Business Strategy Affecting Information Systems And Organizational Decisions Commerce Essay

Business Strategy Affecting Information Systems And Organizational Decisions Commerce Essay A strategy can be defined as a plan. A business strategy can be defined as an explicit description of the strategic destination of a business in terms of what it targets to achieve, as well as the road map of getting to that place or operational status quo. Such a strategy is the means through which an enterprise communicates its vision, mission statement and set objectives. In response to various market forces such as demand and supply, the managers of a company devise this business strategy. To achieve set organizational goals, managers make various decisions which are key to the optimization of processes and resources. Such decisions include financing decisions; investment decisions; operational decisions among others. Hence the need for any organizations information systems to offer the best decision making support to management. An information system is an organized combination of interrelated components which are people resources; computer software and hardware resources and in frastructure which operate within set boundaries to achieve a common goal. There is strong link between a business strategy and the IS (Information System) strategy as well as the organizational strategy of any business. Prosperous business entities come up with an overruling business strategy which dictates the complementary IS and organizational strategy to be employed. The relationship between these three strategies is called the Information Systems Strategy Triangle. According to the Information System Strategy Triangle, understanding business strategy means providing answers to the questions listed below: 1. What is the business goal or objective? 2. What is the plan for achieving it? What is the role of IS in this plan? 3. Who are the crucial competitors and co-operators, and what is required of a successful player in this value net? ( Adapted from Stephanie Overby, Found to Fail CIO Magazine, May 1, 2005, pp. 49-54). Managements decisions about the organizational structure, staffing issues and other elements of the organizational strategy and decisions regarding IS components such as hardware and software applications are all dependent on the type of strategy which a business adopts and pursues. There is therefore the need to balance these three strategies though organizational design which positions the IS and organizational strategies as complements of the business strategy. As such, the business strategy affects the information systems and organizational strategy of a company in that any changes in a firms business environment not only necessitate business process re-engineering or rethinking the business strategy of giants such as Roche, but revamping the IS infrastructure as well. Where a firm designs its business strategy to use IS to gain a competitive advantage, constant innovation in IS becomes necessary (Stephanie Overby, Found to Fail CIO Magazine, May 1, 2005, pp. 49-54) Resultantly, the three strategies must be constantly reassessed. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ QUESTION 2 : What generic strategy does Roche appear to be using based on this case? Provide a rationale for your response. Roche mainly employs the Innovation strategy through the use of IT, driving change in organizational culture and the consequent change in business processes. Firstly the innovation strategy is evident in that the organization has had to embrace and organizational revolution to accommodate the technological revolution. The shift in approach in Research and Development Roche moves towards a system which encourages a warmer style of teamwork as opposed to the ultra competitive culture in which scientists fought for scarce resources and did not encourage flow of information. In the new system, the preferred team members are young, ambitious researchers with the agility to handle change. Klaus Lindpaintner, Roches worldwide head of genetics research says A young researcher can be fully up to speed with the most modern stuff and be less distracted by all of the other things that 50 year-olds focus on. In addition, there is increased interaction between researcher from different background s or technical expertise for example biologists and statisticians collaborating on how to use data from a Genechip experiment. Secondly, as Roches business strategy has resulted in the generation of large amounts for data which need to be screened and processed, the innovation strategy is seen in the information technology that the company employs to deal with this flood of data, for example the Zeiss machine which is used to increase efficiency and speed in the screening of potential drugs, shortening the time it takes to get the product on the market. Innovation is also demonstrated in the way Roches computer services experts had to devise a way to use computer capacity effectively, for the storage of raw data and experiments. Roche has quite evidently begun a form of Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) as a response to the new breakthroughs in medical research. The beginning of research cycle has changed and has more possibilities, as a result the processes that follow have to upgraded to handle the increased volume of information, as a result Roches business will be completely remodelled over time. