Discussion- CH5 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion- CH5 - Coursework Example Bank loans are not accompanied by any ownership condition. In addition, the bank personnel are not involved in the running of the business (Sloman and Sutcliffe, 104). The disadvantage of loan is that they are difficult to obtain and also the borrowers need to provide their personal guarantees. The pros of equity financing include no payment of interest. The investors are not paid interests though they will owe the entrepreneur some portion of profit. Equity financing has no liability. The entrepreneur is not liable and in case of failure, the investor takes the risk. No monthly payments are needed in equity financing. This allows for more money in the business to keep things running. Con associated to equity financing include giving up ownership. This is due to investors owning part of the business (Sloman and Sutcliffe, 303). Pros for stock include them being considered being having potential for higher returns as compared to other types of investments that are used by companies. Stock is considered to pay dividends. Extra income can be used to buy more shares for the company. Cons for stock include dramatically rise and fall that occur in stock price (Sloman and Sutcliffe, 167). Stack is seen also to have no guaranteed return. I agree with you that the most common types of financing for small entrepreneurs would be equity financing and debt financing. This is due to unavailability of ready finances. Debt financing allows using the finances and later pay to the lenders. Selling of shares is convenient to them as the money need not to be repaid. I equally agree with you that there are so many important skills that managers should have in order to drive success towards the company. The skills that are needed by the managers including ability to be a leader, positive relationship with employees, proper planning, proper delegation of duties, effective

THE FINAL SELF-REFLECTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

THE FINAL SELF-REFLECTION - Essay Example I designed my pet’s house when I was fifteen. I always wanted to learn how to draw maps and design structures of buildings, roads, and bridges. The fantasy grew into my ambition, and I wanted to learn more about architecture. My passion made me explore more about these issues, and I joined a local library to study the related literature. I have also studied a number of journals and articles that have increased my interest. My basic inspiration was a family friend, an uncle who was an architect and was helping my father in a project regarding designing a low cost orphanage facility in Congo. He inspired me into creating structures, and this increased my enthusiasm about architecture. Thus, I planned to extend my degree in architecture so that I may be able to excel in my field of interest and be a useful professional in my career. I feel it important to state here how pleasing it was for me to pursue architecture. I enjoyed the architectural studies a lot, and came to know about modeling, materiality and aspects of interaction between people and buildings. I learnt how to work in teams to achieve the goals. I gained knowledge of many architectural softwares and programs, like Rhinoceros, AutoCAD, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop. In my university, I have been a very active student, and have always gained the praise of my teachers and peers. I was a student representative in my first and third years. I also possess interest in games, and have stayed part of the volleyball team in my second year. I also deem it important to describe some of personal qualities. I can prove to be an ethical leader for teams, since I plan my work according to rules and standards. I care about my co-workers; keep in view the goals and objectives; and, have a broad vision regarding the advancement of my semester projects. My leadership qualities have always made me succeed in all university projects that I have taken so far, and I am proud

