Frankenstein: Social Construct Essay

Although written in the 19th century, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has many themes that are still relevant today. Frankenstein, though it was sparked as a simple nightmare, is depicted as a social commentary. The rules of society remain the same, despite the two hundred year difference in time. The norms were being changed over time, yet they remained to those who decided to reject the social changes. Those people are rejected from society, and hold immense hatred because of the said rejection, and that hatred morphs their person. As this happens in the novel, Frankenstein turns into the monster everyone claimed him to be. With rejection, bitterness is sure to ensue, especially as human nature makes humans very sociable creatures. Shelley makes other social remarks concerning human nature, religion vs. science, and creation that are still holding strong through the years and remain true today. As previously mentioned, the townspeople treated Adam (the name the Frankenstein monster gave himself) in such a way because he had resembled a nightmare-riddled monster, and thought they could treat him as such because his looks justified it. He looked like a monster, therefore he did not have a soul. It is something classified as dogma or a social belief: people will accept as such without a second thought. As this is human nature, one will only act a certain way towards another from their personal appearance, in example: If the person looks weak, they will be treated as such. In another example, if a young man comes across feminine in the very least way, he is branded as a homosexual and is treated as such. People do not try to expand their minds and accept others, this being one of the major distinguishing and disgusting part of. With a society that has a mixture of everything and anything, saying that something is not exactly â€Å"normal† is just a distortion, as not one person could truly know what â€Å"normal† would be like in a society. But not only is the monster in Frankenstein judged for his looks, he is also judged for coarse manner of speech and his generally unrefined character. He manages to dwell in extreme natural temperatures, and exists on a different diet. Being superior to the average human in every way except appearance, Adam is a super human. On human standards, the Adam is not attractive or even acceptable, he is considered to be deformed and is outcasted. As is correct in the given time period, the monster is persecuted on how he looks and is constantly hunted down or harassed. Appearance is one of the fastest ways to see a societal difference, be it skin colour or hair colour. Social exclusions do not just limit themselves to being based on appearance only, though. Not only was human nature depicted in Frankenstein, but creation was as well. Victor is depicted as a god-like figure to Frankenstein, as the man is his creator and appreciates him as such. Also, Frankenstein feels that he has been abandoned and turns resentful and ruthless. Victor, being his creator/parental figure and rejected him so readily, gave Adam the motives, the want to cause pain to people because he could. This is a comment on how some feel abandoned by their godlike figures or parents in one way or another. By being surrounded by a strong disapproving society, who believes that whatever God created should be marveled at in wonder and not poked, prodded, or measured in any way, It is believed that everything their God created is perfect in every way, regardless of mishap or disfiguration. Judging by the definition of creation, and the fact that Frankenstein did not have the same creator as normal society, Frankenstein is different, and obviously then ostracised. But creation is not just limited to bringing a new life into the world, but something composers, artists and writers do as well. Creation is truly a burden to carry, or can be the thought that inspires one to pursue creation. It is almost like an illness that cannot be corrected or cured. Creation is a beautiful sickness, and yet a destructive one at the same time. This sickness is the same sickness that had created breathtaking symphonies by Bach and Beethoven, and also was the same sickness that lead Anne Sexton and Kurt Cobain to their early deaths. This sickness is born again as the monster; he is also infected by it. Victor worked madly to complete his creation, the monster, only to realize what he wanted did not turn out as he planned it. He tortured the monster and the monster fled, where the monster could do the same to others as his creator did to him. It is the same concept of a parent teaching their offspring, or of a God passing down beliefs to his followers. In Frankenstein, Victor had lost his faith. With that loss of faith in religion, he pursued the science aspect, and was then despised and then rejected for it. With the large variety religion has, Victor chose to abandon them all and push for the more probable aspect of things. He pursued to push nature to its limit in a way that is frowned upon by most religious followers, although science deems that to be okay. Religion and science have always been up against one another, both sides determined to prove that they are correct. Religion has many branches, with Christianity being one very significant aspect. Christians tell the world that God is the one who had created the earth and everything that lives there, although Science tells us that it was the Big Bang which created the earth. This is a huge battle between science and religion. Christians also say that God created man and from that the population today was created. However, science will argue that it is evolution that sparked the creation of man, and that everything was once something simpler before, and it grew smarter and stronger and became what it is today. Both religion and science disagree with one another. While religion is based on of faith and has no proof aside of text and interpretation, science is based on proof of theories solely. Although the two have differences that are never going to be resolved within the next century, they can manage to cooperate with each others’ difficulties. But there are also major instances where a resolution would not be exactly what is needed. Science has proven that there is, in fact, a gene that homosexuals have that make them homosexual, and are indeed born with it. Religion, Christianity in particular, believe that it is a disease and can simply be forgiven once the said â€Å"victim† has pleaded for forgiveness and can be â€Å"cured†. Religion seeks justification and science seeks answers. With religion’s ideology and need for uniform social understanding, people will blindly act without seeking to understand the whole situation. With pure â€Å"seeking of truth† people will not stop to wonder if it is a good or bad situation, and if it is something that needs to be sought out. People who are purely scientific will ignore what is not present in the evidence, no matter how obvious it may appear. They will ignore things that they cannot observe to be â€Å"true†. People who base their lives on what they â€Å"know† or have been told do not seek to understand precisely why is it how it is, and potentially stray from their path of righteousness, despite being faced with evidence that discredits their belief. The perfect compromise between the two based on the evidence is that one must both follow their own heart, their own intuition and what one has been taught, yet one also must seek new truths and be willing to adapt. Frankenstein is a novel holds a plethora of themes of human nature; the moral and immoral, creation, and religion versus science. These three major themes then are still major to today, and are constantly being used as examples in modern society and psychological affairs. This is why Frankenstein is such a timeless piece and can always relate to the current times. As a classic, is distinguishes a certain period in time where these things were relevant, and sent a shock throughout society, something that we now appreciate and use when teaching. Creation is a valued as a sickness that plagues a man’s mind with either beauty or destruction, the same sickness that had plagued Victor’s mind while creating Adam. Human nature pushed Adam to harm others and fear for his own life countless times. Religion versus science is a never ending battle between the two, even to this day. The classic novel, Frankenstein, has many themes that are absolutely timeless and still relevant today, which is what makes it so valuable, and allows others to learn from it and understand the social psychology behind the story and how it still applies to the times now.

Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary

In 1823, President James Monroe called for an end to European intervention in North and South America by introducing the Monroe Doctrine. This meant that Europe was unable to further colonize in the Western Hemisphere. In response, America agreed not to interfere with European relations. Almost a century later in 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt presented the Roosevelt Corollary, which was an extension to the Monroe Doctrine. This extension gave the United States the right to intervene in countries south of the United States if necessary. Roosevelt’s philosophy, â€Å"speak softly but carry a big stick,† was used to justify America’s actions during this time. It was evident that through America’s actions concerning Latin America, the Latin American nations were able to keep stable, independent political and social structures, as well as maintain prosperous economies. In any case where negative influences come into play in any of the Latin American nations, America was obligated to force those negative influences out. For example, if one Latin American nation was subject to invasion by another country, the United States had the power to intervene. Basically, the United States acted as the â€Å"big stick† in Latin American affairs in the â€Å"speak softly but carry a big stick† saying. This â€Å"big stick† was the force that stood behind Latin America and intimidated European nations if any disruption of Latin American affairs occurred. The idea for the Roosevelt Corollary was put into effect during the Venezuela Crisis of 1902. During this event, Venezuela had not paid its dues to Germany and Great Britain; and as a result, both countries sent warships to Venezuela in order to force Venezuela to make its payment. The enforcement of the Roosevelt Corollary would allow for the United States to take part in this affair and force the warships to depart, ultimately protecting Venezuela. The first instance in which this policy was actually used was when the Dominican Republic was subject to invasion by European debt collectors in 1905. As a result, the United States invaded the nation and maintained rule until the issue was compromised. Here, the United Stated guaranteed the succession of the Dominican Republic and assumed responsibility for customs house collections by using 55% of receipts to pay obligations and using the rest to satisfy the government’s needs. If the United States had not intervened in the situation between the Dominican Republic and Europe, the country was susceptible to invasion and could’ve eventually failed. Luckily, the United Stated guaranteed the continuation of Dominican Republic as a nation by providing the country with sufficient security until the issue with Europe had diminished. This event stands as an example of the justification of the Roosevelt Corollary and how it was used to expand the purpose of the Monroe Doctrine. The Roosevelt Corollary was exposed in 1904 to justify America’s intervention in Latin American conflicts with European nations. In protecting the Latin America nations, the United States essentially had the right to control what went on in those countries. This policy was distributed through various Latin American conflicts, such as events that occurred in the Dominican Republic. Evidently, America’s actions had been quite beneficial to the Latin American nations. Therefore, the Roosevelt Corollary should solely be seen as an extension to the Monroe Doctrine rather than something that had altered the initial objectives of President Monroe.

History of Communication Essay

The history of communication dates back to prehistory, with significant changes in communication technologies (media and appropriate inscription tools) evolving in tandem with shifts in political and economic systems, and by extension, systems of power. Communication can range from very subtle processes of exchange, to full conversations and mass communication. Human communication was revolutionized with speech approximately 100,000 years ago. Symbols were developed about 30,000 years ago, and writing in the past few centuries. Petro glyphs The next step in the history of communications is petroglyphs, carvings into a rock surface. It took about 20,000 years for homo sapiens to move from the first cave paintings to the first petroglyphs, which are dated to around 10,000BC. It is possible that the humans of that time used some other forms of communication, often for mnemonic purposes – specially arranged stones, symbols carved in wood or earth, quipu-like ropes, tattoos, but little other than the most durable carved stones has survived to modern times and we can only speculate about their existence based on our observation of still existing ‘hunter-gatherer’ cultures such as those of Africa or Oceania. Pictograms A pictogram (pictograph) is a symbol representing a concept, object, activity, place or event by illustration. Pictography is a form of proto-writing whereby ideas are transmitted through drawing. Pictographs were the next step in the evolution of communication: the most important difference between petroglyphs and pictograms is that petroglyphs are simply showing an event, but pictograms are telling a story about the event, thus they can for example be ordered in chronological order. Pictograms were used by various ancient cultures all over the world since around 9000 BC, when tokens marked with simple pictures began to be used to label basic farm produce, and become increasingly popular around 6000-5000 BC. They were the basis of cuneiform and hieroglyphs, and began to develop into logographic writing systems around 5000 BC. Ideograms Pictograms, in turn, evolved into ideograms, graphical symbols that represent an idea. Their ancestors, the pictograms, could represent only something resembling their form: therefore a pictogram of a circle could represent a sun, but not concepts like ‘heat’, ‘light’, ‘day’ or ‘Great God of the Sun’. Ideograms, on the other hand, could convey more abstract concepts, so that for example an ideogram of two sticks can mean not only ‘legs’ but also a verb ‘to walk’. Because some ideas are universal, many different cultures developed similar ideograms. For example an eye with a tear means ‘sadness’ in Native Americanideograms in California, as it does for the Aztecs, the early Chinese and the Egyptians. Ideograms were precursors of logographic writing systems such as Egyptian hieroglyphs and Chinese characters. Examples of ideographical proto-writing systems, thought not to contain language-specific information, include the Vinca script (see also TÄÆ'rtÄÆ'ria tablets) and the early Indus script. In both cases there are claims of decipherment of linguistic content, without wide acceptance.