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. QUESTION 3: Apply the hyper-competition model to Roche. Which of the 7 Ss are demonstrated in this case? The hyper-competition models chief proponent is Richard DAveni, the professor of business strategy at the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College. Mr. Daveni believes that business can no longer be business as usual due to shifting market rules which render it impossible, in an extended time frame, to sustain a companys competitive advantage. The world over, the business environment has slid into a status of hyper-competition where survival for any business goes beyond issues to do with maximizing profits. To ensure that a business continues and survives there is a need for business entities is to focus strategic energies on toppling the market leader by eliminating their present competitive advantage. This new paradigm comes in the wake of four main contributors to the new age of hyper-competition, which are adjusted consumer preferences and the resultant changes in product and service demand; constant upgrades; research and development in the field of information technology; world globalization which merge all nations into one global market thus nullifying geographical and industry divides, and deep pockets among competitors (Daveni). Due to the impact of the four forces listed above, there is need to devise new ways of upsetting the market. Mr. DAveni came up with a new set of rules key in this new era of hyper-competition, and labeled these simultaneous or sequential strategic thrusts , strategic soothsaying, surprise, speed signals, shifting the rules and stakeholder satisfaction. Ground breaking developments in human genomics as well as molecular biology in the Pharmaceuticals industry sparked the need for Roche to adopt Davenis new set of rules to stay afloat in the world of hyper-competition. The following are the Ss which are demonstrated in the case study for Roche Group. 3.1 SOOTHSAYING, i.e. Discontinuing the pursuance of obsolete business thrusts and ideas in favour of currently applicable methodologies of innovation and team collaboration. Ensuring a speedy and timely identification of peoples susceptibility to illness or infirmity. Roche hires new employees and leverages on existing employees to best prepare for efficient implementation of new ideas. 3.2 STAKEHOLDER SATISFACTION Effective maneuvering of Roches value chain to maximize value addition to cancer drugs, thereby increasing their profitability and efficiency in treating cancer ailments. Ensuring a speedy detection of side effects caused by the use of certain drugs such as probable toxicity. Employing the Gene Chip to aid treatment and monitoring of patients, which translates to better health care insurance for Roches customers. Maximizing returns to shareholders by producing competitive pharmacy drugs which best meet customer expectations. 3.3 SPEED Critically evaluating and analyzing large volumes of data in a shorter period of time using the Zeiss machine. Achieving the rapid discovering of new and better pharmacy drugs and nipping in the bud toxicity risks through early identification. Team collaboration in favour of encouraging scientific team competition means that teams take lesser time to be productive due to the pool of intellectual capital, unlike where individual teams would be stuck with outdated ideas, trying to preserve their careers. 3.4 SIMULTANEOUS AND SEQUENTIAL THRUST. Researchers can now consider multiple ideas on a daily basis rather than to spend years focusing on one idea. Having different initiatives running at different times. 3.5 SURPRISE Investing in new technology 3.6 SIGNALLING Developing markers for cancer Media briefing showing the direction market will take. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ QUESTION 4 : How do information systems support Roches business strategy? Roches business strategy has resulted in the generation of large amounts of data which needs to be processed screened, analyzed then either discarded or stored. 4.1 Screening The head of clinical research believed that the best hope of finding new drugs fast would be to test as much compounds as possible and discarding as quickly as possible, those that had lower odds of succeeding. This resulted in the procurement the Carl Zeiss machine which has assisted Roche with efficient and faster testing of compounds per day.. 4.2 Processing / Experimenting- the Genechip has assisted Roche in reducing the time it takes to identify disease markers when conducting experiments on tissue samples. This contributes positively to the business strategy in that it increases the speed at which new products can be identified and developed. 4.3 Storage All the data generated as a result of Roches new strategy which is experiments that are either discarded or continuing with further investigation needs to be stored on the companys data systems. Roches computers services experts have had to devise an effective way of storage that ensures that all the employees are allocated sufficient storage in their respective areas of responsibility. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦

Music Classroom Management

Classroom management is a challenge in any field. Effective classroom management in music classes or performance ensembles has the additional challenge of having to be able to encourage creativity and self-expression.   Gordon reflects that there are significant stress factors in music classes that it is critical that teachers develop all the necessary skills not only to ensure the artistic and co.uk/does-television-have-educational-value/">educational value for students but also to endure that classes also fulfill teachers (162-164). Considering these, music educators have to adapt standard classroom management skills to accommodate the nature of music as an expression and art (Moore et al 5-8). This entails an understanding of the students learning and performance, indicators of learning, manner of interaction and physical set up of the classroom. Those these factors are not the only ones to be considered, they are basic factors that are to be considered in any music classroom (Gordon 158-159). Students Learning and Performance Music classes require greater participation form students not only in discussions but also in actual performance. Similar to a physical education class, performance serves as the students’ main means