uniqueness of each organization, there is no one best way to address. Vitale et al. (1986) classify SISP methodologies into two categories: impact and alignment. Impact methodologies help create and justify new uses of IT, while the methods in the adaptation category placing IS objectives with organizational goals. Business systems planning: This method, developed by SONY, which combines top-down bottom-up implementation planning. This methodology focuses on business processes, which in turn is derived from the organizations business mission, objectives and tasks. Business process analysis of the data needs and then determine the data classes. Similar data for the classes are combined to develop databases. BSP final plan describes the general architecture of information systems, as well as a timetable for the installation of individual systems. Following are the strength and weaknesses of BSP Strengths Because BSP combines a top-down business analysis approach with a bottom-up strategy for implementation, it represents an integrated approach. In it stop-down strategy, BSP is similar to CSF method in that it develops a general understanding of the business plans and supporting IS needs through joint discussions. SONY the supplier of this method has the advantage of better known to top management than other methods. Weaknesses: BSP requires a clear commitment of senior management and their great commitment. requires a high degree of IT experience within the BSP schedule team There is a problem of the gap between top down and bottom-up planning implementation. Does not have a software design methodology. The main weakness of BSP is the considerable time and effort required for the successful implementation. Strategic systems planning Also known as PROplanner and developed by Robert Holland, this method is similar toBSP. A business functional model is defined by analyzing major functional areas of acompany. Data architecture is derived from the business function model by combining information requirements in the generic data entities and subject databases. New systems and their implementation schedules are derived from this architecture. This architecture is then used to new systems and the implementation schedule to be identified. Although the steps in the SSP process are similar to those in the BSP, a major difference between SSP and SSPs BSP is automated processing of the data collected during the SISP process Information Engineering This method was developed by James Martin (1982) and provides techniques for building enterprise, data, and process models. These models combine a comprehensive knowledge base that is used to create and maintain information systems to form. Basic concept of this technique is the use of structured techniques in all tasks related to planning, analysis, design and construction of enterprise wide information systems. Such structured techniques are expected to result in well integrated information systems. IE is based on a pyramid for an information systems company. The pyramid has three sides by the organisation to display the activities the organisation performs using the data and the technology used in the implementation of information systems. Value chain analysis The concept of the value chain is examined at length by Michael Porter (1984).According to him every company is a collection of activities performed to design, produce, market, deliver and support its product. All these activities can be represented using a value. Porter goes on to explain that information technology is one of the major activities supporting the value chain.Information technology system is a particular role in the value, since every value activity creates and, uses information. .. The recent, rapid technological changes in information systems are having a major impact on competition and competitive advantage due to the decisive role of information in the value chain. Change in the way office functions can be executed one of the main types of technological trends that today many companies, but few devote substantial resources to it. Thus, value chain analysis: (A) Is a form of economic activity, an analysis firm in its entirety falls apart. Information derived from this analysis. (B) Helps to develop information systems that the total profits of an enterprise to increase. (C) Helps to identify the potential for mutual business benefits of the constituent companies in the same or related industries, available from information exchange. (D) Focuses on value added activities and is independent of the organizational structure. Strengths: The main strength of value chain analysis is that it concentrates on direct value adding activities of an enterprise and therefore places information right in the realm of value rather than cost cutting. Weaknesses: Although a very useful and intuitively appealing, value chain analysis suffers from several weaknesses, namely Only provides a higher level information model for a firm and not the address to the design and implementation issues. Because of its focus on internal operations instead of data, not to define a data structure for the company. The basic concept of a value chain is difficult to apply to non-industrial organizations where the product is not tangible and there is no obvious commodity. Does not provide automated support for performing analysis. Value chain analysis, therefore, must be used in combination with some other method that addresses the development and implementation issues and define a data structure. Critical success factors Critical success factors analysis can be considered both an impact as well as adjustment methodology. Critical Success Factors (CSF) in the context of SISP are used to interpret more clearly the objectives, tactics and operations in terms of key information needs of an organization and its managers and strengths and weaknesses of the existing systems of the organization. Rockart (1979) defines critical success factors as a companys limited number of areas where the results, if satisfactory, will ensure successful competitive performance for the organization. CSFs exist on a number of levels. They represent the few key areas where things have to go for business to flourish. Consequently, critical success factors are areas of activity that should receive constant and careful attention from management. The CSF approach originally developed as a means of understanding the information needs of CEOs. The approach is then applied to the overall business and has expanded into a broader plan methodology. It is made from the root of much consultation practices and has achieved significant results in which the property is used. CB can exist on a number of levels, i.e., industry, organizational, business