Advantages of Homework

Almost every individual who underwent formal studying (traditional, distance learning, home schooling etc) experienced being assigned with a homework or assignment. A homework/assignment is a task delegated by a teacher to the student, a take-home chore that the student should accomplish at home and present/submit at the start of the following school day. Assignments and homework tasks inside school setting is, without a doubt, one of the oldest tools being used by teachers and academicians who believe that such tasks contribute to the learning of the student. The use of homework and assignment is largely observed in different parts of the world. Asian, American and European schools, as well as other learning institutions, use homework and assignment to impart lessons and to train students towards acquiring a habit of reading and writing. Furthermore, it develops other faculties of thinking and behavior to achieve the idea of â€Å"learning,† both academics-wise and the implication of this knowledge in more practical and real-life application. Homework, pop culture, socially-shared beliefs and the student stereotype Homework has been an integral part of the systematic, school-based learning process. Because the academic learning process is a significant aspect of the social life both for children (who are studying) and adults (who are parents or guardians of studying children), it should come as no surprise when student life, learning and the learning tools like homework and assignment was easily integrated in the social culture. The pop media portrays diligent and studious individuals as those who take time to work on their homework and assignment. While the accomplishment or failure to accomplish assignment and homework requirements are socially accepted cultural symbolisms for the lax, the academically-challenged or those who are not too serious about learning anything from school. Take for example, the case of the characters Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasly of the book and movie fame Harry Potter series. Hermione possesses the characteristic of being a bright and smart student, while her friend Ron was not as good in their academics while studying at Hogwarts. This is established with many different instances, including the several times Ron asked Hermione to help him with his assignment and homework. The times when Ron would grumble about lengthy homework and assignment, and the instances wherein Hermione would attribute her knowledge by studying well ahead and doing their homework and assignment as required by their teacher, implying that her knowledge was a result of many different things, and that includes homework and assignment. Mainstream media, like movies and television shows, portrays not just the stereotypes represented by their attitude towards assignment and homework. It also represents the different perspective of students towards homework and assignment, and the attitude the students take become role models or key influence-sources for other students for their attitude towards assignment and homework. â€Å"Students reported that they were distracted from schoolwork and homework by inappropriate role models on television. They complained that their parents did not sufficiently monitor the kinds of television programs they watch or how much time they spent watching television (Ogbu, 2003, p. 240). † In the movie American History X, the character played by Edward Furlong was summoned to the principal’s office because of a scandalous output in one of his history homework tasks. The principal made another assignment, and it was the accomplishment of this assignment that Furlong’s character managed to get a perspective of his life and how he is affected by the people around him and the society in general. The assignment/homework in the movie represents the many different touchstones for self realization, self assessment and a way to ventilate thoughts and feelings so that constructive knowledge can come in and help shape the person towards how the society expects one to be. This idea points to the fact that the state of homework and assignment culture reflects the students as much as it reflects the status of this particular tool in the society. If there are too many signs saying that the society condones dissatisfaction over the tasks involved in assignment and homework compliance, then the society should re-assess its position. It should take a very good look at the positive impact of homework and assignment in the learning process of a student before it allows the feeling of negativity towards this particular learning tool to go any further. In print and in television, fictional scenarios in books, television shows, comic strips, movies and other types of entertainment, tackle the issue of assignment and homework by featuring a dutiful mother or father encouraging their child to work on his/her assignment and homework. Amidst futile protests and childish grumblings, symbolizing the fact that homework and assignment is not particularly popular in some members of the student population. In real life, many students are not fond of assignments, and some of them may have very valid points in arguing for the abolition of the use of assignment and homework as a learning tool. In some cases, the inability of teachers and parents to use strategies for effective assignment and homework tasking removes whatever possible positive impact that assignment and homework posses. Most teachers see the value of assigning homework, but get bogged down in its management. Most parents see the value of homework (Mierzwik, 2005, p. 23). † But clearly, the above mentioned considerations are mere meager and insignificant compared to what students all in all are set to gain if the school systems are allowed to continue using homework and assignment to infuse the learning experience to the students. The reasons why assig nment and homework are educational tools advantageous to the learning of the students far outweigh the reasons why the academe should do without it. Problem Statement Despite the long use of assignment and homework inside the academic learning process, there are those who believe that homework and assignment is archaic, anachronistic and overall a waste of time. This is largely because they consider assignment and homework as futile and a waste of time for students and teachers since nothing advantageous is extracted from it. This paper will try to refute this idea and present proof that contrary to the belief of those batting for the abolition and removal of assignment and homework. The use of this particular tool inside schools and learning institutions in fact provide a very important contribution towards the overall growth and development of the knowledge and intelligence level of a student owed to a productive learning process maximized by the input of homework and assignment in the learning process. The root of the problem is the emergence of the belief that school systems and teaching styles is better off without the use of assignment and homework. Looking at the life cycle of assignments, it is easily noticeable how there are many different weak points in the homework and assignment accomplishment process that somehow contributes to the weakening of the desired effects of homework and assignment, and these factors cannot be easily remedied. The desired effect to students who accomplish the homework and assignment tasks given by the teacher is clearly jeopardized in many different instances, and because of this, some people believe that the system is better without such set of tasks. Proponents of those going against the idea of using assignment and homework believe that the use of such tool is pointless in many different instances which are constantly occurring and is not something alien to the way of life of students everywhere. Roots of the problem: Providing a hypothetical analysis to the reasons and the factors involved in the perceived failure and futility of the use of assignment and homework To be able to see the weak points where the essence of the advantages of homework and assignment seeps out even before it is used and maximized by the students, there should be an analysis of some of the common instances and factors that should be addressed before homework and assignment returns to its previously potent state. Why is assignment and homework not doing what it is supposed to do to students? The very first weak link in the armor is found in the participation of the students. But these are problems which can be remedied. These problems decreases the impact of assignment and homework but this alone does not make homework and assignment useless. The educational institution cannot just remove an age old learning tool just because it was more convenient to do so. The problem was there were factors that limit and adversely affect the impact of homework and assignment on the students. This does not mean that homework and assignment are useless and was useless from the start. The rest of the paper will elaborate on the perceived advantages of the use of assignment and homework, in the hope that these advantages are convincing enough for it to be the catalyst of change towards the manner by which homework and assignment is appraised, considered and utilized. The paper hopes to accomplish this through by proving key points about the issue by referencing some of the previously published works that support the overall claim and stand of the paper about homework and assignment. Literature Review To be able to establish the claim that the use of homework and assignment as part of the academic progress and learning process of the student is indeed useful and advantageous for the student, this research will rely on the input from several literary sources proving that the paper's claim stands on solid grounds. Proof of the advantages of Homework Artzt and Armour-Thomas (2001) explicitly stated in the book â€Å"Becoming a Reflective Mathematics Teacher† about the importance and significance of assignment and homework in student learning. Most teachers agree that homework is a critical part of the teaching-learning process (Artzt, Armour-Thomas, 2001, p. 130). † Artzt and Armour-Thomas believed that the role of homework and assignment is that this allows the student to demonstrate what he or she learned in school. Through this exercise, the lessons are retained more effectively in the consciousness of the student, therefore making assignments and homework integral in the learning process. This particular line of thought can be seen in different research and study efforts wherein researchers used real students and real learning experience to see the effect of providing assignment and homework and other learning tools and support structures to see if improvement is noticeable after exposure to such methods. Cooper and Valentine (2001) wrote in detail about these types of studies so that researchers can reference previous research and study results involving students and the effect of homework and assignment in their performance after long term and short term experimentation. Students with learning disabilities and average-achieving students with homework problems showed significantly improved rates of homework completion ad weekly quiz performance in response to â€Å"real-life† assignments, homework planners and graphing (Cooper, Valentine, 2001, p. 175). † The learning process, as Artzt and Armour-Thomas suggested, is not confined in the four corners of t he classroom but instead involves the family and the home. Since it is not always easy to consistently gauge if all of the students are learning, the outcome in of the assignments and homework which the student submit will allow the teacher an additional avenue which the teacher can use to have an insight in the academic development and learning progress of the student. Assignment and homework is an important support structure in learning because through assignment and homework, the information that the student needs to remember constantly to be able to learn and master is tackled during and after school. Yes, those who oppose assignment and have no faith in the positive effect of homework may argue that indeed, there are many other different learning tools which can be used to teach students and make their learning process a success. But what is more important is that while assignment and homework alone cannot provide the holistic academic and learning development a student needs. It is nonetheless a very integral and significant part that without which there will be a clear struggle to learn and retain information which was absorbed by the student while in school. With access to these various support structures, students' ability to successfully learn mathematics was enhanced. One student†¦ stated, ‘in algebra when I first started, I didn't understand something like writing equations, so I would go in after school. I got help everyday until I understood (Kitchen, Celedon-Pattichis, De Pree, 2006, p. 102). † Mierzwik (2005) was in total agreement about the proposition on the idea about the significance of the role of assignment and homework in student learning and the overall Learning Process. Everyone would agree that the more you practice a skill, the better you will be at performing that skill. Homework provides a valuable opportunity to ‘monitor student learning, practice of a skill or concept that has been taught, tie in school learning with real world experience, actively involve the family in the student's education and prepare for in-school activities (Mierzwik, 2005, p. 23). † Several books talk about how teachers, researchers and academicians study the impact of homework and assignment in different subjects, different age level and in different situations. There are results that lead to the conclusion that homework indeed helps students improve in their academics and be more susceptible to learning. Cooper and Valentine (2001) wrote in a book entitled â€Å"Homework† about a study involving students who were provided with homework. Before the use of homework, the researcher noted the academic performance and strength of all of the students involved, and the researcher noted that 50 percent of the students involved in the experiment showed improvement after being subjected to assignments. Rosenberg (1989) compared the effect of direct instruction plus supplemental homework on the math performances of six elementary students with learning disabilities. Homework improved the performance of three students while three showed inconsistent performances (Cooper, Valentine, 2001, p. 175). † Cooper and Valentine (2001) talked about studies focused on the role of homework and equal significance of their supporting learning tools. The completion of homework and the ability to make the most out of homework and assignment is harnessed among the target students, writing about how a group of researchers â€Å"trained parents of students who were both learning disabled and gifted to use homework compliance timetable (e. g. homework is to be done from 4:45 to 5:50 p. m. ) and noncoercive behavioral discipline techniques. From baseline to study end, students showed improved grades and behavior (Cooper, Valentine, 2001, p. 175). † Homework, active participation and the positive end result. Working on assignments and homework can bring out the best in the student especially for shy and timid students who would not recite