Avoiding Alignment Trap Essay Example for Free

Avoiding Alignment Trap Essay This case analysis discusses the findings in the article ‘Avoiding the Alignment Trap’, where even though most companies are aware that IT must be aligned with business strategy in terms of aligning IT expenses with revenue growth, over 11% of companies that align IT with business strategy spend more than 13% on average on IT expenses with a resulting of less than 14% average in revenue growth. The objective of this case analysis is to recommend a governance arrangement that will lead most companies that are currently have less effective IT alignment with business alignment to IT-enabled growth where the cost of IT more than compensates with the revenue growth of the company. The recommendation is to adopt a Duopoly governance arrangement where both the CEO and CIO make decisions, form a committee to oversee IT decisions and business strategy decisions made by these leaders, and ensure adequate decision making and monitoring of performance based on IT and business-related decisions. The ISO 38500 can be used as a framework to monitor these decisions and evaluate IT decisions based on their effectiveness, alignment with overall strategy and the value they bring to the organization. CURRENT SITUATION According to the article, almost every company is aware that IT and business strategies must be aligned in order to gain competitive advantage in their industry. This means their IT spending must be matched with their growth strategies. To test this notion, the authors of this article surveyed 452 companies and received 504 responses. The survey determined the companies IT spending and 3-year sales compounding to determine annual growth rate. In their survey, they have found the following: 1.74% of these companies do not align IT to their business strategies. Companies allocate enough funds to their IT necessary to keep the systems running. It is not meant to add value to the business. As a result, their growth rate is 2% below on average on a three-year span 2.11% of these companies have highly aligned IT with business strategy, but not highly effective. Their IT spending was 13% higher than average and their revenue growth rate was 14% below average  3.8% of these companies spent 15% lower than average on IT that resulted in an 11% above average revenue growth rate. 4.7% of these companies spent 6% lower than average on IT that resulted in more than 35% above average revenue growth rate. To apply these findings against the different governance models, the 74% of companies that do not align IT to their business strategies have a Federal Model of Governance Arrangements. Federal Models are decisions made by leaders from different functional departments and in this type of Governance Model, they mostly pay more attention on Business Application Needs and less on IT Principles, IT Architecture Infrastructure Strategies. 11% of companies that are highly aligned and yet incur more spending than revenue growth fall to the Business Monarchy Governance Model. In this type of governance arrangements, decisions are made by senior business l eader. In the Charles Schwab example in the article, their governance arrangement is IT Monarchy. Their decisions were made by IS leader and put more emphasis on IT Architecture, Infrastructure strategies and have resulted in worst business application needs. CRITERIA To put an organization in an IT-enabled growth quadrant, an organization should adopt a Duopoly Model of governance arrangement where senior business leaders and IS leaders make decisions jointly. In other words, the CEO and CIO must work closely together to formulate the best IT principles and align it with the firm’s business strategy as a whole. Also, they must implement information technology that is less complex. In the words of Leonardo Da Vinci per the article ‘simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.’ By reducing complexity, the company builds simplified, standardized infrastructure rather than extensive customizing of information technology. With these 2 put together, it can result in effective IT governance which will enable growth in revenue in the future. Alternatives and Recommendations With respect to the article, the 85% of the companies that fall to the less effective quadrant in IT governance can start adopting a Duopoly Governance Arrangement where both the CEO and CIO work together and make decisions  jointly. With Duopoly, a committee can be formed to oversee IT decisions, rate the IT leadership by the CIOs continuous monitoring managers within the organization in their decision making oversight. However, some organizations do not adopt a duopoly governance arrangement due to its size. Therefore, the next governance arrangement that can be adopted by the organizations is the Business Monarchy where decisions are made by senior business leader. With this model, the business leader can ask for the financial manager’s help to identify the kinds of information and system the organization needs, perform cost-benefit analysis, evaluate options based on priority setting and needs assessment and determine what’s important and upgrade as benefit. Most of all, there must be adequate communication throughout the organization of the decision. The article suggests that to achieve an effective IT governance, companies must keep their IT environment simple. Although achieving a simple IT environment and standardizing it within the organization requires investment of time and money, in the future this can lead to lower costs. Even though complexity can still creep in, it is suggested that the company have an early-warning indicator that will keep track of IT spending with product development. If this ratio starts to increase, it is a sign that it’s time for another simplification. Down the road, companies can reach th e IT-enabled quadrant where costs are less and revenue growth is more. RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN To avoid the alignment trap, the best governance arrangement that can help an organization change its status from being trapped in aligning IT with business strategy to IT-enabled growth is to adapt a Duopoly governance arrangement where senior business leaders and IS leaders make decisions jointly-meaning the CEO and the CIO work closely together. Both these decision makers can form a committee to oversee IT decisions and ensure managers are monitored in their decision-making and oversight. They must also adapt a simple IT application; eliminate add-ons and replacing legacy systems. For guidance in decision making by the committee, the organizations can adopt ISO 38500 where the following 6 principles focuses on 3 main tasks. These 6 principles are: 1.Responsibility – everyone involved in the  committee should understand responsibilities and have the authority to meet those responsibilities 2.Strategy – aligning IT Strategy Organizational Strategy and analysing the current and future situations of the organization and consider both the needs of organization and those that can be done within its own IS department 3.Acquisitions – can be made after both careful and rational analysis. The acquisition decision must be transparent and justified 4.Performance – information systems are implemented such that service levels and quality levels meet the organization’s needs both now and in the future 5.Conformance – compliance with regulations legislations 6.Human Behaviour – ensures respect for current and evolving needs of all individuals involved The 3 main tasks are: 1.Evaluate current and future needs on a continual basis – focuses on continual improvement incorporates the principles above both now and in the future 2.Preparation and Implementation of investment plans – the committee needs to make sure that responsibilities for plans and policies are clearly being assigned 3.Monitor performance and conformance to policies against the plans – crucial in monitoring expected service levels being met. If this is not done properly, then there won’t be appropriate information for decision making. Reaching the IT-enabled quadrant is not easy and it involves a big investment in simplifying the IT used within the organization. This is why most organizations focuses temporarily on effectiveness of IT implementations within the organization more than alignment of IT with organizational strategy. This means giving up specific applications customized on a particular division in order to achieve its desired performance and centralizing and simplifying a good part of the IT function.

