Grade Retention for Struggling Students Essay Example for Free

Grade Retention for Struggling Students Essay The use of ABA principles and techniques to treat people with Autism live happy and productive lives has grown quickly in recent years. According to information provided by the Autism Organization, ABA is used all over the world and is recognized as a safe and effective treatment. http://www.autismspeaks.org/whatisit/index.php There have been many studies done in a variety of settings all examining effects of ABA methods on social behaviors. Donald Baer completed the first published study on ABA in 1968 and there was another study by O. Ivar Lovaas done in 1987. These studies both took a look at using behavior modification interventions on Autistic children. The idea was to use early intervention to teach alternate, socially appropriate behaviors. In the study by Lovaas, subjects were assigned to one of two control groups, one that received 40 hours per week of one-to-one treatment, and the other 10 hours or less. Both treatment groups received treatment for at least two years. The follow up indicated the groups that received the additional treatment did much better in achieving normal intellectual and educational functioning (Lovaas, 1987). Much of the data I reviewed revealed great success in implementing applied behavior analysis in treating Autistic children in replacing or reducing inappropriate behaviors. According to many reports, ABA is considered by many researchers to be the most effective therapeutic approach in treating children with Autism, but in order for the program to be effective, both parents, educators, and other care providers need to be trained (http://autism.healingthresholds.com/therapy/applied-behavior-analysis-aba). How effective is ABA in reducing aggressive behaviors in Autistic students? There’s actually quite a bit of interest in ABA, an increase in demand for the service, and several universities across the United States are involved in studies on the use of ABA. In a THE FIVE W’S OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY 4 paper published just a decade ago, Tris Smith carefully studied outcome investigations of ABA programs and found convincing evidence that ABA treatment programs have increased adaptive behavior and reduced inappropriate behavior. He also mentioned that this program may raise IQ and other standardized scores, and even reducing the need for special services. Mr. Smith suggest research is needed to confirm results on IQ and test scores (Smith, 1999). The organization, Autism Speaks, has grown into the nations largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders. With several medical professionals with field experience in Autism and behavior intervention programs, they support the use of ABA with children of all ages, with and without disabilities, in many different settings (Green G, Brennan L., and Fein, D. 2002) Several studies have been done on the effectiveness of ABA. My particular interest is will ABA work with aggressive behavior in Autistic students and I found no study that targeted aggression specifically but targeted social behaviors in general. There is a gap in the literature because I found no study that focused specifically on aggressive behavior and provided the data to support that. I will use the data from the student records at my school to fill in the gap. Reviewing the Literature ABA is using what we know about behavior to bring about change; to increase or decrease a particular behavior, to improve the quality of a behavior, to stop an old behavior, or teach a new. The number of children being diagnosed with Autism Disorder each year has increased significantly over the past decade. These students’ social behaviors are affected in various THE FIVE W’S OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY 5 degrees from mild social awkwardness to extreme physical aggression towards themselves and others. It’s extremely important to find successful interventions which can help autistic students improve these socially significant behaviors which include Reading, Academics, Social skills, communication, and adaptive living skills. Keep in mind that adaptive living skills include things like fine and gross motor skills, eating and food preparation, toileting, dressing, personal self care, money and value, and the list goes on but these skills are detrimental to these students future success, not only in school, but in life. I will be using pre-existing data on students who have attended the school where I work. These student s have moved on but their records are still assessable. I will have to use fictitious names and delete personal information due to privacy. My plan is to use the correlational research method. I will gather the data from my students as well as looking at studies recorded at the Cambridge Center for Behavior Studies, The New Jersey Education Association, and a study published by McEachin S.J., Smith, T., and Lovaas, O.I. in the American Journal of Mental Retardation. Theory The theory behind ABA is that you can teach children with autism, as well as others, appropriate social behaviors with simplified instructional steps and consistent reinforcement. There are actually a number of techniques that follow the ABA principal. I suggest that we can use the same approach to reduce aggressive behaviors. Studies directly related I did find studies related to my question of what effect ABA has on aggressive behavior in Autistic students, even though aggression was not the focus of the study. These studies both used the same ABA principles but with some differences in technique. O. Ivar Lovaas was THE FIVE W’S OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY 6 interested in ABA and wanted to see if it was effective in treating children with Autism. Many autistic children show minimal emotional attachment, absent or abnormal speech, retarded 1Q, ritualistic behaviors, aggression, and self-injury. The prognosis is very poor, and medical therapies have not proven effective. (Lovaas, 1987) He wrote a detailed article about a study and provided a close look at how the study was conducted. In this study, intensive ABA treatment was provided to one control group of autistic children under the age of 4, but minimal treatment was provided to the other control group. A variety of ABA techniques were used to try and reduce self stimulatory and aggressive behaviors, building compliance to verbal requests, teaching imitation, and to begin teaching appropriate toy play in the first year. The study continued to address significant behaviors over a period of time. When the study was completed, a follow up assessment was conducted and the control group that received the intense treatment had better scores on their IQ tests had higher educational placement, with 47% of them completing normal first grade in a public first grade. Ann M. Baer, Trudylee Rowbury, Donald M. Baer did a similar study that uses a variation of an ABA. The subjects used in this study were not just Autistic but all students had behavior