Technology adoption of e-government from the perspective of citizens Article

Technology adoption of e-government from the perspective of citizens - Article Example Various governments across the globe have initiated e-government programs with a view to offer speedier and convenient ways for their citizens to access information regarding government services. However, in order for e-governance to work successfully and effectively, as planned, it entails a comprehensive study of factors which may influence its use. Trust – is one such factor which plays a key role in e-commerce, and more specifically e-government, adoption since trust between the government and the citizens is inevitable for this technology to function effectively (Bhattacherjee 2002; Carter and Belanger 2005; McKnight et al. 2002; Pavlou 2003; Warkentin et al. 2002). Hence, if the level of trust displayed by citizens on the government is high, it will lead to high level of involvement in e-government as well. However, trust in e-government or any sort of web-institution for that matter, is greatly influenced by ‘disposition to trust’ since individuals who trust others will generally trust institutions involving people (McKnight et al., 2004). When viewed, from the e-government perspective, the disposition to trust has invariably resulted in an increased level of trust in e-government by the citizens (McKnight et al., 2004) In order to effectively apply any given technology and ensure its widespread acceptance, its antecedents must be taken into consideration. With respect to technology; privacy concerns assumes relatively higher significance and hence needs to be probed thoroughly to ensure wider acceptance. The level of privacy afforded by the media used, across all age groups is directly related to its usage since privacy risks rank highly on the users concerns list (Jacko, 2009). Parents are highly concerned about the privacy protection tools provided to ensure the safety of information accessed by their children. Various studies conducted so far, have reaffirmed the role of privacy in influencing the technology usage. This is

The Image of the Rural Pride as it Relates to the American Identity Essay

The Image of the Rural Pride as it Relates to the American Identity - Essay Example Land ownership shifted from the elite who held the yokes of servants in the feudal system to that of the common man who either staked his claim or was given land on which his pride and his sweat coaxed out a living. In using the imagery of farms and rural life to express idealism, artists have made a commentary on what it means to work the land and the identity that this image creates in relation to that of American life. As a consequence, those same images have been used to relate the disappointments and changing ideals that have grown. The concept of the rural landscape or representation is not always defined by the image of a happy or successful representation of American rural life. In Grant Wood’s work American Gothic, one interpretation is to see a savagery in the faces of the farmer and his wife, their lives so cruel and harsh that they live with that impressed upon their faces. Charles Demuth resented his surroundings so much that his artwork was representative of that same hard lined concept which produced the idea that rural life was unacceptably harsh. The Rural Aesthetic One of the most iconic pieces of art in the American portfolio is that of American Gothic by Grant Wood. The image of the harsh and sober farmer, his wife looking at him with the barest disdain combined with a hint of respect, suggests both a satirical look at rural life, contrasted with a respect for the stoic and harsh nature of such a life. Corn (1998) argues that the work is not based on satire, but on the way in which Wood was raised, his background informing the aesthetic that he has adopted. As well, Wood, according to Corn (1998), had an aesthetic that was reflected in hard lines. Through the examination of the Midwestern lifestyle, he associated the difficulty of rural work to that of the hard line. Corn (1998) quotes Garland who defines the concept of the Midwest through the representation provided through hard lined works, which gave them the aspects of being †Å"rural, raw and tough – as hard ‘edged’ (p. 397). The work, American Gothic, is one of the most recognizable paintings done in the 20th century. It is often referred to as the â€Å"American Mona Lisa† because of its wide use in pop culture iconic works of advertising and social referencing, and because it is associated with American Art in a very central and meaningful way. Critics of the work often assign it to being either regional or satire, both which the artist believes diminishes his intentions with the work. Wood resented the idea that the painting represented specifically Iowa, the work having a more universal representation of the American farmer and not representative of Iowa. The criticism of satire also did not seem to fit the painting. According to Seery (2002), â€Å"the farther the critic lived from the Midwest, the more predisposed he or she was to read the painting as satire or social criticism† (p. 121). In fact, the painting was depicted as vicious by art historian Mathew Baigell who framed his interpretation as â€Å"a ‘vicious satire’ that depicts the couple as savage, exuding ‘a generalized, barely repressed animosity that borders on venom†