Characterization of Women in The Yellow Wallpaper and Desirees Baby

Characterization of Women in The Yellow Wallpaper and Desiree's Baby  Ã‚   There was a time (not so long ago) when a man's superiority and authority wasn't a question, but an accepted truth. In the two short stories, "Desiree's Baby", and "The Yellow Wallpaper", women are portrayed as weak creatures of vanity with shallow or absent personalities, who are dependent on men for their livelihood, and even their sanity. Without men, these women were absolutely helpless and useless. Their very existence hinged on absolute and unquestioning submission†¦alone, a woman is nothing. The setting of both stories reinforces the notion of women's dependence on men. The late 1800's were a turbulent time for women's roles. The turn of the century brought about revolution, fueled by the energy and freedom of a new horizon†¦but it was still just around the bend. In this era, during which both short stories were published, members of the weaker sex were blatantly disregarded as individuals, who had minds that could think, and reason, and form valid opinions. Also, in both tales, the characters are removed from society. In "Desiree's Baby", the plantation is bordered by a field and a bayou, isolating its inhabitants from the world. The narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" tells us, "Out of one window I can see a garden†¦out of another I get a lovely view of the bay and a little private wharf" (161). They are out in the country, where the modern city can't touch them, or begin to mold their sexist ways and old fashioned ideals into contemporary mindsets. This seclusion also ensures that no outside forces threaten the men's absolute and total control of their weak, defenseless charges. In addition to their surroundings, the homes themselves... ...no worth. It's very sad to think that a woman and a man could have ever thought this way. However, it's even sadder to think that some still do. Women everywhere suffer abuse, mental or otherwise, at the hands or their (pri)mates every day. They must find the strength in themselves and the confidence to know that THEY are the ones who determine their own fate†¦and to realize that no one has the right to put them down. Our foremothers worked hard to make sure that we had choices-- not obligations. And when we let someone else take those choices from us, they are really taking our freedom, and our life. Works Cited: Chopin, Kate. â€Å"Dà ©sirà ©e’s Baby.† 1893. 8 Apr. 2003 Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." 1892. The New England Magazine. Reprinted in "Lives & Moments - An Introduction to Short Fiction" by Hans Ostrom. Hold, Orlando, FL 1991.

