Business Intelligence in a Corporate Environment Essay Example for Free

Business Intelligence in a Corporate Environment Essay The purpose of this literature review is to provide an overall perspective to the workings of business intelligence in a corporate environment. With the onset of massive technological gains in the past decade the implementation of business intelligence has grown accordingly. In the workplace the demand for business process improvement, responsive reporting, cutting edge forecasting, and internal business customer relations has triggered a need for a unit that understands the business needs as well as the impact on company technology. This review will focus on the various areas that business intelligence impacts in the workplace. There will also be an emphasis on understanding the longevity of these types of units. With these units in the workplace questions concerning departmental automation goals and the impact on the maturity stages that are involved with the creation of business intelligence units. Finally, with the growth of data collection and ease of use, the security and management of company information is intertwined with the operation of business intelligence. The Age of Information The Role of Shifting Technology Throughout history technology has influenced the very fabric of business operations. The role of business intelligence in this shift is the implementation and continuous improvement of that technology. This role is ever changing because technology continues to improve. While to some the role of business intelligence seems new and upcoming the usage and practice goes back to the earliest days of industry. An example of this history would be in the automation industry. In years past large amounts of labor was done by hand. The role of the business analyst would be to collect and analyze the entire business process from start to finish. Once this was done the analyst would narrow their focus to the individual in an attempt to provide management with data to increase speed and efficiency. That role is now used  to analyze the systems and machines that are responsible for making the products. While the example above is simple the connection between the shift in technology and the role of business intelligence is clear. With any business the desire for information is strong. To be competitive a company needs to be aware of the business environment in which they operate. Business intelligence serves to meet the information and improvement goals that drive the company to greater success. For this literature review there is an article written by Elliot King that exemplifies the shift of technology and the role of business intelligence on it. King focuses on the large amount of company resources that are spent on the implementation, development, and management of business intelligence technology in the workplace. This attention has been driven by the increasing demand for such software products and personnel to manage them. Understanding this current shift King focuses on the role business intelligence has and will continue to have on the business that use data en mass. The article provides a brief look at the history of data storage and misconceptions about employee interest in accessing the data. This interest has largely been pushed down due to the complex nature of interacting with the information present within the data warehouse. With the explosion of the internet and user assimilation to it these technical barriers are slowing beginning to fall (King, 1998). With the ease of use and understanding increasing employees are beginning to grasp the value of data. This is where the role of business intelligence has thrived. Business intelligence has been implemented to bridge the gap between the employee and the business data stored in the warehouse. This is done through a variety methods that have made data more and more useful to the companies that have and utilize their data. King summarizes his article with the theory that as the internet was opened  far and wide to all this should concept should be applied to the data warehousing. While King understands that the two pieces of technology are different he affirms that they are similar enough in nature that the same approach can be applied. Overall, the article provide a good look at how the shift of technology in business can affect the demand for systems and the personnel that maintain and operate them (King, 1998). The impact of Business growth With the growth of business the world has begun to shrink. No longer are companies that employ a hundred or even a thousand considered to be impressive. In 2014 Bank of America was reported to have employed two hundred and eighty four thousand people to run its operations around the globe (Bank of America, 2014). The implications of companies of this size are astounding and have significantly impacted the demand for business intelligence. To truly understand why a company would spend millions of dollars on business intelligence operations a simple example can be provided. For Bank of America each employee is assigned a unique number or code that distinguishes him or her from the rest of the employees within the organization. On the other side of the table each customer that has interacted with the bank is also assigned a unique identifier. If these are added together the quantity of unique entities starts to become astounding. The example above shows why a business like Bank of America would be heavily interested in utilizing business intelligence assets to manage the data associated with its business units. While the example provided only touches on areas concerning employees and customers the amount of data associated with those people can be mind boggling. For employees this data could be anything from human resource forms to vacation day requests. For customers the data could be products purchased, recorded marketing calls, website interaction as well as a host of other areas. In 2000 Deborah Rowe an article that centered on business trends pushing database management systems to greater growth. Rowe focuses on the data  warehousing concept that has proved to meet a large majority of business needs in terms of information management. The focus of the article is to explain how progress is pushing for better and better systems for managing data. The article talks about how increasing competition has created a lean environment for data management. Companies that are complacent with their data are either failing or catching on to the need for better interaction and usage of their data. Rowe delves into the process of choosing these systems from a corporate perspective. The challenges presented by this type of implementation are rather glaring. These challenges include upfront cost, long term cost, and mismanagement of data. If a company chooses to implement a product that its employees don’t understand correctly the effects can be devastating on the business. Hiring knowledgeable employees to manage and implement the product is essential to long term success. With all of these hurdles of implementing a DBMS system the task can be daunting. Rowe discusses how the task of purchasing and implanting a DBMS needs to be done with great caution and a clear focus. If a business isn’t able to look further down the road and consider how the DBMS can be used in the future it will fail completely. Having a perspective that encompasses as much of the companies goals and visions is critical. This is why companies are constantly looking for individuals that are able to focus on a detailed system but be able to at the same time look at the broader scope of the company’s needs (Rowe , 2000). In summation the article leaves the reader with an interesting perspective on the increasing demand for these systems. Rowe concludes that the ERP industry will grow and tremendous pace in the future. With that growth the need for knowledgeable employees that understand the systems use and can translate the data to affect business needs will continuing to increase. The increasing corporate demand. At its very core business is driven by two simple concepts. These are the laws of revenue and expenses. In business these two laws drive companies on a daily basis. Popular opinion about these  concepts