Politics and Religion Essay Example for Free

Politics and Religion Essay Do Religion And Politics Go Hand In Hand? Of Course They Do! Religion in politics has long been a taboo subject or elusive topic to most as they argue that they cannot cohesively coexist together when in all actuality they can and do coexist together. Religion and politics essentially belong together like mashed potatoes and gravy so to speak. However, all around the world the extent to which they coexist varies depending on the cultural influence as well as historical significance pertaining to their area. Religion plays a huge role in American politics. During the 2012 election year people were polled on the importance of religion in their lives and 56 percent said that it is â€Å"very important in their lives. † (Miller) Religion plays a substantial role in politics from influencing how some politicians will cast their vote on certain issues to persuading voters to vote for one candidate or another. Although America prides itself on its religious diversity and separation of church and state however it is a prove fact that religion helps determine who a voter will cast their ballot for. A Gallup poll from June of 2012 discovered that 58 percent of Americans would vote for a Muslim candidate while only 54 percent of Americans would vote for an atheist candidate. When polled it also found that only 1 in 5 Americans would vote for a Mormon candidate which could have essentially cost Romney millions of votes due to his religious preference. Indeed we have seen religion play a very influential role in politics in 2012. Religion and politics were very closely tied together during the presidency of George Walker Bush. â€Å"In the eyes of a lot of people religion played a bigger role in government than usual during the presidency of George W. Bush. President Bush evoked God in his speeches more often than other presidents, stated in interviews that God advised him on certain actions and that he firmly believed that he was enacting God’s will as the chief executive of the United States. (Oganesian) Even our Declaration of Independence closely ties religion and politics together with such statements as, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. † Notice that Creator is capitalized and undeniably it states that we are endowed certain unalienable rights from our Creator. This can either be someone’s higher power if they choose to call it by that name or simply it could be God. Does religion truly belong in politics? This may very well be one of the toughest questions ever asked in this day and age. Religion delves on the belief in good and morality while politics are the workings and dealings of the administration of government. We are a Nation that was founded on Moral Values, Decency and the rule of law. God’s laws will always play a part in politics. If you examine our money even it says,† In God We Trust. † Truly separation of church and state will never be fully successful. When our President is sworn in to the oath of office even he has to swear on a Holy Bible. Is he not the highest ranking government official in our nation? Yet even he has to follow the rules and guidelines that deal with religion. Over and over again we see how closely religion and politics are actually entwined with one another. According to Djupe and Olson, psychological approaches to the study of religion and politics â€Å"view the key attachment point between religious faith and political commitments as the individual’s identification with religious reference groups† (2007:256). Leege and his colleagues noted that the psychological power of group identification is essential to religion’s effect on politics. For example, groups form the basis of cleavage in a larger society for a variety of cultural and political reasons: (1) whether based on voluntary affiliation or generational replacement, groups socialize members into their values ;( 2) through processes of social identification; groups develop consciousness of kind so that it is possible for members to say â€Å"we hey†; (3) through the interaction of members, a sense of social cohesion develops that provides reinforcement for group identity and norms; and (4) through an advantageous political shorthand, political elites think of society in terms of groups. (2002:49–50) Political issues such as abortion and even same sex marriages are governed by some underlying religious values. For example, many laws dealing with these issues are either vetoed or not put into law by the people who in turn use their religious values to help them vote on the topic. Many states still outlaw homosexual marriages because when it is put on the ballot those who believe that it is wrong vote against it so such laws cannot be passed. Many top politicians think of society in terms of groups whether they be religious groups or political groups. We live in an increasingly religious world in which faith and belief affect every dimension of our existence, so our politicians better talk about it. (Marshall, 2008) Religion does not exist in solitude or expressly by itself. It molds our fundamental view of the essence of human life and the morality in which we should live our lives. Going back to the Constitution the First Amendment guarantees â€Å"the free exercise of religion and prohibits the establishment of religion by the government. † By guaranteeing the free exercise of religion and prohibiting the establishment of religion by the government these principles are working together to protect religious freedom as well as a diversely thriving and religious landscape. The role of religion in politics around the world is sometimes controversial at best however even in other countries politics and religion are closely tied together. Even in post-communist countries such as Latvia political parties and religious groups have alliances which can sometimes sway their supporters to vote for a certain political force. The â€Å"Harmony Center†, that positions itself as an alliance of several (but not all) Social Democratic parties, also demonstrates special courtesy to the church. (Tcraudkalns, pg5) Even in Australia where their reputation for â€Å"godlessness† dates back to the nineteenth century where most places had pubs before they had a church religion and politics are still tied closely together. Australia has a unique way of describing politics and religion in terms of masculinity and femininity. â€Å"This reference to Australian â€Å"maleness† suggests that discussions of the relationship between politics and religion are always also discussions about gender. The association of masculinity with the public realm and rationality, and of femininity with religious faith and the home, makes this impossible to avoid. † (Bellanta, pg10) Although there has never been an established church in Australia the churches that are large and established have had a specific presence and role in public matters. However secular Australia proclaims to be religion has a new found role for itself which proves it has not been abolished. Gustavo Gutierrez, a Peruvian theologian, has provided since the late 1960s a theological interpretation of the person of God and his work that has been closely linked with human history, and particularly with the poor and the marginalized. (Aguilar pg. 146) Gutierrez believed that a direct connection of the Christian faith and the practice of politics could be felt as a result of Christ’s incarnation. He closely tied together religion and politics through the human commonality and to the practice of religion and politics centered on the poor, on the commandment of love and of service to the marginalized as a way of life and in a new era of hermeneutics and commonality. Gutierrez relied heavily on biblical text to tie together religion and politics through the service of the poor. When reading Gutierrez’s writing there is no concise separation of religion and politics. He clearly stated that the practice of religion as well as the practice of politics must be conveyed through the Christian faith. In the words of Gutierrez: â€Å"We shall not have our great leap forward, into a whole new theological perspective, until the marginalized and exploited have begun to become the artisans of their own liberation—until their voice makes itself heard directly, without mediation, without interpreters—until they themselves take account, in the light of their own