or actively participate in class. This is because assignment are done inside the house, inside the student’s room where the student is not conscious with the approval and appraisal of his/her teacher/classmate with what he or she is doing. Because of this, the inhibition decreases and the student becomes more relaxed, allowing the student to be able to focus and bring out everything that he or she learned at school and apply it in the assignment. Mathematics, in particular, is one of the subjects which can be better learned if the learning set up and situation is like this, making it more conducive to learning. â€Å"Learning mathematics necessitates active involvement on the student’s part. Giving students problems to do on their own in the privacy of their homes affords them the opportunity to practice what they have learned, to discover what is they do not understand, and possibly to extend their learning through new applications (Artzt, Armour-Thomas, 2001, p. 30). † Rosenblum-Lowden (2000) explained the importance of assignment and homework in the teaching and learning cycle of the life of students and teachers by describing homework and assignment as something regularly and consistently seen. Teachers have a very crucial role in the preservation of the culture of assignment and homework inside the classroom because if the teachers give in to the demand for the â€Å"no-assignment† policy. Students would stop expecting it altogether, and that is a problem, not just in the behavior of students in learning-related tasks but as well as their outlook in assignment and homework after long stretches of not experiencing one. Because of this, there is a need for a consistent, regular and expected assignment and homework tasks. â€Å"It is a good idea to have a short daily homework assignment prepared from Day 1. They’ll groan, but don't be put off by it. They expect homework! I always put my assignments in the same spot on the board. When my students walk in my room, they automatically look at the upper left-hand corner of the board. It just makes for an easy routine, and homework becomes something they expect – and should get (Rosenblum-Lowden, 2000, p. 39). † Having provided sufficient input to prove that assignment and homework is an important part of a student’s life which enables the learning process to take its course in a way that is productive and effective, it is also important to point out that there are people and institutions that are still doing everything they can. They can better understand the nature of giving assignments and homework and how this particular tool helps (and can better help) the students, the teacher, the teaching style, the learning process and experience and the facilitation of retention of knowledge through repetitive action and exercise. Researchers constantly focus on the understanding of different factors affecting the effectiveness of homework and assignment and why it can also fail for some students. The effort to understand assignment and homework better always have in it the potential to be able to improve assignment and homework design in a way that it can allow students and teacher to use it better and expect more positive impact with the use of this tool. â€Å"We wanted to include factors such as student’s attitude to the subject and their relevant prior knowledge in relation to the task as it was likely to be relevant to their response to a particular homework assignment (Poulson, Wallace, 2003, p. 130). † Other implications of homework and assignment in student and learning process Aside from the role of assignment and homework in student learning per se, some professionals believe that there are other roles that homework and assignment takes on, roles which yield output that is still advantageous to the pursuit of learning of the student. â€Å"Earlier research had suggested that student’s engagement with homework may be related to their learning identity (Poulson, Wallace, 2003, p. 90). † The full impact of the role of homework and assignment, professionals believe, is yet to be discovered despite available information that already shows the significance of homework and assignment. Aware of such situation, some researchers are still putting effort towards finding out more about homework and its impact and effect in the student and in the student learning process. Researchers anticipate results that are inclined towards proving that homework and assignments are overall useful and advantageous to the student. â€Å"We wished to discover whether a particular homework assignment had increased any student's knowledge of the topic, provided the student with new skills or understanding, or helped her or him to make connections with out-of-school learning. Following Pollard and Filer, we were interested in looking at wider learning outcomes, such as whether the completion (or non completion) of a homework assignment had any impact on a student’s self esteem, attitude towards the subject or wider orientation towards learning (Poulson, Wallace, 2003, p90). † Some teachers and academicians believe so much in the power of homework and assignment in student learning that they even organize groups and school-based clubs designed specifically to maximize the use and impact of homework and assignment in the life of the students, using it to learn more and consistently. An additional means for supporting student learning was an afterschool homework club staffed with volunteer tutors from the community. One teacher†¦ explained, ‘the school†¦ offers a homework club that runs Monday through Friday. ’ Finally, most teachers were available everyday after school for additional support (Kitchen, Celedon-Pattichis, D e Pree, 2006, p. 102). † Literary support outside the educator’s readings for understanding homework and assignment problems and solutions. In the effort to understand the nature of the student’s reaction towards assignment and homework, academicians and teachers should also try exploring other fields and profession which utilizes homework and assignment. Through this, teachers and academicians can better appreciate and understand the impact of homework and assignment even outside academic life and in the process learn new things which it can integrate to the teaching paradigm involving the use of assignment. Take for example, the assessment of assignment and homework compliance and the attitude and the factors involved in this analysis. This aspect is important if the academic world wants to preserve the use of assignment and homework. But for them to do so, it is not enough to understand merely the positive impact of assignment and homework. It is also important that they have a very good perspective when it comes to analysing the probable chinks in the failure of the assignment and homework as a teaching strategy. The field of psychology maybe the best first stop in the effort to circumnavigate the different professions that are dependent on the use of assignment which are capable of understanding the nature of homework when it breaks down. When clients fail to do homework, respond in a neutral but curious manner and focus on identifying the problems that may have contributed to homework noncompliance. If the homework was not completed (or attempted) set aside the entire session to review why the homework was not done†¦ Did we make the homework too difficult? Were the homework instructions unclear? Did some u nanticipated problem arise (Koocher, Norcross, Hill, 2004, p. 323)? † This particular style in insight towards understanding assignment and homework and the factors that affect it may not just minimize the rise of negativity over assignment and homework all in all. But this may also lead to a more constructive appraisal and assessment of the problem and the possible solutions and adjustments so that assignments and homework can be used and improved. Recommendation The investigation of the paper about the different important aspects related to the establishment of the presence of advantage and gain in the use of homework and assignment also brought to light some important points of discussion. The perceived positive characteristics of assignment and homework are maximized by the student, teacher and the academic /educational institutions. As the presence of the good effect of assignment and homework is already seen and felt, it is nonetheless paramount that factors that deter the further development of assignment and homework as a learning tool are identified and necessary actions taken regarding such factors. There are less and less reasons for cynics and sceptics to doubt the potency of homework and assignment. Seek parent support in utilizing and maximizing the effect of assignment and homework – The active role of parents also is an important consideration if teachers and academicians want to take assignment and homework to another level and make the most of the effect of homework and assignment. This is something that researchers have already looked into in the past, and they have contributed several important insights in the importance of parent roles in the success and positive impact of assignments and homework. If parents think that they are not instrumental in the success of homework and assignment and the overall academic performance of their student-children, they are completely mislead by this belief. â€Å"The importance of parents’ supervision of homework was not lost on the students. For example, MAC scholars reported that parents’ supervision of their schoolwork and homework was an important reason for their academic success (Ogbu, 2003, p. 240). † Cooper and Valentine (2001) wrote about the positive impact of assignment when used alongside effective parenting in the learning and education process of a student. Cooper and Valentine (2001) discussed about a study featured the training of â€Å"parents of sixth and seventh grade at-risk youth to monitor and check homework, use materials provided, and role-play homework situations. Students were trained to (a) self monitor, (b) self record, (c) self-reinforce, and (d) self-instruct and set goals. Students whose parents implemented program strategies accurately and consistently showed increased homework completion, homework quality, and scores on a standardized math test than students who parents did not follow through (Cooper, Valentine, 2001, p. 175). † But parents should understand that the meaning of parent’s participation refers to the presence of encouragement and guidance in having the student accomplish the assignment or homework. Parent involvement in the homework does not mean that teachers should make very difficult assignments that the parents are forced to do it themselves. Homework is also a parent-teacher relationship too. The homework represents you. Make sure it isn't just busywork, or so difficult that you expect parents to play a major role in it (Rosenblum-Lowden, 2000, p. 39). † Take active role in the breaking down of culture and practices surrounding students today which enables them to escape the task of doing their assignment and hom ework Many parents, individuals and groups are talking about the possible decay of the educational institutions because of the worsening case of the ability of students to learn. But adults who are influential in the educational system of the society should also take a good look at their role as policy makers in the educational system. Instead, they should support the development and continued use of learning tools such as assignment and homework by doing their part in removing and blocking social trends that inhibit the undertaking and effectiveness of homework and assignment. Some may think that this issue should be addressed solely by the members of the educational institutions and parents. But there are those who believe that the change in educational system involves the entire society in itself. All of the aspects found here contribute greatly to how educational system and culture is shaped, and that includes the shaping of the attitude towards assignment and homework by students, parents, academicians and other members of the society, some of them indifferent to the problem itself. â€Å"We also needed to recognise that these specific contexts were in turn located within a range or wider social, political and cultural contexts. For example, as already mentioned, we would be carrying out our study in a time when there was considerable support and enthusiasm for homework from politicians and policymakers (Poulson, Wallace, 2003, p. 90). † There are also other significant inputs for this particular issue. For one, it is important that there is an effort to redesign, if necessary, assignment styles and structures in a way that it is more exciting and stimulating to do, moving away from the copy-and-paste approach that question and answer assignment types solicit from students who are answering their assignments in a robotic function. Believe it or not, your students understand that homework is a sign that a teacher cares about them. It is easier not to give homework, but we must give challenging assignments. Of equal importance is the manner in which the assignments are treated by the teacher (Rosenblum-Lowden, 2000, p. 39). † One of the possible reasons why assignments, over time and long exposure of students to it, becomes ineffective is the redundancy and the lack of exciting and stimulating challenge that students get from it. Learning is more easily achieved if the experience features excitement due to mental stimulation, powered by the fuel of genuine inquisitiveness and not forced by role-playing chores or by authoritarian pressure. It is important to remind the teachers and the academicians that as much as students are learning everyday, so should they. The focus of learning is how to move away from overused assignment and homework styles, try to move out of their comfort zone and study new ways and means to make assignment and homework more intellectually stimulating. If the students find homework and assignment as exciting as the other things that they do in their own accord and will, then the learning process that goes with it will be able to function. â€Å"In addition to thoughtfully assigning problems from the text, teachers should also try to assign interesting problems by consulting other sources and or using their own creativity (Artzt, Armour-Thomas, 2001, p. 130). † Conclusion One of the important points raised here, is that, despite the fact that there are already many different available information about homework and assignment and the role of this learning tool not just in learning but also in the overall development of a student as a person, there are still many individuals who are bent on knowing more about the impact of homework and assignment to a student. There are other important information about homework and assignment, which maybe usable in the near future for homework/assignment assessment and other related endeavor. The other information coming from the pursuit of knowing the advantages of homework and assignment to a student’s learning process also yields information that is interesting and quite useful for demographic breakdown on other assignment and homework-related problems (i. e. the ratio of the different types of students and how they respond to assignments and homework and the reason for such occurrence, etc). â€Å"There is evidence that female students do more homework than males (Poulson, Wallace, 2003, p. 90). †

