Free Essays: A Mapmaker’s Dream :: mapmaker

  16th Century Map of the World   In James Cowan’s â€Å"A Mapmaker’s Dream,† a 16th century roman monk vicariously travels the world without actually leaving the confines of his monastery.   The monk, named Fra Mauro, learns of the world through stories told by a variety of travelers.   With his newly acquired perception of the world, Fra sets out to chart the lands that were, at that time, still being discovered.   From these stories, Fra’s â€Å"perfect map,† or mappi mundi as he called it, would be constructed.   In this process, the boundaries of Fra’s world would be pushed to the limit.   Being celibate from exposure to the world around him, Fra spread word that he would be building a map of the new world.   Quick response from seasoned explorers from all corners of the world would soon become available to him as many travelers would readily unburden themselves of the new and strange things they saw.   These stories of the uncharted lands were told by a variety of people.   With vivid descriptions of the people visiting him, Fra helps to put an excellent image of his visitors into the reader’s head.   He describes one sailor as still having sea salt hanging in his beard, while describing a merchant as bone-weary and dusty from his merchant’s trail.   The stories he learns from these men also paint a great mental image as to what Fra is thinking and feeling.   From these rendezvous with travelers, the beginning of a geographical map is built, but unlike the conventional mapmakers of the time, Fra was not only interested in the shape of lands and waters, but also in the feeling these places created in the storyteller.   Other than mountains, canals, and valleys, Fra Mauro learns about the culture, peculiarities, and feelings of the locations that the travelers visited.   Though his sources are not of highest reliability, they are reflective of the perception of a typical 16th century person.   Two of his most interesting stories are the story of the essence of the mummy princess that he discusses with the scholar and the tale of the one-eyed, one-armed Cyclopedes that he learns from the Franciscan monk.   Fra also delves into the renaissance occurring between these same European countries and what is today the Americas.   This is how Fra Mauro’s perception of the world was built – through second hand stories told to him.