unit or manager. CBs at a lower level are derived from the preceding level. The CSF approach introduces information technology in the first stages of the planning process and helps a realistic assessment of the IT contribution to the organization. Strengths: CB-analysis provides a very powerful method for focusing on key information requirements of an organization, a business unit, or a manager. This allows management to focus resources on developing information about these requirements.CSF analysis is also easy to perform and can be performed with few resources. Weaknesses: (a) although a useful and widely used technique, CSF analysis alone is not enough to carry out comprehensive SISP its not data architecture to define or provide automated support for analysis. To be of value, the CSF analysis easily and directly be related back to the objectives of the business unit under review. It is the experience of people using this technique in general loses its value when used in the third level in a hierarchy BARRIERS: Analysis of IS practices and procedures Porter and Miller (1985) argue that the management information systems can no longer be the sole province of EDP work such as accounting and bookkeeping, which focuses on control and reduce costs. Advanced information systems in the value chain of activities can help companies improve the competitiveness of differentiation as well as to achieve cost leadership and thus obtain a sustainable competitive advantage. In other words, the ability to pursue cost reduction and differentiation at the same time justify the use. Earl (1998) argues that the IS has the potential to be a strategic weapon, at least one of the following: (1) gain a competitive advantage, (2) improve productivity and performance, (3) create new ways to manage and organize; (4) developing new businesses. These views show that the utilization of strategic and coherent action is more important than their use in operational situations (Soo 2002). The following part of the study will analyze and critically evaluate the com panys practices in the treatment of low-and intra- external integration of its information systems and its negative effects on the production value. The company has always tried its business efficiency and increase effectiveness by reassessing the internal operations such as purchasing, warehousing, materials management and distribution. It has used techniques such as Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRPII) and Just-In-Time (JIT) to the internal value chain effectiveness and efficiency. The company has exported its major ERP system in the early 1990s. The company achieved a relatively high internal integration processes within the value chain of the company. The situation for the company a step back in their internal integration efforts for the sake of uniformity of the group. The major obstacle towards full integration of internal information systems of the company therefore represents the diversity of applications used for different processes. This shows poor strategic information system planning (SISP) at a multinational level, in the context of a rapidly growing group (through external acquisitions) is true is not seen as a s trategic weapon, but rather an operational information processing tool. The cost versus the value quantification of the IS integration is problematic (subject multinational had group has the extra dimension of intra-SBU / corporate integration, which is considered a major problem at the corporate level. The firm decision on the main platform for integration is still not considered, but a feasibility study conducted by a team of internal and external experts showed that the most viable solution in the medium term lies in building the data warehouses at the top existing applications to ensure the collection, integration, storage and sharing of information available to users. Moreover, historically strong focus on internal integration reduces the potential value of the whole value which the company operates and the cost leads to duplication, maintenance of redundant systems, and investment in inefficient processes, such as manual data entry and machine sources are available. The company is in todays highly competitive global market place obligated to review its business operations and explore both internal processes and external relationships with business partners to meet the changing needs of their customers, to respond to the initiatives and new business models of their competitors and opportunities as new technologies (Chaffey 2002). CONCLUSION Information-based companies should be planned in an integrated manner, involving all stages of the lifecycle implemented to bring about the skill, quality and productivity. This integration is similar in nature to the integration of the product life cycle of an enterprise. Current methods, however, tend to support planning information as an island separated from the wealth of information resources. A new approach would require tapping into these resources to capture and characterize the company to allow for the integration of information systems planning stages of development and support of adaptive and a shortened cycle. This approach is a small first step to a great task: to develop a framework and a theory for strategic, planning of information systems. The need for such a framework is established by the problems in implementing SISP methods and also because of what these methods themselves lacking. The company was part of a multinational competing in global markets within the global industry value chain with strong competition. The funds are used by competitors are very similar (technology, people, money); the difference is how these resources are used / managed. Today, financial markets are looking for a broader view to the prospects of the companies that often do not clearly understand the accounts. Intellectual capital management business information systems skills are often the distinguishing factor of perspective and profitable businesses and encourage the companies value (Couger 1995). At the Company has traditionally focused on supporting internal efficiency. Companies need trust relationships with each other and the B2B market is to allow members to penetrate this deep in each others internal business processes. Has potential to generate value in inspiration, creation and support of collaborative value networks rather than reducing the internal data processing costs. Th e company realized the challenge and is a step in the right direction in terms of their integration in the evolving industry value chain to provide value to all stakeholders to generate.

Does Violence in the Media Contribute to Violent Children?