Can Divorce be Beneficial for Children

University I stared Into his uncontrolled, demonic eyes Just Inches from mine as I watched his body tremble and quake with wrath. It was an unbridled anger I had encountered many times before. I listened as the sharp words escaped his mouth, piercing me like daggers. Not knowing if any hasty movement would have dire repercussions, I stood frozen, heart racing, undecided of my next move. Helplessness filled my soul.I'd felt stuck for nearly 15 years now, married to this ticking time-bomb of a man, walking on eggshells dally, never knowing what was going to send him Into fit of rage. Why did I continue to stay? For the children. I had always been told that divorce was bad for children. I was afraid I would make a decision that would negatively affect them for the rest of their lives. But, in this moment I realized the abusive situation we all were living in was far worse than the possible negative effects of divorce. We had to find a way out.This scenario, drawn from my own personal ex perience, Is not as uncommon as one might think. People continue on In toxic or abusive marriages with the misconception that staying married will be best or their children. From my perspective as a single mother of 3 children who was in an emotionally abusive marriage, I have personally witnessed the positive effects that divorce can have on children. Especially, when there are cases of abuse both physical and emotional, or extreme contention within the home, divorce can have a positive effect on the children Involved.While I am only a witness to my own personal experience there has been significant research done on the topic of divorce and the effects, both positive and negative, It has on children. I will draw on the expertise of Jolliet (201 1), Clark (201 3), Amatol (2010), Coleman, Glenn (2010) as well as others, and their extensive research about the effects of divorce on children. Divorce has had a bad stigma throughout the ages because of the effects it was thought to have on children. It's often been heard, â€Å"We stayed together for the children. As divorce rates have increased, and no fault divorces have been Implemented, the perceived damage of divorce on children has started to recede. Particularly, under certain circumstances where there is much discord or abuse, divorce has proven to e beneficial for children. A divorce can end the modeling of a bad relationship, create happier parents, and a healthier environment for everyone, including the children. Historically, divorce has been viewed as a negative marital option and in fact, up until the sass's divorce was fault based.In other words, legally to get a divorce one spouse had to prove the other spouse executed a marital offense. This looked at as outcasts from a â€Å"broken-home,† Olive, 2011). Research ensued to back up these negative conceptions of divorce on children. The problem was, much of the search failed to take into consideration the effects of the pre-divorce environment . Figure 1: Shows the long-term divorce rates from 1940 – 2012. It shows the dramatic increase in divorce rates when the no-fault divorce was written into law. Source: Divorce recession drop rebound, with the 2012 rate (2014).Over time, as shown in the chart above, the no fault divorce was legislated into law, and helped to eradicate this stigma Olive, 2011). Divorce rates did rise dramatically until the early ass's, and have since populated, or even declined slightly. With this increase, people began to be ore accepting of divorce. Recent studies are revealing that divorce can have a positive effect on children. Much of the result has to do with how the parents handle the divorce with their children,; therefore, the positive effects are not Just limited to cases of abuse. As a result (of dispelling the negative divorce connotations), instead of divorce being taboo and frowned upon, people now view divorce as a second chance to be happy. Instead of being considered lost caus es, children of divorce can now be seen as resilient and able to cope,† said Jolliet, a partner at Randall & Sonnies, and family divorce attorney. With the â€Å"stay together for the sake of the children† mantra so ingrained into the ideals of society, the effects of these misconceptions of divorce still deter many from getting a divorce.So much historical research was done showing how children suffered from divorce either academically, or emotionally, and society for years has accepted this thought process. Unfortunately, this causes people to stay in abusive marriages, or marriages with extreme discord, far longer than they should, not realizing that they may actually be hurting their children far more than helping them. Brenda Clark, a child psychologist ND member of the Canadian Pediatric Society said, â€Å"If there is a high level of conflict, children appear to be better off if the marriage ends and separation occurs. Research now shows that children who were e xposed to marital conflict prior to the divorce, even in utter, were more likely to develop problems, emotionally and behaviorally (Coleman, & Glenn, 2010). There are abundant holes in past research that pointed at divorce as negatively effecting affecting children's well-being, and pre- divorce environments were not taken into consideration when making these assessments. Jolliet (2011) quotes sociologist Dry.Lisa Stretching as saying, â€Å"Perhaps we should pay more attention to what happens to kids in the period leading up to parental divorce rather than directing all our efforts to helping children after the event occurs. † Children in highly dysfunctional families actually show a drop in the level of anti-social behavior they exhibit after a parental divorce Olive, 2011). Many children, especially in cases of abuse and domestic violence, report feeling a sense of relief after the divorce (Clark, 2013). There are many positives that can come from a divorce for children.Di vorce can end the modeling of a bad relationship. When children are constantly surrounded by unhappy parents who are always quarrelling they begin to believe this type of behavior is what a relationship is be argumentative as well in their personal relationships with others, both in and outside of the home. I saw this happen with my own children. Their father was an argumentative person, not Just with me, but also with them. The rockier and more argumentative my relationship got with him, the more they fought with one another, and others around them.My relationship with their father deteriorated to the point that the bickering between my children became almost incessant. They could not be around each other without fighting. When we were finally able to separate ourselves from their father, the level of fighting dropped significantly, almost immediately. So much so in fact, that other extended family members around us remarked about how different their behavior became after getting o ut of that toxic situation. My children have each individually told me how much more relaxed they feel, and how happy they are to be out of that situation.When parents are able to end a bad relationship, and turn their interaction into more positive ones, they are able to monster what a healthy relationship looks like to their children Jacob, 2014). Another interesting concept to explore is parents who are able to get out of a bad relationship and find happiness, often have better interactions with one another, and this attitude spills over to the children Jacob, 2014). Attorney Steven R. Jacob states, â€Å"Although splitting up with your spouse is a traumatic experience, it's important to focus on the best interest of the children involved.Their happiness can best be attained by both parents seeking their own individual happiness. This holds true whether that they be together or apart. I have seen first-hand how my own post- divorce happiness has had a great impact on my children . They have all said to me how much happier they are now. For example, the first Christmas after we left, my then 13 year old son, came up to me and told me it was the best vacation break he had ever had. We didn't go anywhere, or do anything extravagant, but he told me how nice it was to feel calm and happy without his father around.Divorce can be what is best to create a positive environment in which to raise children. Divorce can ease the tension in a home, and relieve the household of unnecessary stresses that effect children Jacob, 2014). My children tell me all the time how nice it is to feel relaxed now. Alleviating the stress of not knowing what their father might do to them has allowed them to relax and come into their own. Having the ability to be relaxed has not only affected their behavior at home, it has positively affected their schoolwork, and all three are flourishing.Not all marriages that end in divorce are a result of abuse, or high levels of discord. In fact, res earch shows that there's a sizable amount number that can be categorized as â€Å"good enough marriages† without much marital discord at all (Kim 2011). How parents handle divorce with regard to their children is especially important in these cases. If a child has been exposed to little, if any, marital conflict, parental separation can come as a shock, and when this occurs children appear to be worse off than before the separation (Clark 2013).Oftentimes, children do experience a disruption to their well-being and have feelings of immediate distress during a parental divorce, but most reports show that after the dust settles from the divorce the majority of children settle into a normal development (Coleman & Glenn, 2010). Parents can avoid the negative effects of ivories on their children by learning how to co-parent in a positive way. â€Å"Research with effective discipline and limit-setting, is a powerful protective and resilience- promoting factor for children experien cing parental separation or divorce. (Clark, 2013, 2013). When parents put their differences aside and focus on the child's well- being, they are increasing the likelihood of positive outcomes on their children's well- being. Parents can also minimize or eliminate the effects of divorce by working on their interpersonal communication skills with one another, strengthening parent- hill relationships, mainlining minimizing limiting the the routine changes in routine for the children, and creating an open environment in which children can discuss their feelings Olive 2011).Going through a divorce is a difficult and emotional battle, and no divorce can really be categorized as a good divorce. â€Å"Today research has shown that one of the most important things divorcing parents can do is to educate themselves and understand how their actions along with the animosity they exhibit toward each other impacts their children in negative and destructive ways† Olive 2011).If parents show hostility toward their ex-spouse, talk poorly about them in front of the children, argue and continue to have extreme conflict during and after the divorce process, they are going to have a negative impact on their children's emotional well-being. Research has shown that ongoing inter- parental conflict is one of the most damaging aspects of divorce (Clark 2013). If parents can get along and work together the impact on their children can be positive. It's important for parents to put aside their negative feelings toward one another, and put the needs of their children's first.One effective way to do this is to develop a business-like approach to interacting with one another. Respecting one another, setting clear boundaries, and laying out ground rules for their interactions with regards to the children will all help parents to positively impact their children's well- being (Clark, 2013). Another way to create a positive impact on a child's well-being in association with divorce is to increase and nurture the parent-child relationship. Director of the Center for Family in Transition at Cortex Madder, California, Dry.Judith Wallflowers, said â€Å"what makes a difference to a child of divorce is a much more butte, much more elusive issue of how that child perceives whether he is accepted or reject by his parents† Olive, 2011). When a child is able to feel that their relationship with their parents stays intact, despite the divorce, they continue to feel loved, respected, and maintain a positive self-image. When parents share custody of their children, they each have individual time with them, giving them the opportunity to engage in more effective parenting during their time with the child.Parents who choose to utilize this time to strengthen their relationship with their children, and vive them undivided attention will allow their children to experience the full parenting of both parents Jacob 2014). Research has shown that good, effective parenting can quite possibly be the most important factor in determining a child's well-being after divorce (Coleman 2010). â€Å"In one long-term study, a good relationship with the custodial parent predicted fewer child behavior problems, better communication skills, better grades and higher ratings of adjustment (Clark 2013).The parent-child relationship seems to affect a child so much that psychologists now UT more importance on the family relationship rather than the family structure in terms of the impact it has on a child's well-being Olive 2011). â€Å"Parent-child skills, positive communication, and low levels of conflict and negativity are consistently associated with fewer negative outcomes related to mental health and with more positive outcomes related to social adaptation following a separation or divorce† (Clark 2013). When the routine off child is constantly disrupted, they have a difficult time feeling settled and grounded.When divorce transpires, inevitably disruption o ccurs in a child's day-to-day life. Divorce is often surrounded by stress, confusion, conflict, and disorientation (Clark 2013). If parents can work together to minimize these stresses, and their impact on their children, the children will be able to navigate through the divorce much easier. For a period of time, it was thought that equal Joint-custody (spending equal days in the month with each parent) was what was best for children, but research now shows that this causes too much disruption for the children, and negatively affected affects their emotional well-being.In fact, one Norwegian study showed that the closer in proximity a non-resident father lived o his children, the worse off they were in terms of educational attainment. It was theorized that this was due to the child having to split time between the two households, causing too much disruption to the needed stability in the child's life. The study showed that if a father relocated, it sheltered the child not only from parental post-divorce conflict, but also created a more stable home environment (Kali 2011).Now, this does not mean that all fathers should stay away from their children in an effort to keep the disruption to their lives at bay. Simply, it means that ireful consideration should be made, and reflection on the children's needs when determining the best way to create a stable environment for the children. Children adjust best to their post-divorce environments if there is as little disruption as possible to their schedules, activities, and social lives. The final parental consideration for positively affecting children of divorce is to create an open line of communication between parents and children.When a child feels comfortable talking about their frustrations, fears, or emotions about the divorce, they are able to maintain a normal sense of well-being Olive, 2011). While parents are in the divorce stage, children are more likely to feel loneliness, anxiety, sadness, and as a result lower self-esteem (Kim, 2011). If these children feel that it is safe for them to speak with their parents about these feelings, they can work together to get through them, and minimize their effects.It is imperative that parents communicate well and frequently with their children, and openly discuss their love and devotion to the child. It is important that children learn to understand it is normal to have a myriad of feelings about their own experience with the divorce. Learning to cope with these feelings can be a challenge for both the parent and the child (Clark 2013). There are many group support programs that have shown to be effective in helping both parents and children through the emotions of divorce. Group support helps reduce children's sense of isolation, clarifies misconceptions, and teaches how to problem- solve and communicate more effectively with parents† (Clark, 2013). Divorce should not be taken lightly, and while it can have negative effects on children, it certainly doesn't have to be that way. There are some cases, especially when abuse or mommies violence are is involved, when divorce is the best solution to an undesirable situation. It can redirect a child from a negative to a positive path of mental well- the parents are divorced.Getting children out of these situations actually drastically increases their ability to attain positive mental and physical well-being. In non- abusive, but highly dysfunctional marriages, parents have the ability to change their negative behavior towards each other during, and after the divorce, alleviating the stress of divorce on the children. When parents can create a better emotional environment for children after divorce, much of the negative effects of divorce dissipate, and the children can recover and go on to be normal, healthy adults.If you would like to learn mortem find out more about the effects of divorce on children, or if you have questions about my own personal experiences being in a n emotionally abusive marriage, and being able to get out, email me at [email  protected] Com. No abusive relationship is worth staying in for the sake of the children. If you find yourself in this situation, have the courage to get out. You will be better off for it, and our children will thank you for being strong enough to get them out of a terrible environment. As shown that the quality of parenting, as defined by warmth and nurture along 2013) When parents put their differences aside and focus on the child's well-being they are increasing the likelihood of positive outcomes on their children's well-being. â€Å"The quality of parent-child relationships is an important protective factor that predicts the long-term impact of separation and divorce on children. † (Clark, 2014) Also, if parents focus on their relationship with the child, putting the well-being of the child first, the child will feel accepted.

ICJ case Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ICJ case - Assignment Example The Security Council can only seek the ICJ’s opinion regarding a certain case or decision (Angehr, 1017). This means that Abrocanto’s idea of demonstrating that the ICJ has a right of review is nullified. Ralivia is right since the Security Council has already passed the required resolutions on the matter. ICJ has the same rights as the Security Council and can only provide possible opinions, but only if the opinion is requested by the Security Council (Schweigman). Concerning the review over the Security Council’s actions in general, the role of ICJ in exercising review over the actions of the Security Council has remained unclear for many years. The has been initiated by the need of ICJ to rule according to international law on those disputes treated in the political process of the General Assembly and Security Council (Matheson). Essentially, the ICJ should hardly the roles of the other UN political organs in the course of maintaining international security. Being the principle organ of the UN according to article 92 does not make it to have absolute right over the other organs. The actions of the Security Council are thus independent of the ICJ (Schweigman, 31). Regarding matters of international peace and security in particular, the ICJ has the right to review the actions of the Security Council. The question of ICJ review of the Security Council regarding international matters can be established through the Lockerbie case 1, which was before the International Court of Justice for more than a decade (Angehr, 1007). The case dismissal in 2003 without any decision raised questions about judicial review regarding the UN major political organs and the decisions made. The review of the Security Council by the ICJ was the main agenda. The Security Council had sought a resolution urging Libya to turn over the required

Sex Predator - Societal Protection vs. Constitutional Rights Essay

Sex Predator - Societal Protection vs. Constitutional Rights - Essay Example Individuals who engage in sex crimes such as rape or child sex are known as sexual predators. However, the term may be applied depending on the moral beliefs and sometimes may not be a criminal behaviour. In communities, a predator may refer to somebody who seeks dominance or submission in an exploitative manner. The Constitution and the society have different views regarding sexual predators and the legality of the action. The sexual predator law, the statute mandates long periods of civil commitment for habitual sexual offenders and sexual psychopaths in their criminal sentences. For instance, in the US sexual predator laws were very popular in the 1990s although they led to constitutional questions (Carpenter, 2012). One of the concerns was the double jeopardy and the need to balance the rights of the offenders and those of the community in which they came from. The laws' strictness is due to the possibility of a sex offender repeating an action once released from prison and there fore, long-term jail period is necessary. The offenders also undergo screening to rule out the possibility of a mental disorder to the offender and give treatment before passing judgment. The state has the role of detaining the offender and give treatment until the individual is cured of the illness as explained by Bartol & Bartol (2012). The supreme court of the United States holds the Kansa’s sexual predator law, which requires the state prove mental abnormality as a before detainment of the offender.

Synergistic Relationship Between Higher Education and the Economic Essay

Synergistic Relationship Between Higher Education and the Economic Well-Being of a State - Essay Example In this essay, the researcher states that the unit of analysis is institution level and the study population is all public four-or-more year institutions in the United States. To test the theory of an interdependent and intertwined synergistic relationship of an education society, the economics of a community and the overall economy, ANOVA, correlation analysis, and Regression Modeling analysis was applied by the researcher. This essay is also designed to frame the discussion about approaches states can use to build better models to connect public information about the economics of higher education along with state-level planning and public policy for higher education. This essay focuses mostly on the effects of graduation rate on the Gross State Product (GSP). The researcher mentiones that over the past decade, accountability pressure in education is at the forefront on all levels. According to the human capital theory that proved the theory regarding the interdependent and intertwi ned synergistic relationship between economics and education though it has shown its limits. To strengthen this theory the researcher would need to run a multiple regression model which can also and mainly be used to determine Unrestricted State Appropriation for higher education. In conclusion, the researcher sums up his research on the topic and states that he believes that conducting this model presented in the essay would be a great contribution to the knowledge base on public policy related to the financing of higher education.

