tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13168433380991243502024-02-19T20:43:43.738-05:00TadpostOmasirihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542100492572957870noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1316843338099124350.post-13890093892848458192016-03-19T18:29:00.001-04:002016-03-19T18:29:01.696-04:00How to enable Grails application to send SMS via Twilio API<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
How to send SMS with Grails Application via Twilio</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxO6AgV4JTRs_CshiuoIlctlHkyNtdU13kAxEa6PKJiaUCBbRwJLJFRyA7SrLWVab0dZ-7JH-5Yv_MLq6AYC0uejSznSAWNlZhPeheBIO6SiQpFsBiUt3x6ywnVjXlTn86JaDm5HJWGuU/s1600/grails.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxO6AgV4JTRs_CshiuoIlctlHkyNtdU13kAxEa6PKJiaUCBbRwJLJFRyA7SrLWVab0dZ-7JH-5Yv_MLq6AYC0uejSznSAWNlZhPeheBIO6SiQpFsBiUt3x6ywnVjXlTn86JaDm5HJWGuU/s200/grails.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOYA9stnQVRFGm3iCWX_rpLmiF9Gl6lFTA0vWRiK-FXgcM4A3f0ugp4VNiIJUp_TZIU9XbMiX96XZ8wVeFvUtYidI1lH6LluxOne-77-2JgWPjg2x0rVKEqDsEN7EivCBi8BFL2Ds_W0/s1600/twilio.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOYA9stnQVRFGm3iCWX_rpLmiF9Gl6lFTA0vWRiK-FXgcM4A3f0ugp4VNiIJUp_TZIU9XbMiX96XZ8wVeFvUtYidI1lH6LluxOne-77-2JgWPjg2x0rVKEqDsEN7EivCBi8BFL2Ds_W0/s200/twilio.png" width="156" /></a></div>
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Are you trying to send text messages from your Grails web application? If your answer is Yes then you are in luck. If your answer is No .. well... stick around... you'll learn something. </div>
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Target audience:</h4>
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People interested in software development, Grails framework and Groovy programming language.</div>
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This article may be more interesting if you already know Grails framework. </div>
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What you need:</h4>
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>A twilio account with your API keys</li>
<li>The <a href="https://github.com/Novadge/grails-twilio" target="_blank">grails-twilio plugin</a></li>
<li>Your grails application ( Grails version 2.x and above )</li>
</ol>
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To create a twilio account, please visit <a href="http://www.twilio.com/" target="_blank">http://www.twilio.com</a>. Copy your API Keys</div>
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The twilio-grails plug-in provides sms sending capability to a Grails application via twilio api.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.75em; line-height: 1.225;">Configuration</span></div>
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Add twilio plugin</h4>
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Depending on what version of Grails you are using, open your buildConfig.groovy file or build.gradle file and add the following line.</div>
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<span style="background-color: #f9f2f4; color: #6f7a7f; font-family: 'Source Code Pro', Consolas, Monaco, 'Bitstream Vera Sans Mono', 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">compile "org.grails.plugins:twilio:0.1"</span></div>
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for grails 2.x</div>
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and </div>
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<span style="background-color: #f9f2f4; color: #6f7a7f; font-family: 'Source Code Pro', Consolas, Monaco, 'Bitstream Vera Sans Mono', 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">compile "org.grails.plugins:twilio:0.1.0"</span></div>
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For grails 3.x</div>
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Add twilio properties</h4>
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Add your twilio properties to grails configuration file: The config file for grails 2.x is Config.groovy. For Grails 3.x users, please add the following to your application.groovy file or application.yml ( Use yml syntax )</div>
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<code style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0392157); border-radius: 3px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 13.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0.2em 0px;"></code></div>
<pre style="background-color: #f7f7f7; border-radius: 3px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 11.56px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 1.45; margin-bottom: 16px; overflow: auto; padding: 16px; word-wrap: normal;"><code style="background: transparent; border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 11.56px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: initial; overflow: initial; padding: 0px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">twilio {
// Enter your host address
host = 'https://api.twilio.com'
apiID = 'enter your api Id'
apiPass = 'enter your api password'
smsUrl = '/2010-04-01/Accounts/' + apiID + '/Messages.json'
number = ""
}</code></pre>
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Add more dependencies</h4>
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Copy and paste the following to your BuildConfig.groovy or Build.gradle file </div>
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<code style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0392157); border-radius: 3px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 13.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0.2em 0px;">compile(group:'org.apache.httpcomponents',name:'httpclient',version:'4.3.6') compile(group:'org.apache.httpcomponents',name:'fluent-hc',version:'4.3.6') compile(group:'org.apache.httpcomponents',name:'httpclient-cache',version:'4.3.6') compile(group:'org.apache.httpcomponents',name:'httpmime',version:'4.3.6') </code></div>
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Create your controller</h4>
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Create the grails controller you wish to handle the SMS sending flow</div>
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Inject smsService into your controller</h4>
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Inject smsService into your class</div>
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<code style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0392157); border-radius: 3px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 13.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0.2em 0px;">def smsService</code></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">smsService</em> is a Grails service provide by the twilio plugin for easy sending SMSs. </div>
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It provides a method called send() that can take mapped parameters. Please note that 'send()' is overloaded 'see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_overloading" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4078c0; text-decoration: none;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_overloading</a>' and can take various variations of parameters.</div>
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<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />One simple form is: <code style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0392157); border-radius: 3px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 13.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0.2em 0px;"> send(Map map) </code></div>
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Where ......</div>
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map contains parameters;</div>
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<span style="line-height: 25.6px;">map['phone'] : The phone number of recipient eg +1234444444</span></div>
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map['from'] : Your twilio assigned number eg. +09899898989</div>
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map['body']: "The body of your message" map.mediaUrl: "Url for any attachment" (optional )</div>
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Example Usage</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
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An example usage can be seen below.</div>
<pre style="background-color: #f7f7f7; border-radius: 3px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 11.56px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 1.45; margin-bottom: 16px; overflow: auto; padding: 16px; word-wrap: normal;"><code style="background: transparent; border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 11.56px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: initial; overflow: initial; padding: 0px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">Class YourController{
def smsService
...
def yourMethod(){
def map = [to:"070987878787",from:"09808000000",body:"SMS BODY"]
smsService.send(map)
}
}</code></pre>
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You are done.</div>
</div>
Omasirihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542100492572957870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1316843338099124350.post-91226906416560476012016-03-03T16:13:00.002-05:002016-03-19T17:43:16.665-04:00How to accept PayPal payments on Grails<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "liberation sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 37.3333px;"><b>How to accept PayPal payments</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "liberation sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 37.3333px;"><b>with Grails Application.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "liberation sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 37.3333px;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm23R3xEZJFKKgihmNv9ptuTiBMPLlZKVeqqVBiivWkiunEr2H3lrL2FChzS-BJitnKamS78vA7x80fdLfB-aQD7li_piGBH1PsCVMVUhnvUVmDSXsrIb4LA7XENwmQeR6dKnRsvBrZyo/s1600/Web-Bill-Payment-Solution.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm23R3xEZJFKKgihmNv9ptuTiBMPLlZKVeqqVBiivWkiunEr2H3lrL2FChzS-BJitnKamS78vA7x80fdLfB-aQD7li_piGBH1PsCVMVUhnvUVmDSXsrIb4LA7XENwmQeR6dKnRsvBrZyo/s320/Web-Bill-Payment-Solution.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "liberation sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Introduction
to Paypal payments plugin.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "liberation sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The Paypal payments
plugin simplifies the integration of Paypal<br />
<br />
with <a href="http://www.grails.org/" target="_blank">Grails</a> applications. <a href="http://www.grails.org/" style="line-height: 100%;" target="_blank">Grails </a><span style="line-height: 100%;">is a web framework for developing web applications and a</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
plugin is a module that can be easily installed to add specific<br />
<br />
features to your application. Modules/Plugins are usually designed<br />
<br />
to accomplish a specific task. </div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
Who should read this?</h3>
<div>
<br />
Anyone interested in how to integrate paypal with a Grails application. </div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
What you need</h3>
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>A Paypal developer account with your API keys</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/Novadge/paypal-payments" target="_blank">Grails paypal payments plugin</a></li>
<li>Grails Application ( Version 2.x and above ) </li>
</ol>
<div>
If you do not already have a Paypal developer account please visit <a href="https://developer.paypal.com/developer/accounts/" target="_blank">https://developer.paypal.com/developer/accounts/</a> to get one. </div>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The paypal-payments plugin will provide the features required to interact with the Paypal API. You do not need to be a paypal payments guru to use Paypal. </div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
A Grails application is required. A demo app is just fine. </div>
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<br /></div>
<h3 class="western">
Create a Paypal sandbox account.</h3>
<div>
After you have created your Paypal developer account, Create a REST API app on your Paypal user dashboard. The app will enable you to receive REST API credentials for testing and live transactions.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="line-height: 16px;">The test environment (Sandbox) will allow you to play around with most of the API features available. It is also a good way to test your application integration before moving over to a live environment.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3 class="western">
Create your Grails Application.</h3>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I will assume that
you already have your Grails application designed and ready to accept
payments. A demo application will be sufficient for this exercise. A discussion on how to create a Grails application is beyond the scope of this post. I will address it in future posts ;)</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
Integrate Grails paypal-payments plugin</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You need to add the paypal payments plugin to your grails dependencies build.gradle (Grails 3.x) or BuildConfig.groovy file ( Grails 2.x). Inside your dependencies block add the following: </div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="line-height: 16px;"><code style="background-color: #eeeeee;">compile 'org.grails.plugins:paypal-payments:0.1.0'</code></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="western">
Obtain your client id and client secret from Paypal dashboard</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Obtain the API keys
for your sandbox account/app and add it to your grails config file
[Config.groovy for grails 2.x and application.groovy for grails 3.x].<br />
<br />
Here's what my config file looks like:</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<pre style="background-color: #f3f6fa; border-radius: 0.3rem; border: 1px solid rgb(220, 230, 240); box-sizing: border-box; color: #567482; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 0.9rem; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 1.45; margin-bottom: 1rem; overflow: auto; padding: 0.8rem; word-wrap: normal;"><code style="background: transparent; border-radius: 0.3rem; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 0.9rem; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: initial; overflow: initial; padding: 0px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">paypal.email="myname@mydomain.com"
paypal.clientId = 'your client id'
paypal.sandbox.clientId = 'your client id'
paypal.clientSecret = 'your client secret'
paypal.sandbox.clientSecret ='your client secret'
paypal.endpoint = "https://api.paypal.com"
paypal.sandbox.endpoint = "https://api.sandbox.paypal.com"</code></pre>
</div>
<code><br /></code>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Notice that I added
config for sandbox and live environment. The reason is that I want to be able to
switch between both environments during app development.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="western">
Create a Grails controller and add required
actions</h3>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Create a Grails
controller. Personally, I called my own controller PaypalController. There is no need to create another controller if you already have one you want to use. </div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
To create a Grails controller, go to your app folder and type:<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">grails
create-controller com.mypackage.Paypal</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Inject PaypalService</h4>
<div>
The paypal payments make available, a PaypalService. The PaypalService provides methods for accomplishing common tasks with Paypal API.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Inject the service into your controller. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<pre style="background-color: #f3f6fa; border-radius: 0.3rem; border: 1px solid rgb(220, 230, 240); box-sizing: border-box; color: #567482; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 0.9rem; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 1.45; margin-bottom: 1rem; overflow: auto; padding: 0.8rem; word-wrap: normal;"><code style="background: transparent; border-radius: 0.3rem; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 0.9rem; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: initial; overflow: initial; padding: 0px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">Class PaypalController{
def paypalService
....
...
}</code></pre>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<h3 class="western">
Add required actions</h3>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="line-height: 100%;">I like to complete the Paypal payments collection in 3 steps. I think it normally takes three steps :)</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 100%;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 100%;">Here are the steps:</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 100%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1. Make approval
request to paypal.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2. Approval -
Customer approves the payment</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
3. Execution -
Process response from Paypal in order to execute the payment.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="western">
Approval Step</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For the approval
step, you need to redirect the user/customer to the paypal website in order to approve the transaction. The approval usually involves the user entering payment information that will allow Paypal to proceed with the transaction.<br />
<br />
To complete the approval step here's my action inside my PaypalController .