Analysis of Privacy Perception Among Open Plan Office Users

Analysis of Privacy Perception Among Open Plan Office Users CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION What is an Office? Offices are workspaces designed for regular use to achieve personal, group or organizational goals through the accomplishment of tasks. Sanders and McCormick, (2002) go on to state that these tasks can be grouped into cognitive, physical, social or procedural tasks. The office provides a location for contact and could also be a repository for tools, information and other resources required to meet business objectives. It is also a business resource, this a point most people fail to understand thus, the failure to properly design and evaluate work spaces. The work place or office is one of the places the modern man spends the bulk of his waking hours. Sanders and McCormick, (2002) say almost half of ones waking hours are spent in and around the office. This would provide explanation for research efforts into the design and utilization of offices. According to Myerson and Ross (2003) the office grew out of the factory and then followed the trend of bureaucratization of industry. Thus, offices have been viewed differently by users and companies. Some view it as an address, others as a necessary evil but to others it is considered to be an asset. Bjerrum and Bà ¸dker (2003) noted that the design of an office was mostly considered as a cost and done to support quiet work and also show peoples status. While the purpose of the â€Å"New office† is to be that of attracting and retaining staff as well as to revolutionalize corporate culture. Work places or offices have been described variously as; conventional, traditional, and closed or open plan offices. Some, group them as large or small, landscaped etc. (Sanders and McCormick, 2002). The general descriptions of workspaces fall under the categories of open plan and cellular offices and this is based on the architectural and functional features of the work spaces (Duffy, Laing and Crisp, 1992). Other descriptions and categorization of offices include the hive; which is suited to individual processes. The den; suited to group processes. The cell; designed for concentrated study while the club supports transactional knowledge (Sailer, Budgen, Lonsdale, Turner and Penn, 2009). There are other descriptions of office types for example, Myerson and Ross (2003) from an architectural point of view, showed that views of property and space as related to the office environment have been evolving and as such, they identify four thematic categories of offices namely: narrative which presents the â€Å"office as a brand experience.† Nodal where the â€Å"office as knowledge connector.† The neighborly theme sees the â€Å"office as a social landscape† and lastly nomadic â€Å"office as distributed work space† these grouping reflect more of necessity and corporate culture not necessarily a collection of generally practically replicable models. In another categorization of offices by Myerson and Ross (2006) is based on the fact that the offices evolved to suit knowledge workers, as such, the categories match each of the four â€Å"realms† of knowledge work namely: the academy â€Å"is likened to the corporate realm which is a more collegiate and collaborative approach to work†, guild â€Å"the professional realm in essence a professional cluster of peers sharing a skill or specialization†, agora â€Å"the public realm where the corporation is open to the city or the market place† and the lodge â€Å" the domestic or private realm more of the live and work setting†. In the general scheme of things offices are still broadly classified into open plan and private or cellular offices all other forms are variations of the two. Cellular Offices Also called closed offices, this type of offices are the traditional or conventional offices which are usually closed and private workspaces (Maher and von Hippel, 2005) i.e. they are designed with floor to ceiling walls, a door and dimensioned for a single user. This type of office is also called a cell-office and can be a shared room office, used by 2-3 persons (Danielsson, 2008). This has been the generally accepted, traditional or popular understanding of the place called an office. Open Plan Offices These are found to be a common workspace shared by a group of employees. The original concept of the open plan office has continued to evolve, but it is the absence of floor-to-ceiling walls that is said to be the primary characteristic of open-plan offices. The arrangements of office furniture, partitions, screens, office equipment, or plants mark out individual and functional work areas (Valesny and Farace, 1987). One of the strengths of the open plan office according to Bjerrum and Bà ¸dker (2003) is the openness and flexibility allowing one to move to where things are happening and allowing for â€Å"overhearing and over-seeing† (p. 207) thus enhancing peripheral participation. Other types of the open plan office include the bull pen office, action offices, landscaped offices (Sanders and McCormick, 2002). In the bull pen offices, the work desks are arranged in neat row as far as the eyes can see. In reality, most firms have a mix of office typologies ranging from cellular units designed for a single user to a small room office shared by a few people then the spaces shared with a large group with or without specifically assigned work places and with varying measures of visual and audio privacy. Recent Developments in Open Plan Offices It is safe to argue that, the open plan office has become increasingly popular (de Korte, Kuijt-Evers and Vink, 2007; Ding, 2008; Oldham and Brass, 1979; Pejtersen, Allermann, Kristensen and Poulsen, 2006 etc.) and several reasons could be advanced to explain the widespread adoption and use of the open plan offices and its variations. There is also a move to wards a reduction in open plan office workspaces especially in the United States of America due to the understanding that smaller workstations are cheaper to maintain (Dykes, 2011) this according to Veitch, Charles, Farley and Newsham (2007) is because there is a failure in understanding the full value of the physical office environment and related issues in open plan offices in particular. Advantages of open plan offices Searches through literature (Danielsson, 2008; Oldham and Brass, 1979; Pan and Micheal, 2007; Roper and Juneja, 2008; Valesny and Farace, 1987 etc.) present the following as reasons for the adoption of open plan offices. They include; Reduction in office space and cost decline: The price of real estate is predicated on the area rented and utilized. With organizations using rental spaces, it is cheaper to use the rented floor or floors as open plan offices. In most cases, the cost of partitioning is saved if an open plan set up is deployed fully or partly. Flexibility for organizational changes: The open plan office lends itself to easy restructuring of work areas. In most cases, it is easier to fit in one more members of staff (Sanders and McCormick, 2002). More efficient work flow and communication: Some jobs require continuous team work, face to face interaction and a relatively high level of routine procedures. For such work groups, the open plan office or variations thereof are usually recommended and deployed. The enhancement of some level of peripheral participation is one of the strengths of the open plan office. Possible enhancement of social facilitation: The enhancement of collaboration i.e. the fostering of a team spirit, where, work teams or task forces are close to one another and can quickly form a huddle to sort out problems without resorting to information technology provisions like the intercom, emails, phones, video conferencing or even the walk up to another office. Oldham and Brass, (1979) specifically examined interpersonal issues that included; intradepartmental and interdepartmental interaction, friendship opportunities, noting that supervisor and co worker feed back could be improved. Ease of supervision: There is an ease of supervision, in that, a look over the landscape of the office can give an idea as to who is present and what each member of staff is doing. Limitations of open plan offices. Regarding the limitations of open-plan office designs, Maher and von Hippel (2005) rightly point out the fact that in open plan office layouts â€Å"distractions and overstimulation are intrinsically linked to the design.† These issues have consistently been themain down sides of open plan offices and some of them include: Increased workplace noise (Pan and Michael, 2007). Increased disturbances and distractions. Increased feelings of crowding and loss of privacy. There is a reduction in autonomy and task identity and a reduction in supervisor and co worker feedback in certain cases (Oldham and Brass, 1979). One point of agreement in open plan office research is that there is a generally low level of perceived privacy in open plan offices, as interruptions and distractions of the visual and acoustic kind occur frequently in open plan offices. (Pejtersen et al. 2006; Roper and Juneja, 2008) Furthermore, researchers have observed that these negative outcomes resulting from the adoption of the open plan office design tends to result in dissatisfaction with work and the workplace thus, reducing functional efficiency, decreasing performance, especially, for non routine tasks and also, reduced feedback from supervisors due to some complexity with the freedom of communication (de Korte et al. 2007; Pejtersen et al. 2006; Sundstrom et al. 1982; Vischer, 2007 ). This understanding has led some organizations to begin returning to the traditional private offices i.e. with floor to ceiling partitions assigned to an individual (Roper and Juneja 2008). Evolving nature of office work Also worthy of note, is the evolution of work patterns. An increasingly large number of persons work mainly at or from home and visit the office sparingly. This has given rise to the several types of offices one of which is the flex-office, which is dimensioned for less than 70% of the total company staff to be in at the same time. Another design is the combi-office; where a member of staff is not assigned to a specific desk but sharing of common facilities provides the spatial definition of such an individuals work space i.e. the task and personnel at hand may determine the sitting arrangement of persons in the office (Danielsson, 2008). Thesis Overview The thesis is organized in to 5 chapters; Chapter one provides an introduction the concept of an office, its major types and variations. It then focuses on the open plan office and then highlights the strengths and limitations of the open plan office. Chapter two provides a literature review of the concept of privacy perception; it reviews the perceived benefits of privacy and then traces the expectation that privacy perception could be influenced by culture. Significant studies related to dissatisfaction with open plan offices are examined for possible links to culture. The discussion then moves to culture, its definition and then the attempts made in the classification of culture. The Hofstede paradigm is then discussed and some studies employing the paradigm are reviewed. The research motivation and hypotheses are presented. Chapter three discusses the methodology of the study, the survey method, issues noted and the challenge expected. The source and design of the questionnaire was presented and the analysis methods proposed. The statistical analysis tool was briefly introduced. Chapter four shows the procedure of the survey, documents the responses received, analyzed the data collected from the general information part of the questionnaire and then chronicles the statistical analysis of the second part of the questionnaire designed to elicit privacy perception in open plan office environments. Chapter five provides a discussion of the results obtained in chapter five and then presents the limitations of the current study while providing directions for further work. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW This part of the thesis discusses the links between privacy perceptions and culture. It also includes definitions and explanations of some related terms. Lastly, it includes a presentation of some ideas relevant to the work and results of related studies. The chapter concludes with the research question, research hypothesis and the motivation for the study. Privacy Perception In order to facilitate a better understanding, the term â€Å"privacy† is defined firstly then the concept called â€Å"perception. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary (2011), privacy is said to be â€Å"the quality or state of being apart from company or observation†. Wikipedia defines perception as â€Å"the process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information.† It goes on to say â€Å"what one perceives is a result of interplays between past experiences, including one’s culture, and the interpretation of the perceived.† Privacy is a very difficult concept or construct to define not to talk of evaluating, it has commanded interest from the fields of anthropology, architecture, cultural geography, environmental design, ethology, history, law, philosophy, and sociology, as well as branches psychology such as; clinical, counseling, developmental, educational, environmental and social psychology (Newell, 1995; 1998). Newell (1995) in her extensive review of the concept of privacy divided the perspectives of privacy into, people centered, place centered and the person-environment or the person-place interaction with the primary interest on the place, people or equally on the person and place and or with the interaction itself. Leino-Kilpi et al. (2001 p. 664) in another review of literature on privacy noted that perspectives applied to the analysis of the concepts of privacy to be: The units experiencing privacy. They go on to note â€Å"the unit experiencing privacy can be either an individual or a group, or both.† Desired – Achieved privacy. This is explained by the understanding that the concept of privacy is either seen as a subjective state or studied as an achieved state (Newell, 1998). Reactive – Proactive privacy. This is to say the control of communication and also the control of knowledge. Furthermore, they describe the dimensions of privacy to include: physical, psychological, social and informational thus, suggesting privacy dimensions to be made up of four quadrants of the diagram as shown in figure 2.1 below.. Source: Leino-Kilpi et al. (2001) It would be seen that in an open plan office all the dimensions of privacy as enumerated Figure 2.1 above are impinged upon; First, physical accessibility to the person is unrestricted. Secondly, the cognitive intrusions abound due to audio and visual distractions. Thirdly, it is more difficult to control social contacts for example, the choice of participants for interaction, the interaction frequency, length and content of the said interaction. Then finally, the ease with which certain private pieces of information about the person is easily accessible is a problem in open plan offices, after all, most open plan offices do not have a single route of access or a door to the work space. So, it is difficult to mark and protect ones territory and as such protect some form of private information from would be trespassers (Anjum, Paul and Ashcroft, 2004). In the light of these perspectives, one of the definitions of privacy suggested is that â€Å"privacy is a voluntary and temporary condition of separation from the public domain† (Newell, 1998, p. 357). Oldham, Kulick and Stepina (1991) highlighted the fact that individuals reacted negatively to environments characterized by few enclosures, closeness and high density because such environments exposed individuals to too many unwanted or uncontrolled intrusions. It is also agreed that, the perception of the work environment leads to satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the work and the work environment. Fischer, Tarquinio and Vischer (2004, p.132 ) posit that the there are three major categories of mediating influences on workplace satisfaction and these are, â€Å"individual differences like culture, age, professional or status, organizational context and environmental features.