values, of their own experience of the Lord in their efforts to liberate themselves. We shall not have our quantum theological leap until the oppressed themselves theologize, until â€Å"the others† themselves personally reflect on their hope of a total liberation in Christ. For they are the bearers of this hope for all humanity. † Nigeria’s view on politics and religion are that they mix like â€Å"snake oil and fire water. † It is said that Nigerians are some of the most prayerful people on Earth however Olaye is upset that politicians speak godly words to one another without acting on it. We are taught in the U. S. enerally not to mix religion and politics I our conversation however that does not ring true in Nigeria because they do quite opposite of that. Although Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council is taking prayer from the beginning of public events they are still going to read the pious words of the second stanza of Nigeria’s national anthem. (Sample: â€Å"Oh God of creation. Direct our noble course. Guide our leaderà ¢â‚¬â„¢s right. †(Olaye) Olaye wishes that Nigeria politicians would stop the hypocrisy and says until they do that their country will continue to suffer. In Egypt even the Secretary General has an interesting view on politics and religion. He expressed hope that Muslims would draw a line so that â€Å"politics does not dominate religion, and religion does not dominate politics†. (Ihsanoglu) Two of the main fears in Egypt right now after the fall of Hosni Mubarak are actually related to religion. They are religious identity politics and the largest minority of the religious demographic Coptic Christians. He believes in mutual respect and non-interference between the Islam religion and Egyptian political order. These beliefs are showing us that all over the world no matter how separate people try to keep church and state they are actually inevitably entwined together with no line of separation in sight. Some well-known republicans such as Mike Huckabee and Billy Graham are well known Christians who also turn their values of faith into the public’s eye. During the 2012 election season Graham was quoted as saying, â€Å"I believe it is vitally important that we cast our ballots for candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles and support the nation of Israel. I urge you to vote for those who protect the sanctity of life and support the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman. Vote for biblical values this November 6, and pray with me that America will remain one nation under God. † Some would even say that Democrats do the best to live by biblical principles of taking care of the less fortunate among us who are already among the living. However it could be argued that Republicans take a better stance on the biblical principle of protecting the unborn. Jesus warns against those who aspire to political correctness. He says: †¢let them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind. (Matthew 15:14) †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:9) †¢Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? (Luke 6:39)(The Holy Bible) Even as far back as in Jesus time he himself laid out the foundation of politics and religion being one in the same. In church it is taught that going against what is the law such as speeding is considered sin and goes against the political laws which have been set forth in our society. Therefore religious people must abide by the political values set forth in our society. If you turn the table’s politicians must even be religious to a degree because they consider killing, stealing, etc. to be wrong and thus are religiously entwined to the Ten Commandments. In conclusion I say religion in politics has long been a taboo subject and elusive topic to most as they argue that they cannot cohesively coexist together when in all actuality they can and do coexist together. Religion and politics essentially belong together as they date back to even biblical times. However, all around the world the extent to which they coexist varies depending on the cultural influence as well as historical significance pertaining to their area. We have seen that I places such as Latvia, Egypt, and even Nigeria that religion and politics do go together however the extent of their union depends on their different cultural influences. Religion and politics even though we have been taught do not need to bring up as a singular subject and in fact they actually can be brought up together and should be because they are essentially a married union to one another. Whilst some critics will still argue that religion and politics are a disaster when they are meshed together their will always be people who disagree o the subject. Everyone will never be o the same page when it pertains to religion in politics or politics in religion.

The challenges of Globalization on Small Medium Enterprises

The challenges of Globalization on Small Medium Enterprises description on project background. In the context of Tanzania, the majority of SMEs fall under the informal sector and engaging up to 4 people, in most cases family members or employing capital amounting up to Tshs.5.0 million / $3,235.83. (Tanzania chamber of commerce industry and Agriculture, 2007). The SMEs cover non-farm economic activities mainly manufacturing, mining, commerce and services. (Tanzania ministry of industry, trade and marketing, 2007). It is easy to establish SMEs all over the world and in Tanzania in particular, since their requirements in terms of capital, technology, management and even utilities are not as demanding as it is the case for large enterprises. These enterprises are also established in rural settings and thus add value to agro products and at the same time facilitate the dispersal of enterprises. About one third of the GDP originates from SME sector. The sector has more than 1.7 Million businesses, engaging about 3 million people, who occupy about 20% of the total labour force. 92% of the annual school leavers (at all levels) in Tanzania are potentially absorbed by the SME sector. There are about 700,000 new entrants in the SME sector every year. (Saiguran, 2007) Therefore it is reflected already that the SME sector plays a crucial role in the economy. Some of the problems faced by SMEs in Tanzania include; SMEs constitute a higher credit risk because they often lack diversification in their sources of income and/or are concentrated relative to large firms, with the possible exception of SMEs oriented to the consumer segment (niche market). They also suffer from significant uncertainty regarding potential tax liabilities. There is no Opaqueness in balance sheets therefore reflecting weak accounting practices and non-transparent information. (Tanzania chamber of commerce industry and Agriculture, 2007). All this results into banks being reluctant to lend them money as a result of low credit worthiness which leaves SMEs with limited access to finance. A report from the (ministry on industry and trade in Tanzania, 2002) reports the following problems; In addition, Business Development Services, namely services related to entrepreneurship, business training, marketing, technology development and information are underdeveloped and not readily available. There is very weak demand for the products produced by SMEs arising from low and dwindling consumer purchasing power as well as competition that arises with similar imported products. Then again, SME operators lack information as well as appreciation for such services and can hardly manage to pay for to pay for the services. As a result, operators of the sector have rather low skills. Also, there is no umbrella connection for SMEs. Simultaneously, the institutions and associations supporting SMEs are weak, fragmented and uncoordinated partly due to lack of clear guidance and policy for the development of the sector. Distortionary regulations affecting SMEs (Unfavorable legal and regulatory framework). Tanzania is listed among the top 10 difficult countries to build a warehouse, it takes 12 procedures to register a property,  ¾ of Tanzanian businesses complain of taxation administration (local and central), and it takes 13 procedures to start a business and 35 days long, at a cost of 161 percent income per capita. These all add up to high compliance costs which tend to reduce the resources needed for investment and high operational costs