problems. These students were between the ages of 4 and 6. The study examined the possibility of instructional control over extremely non-compliant children. In this study, a token reward system was used to reinforce appropriate behaviors. The classroom was divided into two sections, one for pre-academic tasks where tokens can be earned, and the other section was a play area where students could exchange their tokens for free time. The students were allowed to choose the task they complete but earned more points or tokens for completing a task the teacher suggest. As a students’ compliance increases, time outs were introduced. When THE FIVE W’S OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY 7 this happened, compliance increased significantly. This study demonstrated two procedures that can be effective in increasing childrens compliance but keep in mind there are many variables that come into play. (Baer, Rowbury, Baer) Studies tangentially related All the studies I found were relevant to my question and were also based on the question of whether or not ABA methods were effective in improving behavior. Method The subjects in this study were students at my school. There were 9 total, 8 males and 1 female. Each of these students had been diagnosed with Autism. None of these students had received any type of behavior intervention prior to this study. The students were tracked for three months prior to receiving treatment (the first 3 months of school). We were measuring the number of aggressive behavior episodes each school day. After recording incidents in the students for 3 months, ABA treatment on all 9 students began. The treatment was provided at school by a teacher who was also a certified behavior specialist. The treatment began the 1st of December and we began measuring the behavior incidents two weeks after treatment started. Aggressive behavior was described as behavior that causes, or is intended to cause pain, harm, or damage to oneself, to another person, or to property. Aggressive behavior can be described as mental, verbal, or physical. Inappropriate behavior is when the student is not following rules, is loud or unruly, disruptive, offensive, refusing to complete work, not listening, not cooperating with authority figures, etc. Results The design I used was a One-Group Pretest-Posttest. I used a single group and measured THE FIVE W’S OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY 8 them before and after they received applied behavior analysis treatment. I used the T test and paired two samples for means and the results indicated a â€Å"t† statistic of 5.199 and a p value of .0004 which is less than 0.05. There is a significant difference between the two means. So what does all this mean to me and my research? It appears as though applying applied behavior analysis techniques may have a positive effect on reducing aggressive behaviors in students with Autism. Of course, there are many factors that can also affect the results such as whether or not students care providers receive in home training, what kind of training have the teachers had, and how many hours of treatment is each student receiving? The research I’ve done so far did suggest that by providing intense treatment over long periods of time, by ensuring that all care providers and teachers working with the students are highly trained, and these techniques are used consistently and appropriately, the number of behavior incidents will decrease significantly. As I was reading all the literature about ABA and how important it is for individuals implementing these techniques to receive specialized training, and how intense the training should be in order to achieve the optimal results, I became more interested. As I was recording the results after the treatment and in some students I saw really big changes, but in other students the changes were minimal. I also knew that some students care providers had received in-home training while others had not so I was not really surprised by the results. My data analysis findings are pretty much what I expected in some ways but surprising in others. Discussion Both studies done by Lovaas, and several others related to using ABA techniques for behavior intervention therapy, had more control over the variables. In the study done at my school, we did THE FIVE W’S OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY 9 not get to select our subjects based on any specific criteria other than their diagnosis of Autism and no previously recorded ABA treatments were received by the subject prior to our study. Many experts believe that parents and other care providers should receive intense training on ABA techniques in order for the treatment to help. Lovaas devoted an entire study on the importance of parental factors in the success of treatment. He noted that the role parents play is crucial in determining how much progress a child makes. I noticed in our study, the students who had a more significant change in the number of behavior incidents after treatment, also received in home training/treatment. Our district offered in home training to parents as well as treatment . Most of the parents refused the training. I’ve been working with the Autistic students this year and I noticed that at the beginning of the school year, they all have a lot of difficulty, and many have several behavior incidents. Autistic students need lots of structure and routine. As the students get settled into the routine of being in school, they get used to their new environment, and transitioning around campus, the incidents for most students decrease, even without a certified behavior therapist on site. It’s the more severe students who continue to show the least amount of progress. In Lovaas’s study, he began treatment very early in the child’s life. Even with the child find program, many times, we don’t get to start any type of behavior intervention until 5 or 6 years of age. Many behaviors are already in place by then. Most of my students came from single parent homes, and more than one child with a disability in the home. Most of our parents had little education and even less training on how to help a child with Autism. There are new studies being done every day in this area. I look forward to finding â€Å"easier ways† to teach these students. It is very challenging, frustrating, and extremely exhausting, but since the number of people being diagnosed in the Autism spectrum is growing THE FIVE W’S OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY 10 Baer, D.M., and Wolf, M.W., Some still current dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1987, 209, 313-327 Baer, A. M., Rowbury, T., and Baer, D. M. The development of instructional control over classroom activities of deviant preschool children. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1973, 61, 289-298 Green, G., Brennan, L., and Fein, D. Intensive behavioral treatment for a toddler at high risk for autism. Behavior Modification, Vol. 26 No. 1, January 2002, 69-102 Koegel, R. L., Russo D. C., and Rincover A., Assessing and Training Teachers in the Generalized use of Behavior Modification with Autistic Children. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1977, 10, 197-205 Lovaas, O. I., Behavioral treatment and normal educational and intellectual functioning in young autistic children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1987, Vol 55, No. 1, 3-9 Lovaas, O. I., Koegel, R. L., Simmons, J. Q., and Stevens, J. Some generalization and follow up measures on autistic children in behavior therapy. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, (in press) Smith T. (1999). Outcome of early intervention for children with autism. Clinical Psychology: Research and practice, 6, 33-49