of participation but music students are still required to master knowledge as they would in a science or mathematics class. Therefore, students will need equal amounts of knowledge in literature to allow understanding of notations and technique whiles at the same time just as much instruction to translate it to actual performance (Moore et al 37-40). According to the Teacher Vision sponsored article Strategies for Developing Basic Music Knowledge, this entails a child learning essentials of form in holding an instrument as much as learning to read notes. Both elements of learning are critical in music education which in a standard classroom for other disciplines may not be required as much. In other disciplines, there is a general inverse relationship between â€Å"book learning† and performance. At the same time, much of the studying that students do for the class lies beyond the direct control of the teachers. Mastery is of knowledge or a piece must be translated by students into practice. It thus becomes even more critical that students are driven to develop positive learning attitudes in students because of the interdependence of learning and practice in student performance (â€Å"Discipline Strategies in the Music Classroom†). Indicators of Learning As mentioned, there is an equal emphasis on the theoretical and practical application of music learning. However, music teachers also give greater allowance to the manner of performance to accommodate technique or style. Since music is inherently an expression, there should be an expectation that there are variances to the performance (Moore et al 17-23). Though mastery either in performance or form is a common indicator of learning, it should be remembered that it is not universal. Since musical aptitude varies greatly from one individual to another, standards may be developed in a progressive scale (Gordon159-160). After students learn the fundamental of music, the development of performance indicators becomes more challenging for music teachers. One suggestion for the qualitative indicators cites that learning in music must create value, allow for expression and be a tool for communication. Teacher Vision suggests that is important that students be able to learn the value of musical learning which can be indicated by the reflection and insight students make from the lesson of musical piece (â€Å"Strategies for Establishing a Thinking Music Classroom†). Next, students should be encouraged to use the learning as a means of expression whether directly or indirectly. Finally, music should create a foundation for communication for students whether they are performers or not. Manner of Interaction Communication and interaction is one of the most important elements in any music classroom. Since feedback is critical in improving performance, teachers have to develop interactivity among students. This is to be done by developing a communication platform among students and with the teacher that can facilitate not proactive critique and reinforcement as well as encourage accommodation or assimilation of various styles and techniques (â€Å"Strategies for Making Music Happen†). Though these are also critical in any standard classroom, music teachers have to develop this to a higher degree because of its significance in terms of encouraging expression and performance. This is even more critical in classes were there ensembles: in this scenario, individual students’ performances become only an element of the performance of the group (Moore et al 46-48). Students need to work more closely together or depend much more on each other’s performance and this in turn will require greater sensitivity in terms of managing friction among students (â€Å"Strategies for Making Music Happen†). Physical Set Up In a similarity to learning requirements, music classrooms must be set up to be conducive both to learning and performance wither individually or as a group. It should be helpful to develop specific sections of the room for specific uses or groups so that study can be done independently. Sectional divisions should be appropriately sized according to the needs of a section and ordered according to their association with other sections. These should also afford opportunities for collaborations as they may be needed (Moore et al 22-29). There should be particular attention given to the care and safety of not only students but instruments. Since most schools also use the music classroom to store or maintain instruments, a portion of the room should serve not only as warehouse. At the same time, there should be common area for performance or instruction. The common areas also serve as cohesive factor for the class (â€Å"Discipline Strategies in the Music Classroom†). Works Cited â€Å"Discipline Strategies in the Music Classroom†. Teacher Vision. 16 April 2007. <http://www.essaywriters.net/sys/index.php?rate=20&order=58130> Gordon, Debra G. Discipline in the Music Classroom: one component contributing to teacher stress. Journal Music Education Research (2001) Volume 4, Number 1. Pages 157-165 Moore, Marvelene C., Batey, Angela L.,Royse, David M. Classroom Management in General, Choral and Instrumental Music Programs. The National Association for Music Education, 2002 â€Å"Strategies for Developing Basic Music Knowledge†. Teacher Vision. 16 April 2007. <http://www.teachervision.fen.com/music/teacher-training/6764.html> â€Å"Strategies for Establishing a Thinking Music Classroom†. Teacher Vision. 16 April 2007. <http://www.teachervision.fen.com/teacher-training/printable/6766.html> â€Å"Strategies for Making Music Happen†. Teacher Vision. 16 April 2007. <http://www.teachervision.fen.com/curriculum-planning/music/6770.html>

American dream in The Great Gatsby Essay