which results into high competitiveness of local domestic products both in internal and external markets. Another problem is as far as the infrastructure is concerned, the roads are very bad thus affecting transport in a way that it makes it difficult and costly to move goods from one point to another within the country and adds up to costs. The power is also unreliable and unstable and can disrupt deadlines. Communication is undeveloped and costly. It is difficult to obtain network in rural areas thus affecting the business activities of SMEs and also affecting their cost of production. A heavy cost of compliance resulting from their size is also one of the problems faced by SMEs. This is because they have limited resources (in terms of financial means and manpower). Their spending for market research and market entry take a much higher proportion of their total spending. All in all, this project will be analyzing the importance of SMEs in Tanzania and evaluate their contribution to the country. The problems/ challenges in terms of growth, and their characteristics in relation to Globalization including those mentioned above will be analyzed. Various ways in which SMEs can grow to venture into global markets will be sought for their betterment and future enhancement in their businesses. C. Brief description of project objectives. (i.e. scope of proposal, constructs used, limitations and significance) The objective of this project is to investigate the impact of Globalization on SMEs in Tanzania. These impacts can be both positive and negative. It will also evaluate the importance of SMEs in the Tanzanian economy. Secondly, would be to assess the challenges faced by SMEs due to Globalization. Thirdly, a review on existing Government promotion policies and strategies on the Tanzanian SMEs will be prepared. Lastly but not least, is to determine ways in which the SMEs in Tanzania can grow to become global players. As for the limitations; for the questionnaires sent out, the responses may be limited. It would be very difficult to get the respondents to answer to the questionnaires. Another limitation would be in the selection of the sample. The sampling frame is very vast thus making it quite difficult to get the correct respondents for the interviews and questionnaires. As for the sample size which is about 100 people, the limitation is that the cost is relatively high especially when conducting long distance interviews over the phone. Lastly but not least, this research is limited to SMEs in Dar-es-Salaam so it may not be possible to generalize it to the whole of Tanzania. The significance of this project is to look at the challenges of SMEs in Tanzania and use it as a prototype to other African countries. There is very limited research on SMEs in Tanzania and this project will contribute as a research paper. This project will also open the eyes of SMEs to growth and development in relation to Globalization. D. Brief description of the models/theories/concepts that will be used in this proposal. (i.e. consumer behaviourism model, CSF and etc.) In this project some important internationalization models will be used, they include, eclectic paradigm of international production by Professor John H. Dunning, Porters Diamond and the theory of Marginal Industry Dilation by Professor Kiyoshi Kojima. There are three reasons for the use of the eclectic paradigm. Firstly the paradigm is based on the theories about multinational enterprises. Secondly, the model can be used to explain all types of foreign direct investment (FDI). And lastly, and most importantly, the model embraces all the three ways in which a firm can engage in foreign activities, i.e. foreign direct investment, trade, and contractual resource transfers, e.g. licensing, technical assistance or management and franchising agreements. Moreover, the model makes it possible to predict which route will be preferred. (Bulcke, 2003) According to (Porter, 1998) he designed a diamond shaped basis of a framework to illustrate the determinants of national advantage. This diamond illustrates the national playing field that countries establish for their industries. Porters Diamond will be used to demonstrate the factors of competitive advantage for SMEs in Tanzania. The theory of marginal industry dilation is an important foreign direct investment theory to developing countries. Its connotation fits for the true situation of countries middle and small size enterprises. SMEs could use this theory as a direction thus helping them go abroad bravely and develop multinational management. The expansive environment and ardent competition will develop SMEs and prepare them to face the challenge of the economic globalization. (Free papers, 2006) E. Academic research being carried out and other information, techniques being learnt. (i.e. literature what are the names of books you are going to read / data sets you are going to use) The books used will mostly talk about Globalization, the African economy, Internationalization. Journals, articles, and magazines will also be referred to. Some of the references include the following: Articles Bulcke, 2003, Internationalization towards China after its Accession to the WTO, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Departement Oosterse Slavische Studies, viewed on 1st September 2010, available at; http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:8b2CcFrEHjcJ:www.cemcweb.com/publication_doc/Opportunities%2520for%2520SMEs%2520in%2520China%2520-%2520thesis%2520of%2520Mattias%2520Grillet.doc+Internationalization+towards+China+after+its+Accession+to+the+WTO+Are+There+Opportunities+for+European+SMEs%3Fcd=1hl=enct=clnkgl=my Ministry of Industry, trade and marketing, 2007, SME opportunities, viewed on 1st September 2010, available at; http://www.mitm.go.tz/sme.php?cat=15subcat=37 Porter, 1998, Competitive advantage of nations, Free Press, New York, available at; Saiguran, E, 2007, SME development: Tanzania experience, Small Industries development organisation Tanzania, viewed on 4th September 2010, available at; http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=vq=cache:0jN8a7r-DCsJ:www.waitro.org/files/downloads/Proceedings/sme-steap2007/sido-emmanuel.pdf+how+many+smes+are+there+in+the+tanzaniahl=engl=mypid=blsrcid=ADGEESghp7HJMdzm_ULpMCu59dGnkdxqIEsl7lohW3QCim1T-r7i3o9A2e2nZREV-rzeZHiflUEgS0o6BGlaBeKaiIT-znZTgR6c7uJfyL2qfmmhJlvZTePS8gLx6PAc6KWjejorEj9Qsig=AHIEtbRoLuZ9Z25T1nC3r7Y7Rk4pTScmtQ Books Africa Development bank, OECD, 2005, African Economic Outlook, OECD publishing, France, available at; http://books.google.com.my/books?id=vTWgJJJgYswCpg=PT411lpg=PT411dq=SMEs+classification+in+Tanzaniasource=blots=GvWIHnE-1jsig=rJ8zK7Co_wNNSD5lgemJsqiXmNAhl=enei=ek5-TPX3C4LyvQOp262EDgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=9ved=0CDoQ6AEwCA#v=onepageq=SMEs%20classification%20in%20Tanzaniaf=false Athanassiou, N. D. Nigh, 2002, The Impact of the Top Management Teams International Business Experience on the Firms Internationalization: Social Networks at Work, Management International Review 42:2,pp.157-181. Bjà ¶rkman, I. M. Forsgren (ed.), The Nature of the International Firm: Nordic Contributions to International Business Research, Handelshojskolens Forlag, Copenhagen, s.d.. Bà ¼rgel, O. A. Fier G. Licht G. Murray E. Nerlinger, 1998, The Internationalisation of British and German Start-Up Companies in High-Technology Industries, Discussion Paper No.98-34, Centre for European Economic Research. Creswell, J, W., 2003, Research design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches, 2nd edition, Sage Publications, Inc, United Kingdom Ghosal, V. L. Prakash, 1999, The Differential Impact of Uncertainty on Investment in Small and Large Businesses, HWWA-Diskussionspapier 81, HWWA-Institut fà ¼r Wirtschaftforschung, Hamburg. Johanson, J. Associates, 1994, Internationalization, Relationships and Networks, Studia Oeconomiae Negotiorum 36, Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, Uppsala. Johanson, J. J.-E. Vahlne, 1994, The Internationalization Process of the Firm: A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments, Journal of International Business Studies 8 (Spring/Summer 1977), pp.23-32, as publicized in Johanson Associates, , pp.50-61. Johanson, J. J.