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<pre style="background-color: #f3f6fa; border-radius: 0.3rem; border: 1px solid rgb(220, 230, 240); box-sizing: border-box; color: #567482; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 0.9rem; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 1.45; margin-bottom: 1rem; overflow: auto; padding: 0.8rem; word-wrap: normal;"><code style="background: transparent; border-radius: 0.3rem; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 0.9rem; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: initial; overflow: initial; padding: 0px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">def approve(){
String clientId = grailsApplication.config.paypal.clientId
String clientSecret = grailsApplication.config.paypal.clientSecret
String endpoint = grailsApplication.config.paypal.endpoint
Map sdkConfig = [:]
sdkConfig.put(Constants.CLIENT_ID,clientId)
sdkConfig.put(Constants.CLIENT_SECRET,clientSecret)
sdkConfig.put(Constants.ENDPOINT,endpoint)
def accessToken = paypalService.getAccessToken(clientId,clientSecret,sdkConfig)
def apiContext = paypalService.getAPIContext(accessToken,sdkConfig)
def details = paypalService.createDetails(['subtotal':"12.50"])
def amount = paypalService.createAmount(['currency':currencyCode,'total':"12.50",'details':details])
def transaction = paypalService.createTransaction(['amount':amount,'description':"your description",details:details])
def transactions = []
transactions.add(transaction)
def payer = paypalService.createPayer(['paymentMethod':'paypal'])
def cancelUrl="http://mydomain/paypal/cancel";
def returnUrl = "http://mydomain/paypal/execute";
def redirectUrls = paypalService.createRedirectUrls(['cancelUrl':cancelUrl,'returnUrl':returnUrl])
def payment
try{
// create the paypal payment
payment = paypalService.createPayment(['payer':payer,'intent':'sale'
,'transactionList':transactions,'redirectUrls':redirectUrls
,'apiContext':apiContext])
}
catch(Exception ex){
String msg = ex.getMessage()
flash.message = "Could not complete the transaction because: ${msg? msg : ''}"
redirect controller:'paypal', action:"error"
return
}
def approvalUrl = ""
def retUrl = ""
// retrieve links from returned paypal object
payment?.links.each{
if(it?.rel == 'approval_url'){
approvalUrl = it.href
}
if(it?.rel == 'return_url'){
retUrl = it.href
}
}
redirect url:approvalUrl? approvalUrl:'/', method:'POST'
}</code></pre>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="western">
Approval</h3>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The customer will be
redirected to the Paypal website for approval. After the customer
approves or
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
cancels the payment,
Paypal will either call the returnUrl or cancelUrl you provided
depending on
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
what action the
customer performs.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<pre style="background-color: #f3f6fa; border-radius: 0.3rem; border: 1px solid rgb(220, 230, 240); box-sizing: border-box; color: #567482; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 0.9rem; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 1.45; margin-bottom: 1rem; overflow: auto; padding: 0.8rem; word-wrap: normal;"><code style="background: transparent; border-radius: 0.3rem; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 0.9rem; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: initial; overflow: initial; padding: 0px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">def execute(){
String clientId = grailsApplication.config.paypal.clientId
String clientSecret = grailsApplication.config.paypal.clientSecret
String endpoint = grailsApplication.config.paypal.endpoint
Map sdkConfig = [:] //= grailsApplication.config.paypal.sdkConfig//['mode':'live']
//sdkConfig.put("grant-type","client_credentials")
sdkConfig.put(Constants.CLIENT_ID,clientId)
sdkConfig.put(Constants.CLIENT_SECRET,clientSecret)
sdkConfig.put(Constants.ENDPOINT,endpoint)
def accessToken = paypalService.getAccessToken(clientId,clientSecret,sdkConfig)
def apiContext = paypalService.getAPIContext(accessToken,sdkConfig)
//the paypal website will add params to the call to your app. Eg. PayerId, PaymentId
// you will use the params to 'execute' the payment
def paypalPayment = paypalService.createPaymentExecution(['paymentId':params.paymentId,'payerId':params?.PayerID],apiContext)
JsonSlurper slurper = new JsonSlurper()
def map = slurper.parseText(paypalPayment.toString())
redirect(url:"to your url")
}</code></pre>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
Normally, if the 'createPaymentExecution' call to paypalService is successful, you will receive the payment. You may also need to perform other actions like storing details of the transaction on your db, marking your customer invoice as 'paid', etc.<br />
<br />
Paypal provides a dashboard that you can use to monitor all transactions.<br />
<br />
<br />
The grails paypal-payments plugin provides other features that developers can combine in order to fulfill app requirements. eg. Payouts, etc. </div>
<h3 class="western">
That's it. Easy as pie. Go ahead and explore. . . .</h3>
<div>
You may use the comments box to share your thoughts. </div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Omasirihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542100492572957870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1316843338099124350.post-83267720574545274872015-09-17T06:54:00.002-04:002015-09-17T06:57:32.646-04:00Grails and Hibernate: Saving emoticons ( unicode ) to MYSQL.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
</h2>
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3s4ryG0_OHf0xLYp3KlzoPWRuQ_sdzDjaslHZRdxylAITOQAx3KECKPJBYMAqp51wXuPFPmwF9LrHY9XfPOYR1SsK9Mp4VkM5VjK9_1Eix-x9hZuatY8-urR450TcxWGWcBDBzHLKFw/s1600/Emoticon_smile.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3s4ryG0_OHf0xLYp3KlzoPWRuQ_sdzDjaslHZRdxylAITOQAx3KECKPJBYMAqp51wXuPFPmwF9LrHY9XfPOYR1SsK9Mp4VkM5VjK9_1Eix-x9hZuatY8-urR450TcxWGWcBDBzHLKFw/s200/Emoticon_smile.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://novadge.com/">We</a> built a <a href="http://www.grails.org/">Grails</a> application that uses a mail plugin, to send and retrieve emails from mail servers. The plugin employed a scheduled job to retrieve and store the emails on a MySql database table.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Initially everything worked as specified until recently when I noticed that some mails were not saved to MYSQL. The error message from MYSQL was 'incorrect string value' bla bla bla....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On close examination, I noticed that the troublesome emails contained emoticons (unicode characters). The unicode characters were responsible for my troubles :(</span><br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
The issue</h3>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRLJpQeKRoiDB-5UIgwGbTdB8NNmBPJ7ci_1ejBGeC33K9Hp5TW40B14URdblNSKuhgB0H5mHvIWqeuisPcO5kiwtVfqo2Dd357tT-UjiGGfPw5ABdgLbQDF6dXy2LQSEAo7h0OX83D8/s1600/scrabbletiles.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRLJpQeKRoiDB-5UIgwGbTdB8NNmBPJ7ci_1ejBGeC33K9Hp5TW40B14URdblNSKuhgB0H5mHvIWqeuisPcO5kiwtVfqo2Dd357tT-UjiGGfPw5ABdgLbQDF6dXy2LQSEAo7h0OX83D8/s320/scrabbletiles.png" width="254" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I dug through the MySQL documentation and learnt that my MySQL instance was having a hard time accepting those unicode characters because the database encoding was set to "utf-8".<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Solution</h3>
</div>
<div>
To solve the problem required a change of the mysql default encoding from "utf-8" to <a href="https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.5/en/charset-unicode-utf8mb4.html">"utf8mb4"</a>.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<i><b>Note</b>:We used a MySQL version of 5.6.13 but this solution will also apply to MySQL version 5.5 and higher.</i><br />
<br />
If you are starting out with a fresh MySQL schema, all you need to do is specify the encoding in your schema creation script.<br />
<br />
<br />
<code style="background: gray; color: white; padding: 2em 0em;">
CREATE SCHEMA `your_db` DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 ; </code><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<code style="background: black; color: white;"></code>Then jump to <a href="https://www.blogger.com/step4">Step 4</a>.</div>
<div>
<br />
For everyone trying to convert an existing db schema or table encoding from "utf-8" to "utf8mb4" please follow the steps below.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Step 1.</b> Backup your database. </h3>
</div>
<div>
The importance of creating backups cannot be overemphasized. Please create a database backup before embarking on this task.<br />
</div>
To learn how to backup your database, please see <a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/backup-methods.html">MySQL Backup methods</a>.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Step 2 : Upgrade your version of MySQL ( optional )</h3>
At this point, I assume you have performed a backup of your database. If your MySQL db version is below 5.5.x please upgrade your version to the latest available database ( newer is supposed to be better right? ) .<br />
<br />
I am currently using MySQL version 5.6.13<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Step 3 : Write schema charset conversion scripts</h3>
</div>
<div>
Run the following scripts for MySQL. If you do not know how to run MySQL scripts please contact your database administrator for help :) </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
# To convert db:<br />
<code>
ALTER DATABASE database_name CHARACTER SET = utf8mb4 COLLATE = utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
</code>
<br />
<br />
#To convert db tables<br />
<code>
ALTER TABLE table_name CONVERT TO CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
</code>
<br />
<br />
#To convert table columns<br />
<code>
ALTER TABLE table_name CHANGE column_name column_name VARCHAR(191) CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;<br />
</code>
<br />
<br />
Please do not copy and paste the code as is. You need to insert the appropriate properties/attributes which depend on your database name, table name, column type, etc.</div>
<br />
In my case, I converted the database, and converted the important tables ;)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span id="step4">Step 4</span> Modify client and server connection char set</h3>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Locate your configuration file for MySQL; On a Windows machine, I found one at<br />
<br />
C:/programData/MySQL/MySQL Server 5.6/my.ini<br />
<br />
On a Linux/Unix machine, the location of the configuration file may depend on your MySQL installation directory and some other factors.<br />
<br />
For simplicity I found my configuration file at //PathToMySQL/my.cnf<br />
<br />
Open the file, and make sure property "character-set-server" is set to utf8mb4<br />
<br />
I pasted a snippet from my config file below </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<i># The default character set that will be used when a new schema or table is</i></div>
<div>
<i># created and no character set is defined</i></div>
<div>
<i>character-set-server = utf8mb4</i><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Step 5 : Configure grails/hibernate</h3>
</div>
<div>
If you use Hibernate, then you need to update your configuration file. In my case, I use Grails, my configuration file is located at //PathToGrailsApplication/grails-app/conf/DataSource.groovy.<br />
<br />
<br />
Open the file and look for the hibernate block. It will look like this<br />
<br />
<code>
hibernate{....}
</code>
<br />
<code><br /></code>
<code><br /></code>
If you do not already have it then feel free to add it.<br />
<br />
Inside the hibernate block, add the following.<br />
<br />
<code>
hibernate{<br />
<br />
connection.charSet = 'utf8mb4'<br />
connection.characterEncoding='utf8mb4'<br />
connection.useUnicode=true<br />
}<br />
</code>
<br />
<code><br /></code></div>
<div>
Save the DataSource.groovy file.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Done</h3>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Omasirihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542100492572957870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1316843338099124350.post-68016749808085262502015-08-12T13:00:00.003-04:002015-09-16T18:05:40.371-04:00How to upgrade Grails 2 applications and plugins to Grails 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">How to upgrade Grails 2 applications and plugins to work with Grails 3</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6sbo9OJTvgwuGT5ps2Zx080ZqLWqDOTAu6okWAo7XqdBjidpqgwTrNHX6vcofLascssvPe-nUISt1N70FSyto1pHqY_pEkYEw6ivgwYSjVzWOAOlLN1JvT7xZH3yTDzZh1qJ0nVXVs0/s1600/grails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6sbo9OJTvgwuGT5ps2Zx080ZqLWqDOTAu6okWAo7XqdBjidpqgwTrNHX6vcofLascssvPe-nUISt1N70FSyto1pHqY_pEkYEw6ivgwYSjVzWOAOlLN1JvT7xZH3yTDzZh1qJ0nVXVs0/s320/grails.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The <a href="http://www.grails.org/">Grails</a> framework is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_application_framework">web framework</a> for developing dynamic websites. It has been recently upgraded to version 3.0 and the upgrade has introduced breaking changes. According to the grails documentation, Grails 3.0 is a complete ground up rewrite of Grails and introduces new concepts and components for many parts of the framework.<br />
<br />
The 'rewrite' part means that a lot has changed, including class packages.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This means that your plugin will break if it imports any of the Grails API packages that have been moved.</span></b><br />
<br />
Although the Grails documentation provides a guide for upgrading applications and plugins, it does not provide information about all the Grails API package changes.<br />
<br />
<br />
To save software development time, please find some of the package changes below.<br />
<br />
<table>
<thead>
<tr><th style="background: green; color: white; font-weight: bold; padding: 1.2em;">Grails 2</th>
<th style="background: green; color: white; font-weight: bold; padding: 1.2em;">Grails 3</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black;"><td>org.codehaus.groovy.grails.web.servlet.mvc.GrailsParameterMap
</td><td>grails.web.servlet.mvc.GrailsParameterMap
</td></tr>
<tr><td>org.codehaus.groovy.grails.web.servlet.GrailsApplicationAttributes
</td><td>org.grails.web.util.GrailsApplicationAttributes
</td></tr>
<tr><td>org.codehaus.groovy.grails.web.servlet.mvc.GrailsWebRequest
</td><td>org.grails.web.servlet.mvc.GrailsWebRequest
</td></tr>
<tr><td>org.codehaus.groovy.grails.web.mapping.UrlMappingInfo
</td><td>grails.web.mapping.UrlMappingInfo
</td></tr>
<tr><td>org.codehaus.groovy.grails.plugins.web.api.ResponseMimeTypesApi
</td><td>org.grails.web.mime.HttpServletResponseExtension
</td></tr>
<tr><td>org.codehaus.groovy.grails.commons.GrailsApplication
</td><td>grails.core.GrailsApplication
</td></tr>
<tr><td>org.codehaus.groovy.grails.web.mapping.DefaultUrlMappingsHolder
</td><td>org.grails.web.mapping.DefaultUrlMappingsHolder
</td></tr>
<tr><td>org.codehaus.groovy.grails.commons.DefaultGrailsControllerClass
</td><td>org.grails.core.DefaultGrailsControllerClass
</td></tr>
<tr><td>org.codehaus.groovy.grails.web.mapping.DefaultUrlMappingEvaluator
</td><td>org.grails.web.mapping.DefaultUrlMappingEvaluator
</td></tr>
<tr><td>org.codehaus.groovy.grails.commons.DefaultGrailsApplication
</td><td>grails.core.DefaultGrailsApplication
</td></tr>
<tr><td>org.codehaus.groovy.grails.commons.ClassPropertyFetcher
</td><td>org.grails.core.util.ClassPropertyFetcher
</td></tr>
<tr><td>org.codehaus.groovy.grails.web.util.WebUtils
</td><td>org.grails.web.util.WebUtils
</td></tr>
<tr><td>org.codehaus.groovy.grails.commons.ControllerArtefactHandler
</td><td>org.grails.core.artefact.ControllerArtefactHandler
</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br />
Essentially, you need to change your package imports from Grails 2 plugins to the corresponding packages in Grails 3.<br />
<br />
For more information about how to upgrade your grails application please see <a href="https://grails.github.io/grails-doc/latest/guide/upgrading.html" target="_blank">Upgrading your Grails application</a><br />
<br /></div>
Omasirihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542100492572957870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1316843338099124350.post-70586108460961433172015-08-04T15:57:00.001-04:002018-03-13T16:33:59.332-04:00Parsing and binding date formats from params in Grails.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfGOJVV7uQSHj2QmQnGvHNArT5beCQ8_o7-w6RVvdvDzqNuCkeqelALJyCbMls0APZNmEE2gZroozyM0FnPWnP7hFOXvfCWSeHLcRIlYtGh4XXCAdzqh-H_kOwYyWPi5Ydc5hSIhKsgPw/s1600/just-a-design-geek-icon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfGOJVV7uQSHj2QmQnGvHNArT5beCQ8_o7-w6RVvdvDzqNuCkeqelALJyCbMls0APZNmEE2gZroozyM0FnPWnP7hFOXvfCWSeHLcRIlYtGh4XXCAdzqh-H_kOwYyWPi5Ydc5hSIhKsgPw/s1600/just-a-design-geek-icon.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">"<a href="http://grails.org/">Grails</a> is a powerful web framework for the Java platform aimed at multiplying developers' productivity" - grails.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.novadge.com/" style="font-size: x-large;">We</a><span style="font-size: large;"> recently decided to rewrite some parts of our </span><a href="http://chartsynergy.com/" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">software</a><span style="font-size: large;"> ( written in grails )as web applications. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The reason <a href="http://www.novadge.com/">we</a> made that decision is something I hope to write about soon.