Does Violence in the Media Contribute to Violent Children? Alaina Davis While some people may disagree that violent media contributes to violent children, the fact remains that violence is now part of our everyday world. Many tragedies, from the Gulf War to the loss of the World Trade Center Towers were televised nightly or even 24 hours a day on some news channels. I am not suggesting children be deprived of the knowledge that there is violence in our world, rather I would suggest that children must be supervised for such programming, because children cannot always tell the difference between fact and fantasy. In this paper, we will look at three specifically violent events and the feelings of children who viewed the events on television, or were within close proximity to the violence and watched it televised as well. I do not personally believe that television has the exclusive power to create a violent child however; I do believe that it can be an integral part of a storm of events that can help to create a violent child. There is an amazing array of numbers and facts surrounding television alone, regardless of programming and the ages of the children who watch unsupervised. Fremont (2007), states that there is an average of three televisions in 41% of American homes. Children from ages 2-7 watch television unsupervised and alone 81% of the time. In this same age group, 33% have televisions in their own bedrooms. I personally feel that this is far too much television for children of this age to watch television so much with no adult supervision. It is obvious that television has indeed become the new babysitter. Another statistic from Fremont (2007) is that children watch televised news 65% of the time as compared to 44% who read newspapers. Television, and images in general tend to generate a more visceral reaction than reading printed text does. For example, I can write a text only report about the violence surrounding the Twin Towers Attacks on September 11, 2001, and it will no doubt stir up some reaction, in part because we all had such a large amount of television exposure to the event. However, even at that, reading a text only report, will not elicit the same visceral response as showing pictures will, and that response will heighten with each enhancement to the report. Videography, with a narrator and actual live footage of the event, elicits the strongest reaction to any event, good or bad. However, in our society, violence seems to elicit the strongest responses and the most interest. This is true of not only our news broadcasts, but of television shows, movies and video games. A few more facts, which will become more clear as we relate them to specific events: Less than 50% of children display feelings of anger, depression, or sadness after watching the news (Fremont, 2007). Bushman (2007), states that younger children are more likely to imitate what they see on television. Considering the amount of the age 2-7 group of children that are allowed unsupervised viewing and the psychological processing of that age group, it is easy to see why they would imitate what they see without reasoning for consequence. Browne Hamilton-Giachritsis (2007). have shown a correlation between homes that are violent in nature, children who watch large amounts of televisions in these violent homes, and juvenile delinquency in their teenage years. There are many forms of violence available on television, as entertainment, education, or in conjunction with television and the internet, such as on violent gaming. As a starting place, we are going to briefly visit three national tragedies, in order of happening because television coverage increased with each tragedy. As coverage increased, so did the amount of televisions available to view it on, as well as the time of the coverage. The first national tragedy is the Challenger accident, resulting in the destruction of the space capsule, as well as everyone on board, including a civilian female schoolteacher. Compared to the next two national tragedies, the Challenger received little airplay of the accident scene that was aired on the national news of the takeoff, and the very sudden violent explosion of the capsule. As an adult, I briefly remember the news coverage about the accident, and I remember that coverage was short lived. I had a 3-year-old daughter at the time, but she was never allowed to watch television unsupervised as a child, and she did not watch televised news. However, in a small study done at the time of 153 children from Concord, NH, and Porterville, CA, there was no initial reaction difference between the two coasts (Fremont, 2007). There was an increase in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in East coast children, as opposed to the West coast children (Fremont, 2007). Fremont (2007). did not state the ages of the children involved in the study, but we know that children under eight are generally less able to tell the difference between fantasy and reality. That is why children from 2-7 still believe in the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and the monsters under the bed. Because they do not always process these events as real, and therefore not as horrific as older children, juveniles do and adults do, if they develop symptoms at all, it is likely as an emotional cue that this is how we are supposed to act in response to such a tragedy. The Oklahoma City Bombing was a personal event because I live in Oklahoma. There was more national coverage on the news, and for a longer period of time than with the Challenger accident. Neighbors talked about it for longer periods, even after the news stopped covering it. In another study, seven weeks after the event, 3000 children of middle and high school age were surveyed. Freemont (2007). noted that those who were bereaved through involvement, directly, or indirectly, were more likely to report symptoms than those who were not so closely involved with the incident. However, it is also important to note that the Murrah Building Bombing’s television exposure did lead to trauma related symptoms for more than 2 years past the actual event date (Fremont, 2007). Given the additional coverage time and duration of this incident, which occurred nine years after Challenger, it is obvious that violent television broadcasts do have an effect on children. Our final national tragedy is the day simply known now as 9/11. On September 11, 2001, hijacked jets being flown into each of its twin towers attacked the World Trade Center in New York (Manhattan). Television and radio coverage started before anyone even knew what was happening. First reports were only for a plane of undetermined size having crashed into the North Tower. Before it was all over, a third plane would have crashed into the Pentagon, and a fourth would be diverted by extremely brave passengers into crashing into a farm field, rather than its target, which was assumed to the be the White House. The second crash into the Twin Towers was televised in live time, as it happened. People all over America and the world watched as those towers burned, smoke rolling from them, and people jumping amid the papers blowing off the exposed upper floors. Finally the entire crash of first one tower and then the other, all taking place on live television, in real time. This was horrific f or a