-E. Vahlne, 1994, The Mechanism of Internationalization, International Marketing Review 7 (1990), pp.11-24, as publicized in Johanson Associates, pp.84-95. Johanson, J. F. Wiedersheim-Paul, 1994, Internationalization of the Firm: Four Swedish Cases, Journal of Management Studies 12 (October 1975), pp.305-322 as publicized in Johanson Associates, , pp.34-49. Pedhazur, E, J., Schmelkin, L, P., 1991, Measurement, Design, and Analysis; an Integrated Approach, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc, Hillsdale, New Jersey Peter, J., , 1990, Internationalization of Small Business in a Microeconomic Perspective, International Small Business Series 4, Institute of Small Business, University of Goettingen. F. Brief description of the materials/methodologies needed by the proposal. (i.e. data collection methods, sampling, sample size and target group etc.) As for the data collection methods, there is a need to gather primary data in order to attain the basic information and get viewpoints, it includes; written and online questionnaires, telephone and online interviews and as for secondary data it will be used to get critical and more in-depth information on research that has already been done, it will mostly be used in the literature review. Here various books, journals, and articles will be used. Academic research will also be conducted and it will include scholarly articles by various universities, students or professors. Descriptive research to describe the characteristics of SMEs will be carried out. The research will seek answers to various questions, such as what are the problems faced by SMEs and what ways can be used to correct them. It is based on previous understanding of the problem. The research will be cross-sectional where by a representative subset is studied, at a defined time. The sampling frame will include the top and middle management of SMEs in Tanzania. The sample size will be about 100 people. The sampling methods used for this research would be probability and non-probability sampling because the research is vast. Under probability sampling; Stratified random method will be used thus selecting SMEs from certain demography in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. The simple random sampling will also be used, hence choosing a choice of 100 SMEs from a choice of 500. The names of some of the SMEs include; Tanesco, Alexander Forbes Tanzania Limited, Showerlux Industries, Oryx, Gapco, Copper solution company, Raycom enterprises Ltd, Tanzania cigarette company Ltd, Zain Tanzania Ltd, Precision Air, Celtel Tanzania etc. Under non-probability sampling, snow-ball (referral by primary respondents) and self-selection (invite participation and collect data from those who respond) are methods that will be used. G. Brief description of the evaluation and analysis proposed for this project. (i.e. project deliverables and hypothesis, correlation test etc) This project will be of great use not only to Tanzanian but also to other African countries since it is aimed at finding ways to enhance the development of SMEs in relation to Globalization. Secondly, theories by other SMEs who have succeeded to go Global will be analyzed and will be proposed for application to benefit the SMEs in Tanzania. The expected results for this project include; Firstly; With strengthened SME departments or introduction of the Ministry of small medium enterprises, a lot of time and money will be devoted to the sector thus enhancing the chances of Tanzanian SMEs to become Global players. Secondly; With high brand consciousness, the products of SMEs will be able to stand out in the international markets. Thirdly; With participation in trade exhibitions such as Expolink, India property expo, East Africa International trade exhibition, SMEs can effectively market their products overseas. H. Illustration of how this project will benefit the future employability This thesis will help increase knowledge and understanding on SMEs. It will also help determine what problems are being faced by SMEs in Tanzania and what measurers can be taken to correct them. Lastly but most importantly, this project will help find a match between theory and practice and its application to the real world and will be a basic guide for all SMEs wanting to internationalize towards the economies.

The Reintroduction of the Gray Wolf to Yellowstone Essay -- Environmen

The Reintroduction of the Gray Wolf to Yellowstone Gauss’ Law states that no two organisms can occupy the same ecological niche without excluding the other, but what happens when man gets involved with nature and tries to introduce a species where it doesn’t belong which in turn provides a second organism to fill the same niche as the first? The results of human intervention have often been disastrous for the organism that we’re supposedly helping. Humans often times do not understand the complexity of the implications that are caused directly through our intervention. In 1974, the gray wolf was listed on the Endangered Species List, and in an effort to reestablish their populations, wolves were re-introduced into Yellowstone National Park, affecting Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho (Wyoming Wolf Management Plan, 2003). Between 1995 and 1996 thirty one wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone and thirty five wolves into central Idaho. The wolf numbers exploded, leaving these western states with the problem of wha t to do with these wolves to prevent them from exceeding their carrying capacity and where to go from here. The wolf is the largest member of the dog family Canidae, making it a real pest if it goes unchecked in agricultural systems. The wolf is one of the most efficient and effective predators in this region, preying on large ungulates; elk, deer, big horn sheep, moose, and even bison and cattle; however they will eat small mammals if there is no other food source available. Prior to 2002 estimates of the loss of livestock due to wolves were 19 cattle and 68 sheep, however in 2002, 33 cattle, 71 sheep and 1 dog were confirmed killed by wolves (Wyoming Wolf Management Plan, 2003). These kills are significant... ...88. Wyoming Game and Fish Department. (2003) Wyoming Grey Wolf Management Plan. Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Office of the Governor. (2005) Wyoming Delisting Petition. Internet Source Links US Fish and Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/ Wyoming Game and Fish http://gf.state.wy.us/ Montana Game and Fish http://fwp.state.mt.us/hunting/default.html Idaho Game and Fish http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ United States Department of Agriculture http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome Casper Star Tribune http://www.casperstartribune.net/ Wyoming Livestock Journal http://www.wlj.net/ Biodiversity http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/ Wolf Updates http://www.searchingwolf.com/current.htm Wyoming Livestock Roundup http://www.wylr.net/

Comparing the Three Statues of David Essay -- Donatello Michelangelo

Comparing the Three Statues of David The pieces of art I will be comparing and contrasting are the three statues of David, by Donatello (Donato di Niccolà ² di Betto Bardi), Michelangelo (Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni), and Bernini (Gian Lorenzo Bernini). The statues are modeled after the biblical David, who was destined to become the second king of Israel. Also most famously known as the slayer of the Philistine giant Goliath with a stone and a sling. The sculptures are all based on the same biblical hero, but differ from one another. Each David is unique in its own certain way. A good deal is known about Donatello's life and career, but little is known about his character. Donatello was born in Florence, Italy in 1386 and died in 1466; he was never married and had no children. He was a master of sculpture in bronze and marble and is considered to be one of the greatest Italian Renaissance artists of his time. The first sculpture is of Donatello?s David, 1425-1430. Its material is bronze and stands 5? 2  ¼? and is currently located at Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence. The sculpture is a nude and is contrapposto. The scene being depicted is after the clash with Goliath. Donatello?s statue of David was the first large scale, free-standing nude statue of the Renaissance. The sculpture helps to strike a balance between classicism and the realism by presenting a very real image of a boy in the form of a classical nude figure. Although Donatello was inspir...