Internal Proposal - Oklahoma State University Research

Internal - Oklahoma State University - Research Proposal Example The paper "Internal Proposal - Oklahoma State University" concerns the Oklahoma State University, Mechanical Engineering department and aims to research on the cancellation of online classes. The cancellation of online classes leads to a lose-lose situation in both student and institution bodies. The main goal of this proposal paper is to find out why the online classes was cancelled and also to supply sufficient information to the reader; Miss Kristi Wheeler. Who is the manager of distance education programs in Oklahoma State University so as to solve the predicament relating to the cancellation of online classes. Methodology method is inclusive of the collection of three facts points of primary research. This included interviews with the proper administration, questioners with students and evaluation with consultants. Data collected will aid in the evaluation for the need for maintaining online classes. Three essential features are based on those students who use online classes, de partments which offer online classes, and other people who use online classes. Approach based on the collection of data is explained from these three features. In the course of the research, Director of Disability services was interviewed; the findings are in this section. A summary of the secondary research sources follows finally. This includes the online classes’ literature, benchmarking and online classes’ statistics. A questionnaire consisting of several questions was made up for the students. The aim was to know how the students perceive the issue of withdrawing or maintaining online classes and its benefits to students. The questions ranged from asking the students if they have taken online classes, the reasons for taking online classes, and a section for grading reasons for taking online classes on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest (poor) score and 5 being the highest score (excellent). The students were also asked to comment on several aspects regardi ng online classes. The other part of the questionnaire asked the students if they planned to take online classes in future, if they thought online classes were worthwhile and if they thought online classes should be banished. The questionnaire also contained a section that required the students to comment more about the issue of online classes, their individual suggestion concerned the improvement and benefits of online classes. Distribution of questionnaires to the students was done by one of the administrators of the Engineering Department. The questionnaires were completed over a period of a week (March 4-11) and set in a selected place in the department. Surveys were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. In regard to quantitative analysis, each aspect of the online classes was conducted on how the students rated it; poor (1), fair (2), good (3), exceptionally good (4) and excellent (5). Total rating number for every location was also calculated. This was done because not ev ery student uses writing center. In regard to qualitative analysis, the students’ comments for each aspect of online classes were compiled. Observations and recommendations of the students were linked so as to obtain a better understanding of the need to maintain online classes. Broader categories and themes were generated by us the researchers. Secondary research Results from the data collected The

Tax Advice Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Tax Advice Assignment - Essay Example Retaining GBP 30,000 per year in business Moving on to the first aspect, what are the major tax codes implied by the UK government. As with usual government practices across the globe, here too there is a (1) Corporation tax, (2) VAT, (3) PAYE (Pay As You Earn), (4) Self Assessment Tax, (5) Business rates tax, (6) Capital Gains Tax, (7) Stamp and Excise duties and (8) Industry specific tax. Before getting into these taxes, we need to understand the records to be maintained for an ongoing business concern or a proprietorship concern for that matter getting converted to a company format. These include: Business income records (record of sales) Business expenditure records (record of purchases and expenses) Financial and accounting records Employer records (payment to employees, benefits, IT , NIC) VAT records Formation of a company has major benefits in terms of liability of partners or shareholders as the business is treated as separate entity and hence there is no personal liability of any partner / shareholder towards creditors of the company. Corporate profits will be taxed at corporate tax rate of 28% and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for Corporation Tax aspects. Upon intimation to Companies House, the same shall be provided to HMRC who in turn provides an introductory pack within six weeks containing CT 41G forms. Upon filling this form, the same has to be submitted to the CT Office and this information is used by HMRC to calculate CT and deadlines (Business Link, 2011). The corporation tax for small profit companies has been pegged at 20% as of 2011 (Business Link, 2011). VAT meaning Value Added Tax is charged by business houses on the goods and services provided. A VAT rate varies between 0-20percent in UK. The UK taxation laws provide options to reclaim VAT based on purchases made on goods and services, reclaiming VAT on Bad debts etc. (Business Link, 2011) a company/ partnership has to register for VAT if their taxable income is GBP ,64,0 00 a year . Some of the major benefits by incorporating a company will be : Company makes pension contributions promptly Claiming maximum possible expenses involved related to business as per UK legislation Capital allowances can be claimed if there is a capital expenditure incurred for the business. Ensuring benefits paid out in terms of medical and HRA if salary is less than GBP 26,000 per year. Surplus cash can be used as loan provided to business, on which interest can be earned and only needs to pay 10% tax on first GBP 10,000 taxable profits. If the same cash is maintained in personal account, then 40% tax on interest has to be paid. Hence, here there is a clear demarcation of 30% interest savings. There are options where no tax can be paid on certain income derived – expenses allocating to a particular income stream, eg: A Partner’s salary allocating to interest income, in such a way no tax need be required to be paid on the income generated. GBP 7500 capital ga ins tax free allowance. The firm need not pay National Insurance and is only liable to pay Corporation Tax at 10% on its profit slab upto GBP 10,000 and 20% on next slab level between GBP 50,000 – 300,000 after deducting all expenses including Director’s remuneration. By developing Company Pension Scheme and payment of dividend to its shareholders, the Corporation Tax can be reduced a great extent. (Form A Company, Worldwide Incorporations, 2011).at times, the management by taking a small pie as salary reap a major portion of

Introduction to mass communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Introduction to mass communication - Essay Example However with the passage of time, it exponentially increased to such proportions that now it is a very huge entity and one can be sure that its benefits will easily outweigh the disadvantages that are found within its auspices. Internet is a force that will change the face of this earth in the next decade or so and hence efforts are underway to extract the best possible mileage from the aegis of Internet. This paper discusses the basis of Internet as it has been playing an important role since the historic times. It has also touched upon the pertinent role within the time and age of today whilst keeping the pros and cons in due perspective. What the world of Internet has brought to the fore is the chance for the people to understand what lies within their vicinity and what they can expect from the technological manifestations, if only they are ready to get up and ask for a change. This change is the one that will be a positive one, and create a sense of success within their lives. The Internet is a huge force that is waiting to be unleashed. One can safely state that it has still not reached to a point where it can be remarked as the revealed one, yet much remains to be seen and explored within its midst. Internet is indeed a magical tool which has changed the lives of millions worldwide. There is just so much happening within its folds that man becomes much dumfounded whenever he finds out something totally new. The element of creativity and innovation seems to exist in a number of different ways and there is reason enough to justify this very logic. Internet is indeed a giant today than it used to be when it was laun ched in the yesteryears. Some 10 years back no one knew that Internet would develop into such a huge force, which could easily change the viewpoints of the people yet this has happened today, for the betterment of all and sundry. The digital age has had a number of positives since the Internet has brought

Men vs women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Men vs women - Essay Example Irrespective of their race, religion & class women were not seen as women in the society in the beginning of this century.The woman, often conceived and the childbirth have become dangerous. There was no birth control system in yester-years. They did not follow any contraceptive methods, as the same were not available or discovered. The system of divorce was so complexes and was not within the reach of the poor in yesteryears. The women were not encouraged to learn education. The abortion was treated as an unlawful thing.They did not follow any contraceptive methods, as the same were not available or discovered. The system of divorce was so complexes and was not within the reach of the poor in yesteryears.The women were not encouraged to learn education. The involvement of women workforce were a little below half of the British work force and that of women in USA, they were above half of workforce in recent days. During this century, the life styles of women have changed vastly. The activities of women have brought an important role in transformation of women. Many workingwomen have reached pinnacles in their selective fields. They have become champions in the fields of educational institutions, science and technology. Now the women are more economically stronger and independent than a century ago.The women are not involved in union activities.Now the women in UK & USA can exercise their franchise not like in olden days. Now the women are well educated and participated in national politics. The women were first employed in jobs during the currency of First World War. After the First World War, the services rendered by the woman were forgotten, as they did not enter into domestic service. The start of industries gave some opportunities to women to get good jobs with good returns. The involvement of women in second world war and the role played by them brought changes in awareness and consciousness within the women and the in the society too. The politicians thou ght of safeguarding the interests of women at their respective work place. The women desired to stick to their jobs by showing their individuality but some women wanted to come back to their domestic service. The work force of woman has largely increased in the year 1940 when compared to the work force of women in the year1939. After Second World War the need of education in higher education and technology has been increased for women after 1960, the entire world wanted to bring a change in inequality irrespective of their class, race and religion. The history of the women is the product of time of century old women. It is the growth of the women for the last 25 years, which focused on their memories, testimonies and pointing out women's experience. After events of revolution in 1968, the socialist feminism is possible once again the world, liberation of women in capitalism. At the end of 1960, the emergence of feminist framework and civil rights movement could be seen. In 1980s Thatcher and Reagan have elaborated the same. In both the countries of USA and Britain have contrasts of class, race, ethnicity, along with region, age and disability. The books did not carry a definite socialist analysis of the history of women in 20th centuries. The working class woman has not transformed the liberation of women forward. In 20th century, the women have achieved, in many nations, the right to vote, increased their changes in educational and job opportunities. Women used to feel wifehood and motherhood were most important events in the ir career. History shows that women is creative source of human life, women are always treated as inferior to men, since olden days. The attitude towards women was favorable in the east. In USA, the women were felt weaker than men as they couldn't do hard work which requires muscle power. In women, the Americans found lack of intellectual development. The women were allowed to attend domestic works such as caring of children, cooking cleaning of house and washing clothes. It was felt that women's main role in the society was to give birth to children. In the present scenario, because of major publicity to follow contraceptive methods control over number children besides legalisations

Aid impedes development, it does not promote it. Discuss Essay

Aid impedes development, it does not promote it. Discuss - Essay Example For the purpose of this essay, development is defined as â€Å"the process of eradicating factors that bring about hindrances to social, political and economic progress. These factors include poverty, unemployment, lack of access to education and health facilities to name but a few. (Pieterse, 2001, pg 15). Development in this regard collarets with the views of Sen (2001, pg 3) that states that â€Å"development is the process of expanding the real freedom people enjoy and it requires the removal of major sources of unfreedom such as tyranny, poor economic opportunities, systematic social deprivation and neglect of public facilities† This essay will be divided into two sections. Section one is dedicated to the understanding of the notion of aid; what it is, how it emerged and what are the factors driving its existence? Focus in section one will be on defining the term development aid, highlighting the different types of aid as well as presenting a brief history of aid. The objective of section one is to gain an in-depth understanding of the notion of development aid before scrutinising it. Section two is the crux of this essay. This section will essentially discuss the role of aid in development by presenting the views of proponents and opponents of aid. This section will essentially highlight the view points of different scholars on the subject of development aid. The main aim of this section is to present a balanced scrutiny of the role of aid by evaluating the debates that present both positive and negative impact of development aid. Noteworthy examples of how aid has impacted positively and negatively in development will also be highlighted. These examples are meant to act as evidence of the reality of aid so as to determine whether it impedes or promotes development. It is also in this section where alternatives to aid are briefly discussed before the conclusion of the essay is

Post Conflict Reconstruction and the Resurgence of Supposedly Resolved Territorial Conflicts Essay Example for Free