How Technology affects business Essay

1.0 Introduction Technology is an improvement over what was available in the past. People and organizations often seek technology because it eases tasks and facilitates production. With the appropriate technology, complex tasks are simplified. Man has used technology to achieve previously insurmountable tasks: walk on the moon; create test tube babies; treat life threatening diseases; predict weather; send information across the world in seconds, etc. Mark Behrsin and Bill Twibill emphasize the importance of technology in business when they write that, Visionaries such as retail giant Wal-Mart and shipment pioneer FedEx have used technology not only to solve logistical problems, but to seize new opportunities, open   new channels to market and create new business models they have forced their competitors to adopt. Wal-Mart looked to technology to improve supply chain management and steal a competitive edge. FedEx looked to the opportunities technology offered to manage the extent   of its growth without finding a way to automate business   processes. At the time its SuperTracker application cost   a massive $100 million to develop but the investment has   paid off many times over (4). The evolution of technology often accompanies the invention of machinery which is used to accomplish the required task. For instance, advances in information technology and communication have brought about mobile phones, which are a departure from the fixed lines in the past which are connected by wires. Charles F. MacCormack recalls that, In terms of people impact, technology has fundamentally changed the way we do business. Fifteen years ago, communications with our field organization was a matter of faxes at best, and more often mail couriers. An exchange of information could literally take weeks to complete†¦ Now we use email, voice and video conferencing to communicate in minutes (1). In recent years, there have been advances in various aspects of technology. However, it is important to state that while technology is often applauded for its many benefits, the phenomenon can also adversely affect businesses. This paper explores this double sided nature of technology as it affects businesses. 1.2 Thesis statement Technology is important to human beings across the world because of the many benefits which it presents. In many ways, technology has been used to solve problems facing people in various societies. This paper examines the effect of technology on businesses. If it is obvious that technology brings a world of good to the various businesses which people are involved in, what are the problems created by technology? In other words, this paper also explores the ways in which technology adversely affects businesses. 1.3 Benefits of technology in business Speed In the first place technology is beneficial to business because it speeds up the production process. Speed is necessary in business because, when there are more products in a short period of time, profit is maximized. In the printing of newspapers, high speed machines are required to ensure that mass production of the newspapers is attained in the short space of time within which the newspapers are needed. This applies to all other businesses where products need to be produced or assembled for sale. Machinery is important. In bakeries as well, technology is essential because human labor is avoided because of its inefficiency and much of the work is automated. In this case, the automation by machines also ensures that hygiene. The efficiency of machines cannot be overemphasized at this point. When compared to human labor, machines offer a higher level of efficiency. With the appropriate technology in a bakery, machines can produce more loaves of bread than human effort. Efficiency Apart from the production process, technology also ensures speed in another dimension. In service delivery, vending machines are important because they serve members of the public promptly and avoid the build up of queues. Take the ordinary coffee vending machine. It would take a longer time if people were served by a waitress. However, the coffee vending machine accepts cash and provides the service at the touch of a button. Vending machines are found in banks, under ground train stations, shopping malls, etc. Also, it is important to note that Automated Teller Machines (ATM) are an important technology that is very useful in the banking industry. These ATM have eased the stressed placed on banks by its teeming customers. With the use of ATM, bank customers can enjoy hassle free self service. They only need the attention of bank staff when they have a problem with the machine or if errors are generated by the machine. The technology of the ATM has enabled banks cope with the work lo ad and ensure that they are able to achieve more in a short period of time. In this way B. Ives and S. L. Jarvenpaa note that technology serves to expand business because with the appropriate technology they are able to take more orders and cope with more customers. Competition As businesses strive to beat their rivals and competitors, the technology used by these businesses is often a yardstick for determining leaders in the industry. Take the software industry for instance. Around the world, Microsoft is a leader in the industry because it has the technology that has made it stay there. Technology is also important in the health industry. Due to specialization, some hospitals and research centers are renowned for the diagnosis and treatment of some specific diseases. They are leaders in the industry because they have the technology to do so. J. Bakos and M. E. Treacy insist that technology is useful to businesses as they build their competitive strategy. Industry leaders and secrecy In business, the technology which enables one company stay in the lead and above other competitors is often a well kept secret. This company will never share that technology with others because it will loose its position as a leader in the industry. In medicine, the patents for the manufacture of certain drugs are owned by certain pharmaceutical companies and they are not will to give it out. Sound technology gives businesses an edge over competitors in the industry. Across borders Advances in information technology have ensured that businesses are no longer confined to particular countries but are given a chance to be heard across the world. In the light of this, businesses can extend their boundaries to other countries of the world. Furthermore, banks too have taken advantage of information technology by establishing a network of their branches around the world. This facilitates transfers within the bank and also with other banks in the world. Information technology also facilitates electronic commerce, where people can shop on the internet and have the goods sent to them in the post. This is a faceless transaction. In a study, Steve MacFeely and Caitriona Obrien find that the productivity of firms that have e-mail and a website is higher than those who do not. The foreign exchange market as well as the stock market also benefits from information technology. Today traders in various parts of the world can trade it stock and bonds from their computers in whate ver part of the world because they are connected to the Internet. 1.4 Dysfunctions of technology on business Redundant Technology poses a number of threats to businesses. As a dynamic concept, technology is always changing and improving. In various aspects of human endeavor, there is always a drive to find new methods. When this new technology is developed and put into use, it renders the previous technology redundant and this has far reaching implications on business enterprises which use the outdated technology. In the first place, these businesses face the challenge of catching up with the current technology. This involves a lot of cost. Secondly, the businesses using outmoded technology will loose customers because the newer technology will definitely be more efficient. In the long run the profit of the business will dwindle. The photography business is an example of this phenomenon. With the introduction of digital photography which ensure instant printing of photographs, old methods of photography have become very unpopular. Extra cost Technology places extra cost on businesses. With the introduction of technology, businesses which want to keep abreast with it need to spend money to train staff on the use of the new technology. Technology often requires special training. The other alternative is to employ professionals who are versed in the processes of the new technology. Employing these kinds of professionals also places a strain on the resources of the business. Businesses that want to stay afloat need to keep up with the trends in the industry and this is one of such- but it has severe cost implications. Unemployment Technology often causes drastic change and cause unemployment. With appropriate machines occasioned by technology, many employees are laid off work. This was a feature of the industrial revolution. However, the same situation applies here with the introduction of new technology. The entire idea of technology is to improve production using machines that minimize cost but in the end maximize profit. Also, there is the notion of novelty attached to technology. Thus the inefficiency associated with human labor is eliminated. Service delivery In some cases technology is not able to deliver the benefits which are expected. Managers in various organizations may have high expectation of technology. However, it is not able to delive in many cases. Mark Behrsin and Bill Twibill write that, It is understandable that businesses have come to distrust technology. There are almost constant reports detailing the   number of technology -related projects that have failed to   meet expectations. Recent research from KPMG suggests   that 56 percent of publicly-listed firms have had to write off   at least one technology project in the last five years as a   failure (4). 1.5 Conclusion Technology is essential in business but it presents some problems to businesses as well. When managers in various organizations understand these dynamics, they will succeed in their various endeavors.