number of reasons: the amount of people initially dead and missing, relatives across the country, and around the world were uncertain if they were in shock for the nation, grieving personally, or both. Television coverage went on and on, replaying the horrific images repeatedly on 24-hour broadcasts. Other news was reported while these images played in the background on some channels. Fremont (2007). reports in a study done of grade 4-12 aged children in the New York City School system reported an increase of 8.5% of PTSD symptoms following this tragedy. A supporting study confirmed that there were symptoms of PTSD (particularly anxiety) in children who had excessive television exposure to this event even as far away as the West Coast. The difference was that children at a distance suffered more anxiety over whether a loved one was injured or killed; children on the East Coast suffered grief for those injured or killed in the attacks, as well as anxiety about their futures, and the impact this tragedy would have on their future (Wilson, A.C., Lengua, L.J., Meltzoff, A.N., Smith, K.A., 2010). Again, parental influences did have some bearing on how much stress a child suffered from this event. According to Wilson, A.C. et.al. (2010), children from single parent homes displayed more symptoms than homes where both parents were present. Another important point is that children who had parents who showed positive emotional responses following the 9/11 attacks, such as crying in grief were much more likely to seek out or ask for help with their feelings over the attack. We do see that violence has an effect on children, at least, on school age children. The three events we have discussed so far were real incidents, happening to real people, and being broadcast in real time on television. But what effect does interactive violent media have on our children? The more attractive video games, to the age 8 and above group, are violent. Whether it is fantasy violence, such as Angry Birds, or animated human violence, such as Halo, or other war programs, these are the games that are advertised heavily, promoted as â€Å"great gifts† and come with a great amount of attached peer pressure to play these games. Bushman (2007). noticed that females had become increasingly violent as the media and society supports the tough, aggressive female character. Traditionally, females are exposed to violent video games later than males, because they are not drawn to watch violent sporting events such as football and hockey (Bushman (2007). While news broadcasts of national tragedies obviously cause symptoms of stress and anxiety in older children, what about younger children? For younger children, violence seems to really have not much of an effect. We read Grimm’s stories to our toddlers; it rarely gives them cause for stress, or anxiety. They are unlikely to display infantile reactions to stress from being read Hansel and Gretel, for example by sucking their thumb, or wetting the bed after hearing the story. Yet, this story is violent; two children, left in the woods by their parent, found by a witch, who attempts to murder them. For children under the age of eight, most research seems to agree that televised violence, viewing video games, or even hearing stories such as Grimm’s Fairy Tales, have little to no effect. Kotler and Calvert (n.d.), support that younger children tend to use instrumental aggression; aggression that is used in the quest of controlling or obtaining an object. Therefore, an average preschooler may strike another child in the quest to get a toy, for example. However, by the time the child enters the first grade, at age 6 or 7, they are starting to use words to fight, rather than physical violence, and may even reject physically aggressive school peers. Supporting my theory that violent media alone does not make a violent child, Kotler and Calvert (n.d.) assert that by the time a child is a pre-adolescent or adolescent, they understand that the quest of revenge, such as is displayed in many video games, is the wrong moral path. However, those children without strong social ties, and who tend to be isolated, endorse violent revenge (Kotler Calvert, n.d.). Further support to the fact that while violent media does contribute, but is not the sole reason for violent children, is a study conducted by Johnson, et.al., over 17 years in a community of 707 individuals. In each case, there was significant support for those who watched violent television in early adolescence and subsequent aggressive acts in adolescence and young adulthood. Males outweighed females in the same age brackets, but routinely, those who watched television for more than 3 hours per day, regardless of the violent content, were 14.6% more likely, overall to engage in physical assault or fighting that would result in injury at age 16 or 22. For those same ages and the same amount of television, 12.7% were likely to engage in any aggressive act on another person. These statistics were true whether or not the adolescent had any of the other risk indicators present for aggressive behavior, or a history of aggressive behavior (Johnson, Cohen, Smailes, Kasen, Brook, 2005). I have to admit that when I chose this topic, I was not on the side of violent television causing violent children, or even being a major contributor. However, the facts are irrefutable; children who view violence after the age of 8, particularly when the situation of the children’s lives are coupled with a low income home that may be violent in nature, is more likely to become violent, or at least accept violent behavior in their adolescent and young adult years. Of course, contributing to my own view is the fact that when I was a child, most homes did not even own one television, programming was rarely violent in terms of today’s acceptable programming, and we were generally limited to an hour of prime time, supervised viewing with the entire family between dinner and bedtime. With the research conducted however, it is not possible to deny that younger children (under age 8) are less able to process and disseminate information, because they simply have no frame of reference for what is acceptable and unacceptable in terms of violence. I do not believe, however, that children of this age should watch television unsupervised, simply because they are learning to reference what they see. Without an adult present to help them interpret what they see, in later years, they will not have a frame of reference to fall back on. Society will never be perfect; we will always have those children, as well as adults who suffer rejection, bullying, and other forms of violence simply because they are different. However, I honestly believe if we all take the advice of the researchers, and supervise our young children, rather than forbid violence in all forms, we will raise children who will be able to survive those rejections, bullying’s and other hurts of growing up without becoming violent. On the other hand, limiting and supervising the viewing and use of violent media in the home may help those children who suffer from disabilities that already promote low empathy (such as Autism Spectrum Disorders like Asperger’s) to understand that violence solves nothing. Finally, parents must accept primary responsibility for their children, their children’s viewing