The task required us to send JSON strings (POST request) that contain datetime information along with other bits for data to the server. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">To bind a date string from the 'param' seamlessly ( without writing extra code to extract the date in your controller) you need to add the following to your grails config file ( config.groovy or application.yml ).
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><code>
grails.databinding.dateFormats = [
"yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss.SSSXXX", "yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss.SSSZ" ,'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.S','MMddyyyy'
]
</code>
</span><br />
<code><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></code>
<code><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></code>
<span style="font-size: large;">With the above configuration in place, there was no need to extract the date and bind it manually to the domain class or command object. </span></div>
Omasirihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542100492572957870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1316843338099124350.post-11001319586936528122014-12-14T03:40:00.000-05:002015-06-03T17:31:21.561-04:00Insights on Systems Dynamics & Its Relevance in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Dr.
</span></i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Mathias M. Fonkam, Damian Feese, Felicia Ikwu, Ama Oruomabo, Omasirichukwu Udeinya</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Introduction <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #231f20; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Systems dynamics is an offshoot or specialization of systems
thinking that emphasizes the special role of computer simulation for
understanding the dynamic complexity that is an intrinsic part of most
management type problems and finding leverage points within the system from
which fundamental, long lasting interventions might be effected with a hope to
improving the problem situation. Both represent a paradigm shift from the
traditional scientific method. The scientific approach to complexity is
reductionist by nature since it prescribes breaking complex problems down into
their parts with the hope that an understanding of those parts, or indeed a
solution to the sub-problems they represent, can be assembled for the whole.
Like systems thinking, systems dynamics
is a holistic approach to complexity that emphasizes the importance of the
connectedness between the component parts of the problem and the important
relationship between this structure of a problem situation and its perceived
response or behavior over time. Furthermore, Systems Dynamics argues that it is
this structure or connectedness between the system influences which is
responsible for the dynamic character and the emergent properties that are
unique to the problem situation as a whole. Fundamental components of this
system structure that account for much of its dynamic character and complexity
are feedback loops – both positive and negative loops – and delays. Systems Dynamics
recognizes the fundamental limitations of the human capacity for dealing with
complexity, especially dynamic complexity and therefore extends the Systems
Thinking modeling technique of <i>causal
loop diagrams</i> with a more quantifiable technique of <i>stock and flow diagrams</i> which easily translate to a computer
simulation model that can be used to gain better insight on dynamic complexity
and to discover <i>points of leverage</i>
within the system. From the pioneering works of the Systems Dynamics Group at
MIT many common recurring system structures and corresponding patterns of
behavior have emerged that characterize the majority of complex problem
situations. Even more importantly, for each system archetype a point of
leverage is shown, where a change in the system structure will provide a more
fundamental and long lasting improvement. In each case, this point of leverage
appears to be counter-intuitive or contrary to where our intuition will lead us
to want to intervene to effect change in the system. Understanding these system
archetypes and learning to recognize them in problem situations provides a rich
conceptual toolset in the decision maker’s toolbox and to a whole new approach
to tackling complexity and one that embraces the full dimensions of the problem
at hand with correspondingly better results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #231f20; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We believe that Systems Dynamics holds great promise for
Sub-Sahara Africa where most will agree serious systemic problems exist at all
levels especially within government, business and other social organizations.
More than half a decade since its inception at MIT, adoption of Systems
Dynamics has been rather slow even in the Western world – the US and Europe
from reports by the MIT group. Poor adoption does not negate its relevance and
power as an approach to complexity. We find very scant adoption within
Sub-Sahara Africa, yet it is exactly within this region that the most profound
impact can be had from its adoption. In this short paper we hope to highlight
some of the key elements of this important <i>cross-disciplinary</i>
subject, just enough to arouse and motivate interest in the subject. Systems
dynamics forms the core of our INF 490 – <i>Systems
Thinking & Modeling for a Complex World</i> – a course offering for senior
students on our Information Systems program but one that we hope to extend
across campus as an important cross-disciplinary course open to all majors. World-wide,
the course is especially important for students within schools of business. In
the next section, we outline what systems dynamics is, why it is becoming
increasingly relevant today and some of its key elements & thinking skills.
Section 3 describes the conceptual modeling technique of <i>causal-loop diagrams</i> used to capture and communicate the structure
of problem situations encompassing feedback loops and delays and generic
behavior over time graphs that characterize some of these structures. Section 4
discusses a number of recurring system archetypes that have been elaborated
from the works of the MIT group using various examples. Understanding these
archetypes alone will shed important insights into the systems dynamics approach
and its power to handling complexity. Section 5 outlines some common systems
dynamics principles embodied in everyday language with examples to drive home
the message and the shift in thinking that is required Also discussed in that
section are a number of what a notable author on the subject, Peter Senge
[Ref], has termed the disabilities of the modern organization that most people
in organizations will relate to. Section 6 is our conclusion with pointers to
various initiatives we are putting up here at AUN to promote this important
discipline within the SSA region.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Systems Dynamics Approach & It
Relevance in a Global Economy & SSA Region<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #231f20; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Systems dynamics was invented in 1956 by Jay Forrester at MIT as an extension of the general field of
systems thinking that emphasizes the relationship between structure and
behavior and the important role a computer simulation model can play in
shedding insight on system structure and helping identify or discover points of
leverage to effect long lasting change that drives the system in the desired
direction. According to Forrester, systems dynamics combines ideas from
traditional management, control theory and computer simulation. Like the
general field of systems thinking systems dynamics adopts a holistic view of a
problem situation. It extends the graphical modeling technique of causal loop
diagrams with a more quantifiable stock and flow model that can also more
easily be translated into a computer simulation model. A computer simulation model serves as an
important laboratory for learning and experimentation to discover leverage
points within the system that are often counter-intuitive and hence hard to
find relying simply on our mental models. More quantifiable behavior over time (BOT)
graphs of the system under study can also be derived from such simulation
models which will serve as important communication vehicles. Besides these
graphical notations, systems dynamics introduces a methodology with a set of
important thinking skills to enhance adoption of the holistic view point that always
emphasizes the whole but without losing sight of the trees – we learn to <i>see both the forest and the trees</i>. In
outline the methodology has the following phases and corresponding thinking
skills that are briefly explained:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Specify
Problem/Issue</span></i></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> – which seeks to clarify the what of the
problem and ensure that we are addressing the right problem and using an
appropriate set of tools. As systems dynamics is more relevant for complex,
dynamic time-varying problems, some important relevant thinking skills to adopt
in this phase include; (1). <i>Dynamic
thinking</i> which ensures and enforces a dynamic viewpoint and regards the
visible behavior or performance indicator as part of an ongoing process with a
dynamic character and perhaps even changing patterns of behavior over time, (2)
<i>System as cause thinking</i> which tries
to make explicit influences believed to be part of the process, and about which
some control can be exerted, pulling from the mental databases of the
stake-holders and experts, in the field, and (3) <i>Forest thinking</i> which seeks scope the problem situation both in
time and space to encompass the influences and permit to discover the exact
behavior patterns that characterize their actual interactions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Construct a dynamic
hypothesis or model</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> – focuses on an
explicit model using causal loop diagrams and/or stock and flow diagrams that
encompasses the feedback loops and delays between the system influences and
reference behavior patterns described by behavior over time (BOT) graphs
deriving from the feedback loops. Thinking skills that can facilitate activities
during this stage include; (1) <i>Operational
thinking</i> where some regard is given to understanding the physics of the
problem area, i.e. how do things work? (2) <i>Closed-loop
thinking</i> which emphasizes the key
systems thinking view that dynamics is generated by feedback loops which can be
re-enforcing (positive) or balancing (or negative) and inherent delays in the
transmission of material or information (3) Quantitative thinking – focuses on
including <i>soft</i> influences (human
related such as motivation, loyalty and commitment) that are often important
parts of the system structure but which can easily be ignored because of
difficulty of measuring them. Quantitative thinking not only encourages
inclusion of such variables but teaches how to introduce numeric units of scale
for such quantities that permits their inclusion in a simulation model.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Test hypothesis or
model</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> – Through rigorous testing we get to
check the appropriateness of the model, correct any inadequacies and refine the
model to be more in line with the reality it represents. The key thinking skill
to employ during this phase is <i>Scientific
Thinking</i> which is based on the scientific viewpoint that progress in
science is marked by discarding falsehoods rather than ascertaining
“truth”. Adopting this view means we can
easily discover the limitations and usefulness of our models. Rigorous testing
will also help discover leverage points in the system where change can be
introduced for the desired effect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Implement changes &
communicate understanding</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> – the final phase of
the systems dynamics process regards translating the results of the modeling
exercise to one on the real-life situation and begins with the learning and
change in the mental model of the participants and human actors in the system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
figure below illustrates two scenarios for managing a complex problem situation
both based on using models. The one on the left is based entirely on employing mental
models whereas the one on the right illustrate where the systems dynamics
methodology comes in to refine and shed better insight on the problem structure
and hence improve the mental model for a better outcome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Forrester
& his group at MIT have successfully employed the SD methodology to shed
important insights and even make correct predictions on key issues impacting
some of the top business organizations in the world [Refs], government
organizations and even issues of a global scale [Refs] such as pollution, food
supply, population, disease, depletion of non-renewable resources etc. In many
of such problem situations, the approach has been seen to be superior to the
traditional scientific method in terms of the improvements obtained and the
learning engendered. Such global issues affect Africa in equal measure. In
fact, in some cases such as disease the impact on the SSA region is
disproportionately higher. The systems dynamics approach is needed now as never
before due to the increasing inter-connectedness of global business and the
complexity that comes with that and an increasing recognition of a common
heritage for mankind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Systems Dynamics Models – Causal Loop
Diagrams & Behavior-Over-Time Graphs<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Many
real systems are comprised of a large number of interconnected elements and
exhibit very complex behavior as they evolve over time. Causal loop diagrams provide
a powerful method of capturing the inter-connectedness of these elements and
gaining some insights on their dynamic complexity. Causal loop diagrams show
how the various elements in the system are connected by cause-and-effect
relationships, the nature of each of which is depicted by the use of the
symbols S (or + sign) and O (or – sign). S (or +) implies that the elements
connected by a specific cause-and-effect relationship move in the same
direction (as customer satisfaction increases, sales revenue increases); an O
(or -) implies that they move in opposite directions (as the workload
increases, my ability to cope decreases). Single, closed feedback loops are of
two and only two types. A reinforcing or positive feedback loop is
characterized by having an even number of Os around the complete loop (with
zero counting as an even number). We often recognize these loops as virtuous or
vicious circles, for they exhibit exponential growth or exponential decline.