Creating a Plan for a Culturally Diverse Classroom Essay - 1

Creating a Plan for a Culturally Diverse Classroom - Essay Example This essay discusses the a potential problem that involves focusing on English in the classroom situation for school management and teachers, because devising an evaluation measure that works across the board naturally, according to some, denies the individuality of teachers who all have a different teaching and learning style, making it difficult to judge them by broad and ill-defined standards. Also, what works for one teacher may not work for another. The situation is one in which many dedicated individuals go about the act of teaching in different ways, which makes it hard to impose an outside standard on their activities in terms of a â€Å"one-size-fits-all† approach. This is why communication and learning are so vital to the management process, as effective communication between teachers and social workers is one way of overcoming this obstacle. The researcher states that social worker needs to be especially up to date on these cases because other kinds of research real ly don’t show it. â€Å"Modern research findings on bilingual education are mixed. It is so difficult to control for complex background factors that affect academic outcomes that no single study is ultimately satisfying†¦ the conflicting evidence from these studies does not suggest that abolishing bilingual programs would change results much†. If there is no empirical evidence, it falls to look towards the courts and legislators. The researcher then concluds that he supports English as a Second Language programs as a primary way of reaching students.

What Criteria might be used to Define a State as Liberal Democracy Essay

What Criteria might be used to Define a State as Liberal Democracy - Essay Example The liberal state can be explained as an opposition of the individual against the norms of custom, tradition, and religion (Barry et al 2001, p. 3). As a result, the liberal inherently distrusted the imposition of any authority over the individual and the forces of the marketplace. Democracy is a means by which members of a community could ensure equality while working to achieve common goals and aspirations. Liberal democracy can be defined as a political system in which the application of state power is curtailed in several specific ways. The first, most important constraint is the clear separatior if the private and the public realms. Any explicit attempt to merge the two is considered illegitimate. Liberal democracies are also political systems in which any application of political power must be sanctioned by law and a certain degree of equality before the law is accorded all citizens. Political power is subject to popular control through regular, open, and reasonably fair elections in which at least two parties compete for power. Finally, while there may not be a constitutional separation of secular and clerical authorities, the former has prevailed over the latter, at least in recent times. (Bell 2006, p. 123). The main criteria used to defined the state as liberal democracy are the rule of laws and supremacy of constitution, voting rights and equality of all citizens, civil liberties and minority rights, independent judiciary and parliamentary power, independent media and religious freedom, subordination of military to the state power and freedom and autonomy of movements and assassinations. The examples of liberal democracies are France and Austria, Jamaica and Poland. Following Plattner (2007, p. 41), the general will of the community could force men to be free. Far from seeking to defend the liberty of the individual from the power of the state, the essence of democratic thought is to capture and employ the power of the state to benefit the community as a whole. Phrased another way, if liberalism proclaims the primacy of the individual, democracy demands the subordination of the individual to the collective welfare of the whole. Liberal values are not, of course, the only desiderata. Th ere are ideals which others share, of unity, efficiency, order and security. In addition, all societies today, whether democratic or non-democratic, pursue the secular grail of economic growth, and democracy is likely to be judged not only by its merits but its performance. Some account, therefore, had to be taken of the relationship between political reform and economic freedom--a liberalization of markets and the spread of local wealth to match the dispersal of political power (Barry et al 2001, p. 43). Civil society corresponds to liberal democratic society in its political aspects and to the pluralistic society of voluntary associations and private corporations on the other. Civil society entails the freedom of contract and the market economy. The private ownership of property and the freedom of contract and the organization of the market economy around them, are necessary conditions for civility in society. Seen in the crudest terms, civility and the market seem to be antithetical to each other--one altruistic, the other egoistic, the one inclusive, the other exclusive--but in fact they are mutually dependent. The very anonymity of the market, its relative disregard for the primordial and personal, is a necessary condition of the extension of the collective self-consciousness to the inclusion of unknown and unseen persons (Bell 2006, p. 13). Political scandals in the modern world can be understood only by developing an appreciation for this ambiguity concerning the use of politic al power-an ambiguity

Ethics in Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethics in Management - Essay Example Values which we believe guide us on how we should act and behave are said to be moral values, for example: respect, honesty, fairness, responsibility etc. if you put these values in Statements, they would be called ethical principles. (Free Management Library, 1997) The concept of Business Ethics means different things to different people, but generally it refers to being aware in an organization about what is the right or wrong step in the workplace and then doing the right thing. Ethics are all about making decisions that may or may not be to your benefit but you make them because they are the most socially acceptable solutions. In organizations, being ethical is not considered a good thing or is thought to have a negative effect. This is because the organizations are usually about doing what's best for becoming the top organization, this mean sometimes not doing the right thing. This is especially with regard to effects of products and services and with the relationship and organization has with its stakeholders. Giving importance to business ethics has become extremely critical during times of elemental change, this change in the way organizations work both profit and non-profit has come with the changing perceptions of people especially bu siness professionals. Values and beliefs that were previously ignored and taken lightly are now strongly questioned. Many of these values that are ethical and socially acceptable are no longer given attention; as a result, there is no clear moral mentor or employee to guide future leaders through difficult problems and about what is right or wrong. When people start working and behaving ethically, they become more sensitive to their colleagues and subordinates. The best example for this would be when the leader and his or her employee maintain a strong and moral attitude during a time of crises. (Brotherton, 2003) (Free Management Library, 1997) Being ethical in an organization can have negative effects on the profitability of the organization and this may be something that the stakeholder might be unhappy with but it is very important for both the stakeholder and the organization to understand that long term goals and objectives are more important and fruitful than short term goals and by being morally sound and sensitized organization you will win the long term trust of the customers therefore be beneficial to the stakeholders indirectly. (Free Management Library, 1997) Business ethics is now being considered a management discipline, especially after the social responsibility movement in the 1960s and policies like affirmative action policies that addressed society's most sensitive moral and ethical issue, discrimination against color, caste and race. In that era, social awareness movements increased the expectations of organizations especially multinational corporations to use their strong financial and social influence to throw light on some of the major social problems such as poverty, crime, environmental protection, equal rights, and public health and literacy programs. (Brotherton, 2003) A growing amount of population emphasized on that organizations were making a profit from using our country's resources, human capital and natural; these organization had the responsibility to improve society for the welfare of the country (Jaszay, 2001). Many

Assignment 03 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

03 - Assignment Example The clause will legally bind the employees from releasing confidential company secrets other than in compliance with legal obligations in a court of law or statutory duty. In addition, the employees should not disclose information to anyone who has not signed a non-disclosure agreement with the company, failure to which the company will take legal action against the employee for breach of contract (Brewer 12). According to Brewer, assault is the threat to harm with the apparent ability to do so (74). Battery involves the harmful touching of an individual. In the case above, it is an assault case since the fake punch B took on A qualified as a threat to punch. In addition, B had the apparent ability to punch A due to their close proximity in the car. False Imprisonment is the act of restraining a person from free movement, either through physical force, a failure to release and physical barriers. For a false imprisonment charge to hold in a court of law, the act must be unlawful and must be against the will of the plaintiff. In addition, there must be force or threat to force. However, in the case between A and B, there is no false imprisonment since A has valid proof of cause for the alleged imprisonment; B was drunk and his life would have been in danger from the bears and witches. The sheriff should arrest B on drunk and disorderly charges (Brewer 23). Comparative Negligence is a law implemented in accident cases to ascertain responsibility and damages in proportion to the level of negligence of all the parties involved in the accident. In order to calculate the damages, two approaches are used: ii. Modified Comparative Negligence- The plaintiff is barred from recovering any damages if he is more responsible for the accident or equally responsible. Therefore, so as to recover damages, the plaintiff must have been less responsible for the accident. The law of Duty to Mitigate occurs when an individual suffers a loss due to a breach of

The history of Jazz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The history of Jazz - Essay Example r can be recognized with her sultry, sensuous voice which sounds intimate in small club settings and the same soars with passionate intensity in the festival arena (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). â€Å"Whether it’s Ellington or Sting, Ms. Anderson’s interpretation of a song is infectious.† (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). The lady has been absolutely charming and vivacious on stage and her joy in the music has been delighting audiences from Sweden to Japan (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). The jazz expert has already recorded over 30 albums and has performed at all the major jazz festivals along with receiving four Grammy nominations (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). Ernestine has been one of the 75 women who were selected for the book, I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America, by Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Brian Lanker (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). Some of Ernestine’s popular expertise encompasses Hot Cargo in 1958, Never Make Your Move Too Soon in 1981, Big City in 1983, Now and Then in 1993, Blues, News & Love News in 1996, Isn’t It Romantic in 1998, etc. (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). Apart from down-home blues, poignant ballads and sassy swing are also her specialties (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). Her all-time favorite, blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music which is based on the blue notes (â€Å"Blues†). The typical instruments of blues encompass guitar, piano, harmonica, bass, drums, saxophone, vocals, trumpet and trombone (â€Å"Blues†). Its most popular derivative form is jazz (â€Å"Blues†). Among Ernestine’s stunning success, Never Make Your Move Too Soon recorded in 1981 and Now and Then recorded in 1993 are worth listening. Both the recordings reflect her as a virtuoso of the blues and both have been a Grammy nominee (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). Both the recordings reveal a true jazz and blues vocalist extraordinaire. The title song of the album Never Make Your Move Too Soon on track number one is typical of her