† All these issues could be further grouped into two; internal and external factors as relates to the individual. These two descriptions could be mapped to the two ingredients required for a need for privacy to exist i.e. a person or persons and a place. Sanders and McCormick (2002, p. 485) also point out that apart from the physical features of the built environment, â€Å"people are influenced by nonphysical features like social, cultural, technological, economic and political factors characteristic of the environment.† External Factors These are the place factors, usually described as the environmental or design issues which can lead to noise distractions, visual distractions, interruptions, crowding and accessibility issues (Ding, S. 2008). Due to the absence of internal walls, the low height of walls or partitions in open plan offices influences privacy; the more enclosures, the lower the people per given space and the higher the partitions, the higher the privacy perceived (Danielsson 2008; Oldham, G. R et al. 1991; Sundstrom, Herbert and Brown, 1982 etc.). Organizational context is also considered to be an external factor. This involves the type of industry involved by the organization. For example doctors consulting rooms should provide more audio privacy compared to an architectural firms offices or design studios. Internal Factors This grouping is based on the person factors or what goes on within the person, the suggestion that individual differences related to but not restricted to personality traits, gender, individual experience etc. affect ones perception of, and hence the evaluation of the work environment (external or place factors). Some studies have found that variations exist across gender in perception of privacy in the open plan office (Yildirim, Akalin-Baskaya and Celebi, 2007). Also, in a different cross cultural study of privacy, Newell (1998) found that privacy was more a condition of the person thus, the duration of the experience and the change on the person as a result of the experience leads to its suspected therapeutic effect. In general perceptions and attitudes to privacy, she found that gender also played a part especially within cultures. Maher and von Hippel (2005) and others before them showed that individual differences in the ability to handle overstimulation by the application stimulus screening and inhibitory abilities influenced the perceptions of the work environment. These inhibitory skills are cognitive in nature and such inhibitory skills are found to vary between individuals and even especially across cultures. For example, Hall (1966) points out that the Japanese are said to be content with paper walls as acoustic screens while the Dutch and Germans require thick walls and double doors to serve as acoustic screens. Benefits of Privacy in the work Environment Newell (1998, p. 359) relates the need for privacy to help in â€Å"maintaining healthy internal physiological and cognitive functioning subjectively described as ‘wellbeing’†. The study concluded that achieving the perceived privacy had some therapeutic effects. On the area of performance, especially for knowledge workers like engineers, accountants, software designers, decision makers etc., auditory and visual distraction have been found to be a cause of stress and even performance impairment (Roper and Juneja, 2008). Furthermore, Oommen, Knowles and Zhao (2008) point to the likelihood of aggression and increased instances of eye, nose and throat irritations while working in open plan environments. This in turn affects productivity. Culture Culture is said to be the way of life of a group of people. This, among other things covers their beliefs, values, norms and rituals. Specifically, Hofstede (2009 p. 1) points out that â€Å"culture is the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from the others and it manifests itself in the form of symbols, heroes, rituals and values.† Earlier, an American anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his books, talked about language and especially modes of communication as a point of differentiating cultures (Hall E.T 1966; 1976). He even considered language to be the core of culture while, Geert Hofstede considers language as a part of the rituals of a particular culture (Hofstede, 2010). This goes to point out some of the existing disagreements about what culture is and even how it comes about. Culture is thus, studied as a means of understanding or shedding light into the behavior or reactions of individuals or people groups. Edward Hall in his book; the hidden dimension writes that â€Å"people from different cultures inhabit different sensory worlds, so that experience, as it is perceived through one set of culturally patterned sensory screens is quite different from experience perceived through another.† (1966, p. 2). This highlights and explains the link between culture and perception generally and in spatial terms especially. Classifying Cultures There have been several descriptions and models of culture (Matsumoto and Yoo, 2006; Hall, 1966; 1970), for example, Hall (1966) alludes to contact and non-contact groups or cultures in relation to spatial meanings and preferences within people groups . This is related to the social dimension of privacy (Leino-Kilpi et al. 2001), but he especially specifies high and low context cultures according to their ways of communicating. For the high context (HC) culture or communication for that matter, much of the information is implicit while, in the low context (LC) culture, nearly everything is explicit. He also wrote about the concept of time among cultures (Hall, 1976). Where there are polychronic (P-time) and monochronic (M-Time) cultures; the M-time society or culture would prefer to do only one thing at a time when serious i.e. for such persons, time is linear and segmented with each activity scheduled while, the individuals in a P-time culture can juggle several activities, they emphasize the involvement of people and the completion of tasks rather than schedules. Edward T. Hall coined the term â€Å"Proxemics† which he describes as â€Å"interrelated observations and theories of mans use of space as a specialized elaboration of culture† Hall (1966 p. 1). In explaining his observations in proxemic behavior (Hall, 1963 p. 1003) he notes that â€Å"what is close to an American may be distant to an Arab.† Many other researchers and individuals apart from Edward Hall had worked on other frameworks and dimensions of culture. Matsumoto and Yoo, (2006) lists some of these frameworks which are interestingly identified by the names of the researchers that discovered them and this list which is not exhaustive, includes; Hofstedes (1980) with subsequent revisions and dimensions added; Schwartz (2004) who presented seven universal value orientations, Smith, Dugan and Trompenaars (1996) had two universal value orientations; House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman and Gupta (2003) came up with nine value orientations related to leadership; Inglehart (1997) had two attitude-belief-value orientations, Bond et al. (2004) is said to have reported two social axioms. All cited in Matsumoto and Yoo, (2006 p. 239). The listing above does not mention each of the dimensions. The dimensions of each framework listed are found in Table 2.1 below. Table 2.1 Six Theoretical Frameworks for Universal Dimensions of Cultural Variability Framework Dimensions Hofstede’s (2001) dimensions of  work-related values Individualism vs. collectivism Power distance Uncertainty avoidance Masculinity vs. femininity Long- vs. short-term orientation Schwartz’s (2004) dimensions of  values Embeddedness Hierarchy Intellectual autonomy Affective autonomy Egalitarianism Mastery Harmony Smith, Dugan, and Trompenaars’s  (1996) dimensions of values Egalitarian commitment vs. conservatism Utilitarian involvement vs. loyal involvement House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman, and  Gupta’s (2003) dimensions of  leadership values Performance orientation Assertiveness orientation Future orientation Human orientation Institutional collectivism Family collectivism Gender egalitarianism Power distance Uncertainty avoidance Inglehart’s (1997) dimensions of  attitudes, values, and beliefs Traditional vs. secular-rational orientation Survival vs. self-expression values Bond et al.’s (2004) dimensions  of social axioms (beliefs) Dynamic externality Societal cynicism Source: (Matsumoto, D and Yoo, S. H, 2006 p. 240) National versus Organizational culture As a society has a culture, so do organizations and such organizations employ staff who come from a particular culture(s). The organizations then require these individuals to work in offices. Apart from the culture description related to national boundaries, there is a culture that seems to characterize workplaces or organizations and this is called organizational or corporate culture. Barney (1986) notes that like culture itself, organizational culture has many competing definitions and then goes on to suggest that a generally acceptable definition of organizational culture to be â€Å"as a complex set of values, beliefs, assumptions, and symbols that define the way in which a firm conducts its business.† (p. 657). He goes on to point the pervasive nature of organizational culture in that, it helps to define the relationship of the firm to parties it comes in contact with through its business. This simply shows that culture within the work place especially geared towards profitability or the conferment of advantages could be termed organizational or corporate culture. Generally it will be assumed that the national culture will also play a part. Guidroz, Kotrba, and Denison (2009) from results of a study of multinational companies, claim that their study seems to point to organizational culture superseding national culture in diversity management practices. The issue in question in this thesis is not exactly a management matter but the individual perception of privacy in the open plan office environments and would suggest that both national and organizational cultures playing a part because according to (Brand, 2009) the design of the workspace or workplace communicates the corporate culture of the organization meaning, the adoption of the open plan environment can be tied to the organizations corporate culture. Hofstedes’ Cultural Dimensions This is a hugely popular cross-cultural model (Gerhart and Fang, 2005; Hofstede et al, 2010; Sivakumar, Nakata, 2001) currently in use, with its roots in industrial psychology (Meeuwesen, van den Brink-Muinen and Hofstede, 2009) is called the Hofstedes model of culture named after Geert Hofstede a Dutch emeritus Professor of organizational anthropology and international management in the Netherlands. Hofstedes work highlighted the fact that culture is manifested through symbols, heroes, rituals and values. But, Hofstede argues that values form the core of culture as represented by the Hofstede culture â€Å"Onion† in Figure 2.2. Figure 2.2 shows the onion structure graphically illustrating the manifestation of culture at different levels and even the interactions therein. As seen from Figure 2.2 above symbols, heroes and rituals are by themselves visible to all observers. It is the cultural meanings of the practices that are open to interpretation by the observer while, values are unseen or embedded within the person but they still subtly determine choices and much more (Hofstede et al., 2010). Hofstedes research studied value survey responses of similar respondents from different countries as to their approach, as related to four basic problems prevalent in most societies (Meeuwesen et. al, 2009) these included; Handling social inequalities in the society. The approach to dealing with uncertainty in general. The structure of the relationship between an individual and the group. The emotional role division between the male and females in a society. The initial data for Hofstedes culture study came about through an analysis of International Business Machine Company (IBM) staff surveys at a time, the company was called Hermes. He utilized the responses from routine staff surveys about values and related matters to provide ratings for countries on each of what he then called the four dimensions of culture. This was achieved by examining correlations between mean scores of questionnaire items at the level of countries. Other approaches, like analysis at the individual level did not provide much useful information (Hofstede, 2009). Later, certain studies showed the need for another dimension and this lead to the inclusion of a fifth dimension called, long term orientation. Each dimension of culture score for a country is calculated using a scale of roughly 0 to 100 for each dimension. A dimension of culture is an aspect of culture that can be measured relative to other cultures (Hofstede, 2009 p. 6) and the higher the score of a dimension, the more that dimension is exhibited in the society or nation in question while for lower scores the opposite pole of the dimension is more pronounced. Thus, the scores are therefore bipolar (Jones, 2007) In a 2010 book, Greet Hofstede, his son Gert Jan Hofstede and a research collaborator Micheal Minkov reviewed earlier works, alongside their recent studies and added a sixth dimension called indulgence versus restraint (IVR) to the previously known Hofstedes five dimensions of culture. The sixth dimension was largely as a result of the work of Micheal Minkov (Hofstede et al., 2010). The six dimensions of Hofstedes cultural model now include power distance (PDI), individualism (IDV), masculinity (MAS), uncertainty avoidance index (UAI), long term orientation (LTO), and the recently added indulgence (IVR). Power distance (PDI). This indicates the degree of inequality that exists and is accepted among the persons with and without power i.e. the leadership versus the followership respectively as normal and legitimate in any given society. If the power distance scores are high, it indicates a pyramidal or hierarchical system where the power is resident at the top while, lower scores indicate greater equality suggesting power is shared and spread within the group. Individualism (IDV). This is related to the se