The same cause and effect structure can behave in both ways—which behavior
actually takes place in practice depends on how the feedback loop is initiated,
and whether or not an actively spinning loop is subject to a sudden external
shock. A balancing or negative feedback loop is characterized by having an odd
number of Os (negative signs) around the complete loop. These loops exhibit
goal-seeking behavior, often toward an externally determined target or budget.
Sometimes the approach to the goal is smooth, but if there are time delays
associated with the feedback loop, they can exhibit overshoot and undershoot,
causing the system to oscillate, possibly wildly. Most problem situations will
be characterized by several interconnected feedback loops and depict patterns
of behavior over time. However, at any moment in time the behavior of the
system will reflect a dominant loop in the system which is either positive or
negative,.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For
any given problem situation, there is a proliferation of mental models.
Different people have genuinely and sincerely held different views on how the
world works. CLD provide the opportunity to shine a perspective light on these
mental models, share mental models and improve on their content through team
learning, simulation, refining and critiquing the explicit models. Figure below
shows a CLD typical for most business scenarios and comprising 2 feedback
loops….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">System Archetypes, their BOTs &
Points of Leverage<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A number of system archetypes have been identified
and documented by the MIT Systems dynamics group. These are recurring
structures and behavior patterns for many complex problem situations. Points of
leverage for these archetypes are often counter-intuitive which explains past
failures of intervention efforts. Understanding these archetypes and learning
to recognize them in similar problem situations will therefore shed a
perceptive light on the correct points of leverage within the system and hence
avoid similar traps within the system that appear suggest themselves as
leverage points. We do not cover all the available archetypes to date. This is
an ongoing area of research. In each case we name and briefly document the archetype,
then sketch a causal loop diagram for its structure and behavior over time
graph. Then we discuss leverage points within the system that have been shown
to yield fundamental and long lasting change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4.1. <b>Fixes that Fail</b> – often phrased as
“Today’s problems come from yesterday’s solutions”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This archetype describes the familiar situation
where interventions to improve a problem situation lead over time to a
worsening of the problem. Initially the fix appears to work, but then after a
delay, which may be weeks or months later, the problem resurfaces, often with
greater force. Its causal loop model is
shown below:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A fixes that fail structure consists of a balancing
loop which is intended to achieve a particular result, yet the result is foiled
by an insidious reinforcing loop whose effect is delayed as portrayed by the
clock. These two loops interact in such a way that the desired result initially
produced by the balancing loop is, after some delay, negated by the actions of
the reinforcing loop. A BOT graph of this will show slight jerks of improvement
at each intervention point but generally a worsening of the problem over time. An
effective strategy to dealing with this archetype is advanced planning and
thinking through all the unintended consequences of each action, their own
consequences and so on until you can assess the full impact of a decision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4.2. <b>Shifting
the burden</b> – often described as procrastination<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> This
archetype captures the structure of a common human behavior pattern which
relates to our tendency to deal with the easy, the obvious and urgent before
one is forced to confront the difficult, the ambiguous and the important. Often
we put off difficult decisions in the hope that they will go away. A good
example is using alcohol or drugs to suppress personal difficulties or
depression. A Shifting the Burden structure is composed of two balancing loops
and a reinforcing loop. It is a very annoying structure because the two
balancing loops act as a single reinforcing loop driving the situation in the
same direction as the reinforcing loop. Both structures support the movement of
the system in a direction generally other than the one desired. The behavior
pattern is very similar to that of Fixes that fail model. Here however, the
fundamental solution is masked both by its inherent time delay, the impact of
the symptom and side-effects of employing the symptomatic solutions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A good example of this archetype is Perpetuation by
Self-deception shown below:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The most effective strategy for dealing with a
Shifting the Burden structure is an employment of the <b>symptomatic solution</b>
<b>AND</b> development of the <b>fundamental solution</b>. Thus one resolves the
immediate problem and works to ensure that it doesn't return.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4.3. <b>Limits
to Growth (or Success)</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A Limits to Growth structure consists of a
Reinforcing Loop, the growth of which, after some success, is offset by a
action of a Balancing Loop. This model
captures the structure behind the growth and leveling off or decline behavior
of most businesses, cities and other human activities that start off with
growth or success. Its CLD is shown below:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the model the focus tends to concentrate on the
positive loop since it drives the desired result. The re-inforcing loop
normally dominates for some time too but eventually its dominance is offset and
may even be reversed by the negative loop. However, emphasis may continue to be
exerted on the positive loop for corrective action. The behavior pattern for
this model is an S-shaped growth or even an overshoot and collapse.The best
defense is a good offense. If there is a
Reinforcing Loop operating start looking for what is going to become a limiting factor, and remove it before
it even has a chance to create a substantial impact on results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4.4. <b>Drifting
Goals – lowering the bar</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In this model a gap between a goal and the current
reality is resolved by taking corrective action (the normal path) or lowering
the goal (the drift). Lowering the goal usually closes the gap immediately,
whereas corrective actions usually take time and more effort. A drifting goals structure is composed of two
balancing loops which interact in such a way that the activity of one loop
actually undermines the intended balance the other loop seeks to achieve.
Consider the following example in which I set out to pursue something I want.
The CLD model follows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">There is only one real effective way to deal with
this structure and that is to disconnect the feedback from <b>pressure to
settle for less</b> to <b>what I want</b> so it can no longer subtract from <b>what
I want</b>. Either you want it or you don't, and indecision is your problem
then see Indecision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4.5. Escalation<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">An escalation structure is composed of two balancing
loops which interact in such a way as to create a single reinforcing loop. The
action of each loop provides the basis for increased action by the other loop
and the real foundation for this is insecurity resulting in competition.
Examples of problem situations with this structure include the heating up of an
argument between two persons, the US/Soviet arms race or how urgency begets
urgency. In the business environment price wars between competitors provide a
good example. Its CLD model is as follows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The 2 balancing loops interact to produce an overall
re-inforcing loop that explains the escalation as shown below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A good leverage point is to engage both parties in
such a way that they begin to see the value in collaboration or to completely
disconnect them into two separate loops that are self-determined.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4.6. <b>Tragedy
of the commons</b> – often described as “The all for one and none for all” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In this model a common resource is over-exploited
competitively by two or more parties generating an overall activity that
negates the gain for everyone. The CLD for this is shown below. Examples of
this structure abound in business and social organizations sharing a common but
limited resource known to both parties and on which their success depends.
Welfare hand-outs creates such systems too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwyki6l2FvXkFYxa5i71wMP4EMFk2Qe4iL7GxaVyAF0GOfPEbptslF5ZUEM5BE6dvUt2C5_xvjghbFzxuwvSJPlolQ51ESD20JO9KOsDOBSfMRIc6pGydC9-a4zFzWzcFK7YW15UWH74/s1600/New+Picture+(8).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwyki6l2FvXkFYxa5i71wMP4EMFk2Qe4iL7GxaVyAF0GOfPEbptslF5ZUEM5BE6dvUt2C5_xvjghbFzxuwvSJPlolQ51ESD20JO9KOsDOBSfMRIc6pGydC9-a4zFzWzcFK7YW15UWH74/s1600/New+Picture+(8).png" width="295" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The most effective strategy for dealing with this
structure is to wire in feedback paths from <b>A's results</b> and <b>B's
results</b> to the <b>resource limit</b> so as A and B use resources their
results promotes the availability of additional resources.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4.7 Success to
the successful<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A Success to the Successful structure consists of
two reinforcing structures which interact in such a way as for create a single
reinforcing structure. Consider a situation where there are two project
managers, Jane and Tom, responsible for managing similar projects. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCgXKhcGT5K0TD5_1RyMP3q4PVJbCkAhd2ED7IFsKeq7Pe0itpvFPaGsG0RWS7oa8E0ybPHQPkh3-nhMQ2SUBpR5J8hIZ1vi6DC_8mP2XxERfhbUgJJD3kcERoeT5un0yDLzh2z4UkQ8/s1600/New+Picture+(9).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCgXKhcGT5K0TD5_1RyMP3q4PVJbCkAhd2ED7IFsKeq7Pe0itpvFPaGsG0RWS7oa8E0ybPHQPkh3-nhMQ2SUBpR5J8hIZ1vi6DC_8mP2XxERfhbUgJJD3kcERoeT5un0yDLzh2z4UkQ8/s1600/New+Picture+(9).png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_9" o:spid="_x0000_i1027" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="ss1.gif"
style='width:297.75pt;height:180pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\Omasiri\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image019.gif"
o:title="ss1"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Their manager, Sarah, has a fixed amount of
resources which she allocates to their projects. Initially both projects are
progressing equally well. Then, for some reason, Sarah chooses to allocate more
resources to Jane's project than to Tom's.
The structure can be redrawn as a single re-inforcing structure as
below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw67DYgfdfiROo7_FvGT09dk80QriTHYOzOg3oGDXJcRBlK-X1fslrz-BpWNgxDgwdqzlChu_CnIj2-KYDiODAjL0Og2D32zfQnLftzUbU2Qo1w0KDtEV04_U8NqkcXSoB6wDbwJxeVnU/s1600/New+Picture+(10).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw67DYgfdfiROo7_FvGT09dk80QriTHYOzOg3oGDXJcRBlK-X1fslrz-BpWNgxDgwdqzlChu_CnIj2-KYDiODAjL0Og2D32zfQnLftzUbU2Qo1w0KDtEV04_U8NqkcXSoB6wDbwJxeVnU/s1600/New+Picture+(10).png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_10" o:spid="_x0000_i1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="ss2.gif"
style='width:313.5pt;height:224.25pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\Omasiri\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image021.gif"
o:title="ss2"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A good example of this that can easily be seen in an
academic context is shown below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_11" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="ssx01.gif"
style='width:323.25pt;height:199.5pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\Omasiri\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image023.gif"
o:title="ssx01"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzsfsqdk2dKN9FH6CZQlBi1SBr5_zpya5DYRTga9J3TepJutCeTY5LL1gwU2THR6iQGX_f-X6zwos54W5r7C__0pw12f9foKOVnzIng9iJ4KLaHSZ-QolRHVftJY0lAOl0JQ9P5d7MZA/s1600/New+Picture+(11).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzsfsqdk2dKN9FH6CZQlBi1SBr5_zpya5DYRTga9J3TepJutCeTY5LL1gwU2THR6iQGX_f-X6zwos54W5r7C__0pw12f9foKOVnzIng9iJ4KLaHSZ-QolRHVftJY0lAOl0JQ9P5d7MZA/s1600/New+Picture+(11).png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">There are actually two strategies for dealing with a
Success to the Successful situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Identify the resource(s) being unequally
distributed and balance the distribution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Disconnect the two reinforcing
structures so they are not dependent on the allocation of shared resource(s). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5. Organizational
Disabilities & Systems Dynamics Principles in Everyday Language<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In his best-seller, “<b>The Fifth Discipline </b>– <i>The
Art and Practice of the Learning Organization</i>”, Peter Senge identified a
number of what he describes as <i>learning
disabilities</i> that characterize the majority of organizations which he
classifies as ordinary organizations and typifying the majority of
organizations today. In Senge’s view, and many will agree with him, <i>“the only sustainable competitive advantage
is the rate at which organizations learn”</i>. These disabilities make it very
hard to see the big picture and hence to make interventions that have a lasting
impact on the system as a whole. We only very briefly introduce with a comment
or two but invite the interested reader to refer to Senge’s book for more
insight on each disability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 27.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5.1.