Humorous Wedding Speech Made by a Fellow Teacher :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Humorous Wedding Speech Made by a Fellow Teacher Ladies and gentlemen, it's an honour to be standing here. I suppose I should actually say it's an honour and a pleasure, but I know the pleasure won’t kick in until this speech part is over. I must admit to being a little surprised when James invited me to his wedding as I only met him a few years ago. But on reflection, I think he was swayed by the fact that I know very little about the first years of his life, which therefore puts some rather embarrassing stories out of reach. James and I have been close ever since we met whilst (while) teaching at Ferndale secondary school - so close, in fact, that he has told me secrets that nobody else knows. One of those secrets is that James keeps a diary. In preparation for this speech, I decided to swipe his diary and would now like to read to you a few of the entries that chart the blossoming romance between James and Anis. [pull out a diary prop] So here it goes: September 5th 1998 – Today was my first day as a teacher. When the kids got out of line, I just got loud and acted tough like dad does. I hope they don't realize that I am really just a big sissy. September 6th 1998 – A pretty teacher at school talked to me today. That was weird. September 7th 1998 – I said â€Å"hi† to the pretty girl today. It's a good thing Jason [best man] taught me how to be cool. September 13th 1998 – Ate dinner at Pizza Hut tonight with Jason, Sarah, and the pretty girl named Anis. I think I like her. September 14th 1998 – I couldn't sleep last night with all the butterflies in my stomach. I think I like this girl more than my car. September 15th 1998 – Jason is the coolest guy I know. I hope he doesn’t decide to go out with Anis. September 14th 1998 – Anis kissed me. It was amazing. I haven't kissed a girl since Freshers’ Week at Uni (the university). December 7th 2001 – I proposed to Anis today. She accepted, but only after criticizing my way of kneeling. This is one of the happiest days of my life. Unfortunately, I can't see much because I've been crying like a little girl.

How America Has Changed Forever Essay

Americans to this day will never act or feel the same way as they once used to. What we did then and how we did it, we can no longer do now. It has been over twelve years since the United States went through one of the most horrific, terrifying tragedies in all of United States history. As we all know today, on September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger airliners so they could be flown into buildings in suicide attacks. Two of those planes were intentionally crashed into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. For this reason, there has been an enormous amount of changes in the United States. The three major areas that have changed are the airport security, the government, and the psychological impact. Before the attacks on the World Trade Center, airports security was fairly simple. For instance, passengers only had to show your ID and passengers were allowed to bring sharp objects on board such as: penknives, box cutters, and sharp scissors. Passengers were also allowed to walk through security with their shoes on, a belt on, or even a drink in their hand. Whereas now, we have adopted a new form of security called the Transportation Security Administration. Security now stops you at every checkpoint and you have to show your ID. Also, you cannot carry sharp objects onto the plane. You now have to take off your shoes and belt, and have them ran through a metal detector. Another key point is that passengers are not allowed to have liquids above 3. 4 ounces when going through the checkpoints. Special items such as laptops must be pulled out of the luggage. One of the most noticeable changes is the need to arrive at the airport early. The United Airlines website, for example, suggested airport arrival times include this recommendation for Los Angeles International: â€Å"Customers with checked baggage should arrive 2 hours before flight departure. † Due to the excessive wait at security, an early arrival is necessary. The airport security was not the only factor the United States enhanced, but the government as well also made changes. Due to the attacks, for this reason, the United States adopted the Patriot Act. The purpose of this act is to: deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes. There were also more than one hundred and thirty pieces of legislation introduced that related to the attacks during the first year. Such as: the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, the Enhanced Border Security, and Visa Entry Reform Act. To be sure to stop another tragedy happening, the government created agencies after the attacks that include the Department of Homeland Security, which consolidated other agencies, including the U. S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. The last significant change that the United States has faced since the attack is the psychological impact on how we Americans view immigrants. To put it another way, some Americans responded with fear, anger, as well as a growing intolerance for immigrants, especially against those who are or appeared to be from the Middle East. For this reason, many Muslims and Asians in the United States reported that they were the victims of harassment and hate crimes days after the attacks. In fact, some Muslims were shot and killed only because of their race. Not only were people shot, people were also targeting institutions that related with the Islamic faith. Mosques were attacked as well as other religious buildings, including a Hindu temple in St. Louis, Missouri. Anger and fear are not the only psychological consequences that we Americans have faced, but also posttraumatic stress disorder. According to figures from three New York City 9/11 health programs, at least 10,000 police officers, firefighters and civilians directly exposed to the World Trade Center attacks have been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder. Twelve years later, we Americans are still impacted from this tragedy. We will always be emotionally distraught, nor we will ever get back the loved ones that have passed away in the tragic incidents. On the positive note, the government passed many regulations to make sure that there will never be a 9/11 repeat.