can sometimes sway in either direction. Proponents may put all of their support into revenue generation while others will focus on creating the perfect lean business model. Whatever the theory or opinion is the law of revenues and expenses will remain the same. As discussed in this review the expenses of implementing DBMS systems and employing highly skilled individuals can be massive. To a company that purely focuses on the expense side of the equation these systems may seem like a waste of precious assets. To others who understand the future and current impact of these systems the decision to utilize them is an easy one. Like the concepts of revenues and expenses the goals of a company can dictate the perspective of business intelligence units. The reason demand has begun to steadily increase over the past decade is the potential to affect both the expense and revenue side of the business structure. Business intelligence units are designed to support departments in ways that can amplify their current revenue production and decrease their expense habits. An article written by Ken Rudin explains how corporate demand for business intelligence in their companies is steadily increasing. Rudin talks about how business intelligence has become a very high priority for business executives who understand the values they can derive from business improvement. This demand has grown to the point where corporate leaders are focusing on moving past the traditional business intelligence processes (Rudin , 2007) . Rudin explains the implications of this progressive thought process by paralleling the impact of software applications that software products have had on industry to business intelligence services. The discussion is focused on how executives are looking into custom company specific solution provided on an instant. This type business process software is highly intuitive and seeks to provide all of the necessary tools needed to make an informed business decision. Examples of these on-demand solutions are software’s likes SQL Server Reporting Services by Microsoft. This software allows for not only the display of information but the real time interaction with the data that the web services are pulling their content from. Rudin discusses how these types of solutions are not only catching fire they are exploding all over the business world. This explosion of demand is driven by the complexity of the data being pulled as well as the cost associated with the data being collected and stored. This cost and complexity equation is what Rudin believes is the key piece to business intelligence demand. Like the example of revenues and expenses the idea surrounding on-demand solutions is the same. The question asked is, â€Å"What can these solutions do that allow a normal employee to do their job at a higher level which in turns into a higher rate of return for their employer?† Concluding Rudin’s article he discusses that a key factor associated with on demand business intelligence solutions is the usability of the product. Having solutions created that users do not understand or lose trust in can be a major drain on process improvement. Rudin emphasizes that the development of these processes needs to be done in such a way that they take into account the users that are interacting with them. This is essential to developing a trust relationship between the users and the product (Rudin , 2007). Business Intelligence Tools The Role of Reporting Reporting is one the most essential pieces of and type of business process. If a company sells laundry detergent it needs to know how much product it has, how much product it has sold, and how much it should produce. These three simple questions speak to the ramifications of good reporting data within a business. There is so much information that is gathered by companies with the singular intent of providing reports for business decisions. This gathering is done in a way that the information collected in stored in some type of server  which houses a virtual warehouse. Like a physical warehouse it is critical to understand how and where something is stored so that it can be retrieved for future use. When it comes to reporting the challenge presented to businesses is the quantity and placement of their data. If a business is unable to utilize their data efficiently they are sacrificing business opportunities every second the data is left idle. This quandary has been analyzed and the solution has been to purchase and employee people and products to provide this data in a useful format for business use. In a business intelligence unit a data analyst will focus on first understanding the overall goal of a report request. This is important because the impact of creating something purely based on the request can lead to disastrous results. These can range from customers not understanding the terminology used within the reporting system to not grasping the capability or usage of the system being used to provide the report. To make sure these requests are understand correctly a business intelligence unit is commonly found implemented within a specific area of the business. This cultivates a cross knowledge between the highly technical nature of the reporting systems to the broad scope goals of a particular business department. This type of side by side interaction can be a major benefit to not only getting more precise and accurate reporting it also serves as educating tool to the department through exposure. An article written in 2005 by Harry Debes explains this process in detail. The author of the article begins the discussion by emphasizing the importance of timely and accurate data. These two pieces are the bread and butter of business intelligence. The reason for this is that both factors are highly dependent on each other. Debes explains this concept by focusing on the energy market and the application of business reports in this area of industry. He shows that there various daily functions that are conducted that are in need of  constant monitoring to allow for efficient operation. Some of the examples include repair requests, credit collections, meter usage, demand fluctuations, and most important customers (Debes , 2005). All of the examples cited by Debes are common sense in nature but they require an entire business process to effectively report on. Using the example of meter usage by having daily reports energy companies can identify issues based on real time data and not be forced to swallow a catastrophe because of something as simple as mechanical fault. The problem could easily be identified by a simple reporting tool that was programmed to expect a specific range of usage. If the range was violated the system would send an alert with a level of priority based on the disparity of the ranges. The article written by Debes is a good example of how business intelligence reporting can be implemented in ways that benefit the company at levels of the corporate ladder. From interactive financial data and forecasting to specific customer energy consumption and history reliable and accurate reporting in the energy industry is a very powerful tool that has been used and is being continuously improved upon for future endeavors (Debes , 2005). Impact of data driven Forecasting Forecasting is an important an element of any business. At its most basic level it is simply looking to the future and making guesses to a specific result based on past and present data. This is where the role of business intelligence arrives. Data analysts like their namesake are paid to look at data and decipher how that data works and relates to the business. Once a data analyst is able to firmly grasp company data they can provide constructive advice based on the knowledge of that data. In addition to providing advice the data analyst can create reports that take past data and make estimations programmatically based on definable trends. These reports can be provided through an assortment of software’s and displayed in formats that best fit the target audience. Having a system in place that looks to past data and provides useful  forecasts can not only give a company an idea of where they are going they can also give an idea where their competition is going as well. This ability to compare company performance