and gaming habits, and ensure that their friends have parents who are involved and engaged with their children as well. Fremont (2007). recommends that the age group under eight not view television or other media without supervision. She also recommends that the adults in a child’s life be prepared to help them with responsible interpretation of any violent content that is viewed. References Browne, K.D., Hamilton-Giachritsis, C. (2005). The influence of violent media on children and adolescents: a public health approach. Lancet, 365(9460), 702-210. Retrieved from Ebscohost. October 29, 2011. Bushman, D. B. (2007, March 2). The impact of entertainment media on children and families. Retrieved October 30, 2011, from Iowa State University Extension: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/families/media/pages/qa.bushman.html Fremont,Wanda P., M.D., (2007, November 15). Reactions of children exposed to media coverage of terrorism. Retrieved October 28, 2011, from St. Josephs Hospital and Health Center: www.sjhsyr.org/sjhhc/pdf/chip_FremonReactions07.ppt Johnson, J. G., Cohen, P., Smailes, E. M., Kasen, S., Brook, J. S. (2005, March 29). Television viewing and aggressive behavior during adolescence and adulthood. Science, 295, 2468-2471. Retrieved from Ebscohost. October 29, 2011. Kotler, J. A., Calvert, S. L. (n.d.). Children and adolescents’ exposure to different kinds of media violence: Recurring choices and recurring themes (Research Paper). Retrieved from Children’s Digital Media Center/Georgetown University: http://cdmc.georgetown.edu/papers/children_and_adolescent’s_exposure.pdf Wilson, A.C., Lengua, L.J., Meltzoff, A.N., Smith, K.A. (2010). Parenting and temperament prior to September 11, 2001, and parenting specific to 9/11 as predictors of children’s post-traumatic stress symptoms following 9/11. Journal of Clinical Child Adolescent Psychology, 39(4), 445-459. Doi: 10.1080/15374416.2010.486317, Retrieved from Ebscohost. October 30, 2011

The Impact of Weather and Climate on Health in New Zealand Essay

Weather can affect human health in a variety of ways. For New Zealand, some of the specific health issues that are linked to weather and climate include melanoma skin cancer, weather-sensitive rheumatism, asthma, Seasonal Affective Disorder, and stress in farmers caused by weather extremes. Several studies have been done in New Zealand investigating the link between particular health problems and the weather. There are limitations to such studies, including the obstacle of trying to isolate cause and effect, but it is clear that weather and health correlations do exist. Lying on a New Zealand beach and basking in the warm sun sure sounds appealing, but there are health risks involved. Prolonged exposure to UV radiation can lead to skin cancer and eye diseases, and this is a significant issue in New Zealand. Malignant melanoma is one of the most serious types of skin cancer, and New Zealand has the second highest rate of melanoma in the world. Only Australia has a higher rate, which seems to imply that this region is particularly susceptible to harmful UV radiation.1 One cause for this may be the depletion of stratospheric ozone, which acts as a shield for earth’s surface against this radiation. Decrease in the levels of ozone has been an issue around the world, but the southern hemisphere has generally been more strongly affected. Ozone monitoring in New Zealand shows that the concentration of ozone has declined 5-7 percent over the last 30 years. During this same period of time, the skin-damaging solar radiation has increased approximately 6 -9 percent.2 Fortunately, due to international government actions such as the Montreal Protocol, restrictions are in place against the use of ozone-depleting substances. But the damage t... ... Zealanders: 1995-1999. J. Surg. 2004; 74: 233-237. 2 The state of the Atmosphere. Ministry for the Environment website: http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/ser/ser1997/html/chapter5.8.html 3 SunSmart in New Zealand website: http://www.sunsmart.co.nz 4 Ng J, Scott D, Taneja A, Gow P, and Gosai A, Weather changes and pain in rheumatology patients. Journal of Rheumatology 2004; 7: 204-206. 5 Hales S, Lewis S, Slater T, Crane J, and Pearce N, Prevalence of adult asthma symptoms in relation to climate in New Zealand. Environmental Health Perspectives 1998; 106: 607-610. 6 Broederlow, Christel, Weather Hypersensitivity. The Universal Empath 101 website: http://www.geocities.com/christabelle67/WeatherHypersensitivity.html 7 Cutt, John, Lambs up despite losses. The Southland Times, Nov 20, 2004. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3103633a3600,00.html

Eating Disorders and Athletic Participation :: Health Nutrition Sports Papers

Eating Disorders and Athletic Participation Over the past few decades, there has been a great increase in the prevalence of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa which have emerged as major psychological and health problems. This increase in eating disorders has resulted from the intense societal pressure to diet and conform to an unrealistic weight and body size. For the general population of women, the lifetime prevalence of anorexia nervosa is approximately 0.7%, and that of bulimia nervosa is as high as 10.3% ( Taub & Blinde, 1992). Since many athletes contain similar behaviors to those with eating disorders, there has also been an increase in interest in whether athletes are at a risk for eating disorders. An increase risk of eating disorders among athletes has been proposed for several reasons. For starters, athletes tend to exemplify many personality characteristics such as perfectionism and the strive for high achievement which are found in patients with eating disorders. Other correlates include high self-expectation, competitiveness, compulsiveness, drive, self-motivation, and great pressure to be thin (Piracy, 1999). In order to improve performance, athletes may need to maintain a strong control and constantly monitor their body shape. This behavior has been identified as a risk factor for both anorexia and bulimia (Piracy, 99). In addition to the societal pressure to be thin, athletes have extra pressure for increased performance and ranking, which make them more cautious of their body size and shape leading them to become more susceptible for eating disorders. Although these characteristics may predispose athletes to eating disorders, some of these behaviors can also be beneficial to their sport. For example, the drive for perfectionism can help increase athletic performance and success. It may also help in other areas of their live such as school and in social relationships. Studies Several of the early studies which attempted to estimate the prevalence of eating disorders among athletes yielded many mixed results. Some studies labeled college athletes as high risk, whereas others have found no support for such a label. The estimates widely varied going from 1% in anorexia and up to 30% in bulimia. In 1993, Sundgot-Borden and Larsen compared eating disorder correlates across sport categories with female college students and a female clinical population. Their results revealed that athletes involved in endurance and ball game sports did not differ on eating disorder correlates, and were not at risk for eating disorder correlates.