<b>I
Am My Position</b> – we focus so narrowly on our jobs that we confuse them with
our identify and see ourselves incapable of intervening outside the boundaries
of our jobs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 27.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5.2
<b>The
Enemy Is Out There</b> – a by-product of the I am my position view that makes
it hard for us to think systemically so we develop a propensity to always look
for someone else to blame when things go wrong rather than see ourselves as
part of the whole and the problem. Out there and in here are often part of the
same system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 27.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5.3
<b>The
Illusion Of Taking Charge </b>–proactiveness is in vogue in management cycles
yet all too often it translates into reactiveness and fighting the enemy out
there rather than looking inwards to see how we contribute to our own problems.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 27.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5.4
<b>The
Fixation on Events</b> – this tendency distract us from seeing the longer term patterns
of change that lie behind events and from understanding the causes of those
patterns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 27.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5.5
<b>The
Parable Of The Boiled Frog</b> – coined after several systems studies of
corporate failure revealed the same results that maladaptation to gradually
building threats to their survival is rather pervasive. Many corporations are
better at reacting to events than detecting build up in threats that threaten
their survival, very similar to the nature of frogs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 27.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5.6
<b>The
Delusion Of Learning From Experience</b> – learning from experience remains the
most powerful way of learning but when our actions have consequences beyond our
learning horizon, it becomes impossible to learn from direct experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 27.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5.7
<b>The
Myth Of The Management Team</b> – all too often, teams in business tend to
spend their time fighting for turf<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Recognizing the constraining actions of these
learning disabilities Senge and his group have established a set of laws of the
fifth discipline which are essentially common sayings that capture an important
tenet or viewpoint of systems thinking. We will simply list them here as their
meanings are well known.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">a)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Today’s problems come from yesterday’s
solutions.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">b)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The harder you push the harder the
system pushes back<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">c)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Behavior grows better before it grows
worse<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">d)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The easy way out usually leads back in<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">e)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The cure can be worse than the disease<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">f)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;">
</span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Faster
is slower<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">g)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Cause and effect are not closely related
in time and space<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">h)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Small changes can produce the biggest
results but the areas of highest leverage are often the least obvious<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">i)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;">
</span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You
can have your cake and eat it too but not at once<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">j)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;">
</span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dividing
an elephant in half does not produce two small elephants<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">k)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">There is no blame<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">6. Conclusions<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">References<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">David Bayless & Don Greer, <i>“An Introduction to Systems
Dynamics”, </i>The Venture Dynamics Group, 2004. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">P. Senge, <i>“The Fifth Discipline, The Art & Practice of
the Learning Organization”, </i>Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group,
Inc.<i>,1994. <o:p></o:p></i></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">John D. Sterman,<i> “Business Dynamics: Systems thinking and
modeling for a complex world” , McGraw-Hill,2000.<o:p></o:p></i></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Vensim – A Systems Dynamics Simulation package: <a href="http://www.vensim.com/" target="_parent">http://www.vensim.com/</a></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Thomas Binder et al, <i>“Developing Systems Dynamics Models
from Causal <st1:place w:st="on">Loop</st1:place> Diagrams”, <o:p></o:p></i></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">George P. Richardson, <i>“Insightful Little Models”, </i>College
of Public Affairs & Policy, University of Albany, NY.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Meadows, D., Meadows, D., <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Randers</st1:place></st1:city>,
J., and Behrens, W. 1972. “<i>Limits to Growth”</i>. <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>: Universal Books. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Denis Sherwood, <i>“Seeing the Forest for the Trees, A
Manager’s Guide to Applying Systems Thinking”, </i>Nicholas Brealey Pub., <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>, 2002<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Barry Richmond, <i>“The Thinking in Systems Thinking – Seven
Essential Skills”, </i>Pegasus Communications, Inc, <a href="http://www.pegasuscom.com/">www.pegasuscom.com</a>. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">John Boardman & Brian Sauser, <i>“Systems Thinking, Coping
with 21<sup>st</sup> Century Problems, CRC Press, ISBN-13:
978-1-4200-5491-0<o:p></o:p></i></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US">http://www.systems-thinking.org/theWay/theWay.htm<o:p></o:p></span></i></li>
</ol>
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Omasirihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542100492572957870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1316843338099124350.post-78957415562032860772012-12-17T06:02:00.001-05:002014-10-30T05:10:31.585-04:00Promoting trade and e-Commerce in Nigeria<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 121.5pt center 3.25in;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn1.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/11/ecommerce-786x305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn1.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/11/ecommerce-786x305.jpg" height="124" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Trade is
the voluntary exchange of goods and services and is an essential component for
the healthy existence of all social systems. It allows an individual to obtain
something desirable in a fair manner from another individual who also obtains
something in return. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Over the years this model of exchange has evolved from direct
exchange of goods, known as the barter system, to the use of legal tender,
otherwise known as money for exchange. The means through which goods and services are provided and obtained evolved as exchange medium evolved.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> The
current evolution of methods in which goods and services are provided can be
attributed to contributions and capabilities provided by information
technology. Electronic commerce is the term used to describe the “new” improved
ways in which goods and services are exchanged using information technology.
E-commerce has made trade relatively easy for businesses and this paper
investigates its benefits and examines ways in which e-commerce can be promoted
in a developing country like Nigeria.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Trade is a very essential part of the health of any economy. It is
an activity that spans beyond national borders; the trading of goods and
services across borders is referred to as international trade. International
trade allows buyers and sellers of goods and services in various nations to
take advantage of lower production costs and higher specialization. (Importance of International Trade, 2010)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">E-commerce allows goods to be bought and sold with ease and most
developed countries are making the most of electronic commerce. It has the
potential to link the entire world in terms of trade and will reduce
restriction associated with territory and location. E-commerce could help
businesses reduce the cost of doing business through reducing the need to keep
large amount of goods in the store. The advantages are numerous but outside the
scope of this paper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">However,
several factors are responsible for the snail pace growth of information
technology in developing countries like Nigeria. One of the most notable factors
is the high cost of bandwidth and access to the internet. Another case is the
lack of technical knowledge to deal with issues related to the adoption,
deployment and maintenance of computer systems used for electronic commerce.
Furthermore, security and consumer trust is also an issue that begs attention
in order for electronic commerce to gain wider acceptance. “Among many
potential users, a serious lack of confidence in electronic commerce impedes
usage” (Guilherme Alberto, 2007). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Moreover, the high cost of starting electronic commerce serves as
an obstacle. Purchasing all the needed equipment normally requires some
substantial investment. Also, companies that do not have personnel with
adequate technical knowledge may need to hire external professionals which in
most cases add to the cost. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1316843338099124350" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">How to Promote
Trade in Nigeria<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Infrastructure<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.karletowncentre.com/images/banner-support-infrastructure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.karletowncentre.com/images/banner-support-infrastructure.jpg" height="164" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></b></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The one most important factor responsible for the snail place
growth of electronic trading in Nigeria is the high cost associated with
access, maintenance and hiring of employees. This cost discourages businesses
from deploying electronic commerce systems. The high cost of access can be
associated with lack of IT infrastructure, while the high cost of personnel to
manage and maintain e-commerce systems can be attributed to the lack of local
technical skill. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Lack of IT infrastructure can be tackled through a partnership
between the government and the private sector. The government on one hand
should provide an enabling environment, with policies that encourage IT service
providers to run their businesses Nigeria. Hosting of applications or provision
of internet services by IT providers is expensive due in part to the problem of
electricity in the country. These companies claim that they run their
businesses on generators and the cost propagates to the consumer. This suggests
that the provision of steady electricity will help lower the cost of access to
IT services while increasing the quality.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Security
and Trust<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.eci.com/blog/images/5-10-12_network-security-lock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.eci.com/blog/images/5-10-12_network-security-lock.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Trust is a very important factor for any business transaction;
more so for electronic commerce. Buyers as well as sellers need to build trust
or confidence if electronic commerce is to survive in a developing country like
Nigeria. “, only if buyers and sellers trust that orders and payments are
conducted with minimal risk of deceit and abuse of any information provided,
will they accept the Internet for electronic commerce purposes” (Guilherme Alberto, 2007). Buyers need to be
assured that their private information remains so and will not be unlawfully
used by the seller or sold to any third party without consent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">To promote trust and confidence, the governments need to adopt
laws and policies aimed and consumer protection over the internet, as well as
laws that protect the seller. Laws range from those that protect privacy to
those that help to enforce contracts between buyer and seller, including intellectual
property rights. Governments also have to establish and enforce standards to
oversee the manner and time in which goods and services are delivered to the
consumer after payment has been received. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Awareness</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://dynamicinfluence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/raise-bullying-awareness.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://dynamicinfluence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/raise-bullying-awareness.png" height="123" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Even if all the desired IT facilities exist, they are only as good
as how many managers and customers are aware of their existence. So, awareness
campaign aimed at sensitizing managers and the general public on the
possibilities should be embarked upon. Managers can attend seminars that teach
how to increase the “bottom line” with information technology. While businesses
can advertise how easy, secure and convenient it is to purchase goods and
services from them over the internet. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">General
Technical Knowledge</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.iwastesomuchtime.com/August-22-2011-18-10-22-Stivers121202Knowledgeispower.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.iwastesomuchtime.com/August-22-2011-18-10-22-Stivers121202Knowledgeispower.gif" height="258" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Potential customers need to be sensitized about issues related to
privacy and security of their information. And most importantly, the general
public needs to have the technical skill required to access the internet. So a
computer literacy scheme needs to be in place to allow interested members of
the public acquire computer knowledge. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Conclusion<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In order to define the best strategy for promoting electronic
commerce in Nigeria, we need to examine the landscape and all factors that
affect it. Factors like computer literacy, cost of internet access, general
technical knowledge etc. all need to be put into consideration. However, wide deployment of electronic
commerce will help drive Nigeria forward, economically and socially.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<h1 align="center" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">References<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-no-proof: yes;">Business link. (2010). <i>Securing your e-commerce systems</i>.
Retrieved December 4, 2010, from Business Link: http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1075385383<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography">
<!--[if supportFields]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>BIBLIOGRAPHY <span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span></span><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Guilherme Alberto, A. d. (2007). Promoting e-Commerce
in Developing Countries. <i>Internet <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"> Governance and Policy Discussion Papers</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"> .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-no-proof: yes;">Hawk, S. (2002). B2C e-commerce in developing countries: a
comparison of India,Latin America and Russia. <i>5th International Business and
Economics Conference.</i> St. Norbert College. De Pere: Norbert College.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;">Money Instructor. (n.d.).
<i>Importance of International Trade</i>. Retrieved December 11, 2010, from <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"> MoneyInstructor.com:
http://www.moneyinstructor.com/doc/internationaltrade.asp<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Omasirihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542100492572957870noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1316843338099124350.post-25033685967371794952012-12-17T05:50:00.001-05:002015-04-05T04:44:45.628-04:00E-Voting and Nigeria’s Democracy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media.techeblog.com/images/electronicvoting_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.techeblog.com/images/electronicvoting_1.jpg" height="188" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">An election is an event
at which someone or a group of people is chosen to hold positions of
responsibility or leadership. It ensures
that a leader is chosen by the majority of the populace and not by a powerful
minority. However, some candidates may seek
to get a political office by all means and adopt shady methods or techniques
to manipulate the election results in their favor. This practice has been seen in developed
countries that are presumably at the forefront of democratic governance from
election disputes to alleged rigging by candidates. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">If an election is widely perceived as flawed, arguments and prejudice normally follows and much time will be spent on
arbitration in law courts.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The most popular method
of voting is the traditional paper ballot system in which a candidate’s name is
marked and dropped through a slit into a box, by the electorates. The box is opened after the casting of votes
and the ballot papers are manually counted. Counting
is done in a transparent manner and the candidate with the highest number of
marks against his/her name wins the election.