Shelf Life of Chlorine Bleach and How to Maximize It

Bleach is one of those household chemicals that loses its activity over time. It doesnt matter whether or not the bleach container has been opened or not. Temperature is the primary factor affecting how long bleach remains active. According to Cloroxâ„ ¢, the amount of hypochlorite that is added to their bleach depends on the season in which it is manufactured, because temperature affects the decomposition rate of sodium hypochlorite. So, more hypochlorite is added to bleach made in the summer than in cooler months. Clorox aims to maintain a 6% hypochlorite concentration for at least six months after the manufacturing date, assuming the bleach is stored around 70Â °F. It takes about 4-8 weeks from the time chlorine bleach is made to when it gets to a store so that you can buy it to take home. This leaves you 3-5 months where the bleach is at the effectiveness level stated on its label. Does this mean bleach is useless after 3-5 months? No, because you probably dont need 6% hypochlorite for laundry and home disinfection. The 6% hypochlorite level is an EPA disinfection standard. If you store your bleach where it can get warmer than 70Â °F, like 90Â °F, the bleach is still effective for around three months. How Long Is Bleach Good? So, when you buy a bottle of bleach, it has a shelf life. The bleach will be highly effective for around 6 months and fine for home use for around 9 months. Clorox recommends replacing any bottle of bleach that is over a year old. Another way to tell if your bleach is expired is to note its odor. Dont open the bottle and take a whiff! The human sense of smell is sensitive to bleach, so you should be able to smell it as soon as you pour it from its container. If you dont smell any bleach, its likely most of the product has decomposed into salt and water. Replace it with a fresh bottle. Maximizing the Bleach Shelf Life If you want bleach to remain as effective as possible for as long as possible, avoid storing it in extremely hot or freezing conditions. Generally, this means its better to store a bottle of bleach in a cabinet inside the house, which has a relatively stable room temperature, as opposed to a garage or outside storage shed. Bleach is sold in an opaque container. Dont switch it out for a clear container because exposure to light will degrade the chemical more quickly. Like other hazardous chemicals, make sure its kept away from children and pets. Its also a good idea to store bleach away from other household cleaners because it can react with many of them to release toxic fumes.