In todayÊ ¼s society, it seems that everyone strives to be at the top, and for many people, the top means the most success, and success means money. The American dream- to go from nothing to the pinnacle of success- is apparent both in the novel The Great Gatsby and in the modern world. Another apparent aspect of the American Dream is second chances, Gatsby, along with many other Americans today strives for second chances, Jay Gatsby seems to be the epitome of a man trying to find the American dream. Gatsby was not always the rich extravagant man who throws luxurious parties that we meet in the beginning of the novel. His motives for rising to the top of the social ladder and acquiring wealth may be different than most peoples motives for achieving the American dream. GatsbyÊ ¼s lust for the American dream came out of his quest to one day finally be with the love of his life, Daisy. This bring up another aspect of the American dream: second chances. More than anything, Jay wants a second chance with Daisy. He â€Å"had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again† and that he could get Daisy back. He does everything in his power to try to achieve this. ! Much of the American dream seems to be materialistic, and Gatsby definitely represents these materialistic parts of the American dream. He has the big house, the nice car, and throws his money around on his extravagant parties. Ultimately though, Gatsby does not achieve the second part of the American dream; second chances. Gatsby is murdered and never gets to spend his life with Daisy which is all he ever really wanted after he got out of the war. GatsbyÊ ¼s â€Å"dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him.† Katerina Bessey Monday, December 10, 2012 12:23:31 PM ET Material wealth definitely still exists in todays society. Many peopleÊ ¼s motives for achieving this material wealth is to be accepted by society. This relates to the way that Gatsby wants to achieve material wealth so that Daisy will fall back in love with him. Daisy encompassed everything about wealth even â€Å"Her voice is full of money,† which is why Gatsby thought wealth was the only way to her heart. People often think that material wealth means success which is why it is  associated with the American dream. I do not necessarily agree with this, but it is definitely how society perceives it. I think this is especially the way todayÊ ¼s youth perceives success they think the material things like nice clothes, cars and houses show how successful a person is. In the setting of The Great Gatsby, the people who have the nice cars and homes are the ones who are perceived as successful. These people may not be the happiest, or have the most morals, but in terms of materialistic things, they are the most successful. ! Second chances always have been, and I believe always will be associated with the American dream. Gatsby and many of the other characters in the book and looking for second chances in life. People have always associated America with opportunity and second chances at things. Everybody wants to be able to have a second chance at something they fail, or something that doesnÊ ¼t go quite as planned. Today, people almost expect to get second chances at things. This seems to be largely due the precedent that was set by the American dream. American itself has been seen as the land of second chances since colonial times. People came here for new opportunities and a second chance at life. People still come to America today for that very same reason. Christianity today is another example of second chances. It allows people to Katerina Bessey Monday, December 10, 2012 12:23:31 PM ET  repent and be fully redeemed and â€Å"reborn† allowing people to achieve a new start, or a second chance.  Though the American dream has changed slightly since the 1920Ê ¼s, Jay Gatsby portrays many of the aspects of it that are still present today. Mr. GatsbyÊ ¼s lust for material wealth to gain a second chance with the love of his life and journey from â€Å"rags to riches† are still part of the American dream for many people in our modern world.

Distracted While Driving - 1057 Words

Distracted While Driving Virtually anyone who has a driver’s license has been introduced to the idea that distracted driving causes accidents. However, the consequences of distracted driving are far more than just predictable and often taken lightly. Predictable events can be avoided. Since these are predictable events they are preventable. The choices that drivers make affect more people than they may realize, thus making them responsible for the consequences that result from those choices. On a daily basis more than 15 American deaths and another 1,200 injuries are attributed to drivers that are distracted while driving on the very roads most of us use every day (Harvard Men’s Health Watch, page 7). Distractions can be†¦show more content†¦There are five tips on how to avoid common driving distractions: turn off your cell phone, use a hands free device only in cases of emergency, make sure all passengers have a safety belt equipped, eat before or after you drive, and program yo ur GPS before you leave your driveway or parking lot. If you have to deal with any of these or other issues while driving pull over to the side of the road to address the given situation. Following these steps can assist in preventing the loss of life due to distracted driving. The cognitive distractions caused by the use of mobile phones while driving usually cause vehicular accidents to be more severe, however there are steps that can be taken to improve both personal and public safety; it’s up to us to take those steps (Professional Safety, page 1). Visual, manual and cognitive distractions that occur simultaneously while driving are a recipe for vehicular related fatalities involving American teenagers, and often times unsuspecting victims as a result (Harvard Men’s Health Watch, page 6). Hand-held cell phones involve visual distraction while dialing, manual distraction while holding the phone, and cognitive distraction throughout the whole use of the device ( Harvard Men’s Health Watch, page 7). Informing old drivers and introducing new drivers to the dangers of being distracted while driving may raise support in preventing the use of hand held devices while driving. If ourShow MoreRelatedDriving While Texting : Distracted Driving992 Words   |  4 Pagesmore than 13,000 traffic deaths nationwide were due to distracted driving. It is believed that distracted drivers are 23 times more likely to get into a traffic accident as compared to those who are completely focused on the road. The Ohio State Highway Patrol reports that there were 302,307 motor vehicle crashes in Ohio in 2015. These crashes resulted in 1,110 fatalities. 