to the market and project where the company is headed is critical. With timely and reliable forecasting a company can discern opportunities and threats within the marketplace before they even occur. With market competition becoming more and more intense the role of forecasting has been prioritized highly by most companies that operate on a large scale. This is clearly supported by an article written by Susana Schwartz about the greater need for more robust forecasting technologies. The concept of the article focuses on the next level of forecasting that business intelligence units are seeking to achieve. The author talks about how the next set of tools utilized by business intelligence units will be integrated into the business processes that have already been laid down. The key factors that are emphasized are the broad categories that these tools can influence. Examples of these are products such as SSRS by Microsoft, ARGOS by Ellucian, and APEX by Oracle. Each of these tools provide granular interaction with business process data while still being able to be applied to other categories. These tools are used to be the developing platforms that take the business process driven data and formulates it into reportable information used for forecasting. In the article these are the types of tools that Schwartz describes when talking about integrated and real time driven tools (Schwartz, 2007). Concluding the article by Schwartz she emphasizes the value of report generation. She talks about how even if the emphasis might be redundant the need to focus on this factor is critical to accurate forecasting. This is because all of the past data collected is contained within the reports. Schwartz’s realizes that for business units to understand any of the forecast data they need to be familiar with the data that has been collected and displayed within the provided reports (Schwartz , 2007). Data analysis and Improvement The core of what business intelligence does is data analysis and improvement. Both of these factors contribute to each other in a never ending spiral of push and pull. When data is analyzed it is used to improve a process which in turn is analyzed. With this concept firmly in place understanding the role of business intelligence becomes clearer. As the facilitator of analysis and improvement business intelligence units are responsible for the flow between the two actions. When a department senses a need for analysis or improvement the business intelligence unit is used to facilitate that action. This responsibility to facilitate these actions is what drives the demand by corporate leadership. As expressed earlier in this review having units that are constantly looking at moving the expense line down and the revenue line up is very beneficial a corporate entity. An article that was created in response to a seminar on business data analysis describes how this process is essential to the strategy development and future readiness of company’s based on data analysis. The article provide insight into a couple areas within the sphere of data analysis. One of these is building the foundations and structure of the culture within the company to respect the data and make decisions off of it (Computer software .., 2012). This whole concept of creating a decision based culture is driven by the need for action in the market. If a company fails to take action on its corporate strategy it will fall behind its competition fairly quickly. The article discusses how through data analysis an attitude of decision making individuals can be created to promote action. The key of this data driven culture is the analysis that goes into making the data credible. Without credible data the ability to make decisions quickly and effectively is crippled. If employees can’t trust the data they are working with they will begin to question the entire infrastructure based on a single data set. In addition to data analysis the article talks about  improving recruitment through data analysis tools. Being able to create a clear picture of who a person is before the expense of bringing them in for an interview can be a great time and money saver. This is done through internal and external data analysis (Computer software .., 2012) . Once research is done on an individual the business intelligence units can categorize potential recruits and provide reports based on recruiters specifications. If an office manager needs someone with three years of experience and a knowledge of a specific software system a tool can be created to provide that data in real time to the inquiring party. When it comes to data analysis and improvement making sure that they are used in conjunction is essential for seamless implementation and continued success. An example of poor usage is providing a complicated and detailed report within a system that can’t handle the data correctly. Even though the data itself is good the system used for improvement is poor. This can create animosity towards certain products and mistrust in data (Computer software .., 2012). Data management The term data management is something that has been thrown around industry the past few years. When this happens the real meaning of the terminology begins to take on a life of its own based on the perception of those trying to comprehend its true meaning. A clear way to explain what the definition of data management is to show the similarities between an industries accepted practice. Like employee management data management requires a certain style to correctly guide the direction of the data. In a department setting a manager may spend time developing a plan that their employees will play specific roles in. The same is true with data management. Depending on the setting and usage data is set aside in specific formats to meet highly granular needs. A good example is list of information that is associated with a company’s employees. The data will stay the same but it requires a level of management to break into specific formats to meet different needs. The human recourse depar tment might need the list as a reference sheet to pull information about quickly and efficiently. That same information could also be used by the employee development department to conduct surveys and  gauge employee satisfaction. These examples are very simply but they do provide a good idea of how managing data in a succinct and efficient way can broaden its usage and usability immensely. There is an article written in the Journal of Digital Asset Management that describes the role of business intelligence on data management. This article provide a brief look into how the emergence of big data has pushed an emphasis on utilizing business intelligence units to provide levels of data management. The article talks about how business intelligence is beginning to play critical role in the storage, maintenance, and usability of the data. These three factors are critical in guaranteeing the reliability of information collected and scrubbed for company use. The first of these factors briefly mentioned is the storage factor. Arguably the most important of the three storage is the bucket where all unstructured and structured data is stored (Jordan Ellen , 2009) . Within the context of the article the authors describe how storage is the first step that business intelligence units have to consider when managing data. The tasks associated with this piece range from creating feeds to port information from various databases to creating tables and views within specific schemas. Within these tasks the question that is constantly asked is the question of available space. This question permeates each of the three factors but is most prevalent at the initial of data management. The second piece is the maintenance portion. This factor is most prevalent once data has been stored and refined into a usable manner. The article shows how this responsibility is what keeps business intelligence units in a critical role to companies data management needs. The tasks that occur with data maintenance can range from eliminating old data, archiving, inputting new systems, and creating methods to encourage more efficient data retrieval and reporting. The final factor addressed in the article is the factor of usability. This concept is what non-IT