Police and Legitimacy Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Police and Legitimacy Law - Essay Example Therefore, for effective governing, an institution has to acquire political legitimacy as this is necessary to prevent the collapse of the government due to various legal setbacks that governs the state. However, there are some political systems that survive despite illegitimately acquiring power. This institution usually seeks the support of individuals who hold influential positions in the society and thereby considering such systems as legitimate despite opposition from the wider mass. Locke further argues that legitimacy comes from the popular consent of the people and without it, any institution formed and operating is illegitimate. Dolf Stanberger defines legitimacy as a foundation of an existence of governmental power with the knowledge of officials of government that they have a right to govern for the benefits of the people (Alderson, 1979). An author by the name of Seymour Martins disagrees with the definitions of Locke and Stanberger on legitimacy. He argues that legitimac y involves a belief by the ruling class that the practiced system of governance is the best and he does not involve the masses as in his definition (Blumberg, 1983). Legitimacy encompasses morality and scholars of moral philosophy define it as the normative position given to the government and other institutions operating in the country by the masses on the acceptance that they use their authority in accordance to the law. Scholars of law distinguish legitimacy from legality. They argue that a government can be legitimate in its composition but they actions can be illegal, for example implementing a budget without parliament’s approval. The police is an organ of the government and its main function is to maintain law and order. In conducting their operations there are always aspects of legitimacy in question. Are they acting within the law or are they violating the same law they are supposed to implement. This paper seeks to analyze legitimacy in the contest of a specific pol ice function. The police function identified is maintenance of law and order in England and Wales (Miyazawa, 1995). In talking about this role, it will highlight its different aspects and how it defines the concept of legitimacy in England and wales. The questions that this paper seeks to answer are two fold, What is legitimacy? How does the police role of maintaining law and order define the concepts of legitimacy in England and Wales? This paper has a concluder which basis its analysis from the research done and it explains other concepts of legitimacy. The main role of the police force is to maintain law and order and in order to function appropriately; the police need public help and support and it’s of great use to them when such support is voluntary and sincere. Such voluntary support from the public comes from the notion of legitimacy. The society has to acknowledge the roles of the police as outlined by the laws governing the state and if police action contravenes the se laws, they will lose legitimacy and therefore getting cooperation from the people becomes difficult. One of the main reasons as to why people agree to cooperate with the police is because they enjoy legal recognition and therefore people view them as a legitimate authority to be obeyed. The public are also concerned with the manner in which the police execute their functions and from their conclusions

Community Service Paper Essay Example for Free

Community Service Paper Essay Religion Community Service For my community service I had done a variety of jobs. All of them have definitely helped out my community greatly though. Doing these hours has also changed me spiritually and helped me become closer to God because most of my jobs have been for charity. The following will be a list of jobs that I have done and what I had to do during them. My first job was working the Halloween party and that was a very fun job. The only thing that I had to do was instruct people on jumping into a pit full of bubble wrap. Also, I had to just hand out candy to â€Å"trick or treaters† the came down the hallway of the school. The second job I did was work the spaghetti dinner. This job was also very simple and only had me wait tables, which meant I had to bring out spaghetti, drinks, and silverware to the customers. The third job that I had done was doing Fill the Boot. This job was very interesting, because it was something I had never done before. What I had to do was stand in the middle of the street collecting money for a disease called MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association). My last and final job I had done is one Christmas Eve every year. I go with my family to HSBC Arena, fill up bags full of food, and bring it to families that are less fortunate than me, with the Buffalo Police. In conclusion I definitely would say I do a variety of jobs to complete my 10 hours. My favorite job I would say by far though is the police food donating job. It’s just so enlightening to see the smile on the families faces. Some people even cry. The community service definitely changes me for the better.