My Brother Sam Is Dead :: essays research papers

In the novel, My Brother Sam is Dead, the author demonstrates the effects of war on families, on towns, and even on the children. The author makes it clear that war tears up families more than anything else. As a result of families getting ruined, it affects the children of the family, in this case, by making Tim grow up in a short amount of time. War affects towns, too. Soldiers, some from both sides, raid houses and kill people therefore splitting up towns and communities. War has many bad effects, just like Tim’s father said: â€Å"In war the dead pay the debts of the living.†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  War affects families more than anything else. An example of this is when Tim’s mother drinks rum a lot when she finds out that her husband and son are dead or are going to get killed. Once she starts to drink, she does not care about Tim or Sam. So in this case, war caused her to drink and it killed half of her family, both of which ruined the Meeker family. One of war’s worst by-products is ruining families. Even though war affects families the most, there are still other bad effects on children and on towns.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second bad by-product of war is the effect on children. First, war sometimes kills children’s parents or older siblings, throwing their responsibility on to the younger children’s shoulders. The children will never have a normal life of playing with others because they are too busy taking care of things. In the novel, MBSID, Tim had to grow up fast. The reason for this is that his father got killed and his brother, Sam, got killed. So Tim had to do all of the man work around the tavern.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is one last main effect from war. It is the effect on towns and communities. It ruins towns and communities by ruining families and children. You can think of it as a link chain: the families and children are the links of the chain, and the town is the whole chain. If one family gets ruined, the link is gone, making it an incomplete chain or town.

Malachi Stacks in the Matchmaker Essay

In the world of business there are always those men and women who are not recognized for the contributions they make to certain products, projects, or works even though without them the result would never exist. Nonetheless, these people go on with their daily lives working hard, knowing that all their dedication is going to benefit others and not them. Yet, they can’t blame the big companies for not being recognized, because these men and women do this willingly. They are fully aware that their actions serve a purpose to the greater rather than a personal one, and for them that is enough. Such people do not need the recognition of others because they themselves know the importance of their actions. One example of such a human being is portrayed in Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker. His name is Malachi Stacks, and though he only shows up on stage two or three times, he is the one who gives the entire production meaning. Malachi is the person who sets into motion a series of events that completely change not only the characters, but also their lives. With this character, Thornton Wilder takes what used to be just a regular farce comedy and gives it meaning which makes all the difference, Malachi Stacks makes all the difference. Thornton carefully crafted the role of Stacks in such a way that made him distinct from the rest of the characters. Even with being in his fifties, sadness and depression are entirely absent from his life. Every line spoken by him has a joyful feeling to, and almost puts a smile on the reader’s face. Even at times when he is being put down by Mr. Vandergelder, joy is felt in his words. Wilder makes Malachi seem like a little adolescent, who has not yet been exposed to reality, and still thinks the world is perfect. However, all this is just an image that Malachi establishes for his own purposes. He makes people believe he can be trusted by pretending to be respectful and following orders. Malachi creates a relationship between himself and the others, especially Mr. Vandergelder, which makes him seem gullible and easy to control when in fact it is he who controls them. This sort of maneuver is portrayed very well in his first scene with Mr. Vandergelder, in which he says â€Å"You’ll never regret it, Mr. Vandergelder. You’ll never regret it.† It is such a simple line, and yet there is so much there. Malachi makes it seem like he is just another man who is happy about getting a job, when in reality he is masking his true intentions behind these innocent words. The real reason Malachi is happy to have gotten the job, is because he now has the ability to fix the inequality which exists between Vandergelder and the others. Truth be told, Malachi is actually the only individual who see this flaw amongst the characters, and he knows it should not be there. Therefore, by formulating this sort of innocent personality, Malachi Stacks gives himself the perfect opportunity to finally bring equality into the lives of the characters. It all happens in Act III when Mr. Vandelgelder is having his coat taken off as his purse filled with money falls to the ground. Malachi, knowing that the primary reason for such inequality amongst the characters is their financial situations, takes his chance to balance the scale. However, he does not make a big deal out of it. Malachi simply takes the purse, asks Vandelgelder if it’s his, and since the response is no he gives it to Cornelius. It’s very quick, subtle, and seems like the right thing to do. Yet, even though what he did was so simple, it was enough to bring equality into their lives and he knew that. By asking Vandergelder whether or not the purse was his, Malachi tested him to check if he deserves the money. For in his short little monologue that he has right after picking up the purse, Mr. Stacks says â€Å"The law is there to protect property, but- sure the law doesn’t care whether a property owner deserves his property or not, and the law has to be corrected†. Therefore when he asked Vandelgelder â€Å"Did you drop something† the real question was â€Å"Are you worthy of all this money that you have†. Vandelgelder responding quickly said no, and that was enough for Malachi to know that the money deserved to be in the hands of someone else, Cornelius. It is also at this point that inequality begins to slowly disappear between the characters. First, Cornelius and Barnaby are able to pay for their expensive dinner and truly impress Mrs. Malloy along with Minnie. Then Mrs. Levi finally tells Mr. Vandergelder what she thinks of him when he cannot pay the bill, and that is when he finally realizes what kind of man he is. Slowly through scenes like these, the balance between the characters begins to even out and by the end, everyone is happy, joyful, and most of all the inequality amongst them completely vanishes all thanks to Malachi Stacks. Though Thornton chose Malachi to be the tool for equilibrium amongst the characters by having him â€Å"redistribute the superfluities†, the part also is important when it comes to the moral of the story. Of course, after reading The Matchmaker it safe to say that there are multiple lessons to be learned from this play, but one of the main ones shows up in Malachi’s monologue. Right after discussing the entire matter of redistributing property, Thornton has the character talk about how one man should not have more than one vice. In fact, he ends his line with the words â€Å"One vice at a time†. Now this entire concept might seem abstract, because after all even in today’s world vices are looked down upon. However, Thornton shows what two vices can do to a man by having Malachi use Vandergelder’s wrongs against him. His first true frailty is that in his own world Mr. Vandergelder sees himself a king, where no one can stop him because he has so much money. The second is his passion for money. In fact, his first vice comes from this one, because to him a person who has more money has more authority. So instead of merely having Vandergelder destroy himself through his vices, Thornton uses Malachi to show how having more than one vice is recipe for destruction. First, he uses Vandergelder’s attitude towards himself to gain his trust, by pretending to be loyal to him. Next, once Vandergelder thinks he has him under his control, Malachi uses the second frailty against him taking that which is most precious, his money, and giving it away. By using both of these flaws in his master’s character, Mr. Stacks brings Vandergelder into a state of despair where he has lost everything that made him, a King in his own mind. One man. Three Scenes. Yet without him, The Matchmaker would never be the same. Thornton Wilder made a smart decision in imgaging such a character, because he is developed in such a way that his importance to the whole play is not realized until the conclusion. For with just a simple action of handing off a purse to Cornelius, Malachi made a ripple effect which changed the course of the entire production and made all the difference. Malachi Stacks made all the difference.