Cyberstalking and Women Facts and Statistics

Cyberstalking is such a new phenomenon that the media and law enforcement have yet to broadly define and quantify it. The available resources are so few and limited that there is little information for victims or for professional victim service providers to utilize. What stats there are reveal millions of potential and projected future cases. The epidemic of identity theft indicates technology abuse is one of the fastest-growing areas of crime and those same techniques are easily applied to a specific, targeted victim. What We Know More than one million women and 370,000 men are stalked annually in the United States. An astonishing one in twelve women and one in forty-five men will be stalked in their lifetimes. The average duration of stalking is nearly two years and even longer if the stalking involves intimate partners.Within the past twelve months, 9.3 million Americans were victims of identity theft. Identity theft is often present in situations of domestic abuse and can become a form of economic abuse once the woman has left her partner. One and a half million of those reporting identity thefts in 2004 also reported that they suffered from domestic abuse and harassment from their exes. These latter stats could be more correctly re-categorized as cyberstalking incidents.National figures show victims of cyberstalking tend to be females during the college ages 18-29 but women are not the only targets. A survey of 765 students at Rutgers University and the University of Pennsylvania found 45% of stalkers to b e female and 56% to be male. National figures show most stalkers to be male by overwhelming margins (87%). Men represented over 40% of stalking victims in the Penn-Rutgers study.The Department of Justice statistical report of June 29, 2006, indicates that, on average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in this country every day. The FBI reports that domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 to 44, more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. Cyberstalking provides astonishingly easy and cheap tools for an abuser to locate women who have tried to move away or go into hiding. Cyberstalking and Domestic Violence Victims Domestic violence victims are one of the most vulnerable groups to traditional stalking, so it’s no surprise they are vulnerable to cyberstalking as well. It’s a myth that if women â€Å"just leave† they will be okay. Cyberstalking is a way to continue to maintain rigid control and instill fear into a domestic partner, even when she has already left the relationship. This can happen even to those who one would think would be more prepared. Marsha was an accountant, a working mom with kids, and after her husband, Jerry’s rages got more and more severe, she decided it was time for a divorce. She told him in the safety of the lawyer’s office, where terms for their separation were laid out. To say he was angry was an understatement, he vowed right then he’d â€Å"make her pay.† This threat had new meaning when she went a couple of days later to buy groceries. When all her credit cards were politely and embarrassingly declined, she went home to discover that Jerry had canceled them and her cell phone, and drained her bank accounts, literally leaving her with just fifty cents. She was forced to get a loan from her folks to make it to the next court date. We Are All Potential Victims of Cyberstalking The ease with which someone can perpetuate a cyberstalking crime has made potential victims of us all. Individuals have been cyberstalked for the most minor reasons by people theyve angered in the past. Victims were targeted because they dumped a guy after dating less than a month, fired an employee, were part of a business deal gone bad or parked in the wrong parking spot. We have all grown so complacent about our information and how it is stored and managed; we have no idea how easy it is to access essential personal data that would unlock the safeguards to our finances, our personal and economic safety, and our lives. The havoc a cyberstalker can wreak is painful, frustrating and long-lasting, and the technological tools and resources commonly used by cyberstalkers are all available online for affordable prices.