Concepts of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Concepts of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) CHAPTER I 1.0 Introduction This paper will labour to explicate the intricacies of enterprise resource planning (ERP), a concept that has long fascinated many in both academic and professional work environments. The United Nations (UN) has expressed the need to implement ERP. As part of their examination into this procedure, the UN has implemented ERP at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Pristine, Republic of Kosovo, and other agencies of the UN. As they look into the ramifications of ERP implementation, so does this case study. This study attempts to make predictions of the impact of ERP implementation on the business processes and organisational culture of the United Nations secretariat based on results from the UNDP. 1.1 Introduction to the Problem Since the latter part of the 1990s, firms have rushed to implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, e.g., one study showed that more than sixty percent of Fortune 500 companies had adopted an ERP system (G. Stewart et al., 2000). The United Nations, as one of the largest organisations in the world, has lagged behind in adopting the transformation in the management of its resources. The United Nations has been seriously hampered its ability to deliver results effectively and efficiently due to the lack of an integrated information system for managing its resources (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). According to Davis and Olsen (1985), ERP is an integrated system that provides information to support operation management and decision making functions in an organisation. Therefore, the goal of implementing an ERP system and business process reengineering (BPR) is to build an integrated global information system that fully supports the needs of the United Nations, enables the effective management of human, financial and physical resources, and is based on streamlined processes and better practices. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) 1.2 Background of the Study 1.2.1 Existing System Currently the United Nations uses an in-house developed system—commonly referred to as Integrated Management Information System (IMIS)—for the management of human, financial and physical resources. The development of IMIS was a milestone in the use of information technology as a discipline that can beneficially affect many if not all areas of administration and management in any given organisation. IMIS was developed as a functionally integrated system, which combines all the departments to support key processes such as human resources management, payroll, finance and accounting, requisitioning and funds control, budget execution and travel management. IMIS was introduced in conjunction with desktop, networked computing and office automation tools such as electronic mail in all offices where IMIS was being used. If an organisation is not yet sure of the need for client-server networks, the state of the art in enterprise-wide computing, it has only to consider the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the United Nations, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). The launching of IMIS was subsequently affected and conditioned by major developments in the technological market, and an accelerated shift of focus in the United Nations to field activities. In short, IMIS was designed and developed at a time when the context began to change rapidly and profoundly. Yet, only a few years after the implementation of IMIS, it has become evident that the system cannot take full advantage of the advancement in technology; e.g., even though IMIS is functionally integrated, it was deployed and managed locally at each geographical location, which makes reporting and global management very difficult. The implementation in the United Nations peacekeeping operation was partial, as it is a separate department in t he UN, and was not able to support the supply chain and logistical management. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) The IMIS was not an alternative communication technology to paper and telephones, but it involved the synchronization of multiple data sources and the linking of them to several mainframes, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). An investment in tactical systems, which includes a stand-alone system and a modular integration into IMIS through interfaces, a bridging system between two different systems to allow data sharing, was able to address the functional gaps of IMIS. However, the organisation today faces challenges that demand profound transformation beyond the capabilities of IMIS and its ancillary legacy systems currently being used. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) 1.2.2 The need for change The United Nations struggled to get everybody in their building to connect electronically. It soon realised that it was time to connect the world with a client-server network, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). The need for the United Nations to adopt the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) lead to the requirement of significant change in the accounting processes and systems in order to achieve compliance with the international public sector accounting standard. The requisites changes, indeed, were so fundamental that it is fair to say that the life of IMIS has come to an end after fourteen years since it was first implemented; moreover, the benefits that the staff and managers expect from the information system in day-to-day operations and decision-making no longer match the cost of maintenance and ongoing support. This is because IMIS is no longer able to cope with the fast technological development, and the cost of maintenance and ongoing support has become very expens ive. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) The success of your organisations quality initiative depends upon your ability to communicate the need for change throughout the organization, (Arcaro and Arcarco, 1997: 146). The United Nations as an organisation needs to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of the services it provides. They report that the existing systems are not up to the standard, not integrated, duplicative, and are inefficient. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) According to the UN, the effective management, planning and decision-making have been hampered by the lack of integration and complete data on resources. (ibid) As the organisation continues to grow in complexity in its activities, they are dissatisfied with the lack of integration and data sharing between different departments as it has become a bigger problem, and the need for a new ICT global enterprise system for streamlining and simplifying processes has become more crucial as the nature of the organisation is changing itself. (ibid) 1.2.3 Goals and objectives of implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning System The United Nations reports that the implementation of an ERP system will present the opportunity to fully combine resources and functions across the organisation by replacing the existing IMIS system. (ibid) Minahan (1998) reports ERP to be a complex software system that ties together and automates the basic processes of business activities such as finance and budget management, human resources management, supply chain management, central support services, and other corporate core functions. Most importantly, the main value of an ERP system is the opportunity to streamline and improve the operations of an entire organisation through process reengineering, sharing of common data, and implementation of best practices and standards, and perform as the inter-organisation information backbone for communication and collaboration (OLeary, 2004). According to reports from the United Nations (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008), the main objectives of the ERP project can be summarised as follows: To have a global operating system that precisely captures core resource data from each department and agency at the UN while linking them together to provide better decision-making. This will minimize the time required to perform administrative processes and enable easy access to necessary reports for each department, thus increasing the efficiency of the organisation and directing the focus to high priority situations. The main functionalities sought from the new ERP system are expected to encompass functions such as programme planning, budgeting, contributions and performance; human resources management and administration; payroll, including management of benefits and contribution to pension, medical and insurance schemes; supply chain management, including procurement; assets and facilities management; general accounting, travel and other administrative flows; reporting to management and stakeholders, and more. (ibid) Specific United Nations peacekeeping operations functions such as logistics, transportation, fuel and rations systems need to be supported by the new ERP system as these functions are not held in common with other organisations of the United Nations operations. 1.3 Purpose and Significance of the Study The research done in this study will attempt to answer the following question: What will be the impact of ERP implementation on the business transformation and business culture of the United Nations? Specifically, the study will attempt to establish the relationship between the business process transformation and organisational culture change offered as the result of ERP. These questions and findings are expected to provide an increased ability in evaluating the performance and standardisation of the business processes within the United Nations, as well as an increased awareness of its effect on the business culture and productivity over time of the UN. In addition, answers to these questions will subsequently enable other researchers to gain more insight into ERP implementation and business process reengineering. It will also enable the management of the United Nations to see how ERP can be a better means of technological reform, thus providing the opportunity to re-evaluate the existing business processes even further. 1.4 Research Questions The question that constitutes the primary point of pivot for the paper is: What will be the probable future impact of ERP on the business process transformation and business culture of the United Nations? The three subsidiary questions of the present work are: > How will ERP implementation make the organisation better off in the foreseeable future? > What will be the effect on the reformed business culture in terms of productivity? > How does the organisation perceive the benefit of ERP on the standardisation of business processes? 1.5 Structural Approach The rest of the thesis has been structured as follows. Chapter 2 provides a review of relevant literature, including ERP, business process reengineering, and their impact on organisational culture. Chapter 3 discusses the methodologies used for the empirical analysis and describes the data and the various proxies employed for analysing ERP implementation in the United Nations. Chapter 4 provides empirical findings of the relationship between ERP implementation and its effects on business processes and organisational culture. Chapter 5 analyses the research findings. Chapter 6 concludes the research by pointing out the key impacts of ERP on the UN. Chapter 7 makes various recommendations for policy direction and potentially fruitful areas of ERP systems for further research. Chapter 8 reflects on the study as a whole. CHAPTER II 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW The following Literature Review will focus on four main areas of evaluation regarding enterprise resource planning (ERP) on the business process transformation (BPR) in organisations, and more specifically, the United Nations. These are: 1. ERP: definition, evolution, implications 2. BPR: definition, evolution, implications 3. ERP and organisational culture 4. BPR and organisational change This review will analyse the abovementioned systems and related processes insofar as the available data in the literature will allow for a comparison of ERP and BPR and their effects on the United Nations and other large organisations. 2.1 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Definition, Evolution, and Implications Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are commonly described as commercial software packages that allow the assimilation of data and processes throughout an organisation (Markus Tanis, 2000, cited in Kim et al., 2005). ERP enables the flow of information among all business areas such as finance, human resources, manufacturing, sales and marketing, (Tan and Theodorou, 2009: 52). Basically, it allows data from all departments to exist in one computer system (Pang, 2001), making the managerial dream of unification of all information systems into one computer system come true (Adam ODoherty, 2003, cited in Revia, 2007). This unification should offer many benefits to the UN and other large organisations. Large organisations may have a more difficult time relaying information from one sector to another as they have many different departments and even multiple locations. The combination of all department in one system, presents benefits of relaying data in a timely manner. Rather tha n sending files through inter-office mail or needing to track down one particular staff member, each employee will have access to the information required for their job by simply logging into the system. The researcher will attempt to discover whether this unification does indeed allow for more time-efficiency as well as making simple operations tasks easier to accomplish in the UN. The start of ERP systems came about in the 1960-1970s with the invention of Inventory Control (IC) and Materials Requirement Planning (MPR) systems, which managed inventory in manufacturing. In the 1980s, Manufacturing Resources Planning (MRP II) systems came into use to manage both inventory and production requirements together. In 1973, the first ERP system was created with the goal of supporting all business needs. Since then, ERP systems have become much more popular. In fact, by the year 2000, enterprise resource planning systems were estimated to have serviced $23 billion USD in profits for the various organisations that have been implementing them (Pang, 2001). ERP applications are the largest, fastest growing and most influential in the industry (Corbett Finney, 2007). This is probably why the UN has shown such interest in ERP. The increase in ERP implementation does not seem surprising as ERP allows corporations to update to a new integrated system cutting out the previous legacy systems known for their difficulties in maintenance, large size, and old age, as they are segregated systems (Martin, 1998; cited in Boudreau, 1999). This appears to be helpful for the UN as they reported difficulty with their current legacy system (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). It is likely that employees of the UN will be satisfied with the replacement of the legacy system due to the reported problems it has. However, there is a chance that employees may be intimidated by this change as they will have to learn an entirely new system. Advantages of ERP systems for organisations include overcoming fragmentation by streamlining activities and processes, which provides direct access to real-time information by supplying a group of software modules that encase all departments of a business (Koch, 2003, cited in Corbett Finney, 2007). This appears to be an accurate statement due to the convenience of having all departments existing together. This implies that all information accessed through the new system will be current as it is constantly being updated by various employees based on the tasks they complete. Rather than there being pieces of information in various places, all information regarding the same issue will be together implying that employees can look in one place