The Relationship between Faith and Reason - 1369 Words

Ashley Reynolds STUDENT TH101: THEOLOGY MAJOR ESSAY FaithReason â€Å"Faith and Reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth† Explain the dangers for a theologian when faith and reason are divorced from each other. Use at least one example of a Christian teaching that shows the harmony of faith and reason The harmony of faith and reason are the grounds upon which many Christian teachings are built. This relationship enhances elements of both constructs, however the danger of separating reason from faith is that reason will endeavour to prove literally and most logically which would cause the ultimate goal and question to be lost in deliberation and, on the other hand, separating faith†¦show more content†¦Over time, reason will explain most aspects of the show, but would only hold 4 5 Fides et Ratio, John Paul II 94 Hebrews 11:3 evidence enough to understand the earliest moments of the show. To reach full truth, faith needs to be introduced to actually believe in the initial source of light. Furthermore to the prospect, faith and reason question what happens if the light sources goes out; for the play will not â€Å"die† as death is merely an understood element of the play.Show MoreRelated Trinity of Beliefs Essay1361 Words   |  6 Pages We study different religious faiths in order to understand other people. Many people have strong religious convictions, and it would be impossible to understand them without first understanding their faith. Which is why when studying the early Western World the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which are all closely related, are examined. All three of these religions are Western, they are monotheistic, and together they form the Abramic religions. Judaism is the oldest, dating from aroundRead MoreThe Relationship Between Philosophy And Theology1444 Wor ds   |  6 Pagesof society, specifically those who think that faith and reason can never coincide. Other people, though, see the two subjects of study as collaborative instead. Similar to how as intellectuals of our Church today support this relationship, the intellectuals Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure also reinforced it in the thirteenth century. However, both Aquinas and Bonaventure have their own (sometimes differing) opinions on what the true relationship between philosophy and theology is. I believe that Aquinas’sRead MoreThe Relationship Between Philosophy And Theology1433 Words   |  6 Pagessociety, those who think that faith and reason are opposites and can never coincide. Others, though, see the two subjects of study as collaborative instead. And just as intellectuals of our Church today support the relationship which is otherwise seen as faith and reason, so too did the intellectuals Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure reinforce it in the thirteenth century. Howev er, both Aquinas and Bonaventure have their own different opinions on what the true relationship between philosophy and theologyRead MoreEssay on Kierkegaards View on Faith1045 Words   |  5 PagesKierkegaards View on Faith Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher in the mid 1800s. He is known to be the father of existentialism and was at least 70 years ahead of his time. Kierkegaard set out to attack Kant’s rational ethics and make attacks on the Christianity of our day. He poses the question, how do we understand faith? He states that faith equals the absurd. In â€Å"Fear and Trembling†, he uses the story of Abraham and his son Isaac to show an example of faith as the absurd. 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However, because a value of 1 represents a perfectly positive linear line, the low R value suggests that our line is nearly horizontal and will have a small slope. In order to find how confident we are this relationship exists we can run a t-test for R, which is included at the bottom of Table 1. The testRead MoreThe True Meaning Of Faith1725 Words   |  7 Pagesmake us believe in Faith. One might say that we live because we believe in something, no matter how the other feels about it or the way they express those feelings, and also believe in someone due to our connection to them in a distinctive way, a form of believing in faith. To clarify the real meaning of faith would mean to describe the connection between one individual to another, because to understand the meaning of faith, one need to have faith in something or someone. 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Anselm argues for this eloquently, I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe, that unless I believed, I should not understand (Ch.1 Proslogion)Read MoreComparing Religion And Science From A Sociological Viewpoint1478 Words   |  6 Pagesconsider both how irrational social factors influence everything, and the relationship between faith and proof. First of all, There are a number of debates about the similarities and differences between religion with science from aspects of sociological. Then, in my opinion, is not just the science with people who are the physicist or high priests and mullah shaped to religion. Religion can be forming of culture, identity, relationship, practice, power and so on. Also, in the social constructions, science

Culture s Complex Web Of Meaning - 1309 Words

Ethnography in our textbook is defined as method of participant observation designed to help a researcher experience a culture’s complex web of meaning. Ethnography is a concept that we have explored in class that is quintessential in developing this final essay, â€Å"Performing Identity†. For my interviewee I chose Gabriel Kenneh, a Liberian- born man, whom moved to America as a young teenager to escape a Civil War that was going on in his country at the time. Throughout the course of the interview I was intrigued by our cultural and ethnic differences as well as a few similarities that we shared. His strong cultural ties allowed for a very influential ethnographic experience. The ability to analyze the experiences of others whose lives and upbringing differ from your own and then living their life as they would has tremendous learning benefits. I was fortunate enough to spend a Thursday evening with Gabriel to conduct my interview, before we actually begun the interv iew Gabriel suggested we have a round of beers first just to loosen up from the long workweek. The interview itself was basically about his time in Liberia as a child, his thoughts and experiences when he first came to America and how he lived his life today. Throughout the initial first round of questions in my interview it was evident that Gabriel’s identity marker was his cultural and ethnic background. I found the ethnic and cultural differences and similarities between us to be quite intriguing especiallyShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Invisible Borders 1066 Words   |  5 Pageseveryday amongst the people. The United States of America is divided amongst different cultures. Not necessarily by the cultures themselves, but by how people are perceiving these cultures and how these cultures go against other. 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Corporations draw upon established systems of meaning, selling