Ideally, the election should end peacefully and the transfer of office
follows but it is hardly the case
especially in a country like Nigeria where several factors hinder the proper
conduction of elections. One of the most significant factors that hinder the proper conduct of elections is the tendency to exploit the paper ballot system and manipulate results. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">However, several
precautionary measures can be taken to ensure that a good number of loopholes
associated with the traditional ballot system are plugged. This paper will discuss flaws associated with
the traditional ballot system and compare it with the newly proposed electronic
voting system. It will further examine
social and ethical implications of adopting electronic voting and investigate
what factors associated with electronic voting can work against a true
democratic election in a developing country like Nigeria. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Nigeria: Demographic<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.theproducersperspective.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/demographics-graphic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://www.theproducersperspective.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/demographics-graphic.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Nigeria is a country
with over 150 million people. Sixty-eight
percent (68% ) of the total population of the country is literate out of which
men constitute 75.1% and women 60.6%.<w:sdt citation="t" id="45054369"><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span lang=EN-GB style='mso-ansi-language:
EN-GB'> CITATION CIA10 \l 2057 </span><span style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-GB"> (CIA - The World Factbook, 2010)</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--></w:sdt>. This directly translates to 102 million
literate Nigerians made up of 76.5 million and 25.5 million literate men and
women respectively. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Computer ownership and computer
literacy rate<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Beb2TZfpxzLjVfZLUslr0dnfh4j0ixZXTaiePGu_ZmN-ly1d3WPPA-LEft3jZBL4AVhzIRFSsBpfzsGblLUo0rUFPis6BG3FyAXclv4r9t6KiKYM_l-TsOhe4E41_vKgn8zJgGhUXDU/s1600/ccll.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Beb2TZfpxzLjVfZLUslr0dnfh4j0ixZXTaiePGu_ZmN-ly1d3WPPA-LEft3jZBL4AVhzIRFSsBpfzsGblLUo0rUFPis6BG3FyAXclv4r9t6KiKYM_l-TsOhe4E41_vKgn8zJgGhUXDU/s1600/ccll.jpeg" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Computers have spread
to all parts of the world. However,
universal access to computers and ICT is begging improvement especially in the
less developed parts of the world. Computer
literacy rate is also not universal and has plenty of room for improvement. Less
than half the population of Nigeria own computers while a greater number are not computer litereate, the minor remainder own computers. Moreover, most of the people who are computer literate only
know how to use word processors. Only 5% of the total population is internet literate of which only a fraction has
regular access. <w:sdt citation="t" id="11672586"><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
lang=EN-GB style='mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>CITATION AHI10 \l 2057 </span><span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">(AHIAKWO)</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--></w:sdt><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><w:sdt citation="t"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></w:sdt></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Paper Ballot system in Nigeria (problems)<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2013/08/Ballot-Box-PDP-convention.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2013/08/Ballot-Box-PDP-convention.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Several problems plague
the paper ballot system in Nigeria. One big factor often blamed for the problems associated with the paper
ballot system in Nigeria is corruption. Politicians
engage in several corrupt practices to ensure victory on Election Day. Election rigging can be performed directly at
the polling booths and has been alleged to also occur indirectly from the
headquarters or state division of the electoral commission. Stealing and stuffing of ballot boxes with fake ballot papers is one of the activities associated with election rigging. To steal ballot boxes, some politicians hire 'thugs' who will go to polling stations to cause chaos. The objective is to disrupt the electoral process, find an opportunity to steal the ballot box and disenfranchise voters. The end result is stuffed
ballot boxes with fake ballots which is quietly delivered to the state offices of the
electoral commission. Another method of rigging directly involves officials of the state electoral commission. The officials manipulate the results in favor of a candidate with whom they have some kind
of shady understanding. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Public loss of confidence and low voter turn up in subsequent elections is
often a consequence of the corrupt electoral process. In order to curb or avoid
the negative trend, some countries are leaning toward the adoption of
electronic voting systems. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Electronic voting<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTuHYTDlK14z6DsaowaqBoOPtMInFeMngnT25beO_AUS5EIOEfKykLq4jtIn3Yl4Yow5aj6XFzF8CiBw273X-AxDsLTEPp5iu1b0Qs6yC2YFQTbxDf1CBhzZomvGpPGC-i7JYy_ngPJE/s1600/replvoting600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTuHYTDlK14z6DsaowaqBoOPtMInFeMngnT25beO_AUS5EIOEfKykLq4jtIn3Yl4Yow5aj6XFzF8CiBw273X-AxDsLTEPp5iu1b0Qs6yC2YFQTbxDf1CBhzZomvGpPGC-i7JYy_ngPJE/s1600/replvoting600.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Electronic voting is
the employment of information and communication technologies for carrying out
activities that involve the collection, aggregation and counting of votes. “It is the process of casting, counting and
transmitting ballot information electronically”<w:sdt citation="t" id="42965109"><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span lang=EN-GB style='mso-ansi-language:
EN-GB'> CITATION Ago10 \l 2057 </span><span style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-GB"> (Ago K MacGranaky-Quaye, 2010)</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--></w:sdt>. The impact and benefit of information
technology on other aspects of human endeavor such as research, trade and
commerce cannot be overemphasized. Therefore the employment of information
technology for election is an attempt to bring forth benefits of IT to the
process however, it may not be without some social, ethical and legal
implications.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Some potential benefits
of electronic voting include elimination of invalid votes, the speedy
aggregation and counting of votes; it may even allow citizens abroad to participate
in the election over the internet etc but
there may be unintended problems with an election conducted electronically. First
on the list of problems that may not be envisioned by electronic voting
activists is the fact that a huge percentage of the population lacks the technical knowledge to operate electronic voting machines. On one hand, if only technically savvy individuals are allowed to participate in the electoral process, a great number of people could
be </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">disenfranchised</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> on election day due to their technical limitation. On the other hand, if non tech savvy people are allowed to vote with 'special assistance' then it may become trivial to mislead voters into casting votes for the 'wrong' candidate without their knowledge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Secondly, the issue of
IT security is also worthy of attention.
Electronic voting can be compromised in several ways by malicious programmers who are able to find security vulnerabilities in the system. An attack may be in the form of a “denial of
service” attack. A DOS is an attack aimed at shutting down or disrupting
the ability for a computer system to provide services to clients. On Election Day, a successful DOS attack could shut down the voting machines and could be an effective means of </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">disenfranchising</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> voters. In
addition to a DOS attack, a “Man in the Middle” system can be secretly set up
to intercept and switch votes before they are submitted to a central e-voting collation server.</span><w:sdt citation="t" id="11672526" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span lang=EN-GB style='mso-ansi-language:
EN-GB'> CITATION Ago10 \l 2057 </span><span style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-GB"> (Ago K MacGranaky-Quaye, 2010)</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--></w:sdt><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Apart from
security issues, other potential problems with software and hardware reliability also exist. The electronic voting software may contain
undetected errors or bugs. Hardware and software can breakdown or refuse to work and can potentially alter final results. “</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The fear is that
errors in the software – either accidental or deliberately introduced – can undetectable<i> </i>alter the final
tallies”<w:sdt citation="t" id="11672527"><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span lang=EN-GB style='mso-ansi-language:
EN-GB'> CITATION Bru04 \l 2057 </span><span style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-GB"> (Schneier, 2004)</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--></w:sdt>.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Moreover, even if we
assume that the above listed problems do not exist; There are other potential problems that could threaten the free and fair conduction of elections. Issues range from remote electronic rigging
to vote interception and rerouting. In
the former, it could be possible for the administrators in charge of the
electronic voting system to easily manipulate the numbers in favor of their candidate. Some would argue that it provides the
“corrupt” ones more power to easily manipulate and rig elections. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 150%;">Economic, social and national security issues also exist considering a developing economy such as Nigeria. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The sophistication of e-voting equipment and
the limited ability of local companies to manufacture many of the required
materials suggest that they will be purchased abroad. This will negatively affect local research
efforts and decrease employment opportunities in that area since the country
will allocate a greater percentage of the election budget on acquiring the
needed equipment from foreign companies. </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Conclusion<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<a href="http://learntoprepare.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/einstein_thinking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://learntoprepare.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/einstein_thinking.jpg" height="231" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Considering all the
problems associated with electronic voting, it may be useful to implement both
the manual and electronic versions side by side. It will ensure that voters who lack the
savvy or technical sophistication can select the voting method they prefer. In the event of a denial of service attack or
suspected man in the middle attack, then voting can gracefully revert to manual
method without cancelling or postponing the election. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My opinion<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> There could be more unintended consequences of electronic voting that cannot be revealed without proper examination. So, a good strategy is to take a holistic
view of the problem (corruption in the electoral process) to understand how
various factors such as poverty, low literacy rate etc, lead to the problem. If we understand how the factors lead to the
problem then we can think of policies that can lead to a lasting solution. I think that electronic voting is only as
good as the potential gain it can bring to the majority. Corruption is the biggest problem that should
be tackled and if electronic voting is an attempt to tackle corruption then it
is a fix that will fail. Elections
conducted electronically can also be rigged by simply exploiting security
holes, software errors, hardware errors, and administrative manipulation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Without corruption in
Nigeria, the traditional paper ballot system will be good enough for the process. This will
come without the overhead of expenditure on equipment purchases from foreign
companies, or the negative economic and social issues associated with it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<w:sdt docparttype="Bibliographies" docpartunique="t" id="42965134" sdtdocpart="t">
</w:sdt><br />
<h1 align="center" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">References<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><w:sdtpr></w:sdtpr></span></h1>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="line-height: 150%;">
<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>BIBLIOGRAPHY <span style='mso-element:field-separator'></span></span><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Ago K MacGranaky-Quaye, N. N. (2010). Information Technology Imperatives and
Attendant Security Issues for Implementing E-voting in Developing Economics -
the cases of Ghana and Nigeria.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-no-proof: yes;">CIA - The World Factbook</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-no-proof: yes;">. (2010, October 27). Retrieved November 3, 2010, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni.html<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-no-proof: yes;">E.A. Arubayi, P.
O. (2009). Variability in Regional Access to Higher
Education in Nigeria: Implicaiton of Equity and Even Development among the
Niger Delta States. <i>J Soc Sci,</i> ,
143-148.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-no-proof: yes;">Ogunkola,
B. J.
(2008). Computer Attitude,
Ownership and Use as Predictors of Computer Literacy of Science Teachers in
Nigeria. <i>International Journal of
Environmental & Science Education</i> , 53-57.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-no-proof: yes;">Schneier,
B. (2004, November 9). <i>Schneier on Security: The problem with
electronic voting machines. </i>Retrieved
November 21, 2010, from Open Democracy:
www.opendemocracy.net/content/articles/PDF/2213.pdf<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Omasirihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542100492572957870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1316843338099124350.post-82601589546585799862012-12-17T05:32:00.002-05:002013-07-17T15:46:00.047-04:00Off-shoring, offshore outsourcing, near-shoring, co-shoring and information security cost: A comparative study<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><b>Off-shoring, offshore
outsourcing, near-shoring, co-shoring and information security cost: A
comparative study.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in .5in .75in 1.0in 1.25in 1.5in 1.75in 2.0in 2.25in 2.5in 2.75in 3.0in 3.25in 3.5in 3.75in 4.0in 4.25in 4.5in 4.75in 5.0in 5.25in 5.5in 5.75in 6.0in 6.25in 6.5in 6.75in 7.0in 7.25in 7.5in 7.75in 8.0in; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in .5in .75in 1.0in 1.25in 1.5in 1.75in 2.0in 2.25in 2.5in 2.75in 3.0in 3.25in 3.5in 3.75in 4.0in 4.25in 4.5in 4.75in 5.0in 5.25in 5.5in 5.75in 6.0in 6.25in 6.5in 6.75in 7.0in 7.25in 7.5in 7.75in 8.0in; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Abstract<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: .25in .5in .75in 1.0in 1.25in 1.5in 1.75in 2.0in 2.25in 2.5in 2.75in 3.0in 3.25in 3.5in 3.75in 4.0in 4.25in 4.5in 4.75in 5.0in 5.25in 5.5in 5.75in 6.0in 6.25in 6.5in 6.75in 7.0in 7.25in 7.5in 7.75in 8.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The main objective of
any individual or group going into business is to make profit. Their profit is the difference between the
cost of providing the good or service and the actual cost to the consumer. As
more companies venture into the same line of business the competition for
customers gets intense thus bringing into play the law of supply and demand. Oversupply of a good or service pushes the
price consumer has to pay down. These forces have pushed managers and business
strategists into the search for ways to increase the bottom line while reducing
cost of good or service delivery. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Using information technology has been a way to maintain
business competitive advantage for many of the biggest companies. Typical uses of information technology in
business are the automation of payroll, human resource management, key business
processes etc. The desire by managers and business owners to
increase the bottom line has further pushed them to explore several strategies
to further reduce the cost contribution of IT to the total cost of goods and
services they provide. Among such strategies include off-shoring,
offshore outsourcing, near-shoring and co-shoring all aimed at reducing cost of
the information technology used by a company.
This paper aims to explore all
the above listed strategies and specify the most cost effective measure
associated with information security risks to adapt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Introduction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Outsourcing is the hiring out of work by a company to a
separate existing unit or company with more specialization that can do them
more efficiently and less expensively. This helps the company outsourcing work
increase profit while shedding work. Over the years businesses have adopted the
strategy at several degrees and models. Off-shoring, offshore outsourcing, near-shoring
and co-shoring all forms of outsourcing which businesses adopt to reduce the
cost they spend on their information technology department. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Off shoring is the moving or relocation of a section of a
business to another country or geographical location. The driving force for
managers is to take advantage of lower cost of labor or available technology in
the offshore location. Managers are constantly seeking ways to lower the
increase profit by lowering cost of their goods and services in order to remain
competitive because lower costs translate to higher profit, all
things being equal. Not only does this strategy help to reduce
cost, it also allows the company to provide better goods and/or services as a
result of the outsourced part being handled by a more specialized entity. Off-shoring may not mean outsourcing jobs to
another separate company but may also mean that a company simply moved a
section of its business to another country.