and have all the information they need rather than searching through various documents or consulting multiple co-workers. This aspect of ERP systems will be investigated at the UNDP in Kosovo in order to determine whether this feature is benefici al. Furthermore, ERP systems are said to provide cost-reduction in addition to increased flexibility (Siriginidi, 2000 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). These two benefits appear to be linked as decreasing operation costs would imply having more flexibility to perform other processes. For the UN, this would mean more money to use for their peacekeeping missions or other operations. However, flexibility does not depend on cost-reduction. Its possible for the availability of data to imply flexibility in making decisions or flexibility could result from rearranging the organisations processes and being better equipped to perform certain tasks. ERP systems have been reported to enhance business performance by accelerating the merger of organisational resources as well as strengthening the operational efficiency of the company through minimising human error (Shin Knapp, 2001, cited by Wang, 2006). The implication that ERP reduces human error seems to be correct as there is les s opportunity to make a mistake for employees because there is generally only one time they need to input information for data-sharing as opposed to the multiple steps needed to take before. These benefits should assist the UN in accomplishing some of their proposed goals such as linking all departments within one operations system, which decreases the time required for administrative processes. The UN hopes implementation will increase their operational efficiency by allowing valuable time to be spent focusing on high priority situations rather than simple operations tasks (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). More advertised benefits include improved information accuracy and decision-making capacity (Siriginidi, 2000 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). The UN wants to make use of these proposed advantages (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). Decision-making is a large part of the UN as they have to make difficult decisions everyday that effect large numbers of p eople; making a bad decision is not necessarily easily corrected in this case. Furthermore, many situations the UN deals with are time-sensitive; if its easier to access data, and the accuracy of that data is improved, officials can rest assured that they are making decisions with proper knowledge. In implementing ERP, organisations no longer have to create their own applications that are then unique to their company. They now have standard software available for their business processes, referred to as Best Business Practices (BBP). BBPs came into existence around the same time as ERPs. BBPs are general guidelines to assist companies in the way of handling certain business processes, meaning that each company can now improve itself on the basis of the experience of other corporations that share similar functional processes (SAP, 2007, cited by Revia, 2007). It seems any organisation would be hesitant to implement a system that has not proved to benefit other large organisations as the risks of failure are high (source). BBPs should definitely help the UN as they will be benefitting from previous experiences of other corporations. Some of the disadvantages of ERP are that the implementation requires time, costs and risks (Boudreau, 1999), as they tend to be large, complicated, and expensive (Mabert et al., 2001, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008: 3). ERP implementation calls for serious time commitment from all involved as it is often the biggest project that an organisation will ever face (Moon, 2007). ERP execution requires new procedures, employee training and managerial and technical support (Shang Seddon, 2002, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, Eldabi, 2008), which can be accomplished through good communication of the corporate strategy to all employees (Umble et al., 2003, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). Consequently, the biggest problem is not actually the implementation itself but the expectations of board members and senior staff as well as not having a clear plan or realistic projections (Somers Nelson 2004, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). However, the UN ha s already proposed clear goals and plans for their implementation. The question is whether or not they will be able to successfully translate these goals/plans to all employees of the organisation and whether or not they will be successful. Finally, the importance of selecting the appropriate ERP package is stressed. Corporations must make sure they select the appropriate ERP package that will match their organisation as well as its business processes (Chen, 2001, cited in Corbett Finney, 2007). This seems obvious as every organisation is different. Some corporations strategise around providing excellent customer service while others focus on decreasing costs to customers as a way to attract more business. However, there are studies that show that customising ERP packages beyond minimal adjustments is discouraged; these studies show that organisations should adjust their processes to fit the package rather than adjust the package to fit the processes (Murray Coffin, 2001 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, Eldabi, 2008). 2.2 Business Process Transformation (BPR): Definition, Evolution, and Implications Business process reengineering (BPR) was not very popular until the release of the book Re-engineering the Corporation by Michael Hammer and James Champy (Barker, 1995). Hammer and Champy introduced the term Business process reengineering in 1990 and defined it as a fundamental redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical areas such as cost, quality, service and speed (Hammer, 1990). Business process reengineering is also defined as a strategic redesign of important business processes, including the systems and policies that support them, in order to achieve maximum productivity of an organisation (Manganelli Klein, 1994). This would suggest a link between ERP and BPR as they are both structured around the redesign of core business processes. In fact, some goals of BPR are the reduction of cost, cycle-time, defects, and the increase of worker productivity (Hales Savoie, 1994), very much the same as ERP. The aim of BPR is to change current business pro cesses in order to make them more efficient overall, again mimicking ERP. In fact, Some researchers suggest that ERP systems are the major tools for making business processes better, leaner and faster through associated business process reengineering, (Shang Seddon, 2003, cited in Revia, 2007: 25). It is not yet known whether or not BPR will be performed at the UN. It is assumed that it will as it is so closely related to ERP. Additionally, reports have shown that ERP often causes BPR to occur due to its very nature (Martin et al., 1999). It seems that in order for ERP to be most successful, BPR should be performed (Sumner, 2000 cited by Law Ngai, 2007), otherwise the UN may not recognize exactly which processes are most important for their operations. Or, they may not be fully aware of the exact way in which ERP should be performed in relation to the core business processes, which is vital to understand for the selection of the proper ERP package. BPR has its origins in the private sectors as a management tool for companies to deal with change and reorganise their work to improve customer service, cut operational costs, and become world-class competitors, (Hamid, 2004, cited in Wang, 2006: 5). Generally, business process transformation takes business processes and allows the m to be done routinely through a computer system. It incorporates peoples perspectives and input to make sure that the processes fit needs specific to each corporation (Wang, 2006). This suggests benefits for ERP implementation in any organisation as the systems are supposed to be designed around core processes specific to each company. It would be helpful for the UN to determine which processes are vital to their operations. Furthermore, cutting operational costs should prove to be very valuable for the UN as many of the services it provides are non-profit. If BPR is performed as a result of ERP, it seems that cost reduction will be achieved. Here is a further look into what a core business process is: A core business process is one that gives value to the customers or stakeholders of the company. These are the most important processes within the organisation and are the ones that will set a company above their competitors if done well. In order to figure out what processes are cor e, one may ask the following questions. 1) Does the process make valued contributions to the customer? Does it improve customer service, increase response-time, decrease customers costs? 2) Is it important for the production/operation of the company? 3) Can it be used for other businesses? If the answer is yes to one of these questions, then the process under consideration can be considered core (McHugh, Merli, Wheeler, 1995). The UN may consider any process involving cash flow to be core as that is a huge component to many of the services they provide. Furthermore, any documentation of information from one department to another is probably considered core as this organisation relies on data-sharing for its decision-making capabilities. Therefore, it seems that these types of processes will be affected by ERP implementation and will most likely be reengineered. The three most basic strategies that increase a business success are lowering prices, offering more value in products, or focusing on less diversity in commodities and specialising in a certain area (Berrington Oblich, 1995). This suggests that BPR would be structured around these strategies when reorganizing core business processes. If the UN is restructuring using BPR, they are likely to focus on a combination of strategies. As already mentioned, the cost of operations is a huge factor for the United Nations to consider as they provide aid to many countries without expecting any favours in return. This implies they would focus on reduction of costs. However, the main reason they are an organisation is to provide services to those in need. That would suggest they would reorganise their business processes around the strategy of offering more value in their services. In implementing BPR, organisations are asked to choose five or six of the processes that are central to the operation of the company and focus on those to see the ways in which they can make them more efficient (McHugh, Merli, Wheeler, 1995). Concentrating on making sure core processes are completed to the best of the companys ability only ensures the organisation will do better. In the case of the UN, focusing on data-sharing and managing cash flow suggests an increase in the efficiency of the organisation as those components are vital to their operation. These changes would suggest benefits for both the cost-reduction strategy as well as providing better service to customers. 2.3 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Organisational Culture Organisational culture is a set of core beliefs, values, and behaviours shared by all members of one company, thereby affecting the productivity of the business. It is often described as a pattern of shared assumptions produced and manipulated by top management (Schein, 1992 cited by Boersma Kingma, 2005: 131). Organisational culture is influenced through many aspects, including leadership, personal characteristics, interactions of members, as well as tradition. Culture has visible signs and hidden insinuations. Visible signs include behaviour while the hidden insinuations entail morals and beliefs (Rousseau, 1990 cited by Cooper, 1994). The culture of an organisation is even displayed in the way certain processes are done as well as the outcomes of these processes, which will be examined at the UNDP in Kosovo. Because ERP systems involve most departments in a company, they change many business processes and thereby affect the more deep-seated organisational culture of a corporation . Companies that focus on incorporating their cultures into organisational efforts are said to have an edge in accordance with their productivity. Organisations can focus on culture and work with the people to shape new values, morals and work ethics. If employees are happy to be working for the organisation, they will be more apt to want to work, implying there will be an increase in productivity (Farbrother Marc, 2003). Enterprise resource planning can lead to changes in organisational culture i.e., ERP is implemented in order to increase productivity by changing current business processes (Deal Kennedy, 1982 cited by Cooper, 1994). These changes are maximal and cannot be simply brushed aside. When a company implements ERP, if the organisational culture is ready for the changes it will bring, the employees can work with the system to increase productivity. Consequently, the culture within the business must be one that can be made amenable for change (Nah et al., 2001 cited in Co rbett Finney, 2007). There is the belief that positive and supportive attitudes of those embarking on implementation of ERP will actually bring about a successful transition (Chatterjee et al., 2002 cited in Law Ngai, 2007). However, if the culture has not been made ready for change or the employees are unwilling to change, the system will be less likely to succeed. A system cannot work if there are no users. System implementation represents a threat to users perceptions of control over their work and a period of transition during which users must cope with differences between old and new work systems, (Bobek Sternad, 2002: 285). The social setting of a company and its technology most definitely shape each other; they are hardly independent of one another (Boersma Kingma, 2005). A mistake companies frequently make is to presume that people can change their habits easily when in actuality such changes are considerably taxing for many people. These companies underestimate the effect ERP implementation will have on their employees. Many employees panic when nothing looks the way it used to, nothing works the way it used to, and they can no longer go through their workday with the previously earned sense of familiarity and assurance (Koch, 2007 cited in Revia, 2007). One study showed that it took over two years for users of the new system to forget the process problems they found initially and to gain new knowledge of the system (Seddon Shang, 2003 cited in Revia, 2007). A Chief Information Officer from Nestle sums up this concept very well—she says, No major software implementation is really about the software. Its about change management†¦You are changing the way people work†¦You are challenging their principles, their beliefs and the way they have done things for many, many years (Boersma Kingma, 2005: 123). It seems the best way to ensure that employees are on board with proposed changes is to make them aware of these changes. It is important for them to feel that they are included in the decision to create new values and procedures for the company. Otherwise, they will be clinging on to the old culture and ways of doing things. The change will be stressful and forced rather than welcomed with ease. They should feel that the change is happening because of them rather than happening to them. The most senior level of management initiates enterprise resource planning, but its success depends on its acceptance by the companys ordinary workers (Obolensky, 1996). Cultures can be manipulated by those in management (Handy, 1985 cited by Cooper, 1994). Change can be intimidating and needs to be managed well. Therefore, the conclusion is drawn that managers need to make sure each and every employee is doing their part. This literature suggests that leaders are the most important players in any c hange scenario. Employees wont decide to change their behavi Concepts of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Concepts of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) CHAPTER I 1.0 Introduction This paper will labour to explicate the intricacies of enterprise resource planning (ERP), a concept that has long fascinated many in both academic and professional work environments. The United Nations (UN) has expressed the need to implement ERP. As part of their examination into this procedure, the UN has implemented ERP at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Pristine, Republic of Kosovo, and other agencies of the UN. As they look into the ramifications of ERP implementation, so does this case study. This study attempts to make predictions of the impact of ERP implementation on the business processes and organisational culture of the United Nations secretariat based on results from the UNDP. 1.1 Introduction to the Problem Since the latter part of the 1990s, firms have rushed to implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, e.g., one study showed that more than sixty percent of Fortune 500 companies had adopted an ERP system (G. Stewart et al., 2000). The United Nations, as one of the largest organisations in the world, has lagged behind in adopting the transformation in the management of its resources. The United Nations has been seriously hampered its ability to deliver results effectively and efficiently due to the lack of an integrated information system for managing its resources (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). According to Davis and Olsen (1985), ERP is an integrated system that provides information to support operation management and decision making functions in an organisation. Therefore, the goal of implementing an ERP system and business process reengineering (BPR) is to build an integrated global information system that fully supports the needs of the United Nations, enables the effective management of human, financial and physical resources, and is based on streamlined processes and better practices. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) 1.2 Background of the Study 1.2.1 Existing System Currently the United Nations uses an in-house developed system—commonly referred to as Integrated Management Information System (IMIS)—for the management of human, financial and physical resources. The development of IMIS was a milestone in the use of information technology as a discipline that can beneficially affect many if not all areas of administration and management in any given organisation. IMIS was developed as a functionally integrated system, which combines all the departments to support key processes such as human resources management, payroll, finance and accounting, requisitioning and funds control, budget execution and travel management. IMIS was introduced in conjunction with desktop, networked computing and office automation tools such as electronic mail in all offices where IMIS was being used. If an organisation is not yet sure of the need for client-server networks, the state of the art in enterprise-wide computing, it has only to consider the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the United Nations, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). The launching of IMIS was subsequently affected and conditioned by major developments in the technological market, and an accelerated shift of focus in the United Nations to field activities. In short, IMIS was designed and developed at a time when the context began to change rapidly and profoundly. Yet, only a few years after the implementation of IMIS, it has become evident that the system cannot take full advantage of the advancement in technology; e.g., even though IMIS is functionally integrated, it was deployed and managed locally at each geographical location, which makes reporting and global management very difficult. The implementation in the United Nations peacekeeping operation was partial, as it is a separate department in t he UN, and was not able to support the supply chain and logistical management. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) The IMIS was not an alternative communication technology to paper and telephones, but it involved the synchronization of multiple data sources and the linking of them to several mainframes, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). An investment in tactical systems, which includes a stand-alone system and a modular integration into IMIS through interfaces, a bridging system between two different systems to allow data sharing, was able to address the functional gaps of IMIS. However, the organisation today faces challenges that demand profound transformation beyond the capabilities of IMIS and its ancillary legacy systems currently being used. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) 1.2.2 The need for change The United Nations struggled to get everybody in their building to connect electronically. It soon realised that it was time to connect the world with a client-server network, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). The need for the United Nations to adopt the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) lead to the requirement of significant change in the accounting processes and systems in order to achieve compliance with the international public sector accounting standard. The requisites changes, indeed, were so fundamental that it is fair to say that the life of IMIS has come to an end after fourteen years since it was first implemented; moreover, the benefits that the staff and managers expect from the information system in day-to-day operations and decision-making no longer match the cost of maintenance and ongoing support. This is because IMIS is no longer able to cope with the fast technological development, and the cost of maintenance and ongoing support has become very expens ive. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) The success of your organisations quality initiative depends upon your ability to communicate the need for change throughout the organization, (Arcaro and Arcarco, 1997: 146). The United Nations as an organisation needs to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of the services it provides. They report that the existing systems are not up to the standard, not integrated, duplicative, and are inefficient. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) According to the UN, the effective management, planning and decision-making have been hampered by the lack of integration and complete data on resources. (ibid) As the organisation continues to grow in complexity in its activities, they are dissatisfied with the lack of integration and data sharing between different departments as it has become a bigger problem, and the need for a new ICT global enterprise system for streamlining and simplifying processes has become more crucial as the nature of the organisation is changing itself. (ibid) 1.2.3 Goals and objectives of implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning System The United Nations reports that the implementation of an ERP system will present the opportunity to fully combine resources and functions across the organisation by replacing the existing IMIS system. (ibid) Minahan (1998) reports ERP to be a complex software system that ties together and automates the basic processes of business activities such as finance and budget management, human resources management, supply chain management, central support services, and other corporate core functions. Most importantly, the main value of an ERP system is the opportunity to streamline and improve the operations of an entire organisation through process reengineering, sharing of common data, and implementation of best practices and standards, and perform as the inter-organisation information backbone for communication and collaboration (OLeary, 2004). According to reports from the United Nations (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008), the main objectives of the ERP project can be summarised as follows: To have a global operating system that precisely captures core resource data from each department and agency at the UN while linking them together to provide better decision-making. This will minimize the time required to perform administrative processes and enable easy access to necessary reports for each department, thus increasing the efficiency of the organisation and directing the focus to high priority situations. The main functionalities sought from the new ERP system are expected to encompass functions such as programme planning, budgeting, contributions and performance; human resources management and administration; payroll, including management of benefits and contribution to pension, medical and insurance schemes; supply chain management, including procurement; assets and facilities management; general accounting, travel and other administrative flows; reporting to management and stakeholders, and more. (ibid) Specific United Nations peacekeeping operations functions such as logistics, transportation, fuel and rations systems need to be supported by the new ERP system as these functions are not held in common with other organisations of the United Nations operations. 1.3 Purpose and Significance of the Study The research done in this study will attempt to answer the following question: What will be the impact of ERP implementation on the business transformation and business culture of the United Nations? Specifically, the study will attempt to establish the relationship between the business process transformation and organisational culture change offered as the result of ERP. These questions and findings are expected to provide an increased ability in evaluating the performance and standardisation of the business processes within the United Nations, as well as an increased awareness of its effect on the business culture and productivity over time of the UN. In addition, answers to these questions will subsequently enable other researchers to gain more insight into ERP implementation and business process reengineering. It will also enable the management of the United Nations to see how ERP can be a better means of technological reform, thus providing the opportunity to re-evaluate the existing business processes even further. 1.4 Research Questions The question that constitutes the primary point of pivot for the paper is: What will be the probable future impact of ERP on the business process transformation and business culture of the United Nations? The three subsidiary questions of the present work are: > How will ERP implementation make the organisation better off in the foreseeable future? > What will be the effect on the reformed business culture in terms of productivity? > How does the organisation perceive the benefit of ERP on the standardisation of business processes? 1.5 Structural Approach The rest of the thesis has been structured as follows. Chapter 2 provides a review of relevant literature, including ERP, business process reengineering, and their impact on organisational culture. Chapter 3 discusses the methodologies used for the empirical analysis and describes the data and the various proxies employed for analysing ERP implementation in the United Nations. Chapter 4 provides empirical findings of the relationship between ERP implementation and its effects on business processes and organisational culture. Chapter 5 analyses the research findings. Chapter 6 concludes the research by pointing out the key impacts of ERP on the UN. Chapter 7 makes various recommendations for policy direction and potentially fruitful areas of ERP systems for further research. Chapter 8 reflects on the study as a whole. CHAPTER II 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW The following Literature Review will focus on four main areas of evaluation regarding enterprise resource planning (ERP) on the business process transformation (BPR) in organisations, and more specifically, the United Nations. These are: 1. ERP: definition, evolution, implications 2. BPR: definition, evolution, implications 3. ERP and organisational culture 4. BPR and organisational change This review will analyse the abovementioned systems and related processes insofar as the available data in the literature will allow for a comparison of ERP and BPR and their effects on the United Nations and other large organisations. 2.1 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Definition, Evolution, and Implications Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are commonly described as commercial software packages that allow the assimilation of data and processes throughout an organisation (Markus Tanis, 2000, cited in Kim et al., 2005). ERP enables the flow of information among all business areas such as finance, human resources, manufacturing, sales and marketing, (Tan and Theodorou, 2009: 52). Basically, it allows data from all departments to exist in one computer system (Pang, 2001), making the managerial dream of unification of all information systems into one computer system come true (Adam ODoherty, 2003, cited in Revia, 2007). This unification should offer many benefits to the UN and other large organisations. Large organisations may have a more difficult time relaying information from one sector to another as they have many different departments and even multiple locations. The combination of all department in one system, presents benefits of relaying data in a timely manner. Rather tha n sending files through inter-office mail or needing to track down one particular staff member, each employee will have access to the information required for their job by simply logging into the system. The researcher will attempt to discover whether this unification does indeed allow for more time-efficiency as well as making simple operations tasks easier to accomplish in the UN. The start of ERP systems came about in the 1960-1970s with the invention of Inventory Control (IC) and Materials Requirement Planning (MPR) systems, which managed inventory in manufacturing. In the 1980s, Manufacturing Resources Planning (MRP II) systems came into use to manage both inventory and production requirements together. In 1973, the first ERP system was created with the goal of supporting all business needs. Since then, ERP systems have become much more popular. In fact, by the year 2000, enterprise resource planning systems were estimated to have serviced $23 billion USD in profits for the various organisations that have been implementing them (Pang, 2001). ERP applications are the largest, fastest growing and most influential in the industry (Corbett Finney, 2007). This is probably why the UN has shown such interest in ERP. The increase in ERP implementation does not seem surprising as ERP allows corporations to update to a new integrated system cutting out the previous legacy systems known for their difficulties in maintenance, large size, and old age, as they are segregated systems (Martin, 1998; cited in Boudreau, 1999). This appears to be helpful for the UN as they reported difficulty with their current legacy system (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). It is likely that employees of the UN will be satisfied with the replacement of the legacy system due to the reported problems it has. However, there is a chance that employees may be intimidated by this change as they will have to learn an entirely new system. Advantages of ERP systems for organisations include overcoming fragmentation by streamlining activities and processes, which provides direct access to real-time information by supplying a group of software modules that encase all departments of a business (Koch, 2003, cited in Corbett Finney, 2007). This appears to be an accurate statement due to the convenience of having all departments existing together. This implies that all information accessed through the new system will be current as it is constantly being updated by various employees based on the tasks they complete. Rather than there being pieces of information in various places, all information regarding the same issue will be together implying that employees can look in one place