Malevicth red square :: Essays Papers

Malevicth red square The painting Red Square by Russian painter Kasimir Malevich is a particularly interesting piece. It is simple red square on a white background representing a peasant woman. It is an example of the Malevich's unique style of suprematism, which focuses on motion and feeling. The painting was done near the beginning of the twentieth century when science was developing at a rapid rate. Einstein's Theory of Relativity was gaining ground at the time. Malevich's painting seemed to borrow from this theory that attempted to explain relative motion. His suprematism style attempted to capture a neo-realism in painting portraying pure feeling and perception. This new style was communicated by the discarding of natural references. Malevich grew tired of painting in the traditional style with everything looking and feeling the way they are in life. His new style tried to free viewer from their traditional a priori views concerning shape and colors imposed on them by their senses. Suprematist style focuses was on depictions of movement and dynamism. Flight and anti-gravity fascinated Malevich. Much of his paintings were a top down view of the subjects arranged on a white background. The white background represents infinite space, while the subjects were reduced to g eometric blocks. The message of the paintings comes out in the relative position of the blocks to the background. The infinite background of the paintings is to divorce the paintings from the finite earth. Malevich himself said that his paintings "do not belong to the earth exclusively." The paintings sought to transcend to a different level. Malevich's suprematist style sought to take people to the fourth dimension, which was pure sensation. This fourth dimension effect was reached by stripping away the distractions. Malevich's art was made to be felt and he broke down complex characters into the simplest of geometric shapes. The colors that he chose for his subjects were not the ones that were true to life. He did this by choice to get past the human biased way of seeing an object. He was trying to transmit pure sensation. The actual subject is irrelevant; the feelings of it are the main focus. With Malevich's Red Square a peasant woman is depicted. Here Malevich is not trying to depict a pretty picture of a woman. Instead, he reduces the woman to a simple square and transmits her essence. The color red perhaps could represent anger and the slightly unsymmetrical lines of the square could represent unbalance.

Biotech Ethics and Advancement Essay

Biotechnology: Of Ethics and Advancement Thousands of years ago, early man, like the rest of earth’s fauna and flora, was at the mercy of the elements; we relied on nature’s gratitude when it came to finding food and survival. As Charles Darwin would say, only the fittest could survive Mother Nature’s test. Eventually, however, a fully-evolved man turned the tide of the competition; we began to domesticate the once savage beasts we hunted and competed with like wolves and horses turning them into livestock and our own companions bred out of their natural ferocity, to grow our own food for our own and tart agriculture, and eventually we started to settle down into permanent communities. Man had transcended nature when the first steps of human civilization began to grow. Since then, man had crafted its own grand design for himself; the discovery of metals like Bronze and Iron, to the Pyramids of Egypt and Cities of Rome, and the rest, as they say, Is modern history. In the Modern world, we still have that said control, and with It we have now intrinsically used our knowledge to design nature herself In our Ideal Image. Technological Advancements have allowed us wield it as we pleasure. We can now edit Mother Nature’s work and remake It anew through our vast Interference with the body that is Science. The presence of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms), Dolly and all her Cloned brethren, and Real life Cyborg-Animals are Just samples of what weVe done to her. Eventually, because of this, someone Just had to say It: â€Å"When will it be too much? When will we know when weVe gone too far? † That Is where Ethics falls in, our man-made balance of whether or not, In the most basic sense, what we do Is right or wrong. Ethics has long been a question of how much more we can do to these once â€Å"all natural† things and make them â€Å"artificially enhanced. When can we truly say that we, the â€Å"masters† have abused our power? One cannot mistake, however, that human alteration of natural things Is only a recent occurrence. Like I said, since the earliest ages of man we already tampered with nature as we sought. We turned once vlclous and wild wolves, through our process of selectively breeding the weaker ones, Into the loyal and lovable K9 friends we have today minus the genes of aggression. Pavlov strapped down dogs to make psychological breakthroughs In condltlonlng. World War 2 scientists strapped bombs to dogs, dolphins, and even bats to assist them In fighting the enemy. Indeed, this tinkering of human hands has always been there. It now falls onto us people of today to see If things can still be set as Is. How much more can we do for our species’ own satisfaction? The Ethical question must always be present whenever we trod upon something as sensltlve as the condltlon of llvlng things. Animals, Ilke any other llvlng being, have xtremes in straining those rights to our needs. The uncertainty of Science itself shows that we cannot always control what happens to them come experiment time. The fear of abusing these innocent creatures is always on the minds of the very ethical/moral such as Animal Rights groups and such. Modern Genetics and Technology have sometimes crossed lines for the sake of advancement, such as taking away a creature’s autonomy to turn them into â€Å"natural robots. † If this is truly how far Advancement has gone into sacrificing Life’s basic rules, then these righteous† people really do have a reason to riot and protest.