Analysis of Privacy Perception Among Open Plan Office Users Analysis of Privacy Perception Among Open Plan Office Users CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION What is an Office? Offices are workspaces designed for regular use to achieve personal, group or organizational goals through the accomplishment of tasks. Sanders and McCormick, (2002) go on to state that these tasks can be grouped into cognitive, physical, social or procedural tasks. The office provides a location for contact and could also be a repository for tools, information and other resources required to meet business objectives. It is also a business resource, this a point most people fail to understand thus, the failure to properly design and evaluate work spaces. The work place or office is one of the places the modern man spends the bulk of his waking hours. Sanders and McCormick, (2002) say almost half of ones waking hours are spent in and around the office. This would provide explanation for research efforts into the design and utilization of offices. According to Myerson and Ross (2003) the office grew out of the factory and then followed the trend of bureaucratization of industry. Thus, offices have been viewed differently by users and companies. Some view it as an address, others as a necessary evil but to others it is considered to be an asset. Bjerrum and Bà ¸dker (2003) noted that the design of an office was mostly considered as a cost and done to support quiet work and also show peoples status. While the purpose of the â€Å"New office† is to be that of attracting and retaining staff as well as to revolutionalize corporate culture. Work places or offices have been described variously as; conventional, traditional, and closed or open plan offices. Some, group them as large or small, landscaped etc. (Sanders and McCormick, 2002). The general descriptions of workspaces fall under the categories of open plan and cellular offices and this is based on the architectural and functional features of the work spaces (Duffy, Laing and Crisp, 1992). Other descriptions and categorization of offices include the hive; which is suited to individual processes. The den; suited to group processes. The cell; designed for concentrated study while the club supports transactional knowledge (Sailer, Budgen, Lonsdale, Turner and Penn, 2009). There are other descriptions of office types for example, Myerson and Ross (2003) from an architectural point of view, showed that views of property and space as related to the office environment have been evolving and as such, they identify four thematic categories of offices namely: narrative which presents the â€Å"office as a brand experience.† Nodal where the â€Å"office as knowledge connector.† The neighborly theme sees the â€Å"office as a social landscape† and lastly nomadic â€Å"office as distributed work space† these grouping reflect more of necessity and corporate culture not necessarily a collection of generally practically replicable models. In another categorization of offices by Myerson and Ross (2006) is based on the fact that the offices evolved to suit knowledge workers, as such, the categories match each of the four â€Å"realms† of knowledge work namely: the academy â€Å"is likened to the corporate realm which is a more collegiate and collaborative approach to work†, guild â€Å"the professional realm in essence a professional cluster of peers sharing a skill or specialization†, agora â€Å"the public realm where the corporation is open to the city or the market place† and the lodge â€Å" the domestic or private realm more of the live and work setting†. In the general scheme of things offices are still broadly classified into open plan and private or cellular offices all other forms are variations of the two. Cellular Offices Also called closed offices, this type of offices are the traditional or conventional offices which are usually closed and private workspaces (Maher and von Hippel, 2005) i.e. they are designed with floor to ceiling walls, a door and dimensioned for a single user. This type of office is also called a cell-office and can be a shared room office, used by 2-3 persons (Danielsson, 2008). This has been the generally accepted, traditional or popular understanding of the place called an office. Open Plan Offices These are found to be a common workspace shared by a group of employees. The original concept of the open plan office has continued to evolve, but it is the absence of floor-to-ceiling walls that is said to be the primary characteristic of open-plan offices. The arrangements of office furniture, partitions, screens, office equipment, or plants mark out individual and functional work areas (Valesny and Farace, 1987). One of the strengths of the open plan office according to Bjerrum and Bà ¸dker (2003) is the openness and flexibility allowing one to move to where things are happening and allowing for â€Å"overhearing and over-seeing† (p. 207) thus enhancing peripheral participation. Other types of the open plan office include the bull pen office, action offices, landscaped offices (Sanders and McCormick, 2002). In the bull pen offices, the work desks are arranged in neat row as far as the eyes can see. In reality, most firms have a mix of office typologies ranging from cellular units designed for a single user to a small room office shared by a few people then the spaces shared with a large group with or without specifically assigned work places and with varying measures of visual and audio privacy. Recent Developments in Open Plan Offices It is safe to argue that, the open plan office has become increasingly popular (de Korte, Kuijt-Evers and Vink, 2007; Ding, 2008; Oldham and Brass, 1979; Pejtersen, Allermann, Kristensen and Poulsen, 2006 etc.) and several reasons could be advanced to explain the widespread adoption and use of the open plan offices and its variations. There is also a move to wards a reduction in open plan office workspaces especially in the United States of America due to the understanding that smaller workstations are cheaper to maintain (Dykes, 2011) this according to Veitch, Charles, Farley and Newsham (2007) is because there is a failure in understanding the full value of the physical office environment and related issues in open plan offices in particular. Advantages of open plan offices Searches through literature (Danielsson, 2008; Oldham and Brass, 1979; Pan and Micheal, 2007; Roper and Juneja, 2008; Valesny and Farace, 1987 etc.) present the following as reasons for the adoption of open plan offices. They include; Reduction in office space and cost decline: The price of real estate is predicated on the area rented and utilized. With organizations using rental spaces, it is cheaper to use the rented floor or floors as open plan offices. In most cases, the cost of partitioning is saved if an open plan set up is deployed fully or partly. Flexibility for organizational changes: The open plan office lends itself to easy restructuring of work areas. In most cases, it is easier to fit in one more members of staff (Sanders and McCormick, 2002). More efficient work flow and communication: Some jobs require continuous team work, face to face interaction and a relatively high level of routine procedures. For such work groups, the open plan office or variations thereof are usually recommended and deployed. The enhancement of some level of peripheral participation is one of the strengths of the open plan office. Possible enhancement of social facilitation: The enhancement of collaboration i.e. the fostering of a team spirit, where, work teams or task forces are close to one another and can quickly form a huddle to sort out problems without resorting to information technology provisions like the intercom, emails, phones, video conferencing or even the walk up to another office. Oldham and Brass, (1979) specifically examined interpersonal issues that included; intradepartmental and interdepartmental interaction, friendship opportunities, noting that supervisor and co worker feed back could be improved. Ease of supervision: There is an ease of supervision, in that, a look over the landscape of the office can give an idea as to who is present and what each member of staff is doing. Limitations of open plan offices. Regarding the limitations of open-plan office designs, Maher and von Hippel (2005) rightly point out the fact that in open plan office layouts â€Å"distractions and overstimulation are intrinsically linked to the design.† These issues have consistently been themain down sides of open plan offices and some of them include: Increased workplace noise (Pan and Michael, 2007). Increased disturbances and distractions. Increased feelings of crowding and loss of privacy. There is a reduction in autonomy and task identity and a reduction in supervisor and co worker feedback in certain cases (Oldham and Brass, 1979). One point of agreement in open plan office research is that there is a generally low level of perceived privacy in open plan offices, as interruptions and distractions of the visual and acoustic kind occur frequently in open plan offices. (Pejtersen et al. 2006; Roper and Juneja, 2008) Furthermore, researchers have observed that these negative outcomes resulting from the adoption of the open plan office design tends to result in dissatisfaction with work and the workplace thus, reducing functional efficiency, decreasing performance, especially, for non routine tasks and also, reduced feedback from supervisors due to some complexity with the freedom of communication (de Korte et al. 2007; Pejtersen et al. 2006; Sundstrom et al. 1982; Vischer, 2007 ). This understanding has led some organizations to begin returning to the traditional private offices i.e. with floor to ceiling partitions assigned to an individual (Roper and Juneja 2008). Evolving nature of office work Also worthy of note, is the evolution of work patterns. An increasingly large number of persons work mainly at or from home and visit the office sparingly. This has given rise to the several types of offices one of which is the flex-office, which is dimensioned for less than 70% of the total company staff to be in at the same time. Another design is the combi-office; where a member of staff is not assigned to a specific desk but sharing of common facilities provides the spatial definition of such an individuals work space i.e. the task and personnel at hand may determine the sitting arrangement of persons in the office (Danielsson, 2008). Thesis Overview The thesis is organized in to 5 chapters; Chapter one provides an introduction the concept of an office, its major types and variations. It then focuses on the open plan office and then highlights the strengths and limitations of the open plan office. Chapter two provides a literature review of the concept of privacy perception; it reviews the perceived benefits of privacy and then traces the expectation that privacy perception could be influenced by culture. Significant studies related to dissatisfaction with open plan offices are examined for possible links to culture. The discussion then moves to culture, its definition and then the attempts made in the classification of culture. The Hofstede paradigm is then discussed and some studies employing the paradigm are reviewed. The research motivation and hypotheses are presented. Chapter three discusses the methodology of the study, the survey method, issues noted and the challenge expected. The source and design of the questionnaire was presented and the analysis methods proposed. The statistical analysis tool was briefly introduced. Chapter four shows the procedure of the survey, documents the responses received, analyzed the data collected from the general information part of the questionnaire and then chronicles the statistical analysis of the second part of the questionnaire designed to elicit privacy perception in open plan office environments. Chapter five provides a discussion of the results obtained in chapter five and then presents the limitations of the current study while providing directions for further work. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW This part of the thesis discusses the links between privacy perceptions and culture. It also includes definitions and explanations of some related terms. Lastly, it includes a presentation of some ideas relevant to the work and results of related studies. The chapter concludes with the research question, research hypothesis and the motivation for the study. Privacy Perception In order to facilitate a better understanding, the term â€Å"privacy† is defined firstly then the concept called â€Å"perception. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary (2011), privacy is said to be â€Å"the quality or state of being apart from company or observation†. Wikipedia defines perception as â€Å"the process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information.† It goes on to say â€Å"what one perceives is a result of interplays between past experiences, including one’s culture, and the interpretation of the perceived.† Privacy is a very difficult concept or construct to define not to talk of evaluating, it has commanded interest from the fields of anthropology, architecture, cultural geography, environmental design, ethology, history, law, philosophy, and sociology, as well as branches psychology such as; clinical, counseling, developmental, educational, environmental and social psychology (Newell, 1995; 1998). Newell (1995) in her extensive review of the concept of privacy divided the perspectives of privacy into, people centered, place centered and the person-environment or the person-place interaction with the primary interest on the place, people or equally on the person and place and or with the interaction itself. Leino-Kilpi et al. (2001 p. 664) in another review of literature on privacy noted that perspectives applied to the analysis of the concepts of privacy to be: The units experiencing privacy. They go on to note â€Å"the unit experiencing privacy can be either an individual or a group, or both.† Desired – Achieved privacy. This is explained by the understanding that the concept of privacy is either seen as a subjective state or studied as an achieved state (Newell, 1998). Reactive – Proactive privacy. This is to say the control of communication and also the control of knowledge. Furthermore, they describe the dimensions of privacy to include: physical, psychological, social and informational thus, suggesting privacy dimensions to be made up of four quadrants of the diagram as shown in figure 2.1 below.. Source: Leino-Kilpi et al. (2001) It would be seen that in an open plan office all the dimensions of privacy as enumerated Figure 2.1 above are impinged upon; First, physical accessibility to the person is unrestricted. Secondly, the cognitive intrusions abound due to audio and visual distractions. Thirdly, it is more difficult to control social contacts for example, the choice of participants for interaction, the interaction frequency, length and content of the said interaction. Then finally, the ease with which certain private pieces of information about the person is easily accessible is a problem in open plan offices, after all, most open plan offices do not have a single route of access or a door to the work space. So, it is difficult to mark and protect ones territory and as such protect some form of private information from would be trespassers (Anjum, Paul and Ashcroft, 2004). In the light of these perspectives, one of the definitions of privacy suggested is that â€Å"privacy is a voluntary and temporary condition of separation from the public domain† (Newell, 1998, p. 357). Oldham, Kulick and Stepina (1991) highlighted the fact that individuals reacted negatively to environments characterized by few enclosures, closeness and high density because such environments exposed individuals to too many unwanted or uncontrolled intrusions. It is also agreed that, the perception of the work environment leads to satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the work and the work environment. Fischer, Tarquinio and Vischer (2004, p.132 ) posit that the there are three major categories of mediating influences on workplace satisfaction and these are, â€Å"individual differences like culture, age, professional or status, organizational context and environmental features.