and have all the information they need rather than searching through various documents or consulting multiple co-workers. This aspect of ERP systems will be investigated at the UNDP in Kosovo in order to determine whether this feature is benefici al. Furthermore, ERP systems are said to provide cost-reduction in addition to increased flexibility (Siriginidi, 2000 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). These two benefits appear to be linked as decreasing operation costs would imply having more flexibility to perform other processes. For the UN, this would mean more money to use for their peacekeeping missions or other operations. However, flexibility does not depend on cost-reduction. Its possible for the availability of data to imply flexibility in making decisions or flexibility could result from rearranging the organisations processes and being better equipped to perform certain tasks. ERP systems have been reported to enhance business performance by accelerating the merger of organisational resources as well as strengthening the operational efficiency of the company through minimising human error (Shin Knapp, 2001, cited by Wang, 2006). The implication that ERP reduces human error seems to be correct as there is les s opportunity to make a mistake for employees because there is generally only one time they need to input information for data-sharing as opposed to the multiple steps needed to take before. These benefits should assist the UN in accomplishing some of their proposed goals such as linking all departments within one operations system, which decreases the time required for administrative processes. The UN hopes implementation will increase their operational efficiency by allowing valuable time to be spent focusing on high priority situations rather than simple operations tasks (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). More advertised benefits include improved information accuracy and decision-making capacity (Siriginidi, 2000 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). The UN wants to make use of these proposed advantages (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). Decision-making is a large part of the UN as they have to make difficult decisions everyday that effect large numbers of p eople; making a bad decision is not necessarily easily corrected in this case. Furthermore, many situations the UN deals with are time-sensitive; if its easier to access data, and the accuracy of that data is improved, officials can rest assured that they are making decisions with proper knowledge. In implementing ERP, organisations no longer have to create their own applications that are then unique to their company. They now have standard software available for their business processes, referred to as Best Business Practices (BBP). BBPs came into existence around the same time as ERPs. BBPs are general guidelines to assist companies in the way of handling certain business processes, meaning that each company can now improve itself on the basis of the experience of other corporations that share similar functional processes (SAP, 2007, cited by Revia, 2007). It seems any organisation would be hesitant to implement a system that has not proved to benefit other large organisations as the risks of failure are high (source). BBPs should definitely help the UN as they will be benefitting from previous experiences of other corporations. Some of the disadvantages of ERP are that the implementation requires time, costs and risks (Boudreau, 1999), as they tend to be large, complicated, and expensive (Mabert et al., 2001, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008: 3). ERP implementation calls for serious time commitment from all involved as it is often the biggest project that an organisation will ever face (Moon, 2007). ERP execution requires new procedures, employee training and managerial and technical support (Shang Seddon, 2002, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, Eldabi, 2008), which can be accomplished through good communication of the corporate strategy to all employees (Umble et al., 2003, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). Consequently, the biggest problem is not actually the implementation itself but the expectations of board members and senior staff as well as not having a clear plan or realistic projections (Somers Nelson 2004, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). However, the UN ha s already proposed clear goals and plans for their implementation. The question is whether or not they will be able to successfully translate these goals/plans to all employees of the organisation and whether or not they will be successful. Finally, the importance of selecting the appropriate ERP package is stressed. Corporations must make sure they select the appropriate ERP package that will match their organisation as well as its business processes (Chen, 2001, cited in Corbett Finney, 2007). This seems obvious as every organisation is different. Some corporations strategise around providing excellent customer service while others focus on decreasing costs to customers as a way to attract more business. However, there are studies that show that customising ERP packages beyond minimal adjustments is discouraged; these studies show that organisations should adjust their processes to fit the package rather than adjust the package to fit the processes (Murray Coffin, 2001 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, Eldabi, 2008). 2.2 Business Process Transformation (BPR): Definition, Evolution, and Implications Business process reengineering (BPR) was not very popular until the release of the book Re-engineering the Corporation by Michael Hammer and James Champy (Barker, 1995). Hammer and Champy introduced the term Business process reengineering in 1990 and defined it as a fundamental redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical areas such as cost, quality, service and speed (Hammer, 1990). Business process reengineering is also defined as a strategic redesign of important business processes, including the systems and policies that support them, in order to achieve maximum productivity of an organisation (Manganelli Klein, 1994). This would suggest a link between ERP and BPR as they are both structured around the redesign of core business processes. In fact, some goals of BPR are the reduction of cost, cycle-time, defects, and the increase of worker productivity (Hales Savoie, 1994), very much the same as ERP. The aim of BPR is to change current business pro cesses in order to make them more efficient overall, again mimicking ERP. In fact, Some researchers suggest that ERP systems are the major tools for making business processes better, leaner and faster through associated business process reengineering, (Shang Seddon, 2003, cited in Revia, 2007: 25). It is not yet known whether or not BPR will be performed at the UN. It is assumed that it will as it is so closely related to ERP. Additionally, reports have shown that ERP often causes BPR to occur due to its very nature (Martin et al., 1999). It seems that in order for ERP to be most successful, BPR should be performed (Sumner, 2000 cited by Law Ngai, 2007), otherwise the UN may not recognize exactly which processes are most important for their operations. Or, they may not be fully aware of the exact way in which ERP should be performed in relation to the core business processes, which is vital to understand for the selection of the proper ERP package. BPR has its origins in the private sectors as a management tool for companies to deal with change and reorganise their work to improve customer service, cut operational costs, and become world-class competitors, (Hamid, 2004, cited in Wang, 2006: 5). Generally, business process transformation takes business processes and allows the m to be done routinely through a computer system. It incorporates peoples perspectives and input to make sure that the processes fit needs specific to each corporation (Wang, 2006). This suggests benefits for ERP implementation in any organisation as the systems are supposed to be designed around core processes specific to each company. It would be helpful for the UN to determine which processes are vital to their operations. Furthermore, cutting operational costs should prove to be very valuable for the UN as many of the services it provides are non-profit. If BPR is performed as a result of ERP, it seems that cost reduction will be achieved. Here is a further look into what a core business process is: A core business process is one that gives value to the customers or stakeholders of the company. These are the most important processes within the organisation and are the ones that will set a company above their competitors if done well. In order to figure out what processes are cor e, one may ask the following questions. 1) Does the process make valued contributions to the customer? Does it improve customer service, increase response-time, decrease customers costs? 2) Is it important for the production/operation of the company? 3) Can it be used for other businesses? If the answer is yes to one of these questions, then the process under consideration can be considered core (McHugh, Merli, Wheeler, 1995). The UN may consider any process involving cash flow to be core as that is a huge component to many of the services they provide. Furthermore, any documentation of information from one department to another is probably considered core as this organisation relies on data-sharing for its decision-making capabilities. Therefore, it seems that these types of processes will be affected by ERP implementation and will most likely be reengineered. The three most basic strategies that increase a business success are lowering prices, offering more value in products, or focusing on less diversity in commodities and specialising in a certain area (Berrington Oblich, 1995). This suggests that BPR would be structured around these strategies when reorganizing core business processes. If the UN is restructuring using BPR, they are likely to focus on a combination of strategies. As already mentioned, the cost of operations is a huge factor for the United Nations to consider as they provide aid to many countries without expecting any favours in return. This implies they would focus on reduction of costs. However, the main reason they are an organisation is to provide services to those in need. That would suggest they would reorganise their business processes around the strategy of offering more value in their services. In implementing BPR, organisations are asked to choose five or six of the processes that are central to the operation of the company and focus on those to see the ways in which they can make them more efficient (McHugh, Merli, Wheeler, 1995). Concentrating on making sure core processes are completed to the best of the companys ability only ensures the organisation will do better. In the case of the UN, focusing on data-sharing and managing cash flow suggests an increase in the efficiency of the organisation as those components are vital to their operation. These changes would suggest benefits for both the cost-reduction strategy as well as providing better service to customers. 2.3 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Organisational Culture Organisational culture is a set of core beliefs, values, and behaviours shared by all members of one company, thereby affecting the productivity of the business. It is often described as a pattern of shared assumptions produced and manipulated by top management (Schein, 1992 cited by Boersma Kingma, 2005: 131). Organisational culture is influenced through many aspects, including leadership, personal characteristics, interactions of members, as well as tradition. Culture has visible signs and hidden insinuations. Visible signs include behaviour while the hidden insinuations entail morals and beliefs (Rousseau, 1990 cited by Cooper, 1994). The culture of an organisation is even displayed in the way certain processes are done as well as the outcomes of these processes, which will be examined at the UNDP in Kosovo. Because ERP systems involve most departments in a company, they change many business processes and thereby affect the more deep-seated organisational culture of a corporation . Companies that focus on incorporating their cultures into organisational efforts are said to have an edge in accordance with their productivity. Organisations can focus on culture and work with the people to shape new values, morals and work ethics. If employees are happy to be working for the organisation, they will be more apt to want to work, implying there will be an increase in productivity (Farbrother Marc, 2003). Enterprise resource planning can lead to changes in organisational culture i.e., ERP is implemented in order to increase productivity by changing current business processes (Deal Kennedy, 1982 cited by Cooper, 1994). These changes are maximal and cannot be simply brushed aside. When a company implements ERP, if the organisational culture is ready for the changes it will bring, the employees can work with the system to increase productivity. Consequently, the culture within the business must be one that can be made amenable for change (Nah et al., 2001 cited in Co rbett Finney, 2007). There is the belief that positive and supportive attitudes of those embarking on implementation of ERP will actually bring about a successful transition (Chatterjee et al., 2002 cited in Law Ngai, 2007). However, if the culture has not been made ready for change or the employees are unwilling to change, the system will be less likely to succeed. A system cannot work if there are no users. System implementation represents a threat to users perceptions of control over their work and a period of transition during which users must cope with differences between old and new work systems, (Bobek Sternad, 2002: 285). The social setting of a company and its technology most definitely shape each other; they are hardly independent of one another (Boersma Kingma, 2005). A mistake companies frequently make is to presume that people can change their habits easily when in actuality such changes are considerably taxing for many people. These companies underestimate the effect ERP implementation will have on their employees. Many employees panic when nothing looks the way it used to, nothing works the way it used to, and they can no longer go through their workday with the previously earned sense of familiarity and assurance (Koch, 2007 cited in Revia, 2007). One study showed that it took over two years for users of the new system to forget the process problems they found initially and to gain new knowledge of the system (Seddon Shang, 2003 cited in Revia, 2007). A Chief Information Officer from Nestle sums up this concept very well—she says, No major software implementation is really about the software. Its about change management†¦You are changing the way people work†¦You are challenging their principles, their beliefs and the way they have done things for many, many years (Boersma Kingma, 2005: 123). It seems the best way to ensure that employees are on board with proposed changes is to make them aware of these changes. It is important for them to feel that they are included in the decision to create new values and procedures for the company. Otherwise, they will be clinging on to the old culture and ways of doing things. The change will be stressful and forced rather than welcomed with ease. They should feel that the change is happening because of them rather than happening to them. The most senior level of management initiates enterprise resource planning, but its success depends on its acceptance by the companys ordinary workers (Obolensky, 1996). Cultures can be manipulated by those in management (Handy, 1985 cited by Cooper, 1994). Change can be intimidating and needs to be managed well. Therefore, the conclusion is drawn that managers need to make sure each and every employee is doing their part. This literature suggests that leaders are the most important players in any c hange scenario. Employees wont decide to change their behavi