Compare and contrast the Piagetian,Vygotskian and information Essay

Compare and contrast the Piagetian,Vygotskian and information Processing theories of cognition. To what extent can these theorie - Essay Example Piaget believed that the wrong answers revealed by children had significance differences between the reasoning of adults and children. Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) was the founder of the Vygotskian framework of cognitive development. The elements of Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development include the role of social interactions, the More Knowledge Other, and the Zone of Proximal Development. The Vygotskian theory stresses that social interactions are critical in the cognitive development of children. Information-Processing frameworks are based on the perspective that mental processes undergo maturational changes during children’s development (McCartney & Phillips, 2011). Different cognitive theories of development bear diverse propositions about cognitive stages of development; however, these theories share some similarities concerning cognitive development of children during school years. The Piagetian Theory The Piagetian theory argues that children have the ability to construct and understand the world around them, and experience the difference between their existing knowledge and new information they acquire in the environment (Smith, 2008). The fundamental believe held by Piaget is that reality is a dynamic system characterized by a continuous change. This implies the conception of reality is viewed differently across the ages of development. Some stages of development are filled with imaginations of unreal world, while other stages of development consist of children having the real sense of the world. According to Piaget, the concept reality involves transformations and states. Transformation constitutes the manners of changes that a person undergoes during various stages of development (Smith, 2008). States are the conditions and appearances that characterize developmental stages as they are viewed between transformations. Piaget developed six stages of cognitive development that change as children grow (Bremner and Lewis, 2006). The stages include sensory motor (birth to 2 years), pre-operational stage (2 to 5 years), concrete operational stage (7 to 11 years) and formal operational stage (above 12 years). Children develop various cognitive activities as they undergo these stages. The Concepts of Assimilation, Accommodation, Equilibration and Conservation in Piaget’s Theory Assimilation Assimilation describes the process through which the human mind perceives and adapts to new information. Human beings take in their environment and the new information available and attempt to fit it into the pre-existing cognitive schemas. The human mind tries to make sense of the new learning by referring to be previously acquired information in order to make sense of it (Bekoff, Allen & Burghardt, 2002). The concept of assimilation declares learning a continuous process. The theory also reveals that prior information is crucial in understanding new information. This implies that children who have some concepts of knowledge fi nd it easier to acquire additional knowledge than those who do not have any knowledge. Accommodation According to Johnson, Munakata and Gilmore (2009), accommodation involves taking new information from the environment and adjusting the current schemas to fit in the new learning. Accommodation describes the ways through which human beings continue to interpret new theories, frameworks, and schemas. The mind is adaptive enough to allow proper mental adjustments to accommodate the new learning

Smartphone and Social Media Usage in the Healthcare Profession Research Paper

Smartphone and Social Media Usage in the Healthcare Profession - Research Paper Example As the report declares to put the issue of social media and Smartphone usage into context, it is essential to understand HIPAA requirements on the same. HIPAA privacy rule 164.502 states that a covered entity or any of its associate may not use or disclose cosseted health information, except as permitted or required by sub-article C of 160 of this rule. Sub article C outlines the circumstances under which, a medic or a medical entity can release a patient’s personal information. According to the essay findings the exceptions for disclosure are highly limited to criminal activity on the part of the patient. In essence therefore, social media and Smartphone use by medics seems to read from different pages with HIPAA. While social media is geared towards sharing one’s surrounding environment, HIPAA overrules such disclosure and can lead to serious consequences including license cancellation. From a medic’s perspective, Smartphones and social media can be a great mental relaxation tool, which in turn helps one assist patients better. By nature of their work, healthcare professionals have to work long hours. This causes mental and emotional strain, which if unchecked can lead to reduced concentration, and negative consequences to the patients. With the advent of social media, a medic can now get in touch with family and friends and release some work related steam. A light moment with a friend while on a ten minute break can go a long way in rejuvena ting a medic.

Corporate Structures and Governance Arrangements Coursework

Corporate Structures and Governance Arrangements - Coursework Example In the pre-bureaucratic corporate structure, there is a centralized structure with the role of strategic decision making left to the top management leaders, which is the best for solving very simple problems. This system is very common among the small corporate and mostly communication is done on one-on-one basis. Though, it lacks a fundamental role, that is, standardization of roles and responsibility, the consequences of this structure on managerial accountability is that it helps the strategic director to influence and control development and growth of the corporate organization2. How Appointment Rights and Removal Rights Differ and Their Consequences Having looked at the Hampel Report, one comes to consensus that corporate structures and governance arrangement vary from one country, an individual can use the same rights differ across the jurisdiction. The main explanation for this is that the structure of a particular and how it is governed would define how decisions and appointm ent rights come about in that particular corporation and as a result each decision comes about with its consequences3. It is how rights are allocated that would ensure that the corporation gives quality performance. For example, in a corporate structure where decision rights and appointments are left in the hands of the shareholders, there is a common tendency that the organisation would experience some positive effects in its operations. That is, the shareholders are at times driven by the desire to reap the highest revenues and profits from the company4. Therefore, it would make sure the appointment and removal of directors from the corporation is done in a transparent way and the appointments done based on merit. In countries where decision making and appointment rights are left to the chief executive officer because he/she has broader business knowledge than the shareholders. The main argument for the proponents of this structure is that the chief executive officer knows how eff ective the mangers are in their daily business operations. In fact, they know when and how to make strategic decisions. However, the consequences of this structure are that it takes a lot of time to transfer certain decision making information to the rest of the organisation. It is also tedious to make all the decisions by oneself, and in case of the appointment and dismissal of directors, then one can consider the action taken to be personal and bias, and this can bring about some unnecessary, tension, conflict and tension in the organisation5. Another different structure is that which foresees all the decisions and appointment rights based on the management, especially if the corporation is a family enterprise. This method is always considered cheaper in terms of experts/employees hiring costs. However, this structure and governance arrangement has its own demerits. Despite the savings on expenditure, decision making in this case is guided more by emotions and this out rightly aff ects the corporation negatively6. It also seeks to over centralize powers and rights to make decisions to the family members, this would mean that there might be lack of relevant information flowing down to other stakeholders of the corporation. However, it is important to note that decision rights and appointments have their own effects. Therefore, one should not be