personnel will focus most of their attention on when looking at data resources. Business intelligence plays critical role in getting the data into an understandable and usable format at the customer level. This is the defining piece of business intelligence focus. Employers look specifically for individuals who are able to translate the technical data from a database perspective and be able to make that information as clear as possible for non-information technology users (Jordan Ellen , 2009). Internal communications When considering things that business intelligence employees should do well is internal communications. In many companies business intelligence units will be the ambassador between the data and the customer. These individuals are responsible for understating the customers’ needs from an IT perspective. Once the needs have been determined the customer needs to be made aware of how close or far away from their original needs are to the ones seen by the business intelligence personnel. Being able to discern what a customer needs is extremely important. The emphasis placed on cultivating effective communications between all parties is absolutely critical to getting the information needed to create or improve business processes. There are so many adverse situations that occur within corporate setting that could have been avoided by simply establishing channels of communications with involved parties. A good way to do this is to provide updates on the progress of the project. This c an done by collaboration software, email, phone calls, and face to face interaction. By establishing a working and efficient internal communication structure customers are more at ease with the progress and process being developed. This is essentially a status gauge that shows that all parties are involved and have a say in what is happening. An article released by press wire gives a good example of how companies are understanding the importance of internal communications and the role of business intelligence in it. Based on the trends within industry the article shows how the shift of technology has affected the way internal communications are done between IT and the various corporate departments. What has occurred in recent years is the need for new strategy development with business intelligence as key factors in these strategies (Business intelligence..,2001). From a corporate standpoint these new strategies have ushered in a different perspective of IT individuals in the workplace. No longer are individuals that work with databases left out of conference calls a nd meetings that determine company direction. The article clearly explains that the need for individuals with technical and corporate goal understanding need to have an opinion in new processes and strategies. These individuals are becoming more and more important because of their perspective on how technology is being used in the marketplace. The final portion of the article by press wire addresses an important decision the  transitioning companies have to make. The authors emphasize that decisions makers need to reshape their perspective of units like business intelligence and truly value the opinions that are being shared. If this perception of the average IT worker from the 1970’s continues to permeate a company’s upper level management the likelihood of less opportunities and more threats to occur is much more likely than competitors who are understand the shift (Business intelligence..,2001). Business Intelligence Outlook From a sustainable field outlook the question has been raised is whether business intelligence as a field is here to stay. In any profession this question has been and will be asked as the world changes. No profession is one hundred percent guaranteed that the field will continue to be useful to the society in which operates. This simple truth puts into perspective the fragility of any profession. In regards to business intelligence determining whether the field is going to progress for years to come is difficult. Currently, the demand for business intelligence employees and or software is currently high. With many top competitors in various industries searching for ways to cut cost and improve efficiency the current market outlook is good. On the flip side of this equation the risk for business intelligence to improve itself out of a job is a definite possibility. With new software’s being created the technical barrier created by big data is beginning to slowly fall. The threat to the field is that companies will purchase a customer based software that provides cookie cutter reports that can be used by non-IT users to make business decisions. An article by the journal of Journal of International Technology and Information Management touches on this topic and describes how measuring the effectiveness of business intelligence on a company can determine its future market outlook. The authors take a detailed look at how in some situations a business intelligence department has been effective for some companies while for others the effectiveness has been limited (Vinekar,Teng, Chennamaneni , 2009). The important factors that the authors cite for effectiveness center on corporate understanding of the role of business intelligence, implementation, defined goals, and perceived value opinion. Each of these factors are cited because of they are all touched at the inception of the business intelligence unit within the company. Without these factors being addressed correctly the ability for a business intelligence unit to operate effectively is severely hampered. The first of these factor is the identity of the department. Just like meeting a person for the first time the impression created on the meeting is what defines the perception of the relationship. The article talks about how it is the responsibility of those implementing the unit to clearly lay out the benefit that the department will bring to the company as a whole. These individuals include directors and manager. This push stage is the first step in gauging whether business intelligence will be effective within a company. If corporate leaders understand the benefit of the unit and put their support behind it the initial reaction is more likely to be positive than negative. The caution that is applied to this phase is that if there isn’t top down approval the unit will not succeed. The authors strongly emphasize the need for an executive push at the inception of the business intelligence unit (Vinekar,Teng, Chennamaneni , 2009). The second factor discussed by the authors is the implementation phase of a business intelligence unit. This is the first step to making a concerted effort for a business intelligence impact on a company. The authors talk about how this phase needs to be handled in a way that allows for immediate impact. The rational for this approach is that if the business intelligence unit can prove its value at inception the perceived value of the unit will be cemented in its early success. With this approach the authors also caution at the risks involved. If the unit is not prepared the likelihood of error is high. Just like the  perceived value of the unit based on a positive rollout the same can occur for a negative one. The authors are adamant in their idea that to make a good impact the unit needs to be prepared and aware of the tentative situation in which the unit is placed on the onset. The third factor is defined goals. The unit needs be able to clearly express their goals for improving the company’s internal and external business processes. The article describes how the focus of the department needs to be grounded in the goals and direction set at the onset. This allows for an immediate understanding of what the unit hopes to achieve. The authors caution that without clear goals for the department the unit will not be able to work succinctly. The final and most important factor discussed in the article is the perceived value opinion of the business intelligence unit from the rest of the company. This perceived value is critical for unit to be able to provide opinions and trusted data. The reason cited by the authors why this value opinion is most important is because the opinion can be had by every employee within the company. The simple truth is that with