Strategic Management and Information Systems Technologies and Communi

Question: *Discuss the effects of managing information resources, new technologies and communication networks on the business value and competitiveness of an organisation. * Analyse the effects of information systems on strategic decision-making. * Evaluate the importance of knowledge to the management of an organisation. * Analyse an organisations ability to implement Business Continuity Planning. * Evaluate the legal and ethical requirements of an organisation from an information systems perspective. Answer: Introduction Middletons is a chain of stationary outlets that is aimed at incorporating advanced ICT solutions within their organizational structure, so as to cater to the demands of their customers (Al-Zubi, Shaban and Alnaser 2014). Besides this, the management of the organization is well aware of the very fact that the implementation of modern internet technologies would not only facilitate the process of improving the operational functionalities of the organization, but would also help them to regain their foothold in the market (Chen, Chiang and Storey 2012). This particular report provides an in-depth discussion on the various ICT systems that should be implemented at Middletons so as to meet their business objectives. The efficiency of E-business ventures (in the retail sector) has also been discussed, along with the ethical and security considerations that have to be made during the implementation of the project. System Implementation In the last few years, the information technology industry has come up with several customized retail oriented systems, that are aimed at facilitating the management of the complex functionalities of the domain (Erl, Puttini and Mahmood 2013). In this section of the report, a detailed discussion of some such systems would be provided: the primary objective of the discussion being making the higher management Middletons aware of benefits off the inclusion of such systems within their organizational structure. Enterprise Systems (ES): Enterprise systems are defined as large scale software packages capable of supporting the business processes of a organization, controlling the flow of information through the organization, besides assisting in the process of data collection, analysis and reporting (Galliers and Leidner 2014). However, from the hardware perspective, the computing devices, servers and data bases used for maintaining organizational data are also considered to be integral part of the enterprise system. Enterprise systems are further classified as the following: Enterprise resource planning systems or ERP systems Enterprise planning systems Customer relationship management systems (Duan and Da Xu 2012) Enterprise resource planning systems: ERP and ERP2 Enterprise resource planning systems can be considered as customized software applications, developed for the management of those integrated business applications that facilitate the process of collection, storage, analysis and reporting of organizational data (Monk and Wagner 2012). ERP systems encourage the storage of the information generate from various operational activities of the organization, like that of the product planning, service delivery, manufacturing, inventory management , marketing and sales and so on and so forth, in a common database (Clarke 2012). The data stored in this common database can be accessed or tracked in real time, thus facilitating organizational decision making process. ERP2, on the other hand is defined as that particular software application that incorporates the functionalities of transaction based enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and customer relationship planning management systems (Leon 2014). The implementation of standalone ERP systems in place of the insular systems would provide the following benefits to Middletons: Custom designed retail ERP systems are usually designed to be compatible with hardware devices like bar scanners, printers and various other hand-held devices that might be used at retail stores to maintain a record of the sales being made (Chang et al. 2014). Thus, the implementation of such an application would facilitate the process of maintaining the sales records at Middletons. The implementation of the ERP system would also facilitate the process of managing the stocks and inventories of the stationary chain (Galliers and Leidner 2014). The centralized database helps in maintaining a coherent workflow amongst the various departments, thus resulting in smooth transition of information and quicker completion of operational processes (Duan and Da Xu 2012). Last but not the least, the higher management would be able to better manage the resources located at various physical stores of the retail chain with the help of the standalone ERP system (Simmons 2016). Effective data management systems The following sections of the report contain discussions on several advanced methods of data management that could be utilized by the higher management of Middletons for the efficient storage of the organizational data Data Warehouse The Enterprise Data warehouse can be defined as repositories that contain integrated data from multiple sources, that repository being utilized for the analysis and reporting of organizational data (Belanger and Xu 2015). The implementation of data warehouses have been found to be significantly advantageous for retail organizations: such repositories help in analysis of sales reports and several other organizational data sets (Fafinski 2013). The analysis of the sales reports helps in determining the popularity of each product among the customers, the times during which the organization makes the maximum profit, the demographics of the loyal customers and so on and so forth. Such information, on the other hand, provides much assistance in the organizational decision making process. The major benefits that can be availed by the higher management of Middletons through the implementation of data warehouse systems have been enlisted in the following section: The availability of integrated data from various sources would be the primary benefit of implementing a data warehousing system in the organization: the managers would not be forced to base their decisions on limited data sources (Palmer et al. 2015). The Business intelligence modules inherent to data warehouses can also utilized by the higher management of Middletons to facilitate the management of the financial sectors of the organization, along with that of the market segmentation, the inventory and the sales of the organization (Galliers and Leidner 2014). The data warehouse would also facilitate the access to historical information based on which decisions could be taken (Wixom et al. 2014). Business Intelligence tools and analytical techniques The higher management of Middletons might also consider the implementation of the following business intelligence and