† All these issues could be further grouped into two; internal and external factors as relates to the individual. These two descriptions could be mapped to the two ingredients required for a need for privacy to exist i.e. a person or persons and a place. Sanders and McCormick (2002, p. 485) also point out that apart from the physical features of the built environment, â€Å"people are influenced by nonphysical features like social, cultural, technological, economic and political factors characteristic of the environment.† External Factors These are the place factors, usually described as the environmental or design issues which can lead to noise distractions, visual distractions, interruptions, crowding and accessibility issues (Ding, S. 2008). Due to the absence of internal walls, the low height of walls or partitions in open plan offices influences privacy; the more enclosures, the lower the people per given space and the higher the partitions, the higher the privacy perceived (Danielsson 2008; Oldham, G. R et al. 1991; Sundstrom, Herbert and Brown, 1982 etc.). Organizational context is also considered to be an external factor. This involves the type of industry involved by the organization. For example doctors consulting rooms should provide more audio privacy compared to an architectural firms offices or design studios. Internal Factors This grouping is based on the person factors or what goes on within the person, the suggestion that individual differences related to but not restricted to personality traits, gender, individual experience etc. affect ones perception of, and hence the evaluation of the work environment (external or place factors). Some studies have found that variations exist across gender in perception of privacy in the open plan office (Yildirim, Akalin-Baskaya and Celebi, 2007). Also, in a different cross cultural study of privacy, Newell (1998) found that privacy was more a condition of the person thus, the duration of the experience and the change on the person as a result of the experience leads to its suspected therapeutic effect. In general perceptions and attitudes to privacy, she found that gender also played a part especially within cultures. Maher and von Hippel (2005) and others before them showed that individual differences in the ability to handle overstimulation by the application stimulus screening and inhibitory abilities influenced the perceptions of the work environment. These inhibitory skills are cognitive in nature and such inhibitory skills are found to vary between individuals and even especially across cultures. For example, Hall (1966) points out that the Japanese are said to be content with paper walls as acoustic screens while the Dutch and Germans require thick walls and double doors to serve as acoustic screens. Benefits of Privacy in the work Environment Newell (1998, p. 359) relates the need for privacy to help in â€Å"maintaining healthy internal physiological and cognitive functioning subjectively described as ‘wellbeing’†. The study concluded that achieving the perceived privacy had some therapeutic effects. On the area of performance, especially for knowledge workers like engineers, accountants, software designers, decision makers etc., auditory and visual distraction have been found to be a cause of stress and even performance impairment (Roper and Juneja, 2008). Furthermore, Oommen, Knowles and Zhao (2008) point to the likelihood of aggression and increased instances of eye, nose and throat irritations while working in open plan environments. This in turn affects productivity. Culture Culture is said to be the way of life of a group of people. This, among other things covers their beliefs, values, norms and rituals. Specifically, Hofstede (2009 p. 1) points out that â€Å"culture is the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from the others and it manifests itself in the form of symbols, heroes, rituals and values.† Earlier, an American anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his books, talked about language and especially modes of communication as a point of differentiating cultures (Hall E.T 1966; 1976). He even considered language to be the core of culture while, Geert Hofstede considers language as a part of the rituals of a particular culture (Hofstede, 2010). This goes to point out some of the existing disagreements about what culture is and even how it comes about. Culture is thus, studied as a means of understanding or shedding light into the behavior or reactions of individuals or people groups. Edward Hall in his book; the hidden dimension writes that â€Å"people from different cultures inhabit different sensory worlds, so that experience, as it is perceived through one set of culturally patterned sensory screens is quite different from experience perceived through another.† (1966, p. 2). This highlights and explains the link between culture and perception generally and in spatial terms especially. Classifying Cultures There have been several descriptions and models of culture (Matsumoto and Yoo, 2006; Hall, 1966; 1970), for example, Hall (1966) alludes to contact and non-contact groups or cultures in relation to spatial meanings and preferences within people groups . This is related to the social dimension of privacy (Leino-Kilpi et al. 2001), but he especially specifies high and low context cultures according to their ways of communicating. For the high context (HC) culture or communication for that matter, much of the information is implicit while, in the low context (LC) culture, nearly everything is explicit. He also wrote about the concept of time among cultures (Hall, 1976). Where there are polychronic (P-time) and monochronic (M-Time) cultures; the M-time society or culture would prefer to do only one thing at a time when serious i.e. for such persons, time is linear and segmented with each activity scheduled while, the individuals in a P-time culture can juggle several activities, they emphasize the involvement of people and the completion of tasks rather than schedules. Edward T. Hall coined the term â€Å"Proxemics† which he describes as â€Å"interrelated observations and theories of mans use of space as a specialized elaboration of culture† Hall (1966 p. 1). In explaining his observations in proxemic behavior (Hall, 1963 p. 1003) he notes that â€Å"what is close to an American may be distant to an Arab.† Many other researchers and individuals apart from Edward Hall had worked on other frameworks and dimensions of culture. Matsumoto and Yoo, (2006) lists some of these frameworks which are interestingly identified by the names of the researchers that discovered them and this list which is not exhaustive, includes; Hofstedes (1980) with subsequent revisions and dimensions added; Schwartz (2004) who presented seven universal value orientations, Smith, Dugan and Trompenaars (1996) had two universal value orientations; House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman and Gupta (2003) came up with nine value orientations related to leadership; Inglehart (1997) had two attitude-belief-value orientations, Bond et al. (2004) is said to have reported two social axioms. All cited in Matsumoto and Yoo, (2006 p. 239). The listing above does not mention each of the dimensions. The dimensions of each framework listed are found in Table 2.1 below. Table 2.1 Six Theoretical Frameworks for Universal Dimensions of Cultural Variability Framework Dimensions Hofstede’s (2001) dimensions of  work-related values Individualism vs. collectivism Power distance Uncertainty avoidance Masculinity vs. femininity Long- vs. short-term orientation Schwartz’s (2004) dimensions of  values Embeddedness Hierarchy Intellectual autonomy Affective autonomy Egalitarianism Mastery Harmony Smith, Dugan, and Trompenaars’s  (1996) dimensions of values Egalitarian commitment vs. conservatism Utilitarian involvement vs. loyal involvement House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman, and  Gupta’s (2003) dimensions of  leadership values Performance orientation Assertiveness orientation Future orientation Human orientation Institutional collectivism Family collectivism Gender egalitarianism Power distance Uncertainty avoidance Inglehart’s (1997) dimensions of  attitudes, values, and beliefs Traditional vs. secular-rational orientation Survival vs. self-expression values Bond et al.’s (2004) dimensions  of social axioms (beliefs) Dynamic externality Societal cynicism Source: (Matsumoto, D and Yoo, S. H, 2006 p. 240) National versus Organizational culture As a society has a culture, so do organizations and such organizations employ staff who come from a particular culture(s). The organizations then require these individuals to work in offices. Apart from the culture description related to national boundaries, there is a culture that seems to characterize workplaces or organizations and this is called organizational or corporate culture. Barney (1986) notes that like culture itself, organizational culture has many competing definitions and then goes on to suggest that a generally acceptable definition of organizational culture to be â€Å"as a complex set of values, beliefs, assumptions, and symbols that define the way in which a firm conducts its business.† (p. 657). He goes on to point the pervasive nature of organizational culture in that, it helps to define the relationship of the firm to parties it comes in contact with through its business. This simply shows that culture within the work place especially geared towards profitability or the conferment of advantages could be termed organizational or corporate culture. Generally it will be assumed that the national culture will also play a part. Guidroz, Kotrba, and Denison (2009) from results of a study of multinational companies, claim that their study seems to point to organizational culture superseding national culture in diversity management practices. The issue in question in this thesis is not exactly a management matter but the individual perception of privacy in the open plan office environments and would suggest that both national and organizational cultures playing a part because according to (Brand, 2009) the design of the workspace or workplace communicates the corporate culture of the organization meaning, the adoption of the open plan environment can be tied to the organizations corporate culture. Hofstedes’ Cultural Dimensions This is a hugely popular cross-cultural model (Gerhart and Fang, 2005; Hofstede et al, 2010; Sivakumar, Nakata, 2001) currently in use, with its roots in industrial psychology (Meeuwesen, van den Brink-Muinen and Hofstede, 2009) is called the Hofstedes model of culture named after Geert Hofstede a Dutch emeritus Professor of organizational anthropology and international management in the Netherlands. Hofstedes work highlighted the fact that culture is manifested through symbols, heroes, rituals and values. But, Hofstede argues that values form the core of culture as represented by the Hofstede culture â€Å"Onion† in Figure 2.2. Figure 2.2 shows the onion structure graphically illustrating the manifestation of culture at different levels and even the interactions therein. As seen from Figure 2.2 above symbols, heroes and rituals are by themselves visible to all observers. It is the cultural meanings of the practices that are open to interpretation by the observer while, values are unseen or embedded within the person but they still subtly determine choices and much more (Hofstede et al., 2010). Hofstedes research studied value survey responses of similar respondents from different countries as to their approach, as related to four basic problems prevalent in most societies (Meeuwesen et. al, 2009) these included; Handling social inequalities in the society. The approach to dealing with uncertainty in general. The structure of the relationship between an individual and the group. The emotional role division between the male and females in a society. The initial data for Hofstedes culture study came about through an analysis of International Business Machine Company (IBM) staff surveys at a time, the company was called Hermes. He utilized the responses from routine staff surveys about values and related matters to provide ratings for countries on each of what he then called the four dimensions of culture. This was achieved by examining correlations between mean scores of questionnaire items at the level of countries. Other approaches, like analysis at the individual level did not provide much useful information (Hofstede, 2009). Later, certain studies showed the need for another dimension and this lead to the inclusion of a fifth dimension called, long term orientation. Each dimension of culture score for a country is calculated using a scale of roughly 0 to 100 for each dimension. A dimension of culture is an aspect of culture that can be measured relative to other cultures (Hofstede, 2009 p. 6) and the higher the score of a dimension, the more that dimension is exhibited in the society or nation in question while for lower scores the opposite pole of the dimension is more pronounced. Thus, the scores are therefore bipolar (Jones, 2007) In a 2010 book, Greet Hofstede, his son Gert Jan Hofstede and a research collaborator Micheal Minkov reviewed earlier works, alongside their recent studies and added a sixth dimension called indulgence versus restraint (IVR) to the previously known Hofstedes five dimensions of culture. The sixth dimension was largely as a result of the work of Micheal Minkov (Hofstede et al., 2010). The six dimensions of Hofstedes cultural model now include power distance (PDI), individualism (IDV), masculinity (MAS), uncertainty avoidance index (UAI), long term orientation (LTO), and the recently added indulgence (IVR). Power distance (PDI). This indicates the degree of inequality that exists and is accepted among the persons with and without power i.e. the leadership versus the followership respectively as normal and legitimate in any given society. If the power distance scores are high, it indicates a pyramidal or hierarchical system where the power is resident at the top while, lower scores indicate greater equality suggesting power is shared and spread within the group. Individualism (IDV). This is related to the se