Post Conflict Reconstruction and the Resurgence of Supposedly Resolved Territorial Conflicts Essay Beyond the rhetoric of traditional causes of conflicts which intermittently are also at the root cause of African territorial civil conflicts, this paper examines the question as to why conflict resurges in states where conflict has previously been resolved. From the perspective of two major theoretical frameworks in International Relations: Liberalism and Realism, this paper argues that mechanisms for conflict resolution are often short-termed and often not home-groomed to accommodate the needs of citizens emanating from a civil war. Liberals argue that this is primarily a failure of cooperation between external and internal actors or stakeholders in the peace process. To them, this lack of cooperation generates economic problems and inhibits mistrust which is the embryo for conflict resurgence. In contrast conflict resolution fails primarily as a result of factors emphasized by Realism. The conflict may not have been ripe for resolution because the practical meaning of recognition revealed large gaps between the ways that the parties defined their core interests. Against this background and given the depth of antagonism between the DRC government and MONUC on the one hand and rebel movements on the other, economic wealth of the Congo has failed to generate support for the peace process. Instead, it increased friction and placed additional political obstacles in the way of compromise. The paper also examines the potency of peacekeeping as a vehicle for conflict resolution. It argues that the design and conceptualization of peacekeeping albeit structural challenges like inadequate resources, ill-equipped personnel and lack of a clearly defined and sustainable vision are at the bedrock of cyclical conflicts. In examining the role of MONUC and other interveners in the Congolese peace process, the paper engages a conceptual thesis which seeks to clarify the difference between peacekeeping as a mediator, meddler and interventionist in African civil conflicts. This clarification will inform conceptual thinking on the potency of peacekeeping as a vehicle for the resolution of civil conflicts. The conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one demonstration of the fragile nature of post conflict reconstruction and speaks to the need to step-up conflict prevention strategies to meet current challenges which have given rise to new trajectories to territorial conflicts in Africa. Despite deploying a Peace Mission to the Congo (ONUC)[1] in the 1960s, and despite currently harboring the largest and highest funded United Nations Peace Operation (MONUC);[2] the United Nations (UN) is still finding it difficult to bring an end to the territorial conflict in what is regarded as the site for the world’s worst humanitarian conflict. The conflict, therefore, seems to protract with each renewed effort to resolve it. Following field visits, extensive reading on the Congo and interviews with conflict analysts and residents of the DRC, this paper assesses the viability of peacekeeping as a measure for preventing the resurgence of new territorial conflict. While most interviewed are of the view that the challenges of the DRC peace process are enormous and complex, this paper interrogates the role of MONUC as a conflict prevention mechanism, and its effectiveness in sustainable peacebuilding in the Great Lakes region. The paper enriches conceptual thinking with the view that peacekeeping as a form of external intervention has the capacity to support fragile states in their peace building process, and to check prospective territorial conflicts if certain requirements are met. Preliminary investigations indicate that, contrary to previous research which posited political, natural resource and cultural underpinnings as causes of the current DRC conflict, the lack of a clearly defined plan to stop hostilities in the East can largely be accountable for the cyclical violence. Contrary to expectation that following the 2006 DRC election, the fragile Congolese state had attained sovereign maturity to govern itself with limited external support, this paper posits the need for dedicated and timely funding to a new mediator who will engage a five-phased peacebuilding process which will re-orientate existent theoretical and pragmatic processes of conflict prevention, and define succinctly, through policy recommendations, a new direction for the prevention of territorial conflicts. Following this introduction, the next section will explore the causes of territorial conflicts in Africa and elsewhere. This section engages a brief differentiation between causes of conflicts and causes of conflict resurgence with the view of demonstrating that if one cannot prima facie understand the causes of conflict, its resolution attempts will be flawed and such attempts will serve as the corner stone on which prospective conflicts will be erected. Section two will engage a theoretical overview of causes of conflict resurgence. This section will examine causes of conflict resurgence as propounded by two main schools of thought of International Relations: Realism and Liberalism. Following this, tools of conflict resolution will reviewed with principal focus on peacekeeping. The Section will trickle down to a case specific analysis of whether peacekeeping as a tool for conflict resolution is a byproduct of intervention or mediation, and whether in the exercise of their craft, peacekeepers qualify to be called mediators or would be considered meddlers. This section argues that, between 1999 to 2006 when the first democratic election in the Congo was organized, MONUC could well be considered as a mediator, but following that period, MONUC till date (July 2006 to 2010) she is a meddler in the peace process which is largely driven by the rapprochement that was reached between the DRC and Uganda on the one hand, and the DRC and Rwanda on the other. Causes of territorial Conflicts in Africa There are contending theories as to the causes of territorial conflicts. Conflicts seem to have a litany of literature compared to other subsidiary topics of International Affairs and African studies. Scholars have thus far not been able to see the divide between causes of territorial conflicts and conflicts which ensue from the impotency of mechanisms tailored to resolve them. As a result, there is no dearth of literature on the causes of conflicts but one hardly finds any one who has contended that an ineffective resolution strategy could spark new trajectories to conflict. Existing literature on causes of conflict is sometimes limited in scope to address on causes in particular. Adekeye Adebajo has articulated political and cultural underpinnings to be responsible for conflicts. 3] This could hold true for the Sierra Leone conflict but in the face of global adversities, his speculations stand to be criticized because other conflicts like the Rwandan genocide emanate from imbalances in the distribution of economic, political and social resources. Moreover, the ongoing Sudanese conflicts have religious/and or ethnic undertones with no element of cultural or political formulations which equally go along way to excavate the lacunae in Adekeye’s speculations. Paul Collier holds the view that conflicts are fuelled by economic considerations. He posits that most rebel organizations cling onto the idea of grievances in order to elicit more public support for their cause. In his hypothesis, he contemplates that a state with superfluous resources, increasing working-age population, and high unemployment rate is most likely to harbor conflict. His hypothesis, though true for many conflicts that have plagued Africa does not explain other cases in Africa. For instance, former British trusteeship of Cameroon fondly known as Anglophone Cameroon has been wailing for a fair share of economic, political, social and natural resources of the country. Despite this, discontentment has not resulted to war or any from of concrete violence as has occurred in other countries. This phenomenon consequently makes Collier’s assertions fluid. Summarily, Collier, Eboe Hutchful and Kwesi Aning argue that there are countries that have experienced conflict where natural resources were not articulated as the source of the conflict. They cited the examples of Chad and Ethiopia. [5] They acknowledged that some conflicts have been fueled by purely non-resource driven motives resulted. This is true with the cases of Angola, Afghanistan and Sudan. They, however, conceded to the fact that in the conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) resources were one of the stimulants among other elements. They tried to strike a balance by postulating that the end of the Cold War culminated in the proliferation of arms, and ineffective post conflict demilitarization, demobilization, and reintegration of ex-combatants which culminated in an outburst of wary and distressed combatants resulting several coup detat putsch attempts. While one may agree with the grievance theory, the million dollar question is what are people aggrieved about as to resort to conflicts, destruction of property, murder and assassinations? Is it about Governance? Is it distribution of resources? The answer is definitely far from the propositions of the aforementioned scholars. Because some countries have resource crisis and mismanagement, repressive regimes, and poor governance, but know no conflict. This therefore suggests that there is yet an unknown cause of conflict, and this cause is probably one that cuts across all conflicts. The present paper contemplates that inefficacies in the mechanisms for resolving these conflicts could be the brain-child behind the cyclical resurgence of conflicts in states previously hit by territorial civil wars. William Reno on his part contends that internal warfare is motivated by economic considerations especially with regard to the intensification of transitional commerce. He argues that there is a relationship between corruption and politics. According to Reno, conflict is bound to rise where a ruler makes life uncomfortable for his citizens by encouraging the search of his espionage as a means of escaping from squalid conditions. Reno in his postulations contemplates that the absence of good governance engenders politics as a cause of conflict. [8] William Zartman on his part contemplates that the increase in conflict is orchestrated by the collapse of state structure. [9] While one may agree with the collapse of state theory, the lotto question is: What drives the leaders to run the state aground? Keith Somerville, in his view tries to locate the source of conflict within the geopolitical map of Africa, which was bequeathed to it by the colonial powers. He contends that the colonial boundaries and state lines have led to the potpourri of people who hitherto had never before mixed as a group. [10] This articulation is paradoxical. While it means that even if the boundaries that existed in the pre-colonial time were maintained, there could still exist though at different levels, and with different target. [11] The diverse schools of thought examined above have attempted an investigation into the causes of conflict. They have posited economic underpinnings, lack of good governance, and disintegration of state institutions, religious and ethnic differences, corruption and colonial imprints. The opinions are not quite erroneous but fail to see ultimately that conflicts emanate because the global village appears to be in consonance with the fact that peacekeeping is the first port of resort for conflict resolution. Moreover, the fact that the problems postulated by the above authors have engendered conflicts in some areas and not in some despite the presence of similar factors suggest that there is more to conflict than has been articulated by contemporary research on the subject matter. The present paper contemplates that inefficacies in the dispute resolution machinery incubate further conflicts. This paper contemplates that if peacekeeping tools are tailored to empower stakeholders to a peace process, conflicts will be resolved before they escalate. On the contrast between causes of conflicts and causes of conflict resurgence, it should be noted that if conflicts are not prima facie mastered, it will be difficult to seamstress right solutions to them. As a result conflicts tend to hatch new and probably even more complicated dimensions to it.