Enabling a Remote Workforce. Essay

Productivity – Are employees who telecommute more productive than their traditional office colleagues? 1 Savings – What types of savings from a telecommuting program should employers expect? 2 Planning – What kind of planning does an organization need to do to properly implement a successful telecommuting program? 2 Eligibility – How do managers determine the eligibility of employees for telecommuting? 3 Social Interaction – What types of social limitations do remote workers experience? 3 Communication Limitations – Are organizations disadvantaged due to communication limitations with remote workers? 4 Management – How do managers successfully manage and support remote workers? 5 Technical Issues 5 Network – What are the security, bandwidth, and infrastructure implications for the company network to support remote access? 5 Hardware/Software Needs – What are the hardware, home infrastructure, and software licensing needs for the remote user? 6 Telecommuting Variations – What are alternative solutions or variations for telecommuting programs? 7 Connectivity – What are the tools and considerations to accommodate remote network access? 8 Communication – How do you allow your employees to communicate electronically and verbally from home? 9 Collaboration – What are the tools that foster communication? 9 IT Support – What are the options and challenges to providing remote employees with technical support? 10 Cost – How much does deploying a remote workforce cost? 10 Conclusion 11 Introduction There are a number of good reasons why companies should consider supporting a remote worker program including an expanded labor pool, reduced traffic congestion costs (late arriving/stressed out employees), improved recruitment and retention of staff, facility cost savings, reduced parking costs, reduced sick leave and improved worker productivity. Conversely, there are some disadvantages that companies should also be aware of including an isolated work force, family turf problems, lack of social interaction with other employees and the fear by remote workers that they will be overlooked for promotions. Companies obviously have a lot to factor in deciding whether or not to implement a telecommuting program. Thus, the goal of this paper is to provide consideration points to many of the common questions facing such companies. The questions and discussion herein are divided into two primary categories: technical and organizational. They are intended to provide more generalized information that decision makers can use to enhance their understanding of telecommuting issues. Organizational Issues Productivity – Are employees who telecommute more productive than their traditional office colleagues? In general, remote workers appear to be more productive than traditional office workers. In an October 1995 survey of Fortune 1000 managers, 58% reported increased productivity by employees who telecommuted. Also, according to the State of California’s Telecommuting Pilot Program, companies that implemented a remote work force experienced productivity increases ranging from 10 – 30%. Further, telecommuters working for American Express produced 43% more business than their office-based counterparts1. Clearly the case can be made that remote workers are indeed more productive. The primary explanation for improved productivity is a quieter work environment, which offers fewer interruptions. Certainly the remote worker also faces interruptions in their daily work, such as family business, neighbors, chores, television, etc. However these interruptions are generally much fewer than those experienced by the traditional office worker. Savings – What types of savings from a telecommuting program should employers expect? The biggest savings for companies result from reduced absenteeism costs and reduced real estate costs. Oftentimes when employees need to take care of personal business such as doctor visits, car repair, tending to children, etc. they call in sick for the entire day. However, remote workers can take care of personal business and still accomplish some or most of their work tasks from home. The International Telework Association & Council estimates that employees who telecommute can save their employers $10,000 each in reduced absenteeism costs2. According to PC World, telework can cut corporate real estate costs from 25 to 90%, which can result in substantial savings for employers. In fact, AT&T saves $25 million per year from employees who are full-time telecommuters3. Many companies who have implemented a successful telecommuting program have instituted hoteling systems in their offices. A â€Å"hotel† is essentially an empty cubicle that is set up with a phone, network connections and basic office supplies that any employee can use, often by making a reservation with an office administrator. Hoteling offers telecommuting employees a place to work in the office when necessary without employers having to provide them with a full-time workspace. Planning – What kind of planning does an organization need to do to properly implement a successful telecommuting program? Without doubt one of the most important keys to implementing a successful telecommuting program is proper planning. And since every organization has their unique differences (i.e. size, industry, complexity, culture, locale), there is no single formula for such planning. However, successful telecommuting programs should address the following at a minimum: * Perform an initial assessment * Consider organizational strategy and culture * Consider the role of management * Consider the need for staff input * Determine which staff tasks are most amenable to telecommuting * Consider regulatory compliance and legal issues * Determine technology needs * Prepare a cost-benefit analysis and/or ROI analysis4 Eligibility – How do managers determine the eligibility of employees for telecommuting? According to Langhoff, â€Å"tasks that are most appropriate for telecommuting are jobs where a person works alone, handling information such as reports, proposals, data or research. Writers, salespersons, accountants, programmers, graphic artists, researchers, engineers, architects, public relations professionals – all are prime candidates for telecommuting†5. In determining eligibility for telecommuting, managers should first consider whether the employee’s tasks can be performed remotely. Second, an examination of the individual’s level of performance should be made (i.e. are they hard working and self-motivated or do they need constant supervision and coaching?). Of course it can be tricky selecting who can and cannot telecommute; therefore companies should be aware of the potential legal implications stemming from employees who wished to work remotely but were turned down. Social Interaction – What types of social limitations do remote workers experience? Too often companies only view telecommuting as providing benefits to them and to their employees; however, there remains potential downsides. One potential downside is the lack of social interaction between employees. Employees who work at an office setting spend a considerable amount of their day interacting with other employees. These â€Å"water-cooler† discussions foster a camaraderie that translates into value for companies when the same employees work on projects together or are in need of support from each other. Also, the camaraderie indirectly benefits the company when management is trying to achieve buy-in on various initiatives. Lastly, having close relationships allow employees to maintain a healthy mental balance at work – resulting in an overall higher level of morale. Once telecommuting is introduced into the mixed, some or all of those relationships are lost. Analysis of past telecommuting research shows that the most cited problem associated with negative impacts of telecommuting is the feeling of isolation and loss of morale6. Although isolation feelings and loss of morale (and the resulting decrease in a company’s value) are difficult metrics to measure, some workable solutions have been devised to combat these negative issues. Other solutions have included limiting telecommuting days and making sure to include telecommuting employees in company events7. Communication Limitations – Are organizations disadvantaged due to communication limitations with remote workers? The