analytical tools within their IT infrastructure: Data mining tools: Implementation of data mining tools within the existing Information Technology infrastructure would facilitate the process of discovering patterns in the information stored in the data warehouse (Borena, Belanger and Ejigu 2013). The identified patterns, in turn, would facilitate the process of designing marketing, sales and promotional strategies of Middletons. NoSQL: Database systems that allow the storage and retrieval of information using mechanisms other than that of tabular methods utilized in relational databases are commonly known as NoSQL database systems (Palmer et al. 2015). The implementation of NoSQL data bases would facilitate the process of storing several structured and non-structured data sets within a central database. Besides this, NoSQL databases are much easier to handle as compared to relational databases. OLAP: OLAP or Online Analytical Processing tools have recently become one of the most sought after processing techniques (Galliers and Leidner 2014). The growing popularity of this particular tool is due to the fact that it has the unique capability of retrieving data from several relational databases and facilitating multidimensional viewing and analysis of the retrieved data (Fafinski 2013). BI models within the Enterprise system: Business intelligence is one of primary techniques that are being widely used for analyzing the data generated from the operational activities of business modules (Hill, Jones and Schilling 2014). The objectives with which organizations implement BI modules include the intelligent exploration of enterprise data, the integration and aggregation of such data sets, along with the multidimensional analysis of information collected from several resources, both external and internal to the organization (Willcocks 2013). Thus, Business intelligence modules can optionally be incorporated within the enterprise system module to gain access to large volumes of analytical information that can in turn be utilized for making managerial decisions. The implementation of mentioned technologies within the organizational infrastructure of Middletons would provide much help in maintain and analyzing the enterprise data generated by through the operational activities of the organization. The access to these technologies would improve make it possible to take effective decisions based on concrete statistical figures. E-business E-business or electronic business can be considered as the act of conducting business operations over the internet (Bi, Da Xu and Wang 2014). Electronic business operations include purchase and sale of merchandise over the internet, making services (both pre-sales and post sales) available to the customers, managing the payment procedures, managing production controls and other similar other production activities, managing partnership collaborations, running recruitment processes and so on and so forth (Wixom et al. 2014). Strategic improvements within e-business: Secure portals The secure portals, using which electronic business processes are conducted, can be classified into the following sections: Intranet: Internet, as suggested by the term itself, is essentially a network that is managed solely by personnel internal to the organization (Motiwalla and Thompson 2012). Intranets can be defined as private and secured online portals that are accessible only for internal operations, like that of managing communications between employees and internal departments, to collaborate with the partner organizations, and to maintain the flow of data within the organization (Duan and Da Xu 2012). Along with the above mentioned operations, organizations utilize their internet platforms for running applications like Document Management System or DMS, Content Management Systems or CMS, Human Resource management functions like that of holiday management applications and staff directories (Borena, Belanger and Ejigu 2013). Extranet: Extranets can be defined as secured online portals that are accessible to personnel external to an organization (Niu et al. 2014). Needless to say, extranets are made open to the customers and suppliers of an organization, such that they are able to communicate directly with the representatives of the organization. The extranet facilitates the communication between the stakeholders internal and external to the organization, without disclosing the confidential information of the organization (Sasidharan et al. 2012). In the light of the discussion made in the above sections, it can thus be said that both intranet and extranet platforms are to be essentially implemented within the organizational structure of Middletons, such that the organization is capable of conducting electronic business operations with their suppliers and customers. b. E-Business Software Overview: The software modules that are utilized for conducting electronic business operations can be classified under the following heads: Supply chain management systems: Supply chain management systems can be considered as integration of information technology systems and business operations, that are aimed at maintaining efficient communication between the organizations or individuals who supply raw materials or components for manufacturing items, the individuals who manufacture the product or assemble all finished products and those organization who are responsible for making the finishes products available to the customers (Anandarajan, Anandarajan and Srinivasan 2012). The inclusion of an efficient supply chain management system is essential for conducting electronic business or commerce as it is the SCM module that maintains the follow of the finished goods or services in the market. Customer Relationship Management system: Customer relationship processes can be considered as the strategies or policies undertaken by organizations to understand the need or demands of the customers, within the aim of fulfilling them and retaining the loyal customer base (Al-Zubi, Shaban and Alnaser 2014). The primary objective behind including customer relationship management modules within electronic business systems is to provide services to the customers and keep them updated with the new products or services of the organization. The higher management of Middletons should consider the inclusion of customer relationship and supply chain management systems within their electronic business modules in order to assess the needs of the customers and cater to them, besides maintaining the flow of their products in the market. Social business or s-commerce' Social commerce can be defined as the process of conducting business activities while putting social platforms in to use (Chen, Chiang and Storey 2012). Social commerce or S-commerce activities are generally conducted using social media platforms and online media tools, thus facilitating the interaction with the target customers. This customer interaction in turn increases the number of sales that are conducted over the online portal s. The implementation of S-commerce strategies within the organizational structure