Roman Architecture :: essays research papers

The Romans gained much of their engineering skill from the Etruscans and drew on Etruscan and Asian models for the semicircular arch. From them, the Romans learned the use of the keystone arch, which enabled them to build extremely strong and durable structures. Many of these engineering and architectural projects are still standing. Some are still in use after two thousand years like this bridge in Spain. Early Roman architects were influenced by Greek post-and-lintel construction. But the Greek design was limited in its capabilities to span large distances and being able to bear heavy loads while not falling down of its own weight. Post and lintel construction comprises a flat piece of stone bridging a space between two upright supports. Post and lintel supports have a flaw. When a heavy weight is placed on the middle of the span too much stress may be put on the stone and it can break in the middle. The Romans solved this problem by using a type of construction called voussoir arch with keystone. The engineering principle of the arch is quite simple. The circle is the strongest structural shape. The arch is just half of this perfect form. To create a voussoir arch, tapered stone blocks were cut then arranged like the diagram at the right. It was then stood up on its ends. The ends rested on piers made of stone blocks or bricks mortared together with pozzolana cement in the typical Roman arch bridge. The cement was named after a local mountain that the ingredients of the cement came from. The weight of the stone and concrete of the bridge itself compressed the tapered stones together, making the arch an extremely strong structure. During construction, the voussoir's were supported by a temporary wooden frame until the keystone was inserted. The Roman invention of the arch allowed architects to build larger structures than ever before. The extension of the arch idea lead to the development of domes, alcoves, and soffits. The arches and its derivatives were also employed in Triumphal Arches, aqueducts, bridges, houses, theaters, exedra, nynpheum, basilicas, thermal baths and temples.

Goodner Brothers Case Study

Q1. Define SWOT analysis with appropriate examples using external resources (200 words) SWOT Analysis, technique credited to Albert Humphrey, is strategic planning method used to evaluate Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats involved in business ventures. 1 It involves 1) Specifying objective 2) Identifying internal and external factors favorable and unfavorable to achieve objective 1 Example – Healthcare Software Company selling high value products 2 Strengths : Internal Characterisitcs of Business that give it an advantage 1 †¢ Highly experienced team, well established, reputable company †¢ High Percentage of Sales from Exports †¢ Knowledge of Advanced technology †¢ Very efficient Processes †¢ Top class service Weaknesses : Internal Characteristics that place it at disadvantage 1 †¢ Customers slow to Upgrade †¢ Complicated Products – need lots of Customisation †¢ Products innovative and market needs to be educated †¢ Technology emphasis within company rather than Marketing emphasis Opporutnities : External chances to impove performance 1 New competitors entering markets †¢ Government spending cut backs †¢ Technology changing fast Theats : External elements that could cause trouble 1 †¢ Population ageing †¢ Environmental issues increasing profile †¢ Healthcare costs rises rapidly †¢ Increased Safety and Risk awareness in healthcare Possible Strategy 2 Invest in marketing skills and knowledge to find new markets for specialist technical knowledge Increase export market to give buffer to Local Government initiatives in healthcare Add more value to customers outbidding new competitors. Emphasis in sales materials to offset new competitors entering market. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/SWOT_analysis & http://www. managementstudyguide. com/swot-analysis. htm Copyright  © 2008 – 2012 managementstudyguide. com. All rights reserved. (1) |http://www. rapid-business-intelligence-success. com/sample-swot- analysis. html  © Copyright Syd Stewart 2008 (2)| | |

Police Departments

Predictive policing refers to any policing strategy that develops and uses advanced analysis and information to inform future thinking crime prevention. COMPSTAT (short form of COMPuter STATistics) is a systematic computerized way of using the GIS (short form of Geographic Information Systems) to map crime trends and identify problems. It was introduced in 1994 by NYC Commissioner William Bratton to address the high crime rate in New York City.In this paper we are going to compare and contrast the application of information technology to optimize police departments’ performance to reduce crime versus random patrols of the streets. We are also going to show how COMPSTAT as an IS implements the basic IS functions; and how IS have allowed police departments that implement tools such as COMPSTAT to respond to crime faster. Lastly, in this paper the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis (SWOT analysis) on behalf of police departments that intend to implement pr edictive policing will also appear.Predictive Policing To build the comparison and contrast the application of IT to optimize police departments’ performance to reduce crime versus random patrols of the streets first we have to find out what kind of information technology is available to police today. Predictive policing, or programs such as COMPSTAT, is taking data from disparate sources, analyzing them and then using the results to anticipate, prevent and respond more effectively to future crime.Charlie Beck, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department writes â€Å"The predictive vision moves law enforcement from focusing on what will happen and how to effectively deploy resources in front of the crime, thereby changing outcomes,† (Predictive Policing: The Future of Law Enforcement, NIJ, 2012) Predictive policing focuses on five elements and they are Integrated information and operations: Large police departments maintain lots of databases and its unusual to see these computer systems joined together to allow effective analysis.It is unlikely that other information sources, such as gunshot detection systems are linked into police analytical or fusion centers. Finally, police departments do not link their operations and information systems to other parts of the justice system or social services system. So, Poor information sharing prevents good analysis and investigation and can wreck efforts to intervene with individuals to stop the cycle of violence. The best way to look at the future and act appropriately is to have a complete picture of the current situation.It is a must for police to integrate their information systems to enable situational awareness. Seeing the big picture: Prevention is important as response, and every incident is an information-gathering opportunity. Few crimes are unusual incidents. Most crime is part of a sequence of criminal activity and social issues. This means that police need to be able to recognize these patterns in societies. So, to save their valuable time and energy it is necessary to build police organizations to use information to see the big picture patterns of what is going on around them.Cutting-edge analysis and technology: This element is as straight forward as it sounds. Police departments have lots of information but their analysis is not so strong. Tomorrow's forward-thinking department must depend on good information that has been fully analyzed. With the appropriate tools police analysts must analyze the information and turn into usable products for the officers. Predictive analysis may include tools that link people or activities, visualization of complex interrelationships, deal with terrorism as well as domestic violence or id theft and many more.Morally, with the vast available tools and technology police departments should learn how to use them. Linkage to performance: It is necessary to track police performance. However, it is also important to track performance targets and crime trends. The new technology helps police to place themselves into the situations instead of being limited to past situations. It is important for police to be able to recognize these criminal developments before they become a threat for public. Adaptability to changing conditions:This  element describes how flat-networked organization, training in how to adapt to strategies based on information and high professional standards are needed. This generates a number of comments, including the need for a reward structure based on how officers use information provided by crime analysts and on the fundamental lack of technological understanding within police departments. The COMPSTAT is a management process or program within a performance management framework that synthesizes analysis of disorder data and crime, strategic problem solving, and a clear accountability structure.It is a systematic computerized way of using the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map crime trends and identify problems. It was introduced in 1994 by New York City Commissioner William Bratton to address the high crime rate in New York City. We can compare the four (4) COMPSTAT principles with the four basic information system (IS) functions. The first COMPSTAT principle is â€Å"accurate and timely intelligence†, which is close to the first basic IS function input. The second one is â€Å"effective tactics† which parallels with processing, second basic IS function.Last two principles are â€Å"rapid deployment† and â€Å"relentless follow-up and assessment† parallels with output and feedback respectively. Below we are explaining four COMPSTAT principles: COMPSTAT has increased the intellectual capacity of the police department to react efficiently to crime a lot. This proves that how IS have allowed police department to respond to crime faster with the tools like COMPSTAT. To understanding our Strengths and Weaknesses, and for identifying and analyzi ng both the Opportunities and the Threats, SWOT analysis is a very useful technique.For police department internal analyses are strengths and weaknesses and external analyses are opportunities and threats. The strengths of this system are â€Å"police department manual revised in its entirety to today’s current best practices, clear mission statement to guide the department, professional public image, established and proven training program for new officers, police trainers and new drug crime investigators, new testing process for police officer position, and thorough background investigations for officer candidates† (2008 Assessment of the Duluth Police Department) and so on.The weaknesses in this system are â€Å"police headquarters old, outdated, lacks adequate space and is not secure, inadequate training budget, difficulty recruiting minority, informal leaders/ dissidents, need for addition sworn and civilian staff† (2008 Assessment of the Duluth Police Depa rtment) and so on. There are obviously many opportunities and threats.Here are some for opportunities: â€Å"re-establish the juvenile bureau to effect change on youth, field based reporting, opportunity to educate the public every day in crime prevention, target hardening† (2008 Assessment of the Duluth Police Department) etc. and for threats: â€Å"no computer crimes unit to handle to proliferation of today’s computer crime, turnover of newer officers leaving the department for other law enforcement agencies† (2008 Assessment of the Duluth Police Department) etc.