22 of these fatalities were attributed to drivers who were distracted by their phones, texting, emailing or other electronicRead MoreDistracted Driving While Using Handheld Electronic Device893 Words   |  4 Pagesfirst distractions while driving a vehicle began with something as simple as the car radio. As technology progressed, the devices became more complex and required more attention to operate them. Recently, the biggest distraction for drivers is using smartphones to send text messages or to interact with others through social media. People fail to realize the dangers that are associated with distracted driving. The Department of Transportation reported 100,917 distracted driving crashes in 2014, resultingRead MoreEssay on Public Service Announcements on Texting and Driving1154 Words   |  5 Pageswho tend to disregard warnings an d are most like to be distracted drivers, texting and driving PSA’s bring awareness and self consciousness to the general public as they display from moderate to severe graphic scenes on what happens when you take your eyes off of the wheel. A distracted driving PSA ad is not only one of the best ways to alert people of the consequences of unfocused driving, but it can also reduce the number of distracted driving incidents, thus keeping families not only careful andRead MoreDistracted Driving Essay1691 Words   |  7 Pagescan especially happen while driving. Distracted driving is a major problem today, mostly because of cell phones, but there are many other activities or objects that can be distracting to a driver, impacting themselves and other drivers on the road. Distracted driving causes many deaths and injuries each year, and could easily be avoided if drivers took more responsibility for their actions while driving, avoiding any distractions that take their attention away from driving, which threatens the safetyRead MoreDistracted Driving Argument Paper1574 Words   |  7 Pagestechnology in wireless communications is presenting a growing concern for distracted driving due to using cell phones and other electronic devices while driving. Although distracted driving accidents and fatalities have risen in the last decade, placing a ban on the use of a cell phone or other electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle as some states have will not resolve the issue. In fact a ban on cell phones and driving may very well increase the accident and fatality rate because driversRead MoreCauses and Effects of Distracted Driving Essay examples1147 Words   |  5 PagesThe Causes and Effects of Distracted Driving   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Distracted driving is one of the fastest growing problems in the United States.   Ã‚  It is starting to be considered as serious as drunk driving based on the dangerous outcomes.   According to the Department of Transportation (2012), â€Å"distracted driving was a cause of roughly 450,000 accident-related injuries and nearly 5,500 fatalities in 2009 alone† (para. 1). Drivers who allow themselves to become distracted while driving are not only endangeringRead MoreDistracted Driving Is The Most Dangerous Distraction Essay870 Words   |  4 Pagesprohibiting distracted driving by understanding the risk factors, and the effects of distracted driving. 1 Topic A: Details B: Quotations C: Example 1: Explanation 2. Analysis What is Distracted driving? Texting is the most dangerous distraction because it requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention (Facts and Statistics). Distracted driving is an increasing problem in the United States and among younger drivers. According to reports, distracted driving is similar to drunk driving becauseRead MoreDistracted Driving Annotated Bibliography1727 Words   |  7 PagesAnnotated Bibliography Distracted Driving. Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 6 Mar. 2013. In this article â€Å"Distracted Driving†, many distractions are mentioned other than just cell phone usage, such as changing the radio station or driving with kids in the back seat. It is stated that the dangers from distracted driving are because of the decrease in brain function and inability to pay full attention to the road. These practicesRead MoreDistracted Driving : Not Driving1720 Words   |  7 Pagesyou know that it is wrong to check while you are driving, you still check it anyways because you have done it plenty of times and got away with it. Then you look back up and realize that you are on the other side of the road and there is a car heading your way. You swerve back into your lane just in time to miss the incoming car and you realize how those three seconds could have completely changed your life. This is an experience many young and older distracted drivers have at least once in theirRead MoreDistracted Driving Is A Big Problem957 Words   |  4 Pagesthousand people were killed in car crashes caused by distracted drivers† (n.pag.). Distracted driving started when technology became mobile and handheld. Many people have died and gotten injured from people not paying attention to the road. This problem has been growing as technology advances. Distracted driving is a big problem and there needs to be stronger penalties and laws in place to deter people from distracted driving. Distracted driving has been a problem for a long time. It has grown in