of Middletons would provide the following benefits to the organization: First and foremost, the strategy would provide a platform using which the loyal customers would be able to discuss about the products sold at Middletons, besides providing reviews of the said products (Davenport 2012). The very same platform would also allow the representatives of the organization to cater to the complaints or concerns raised by the customers (Sauter 2014). Mobile business or 'm-commerce': Mobile commerce can be defined as the process of conducting business operations on such platforms that are accessible by hand held smart phone devices (Tanev, Liotta and Kleismantas 2015). With the advancement of mobile technologies, the inclusion of mobile commerce strategies has become essential for all those organizations that conduct electronic commerce (Hill, Jones and Schilling 2014). The higher management of Middletons could invest in the incorporation of the following technologies within the organizational structure: Purchase and payment: Mobile applications could be developed so as to allow the customers to buy products using smart phone devices (Chmiel et al. 2015). Such applications should also be equipped with electronic payment methods using which the customers would be able to make online payments. Location based services: The customers who use m-commerce platforms can be provided with location based services like that of region based discount coupons, providing the information regarding the status of the orders placed using the m-commerce platforms, provide the location of the nearest physical store and so on and so forth (Wixom et al. 2014). Information services: The customers of Middletons could be provided with the information regarding new schemes or products and services launched by the organization, over the m-commerce platforms (Belanger and Xu 2015). Such information would encourage the customers to avail the offers that are being provided, which in turn would increase the sales revenue of the organization. Ethics, Security and Control: The guidelines for management of IS The following sections of the report provide a detailed description of ethics and privacy guidelines that the higher management of Middletons should abide by to maintain the security of the enterprise information that remains stored in their computer network. Weaknesses in current security strategy At present, the information system of the organization is not well maintained each of the retail stores of this chain maintains an independent computer system for keeping records of the daily business operations (Leon 2014). Each of these systems is then linked with the computer system that is located at the main office. Thus, it can be assumed that the records that have been stored by each of the retail stores can easily be accessed from the main office (Borena, Belanger and Ejigu 2013). Thus, the weaknesses of the existing IT strategy of the organization can be listed as: Information privacy: At present, each of the physical stores store information in computer devices and these data sets are available to anyone who has the access to computer system located at the main office (Fafinski 2013). Thus, it is evident that the data sets are neither being stored in secured databases, not are the records protected from external access. Hence, the privacy of the enterprise information is not being maintained (Borena, Belanger and Ejigu 2013). Besides this, such dataset sets might also become the targets of unauthorized access and other similar privacy attacks, as launched by attackers. Computer misuse issues: It has already been mentioned that computer systems installed at the Middletons stores are standalone networks and since the organization does not maintain a centralized protected system, it can only be assumed that the security levels used for protecting the data sets stored in these machines are not at par to those that are used in protected data bases (Palmer et al. 2015). Such being the case, personnel who do not have the authority to access such data can access the data stored in these networks (Motiwalla and Thompson 2012). Thus, data loss and misuse of the information stored in these computer networks are some of the issues that are associated with the information system currently being used by the organization. Recommendations for security and control In order to overcome the weaknesses that have mentioned in the sections above, the following sets of recommendations are being made to the higher management of Middletons. Disaster Recovery Planning: At present, the enterprise information of Middletons is not being stored in protected databases. Thus, loss of enterprise data is one of the possible risks associated with the current system (Erl, Puttini and Mahmood 2013). The higher management of Middletons is thus being recommended to implement efficient disaster recovery strategies such that information or data sets can be recovered in case of data loss (Simmons 2016). Moreover, the disaster management policies should be incorporated in a manner such that actions to be taken previous, during and after disaster are defined well within the said strategies. Cloud Computing. Cloud computing is defined as the computing practice that encourages the utilization of remote computer networks for the storage, management and processing of data, instead of utilizing local networks for doing the same (Palmer et al. 2015). Since all the chain stores of Middletons maintain their own computer networks, cloud computing should be considered as an effective method of data storage and management (Erl, Puttini and Mahmood 2013).Thus, the higher management of Middletons is being recommended to incorporate cloud-computing platforms for the storage and management of enterprise data. Conclusion Advancements in the field of information technology resulted in the implementation of several innovative strategic solutions in the retail industry, most of these solutions being aimed at increasing the efficiency of the departmental activities of the retail sector. This, in turn, has made it possible for the retail organizations to serve their customers better and remain one-step ahead in the market competition. This particular report provides an insight to the various information technology solution systems that the higher management of Middletons must incorporate within their organization so as to stay ahead in the competitive market. The discussions made in the report indicate that the incorporation of enterprise systems and e-commerce techniques is essential for the organization at this point in time. Besides this, the report also contains certain recommendations made to the higher management of the organization: the incorporation of the recommended systems is expected to enhanc e the security of the existing computer network. References Al-Zubi, Z., Shaban, O.S. and Alnaser, N., 2014. The effect of Business Intelligence Tools on Raising the Efficiency of Modern Management Accounting.International Review of Management and Business Research,3(1), p.68. 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