Cybercrime

Cybercrime Abstract With the progressive advances in technology, incidences of cybercrimes are also on the rise. Preventing these cybercrimes requires organizations to develop knowledge that can help them form psychological profiles of the perpetuators of these crimes.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Cybercrime Pentagon specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This would subsequently help organizations install appropriate controls in order to effectively deal with cybercrimes. It is the lack of effective controls that accounts for most hacking incidences, as depicted by the case of Gary McKinnon who was able to gain unauthorized access to NASA and pentagon systems, deleting crucial data that grounded their operations. Introduction Cybercrimes are criminal activities that target computer and networks such as electronic hacking and denial of service. Cybercrimes have become increasingly rampant in today’s world, despit e many advances that have been made in improving security systems (Turkle, 2000). The trend that is observed nowadays is that of a global hacking culture, which is often highly collaborative compared to what is considered to be the previous subculture. Hackers are generally regarded as anti-social technophiles whose core motive is mischief and malice. It is estimated that worldwide, hacking activities amount to more than $10 billion each year, while damages arising from these activities are in excess of $100 billion annually (Wall, 2008). Incidents of cybercrimes have also increased with the exponential growth in internet access across the world.Advertising Looking for critical writing on criminology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Similarly, technical skills related to computing have increased, resulting into emergence of skilled programmers, some of whom engage in the development of malicious software and unauthor ized intrusion into systems for various reasons. Just like other criminals, cybercriminals can be motivated by a number of reasons such as doing an espionage looking for military secrets, system vulnerabilities, and economic benefits or trying to reverse engineer their way into vital infrastructure (Wall, 2008). Other motivations may appear trivial, such as searching for passwords, system user identity, dates, and contacts, information that may often be used in unprecedented ways. Hacking may also take the form of hacktivism, an internet vigilantism that involves hacking systems to advance a political cause (Campbell Kennedy, 2009). Motivations for hacking Hacking for entertainment motives has been demonstrated particularly among young people. A great majority of hackers are also motivated by economic benefits, including embezzlement, corporate espionage and acting as agents for hire. The need to revenge is also a common motivator for cybercriminals. Some people vent their emotiona l anger by hacking into systems with the intent of damaging systems or causing a complete denial-of service attack. There also exist social motivations to cybercrimes, whereby a hacker may break into a system to show off their capabilities to their peers or to gain attention from authority. These socially motivated hackers claim to seek knowledge, discover new things, or be driven by the need to be the first ones to find a particular weakness in a system (Campbell Kennedy, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Cybercrime Pentagon specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Some hackers perceive that the cyberspace should be a level playground and advocate for free information. These hackers harbor sentiments against transnational organizations and governments in the cyberspace. Thus, they seek to make the cyberspace an unlimited and deregulated entity by breaking into systems and disclosing computer passwords. Po litically motivated cybercriminals, hacktivists, are people with political agendas who are oriented to extremist beliefs. These people resort to hacking systems to spread their propaganda or pass their messages, often severely disabling systems of those who are opposed to their beliefs. They can engage in cybercrimes to generate funds for their cause. Though it is the rarest motivator for cybercrimes, psychiatric and personality disorders have been recognized as the most dangerous cybercriminals. Some hackers have been shown to suffer from conditions such as schizophrenia, depression and mania conditions that make such hackers feel detached from the society (Campbell Kennedy, 2009). Hacking of the Pentagon by Gary McKinnon Gary McKinnon is perhaps one of the most popular hackers in the world, after confessing to unlawfully gaining access to computers at NASA and the Pentagon by capitalizing on security glitches in Microsoft’s operating system. McKinnon, an unemployed compute r systems administrator, hacked into computers belonging to private companies, NASA and the pentagon in 2001 and 2002.Advertising Looking for critical writing on criminology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More McKinnon boasted to have scanned a lot of military computers, and he was surprised at the ease with which he gained entry since many of the computers had auto passwords while others apparently had no passwords installed. McKinnon’s crime activities were identified as he attempted to download a picture he believed to be an alien spacecraft from NASA. This allegedly compromised the United States computer networks, causing computer damages and a loss of more than $800,000. Further, McKinnon left messages on the hacked computers, which made fun of the security systems and criticized the United States’ foreign policy (Fisher, 2007). While the United States perceived McKinnon’s cybercrime activities as terrorism related, his supporters argued that MacKinnon’s motivations for hacking are odd. Supporters of McKinnon were of the opinion that McKinnon was a lone eccentric whose interest was merely an obsession to obtain information about UFOs and the United Statesà ¢â‚¬â„¢ secrets concerning alternative forms of energy (Fisher, 2007). While confessing to his crime, Gary McKinnon said that he was mainly driven by his interest in UFOs, which dates back to his childhood years. His interest was to infringe on the security system of the pentagon and NASA to gain evidence of unidentified flying objects’ activity. McKinnon believed that the NASA and the Pentagon kept secret crucial information concerning free energy suppression and unidentified flying objects’ activity. Being jobless and bored, McKinnon spent a huge proportion of his time on the computer attempting to unravel his childhood interest concerning unidentified flying objects. It was in the process of pursuing his interest that he found his way into the United States networks and was taken back at the ease of access (The Telegraph, 2009). He realized that the networks lacked firewalls and most government employees had no passwords for their computers. It is alleged that McKin non gained administrator privileges on various NASA and Pentagon computers, after which he utilized that access to manipulate user accounts. This enabled him to control the systems remotely. Upon committing this crime, Gary McKinnon never made attempts to cover his tracks, but rather he readily confessed to have hacked into the system when he was traced. Unidentified flying objects are objects believed to originate from space or other planets. People are generally interested in these unidentified flying objects because they believe that they are the key to unraveling mysteries surrounding the universe, forms of life in other planets and their origin. Both the public and scientific community harbor interests about unidentified flying objects as they belief that these objects are controlled by some forces from space. To a majority of the public, unidentified flying objects do exist, and are best kept secret in the scientific community and the military (Ruppelt, 2011). Motivations of G ary McKinnon Gary McKinnon’s motivations seem to arise out of boredom and curiosity. At the time of committing his crime, McKinnon was not employed. Out of boredom, he decided to search for information about unidentified flying objects and alternative forms of energy. McKinnon believed that the United States had some information related to extraterrestrial life forms and technology. Therefore, he took his time to gain the evidence by hacking into computer networks. In targeting the NASA and Pentagon computers, McKinnon must have been inspired by film war-games he had watched as a child about a young man who accessed Pentagon secrets, almost triggering a war. According to McKinnon, the United States was keeping vital information regarding technology related to unidentified flying objects, anti-gravity and free energy, which it had obtained through reverse engineering and ought to release the information to help humanity as alternative sources of energy. McKinnon also says he h ad no malicious intent, except unraveling the secrets about unidentified flying objects and extraterrestrial life forms. McKinnon’s form of motivation can be said to be intrinsic since he reported to have experienced full engagement and he sought no reward (The Telegraph, 2009). McKinnon’s personality Cybercriminals are often thought to have narcissistic oriented traits as demonstrated by the comments they leave on the systems after breaking into them. Hackers often leave bragging comments or their names on the web pages, an attribute considered as intended to gain admiration from other hackers and informing the media (Wall, 2008). Gary McKinnon can also be said to have those narcissistic traits, considering the sarcastic nature of comments he left on the military website, his identity and promise to continue hacking into the system. As a child, McKinnon was described by his mother as having phobia for traveling and had obsession with natural bodies and planets. McKinn on was suffering from ‘Asperger’s Syndrome’. Asperger’s Syndrome is a form of autism that is very rare. Individuals with this syndrome are often very intelligent and have a great understanding of complex systems. Nevertheless, sufferers have problems in deciphering social cues and the consequences of their often obsessive behavior. It is suggested by McKinnon’s supporters that this syndrome may have been the reason for his cybercrime activities (The Telegraph, 2009). It can, therefore, be deduced that McKinnon’s criminal activity may in part have some psychiatric and personality dimensions. Identifying potential hackers Understanding an individual’s intention and motivation to hack into a system requires detailed knowledge of their background, psychology, personality characteristics, and social environments. A significant number of hackers have been shown to be motivated to break into systems by reasons beyond financial gains, such as fraud or theft. In addition, most hackers who intrude into systems claiming to be testing the security system often do not own personal systems. This, therefore, requires profiling of hackers to establish their motivations. Organizations can be able to prevent further cybercrimes by learning to identify personal characteristics of the hackers. Most hackers have characteristics that reflect their capabilities. Organizations can, therefore, utilize these psychological profiles to determine the type of firewall to be put in their systems (Campbell Kennedy, 2009). How Organization Should Defend against Hacking Cybercrimes continue to be very costly, and the costs are proportional to organizational size. These cybercrimes threaten technological developments and integrity of systems, and even human lives (West, 2009). The basic strategies towards reducing the risk of security breaches on computer and data networks as witnessed in McKinnon’s case include the use of an encryption sy stem, implementation of adequate controls on data storage and access, and creating backups of data off-sites. Establishing the motivation, psychological and personality traits of the hackers could be helpful in understanding the nature of the problem. This can help in development of appropriate strategies to reduce cybercrimes (Campbell Kennedy, 2009). Using encryption system Though passwords can help enhance the security of an organization’s computer networks, they are not sufficient in ensuring that privacy of the data is maintained. There is, therefore, need for organizations to use encryption systems particular for sensitive information. Encryption systems ensure that only individuals with the appropriate electronic key gain access to the stored information (West, 2009). Instituting controls on data storage and access It is suggested that approximately 90 per cent of security breaches in organizations arise from the failure to implement simple and easily installable cont rols (West, 2009). This was the scenario with the NASA and Pentagon systems when McKinnon hacked their system. McKinnon also reports to have found a lot of hackers from different countries, like China, Australia and Canada who had broken into the system (The Telegraph, 2009). This would not have happened had the Pentagon and NASA put in place adequate controls in their systems. Organizations, therefore, need to design and implement policies that are clear and auditable on their computer networks to protect them from being manipulated and misused by unauthorized users, be they insiders or outsiders. These controls can be firewalls or antivirus systems designed to control unauthorized access to an organization’s network or manipulation of data. Organizations must ensure that the antivirus software installed in their systems is reliable and updated, while the employees should be sufficiently trained to use the software. Placing a firewall in the system could be helpful in keepin g the hackers away from accessing the system. A firewall helps protect the system by blocking any communication from unauthorized sources. Firewalls also help prevent hackers from remotely logging into an organization’s system by blocking them from viewing or accessing files or manipulating the system’s programs. Organizations can prevent hacking by ensuring that their systems have functional network firewall, and any activities available are carefully monitored for potential security exposures (West, 2009). Creating back-ups Creating and retaining back-ups, preferably at a different location, could serve to reduce the extent of data damage in case of hacking. Back-ups help prevent large-scale data loss or manipulation following security breach (West, 2009). According to the allegations leveled against McKinnon by the United States, McKinnon deleted a lot of data, which crippled some military operations for almost two days. In the absence of backups, the operations of organizations may become grounded for a long time due to cybercrime activities, making them incur a lot of losses. Regular audit of security systems Organizations should perform a through audit of their computer systems and keep them updated in order to keep off the hackers. This is because hackers are always sharpening their skills and coming up with new ways of circumnavigating the security systems (West, 2009). It is recognized that hackers like McKinnon utilize system vulnerabilities as a result of organizations using old operating systems with known weaknesses. Conclusion Psychological profiling is a significant way of preventing cybercrimes. This is because it helps in understanding various aspects of the perpetrators of the crime such as personality and motivations. This could subsequently equip organizations with the capabilities to identify the threat and institute appropriate level of control in their system. McKinnon’s hacking event could have been prevented if Pen tagon and NASA had implemented appropriate system security measures. References Campbell, Q., Kennedy, D. M. (2009). ‘The psychology of computer criminals’, In Bosworth, et al. (Eds.), Computer security handbook. New York, NY: John Wiley Sons. Fisher, P. (2007). Gary McKinnon. SC Magazine for IT Security Professionals. p. 38. Web. Ruppelt, E. D. (2011). The report on identified flying objects: The original 1956 edition. New York, NY: Cosimo Inc. The Telegraph. (2009). Gary McKinnon profile: Autistic hacker who started writing computer programs at 14. Web. Turkle, P. (2000). Hackers: Crime in the digital sublime. London: Routledge. Wall, D. S. (2008). Cybercrimes, media and insecurity: The shaping of public perceptions of cybercrime. International Review of Law Computers Technology, 22(1-2): 45-63. West, M. (2009). ‘Preventing system intrusions’, In J. R. Vacca (ed.) Computer and Information security handbook. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Movie review on movie Blue streak essays

