Information systems technology change What Bert Painter does and does Essay

Information systems technology change What Bert Painter does and does not tell us - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to distill the primary lessons regarding IT systems change that Painter is trying to convey in his paper, determine how one would evaluate those lessons in terms of their correctness and usability, and to discuss any other lessons not part of his conclusions that have been learned by the writer and which he holds the hope of putting into practice in his or her future IT career. In other words, the purpose is to discuss what Bert Painter does and does not tell us regarding information systems technology change. Painter discusses his experience aiding an insurance company's paper-based system into one that was electronic and was known as E-File. The new process allowed the company to integrate their data and automate their workflow, as well as significantly redesign jobs to be more efficient in the overall process. Painter directly states what he hoped to achieve through sharing the results of this case study (Painter, 2008). According to Painter in the case study, "A socio-technical approach to organization design can mitigate potentially negative effects of information technology, while maximizing positive potentials to up-skill jobs, and yield an outcome, such as with E-File, where over 90% of the highly skilled employees surveyed in this white-collar organization regard the new system as a substantially positive change" (Painter, 2008, pg. 1). Throughout his consultation process, Painter relied on surveys that had been developed in key areas. These included effects on work processes, effects on job aspects, the user-friendliness of software and hardware, and competence and knowledge. He likely shared details of these sections as he felt they were very important aspects of socio-technical design. In fact, he probably thought that the information gathered through this information carried the primary lessons that he wished to convey to his audience (Painter, 2008). Evaluating the Lessons and Looking at Other Lessons As far as evaluating the lessons that were presented in this case study in terms of correctness and usability, they all seem to be quite useful when perhaps broken down and applied to general management concepts that anybody could use. The reason they seemed rather limited in scope in this particular case was likely because this was, after all, a case study and, therefore, it focused on one company's specific application of the lessons at hand (Painter, 2008). The general definitions of socio-technical design that are given in the introduction and the conclusion of this paper contain more generalized concepts, which is what one misses when reading Painter's case study. For example, the direct participation that was given in the case study was in the form of interviews and surveys. It could be given in other ways as well, such as through meetings where everyone in the company is made to feel important. The system of socio-technical design was definitely present in the case study and is likely to be very similar for various different firms that are looking to undergo this process. One serious fault that could occur when designing or implementing this process is to not take into account just how serious the opinions and feedback of the end users are. If a

In What Circumstances Can a State Lawfully Resort to the Use of Essay

In What Circumstances Can a State Lawfully Resort to the Use of Military Force in Response to an Attack from a Non-State Actor - Essay Example Understanding the details of the circumstances as well as how one can respond to specific attacks is essential not only with the mechanics of how to respond but also with how this associates with the different effects which occur when one responds. This research study will investigate the basic regulations, exceptions and the different laws which create alternative mechanics toward responding from an attack of a non – state actor. Legalities of Military Force Article 51 of the United Nations charter is the basic concept that identifies when one can respond to another with self – defense. In this article, it states that if the inherent rights of the individual are attacked then there is the right to react with self defense toward the non – state actor. However, there are also implications of international peace and security with the expectation that one will pass the attack through the UN before beginning action. The need to restore and keep international peace an d security then become important with the self – defense and the way in which this creates a specific alternative to the international needs. While there is the ability to act with group or self – defense, the concept of international peace and security remain as important when deciding to use military force against an individual1. The first implication which allows one to respond with self defense is if the approach is an armed attack, which makes one a victim to the attack. An armed attack is inclusive of a military attack or operation that uses force in another state. This also includes bombardment with the use of weapons, blockades of another state, an attack with armed forces, acts of aggression and mercenaries that are sent to perform military actions. Each of these instances causes one to become a victim of the actions and constitute the right to react with military force against the other state for self defense. It is noted that there are instances which do not consist of military or armed attacks, including diplomatic missions, cyber attacks, supplies of financial or intelligence resources or frontier incidences. These do not cause one to be a victim of the attack and do not justify countermeasures as they are not proportionate with the violations that occur. There are also implications that the attack must be toward territory or warships and not toward nationals or diplomats as these are not a threat to the self defense of a country2. The use of self defense and the legalities which are associated with this continue with the requirements that are met for a reaction. The first of these is the necessity, meaning that there is no alternative means of redress, such as a treaty or other form of diplomacy. The second is based on the proportionality. If there is another means of changing the process from self defense, then the attack must not be repealed and proportions need to be altered. The need to have immediacy is also a part of the regul ations with the understanding that this needs to be flexible until there is permission to move forward. It should also be noted that the actions cannot take place unless an action has already caused the state to become a victim. One cannot act preemptively before the threat or the attack occurs as there is not an understanding of