more eyes watching the unit there is a higher level of critique applied to the actions done by the business intelligence unit (Vinekar,Teng, Chennamaneni , 2009). Departmental Goal Impact In most businesses the unit structure is broken out into various departments that meet company specific needs. Examples of these include accounting, budgeting, marketing, human resources, RD, and many more. These departments all do things that are subject specific but require a certain level of overlap with the rest of the company. For example the budgeting and accounting departments are joined at various stages of the financials that the company uses. Having an understanding of these departments is very important from the perspective of the business intelligence unit. The reason business intelligence units need to grasp the subject impact as well as overall impact of departments is because the processes built usually touch more than one specific department. What this means is that a data analyst needs to be able to determine what is best for not just one department but for all parties involved. With a macro perspective of the company the business intelligence units are able to impact broad groupings of departments. This in itself is a big benefit to the company as a whole. The reason for this is because the improved processes help promote better interaction between departments. This is like connecting various standalone silos to each other with an agreed on process. An article that addresses this departmental impact comes straight from the Business Intelligence Journal. The whole premise of the article is the authors argue that by assimilating business intelligence units into departments these units can change the departments core business practices. This can be done by embedding individuals from the business intelligence department into other departments through the company (Elbashir Williams , 2007). The authors lay out a plan for making sure the company gets the best benefit when the embed business intelligence personnel in a different department. The authors talk about how it is important to make sure an understanding of the units function is clearly laid down before the unit is implemented. The importance of this is that the departments understand the business intelligence units are not directly under the units they are embedded in. The article makes it clear that to make the relationship work between the BI unit and the department the BI unit cannot be under the department they are servicing. The rational for this is that if the BI unit is under their own department they will be less inclined to favor a department when building a business process for multiple departments. This is important because it allows the business intelligence employees to say no to things that might be requested out of ignorance or selfishness. The second step for success when embedding a BI unit is to establish the  relationship. The authors describe how important it is to set up the way communication is supposed to occur. In most situations it is important to have the directors of the department as the individuals responsible for setting up the proper channels. The benefit of this is that it forces employees to acknowledge the support of the department’s directors. This means the BI unit will be able to get the information they need from department employees to formulate effective business process improvements (Elbashir Williams , 2007). The final piece that the article discusses is how much leeway the BI unit has to make departmental decisions. In some cases the BI unit make most improvement decisions based on technology understanding and departmental trust. In others the unit has little leeway and requires approvals from the department to enact improvements. Whichever way the process is set up it is important to have that clearly explained and understood by all parties involved to avoid confusion (Elbashir Williams , 2007). Tiers of maturity. In the business intelligence community there are various levels of maturity associated based on the length of time the unit has been in service to the company. Each of these levels are determined based on the progress the unit has made. These level begin at inception and end at forecasting. It is important to recognize these levels to determine the progress the department is making in the company that it is being utilized in. These levels are broken out into three specific categories. These are the inception phase, the break even stage, and the forecasting stage. Each of these stages is unique and presents its own set of challenges to the business intelligence unit. The most critical phase is the inception phase. Since this phase is what spawns the impact that the BI unit makes it is critical that it goes well. During the inception phase of the unit the challenges presented center on assimilation to the company. The unit must be able to find their place within the work environment if they are going to effective in the company. By analyzing company needs prior to actually meeting and planning with departments the unit can have a head start on how to make an immediate  impact on their departmental customers. The second tier is thoroughly described in an article by a group of authors writing for Information Technology and Management. This group of authors describes how the second phase of maturity is centered on getting to a point of break even. This term refers to the business intelligence unit being able to complete/automate enough critical tasks that they are able to look begin forecasting (Zeng Duan, 2012). During this second phase the authors stress the importance of consistency and performance. These two ideas are what the authors believe drive the unit towards a proactive mindset and away from a reactive mindset. This transition of thought processes is what make this phase important. Once a unit can break though to a state of mind that is forward looking they can begin to develop ideas that will prevent problems before they happen and predict future opportunities before they occur (Zeng Duan, 2012). The final phase is briefly addressed in the article and deals with the forecasting and future opportunities phase. This is tier of maturity that each business intelligence unit strives to get to at some point in its existence. With this phase the unit is able to think more creatively and follow leads and trails into data that could provide beneficial to the company (Zeng Duan, 2012). The conclusion makes a final point in regards to the level of maturity. The point made is that these levels once attained are not concrete. With the ever changing needs of the company as well as the creation of new technologies the department can easily waver between different tiers. The authors suggest that having a proactive approach is the best way to stay at the highest level of maturity for the longest periods of time (Zeng Duan, 2012). Marketplace perspective The final point of this literature review centers on the industries perception of business intelligence as a whole. This perception is what drives the demand for business intelligence within the workforce. If  industry believe the benefit of a business intelligence department is greater than the cost then demand for these units will be high. If the value garnered is perceived as minimal then the field will falter. The real question that the marketplace has been asking falls on longevity. There has been speculation the technology will eventually push this field out into the cold. This would be done by platforms that mimic the various functions and responsibilities that are currently being held by business intelligence employees. If this happens the need for large quantities of analysts would no longer be needed. An article written by Chen talks about the perspective of business intelligence by outside entities. He looks at how a business intelligence unit can provide a competitive a dvantage to a company based on the agility it affords. He argues that by having units that can provide data quickly the competitive advantage created is enough to sway popular opinion into the positive (Chen, 2012). Chen talks about the need for business intelligence units and his belief that the agility of these units will continue to drive demand. His entire argument is based on the unit’s ability to adapt to new technology and processes quickly enough to afford decision makers consistent windows of opportunity. Chen’s belief is that no matter how advanced technology gets the need for individuals to understand and communicate it to decision makers will always be needed. Chen concludes by describing how business intelligence units need to maintain a high level of flexibility. He addresses the issue of complacency and warns that if laziness creeps into the department then shifting technology will engulf the department. The real value is the ability to quickly analyze and develop a well thought out process that improves the current one using the existing resources at their disposal (Chen, 2012). Conclusion Business intelligence at its very core is business process improvement. This can be done through many different ways but the concept never changes. An individual working in a business intelligence department always ask the question, â€Å"How can I make this process better?