Application of ERP Implementation Methodology Framework

Application of ERP Implementation Methodology Framework Chapter 1 Introduction This chapter will begin with a presentation of the background of my research area. The presentation will thereafter be followed by a problem and Significance of the research that will result in the objective and research question of my study. Background Over the past years innovation has arguably become one of the most discussed and sought after organisation-capabilities. It is recognised as a major goal of economic activity and one of the most important instruments through which organisations can gain advantages over their competitors. In order to survive in highly competitive business environments, companies have to continuously change their business processes. New conditions in the marketplace have provided a special stimulus to modelling business processes: product expansion, competitive sales conditions, development of global distribution networks, better informed customers, and the orientation of businesses towards satisfying the individual needs of the customer. In the light of this, business process reengineering has often been employed, and information technology is a frequently utilised approach used to improve business processes. This study stressed the necessity for organisational restructuring in the context of global information connectivity. Business Process Reengineering is an organisational method demanding radical redesign of business processes in order to achieve greater efficiency, better quality and more competitive production (Hammer and Champy, 1993). It means analysing and altering the business processes of the organisation as a whole. A business process includes activities and tasks that cross functional and/or organisational boundaries. Information technology (IT) is the most important factor in enabling newly redesigned processes. Modern information technology is oriented towards business processes and communications between persons using these processes, and is therefore called process and information technology (Ould, 1995). In that way, Business Process Reengineering can be described as organisational process redesign, with the direct influence of IT. At the same time organisational expenditure on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has also grown significantly during the 1990s and beyond. ERP systems have been adopted by the majority of large private sector organisations and many public sector organisations in the UK, Europe and the industrialised world in general. We would not expect this growing trend to materialise unless significant advantages were to be expected from the introduction of ERP systems. It is because ERP systems have such a significant impact on the organisation, the working practices of individuals and on human interaction that we wish to explore their impact on innovation. Origin of the term ERP In the 1960s, no manufacturing company could afford to own a computer. Therefore, both manufacturing and inventories were handled on the basis that companies must hold enough stocks to satisfy customer demand, and that customers would order what they had ordered in the past, quantity and time wise. There after manufacturing management systems have evolved in stages over the past 30 years from a simple means of calculating materials requirements to the automation of an entire enterprise. In the 1970s and 1980s, over-frequent changes in sales forecasts, entailing continual readjustments in production, as well as inflexible fixed system parameters, led material requirement planning (MRP) and master production schedule (MPS) to evolve into a new concept called manufacturing resource planning (MRPII) in 1980 (Kakouris Polychronopoulos, 2005). Finally in the early 1990s the generic concept Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), incorporating all the MRPII functionality, in addition to Financ e, Supply Chain, Human Resources and Project Management functionality (Anderson, 1982; Wallace, 1986; Wilson et al., 1994). Figure1 illustrates the gradual evolution of the Enterprise Resource Planning with respect to time. Enterprise resource planning systems are commercial software packages that enable the integration of transaction-oriented data and business processes throughout an organisation (Markus and Tanis, 2000). The key elements of an Enterprise Resource Planning system according to Miller (2003) are: one large real-time database which reduces data redundancy and improves accuracy; integrated business process that cut across business functions such as supply chain management; and seamless transitions between business transactions. According to Newman (2003), Enterprise Resource Planning Systems are software modules for different business functions that are linked by a common database to produce an integrated enterprise-wide system. Enterprise Resource Planning packages, the enterprise system that makes company stick together, it is a nervous system of every corporation, large or small, when you check inside it tells whats going on, it helps you act as what nervous system do, how to react, to treat the information about competitors, about products, how do you get best out of it. It pays employees, makes billing, run accounts, interacts with customers, ships goods, basically it runs the process of any company and helps accelerate business innovation for your customers. They build process factories for enterprises, which are so flexible and configurable for the identical companies so that they can do different things with the same factories and Helping Companies Become Best-Run Businesses. ERP integrates key business and management functions and provides a view of the happenings in the company, in the areas of finance, human resources, manufacturing, supply chain, etc. (Davenport, 1998; James and Wolf, 2000). An ERP solution is valuable when it represents the characteristics demonstrated in Figure 2. Significance and objective of research In the 1990s, customers experienced more costly and complex ERP implementations then they expected (Eschinger et. al., 2003). One research group found that the average ERP implementation took 232 months, had a total cost of ownership of $15M, and rewarded the business with an average negative net present value of $1.5M (Wailgum, 2008). Because of their wide scope of application within a business, ERP software systems are typically complex and usually impose significant changes on staff work practices, Implementing ERP software system is typically not an in-house skill, so even smaller projects are more cost effective if specialist ERP implementation consultants are employed. The length of time to implement an ERP system depends on the size of the business, the scope of the change and willingness of the customer to take ownership for the project. A small project (e.g., a company of less than 100 staff) may be planned and delivered within 3-9 months; however, a large, multi-site or multi-country implementation may take years (for more details see table 1 and table 2). Although implementing an ERP system may be costly and time-consuming, its benefits are worthwhile. However, there are a number of examples where organisations have not been successful in reaping the potential benefits that motivated them to make large investments in ERP implementations (Davenport, 1998). The research is also predicting that ERP new license revenue will have fallen 24% in 2009, as companies severely rein back implementation and expansion projects. While the organisation expects ERP spending to rise slightly in 2010, vendors will be fighting hard for every available dollar, and that should translate into cost savings for customers (Kanaracus, 2010). Therefore year 2010 is predicted to be different and better in terms of ERP implementation. According to Langenwalter (2000), Enterprise Resource Planning implementation failure rate was from 40% to 60%, yet companies try to implement these systems because they are absolutely essential to responsive planning and communication (see Appendix 2 for ERP solution satisfaction). The competitive pressure unleashed by the process of globalisation is driving implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning projects in increasingly large numbers, so methodological framework for dealing with complex problem of evaluating Enterprise Resource Planning projects is required (Teltumbde, 2000). All ERP vendors came up with solution and build their implementation methodology which they recommend to all their clients to utilise the approach during their implementation and continuously looking for improvements in those methods. Therefore the Research in this subject will value the investment put in by the companies in these projects. The primary objective of this dissertation was to explore the application of ERP implementation methodology framework by different vendors when implementing ERP and to find commonalities or diversion in the ways of improvement by them. Therefore the key research questions that are the focus of this study are: To what extent different companies follow AcceleratedSAP as methodology when implementing SAP? Is different companies use different innovative ways to improve the process? Are there commonalities or diversion in this innovation? Chapter 2 Literature Review The purpose of this chapter is to present my theoretical framework. In this chapter first I will present different implementation framework models from some researchers and academician. Then select one model as my theoretical base. Information Systems Development Methodology Creation of an Information System is not a trivial matter, and must strive to fulfil four main goals; usefulness, usability, reliability and flexibility (Kruchten, 2000). To minimise risks of failure in any of these primary objectives there are a number of specialised development methodologies available, each with different strengths and weaknesses and suited to different project types: The Classic Model This model, often called the Waterfall model (figure 3), represents the traditional software lifecycle, and outlines an Information System project in clearly defined, partitioned phases that follow in sequential order (though the actual phases are not always the same) (Avgerou and Cornford, 1998). This approach has strengths when requirements are well known and unchanging, unfortunately problems with this approach are quickly identified. The main failings of this model stem from its linear nature, where each stage must be completed and the outputted deliverable passed to the next phase. This produces an inflexible model that is hard to step back to previous stages without changing everything (Avison and Fitzgerald, 2006). Due to this separated structure a gap of understanding can become present between users and developers, and as no deliverables are viewed until the end of the sequence unsatisfactory results can be delivered. It also typically suffers from long development times (wh ich are certainly not available in this project) and as such is not usually practised in the formal fashion (Avgerou and Cornford, 1998). This model alone is clearly unsuitable to the ERP implementation project as completion in a timely fashion is a key objective, and with this extra constraint risks will be extremely high. As such requirements capture/analysis will need to on-going throughout the entire process. With these points noted, a partially phased approach is attractive from a project management point of view, and an extensive initial requirements capture phase could greatly reduce project risks through understanding of the problem domain. Business Process Reengineering Implementing Methodologies One approach of information system development, which takes into account strategic aspects, is business process reengineering. It has presented organisation with the opportunity to rethink out dated procedures, rules, and assumptions underlying their business activities. This opportunity is usually enabled partly by the application of technology to outdated process (Avison and Fitzgerald, 2006). The initial research of the subject starts with Business Process Reengineering which is achieved by the adoption of ERP as it streamline the organisations processes by integrating the information flow into a single system. The term business process reengineering had its origin at MIT during 1984-1989 while MITs enumerating management techniques for the 1990s. Business process reengineering simply means transformation from function based to process based. The radical redesign of a process is easily achieved by involving information technology (IT) in business processes and hence the prominence of IT in business process reengineering. IT is accepted not only as just a business process reengineering enabler (Hammer and Champy, 1993) but also as an essential enabler of business process reengineering (Davenport and Short, 1998). There exists a recursive relationship between business process reengineering and IT which can be utilised for thorough process change. In the modern times and due to rapid proliferation of computers in the business arena, business process reengineering through IT is getting a big boost. Business process reengineering using IT emanated from gradual progression in the use of computers from routine clerical job processing to IT-based decision making. Many corporations reaped benefits by re-engineering their processes at various stages of IT development. At the same time, re-engineering cannot be planned and achieved in small cautious steps for any corporation (Hammer, 1990). Some of the commonly used IT tools for re-engineering are ERP systems. First we adopt the work of Kettinger al.s (1997) for a literature review on business process reengineering implementing methodologies also chosen by Pellerin and Hadaya (2008). This implementation methodology proposes a generic stage-activity framework for conducting business process reengineering projects, because The technology is derived from the methodologies practiced by 25 leading reengineering consulting organisations and Unlike most business process reengineering studies, in which the unit of analysis is the organisation, Kettinger et al.s (1997) work is cantered on the business process reengineering project, which is more relevant to Information System professionals. Kettinger et al.s (1997) framework comprises six stages, each containing the following activities (See Figure 4). The first stage, envision (S1), typically involves the business process reengineering project champion engendering the support of the top management. A task force, including senior executives and individuals knowledgeable about an organisations processes, is authorised to target a business process for improvement based on a review of business strategy and IT opportunities in the hope of improving the organisations overall performance. The second stage, initiate (S2), encompasses the assignment of a reengineering project team, setting of the performance goals, project planning and shareholder/employee notification and buy-in. This is frequently achieved by developing a business case for reengineering via bench-marking, identifying external customer needs, and cost benefit analysis. The third stage, diagnose (S3), is classified as the documentation of the current process and sub processes in terms of process attributes such as activities, resources, communication, roles, IT, and cost. In identifying process requirements and assigning customers value, root causes for the problems are surfaced, and non-value-adding activities are identified. The fourth stage, redesign (S4), a new process design is developed. This is accomplished by devising process design alternatives through brainstorming and creativity techniques. The new design should meet strategic objective and fit with the human resource and IT architecture. Documentation and prototyping of the new process is typically conducted, and a design of new information system to support the new process is completed. The fifth stage, reconstruct (S5), heavily relies on change management techniques to ensure smooth migration to new process responsibilities and human resources roles. During this stage, the IT platform and systems are implemented, and the users go through the training and transition. The sixth and last stage, evaluate (S6), requires monitoring of the new process to determine if it met its goal and often involves linkage to an organisations total quality program. This methodology was empirically derived from the methodologies practiced by 25 leading reengineering consulting firms which takes the management accounting perspective by attempting to reorganise business processes while using information as an enabler then it provides a set of tools and techniques to facilitate the reengineering effort and unlike most BPR studies, in which the unit of analysis is the organisation (Kettinger et al., 1997; Pellerin and Hadaya, 2008). This justifies the use of this methodology to build on the relation of further theories but just to compare and have further opinion let look at another business process reengineering implementation methodology. A seven-step methodology, as shown in Figure 5, that shows the various steps in IT driven business process reengineering implementation (Davenport and Short, 1998; Armistead and Rowland, 1996). These steps are prioritising processes based on the comparative importance of objectives, identifying the processes to be redesigned, understanding and measuring/benchmarking the existing processes, identifying the appropriate IT tool, designing/building a process prototype, testing the reengineered process, and implementing the changed process. The first step is to define the objectives of the process redesign which can be cost reduction, time reduction, improvement in output quality and/or improvement of quality of work life. Rarely, organisations become successful in meeting multiple objectives, concurrently. In the second step, selection of the processes to be redesigned is carried out. The two approaches, namely, exhaustive and high-impact approaches are available for the selection of the processes to be redesigned. Exhaustive approach ranks all processes to be redesigned based on the order of urgency prior to the identification of the process to be redesigned whereas the high-impact approach tries to identify only the most important processes which are in conflict with business vision and process objectives. The third step tries to measure the process before redesign in order to avoid repetition and to set a baseline for future improvements. In the fourth step, it is better to have a picture of all latest IT technologi es available for redesign prior to the redesign and freezing of the redesigned process under study. The fifth step can be easily dealt with by using IT as a design tool in creating a more generic design of the process under study in arriving at a suitable organisational prototype. After generating the redesigned process prototype, implement the same in one of the units of the organisation to study the actual benefits before launching it on an organisation wide basis and the same is done in the sixth step. If the pilot launch is found successful in meeting the process objectives, launch the redesigned process throughout the organisation which is the seventh and last step in IT-based implementation of the redesigned process. If both the implementation methodologies are compared there is not just the difference in number of steps between the two methodologies, there is also the difference in the approach in cut-overs where training of users are missing in second as well the pilots and rollouts are mentioned in the later methodology. This goes with Kettinger et als (1997) findings that, while business process reengineering implementing methodologies may vary based on philosophical differences, there is enough commonality among the practiced approaches to generally describe a prototypical business process reengineering efforts. Generic Enterprise Resource Planning Implementing Methodologies In the past, companies used to decide how they wanted to do business and then made a decision about a software package that best supported their business processes. This was changed with ERP systems that required the business processes to be modified to fit the system (Davenport, 1998). Business Process Reengineering implementation exists ranging from technology enabled re-engineering to clean slate re-engineering. If ERP system is chosen first, then the re-engineering is driven by the chosen ERP system or re-engineering is technology enabled. The reason why many companies chose to conduct ERP system development was to attempt to solve all their organisational problems without reengineering business processes first. Then the Costs involved with such re-engineering are very low as alteration done on the system is least or none. In clean slate re-engineering, design starts from scratch and ERP system software is highly customised to fit the processes of the enterprise in discussion. ERP implementation significantly impacts company culture, organisational structure, business processes, in addition to procedures and