Although there are several
advantages of off shoring such as lower costs and possibly higher quality of
service, there are also disadvantages or negative implications associated with
it. The major concern is an economic one and deals
with the loss of jobs. Moving jobs outside a country reduces the
number of available jobs locally thus contributing to unemployment. Problems can also arise due to long distance
between the company and its offshore counterpart. Additional expenses might be introduced
because of necessary trips to offshore locations thereby adding to operating
cost and ultimately reducing or working against profitability of the company
business. The control a company wields over its off
shored division is inversely proportional to the distance between the company
and the off shore location. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"> <span lang="EN-GB">(What does
onshoring,offshoring,nearshoring mean?, 2010)</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">.
More simply, the control a company wields over its off-shore counterpart
decreases as the distance between them increases. Misunderstandings may arise due to inherent
communication problems that accompany long distance collaboration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> On the other hand, near-shoring is the relocation of a part of
a business to a location that is relatively near. We
quickly notice that problems of distance associated with off shoring are
addressed in near-shoring. Other advantages over off shoring include
better control of the business process because of closer proximity. Also,
shorter distance form partners means lower travel expenses to partner locations
especially for companies whose employees have to travel frequently to partner
locations. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"> <span lang="EN-GB">(What does
onshoring,offshoring,nearshoring mean?, 2010)</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">. Thus, near-shoring affords the ability to
effectively and easily collaborate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Another business strategy is offshore outsourcing which is
similar to off-shoring but another company in a relatively far country takes
care of the job being outsourced. Many companies outsource work to other
companies they feel are cheaper and more specialized. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Additionally, co-shoring
is a model which combines off-shoring and on-shoring. “Co-shoring is a new model for implementing IT
projects with on-shore and off-shore components”. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"> <span lang="EN-GB">(Co-shoring,
2010)</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">. It combines the advantages of both models and
eliminates most of their disadvantages. In terms of information security, a company
can choose to manage sensitive part of the business itself while outsourcing
other parts of business that need less tight security. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Considering the above options for outsourcing of work,
co-shoring is arguably the one that has the lowest information security risks. It
pulls advantages from off-shoring and near-shoring into one business model
while reducing disadvantages associated with adopting any of them in isolation. For
information security concerns, a company can decide to manage jobs that contain
sensitive information near-shore instead of moving it to their offshore
partners. This helps companies have sufficient control
over their data because of the proximity.
Furthermore, costs are further
reduced especially if the critical jobs that require constant travel are done
by near-shore partners and not so critical jobs done off-shore. This contrasts with full off-shoring which may
have greater labor cost reduction but greater travel expenses that can
neutralize the effect of reduced labor cost.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoBibliography" style="line-height: 200%;">
<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>BIBLIOGRAPHY <span style='mso-element:field-separator'></span></span><![endif]--><i>Co-shoring</i>. (2010, 04 15). Retrieved 10 17, 2010, from Wikipedia:
http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Co-<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="line-height: 200%;">
shoring<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="line-height: 200%;">
Ellis-Christensen, T. (2010, 09
09). <i>What is nearshore outsourcing?</i>
Retrieved 10 17, 2010, from Wise <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Geek: http://www.
wisegeek.
com/what-is-nearshore-outsourcing.
htm<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="line-height: 200%;">
<i>What does onshoring,offshoring,nearshoring mean?</i> (2010, 10 17).
Retrieved 10 17, 2010, from<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 1.5pt;">
Management Trainee: http://www. managementtrainee. co. uk/what-does-onshoring-offshoring-nearshoring-mean. html<o:p></o:p></div>
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Omasirihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542100492572957870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1316843338099124350.post-32296483740367812732012-12-17T05:30:00.000-05:002013-07-17T15:46:25.209-04:00How the legal environment and the key IT security and privacy issue affect information management in any business environment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><b>How the legal environment and the key IT security and privacy
issue affect information management in any business environment.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Abstract:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">People have
the right to protect their personal information from prying eyes or the general
public. This right is a regarded as one
of the fundamental human rights and is known as the right to privacy. As with all rights, any one whose privacy has
been infringed can sue the offending party.
On the other hand there has to be some balance between how much
information about people is available to the general public and how much they
keep away</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">. This
balance is needed because of the influence too much or too little available
information about people would have on how the society functions. For instance, some businesses depend on
customer information to run efficiently and it is
often necessary for them to store the information. The practice raises several issues regarding
who owns the pool of personal information gathered from people and for what
purpose it can be used. This
paper seeks to investigate or explore how the legal environment and key IT
security and privacy issues affect information management in any business environment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Keywords:
Information Technology, United Nations<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Introduction<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Privacy
can simply be defined as the state of being free from intrusion or disturbance
in one’s private life or affairs” <w:sdt citation="t" id="-2139088774"><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>CITATION Pri10 \l 1033 <span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]-->(Dictionary.com)<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-end'></span><![endif]--></w:sdt>.
It is a fundamental human right which is protected by law in most of the
advanced countries. This is stated
clearly in the UN declaration of human rights: “No one shall be subjected to
arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to
attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone
has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or
attacks”. <w:sdt citation="t" id="-1642957003"><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>CITATION The48 \l 1033 <span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]-->(The United Nations, 1948)<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--></w:sdt>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">While many
are aware of the importance of privacy a greater number are unaware probably
because they have not given the issue careful contemplation or they just do not
care and thus risk the dissemination of their private information to the
“wrong” individuals or group who may use that information to cause some form of
harm. However, businesses and society
sometimes need pieces of information about customers or individuals to function
properly. Absolute privacy will incline
to strangle or stagnate processes or scenarios which form essential parts of
societies. In the medical institutions
for instance, a doctor may need to obtain medical records of a patient since it
constitutes an essential piece of required information in patient diagnosis and
treatment, or members of the public may want information about an aspiring
political candidate to be available to aid in their judgments. If such essential information is unavailable,
then the process is frustrated therefore, there is need to maintain some
balance between information that people make available to the public and those
they keep from the public. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The current
advancement in information technology has provided businesses and customers
with facilities for easy transactions and purchases. These transactions often require the storage
of customer information by the business.
IT facilities can store all kinds of information ranging from credit or
debit card details to kind of item(s) purchased and thus this raises issues,
questions and concern as to what the business can do with that information. Companies claim they use information gathered
from their customers to know or gain insight into customer purchasing habits
and choice, so as to be able to provide better services or do target
advertising. <w:sdt citation="t" id="4407519"><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
lang=EN-GB style='mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>CITATION JEf08 \l 2057 </span><span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">(J.Efrim Boritz, 2008)</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--></w:sdt>. On the
other hand information about a customer
can be used to cause ‘harm’ ranging from illegal charges on credit cards or
unsolicited emails and other forms of advertisement by marketing teams that
monitor the kind of items a customer purchases.
Consequently, “private information
needs be to stored securely so data security is an important aspect, indeed a
prerequisite, of privacy protection, but privacy protection goes beyond mere
data security to encompass what and how private information is exchanged and
used to provide services”. <w:sdt citation="t" id="4407514"><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span><span lang=EN-GB style='mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>CITATION Wil09 \l 2057 </span><span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">(Williams, 2009)</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--></w:sdt><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Information management. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Information management is the gathering
and distribution of information about individuals or events from different
sources for some meaningful purpose. Individuals
may not have direct control over bits and pieces of information gathered about
them from different sources and an aggregation of those pieces may constitute
‘too much’ detail and, in the hands of the ‘wrong’ group can be used to cause
‘harm’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Most of the harm caused with available information about an individual is
usually not perpetrated by the company which is the primary source but instead
by other parties with motives not within bounds of proper practice. However, the legal environment insists that
the primary source from which ‘too much’ information is unlawfully made public is
responsible for any harm inflicted on any individual as a result of their slack
in information security. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Businesses have therefore adapted, over the years, to the legal demands as
regards privacy and security of individual records by taking firm precautions. </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1316843338099124350" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Intentional
or unintentional disclosure of information considered private, about any
individual or group of individuals by any source can have serious consequences
under the law. Consequences include
paying for material, psychological, emotional damages and/or imprisonment of
individuals found culpable. Therefore,
information management in the business environment is done within the narrow
legal and privacy boundaries. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Security measures<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In order to ensure that information management stays within
already specified information laws, information managers in the business
environment are forced to take legal and security measures essential to
guaranteeing to some degree that an individual’s private information is not
unlawfully disclosed. Malicious hackers
can break into unsecured computer networks owned by businesses to steal
customer information therefore, businesses are required to guard against
information theft with the use of specialized hardware and software such as
firewalls, anti-spyware and third party authentication sites. Furthermore, they also have to seek
permission to store or use information about customers and guarantee some
reasonable level of security. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Conclusion/summary<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">A balance constantly has to be maintained between legal entities
advocating for privacy, and businesses that need information for the provision
of better goods and services. We have
explored several privacy issues and concerns related to details stored by
businesses about customers and we also looked at various precautions enforced
by privacy and legal issues on information management in businesses. As technology continues to evolve, more
privacy issues will be raised and so do information policies and security
measures employed by businesses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<w:sdt docparttype="Bibliographies" docpartunique="t" id="-998033856" sdtdocpart="t">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">References<o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><w:sdtpr></w:sdtpr></span></h1>
<div class="MsoBibliography">
<!--[if supportFields]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>BIBLIOGRAPHY <span style='mso-element:field-separator'></span></span><![endif]-->Cisco Systems. (2005). <i>TOP FIVE SECURITY ISSUES
FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES.</i> California: Cisco Systems.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography">
Dictionary.com.
(n.d.). <i>Privacy.</i> Retrieved November 16, 2010, from Dictionary.com:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/privacy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography">
J.Efrim Boritz, W. G.
(2008). Internet Privacy in E-Commerce: Framework, Review, and Opportunities
for Future Research. <i>41st Hawaii International Conference on System
Sciences.</i> Hawaii: IEEE Computer Society.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography">
The United Nations.
(1948, December 10). <i>The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.</i>
Retrieved November 16, 2010, from United Nations:
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography">
Williams, M.-A.