† This simple phrase is the core of what business intelligence is and what it will always be. There are many companies that understand the importance of business intelligence. These companies have realized how important it is to strive for a lean work  environment. This is achieved by isolating areas of work that can be automated or improved through the efforts of business intelligence units. The impact that can be made by tasking a unit to think through a process from every perspective and redesign it to meet current needs can be a massive benefit. In conclusion, there are many areas in which business intelligence can be utilized to benefit a company. From data management to data security business intelligence departments are meeting the needs of companies as today’s technology moves faster and faster into the future. It remains to be seen whether these units will become a staple of the workplace but their current impact has been instrumental to the information technology industry as a whole. Reference Bank of america company statistics. (2014, March 3). Retrieved from http://www.statisticbrain.com/bank-of-america-company-statistics/ BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE: Internal communication excellence is critical to business success. (2001, Jun 29). M2 PresswireRetrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/444695082?accountid=12085 Chen, X. (2012). Impact of business intelligence and IT infrastructure flexibility on competitive advantage: An organizational agility perspective. (Order No. 3522073, The University of Nebraska Lincoln). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 124. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1035336826?accountid=12085. (1035336826). Computer software; business data analysis provides key to delivering successful workforce planning strategies. (2012).Marketing Weekly News, , 286. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/926791455?accountid=12085 Debes, H. (2005). Business intelligence for the bottom line. Energy Markets, 10(4), 36-38. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/228760265?accountid=12085 Elbashir, M., Williams, S. (2007, Fourth). BI impact: The assimilation of business intelligence into core business processes.Business Intelligence Journal, 12, 45-54. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/222617043?accountid=12085 Jordan, J., Ellen, C. (2009). Business need, data and business intelligence. Journal of Digital Asset Management, 5(1), 10-20. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/dam.2008.53 King, E. (1998, October). The business intelligence technology shift. Enterprise Systems Journal, 13(10), 17+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA21260167v=2.1u=vic_libertyit=rp=CDBsw=wasid=6f3bfaa58245586c92ea5fb6ad499092 Rowe, D. (2000). Business intelligence trend leads DBMS growth. Technology in Government, 7(4), 17. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/206108771?accountid=12085 Rudin, K. (2007). On-demand business intelligence. DM Review, 17(8), 26. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/214676633?accountid=12085 Schwartz, S. (2007). BI 2.0 the next generation of business intelligence tools will be integrated within business processes themselves, enabling improved forecasting and real-time data analysis. Insurance Technology, 32(4), 41-44. 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Perrault and Robinson Versions of Puss in Boots :: Compare Contrast Puss Boots Essays

Perrault and Robinson Versions of Puss in Boots Puss in Boots, like many folk and fairy tales is found in varying versions of the same story. Two of the many versions of this tale which are still told today are the classic version by Charles Perrault and one retold by Harry Robinson, an Okanagan Native Storyteller. Robinson's version was recorded and then transcribed and may be found in 'Write It On Your Heart - The Epic World of an Okanagan Storyteller.' This paper will examine and compare the content of both these tales with regards to plot and attempt to explain why the differences and similarities occur with regards to characters and places. Though both versions share a common goal of assuring a good life for the son who inherits the cat, the reasons vary considerably from version to version. In Perrault's tale, the son is destitute and the cat sets out to ensure his master's survival and comfort. Robinson's version, on the other hand, portraits a cat that seeks to right a wrong and return to his master that which was stolen from his family. A significant difference between the two tales is the number of events that take place. The openings to these two tales are very different from one another. In Perrault's tale, the father is already dead and the children are about to split their meagre inheritance: a mill, an ass and one cat. Robinson launches instead into an extended preamble identifying the story to be told along with some pertinent facts concerning its source. He identifies its source as being non- Native. "This is white people stories." (Robinson, 282) Unlike Perrault's poor miller, Robinson's father figure is identified as a well-to-do rancher with lots of cattle, several horses and many acres of cultivated fields. In fact, the farming operation is so large that there are many farmhands to tend to the various tasks (Robinson, 283). The father is very much alive and continues to be an integral part of the story for one third of the tale. Perrault's sequence of events is compact and straightforward. Once the sons have divided the assets, the two oldest siblings are removed from the tale. The cat requests some boots and a bag and sets off to provide for his master. Upon snagging each day's catch, he presents it to the king as a gift from his master whom he dubs the Marquis of Carabas.

Societal Implication Of Nanotechnology In Soil Improvement Environmental Sciences Essay

Abstract-Nanotechnology is an exciting and quickly emerging engineering leting us to work, pull strings and make tools, stuffs and constructions at the molecular degree, frequently atom by atom into functional constructions holding nanometer dimensions. Both developed and developing states are puting in this engineering to hold a market portion. Soil direction is playing of import function in agribusiness sector. Nanotechnology has opened up new chances to progress alimentary usage efficiency. With nanofertilizers comes out as options to conventional fertilisers, some researches had been conduct to better dirt direction, such as controlled release fertilisers ( CRF ) which released their alimentary contents bit by bit to carry through with the alimentary demand of a works. The social deductions of nanotechnology in dirt betterment emerged in many facets such as nanotechnology-specific ordinance should be introduced, compulsory labeling of all nanoproducts in nutrients is required ( o rdinance facet ) , nanomaterials in dirt fertiliser may make new possible wellness hazards, nanofertilizer may make new sorts of taint in dirts and waterways ( environment facet ) , marginalize poorer husbandmans ( economic system facets ) . The dirt betterment by nanotechnology must followed by a good direction and control from maker, authorities, public, and interest holders to undertake