Markowitz Portfolio Optimization Essay

Introduction Markowitz (1952, 1956) pioneered the development of a quantitative method that takes the diversification benefits of portfolio allocation into account. Modern portfolio theory is the result of his work on portfolio optimization. Ideally, in a mean-variance optimization model, the complete investment opportunity set, i.e. all assets, should be considered simultaneously. However, in practice, most investors distinguish between different asset classes within their portfolio-allocation frameworks. In our analysis, we view the process of asset allocation as a four-step exercise like Bodie, Kane and Marcus (2005). It consists of choosing the asset classes under consideration, moving forward to establishing capital market expectations, followed by deriving the efficient frontier until finding the optimal asset mix. We take the perspective of an asset-only investor in search of the optimal portfolio. An asset-only investor does not take liabilities into account. The investment horizon is 5 – 10 years and the opportunity set consists of twelve asset classes. The investor pursues wealth maximization and no other particular investment goals are considered. We solve the asset-allocation problem using a mean-variance optimization based on excess returns. The goal is to maximize the Sharpe ratio (risk-adjusted return) of the portfolio, bounded by the restriction that the exposure to any risky asset class is greater than or equal to zero and that the sum of the weights adds up to one. The focus is on the relative allocation to risky assets in the optimal portfolio. In the mean-variance analysis, we use arithmetic excess returns. Geometric returns are not suitable in a mean-variance framework. The weighted average of geometric returns does not equal the geometric return of a simulated portfolio with the same composition. The observed difference can be explained by the diversification benefits of the portfolio allocation. We derive the arithmetic returns from the geometric returns and the volatility. a) The CIO has sent some of the results you have done above to the IPC. After the members of the IPC perused the results, some of them asked the CIO to explain why the equal-weighted portfolio underperformed the mean-variance optimal portfolio for the periods studied. Explain to the CIO using only the whole period results. First, let’s quickly look at some of the values of the fields that are used to draw the capital allocation line. As an example to my explanation let’s go through 2 possible capital allocation lines from the risk-free rate (rf = 3.5%). The first possible CAL is drawn for naively diversified portfolio for the whole period with rf = 3.5%. The expected return for this portfolio is 0.006224053, and its standard deviation is 0.025002148, the reward-to-volatility ratio, which is the slope of the CAL is 0.132284095. The second CAL is drawn for the Optimal portfolio for the whole period with rf = 3.5%. The expected return for this portfolio is 0.009508282, and its standard deviation is 0.00734826, the re- reward-to-volatility ratio is 0.897030832. We can see from the numbers that the optimal portfolio does better than the naively diversified portfolio because the RTV is higher for the optimal portfolio. The reason for that is that we’ve identified the optimal portfolio of risky assets by finding the portfolio weights that result in steepest CAL. The CAL that is supported by the optimal portfolio is tangent to the efficient frontier. The bottom line is that we have chosen the optimal portfolio that has the portfolio weights that lie on the capital allocation line that is tangent to the efficient frontier. Which means a portfolio of risky assets that provides the lowest risk for the expected return and thus this selected portfolio is bound to outperform the naively diversified. b) The IPC has noticed that the optimal allocations of sub-period 1 and sub-period 2 are very different (based on different scenarios of target returns and investment limits). They asked why. Would you please explain (using the set of results for 3.5% risk free rate)? This entails an analysis of the economic conditions for different periods. The most important insight we get is that in a diversified portfolio, the contribution to portfolio risk of a particular security will depend on the covariance of that security’s return with those of other securities. If you see the correlation matrix for the 2 sub periods, we can see that the economic-wide risk factors have imparted positive correlations among the stock returns for Sub Period 2 (03 – 10). This was the time of economic crisis (08-10) and since most of the risk was economic, the optimal portfolio incorporates less risky assets. While the sub period 1 (95 – 03) went through a healthy growth period, had mostly firm specific risk and lesser economic risk. c) The CIO wants to propose investment limits on certain asset classes to the IPC for consideration, but the CIO may not be aware of the likely impact on the performance of the Fund. Since you have run some analysis above based on the proposed limits, present your analysis and make a recommendation regarding investment limits for the historical arithmetic average (target) return and the 6% p.a. target return. The fundamental concept behind MPT is that the assets in an investment portfolio should not be selected individually, each on their own merits. Rather, it is important to consider how each asset changes in price relative to how every other asset in the portfolio changes in price. The optimal portfolios derived from the analysis are tangency portfolios and represents the combination offering the best possible expected return for given risk level. If we change the investment limits it could result in sub-optimal portfolios. This can be easily from the tables from (comparing naà ¯ve allocation to optimal allocation): Optimal Portfolio: When we draw the CAL and the efficient frontier using the above values, we see that the weights in the optimal portfolio result in the highest slope of the CAL. We can see this with the improved reward-to-volatility ratio of the portfolios. We also saw from the analysis where we constrained the portfolio return to 6% pa, the weights of the optimal portfolio changed and the RTV was lower than the un constrained optimal portfolio. Constrained:Unconstrained: d) The CIO would like to test the sensitivity of the mean-variance optimization to a change in the portfolio target return. Since you have done some runs using the historical arithmetic average return and 6% p.a. target return, present what you’ve learned from your analysis to the CIO using your results. We have tested the sensitivity of the