rules. Furthermore, ERP applications integrate many best business practices and much knowledge that could be worthwhile if included as a part of BPR projects. By taking the best practices inherent in ERP applications, companies can change their processes simultaneously with technological change. As a result, many companies changed their business processes to fit the ERP system requirements, and the possibilities of ERP systems have been used to underpin Business Process Reengineering (Kooch, 2001, Chenn, 2001). As ERP systems have traditionally taken too long to implement, a dynamic and incremental implementation of ERP components is recommended as opposed to massive reengineering. Also pointed by Ahmed (1999) the focus of ERP implementations has shifted from matching business processes with the ERP system to developing knowledge-workers that can quickly understand and work with redesigned processes and realise the ERP-enabled benefits. Boudreau and Robey (2005), suggest a vital importance to acceptance of ERP systems. They also note that if not successfully implemented, users may work around the system and otherwise doom the project to costly duplication of effort, or worse, system failure. A phased implementation approach is highlighted in Robey et al. (2002). It is important to have a structured approach, similar to systems development, for the implementation and maintenance of ERP systems. Systems development theory uses the concept of a lifecycle and stages in the lifecycle to indicate development of information systems. The waterfall model, incremental model, RAD (rapid application development) model and spiral model are some of the systems development methods prevalent in the literature. Newer approaches to systems development address component-based development using off-the-shelf packages, agile development and the unified process for object-oriented software development (Pressman, 2005). The newer approaches have fewer stages in the development of systems. For example, the unified process which draws upon the best practices of conventional software process models has inception, elaboration, construction and transition phases. A common aspect of all these models is that they focus little attention on implementation and the post implementation of the system. The literature review undertaken revealed a lack of research with regard to some critical factors of ERP implementation (eg client consultation, schedule and plans), and this could be due to the fact that these factors are related to any information system project, not particularly to ERP project implementation. However, and generally speaking, there has not yet been a common comprehensive or integrative approach to ERP implementation. Successful ERP project implementation is a complex and difficult task. Implementing an ERP system package causes vast change that needs to be managed carefully to get the full advantages (Bingi et al, 1999; Sor, 1999). More importantly, it has been stressed by many that it is really a mistake to view ERP project implementation as merely an IT project (Davenport, 2000; Milford Stewart, 2000; OLeary, 2000). A major difference between ERP systems and traditional information systems comes from the integrated nature of ERP applications. Implementing an ERP system causes dramatic changes that need to be carefully administrated to reap the advantages of an ERP solution. Holland and Light (1999) cite that the implementation of an ERP software package involves a mix of business process change and software configuration to align the software with the business processes. In that sense, it has become clear through the literature review, and studying the experiences of leading organisations, that the implementation of an ERP system is radically different from traditional systems development. In an ERP system implementation, the key focus has shifted from a heavy emphasis on technical analysis and programming towards business process design, business-focused software configuration (Kelly et al, 1999), and legacy data clean-up (Smethurst Kawalek, 1999). In essence, there are several critical and inter-related issues that must be carefully considered to ensure successful implementation of an ERP system project. The framework (Figure 6) presented in this report is the result a major research study undertaken to propose an integrative Critical Success Factors view of ERP. ERP system implementation has been subdivided into three levels: strategic, tactical, and operational. Each level contains a number of critical factors. These levels of implementation, however, are not independent of each other, and each level should be used to derive the next level. Moreover, each level requires differing inputs; for example, there is a direct relationship between the implementation level at which a decision is being taken and the characteristics of the information required supporting decision making (Bocij et al, 2008). Communication Communication is one of most challenging and difficult tasks in any ERP implementation project (Welti, 1999). Slevin and Pinto (1987) define communication as the provision of an appropriate network and necessary data to all key factors in the project implementation. Communication has to cover the scope, objectives, and tasks of an ERP implementation project (Sumner, 1999). Failure to establish and manage the communication process with stakeholders can lead to a lack of support from stakeholders, disapproval of the deliverables and dissatisfaction. ERP implementation levels Strategic level The decisions made at this level significantly change the manner in which business is being done (Bocij et al, 2008), and these decisions are the responsibility of top management (Schultheis Sumner, 1995; Turban et al, 2000). This level can be considered as the process of establishing overall goals and of planning how to achieve those goals. Kelly et al (1999) suggested that the strategic level is the premeditated plan for transforming the organisation, enabling it to operate in the new style environment. Current legacy system evaluation: This includes the existing IT (hardware and software), business processes, organisation structure, and culture. Holland and Light (1999) argue that the nature and scale of problems that are likely to be encountered can be defined by evaluating the existing legacy system (by asking what the status of the enterprises legacy system is and how it will affect the transition to ERP and common business processes). It is clear that ERP implementation involves a complex transition from legacy information systems and business processes to an integrated IT infrastructure and common business process throughout the organisation (Gibson et al, 1999). Project vision and objective: It is very important that the organisation has a clear sense of whom and what it is before implementing an ERP project (Davenport, 2000). A global survey showed that an understanding of business objectives and clear vision are key success factors (Cooke Peterson, 1998). Slevin and Pinto (1987) define project vision as the initial clarity of goals and general direction. Welti (1999) advises on determining the project vision in the planning phase, particularly within the project scope, where the project scope includes the project definition, objectives, and strategy. He argues that all these components of the project scope are compulsory to create a clear project vision. At this stage in the ERP project, the vision should provide a direction and general objective, and no details are required. ERP implementation strategy: This will be reviewed in this level to determine the impact of ERP system implementation on the enterprise. Trepper (1999) argues that the organisations executive managers must understand how ERP system implementation will impact on the organisation to ensure a smooth transition. Holland and Light (1999) suggest that the propensity of an organisation for change should influence the choice of ERP implementation project strategy. There are two main technical options to implement an ERP system: modify the ERP system package to suit an organisations requirements or the implementation of a standard package with minimum deviation from the standard settings. Companies that do not select the second option are liable to face major difficulties (Bancroft et al, 1998; Martin, 1998; Gibson et al, 1999). Hiring consultants: Due to the complexities of implementing an ERP system, most companies choose to hire consultants to help them select, configure, and implement the system. Welti (1999) argues that the success of a project depends on the capabilities of the consultants, because they have in-depth knowledge of the software. Somers and Nelson (2001) point out those consultants may be involved in different stages of the ERP project implementation. There are hundreds of companies that provide such ERP services. Since it is a critical success factor, it has to be managed and monitored very carefully. Benchmarking: Al-Mashari and Zairi (2000) argue that benchmarking works essentially at capturing both external and internal best practices related to all aspects of ERP system implementation, and enabling the transfer of knowledge across all levels of project implementation. They argue that benchmarking can play a significant role in shaping the strategic direction to be taken for change introduction using an ERP package. Tactical level At the tactical level, also termed managerial level, the medium-term planning of ERP specific organisational issues is largely concerned, where decisions are made by middle managers (Turban et al, 2000). In order to make sure that the enterprise is meeting its targets, objectives of top management are accomplished, and it is not wasting its resources, the tactical level provides middle-level managers with the information they need to monitor the performance of the organisation, control operations, and allocate resources and set policies effectively (Schultheis Sumner, 1995; Bocij et al, 2008). Client consultation: Slevin and Pinto (1987) define client consultation as the communication and consultation with, and active listening to all affected parties, mainly the client. It is essential for an organisation to keep its clients aware of its future project to avoid misconception. They also argued that the consultation with clients should occur early in the process; otherwise the chance of subsequent client acceptance will be lowered. In general, this factor has not been thoroughly discussed in the literature reviewed. Business process change (BPC): As mentioned before, there are two main options to implement ERP syst Application of ERP Implementation Methodology Framework Application of ERP Implementation Methodology Framework Chapter 1 Introduction This chapter will begin with a presentation of the background of my research area. The presentation will thereafter be followed by a problem and Significance of the research that will result in the objective and research question of my study. Background Over the past years innovation has arguably become one of the most discussed and sought after organisation-capabilities. It is recognised as a major goal of economic activity and one of the most important instruments through which organisations can gain advantages over their competitors. In order to survive in highly competitive business environments, companies have to continuously change their business processes. New conditions in the marketplace have provided a special stimulus to modelling business processes: product expansion, competitive sales conditions, development of global distribution networks, better informed customers, and the orientation of businesses towards satisfying the individual needs of the customer. In the light of this, business process reengineering has often been employed, and information technology is a frequently utilised approach used to improve business processes. This study stressed the necessity for organisational restructuring in the context of global information connectivity. Business Process Reengineering is an organisational method demanding radical redesign of business processes in order to achieve greater efficiency, better quality and more competitive production (Hammer and Champy, 1993). It means analysing and altering the business processes of the organisation as a whole. A business process includes activities and tasks that cross functional and/or organisational boundaries. Information technology (IT) is the most important factor in enabling newly redesigned processes. Modern information technology is oriented towards business processes and communications between persons using these processes, and is therefore called process and information technology (Ould, 1995). In that way, Business Process Reengineering can be described as organisational process redesign, with the direct influence of IT. At the same time organisational expenditure on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has also grown significantly during the 1990s and beyond. ERP systems have been adopted by the majority of large private sector organisations and many public sector organisations in the UK, Europe and the industrialised world in general. We would not expect this growing trend to materialise unless significant advantages were to be expected from the introduction of ERP systems. It is because ERP systems have such a significant impact on the organisation, the working practices of individuals and on human interaction that we wish to explore their impact on innovation. Origin of the term ERP In the 1960s, no manufacturing company could afford to own a computer. Therefore, both manufacturing and inventories were handled on the basis that companies must hold enough stocks to satisfy customer demand, and that customers would order what they had ordered in the past, quantity and time wise. There after manufacturing management systems have evolved in stages over the past 30 years from a simple means of calculating materials requirements to the automation of an entire enterprise. In the 1970s and 1980s, over-frequent changes in sales forecasts, entailing continual readjustments in production, as well as inflexible fixed system parameters, led material requirement planning (MRP) and master production schedule (MPS) to evolve into a new concept called manufacturing resource planning (MRPII) in 1980 (Kakouris Polychronopoulos, 2005). Finally in the early 1990s the generic concept Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), incorporating all the MRPII functionality, in addition to Financ e, Supply Chain, Human Resources and Project Management functionality (Anderson, 1982; Wallace, 1986; Wilson et al., 1994). Figure1 illustrates the gradual evolution of the Enterprise Resource Planning with respect to time. Enterprise resource planning systems are commercial software packages that enable the integration of transaction-oriented data and business processes throughout an organisation (Markus and Tanis, 2000). The key elements of an Enterprise Resource Planning system according to Miller (2003) are: one large real-time database which reduces data redundancy and improves accuracy; integrated business process that cut across business functions such as supply chain management; and seamless transitions between business transactions. According to Newman (2003), Enterprise Resource Planning Systems are software modules for different business functions that are linked by a common database to produce an integrated enterprise-wide system. Enterprise Resource Planning packages, the enterprise system that makes company stick together, it is a nervous system of every corporation, large or small, when you check inside it tells whats going on, it helps you act as what nervous system do, how to react, to treat the information about competitors, about products, how do you get best out of it. It pays employees, makes billing, run accounts, interacts with customers, ships goods, basically it runs the process of any company and helps accelerate business innovation for your customers. They build process factories for enterprises, which are so flexible and configurable for the identical companies so that they can do different things with the same factories and Helping Companies Become Best-Run Businesses. ERP integrates key business and management functions and provides a view of the happenings in the company, in the areas of finance, human resources, manufacturing, supply chain, etc. (Davenport, 1998; James and Wolf, 2000). An ERP solution is valuable when it represents the characteristics demonstrated in Figure 2. Significance and objective of research In the 1990s, customers experienced more costly and complex ERP implementations then they expected (Eschinger et. al., 2003). One research group found that the average ERP implementation took 232 months, had a total cost of ownership of $15M, and rewarded the business with an average negative net present value of $1.5M (Wailgum, 2008). Because of their wide scope of application within a business, ERP software systems are typically complex and usually impose significant changes on staff work practices, Implementing ERP software system is typically not an in-house skill, so even smaller projects are more cost effective if specialist ERP implementation consultants are employed. The length of time to implement an ERP system depends on the size of the business, the scope of the change and willingness of the customer to take ownership for the project. A small project (e.g., a company of less than 100 staff) may be planned and delivered within 3-9 months; however, a large, multi-site or multi-country implementation may take years (for more details see table 1 and table 2). Although implementing an ERP system may be costly and time-consuming, its benefits are worthwhile. However, there are a number of examples where organisations have not been successful in reaping the potential benefits that motivated them to make large investments in ERP implementations (Davenport, 1998). The research is also predicting that ERP new license revenue will have fallen 24% in 2009, as companies severely rein back implementation and expansion projects. While the organisation expects ERP spending to rise slightly in 2010, vendors will be fighting hard for every available dollar, and that should translate into cost savings for customers (Kanaracus, 2010). Therefore year 2010 is predicted to be different and better in terms of ERP implementation. According to Langenwalter (2000), Enterprise Resource Planning implementation failure rate was from 40% to 60%, yet companies try to implement these systems because they are absolutely essential to responsive planning and communication (see Appendix 2 for ERP solution satisfaction). The competitive pressure unleashed by the process of globalisation is driving implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning projects in increasingly large numbers, so methodological framework for dealing with complex problem of evaluating Enterprise Resource Planning projects is required (Teltumbde, 2000). All ERP vendors came up with solution and build their implementation methodology which they recommend to all their clients to utilise the approach during their implementation and continuously looking for improvements in those methods. Therefore the Research in this subject will value the investment put in by the companies in these projects. The primary objective of this dissertation was to explore the application of ERP implementation methodology framework by different vendors when implementing ERP and to find commonalities or diversion in the ways of improvement by them. Therefore the key research questions that are the focus of this study are: To what extent different companies follow AcceleratedSAP as methodology when implementing SAP? Is different companies use different innovative ways to improve the process? Are there commonalities or diversion in this innovation? Chapter 2 Literature Review The purpose of this chapter is to present my theoretical framework. In this chapter first I will present different implementation framework models from some researchers and academician. Then select one model as my theoretical base. Information Systems Development Methodology Creation of an Information System is not a trivial matter, and must strive to fulfil four main goals; usefulness, usability, reliability and flexibility (Kruchten, 2000). To minimise risks of failure in any of these primary objectives there are a number of specialised development methodologies available, each with different strengths and weaknesses and suited to different project types: The Classic Model This model, often called the Waterfall model (figure 3), represents the traditional software lifecycle, and outlines an Information System project in clearly defined, partitioned phases that follow in sequential order (though the actual phases are not always the same) (Avgerou and Cornford, 1998). This approach has strengths when requirements are well known and unchanging, unfortunately problems with this approach are quickly identified. The main failings of this model stem from its linear nature, where each stage must be completed and the outputted deliverable passed to the next phase. This produces an