office environment offers some benefits that telecommuting cannot provide. Most important amongst these benefits is the company’s ability to communicate to its employees. Most offices display signs of the company’s direct communication whether it is embodied in mission statements, annual goal and targets, or newsletters. Indirectly, the company communicates with corporate color schemes, promotion company clothing, and other branding material such as coffee mugs. All of these communications are omnipresent throughout the corporate office setting and help to build company pride, employee loyalty, and a sense of corporate culture. Employees who tend to work remotely are only exposed slightly to this communication through email, conference calls, and other mailed material. This lack of corporate communication may lead to low motivation, lack of identification with the company, and reduced company loyalty8. The solution to the communication challenge is to ensure that corporate communication includes channels to the remote worker. In fact, companies should recognize that off-site employees need more direct and indirect communication such that employees do not develop those negative feelings. Also, companies should make a concerted effort to limit telecommuting days and to include all telecommuting employees in company events9. Management – How do managers successfully manage and support remote workers? Another challenge with telecommuting employees revolves around their direct management. Not only do managers find it much more difficult to monitor the productivity and effectiveness of their telecommuting employee, but they are also challenged by having to change their management style to incorporate the limitations brought about by telecommuting10. Managers who have telecommuting employees are also faced with more potential issues such as family conflicts arising from their employee working from home. These conflicts cross the boundary of work and personal life, and almost always negatively impact productivity. Lastly, it is the role of managers to provide organizational support to the telecommuting employee. With the employee being off-site, the manager is usually limited to email and telephone to support his employee. This limitation further restricts a manager’s effectiveness and typically utilizes more of a manager’s time in sorting out support logistic11. Solutions to the manager’s challenge involve setting up a detailed action plan between manager and telecommuting employee. This action plan should be supplemented with an active communication plan12. Once expectations for both parties are clearly outlined in the action plan, both parties can then communicate progress or support needs more efficiently. Moreover, managers can adapt their management styles to telecommuting employees by setting results-based milestones and orienting tasks into projects such that managers still retain control of certain processes13. Technical Issues Network – What are the security, bandwidth, and infrastructure implications for the company network to support remote access? Before considering the strategy to deploying remote access for a company, a survey should be done of the existing network and current remote access configurations. Once a complete analysis of the current configuration and future needs are assessed, then the following issues need to be included in your strategy of preparing and deploying the company network for a remote force: security, bandwidth, and infrastructure.14 Table N1 – 3 Areas of Security15 Internal Network Usually the most secure of the three, but still should be reviewed for any fallacies. External Network Must secure the PC in the remote location (i.e. firewalls, RSA encryption, etc†¦) to prevent unauthorized access and snooping from the remote location. Remote Worker Least secure, must require security policies to be followed about passwords, where to connect, and who to trust. With more remote workers, there will be an increased demand of bandwidth on the network. Will the remote employees be productive with the current infrastructure that your network can provide? Perhaps considerations for upgrading from16: From To Dial-up (56K) ISDN (128K-256K) ISDN (128K-256K) T1 (up to 1.5M) T1 (up to1.5M) T3 (44.736 Mbps) With the increase demand more infrastructure will be required for allowing an increasing number of remote workers to connect to the corporate network (more servers, security hardware, and routing hardware). Hardware/Software Needs – What are the hardware, home infrastructure, and software licensing needs for the remote user? For the employees who travel often, they are usually provided some mobile computing solutions and they have found ways to work from remote locations. However the new generation of employees, the remote worker will work from the comfort of their home. Working from home brings a new set of issues in to play. HARDWARE * Can the employee keep work and personal items separated? * If not, should the company provide additional hardware? * If the company does NOT provide additional hardware, then how much of the employees hardware can be expensed if upgrades are necessary? * The employee may need/require a fax machine, an additional phone line, or other office equipment. SOFTWARE * Software licensing has be clear-cut as far as how many computers can use the same license, however what about home workers? * The company’s site licensing may not cover home computers and will require the company to pay extra for these licenses. INFRASTRUCTURE * For someone at home who has a DSL, Cable, or Dial-Up connecting, how much of that should the company pay for? * Support, Support, Support. Who will provide the maintenance and support? * Is the home PC secure? If not, who will provide the hardware/software in order to secure it? Also consider how much of the company’s data should be on the personal machine. What happens if the home PC is hacked? Telecommuting Variations – What are alternative solutions or variations for telecommuting programs? Outlined in this paper is the most common setup for a company to develop telecommuting options for their employees. However most of these configurations allow the employee to use limited resources over the Internet (access to shared folders, documents and e-mail). Depending on the size, the costs of setting up an infrastructure for telecommuting workforce could be unaffordable. The following are other options available to companies who wish to have a telecommuting workforce. Citrix Remember or heard about the mainframe days? Well, history tends to repeat itself. As more PC’s were becoming powerful, we moved away from the mainframe days. However with the Internet, the paradigm of sharing resources has returned and now software applications and operating systems have the enhanced ability to handle more than one user concurrently. Citrix17 allows concurrent remote users access to a single server that will give a separate session for each user. Each user will have access to the same set applications on one machine. This solves the software licensing issues of working from a remote location as well as reduces amount of maintenance of hardware/software for the IT department. Satellite Offices Companies are opening satellite offices to reduce commute times for employees and help alleviate city traffic and parking congestion problems. This will result in reduced land costs since these centers are away from the city where the cost of living is lower.18 Telework centers are similar to a satellite office, but operate by independent parties. Unlike satellite offices, numerous employees use them. Think of these options as outsourcing building/infrastructure issues. Connectivity – What are the tools and considerations to accommodate remote network access? In today’s information environment, connectivity has become essential for a significant portion of the workplace. Access to email, network resources, server applications, and the Internet is a continual activity for the white-collar professional. At a minimum, companies would be well served to support webmail. In much the same vein as portal email (Hotmail, Yahoo), mail is maintained on the company server. This server is then linked to a website, and employees can gain secure access to the company server via any browser. Once logged in, an individual has the full functionality of their account – to compose, receive, store, and delete email without explicitly needing to connect to the company network. However, there will be a resulting lack of security – employees need to be encouraged to create and regularly modify complex passwords, and to close public web sessions. That said, the security risk is only to an individual email account; not the company network as a whole. A second logical step for an IT department is to enable Virtual Private Networking (VPN). This will allow employees to connect their remote machines to the company network after establishing an Internet connection through an ISP. This machine then behaves just as a networked office-located computer. For users maintaining both an office and remote computer, this solution requires any desktop applications be maintained on both systems. To avoid this duality, many users will first establish a VPN connection and then emulate their office computer with built-in Windows 2000 and Windows XP remote desktop tools or 3rd party tools such as VNC19. In essence, the remote machine then acts as a terminal or monitor to the office computer, and the user can run the applications found on that machine without any needs for secondary software. The downside to this solution is that emulation is only as good as the connection speed. Communication – How do you allow your employees to communicate electronically and verbally from home? Today’s telephone solutions for the telecommuter generally consist of providing an office phone with call-forwarding features to an employee’s business cell phone – an often times reimbursed expense. This avoids some of the problems associated with using a home line for a combination of business, personal, and dial-up use. The office system simplifies contacting an individual (Simply dial an extension and press 7 to connect to the forwarded line rather than maintaining a constantly changing set of employee contact information). A home line alternative is a distinctive ring system – multiple phone numbers (home, office, fax) use a single line with each producing a unique ring that can be directed to an appropriate voice mail box or machine (PC, fax). A second alternative consists of an off-premise-extension (OPX) or foreign exchange (FX) system. While more expensive, these systems truly mimic the office with a separate home line that is identical to an office extension20. Electronic mail is a requirement for most remote users. IT departments can help support employees using multiple computers to access their email by allowing mail to be retained on the company server rather than downloaded to the individual PC. (As an unrelated benefit, this provides much greater redundancy in the event of a computer hard drive crash). Please see the discussion on web mail for more on remote e-mail use. A less intrusive substitute to phone conversations is instant messaging. While this has potential for both misuse and unproductive use (where conversation is more efficient), this is often times an ideal mechanism for sharing small tidbits of information and is especially valuable for troubleshooting. A more extensive tool would be the newsgroup in combination with a company intranet. Here, employees can develop an extensive knowledge base of processes, questions and answers. Collaboration – What are the tools that foster communication? At the lowest end of the technology spectrum, there is the traditional conference call – a virtual audio meeting with many parties. In an effort to fight the inherent isolationism of remote workers, the videoconference personalizes the conference call as participants better identify with the visual image than the audio. To implement, however, you’ll need additional webcam hardware, videoconferencing software and a fast Internet connection. Chat rooms (a variation on the aforementioned instant messaging) are suitable for short discussions or as supplements to a meeting (agenda, minutes, links, data, follow-ups) Web conferencing often includes both videoconferencing and chat room features, but distinguishes itself in that it allows a moderator to emulate his/her desktop to the attendees. Among the forefront of the software leaders in this area is WebEx21. IT Support – What are the options and challenges to providing remote employees with technical support? One of the drawbacks to working remotely is the absence of immediate technical support for both trivial and complex hardware and software issues. Given that troubleshooting is often a hands-on activity, solving problems for telecommuters is likely to be frustrating and time-consuming. However IT managers can take a number of steps to reduce downtime. * Standardize the equipment and installation. The more alike your users systems are, the better positioned you will be to reproduce and diagnose problems. * Maintain an inventory of back-up equipment in the same way that a car repair shop offers loaner cars. * Set up remote users so their desktops can be emulated by technical support – in this way an IT department can provide step by step demonstrations to fix problems * Maintain an easily accessible FAQ and update it with each new problem and solution Managers may also want to consider outsourcing their technical support requirements. Companies like Voyus22 provide 24 hour help desk support and web-based support applications. Cost – How much does deploying a remote workforce cost? The decision that the companies face is how much ownership the company will take for each of the types of telecommuters. For an occasional telecommuter, the employee will more than likely take on the costs. For a heavy telecommuter, the company will probably need to cover the costs to the employee. Telecommuter Type Frequency Implementation Costs Involved Occasional Infrequently Dial-up, Web-based applications Regular Scheduled intervals Remote Connection, 3rd Party Software, Laptop, Firewall, Router. Heavy Frequently to Full Time Provide second computer, VPN connection, ISP costs, other office equipment, maintenance. It is not the technology costs that make or break the telecommuting decision, but it’s the organizational issues that should benefit the company if deployed properly. Conclusion Telecommuting seems to be the answer to the â€Å"increased workload versus work/personal life balance† issue that many companies are seeking. While there exist many challenges towards implementing a successful telecommuting plan, there also seem to be many practical solutions. The real issue seems to stem from whether a company will change its processes and standards to allow for telecommuting to co-exist with office employees. Such a decision, as this paper has outlined, is not as simple as providing remote employees with an internet connection. Rather, the decision has significant technical and organizational ramifications that need to be well thought out before implementation; otherwise, the company is doomed to make the mistakes of many companies that have haphazardly gone down this path. 1 http://www.langhoff.com/faqs.html 2 http://www.youcanworkfromanywhere.com/infocenter/facts.htm 3 http://www.youcanworkfromanywhere.com/infocenter/facts.htm 4 http://www.tfw.org.uk/teleworking/contents.htm 5 http://www.langhoff.com/faqs.html 6 Pinsonneault, A. (1999). The Impacts of Telecommuting on Organizations and Individuals: A Review of the Literature, Cahier du GreSI, 99(9). 7 Guimaraes, T., and Dallow, P. (1999). Empiracally Testing the Benefits, Problems, and Success Factors for Telecommuting Programs, European Journal of Information Systems, 8, 40-54. 8 Davenport, T.H. and Pearlson, K. (1998). 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Hirsch, 2000, â€Å"Telecommuting: Security Policies and Procedures for the â€Å"Work-From-Home† Workforce†, http://www.teleworker.org/articles/telework_security.html 16 Bandwidth Savings, 2003, â€Å"Services In Detailed†, http://www.bandwidthsavings.net/servicesdetail.cfm 17 Citrix.com, 2003, Home Page, http://www.citrix.com 18 Hall, Aric, Bilski, Alicia, Wadman, Scott, 2003, â€Å"Ways People Telecommute†, http://members.tripod.com/~trom/page3.html 19 http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc 20 Wrobel, Leo A., February 1997, â€Å"Helpful Hints for MIS Managers Supporting Telecommuters and Nomadic Users -Part I: Voice Communications†, http://www.rewireit.com/articles/w0297.pdf 21 http://www.webx.com 22 http://www.pcsupport.com/