unwanted or negative deductions moreover. Keywords ; nanotechnology ; soil betterment ; controlled release fertilisers Introduction Nanotechnology has been described as the following new industrial revolution. Nanotechnology is broad involvement all over the universe and brings a new imaginativeness. The development of the topic has multiplied exponentially from a few old ages because of possibility to do things better and cheaper. The US National Nanotechnology Initiative ( NNI ) calls it â€Å" nanotechnology † merely if it contain all of the undermentioned: Research and engineering development from the atomic, molecular to macromolecular degrees, in graduated table of about 1 – 100 nanometre scope, bring forthing and utilizing constructions, devices and systems that have alone belongingss and maps, and capableness to command on the atomic graduated table. A nanometre is one-billionth of a metre. The thickness of a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometres ; diameter of a individual gold atom is about a 3rd of a nanometre. Different physical, chemical, and biological belongingss can look in stuff s at the nanoscale. These belongingss may be different from the belongingss of majority stuffs and individual atoms or molecules. The first ground why nanotechnology can germinate and emerge significantly because the intensifying research Fieldss of nanotechnology are normally thought to be extremely multidisciplinary because they come together from many countries of scientific discipline and engineering to do of import progresss ( Figure 1 ) . The word convergence means the united from different waies of antecedently tantamount but independent countries of scientific discipline and engineering. Second ground, Nanotechnology can be applied in many sectors from agribusiness, chemical, telecom, energy, and many more ( Figure 2 ) . It helps sectors to make new and advanced merchandises which better, more efficient, effectual, and cheaper. Figure 1. The place of nanoscience and nanotechnology over a basal map of scientific discipline in Science Citation Index ( SCI ) Both developed and developing states are puting in this engineering to obtain better market distribution. At 2004, the first state which had invested 2.943 billion Euros is USA. The 2nd is Japan about 2.29 billion Euros and the 3rd is the European Union about 1.94 billion Euros ( Figure 3 ) . The sum of support in developing states may be lesser ; nevertheless this has non turn down the impact of some states on the worldwide phase. India, South Korea, Iran, and Thailand are besides investing with applications particular to their economic development and demands of their states. Nanotechnologies may offer new solutions for the 1000000s of people in developing states who are short of accessing to indispensable demands, such as nutrient, H2O, energy, wellness attention, and instruction. Food Agriculture Organization ( FAO ) calculates about that 1.02 billion people are hungry all around the universe in 2009. The United Nations has agreed to construct Millennium Development Goals ( MDG ) for work outing the jobs. One of MDG Goals is to extinguish utmost poorness and hungriness. This end can be achieved by nanotechnology encouragements harvest ‘s productiveness in agricultural sector. A new fertiliser, a better nutrient processing, and a new efficient and safe pesticides can be achieved by a new detector or techniques with nanotechnology enabled. Figure 3. Worldwide public and private outgo in 2004 Nanotechnologies may offer new solutions for the 1000000s of people in developing states who are short of accessing to indispensable demands, such as nutrient, H2O, energy, wellness attention, and instruction. Food Agriculture Organization ( FAO ) calculates about that 1.02 billion people are hungry all around the universe in 2009. The United Nations has agreed to construct Millennium Development Goals ( MDG ) for work outing the jobs. One of MDG Goals is to extinguish utmost poorness and hungriness. This end can be achieved by nanotechnology encouragements harvest ‘s productiveness in agricultural sector. A new fertiliser, a better nutrient processing, and a new efficient and safe pesticides can be achieved by a new detector or techniques with nanotechnology enabled. Soil direction is playing of import function in agribusiness sector. Dirts are composite mixtures of solids with atom sizes about from nanometres to millimetres. Nanotechnology has brought up new chances to progress alimentary usage efficiency. With nanofertilizers emerging as replacement to conventional fertilisers, repairing foods in dirts better. It has helped to unwrap to new findings that works roots and micro-organisms can straight pick up alimentary ions from solid stage of minerals. Some researches had been done to better dirt direction, such as controlled release fertilisers ( CRF ) which is released their alimentary contents bit by bit to carry through the alimentary demand of a works. In 1996, the Polish applied a mixture of polysulfone and polyacrylonitrile as the surfacing stuff, and construct the industrial application of the fertiliser. The latest research is â€Å" Super combined fertiliser † and pesticide conducted by Pakistan-US Science and Technology Coopera tive Program 2006 to do fertiliser with slow release of active component, and application of fertiliser merely needs one clip through the life of the harvest. Figure 2. Nanotechnology toward perpendicular sectors The merchandises had been available in market which contains nanomaterials such as Primo MAXX works growing regulator which is manufactured by Syngenta. It contains 100nm atom size emulsion which alleged the highly little atom size allows Primo MAXX to intermix wholly with H2O and non remain in a spray armored combat vehicle. The last is Geohumus Soil Wetting Agent which is manufactured by Geohumus. It contains biocompatible high public presentation polymer which alleged dirt foil with H2O storage capacity based on nanotechnology. As nanotechnology improves the dirt direction patterns particularly in nanofertilizer, therefore hiking productiveness of harvests, there will be many deductions in society on many facets. The facets that we will discourse are ordinance, wellness issue, environments, and economic system. This paper seeks to help common people to understand the deductions and therefore assisting people to expect and extenuate any jobs or negatives deductions.DiscussionRegulationThere are four chief issues in ordinance facet. They are precautional rule, hazard direction ordinance, compulsory labeling and transparence. First issue is precautional rule. Nanomaterials in nanofertilizer should be regard as a new chemical affair and should be treated in precautional rule. The precautional rule is principle in moral and political that if action, policy, or merchandise may do injury to the people or to environment, where there is no scientific discipline cogent evidence otherwise, the duty to turn out is on t he people who taking the action. Before nanofertilizer available in market, the authorities should analyze from the fiction procedure until waste direction ( cradle to sculpt appraisals ) . Government must utilize precautional attack to halt the release of manufactured nanomaterials until there is sufficient cogent evidence that the benefits out without any bad effects. Nanotechnology-specific ordinance should be published to protect the populace, workers and the environment from impending new hazards related with nanotoxicity [ 14 ] . Second issue is risk direction ordinance. The authorities must hold a hazard direction ordinance about nanomaterials in nanofertilizer. Risk direction consists of jeopardy appraisal, jeopardy word picture, and exposure appraisal. Hazard appraisals are designation of the intrinsic capacity of a substance to do harmful effects, without trouble of such effects and quantitative rating of bad effects following exposure to a chemical stuff. Exposure appraisal is quantitative rating of exposure of worlds and the environment to the substance. Risk word picture is quantitative appraisal of the chance that a bad consequence will happen, and of its trouble and period under defined exposure fortunes [ 16 ] . Third issue is compulsory labeling. Compulsory labeling of