mean-variance analysis to the input parameters. Table below shows the impact on the optimal portfolio of an increase and a decrease in the expected volatility of an asset, all other things being equal. Note that a change in volatility affects both the arithmetic return and the covariance matrix. Again, this table demonstrates the sensitivity of a mean-variance analysis to the input parameters. An increase in expected volatility leads to a lower allocation to that asset class. High yield even vanishes completely from the optimal portfolio. It is noteworthy that commodities are hardly affected by a higher standard deviation. A decrease in volatility mostly leads to a higher allocation. Government bonds, despite their expected zero risk premium, add value due to the strong diversification benefit. In this analysis, they appear to be insensitive to a change in their expected volatility. Credits and bonds are quite similar asset classes and, in a mean-variance context, the optimal portfolio tends to incline towards one or the other. In short, the mean-variance analysis suggests that adding real estate, stocks and high yield to the traditional asset mix of stocks and bonds creates most value for investors. Assets| Optimal Portfolio| Optimal Portfolio (6%)| SPTR Index| 0| 0| RTY Index| 0| 0| MXEA Index| 0| 0.747626014| MXEU Index| 0| 0| MXEF Index| 0| 0| SPGSCITR Index| 0| 0| FNCOTR Index| 0.862665445| 0.179140105| H15T3M Index| 0| 0.05| WOG1| 0| 0| C0A0| 0| 0| H0A0| 0| 0| G0Q0| 0.137334555| 0.023233881| e) Could we use the optimal weights from a previous period, say sub-period 1 or sub-period 2 or the whole period, as the recommended asset allocation for the next 5 or 10 years? Explain your answer with the out-of-sample test results you have done. No, we cannot recommend asset allocation based on the out-of-sample test results. The in-sample MV efficient frontiers overestimate the return associated with portfolio optimization not only with respect to resampled efficiency but importantly with respect to out-of-sample investment performance. Even with good inputs, MV efficiency error maximizes the risk and returns inputs, creates upward biased estimates of future performance, and substantially underperforms resampled efficiency. f) Based on the above analyses, what lessons and implications can be learned from your analysis on the mean-variance portfolio optimization? Key lessons: The fundamental goal of portfolio theory is to optimally allocate your investments between different assets. Mean variance optimization (MVO) is a quantitative tool which allows you to make this allocation by considering the trade-off between risk and return. Markowitz Portfolio Optimization The single period Markowitz algorithm solves the following problem: Single Period Problem * Inputs: * The expected return for each asset * The standard deviation of each asset (a measure of risk) * The correlation matrix between these assets * Output: * The efficient frontier, i.e. the set of portfolios with expected return greater than any other with the same or lesser risk, and lesser risk than any other with the same or greater return. The Markowitz algorithm is intended as a single period analysis tool in which the inputs provided by the user represent his/her probability beliefs about the upcoming period. The expected return, standard deviation, and correlation matrix are computed using standard statistical formulae. The expected return represents the simple (probability weighted) average of the possible returns for each asset, and the standard deviation represents the uncertainty about the outcome. The correlation matrix is a symmetric matrix, with unity on the diagonal, and all other elements between -1 and +1. A positive correlation between two assets A and B indicates that when the return of asset A turns out to be above (below) its expected value, then the return of asset B is likely also to be above (below) its expected value. A negative correlation suggests that when A’s return is above its expected value, and then B’s will be below its expected value, and vice versa. Input Data Issues A major issue for the methodology is the selection of input data. The use of historical data provides a very convenient means of providing the inputs to the MVO algorithm, but there are a number of reasons why this may not be the optimal way to proceed. All these reasons have to do with the question of whether this method really provides a valid statistical picture of the upcoming period. The most serious problem concerns the expected returns, because these control the actual return which is assigned to each portfolio. Failure of underlying hypothesis When you use historical data to provide the MVO inputs, you are implicitly assuming that * The returns in the different periods are independent. * The returns in the different periods are drawn from the same statistical distribution. * The N periods of available data provide a sample of this distribution. These hypotheses may simply not be true. The most serious inaccuracies arise from a phenomenon called mean reversion, in which a period, or periods, of superior (inferior) performance of a particular asset tend to be followed by a period, or periods, of inferior (superior) performance. Suppose, for example, you have used 5 years of historical data as MVO inputs for the upcoming year. The outputs of the algorithm will favor those assets with high expected return, which are those which have performed well over the past 5 years. Yet if mean reversion is in effect, these assets may well turn out to be those that perform most poorly in the upcoming year. Error in the estimated mean Even if you believe that the returns in the different periods are independent and identically distributed, you are of necessity using the available data to estimate the properties of this statistical distribution. In particular, you will take the expected return for a given asset to be the simple average R of the N historical values, and the standard deviation to be the root mean square deviation from this average value. Then elementary statistics tells us that the one standard deviation error in the value R as an estimate of the mean is the standard deviation divided by the square root of N. If N is not very large, then this error can distort the results of the MVO analysis considerably. Summary The above discussion does not mean to imply that the Markowitz algorithm is incorrect, but simply to point out the dangers of using historical data as inputs to a optimization strategy. If you make your own estimates of the MVO inputs, based on your own beliefs about the upcoming period, single period MVO can be an entirely appropriate means of balancing the risk and return in your portfolio.