Chapter 13an American Renaissance: Religion, Romanticism, and Reform

Chapter 13An American Renaissance: Religion, Romanticism, and Reform Rational religion 1. The concept of mission in the American character 2. The development of deism 1. Roots in rationalism and Calvinism 2. Nature of the beliefs 3. The development of Unitarianism 3. Nature of the beliefs 4. Role of William Ellery Channing 5. Creation of American Unitarian Association 4. The development of Universalism 6. Role of John Murray 7. Nature of the beliefs 8. Comparison with Unitarianism The Second Great Awakening 1. Origins of the revival movement 2. The frontier phase of revivalism 1. Development of the camp meeting 2. Frontier reception of the revivals 3. Emergence of the Presbyterians 4. Role of the Baptists 5. The Methodists' impact 6. Appeal to African Americans 7. Spread of revivals on the frontier 8. Women and revivalism 3. Revivals in western New York State 9. Role of Charles Grandison Finney 10. Nature of Oberlin College 11. The Rise of the Mormons 1. Role of Joseph Smith 2. Characteristics of the church 3. Persecution of Mormons 4. The move to Utah Romanticism in America 12. Nature of the Romantic revolt 13. Transcendentalism as a Romantic expression 5. Nature of Transcendentalism 6. Margaret Fuller 7. Ralph Waldo Emerson 8. Henry David Thoreau 9. The impact of Transcendentalism The flowering of American literature 14. Nathaniel Hawthorne 15. Emily Dickinson 16. Edgar Allan Poe 17. Herman Melville 18. Walt Whitman 19. The popular press 10. Impact of advances in printing technology 11. Proliferation of newspapers Education 20. Level of literacy 21. Early public schools 22. Rising demand for public schools in the 1830s 12. Basis of demand 13. Role of Horace Mann 14. Leadership of North Carolina in the South 15. Limited progress 23. Developments in higher education 16. Post-Revolutionary surge in college formation 17. Conflicts over curriculum 18. Slow growth of technical education 24. Education for women Movements for reform 25. Roots of reform 26. Temperance 19. Heavy consumption of alcohol in the United States 20. Arguments for temperance 21. Early efforts at reform 22. The American Temperance Union 27. Prison reform 23. Growth of public institutions to treat social ills 24. Prevention and rehabilitation versus punishment for crime 25. Auburn prison system 28. Reform in treatment of the insane 6. Early state institutions for the insane 27. Work of Dorothea Dix 29. Crusade for women's rights 28. Catharine Beecher and the â€Å"cult of domesticity† 29. Advantages of domestic role for women 30. Status of women in the antebellum period 31. Seneca Falls Conference (1848) 32. Hindrances to success 33. Women and the professions 30. Utopian communities 34. Proliferation of utopian communities 35. Nature of the Shaker communities 36. Development and contributions of the Oneida Community 37. Robert Owen and New Harmony 38. The importance of Brook Farm 39. The decline of utopia Chapter 14: Manifest Destiny I. The Tyler years 1. Harrison’s brief term 2. Tyler’s position on issues 3. Domestic affairs 1. Failure of Clay’s program 2. Tyler left without a party 4. Foreign affairs 3. Problems with Britain needing solution 1. Suppression of African slave trade 4. Compromises of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty 2. Canada-U. S. borders settled 3. Joint patrols of Africa II. The Westward frontier 1. The idea of â€Å"manifest destiny† 1. John L. O’Sullivan 2. The western Indians 2. Plains Indians 3. Pressures from white expansion 3. The Spanish West 4. American attitudes toward area . Spanish colonization not successful in Texas 4. The Mexican Revolution 6. Movements for independence 7. Opened area for American expansion 5. E. Fur trappers in the Rockies 6. Move to Oregon country 8. Joint occupation with Britain 9. Mass migration of Americans by 1843 7. Eyeing California 10. Beginnings of Spanish settlement 11. Franciscan missions 1. Ob jectives 2. Results 12. The rancheros 13. Ship trading with the area 14. Sutter’s colony 8. Movement to Santa Fe 9. Life on the overland trail 15. Statistics 16. Indians rarely attacked 17. Difficulties 18. Gender roles 19. Great Plains ecology 20. 6. The Donner party 10. Fremont’s mapping activities 11. Efforts to acquire California III. Annexing Texas 1. American settlements 1. Role of Stephen F. Austin 2. Mexican edict against immigration 2. Independence for Texas 3. Anglo demands 4. Santa Anna’s actions 5. Rebellion 3. War for Texas independence 6. Battle of the Alamo 7. Independence declared 8. Role of Sam Houston 9. Battle of San Jacinto 4. The Republic of Texas 10. President Sam Houston 11. Efforts for annexation 1. Jackson’s delayed recognition 2. Calhoun’s treaty rejected IV. The election of 1844 1. Desire to keep the Texas issue out of the campaign 2. Clay’s evasion on Texas 3. Democrats nominate a dark horse—James K. Polk 4. Polk’s victory V. Polk’s presidency 1. Polk’s background 2. Polk’s program 3. Annexation of Texas by Tyler 4. Oregon demands 1. British hesitancy about war 2. Compromise treaty VI. Mexican War 1. Negotiations with Mexico 2. Provocation of an attack 3. The request for war 4. Opposition to the war 1. In various parts of the country 2. In New England 5. E. Preparation for war 3. Troops compared 4. Comparisons of other factors 5. Selection of a commander 6. Taylor’s conquest of northern Mexico . Annexation of California 6. Fremont’s efforts 7. Bear Flag Republic 8. Stockton’s claim of governorship 9. Kearny’s move to California 8. Taylor’s battles 10. Victory at Monterrey 11. Polk’s assumptions and suspicions 12. Santa Anna’s return to power 13. Battle of Buena Vista 14. Taylor granted leave and returns home 9. Scott’s move to Mexico City 15. Amphibious attack on Veracruz 16. Troop reinforcements 17. Attack on Mexico City 10. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 18. Terms of the treaty 19. Ratification 11. The war’s legacy 20. Gains and losses 21. Innovations 22. Debate over slavery