all nanofoods is needed to do people to take the nutrients what is good for them [ 15 ] . Labeling is of import issue because it can consequence of nanofood ‘s sale. Many manufacturers love to conceal the facts that their merchandises grew utilizing nanofertilizer because many people afraid to purchase a new engineering in their nutrient. This job can be solved by market instruction through a batch and good of advertisement and authorities blessing. The last issue is transparency. Public must cognize all relevant informations related to safety rating, and the methodological analysiss used to obtain them. The populace should hold the chance to be involved in determination doing about in the nanofood and agribusiness sector with nanotechnology enabled. Manufacturers and ordinance must work together to do certain that their merchandises have been passed appropriate safety testing, and must give the relevant informations about the wellness and environmental safety of their merchandise [ 14 ] .HealthNanomaterials in nanofertilizer may make new possible hazards. The grounds are nanomaterials are more reactive, greater entree than larger atoms. This leads into nanotoxic that may impact human immune system and longer clip. Human may hold nanomaterial and acquire ill because the defensive system is non good at taking nanomaterial which is more adhesive and easy to infiltrate into human tissues and cells. A new device or detector is needed to observe happenings of nanomaterials in human organic structure. The detector should be accurate, fast, and easy to utilize for ordinary people like thermometer. As nanomaterial had taken to human organic structure, we need tools, medical specialty or surgery process to take unwanted nanomaterials. The medical specialty should be cheaper and easy to get where nanofertilizer applied. The workers in nanofertilizer fiction may hold higher degrees of nanomaterial exposure than the populace. The husbandman and the workers who applied nanofertilizer are more vulnerable to nanomaterial exposures. Therefore, a lastingness and good defender such as a new masquerader and glove must be worn all the times when using nanofertilizer. The standard process operation ( SOP ) when using nanofertilizer should be more item and accurate than SOP in ordinary chemical fertiliser.EnviromentAgricultural merchandises incorporating nanomaterials from production, usage, and disposal will dispatch nanomaterials into the environment. There is a alteration when nanofertilizer will hold bad ecological consequence to environment worse than conventional fertiliser because of let go ofing new sorts of dirt and waterway ‘s taint [ 14 ] . Conventional fertiliser showed some bad consequence such as overgrowth H2O jacinth and algae in pool because of inordinate food in the H2O, therefore killin g other being beneath the works. The rain can rinse off nanofertilizer from dirts to waterways. Nanomaterials in nanofertilizer can respond with micro-organism in the H2O. It may ensue in micro-organism loss or booming. The environment may besides endure from uncontrolled growing of unwanted workss. Some waterways in few states used as natural stuff to carry through H2O supplies. A new H2O filter is needed to take unwanted nanomaterials to clean up the H2O before administering to community. Some utile bacteriums in the dirt may endure because reaction with nanomaterials or in other ways unwanted bacteriums is dining therefore it do land debasement. The effects of nanofertilizer even in really small life should be monitored all the timesEconomyThe agribusiness and nutrient industries show nanotechnology patents have been increased really fast. Patents on seeds, pesticide, fertiliser and other techniques in agribusiness and nutrient are already controlled amongst a few large corporations in several developed states. N anotechnology is high barrier engineering, means lone states with good fiscal beginnings and good committedness can command and monopolise nanotechnology along with private companies. Nanofertilizer ‘s monetary value and supply in the universe may order merely by a few companies in developed states. These developed states normally introduce the new engineering into developing states by government-government ( G-G ) understandings. The developed states provide nanofertilizer with inexpensive monetary value in 5 or 10 old ages to developing husbandmans in the name of assistance. If the husbandman is going depended on nanofertilizer to hike their harvest ‘s productiveness, the companies will increase the monetary value and play the supplies to the husbandman. Some states may subsidise the husbandman to purchase nanofertilizer. The companies will hold net income enormously because the husbandman in developing states is abundant. In the terminal, husbandman in developing states may be marginalising of this capitalist economy actionDecisionsNanotechnology is an emerging new engineering. Nanotechnology has opened up new opportunities to better food usage efficiency. The development of nanofertilizer should be good calculated with sustainable agribusiness patterns to extinguish po orness and hungriness in the universe. Hiking the harvests ‘ productiveness is the same importance as prolonging the environment and human wellness. The dirt betterment by nanotechnology must followed by a good direction and control from industry, authorities, public, and interest holders to undertake unwanted or negative deductions furthermore

Austens Worldview Through Elizabeths Eyes Essay

John Locke once said, â€Å"I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts,† and this statement couldn’t be truer. In her novels, Jane Austen uses a similar technique to bring her characters to life and make them more relatable to her readers; thus providing a window into the characters’ inner ideals. In one of her masterpieces, Pride and Prejudice, we especially see Austen’s brilliant characterizations into play that speak volumes of insight into society and human nature. More specifically, Austen ingeniously uses Elizabeth Bennet’s actions, her words, her outlook on others, and her comparison with other characters to display Austen’s own innate ideologies. We first see Austen’s mastery at play in providing†¦show more content†¦Firstly, Mrs. Bennet warns Elizabeth against going because she would not look presentable upon her arrival (Austen 23). Secondly, when Elizabeth does arrive at Netherf ield â€Å"her appearance create[s] a great deal of surprise. That she should have walked three miles so early in the day, in such dirty weather, and by herself, was almost incredible to Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley; and Elizabeth was convinced that they held her in contempt for it† (Austen 24). What Austen is trying to communicate through Elizabeth’s seemingly simple act of walking to Netherfield by herself is, first of all, Elizabeth’s character and then subtly, she begins to make her point. Austen shows Elizabeth’s selflessness, her bravery, her genuine care for her sister’s wellbeing, and her indifference to what the Bingleys or Darcy would think of her. Even though Elizabeth knew that her traipse would be physically exhausting, would leave her with a bedraggled appearance, and could put her at risk, she decides not to wait for the carriage and goes to see Jane immediately. Along with displaying these positive attributes of Elizabeth, Austen man ages to show readers how proud and self-dependent Elizabeth actually is. The bigger picture Austen is trying to get at is that at times a choice must be made between blindly following the rules of society or doing what seems to be more significant. Although she regards â€Å"propriety†Show MoreRelatedThe Strong Characters In Jane Austens Pride And Prejudice1092 Words   |  5 PagesJane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, follows Elizabeth Bennet and her transition into the world of marriage and suitors. Elizabeth, after reading Mr. Darcy’s letter, has a pivotal shift in her character that carries on throughout the rest of the novel. Although this shift from making judgments to being shaped by them might make her appear weak, the letter is the point in which she begins to mature into a rational young woman. Some scholars pose the argument that Elizabeth becomes a weaker