Rosa Lee Cunningham Case Study

Rosa Lee Cunningham Case Study Rosa Lee Cunningham is a Black American woman who has lived a pathetic life being a victim of extreme poverty, child abuse and deprivation of love and nurturance from her mother. The traumatic experiences in her life has led to her addiction to a lifestyle that further degrades her as a person instead of rising from her unfortunate situation. From childhood, she has learned the harsh reality that black girls needed to be trained to care for the family and household while black boys are pampered. Rosa Lee underwent hard labor for the family under the watchful eye of her severely harsh mother, Rosetta. Education was not given a priority in Rosa Lees growing years. Her mother would prefer that work and chores were done well and schooling was not as important, as she inculcated to Rosa Lee that she would never amount to something more than engaging in domestic work. Rosa Lee felt deprived of play in her childhood, as she needed to chop wood, carry heavy things, scrub a room spotless and cater to her familys every need. As an adult, being overly clean with the house became her way of coping with stress. Rosa Lee craved for her mothers approval. Her attempts to be close to her mother were often met with hostility. When she learned to shoplift nice things to offer her mother, she would be reprimanded, but later, as her mother would inspect the merchandize, would throw her arms around her with appreciation. Such acts of intimacy were short-lived, as Rosetta did not hesitate to inflict physical harm at Rosa Lee whenever she displeased her. On the other hand, her father, Earl Wright, an alcoholic had better regard for her and indulged her with whatever coins he can spare for her whenever he was drunk. In school, Rosa Lee felt that her poverty was holding her back from becoming what she was destined to be. In her puberty, she noticed that other children had nice clothes while she wore rags. At this age, the need to belong and be noticed by other children becomes very strong. Her first shoplifting episode was borne out of this desire to be upgraded in terms of fashion. From then on, stealing became a way of life, and she became better and better at it until such time when she managed to subtly slip merchandize in her waiting bag or under her skirt. Rosa Lee fared poorly in school, not realizing that she was a slow learner until she had the unfortunate episode of being thrown out of a class with a teacher she admired. With Mrs. Whitehead, she felt that she was learning, and enjoyed her teaching strategies. However, when she was caught in her class, she was instructed to join another class which Rosa Lee wanted to escape from in the first place. This prompted her to become truant in school. Since she never took school seriously after Mrs. Whitehead, she did not develop her literacy skills to the fullest. This lack of reading skills proved to be disadvantageous to her. Her misdemeanors have brought her to troublesome situations, leading to an early pregnancy at age thirteen. She had to stop schooling to have her first born which her mother cared for. Soon after, she found herself pregnant again, and again and again, making her a mother of multiple children before she reached her twentieth birthday. Her promiscuous behavior is a desperate call for help to be released from her mothers clutches. Once, she succeeded in having a man marry her only because he was threatened by Rosetta, but a few months later, Rosa Lee found herself back in her mothers house as she had no other way to go because her husband beat her. To feed her children, she had to resort to prostitution and selling illegal drugs. She always justified such ways of generating income as means of survival for her eight children. Her steady income came in the way of welfare checks which her mother had full control of. Rosettas idea of child-rearing was to Rosa Lee, inappropriate. The noble cause of setting the children on the straight path (ex. that stealing is bad) is often implemented by violent acts. Such beatings or harsh cursing became a staple situation in Rosa Lees household. The traumatic events and painful feelings that come of it made Rosa Lee vow that she would never do harm to her own children. Because Rosa Lee had no credible role model for morality, she set her own standards, which unfortunately were easily bent. She herself taught her children to steal clothes so they had something nice to wear or other things so they had something to sell to buy food. Later on, she would involve her children and grandchildren in the drug trade because policemen dont usually go after young children. She never expected that they would get hurt in the process, but failed to consider that she was putting them at high risk. When Rosa Lee eventually became a drug addict herself, it became so natural to her and her children to share the illegal drug use. Their joint drug sessions impressed upon the children her tolerance of such a habit, making it convenient for them to justify it and even depend on their mother to supply it or money to get it from their drug dealers. This series of substance abuse shared by Rosa Lee and her six children merited them jail sentences and even acquiring the HIV virus for Rosa Lee and her two children she shared needles with. It is pathetic that Rosa Lee and her children do not learn from the consequences of engaging in their drug habit, since upon release from jail, they are soon at it again. Even the threat of the AIDS disease did not deter them from continued pursuit of the next high. Waking up to a painful reality of poverty and hopelessness after the high has worn off, her children merely exist. They do not have the drive to go out and make something of themselves to live normal lives. Instead of being employed in a decent job, they would rather depend on Rosa Lee who pushes herself to do what she does best selling drugs and shoplifting just so her children are fed, housed and even given money to get their drugs. For Rosa Lee, this is her way of showing love for them. Prolonged use of dangerous drugs, and her high level of stress have resulted in some physical illnesses in Rosa Lee as manifested by seizures, memory lapses and stomach pain. To manage it, she has been receiving her daily dose of Methadone at the community clinic. However, at times, such symptoms become too much to bear and she ends up confined in the hospital. This paper attempts to analyze Rosa Lees psychological profile and diagnose her psychological situation using a multiaxial evaluation from the data gathered from her life story by Leon Dash and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Axis I: Substance Abuse/ Dependence Rosa Lees manifested symptoms may be diagnosed as Substance Abuse/Dependence. Under DSM-IV-TR (text revision of 2002). Following are the usual behaviors exhibited by substance abusers/ dependents: SUBSTANCE ABUSE: Manifests one or more of the following behavior:ÂÂ   Failure to fulfill major obligations: Rosa Lee has been habitually tardy in settling her bills, resulting in cut-off of services. She is unable to manage her finances, as she misappropriates her budget to her and her childrens drug supply instead of food for everybody or payment of utilities. Use when physically hazardous: In spite of the threat of her HIV virus turning into a full-blast AIDS disease, or simply when she knows that her physical condition makes drug use lethal for her, Rosa Lee continues to indulge in drugs. Recurrent legal problems: Rosa Lee has been arrested several times for shoplifting or busted for selling or using drugs. Recurrent social or interpersonal problems: Rosa Lee is unable to control her childrens addictive behavior. She continually supports their drug habit by handing them the money to buy drugs and then tries to save them whenever they get in trouble associated with their drug use. Personally, she is frustrated with how they treat her but she seems helpless as she keeps her feelings usually bottled up inside and occasionally pushed to the limit. Since she has vowed never to be like her abusive mother to her children, she instead indulges their whims even if it brings disastrous results for them. With SUBSTANCE ABUSE the user has a choice: he/she uses in spite of illegal, unsafe consequences, or inappropriateness of the drinking/drugging experience. (DSM-IV-TR, 2002). With Rosa Lees history of drug use, she continues to use drugs despite her awareness of its consequences to herself or her family. SUBSTANCE DEPENDENCE (ADDICTION/ALCOHOLISM) Manifests three or more of the following behavior: Tolerance: Rosa Lee tolerates the consequences that follow her drug use pain, inability to function normally, even her childrens seemingly abusive behavior towards her. Withdrawal: Rosa Lees body responses to drug use withdrawal are usually associated to how she takes medication to control the accumulated and related symptoms that the use of dangerous drugs have caused. Since her reading skills are inadequate, she is not accurate in following the dosage of the prescribed medication, causing her body to react with seizures, memory lapses, etc. Large amounts over a long period: Rosa Lees intake of drugs/ illegal substances depends on its availability. The more drugs available for the taking, the more she can consume. This has gone on for most of her adult life. Unsuccessful efforts to cut down: Despite her numerous attempts/ announcements to stop and reform her life by avoiding drugs, she would usually fall back into the drug habit. Time spent in obtaining the substance replaces social, occupational or recreational activities: Rosa Lees numerous commitments have usually been missed due to her drug problem. Continued use despite adverse consequences: Rosa Lee has gotten herself in dire circumstances because of her substance abuse/ dependency. Her repetitive confinements in the hospital, the threat of AIDS, the risk of being hurt by drug dealers may force her to stop using drugs, but when a stressful event comes to her life, or when her defenses are down, she would weakly give in to the temptation of taking drugs when it presents itself. Axis II: ÂÂ  Developmental Disorders/ Personality Disorders From the data gathered, Rosa Lee seems to present a number of developmental disorders. From childhood, it was shown that she was a slow learner and her inadequate literacy skills has led her to troublesome consequences (e.g. misreading prescribed dosages of medication has caused her aggravated physical illnesses; her lack of understanding of simple systems such as billing or legal consequences has pushed her further in deeper problems). Her poverty and feelings of deprivation has pushed Rosa Lee to impulsively steal from stores. Gaining approval from her family members due to the merchandise she has stolen has become the reward for this inappropriate behavior. Her usual excuse for it is just trying to survive, a rationalization she has passed on to her children and grandchildren. Rosa Lee shows some obsessive-compulsive behaviors when she is stressed. She cleans her house in earnest to the point that it is spotless. Axis III: Physical Conditions Rosa Lees prolonged substance abuse/ dependency has caused her a lot of physical illnesses such as memory loss, body pains, seizures, general malaise and most of all, HIV from sharing needles when injecting dangerous substances to the body. Such illnesses has made Rosa Lee progressively weaker physically confining her to her bed whenever these attack. Axis IV: Severity of Psychosocial Stressors The prominence of her mothers role in her life has greatly affected the formation of her character and personality. Rosa Lee was terribly afraid of her exploitative and cruel mother who forced her to do things against her will. She was physically and verbally abused. In spite of this, Rosa craved for her love and affection. When she already felt suffocated of her mothers hold on her and her life, she found ways to get away from her such as getting pregnant and marrying early, which backfired and led her back to her mother. Being a breadwinner of the family (both her own children and her mother and siblings) pushed Rosa Lee to work harder at acquiring income to support them all. In spite of this, she felt unappreciated and taken advantage of, but she passively accepted her fate. Continuously supporting her children even in their adulthood was also a strong psychosocial stressor for Rosa Lee, as they were very much dependent on her that they even expect her to save them from the detrimental consequences such as bailing them out of jail, covering for their transgressions and taking their place to suffer the consequences of their own misdemeanors. Rosa Lees idea of maternal love is just to give and to give, as her selfish and inconsiderate children continually take and take, giving their mother nothing in return. The environment where she lives in is another source of stress for Rosa Lee, as it eggs on her continuous engagement in the drug trade. If she or any of her children is guilty of crossing anyone, the threat of harm becomes prevalent. Axis V: Highest Level of Functioning Upon the thorough and keen reporting of Leon Dash, Rosa Lee has been portrayed as a street-smart woman who is truly a survivor in the context of her personal situation. She knows how to manipulate the sentiments of judges or other people who easily fall for her deceptive demeanor. She manages to acquire the necessary income for her family to survive in dire circumstances. When things are carefully explained to her and made sure that she understood the consequences of her behavior, Rosa Lee does the necessary action to normalize her life and become drug-free for a certain period of time. Her weak will may be made stronger with careful scaffolding of reminders and even threats to her safety. She also needs to be prodded to assert herself when it comes to her children who control her emotionally by pushing the right buttons. Proposed Treatment Plan In coming up with an appropriate treatment plan for Rosa Lee, many factors are to be considered. Like in most cases, treatment needs to combine psychological therapy with the treatment of the physical addiction. Before any treatment plan is attempted, Rosa Lees intrinsic desire to be reformed must be expressed. The decision to be healed of her addiction should help her commit to being cooperative with the concrete vision that she will indeed be free from the bondage of the addiction. To cleanse her body of the chemicals she has ingested, Rosa Lee needs to go through medical detoxification. While detoxification alone is rarely sufficient to help addicts achieve long-term abstinence, for some individuals it is a strongly indicated precursor to effective drug addiction treatment. (National Institute on Drug Abuse, n.d.). As it is, Rosa Lee has been taking her doses of Methadone, a drug that helps her in stabilizing her life and reducing her illicit drug use. Her treatment plan must likewise include treatment and management of her HIV positive state to prevent it from becoming a full-blast AIDS disease. Priority should be helping Rosa Lee regain her physical vigor and feisty spirit. Since her immediate environment is one factor that encourages her addiction, she must be moved to a less threatening environment that promotes well-being. Being in a stress-free environment greatly helps in achieving peace. A conducive environment also facilitates deep introspection and coming up with an action plan to pursue a drug-free and positive lifestyle after the treatment process. The most important element in the treatment plan is Rosa Lees psychological therapy. Managing the effects of her trauma from childhood entails getting to the root of it. Therapy must include her revisiting of the past and steps to achieve closure from the psychological pain inflicted by her overpowering mother and the prejudicial socio-cultural environment that exploited her dignity as a person. Family therapy is essential in the healing of Rosa Lees affliction. Since the dysfunctional members are likewise culprits in encouraging Rosa Lees addiction, they themselves must undergo psychological therapy not only for her but also for their own good. In doing so, an empowered sense of self and responsibility is hoped to be developed. Psychotherapy will help in treating Rosa Lees emotional wounds. The need to understand why things turned out the way they are should be met so the individual is equipped to resolve the situation and move on. One example is for Rosa Lee to understand the dynamics she shared with her mother and how she should manage the strong feelings her painful relationship still brings about. Being able to manage it will help her in dealing with stressful situations associated with her mother. Rosa Lees strengths should be used in the treatment plan. Among these are her deep love for her family and her creative and critical thinking abilities. In helping her understand how her dysfunctional behavior puts her children and grandchildren at risk may help her shift her paradigm on love. Encouraging her to be strong in denying her children the whims which may bring them harm by using tough love may be effective in likewise strengthening her character. She may find it very difficult at first considering giving in to all her childrens whims has been her parenting style for a long time and her way of showing love for them, but eventually, as she reaps the fruits of her sacrifice, she will eventually be accustomed to it. Her creative and critical thinking skills may be called upon whenever she feels tempted to relapse into her addiction after treatment. She may find ways and means to avoid anything that would trigger her urges to take illicit drugs like old co-drug dependent friends, drug dealers, or even places she associates with her former life in the drug trade. In the book, there were frequent references to the power of religion over her. This may mean that Rosa Lee finds it important. Being exposed to the teachings of her chosen religion may help her acquire proper understanding of moral values. It would be ideal if religion and spirituality would be her substitute for the ultimate high she is perennially in search of. Even at a late age, she may still be given tutorial sessions on developing literacy skills. Not only will she learn to read and write, but her confidence and self-esteem will be improved, giving her hope for a better future. Vocational rehabilitation such as engaging in arts and crafts, gardening, cooking, etc. will not only keep her mind off her addiction but also equip her with more skills. Such skills will help her find appropriate, decent and gainful employment to start her off in her reformed life. Rosa Lee is also recommended to get into assertiveness training to enable her to non-defensively express her emotions. This will help her not to be easily taken advantage of people, especially her family members who are always out to get a cut of her welfare checks. She will likewise be empowered to think of herself positively, and even contest the societal norms and beliefs she grew up on, which were partly responsible in lowering her self-esteem. An effective treatment plan attempts to administer to her medical, psychological, vocational, social, and even legal needs. Rosa Lee had left a lot of pending legal cases, and these need to be resolved or if need be, she should be amenable to face the verdict responsibly. As Rosa Lee gets better in her treatment plan, consistent monitoring of her progress must be assessed continually and modified as necessary to ensure that the plan meets her changing needs. Recovery from drug addiction can be a long-term process and frequently requires multiple episodes of treatment. As with other chronic illnesses, relapses to drug use can occur during or after successful treatment episodes. Addicted individuals may require prolonged treatment and multiple episodes of treatment to achieve long-term abstinence and fully restored functioning. Participation in self-help support programs during and following treatment often is helpful in maintaining abstinence. (National Institute on Drug Abuse). The complications in Rosa Lees life have contributed to the state she is currently in. Like a pack of a wrongly- knitted ball of yarn, her treatment plan should carefully release the knots to unravel the strands so a more accurate weave may be started and completed before she finally expires. No matter how unfortunate one lives his life, there is always hope for change. In Rosa Lees case, if she is determined to turn her life around, no one can stop her from achieving the happiness and fulfillment a clean life and amend her ways and teachings she has previously imparted to her children and grandchildren. She will continue to carry the burden of being responsible for her family being the matriarch, but change needs to begin with her. Hopefully, positive change will rub off on her children and grandchildren. Only then could a trans-generational woundedness begin to heal, as she may be the first real credible role-model they can ever have.