Movie review on movie Blue streak essays Master jewel theif Miles Logan (Martain Laurence) has a problem! A $20 million problem! Recently realeased from prison after a 2-year bust, hes anxious to retrieve the huge diamond that he hid in a construction site 2 years ago. Unfortunately his hiding place is now the home of the 37th L.A. Police Precinct! But when Miles poses as a Dectective to work his way into the building, his new Boss is so impressed with his profile (theyre fake of course!) that he gives him a rookie partner and sends him out to the streets to serve and protect. Now as Miles continues his disguise as a detective until he can find a way to get the diamond, hell discover that his life of crime has given all the skills he needs to be a damn good Cop! This Smash comedy hit will keep you laughting till the end. The introductory scence to this movie has a lot of action and introduces all of the characters straigth away. It introduces the suppose-to-be good guy (Miles Logan) and the bad guys Martin Laurence plays the role of the Cop really well in this movie and as well as the cast. One of best friends in crime, Charlie (Dave Chappelle) is a really funny character and the best scence in which he plays is when Miles and him meet up, when Charlie is in the middle of robbing a corner shop. Their reactions with each other is hilarious and in the end, Miles had to arrest Charlie. Which made Charlie really angry. The action and stunts in this movie were excellent and will keep the audience watching until the end. In the end the police does find out that Miles is a theif but they let him of. This is a really good movie and I would recommend it to all ages. ...

The Gold Standard vs. Fiat Money

The Gold Standard vs. Fiat Money An extensive essay on the gold standard on The Encyclopedia of Economics and Liberty defines it as: ...a commitment by participating countries to fix the prices of their domestic currencies in terms of a specified amount of gold. National money and other forms of money (bank deposits and notes) were freely converted into gold at the fixed price. A county under the gold standard would set a price for gold, say $100 an ounce and would buy and sell gold at that price. This effectively sets a value for the currency; in our fictional example, $1 would be worth 1/100th of an ounce of gold. Other precious metals could be used to set a monetary standard; silver standards were common in the 1800s. A combination of the gold and silver standard is known as bimetallism. A Brief History of the Gold Standard If you would like to learn about the history of money in detail, there is an excellent site called A Comparative Chronology of Money which details the important places and dates in monetary history. During most of the 1800s, the United States had a bimetallic system of money;  however, it was essentially on a gold standard as very little silver was traded. A true gold standard came to fruition in 1900 with the passage of the Gold Standard Act. The gold standard effectively came to an end in 1933 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt outlawed private gold ownership. The Bretton Woods System, enacted in 1946 created a system of fixed exchange rates that allowed governments to sell their gold to the United States treasury at the price of $35/ounce: The Bretton Woods system ended on August 15, 1971, when President Richard Nixon ended trading of gold at the fixed price of $35/ounce. At that point for the first time in history, formal links between the major world currencies and real commodities were severed. The gold standard has not been used in any major economy since that time. What system of money do we use today? Almost every country, including the United States, is on a system of fiat money, which the glossary defines as money that is intrinsically useless; is used only as a medium of exchange. The value of money is set by the supply and demand for money and the supply and demand for other goods and services in the economy. The prices for those goods and services, including gold and silver, are allowed to fluctuate based on market forces.   The Benefits and Costs of a Gold Standard The main benefit of a gold standard is that it  ensures  a relatively low level of inflation. In articles such as What Is the Demand for Money? weve seen that inflation is caused by a combination of four factors: The supply of money goes up.The supply of goods goes down.Demand for money goes down.Demand for goods goes up. So long as the supply of gold does not change too quickly, then the supply of money will stay relatively stable. The gold standard prevents a country from printing too much money. If the supply of money rises too fast, then people will exchange money (which has become less scarce) for gold (which has not). If this goes on too long, then the treasury will eventually run out of gold. A gold standard restricts the  Federal Reserve  from enacting policies which significantly alter the growth of the money supply which in turn limits the  inflation rate  of a country. The gold standard also changes the face of the foreign exchange market. If Canada is on the gold standard and has set the price of gold at $100 an ounce, and Mexico is also on the gold standard and set the price of gold at 5000 pesos an ounce, then 1 Canadian Dollar must be worth 50 pesos. The extensive use of gold standards implies a system of fixed exchange rates. If all countries are on a gold standard, there is  then  only one real currency, gold, from which all others derive their value. The stability of the gold standard cause in the foreign exchange market is often cited as one of the benefits of the system. The stability caused by the gold standard is also the biggest drawback in having one.  Exchange rates  are not allowed to respond to changing circumstances in countries. A gold standard severely limits the stabilization policies the Federal Reserve can use. Because of these factors, countries with gold standards tend to have severe economic shocks. Economist  Michael D. Bordo  explains: Because economies under the gold standard were so vulnerable to real and monetary shocks, prices were highly unstable in the short run. A measure of short-term price instability is the coefficient of variation, which is the ratio of the standard deviation of annual percentage changes in the price level to the average annual percentage change. The higher the coefficient of variation, the greater the short-term instability. For the United States between 1879 and 1913, the coefficient was 17.0, which is quite high. Between 1946 and 1990 it was only 0.8. Moreover, because the gold standard gives the government little discretion to use monetary policy, economies on the gold standard are less able to avoid or offset either monetary or real shocks. Real output, therefore, is more variable under the gold standard. The coefficient of variation for real output was 3.5 between 1879 and 1913, and only 1.5 between 1946 and 1990. Not coincidentally, since the government could not have discretion over monetary policy, unemployment was higher during the gold standard. It averaged 6.8 percent in the United States between 1879 and 1913 versus 5.6 percent between 1946 and 1990. So it would appear that the major benefit to the gold standard is that it can prevent long-term inflation in a country. However, as  Brad DeLong  points out: ...if you do not trust a central bank to keep inflation low, why should you trust it to remain on the gold standard for generations? It does not look like the gold standard will make a return to the United States anytime in the foreseeable future.