inflexible model that is hard to step back to previous stages without changing everything (Avison and Fitzgerald, 2006). Due to this separated structure a gap of understanding can become present between users and developers, and as no deliverables are viewed until the end of the sequence unsatisfactory results can be delivered. It also typically suffers from long development times (wh ich are certainly not available in this project) and as such is not usually practised in the formal fashion (Avgerou and Cornford, 1998). This model alone is clearly unsuitable to the ERP implementation project as completion in a timely fashion is a key objective, and with this extra constraint risks will be extremely high. As such requirements capture/analysis will need to on-going throughout the entire process. With these points noted, a partially phased approach is attractive from a project management point of view, and an extensive initial requirements capture phase could greatly reduce project risks through understanding of the problem domain. Business Process Reengineering Implementing Methodologies One approach of information system development, which takes into account strategic aspects, is business process reengineering. It has presented organisation with the opportunity to rethink out dated procedures, rules, and assumptions underlying their business activities. This opportunity is usually enabled partly by the application of technology to outdated process (Avison and Fitzgerald, 2006). The initial research of the subject starts with Business Process Reengineering which is achieved by the adoption of ERP as it streamline the organisations processes by integrating the information flow into a single system. The term business process reengineering had its origin at MIT during 1984-1989 while MITs enumerating management techniques for the 1990s. Business process reengineering simply means transformation from function based to process based. The radical redesign of a process is easily achieved by involving information technology (IT) in business processes and hence the prominence of IT in business process reengineering. IT is accepted not only as just a business process reengineering enabler (Hammer and Champy, 1993) but also as an essential enabler of business process reengineering (Davenport and Short, 1998). There exists a recursive relationship between business process reengineering and IT which can be utilised for thorough process change. In the modern times and due to rapid proliferation of computers in the business arena, business process reengineering through IT is getting a big boost. Business process reengineering using IT emanated from gradual progression in the use of computers from routine clerical job processing to IT-based decision making. Many corporations reaped benefits by re-engineering their processes at various stages of IT development. At the same time, re-engineering cannot be planned and achieved in small cautious steps for any corporation (Hammer, 1990). Some of the commonly used IT tools for re-engineering are ERP systems. First we adopt the work of Kettinger al.s (1997) for a literature review on business process reengineering implementing methodologies also chosen by Pellerin and Hadaya (2008). This implementation methodology proposes a generic stage-activity framework for conducting business process reengineering projects, because The technology is derived from the methodologies practiced by 25 leading reengineering consulting organisations and Unlike most business process reengineering studies, in which the unit of analysis is the organisation, Kettinger et al.s (1997) work is cantered on the business process reengineering project, which is more relevant to Information System professionals. Kettinger et al.s (1997) framework comprises six stages, each containing the following activities (See Figure 4). The first stage, envision (S1), typically involves the business process reengineering project champion engendering the support of the top management. A task force, including senior executives and individuals knowledgeable about an organisations processes, is authorised to target a business process for improvement based on a review of business strategy and IT opportunities in the hope of improving the organisations overall performance. The second stage, initiate (S2), encompasses the assignment of a reengineering project team, setting of the performance goals, project planning and shareholder/employee notification and buy-in. This is frequently achieved by developing a business case for reengineering via bench-marking, identifying external customer needs, and cost benefit analysis. The third stage, diagnose (S3), is classified as the documentation of the current process and sub processes in terms of process attributes such as activities, resources, communication, roles, IT, and cost. In identifying process requirements and assigning customers value, root causes for the problems are surfaced, and non-value-adding activities are identified. The fourth stage, redesign (S4), a new process design is developed. This is accomplished by devising process design alternatives through brainstorming and creativity techniques. The new design should meet strategic objective and fit with the human resource and IT architecture. Documentation and prototyping of the new process is typically conducted, and a design of new information system to support the new process is completed. The fifth stage, reconstruct (S5), heavily relies on change management techniques to ensure smooth migration to new process responsibilities and human resources roles. During this stage, the IT platform and systems are implemented, and the users go through the training and transition. The sixth and last stage, evaluate (S6), requires monitoring of the new process to determine if it met its goal and often involves linkage to an organisations total quality program. This methodology was empirically derived from the methodologies practiced by 25 leading reengineering consulting firms which takes the management accounting perspective by attempting to reorganise business processes while using information as an enabler then it provides a set of tools and techniques to facilitate the reengineering effort and unlike most BPR studies, in which the unit of analysis is the organisation (Kettinger et al., 1997; Pellerin and Hadaya, 2008). This justifies the use of this methodology to build on the relation of further theories but just to compare and have further opinion let look at another business process reengineering implementation methodology. A seven-step methodology, as shown in Figure 5, that shows the various steps in IT driven business process reengineering implementation (Davenport and Short, 1998; Armistead and Rowland, 1996). These steps are prioritising processes based on the comparative importance of objectives, identifying the processes to be redesigned, understanding and measuring/benchmarking the existing processes, identifying the appropriate IT tool, designing/building a process prototype, testing the reengineered process, and implementing the changed process. The first step is to define the objectives of the process redesign which can be cost reduction, time reduction, improvement in output quality and/or improvement of quality of work life. Rarely, organisations become successful in meeting multiple objectives, concurrently. In the second step, selection of the processes to be redesigned is carried out. The two approaches, namely, exhaustive and high-impact approaches are available for the selection of the processes to be redesigned. Exhaustive approach ranks all processes to be redesigned based on the order of urgency prior to the identification of the process to be redesigned whereas the high-impact approach tries to identify only the most important processes which are in conflict with business vision and process objectives. The third step tries to measure the process before redesign in order to avoid repetition and to set a baseline for future improvements. In the fourth step, it is better to have a picture of all latest IT technologi es available for redesign prior to the redesign and freezing of the redesigned process under study. The fifth step can be easily dealt with by using IT as a design tool in creating a more generic design of the process under study in arriving at a suitable organisational prototype. After generating the redesigned process prototype, implement the same in one of the units of the organisation to study the actual benefits before launching it on an organisation wide basis and the same is done in the sixth step. If the pilot launch is found successful in meeting the process objectives, launch the redesigned process throughout the organisation which is the seventh and last step in IT-based implementation of the redesigned process. If both the implementation methodologies are compared there is not just the difference in number of steps between the two methodologies, there is also the difference in the approach in cut-overs where training of users are missing in second as well the pilots and rollouts are mentioned in the later methodology. This goes with Kettinger et als (1997) findings that, while business process reengineering implementing methodologies may vary based on philosophical differences, there is enough commonality among the practiced approaches to generally describe a prototypical business process reengineering efforts. Generic Enterprise Resource Planning Implementing Methodologies In the past, companies used to decide how they wanted to do business and then made a decision about a software package that best supported their business processes. This was changed with ERP systems that required the business processes to be modified to fit the system (Davenport, 1998). Business Process Reengineering implementation exists ranging from technology enabled re-engineering to clean slate re-engineering. If ERP system is chosen first, then the re-engineering is driven by the chosen ERP system or re-engineering is technology enabled. The reason why many companies chose to conduct ERP system development was to attempt to solve all their organisational problems without reengineering business processes first. Then the Costs involved with such re-engineering are very low as alteration done on the system is least or none. In clean slate re-engineering, design starts from scratch and ERP system software is highly customised to fit the processes of the enterprise in discussion. ERP implementation significantly impacts company culture, organisational structure, business processes, in addition to procedures and rules. Furthermore, ERP applications integrate many best business practices and much knowledge that could be worthwhile if included as a part of BPR projects. By taking the best practices inherent in ERP applications, companies can change their processes simultaneously with technological change. As a result, many companies changed their business processes to fit the ERP system requirements, and the possibilities of ERP systems have been used to underpin Business Process Reengineering (Kooch, 2001, Chenn, 2001). As ERP systems have traditionally taken too long to implement, a dynamic and incremental implementation of ERP components is recommended as opposed to massive reengineering. Also pointed by Ahmed (1999) the focus of ERP implementations has shifted from matching business processes with the ERP system to developing knowledge-workers that can quickly understand and work with redesigned processes and realise the ERP-enabled benefits. Boudreau and Robey (2005), suggest a vital importance to acceptance of ERP systems. They also note that if not successfully implemented, users may work around the system and otherwise doom the project to costly duplication of effort, or worse, system failure. A phased implementation approach is highlighted in Robey et al. (2002). It is important to have a structured approach, similar to systems development, for the implementation and maintenance of ERP systems. Systems development theory uses the concept of a lifecycle and stages in the lifecycle to indicate development of information systems. The waterfall model, incremental model, RAD (rapid application development) model and spiral model are some of the systems development methods prevalent in the literature. Newer approaches to systems development address component-based development using off-the-shelf packages, agile development and the unified process for object-oriented software development (Pressman, 2005). The newer approaches have fewer stages in the development of systems. For example, the unified process which draws upon the best practices of conventional software process models has inception, elaboration, construction and transition phases. A common aspect of all these models is that they focus little attention on implementation and the post implementation of the system. The literature review undertaken revealed a lack of research with regard to some critical factors of ERP implementation (eg client consultation, schedule and plans), and this could be due to the fact that these factors are related to any information system project, not particularly to ERP project implementation. However, and generally speaking, there has not yet been a common comprehensive or integrative approach to ERP implementation. Successful ERP project implementation is a complex and difficult task. Implementing an ERP system package causes vast change that needs to be managed carefully to get the full advantages (Bingi et al, 1999; Sor, 1999). More importantly, it has been stressed by many that it is really a mistake to view ERP project implementation as merely an IT project (Davenport, 2000; Milford Stewart, 2000; OLeary, 2000). A major difference between ERP systems and traditional information systems comes from the integrated nature of ERP applications. Implementing an ERP system causes dramatic changes that need to be carefully administrated to reap the advantages of an ERP solution. Holland and Light (1999) cite that the implementation of an ERP software package involves a mix of business process change and software configuration to align the software with the business processes. In that sense, it has become clear through the literature review, and studying the experiences of leading organisations, that the implementation of an ERP system is radically different from traditional systems development. In an ERP system implementation, the key focus has shifted from a heavy emphasis on technical analysis and programming towards business process design, business-focused software configuration (Kelly et al, 1999), and legacy data clean-up (Smethurst Kawalek, 1999). In essence, there are several critical and inter-related issues that must be carefully considered to ensure successful implementation of an ERP system project. The framework (Figure 6) presented in this report is the result a major research study undertaken to propose an integrative Critical Success Factors view of ERP. ERP system implementation has been subdivided into three levels: strategic, tactical, and operational. Each level contains a number of critical factors. These levels of implementation, however, are not independent of each other, and each level should be used to derive the next level. Moreover, each level requires differing inputs; for example, there is a direct relationship between the implementation level at which a decision is being taken and the characteristics of the information required supporting decision making (Bocij et al, 2008). Communication Communication is one of most challenging and difficult tasks in any ERP implementation project (Welti, 1999). Slevin and Pinto (1987) define communication as the provision of an appropriate network and necessary data to all key factors in the project implementation. Communication has to cover the scope, objectives, and tasks of an ERP implementation project (Sumner, 1999). Failure to establish and manage the communication process with stakeholders can lead to a lack of support from stakeholders, disapproval of the deliverables and dissatisfaction. ERP implementation levels Strategic level The decisions made at this level significantly change the manner in which business is being done (Bocij et al, 2008), and these decisions are the responsibility of top management (Schultheis Sumner, 1995; Turban et al, 2000). This level can be considered as the process of establishing overall goals and of planning how to achieve those goals. Kelly et al (1999) suggested that the strategic level is the premeditated plan for transforming the organisation, enabling it to operate in the new style environment. Current legacy system evaluation: This includes the existing IT (hardware and software), business processes, organisation structure, and culture. Holland and Light (1999) argue that the nature and scale of problems that are likely to be encountered can be defined by evaluating the existing legacy system (by asking what the status of the enterprises legacy system is and how it will affect the transition to ERP and common business processes). It is clear that ERP implementation involves a complex transition from legacy information systems and business processes to an integrated IT infrastructure and common business process throughout the organisation (Gibson et al, 1999). Project vision and objective: It is very important that the organisation has a clear sense of whom and what it is before implementing an ERP project (Davenport, 2000). A global survey showed that an understanding of business objectives and clear vision are key success factors (Cooke Peterson, 1998). Slevin and Pinto (1987) define project vision as the initial clarity of goals and general direction. Welti (1999) advises on determining the project vision in the planning phase, particularly within the project scope, where the project scope includes the project definition, objectives, and strategy. He argues that all these components of the project scope are compulsory to create a clear project vision. At this stage in the ERP project, the vision should provide a direction and general objective, and no details are required. ERP implementation strategy: This will be reviewed in this level to determine the impact of ERP system implementation on the enterprise. Trepper (1999) argues that the organisations executive managers must understand how ERP system implementation will impact on the organisation to ensure a smooth transition. Holland and Light (1999) suggest that the propensity of an organisation for change should influence the choice of ERP implementation project strategy. There are two main technical options to implement an ERP system: modify the ERP system package to suit an organisations requirements or the implementation of a standard package with minimum deviation from the standard settings. Companies that do not select the second option are liable to face major difficulties (Bancroft et al, 1998; Martin, 1998; Gibson et al, 1999). Hiring consultants: Due to the complexities of implementing an ERP system, most companies choose to hire consultants to help them select, configure, and implement the system. Welti (1999) argues that the success of a project depends on the capabilities of the consultants, because they have in-depth knowledge of the software. Somers and Nelson (2001) point out those consultants may be involved in different stages of the ERP project implementation. There are hundreds of companies that provide such ERP services. Since it is a critical success factor, it has to be managed and monitored very carefully. Benchmarking: Al-Mashari and Zairi (2000) argue that benchmarking works essentially at capturing both external and internal best practices related to all aspects of ERP system implementation, and enabling the transfer of knowledge across all levels of project implementation. They argue that benchmarking can play a significant role in shaping the strategic direction to be taken for change introduction using an ERP package. Tactical level At the tactical level, also termed managerial level, the medium-term planning of ERP specific organisational issues is largely concerned, where decisions are made by middle managers (Turban et al, 2000). In order to make sure that the enterprise is meeting its targets, objectives of top management are accomplished, and it is not wasting its resources, the tactical level provides middle-level managers with the information they need to monitor the performance of the organisation, control operations, and allocate resources and set policies effectively (Schultheis Sumner, 1995; Bocij et al, 2008). Client consultation: Slevin and Pinto (1987) define client consultation as the communication and consultation with, and active listening to all affected parties, mainly the client. It is essential for an organisation to keep its clients aware of its future project to avoid misconception. They also argued that the consultation with clients should occur early in the process; otherwise the chance of subsequent client acceptance will be lowered. In general, this factor has not been thoroughly discussed in the literature reviewed. Business process change (BPC): As mentioned before, there are two main options to implement ERP syst