'Self-determination is irrelevant in the 21st Century'. Discuss Essay

'Self-determination is irrelevant in the 21st Century'. Discuss - Essay Example It is accordingly, protected by various international human rights bodies that ensure all people get their rights. This concept has evolved during the 20th century following secessionist movements during and after World War I and II allowing for decolonization of countries from the 1960's onwards. The start of the famous European colonization of the Americas started around 1940's following the Spanish expedition headed by Christopher Columbus5. This followed a conquest that was featured by large-scale exploration, migration and eventually colonization in order to take full advantage of the resources in those foreign countries. Rebellions were the first characteristics of the determination to self-rule that was witnessed in the mid 1770's. Because of the explicit invocations of natural law, the natural right of man and the absence of consent from the people who were being governed, people began to revolt against colonial rule6. In the United Stated Declaration of Independence, the pro motion of the notion that the will of the people is supreme made significant contributions to the aspect of self-determination. These and some other notions are what led to the acceptance of the principle of self-determination. ... These treaties both held that people had a right to freely pursue their economic and political interests following self-determination. Previously, self-determination was considered a political principle with no legal effect. But following WW2, self-determination became a legal principle and a right in International Law. And because of its adoption by several treaties and charters it received worldwide recognition under International Law. The concept of self-determination is thus still relevant because of the number of cases in the International Court of Justice that have received ruling in favor of the concept of self-determination. Self-determination has thus achieved the status of erga omnes which requires the rest of the international community to respect it. Other jurists and scholars have also argued that the principle of self-determination has acquired the status of jus cogens making it the superior rule of international law. As such, the rest of the community has the mandate t o strictly obey it at all times and in all circumstances in their relations with each other. However, the UN Charter10 had no provisions for the enforcement of the right to self-determination outside the context of decolonization. It simply provided that countries be allowed to govern themselves but it did not provide other stipulations for how this was to take place. This allowed the legal doctrine of uti possidetis juris11 to thrive. This meant that old administrative boundaries became the international boundaries without taking into consideration the linguistic, ethical and cultural boundaries that had previously existed. Despite the fact that people of one culture were torn apart by international boundaries, nations succeeded in freeing themselves from colonial rule.

Liberalization of International Currency Mobility Essay

Liberalization of International Currency Mobility - Essay Example These factors include; the removal of credit limitations, privatization of majority of banks previously owned by governments and lower interest rates for borrowers (Quiggin, 2005). The banking sector has also experienced reduced or total withdrawal of entry barriers, liberalization of the security market and capital account. This free-flow of currency across borders has been facilitated by worldwide free-trade, occasioned by globalization. The privatization of capital flows has also seen a surge of capital movement within and across borders. Private organizations have been in a rush to provide financial assistance to people in need of money for business, investment, or otherwise. When the liberalization of capital movement was starting off, it seemed like a most lucrative idea that would see the soaring of economies in different countries. However, over the years, different financial crises have made a lot of people have a different opinion regarding free capital mobility. This essay is going to discuss the positives and negatives of capital flows in the international arena in regard to economic augmentation. In the field of free capital flow, it is hard to distinguish a certain factor as being advantageous and another as a limitation. All aspects have a positive and a negative side. Accordingly, the essay will focus at a factor at a time and weigh its benefits against its cons. Since the 1980’s neo-liberalists have been very strong proponents of liberalized currency mobility in the international field. Proponents of the neoliberal theory are of the opinion that only free markets can help achieve international economic growth. According to Grabel &Chang (2004) neoliberal theorists place prime importance on the function of markets in enhancing easy movement of currency and goods. Advocates of the neoliberal theory also hold that privatization of state-owned organizations is of prime importance to free capital mobility. Neoliberal ideas have proved to be v iable to some extent, based on the results of the past twenty years. Globalization in the 1970s brought about transformations in the international financial system in terms of increased capital mobility and international trade. The advent of globalization made most countries to relax limitations to free flow of capital in the international field. Globalization means the opening up of borders to both goods and capital flows for the purpose of foreign investment. Private Banks Among the achievements of neoliberal ideas is the promotion of the private sector in both developing and developed countries. Private capital flows has over the years come to overtake public mobility of capital. Public movement of currency consists of governments exchanging capital, either through direct lending or through multilateral corporations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (Grabel & Chang, 2004). Rise in loaning institutions, foreign investment and portfolio capital mobility h ave all led to the promotion of private currency mobility. National banks cannot accommodate the high demands of local and overseas investors. Accordingly, many foreign classified banks have sprung up in order to facilitate borrowing and loaning of capital, especially to domestic investors (Frank, 1990). Considering that most governments do not have adequate lending power, these alien private banks source for finances in international lenders.