When the Standard Deviation Is Equal to Zero

The sample standard deviation is a descriptive statistic that measures the spread of a quantitative data set. This number can be any non-negative real number. Since zero is a nonnegative real number, it seems worthwhile to ask, â€Å"When will the sample standard deviation be equal to zero?† This occurs in the very special and highly unusual case when all of our data values are exactly the same. We will explore the reasons why. Description of the Standard Deviation Two important questions that we typically want to answer about a data set include: What is the center of the dataset?How spread out is the set of data? There are different measurements, called descriptive statistics that answer these questions. For example, the center of the data, also known as the average, can be described in terms of the mean, median or mode. Other statistics, which are less well-known, can be used such as the midhinge or the trimean. For the spread of our data, we could use the range, the interquartile range or the standard deviation. The standard deviation is paired with the mean to quantify the spread of our data. We can then use this number to compare multiple data sets. The greater our standard deviation is, then the greater the spread is. Intuition So let’s consider from this description what it would mean to have a standard deviation of zero. This would indicate that there is no spread at all in our data set. All of the individual data values would be clumped together at a single value. Since there would only be one value that our data could have, this value would constitute the mean of our sample. In this situation, when all of our data values are the same, there would be no variation whatsoever. Intuitively it makes sense that the standard deviation of such a data set would be zero. Mathematical Proof The sample standard deviation is defined by a formula. So any statement such as the one above should be proved by using this formula. We begin with a data set that fits the description above: all values are identical, and there are n values equal to x. We calculate the mean of this data set and see that it is   x (x x . . . x)/n nx/n x. Now when we calculate the individual deviations from the mean, we see that all of these deviations are zero. Consequently, the variance and also the standard deviation are both equal to zero too. Necessary and Sufficient We see that if the data set displays no variation, then its standard deviation is zero. We may ask if the converse of this statement is also true. To see if it is, we will use the formula for standard deviation again. This time, however, we will set the standard deviation equal to zero. We will make no assumptions about our data set, but will see what setting s 0 implies Suppose that the standard deviation of a data set is equal to zero. This would imply that the sample variance s2 is also equal to zero. The result is the equation: 0 (1/(n - 1)) ∑ (xi - x )2 We multiply both sides of the equation by n - 1 and see that the sum of the squared deviations is equal to zero. Since we are working with real numbers, the only way for this to occur is for every one of the squared deviations to be equal to zero. This means that for every i, the term (xi - x )2 0. We now take the square root of the above equation and see that every deviation from the mean must be equal to zero. Since for all i, xi - x 0 This means that every data value is equal to the mean. This result along with the one above allows us to say that the sample standard deviation of a data set is zero if and only if all of its values are identical.