(2009). Privacy Management, the law & Business Strategies: A Case for
Privacy Driven Design. <i>International Conference on Computational Science
and Engineering</i> (pp. 60-67). IEEE Computer society.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Omasirihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542100492572957870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1316843338099124350.post-80904894871731939172011-02-20T12:48:00.001-05:002022-06-08T19:36:48.166-04:00Health Improvement Through Information and Communication Technology<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><b>Health improvement through ICT</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Abstract<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Healthcare is an important part of any society and the quality of health care is often used as a one of the metrics to measure the quality of life of people living in the society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is essential since to a great extent, the overall population and work force depend on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since so many depend on and are concerned about the quality of healthcare they have, improved quality and availability of healthcare is often included in promises made by politicians and governments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Genuine improvement has been sought over the years and issues being addressed range from availability of professionals and materials for healthcare to the reduction of response time to matters that require professional attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This paper focuses on the improvement of healthcare through the use of modern information and communication technologies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Introduction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Healthcare deals with all activities to maintain health, it is the provision of medical and related services aimed at maintaining good health, especially through the prevention and treatment of disease</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> (Dictionary.com)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">. Over the years, provision of healthcare has grown complex and continues its climbing trend therefore, new methods are sought to constantly deal with the growing complexity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Information and communication technologies have played key roles in improving and optimizing business processes through 'killer' applications like email, mobile phones and the web.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have improved and made communication and business correspondence very easy and almost painless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has driven the efficient and reliable production of goods and services to customers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In healthcare, we can apply various information and communication technologies to improve access, quality and reduce cost of healthcare to all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“If healthcare is to achieve major gains in quality, it must be transformed, and information technology will play a key part especially with respect to safety”</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> (David W. Bates, 2003)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the key problems with healthcare that can be addressed by information technology include improved access to reference information for research and development, reduction of errors associated with medical tests and drug administration, decision support and improved business process and communication between medical professionals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Electronic storage systems<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">There is a need to keep medical records about patients as clinicians often need to know the medical history of a patient in order to make a more accurate diagnosis of a patient. These records have traditionally been stored in flat files and cabinets and are inexpensive to maintain. However, retrieval of relevant files can become increasingly difficult as the volume of files increase. This is expected as the files have to be searched and retrieved manually from the cabinets in which they are stored. Furthermore, it is difficult to backup copies of records of flat files so there is the risk of losing all records in an unfortunate event such as a fire outbreak. The use of an electronic database can eliminate all the problems associated with speedy retrieval of information and also the issue associated with backup. Electronic storage systems will give doctors the ability to quickly access information about patients without incurring the delay associated with manual searching of file cabinets. This will ensure that patients are attended to in a timely manner as all information needed is provided instantly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Improved access to information<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A growing number of people around the world now have access to the Internet. The issue of universal availability of the internet is outside the scope of this paper but it is worthwhile to note that advances in technology has made the internet more accessible and affordable for<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a greater percentage of governments around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The importance of the internet and its benefit to business collaboration, correspondence and social processes cannot be overemphasized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is possible to access information stored on a computer sitting thousands of miles away at lightening speeds without having to incur the cost of physically traveling to the source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Educational institutions have taken advantage of ICT for their collaboration in research thereby aiding the sharing of knowledge between schools and accelerating the pace of advancement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Healthcare can benefit from the capability offered by ICT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Doctors and other medical professionals can quickly gain access to reference material for research and development because of the easy access to a wide range of textbooks, drug references and other information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The available materials can also be used for managing infectious diseases in hospitals thereby improving overall quality of healthcare. “Ease and rapidity of use at the point of care were initially problematic but appear to be improving through the use of ICT”</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> (David W. Bates, 2003)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Communication<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Problems in healthcare can result from failures in communication, and originates from inability to reach a needed medical professional or, communication gaps between clinicians. Clinicians may need to hand off information about a patient or group of patients to fellow clinicians and this need may be time critical, therefore a faster means through which this information can be exchanged is needed. Gaps in communication are among the biggest factors that contribute to adverse events</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> (David W. Bates, 2003)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">. With ICT, clinicians can gain remote access to information stored on clinical records databases with computers and even hand held devices. Information ranges from clinical test results to real time updates on health conditions of patients under a monitoring system. Mobile phones, although common can be used as a medium to receive real time updates through short messaging service (SMS) alerts to clinicians for rapid response to both critical and non critical conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Evidence suggests that alert systems may help to improve outcomes, including survival. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Reduction of errors<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As with all human endeavors errors are frequent. Many errors have little consequences while others can result in injury or other unfortunate circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In medicine, errors can have bad and huge consequences.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> (David Bates W, 2001)</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">. The use of ICT in medical procedures may not eliminate errors altogether but can help reduce the frequency of errors when applied to areas where the human mind is error prone. The average human mind is error prone when carrying out complex calculation or analysis. Humans may not be able to carry out complex simulations that involve changing dynamics over time such as drug interactions and their effect on humans so the use of computers and other equipment can reduce potential errors. Being able to perform such operations with reduced incidence of errors will reduce hospital length of stay, and cost and ultimately improve healthcare quality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Decision support<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In healthcare, special software exists that can assist clinicians in performing various kinds of diagnosis. Given a set of symptoms, some systems based on neural networks and artificial intelligence can predict to a reasonably accurate extent the given disease. These systems can also suggest medication, given a set of parameters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“It has been demonstrated that computerized physician order entry system that incorporate clinical decision support can substantially reduce medication error rates as well as improve the quality and efficiency of medication use”</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> (David Bates W, 2001)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">. Furthermore, these systems can give reasonably accurate inference with parameters in the absence of a physician. So, in situations where a course of action is urgently needed but the physician is absent at the time, the decision support system can help to suggest remedial treatment. This also helps to improve overall healthcare quality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Business process improvement<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The processes involved in patient treatment, diagnosis, drug prescription and monitoring are increasingly complex. Hospital management systems can help reduce the complexity and also simplify processes through streamlined operations. Implicit in hospital management systems is the ability to store or grain speedy access to a patient’s clinical record. Business processes and rules can be directly implemented into the clinical management system which will naturally enforce those rules. For instance, a rule such as “a doctor has to make prescriptions before a patient is allowed to purchase drugs from the hospital pharmacy” can be easily enforced in a software system by defining rules that prevent the pharmacy from issuing drugs to a patient unless a valid prescription record created for that patient by a physician exists in the database. Clinical management software not only helps to streamline operations but also contribute to savings in hospital management costs. “Over fifteen years, the cumulative potential net efficiency and safety savings from hospital systems could be nearly $371 billion”</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> (Richard Hillestad, 2005)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Conclusion<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In this paper we looked at ways in which healthcare can be improved with the use of ICT from decision support systems to alert systems. No doubt the deployment of theses system will require substantial investment of resources but they also promise a good return on investment. Adopting ICT in healthcare will significantly improve the quality of healthcare and reduce costs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">References<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">David Bates W, M. C. (2001). Reducing the Frequency of Errors in Medicine Using Information <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Technology. <i>Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association</i> , 299-308.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">David W. Bates, A. A. (2003). Improving Safety with Information Technology. <i>New England <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Journal of Medicine</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> , 2526-2534.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Healthcare</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2010, from Dictinary.com Unabridged: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/healthcare<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kevin Fiscella, H. G. (2006). Health Information Technology And Quality Improvement For <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Community Health Centers. <i>Health Affairs</i> , 405-412.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Richard Hillestad, J. B. (2005). Can Electronic Medical Record Systems Transform Health Care? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Potential Health Benefits, Savings, And Costs. <i>Health Affairs</i> , 1103-1117.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Omasirihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542100492572957870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1316843338099124350.post-44303265061409018902007-10-28T06:23:00.001-04:002013-07-17T15:48:11.776-04:00Fulani Marriages vs. Igbo Marriages<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Fulani Marriages vs. Igbo Marriages</b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;">Marriage is an interpersonal relationship between a man and a woman. It is often referred to as a contract between couples. Marriage unites a man and a woman as husband and wife. After a couple agrees to get married it is often declared by a marriage ceremony. All over the world couples engage in marriage ceremonies. However, the way it is celebrated varies with geographical location, culture and ethnic groups. In my recent study of Yola Fulani traditional marriages and Enugu Igbo traditional marriages, I have concluded that Fulani societies have less respect for their women’s wishes than Igbo societies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;">In the two types of marriages a prospective husband and his kinsmen visits the girl’s family to declare their intentions to her parents. It is like asking for their blessing, or permission. If the girl’s parents approve the proposal, then the man goes ahead with marriage ceremony arrangements assuming the girl also concurs. In Fulani culture, however, the girl has little control over who she is betrothed to. Her parents have the right to choose her husband for her if she had never been in a marriage. This contrasts to Igbo culture in which she is free to approve or disapprove a prospective husband. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;">The most common traditional practice in Igbo marriages is called “icho di”. This is performed during the traditional marriage. A prospective husband shuffles himself into the crowd to hide from his bride. The oldest man in the village gives her a cup of palm wine, and then she has to walk around and search for her husband among the crowd. When she finds him, she kneels in front of him and gives him the cup of palm wine, which he must drink to show the crowd that he is “the one”. This signifies that she has chosen her husband. In contrast to Fulani traditional marriages, the groom comes with a guarantor who vouches for him. The guarantor may be his uncle, his friend or his father. In this rite he agrees to take good care of his prospective wife, and the agreement is between his guarantor and the girl’s parents. This clearly shows that the girl has little or no choice when it comes to choosing a husband.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;">Moreover, a typical prospective couple in Igbo culture would have known each other for a while before the first visit of the prospective husband and his kinsmen. This initial intimacy helps to build a lasting and satisfactory relationship, because the couple must have gotten to know each other well before deciding whether or not they are suited for each other. In Fulani culture a man cannot approach a lady he wishes to marry until he obtains permission from her parents to do so. If her parents approve his proposal he goes ahead to approach the girl and let her know. In this case she has little or no choice if her parents are already impressed with the man. In other words, her parents have the right to choose a husband for her. Thus, the marriage is “rushed” into without prior intimacy or relationship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;">Conversely, in Igbo culture a girl can get married when she is matured. She can get married at any age she pleases or feel that she is mature enough to endure the demands of marriage, but the ideal age is between 20 and 25 years. This is in contrast to Fulani cultural ideology in which a girl can be betrothed to a man when she reaches puberty. Her parents can give her away to a man she knows little or nothing about. At such a tender age she has no control over who she is going to spend the rest of her life with. She also finds it difficult to cope with demands from a husband at such tender age. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;">When married, a husband can decide whether or not his newly married wife should receive formal education. Her faith is at the mercy of her husband’s decision. More so, she may find it extremely difficult to combine the demands of academics with the demands of marriage and family even if her husband decides in her favor. This results in a reduced literacy rate among Fulani women, whereas in Igbo communities a lady has the right to education. It is entirely up to her to decide if she wants to receive formal education, and it also depends on the availability of resources. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"> The maximum number of wives for a typical Igbo husband is one. He is allowed to have one wife, although in some villages a titled man is permitted to have a maximum of three wives. This is divergent from the Fulani custom which permits a man to marry as many as 4 wives. A king can marry more than 4 wives. He is only restricted to choose his additional wives from his slaves. Those additional ones do not have the same status as his first 4 wives, and are more or less baby factories. In such polygamous families, the wives often fall out with each other in their bid for attention from their husband.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;">During the marriage, the Fulani bride to-be wears brown beads around her neck and wrists similar to the kinds worn by the Igbo bride. Skin art around the wrists and face of the bride is also common in both. Also, in both types of marriages the relatives of the bride and the groom wear clothes made of similar fabric for the ceremony, so during the ceremony it is easy to tell the relatives of the bride or the groom from friends and well wishers at the occasion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"> Although there is some vestige of similarity between these two highlighted marriages, their differences set them apart. The Fulani ideology neglects the woman while the Igbo marriage tries to respect the wishes of both parties.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Omasirihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542100492572957870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1316843338099124350.post-20788493483973091972007-09-18T09:39:00.000-04:002013-07-17T15:48:56.336-04:00Guns: Powder and Blood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Guns, Powder and Blood</b></div>
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<o:p></o:p> A gun is a device that can fire projectiles at high velocity. These projectiles otherwise known as bullets are propelled by black powder called gun powder. The high speed projectile can cause tremendous damage to anything it strikes. It was quickly adapted for wars and military conquests because of its enormous destructive power. It has also been used by countries to defend against foreign powers. However, the gun came with its advantages and disadvantages. It has been adopted by criminals as a tool for intimidation. It has been adopted by murderers because it simplifies the job of killing. Many people still disagree over the balance of its advantages vs. its disadvantages thus gun control and regulation has been the center of debate for many years. Gun control advocates on one hand and gun advocates on the other seem to balance each other in this argument. However, gun advocates fail to realize that there has been a dramatic increase in violence and crime since the advent of the gun. I strongly oppose the sales and licensing of guns because it has caused more demolition than construction in societies.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;">Gun advocates argue that guns are for self defense. They say that a gun may come in handy if one is confronted by enemies or robbers. Many families have guns they don’t even need, and the enemy they await may never come. Research has shown that a gun kept in the home for “self defense” is 43 times more likely to kill a member of the household, or friend, than an intruder.(Arthur Kellermann and Donald Reay. "Protection or Peril? An Analysis of Firearm Related Deaths in the Home." The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 314, no. 24, June 1986, pp. 1557-60.). This is congruent to my personal experience. On the 20</span><sup style="line-height: 200%;">th</sup><span style="line-height: 200%;"> of December, 2006 a friend of mine was shot in the groin by his 16 year old younger brother. The young lad pulled the gun during a quarrel with his elder brother, and when they both struggled for the gun he pulled the trigger.</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">My friend died in the hospital the same day. A little quarrel resulted in the loss of life because, a gun was available. Perhaps, if there were no gun in that house, there </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">wouldn't</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> have been pain and loss of life. Research by Dr. Arthur Kellerman has shown that keeping a gun in the home carries a murder risk 2.7 times greater than not keeping one. Is there a need for self defense with a gun if there were no guns available? I don’t think so.</span></div>
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Gun advocates also argue that if everybody had a Gun, it would reduce crime rate, because criminals themselves will be deterred by fear. This is a rather silly ideology, because, all a smart criminal has to do is run up on his target and shoot first. Bullets don’t respect life neither can they differentiate between criminals nor innocent people. Incidents such as the Columbian high school massacre in April 1999, which resulted in the deaths of 14 students (including the two gunmen) and a teacher, will be regular news if guns can be obtained easily. It will create situations in which two people blast off at each other in the event of a quarrel or confrontation. I call it the “The evil spirit of the gun.” This will in turn increase street violence, number of notorious gangs, blood shed, population decline and economic decline of the country.</div>
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Hunters aggressively protect their right to possess guns. Majority claim that they are used for hunting alone. I think they should employ the use of traps or sedatives, because the guns of today can kill anything from birds to humans. These guns that are available to hunters can get stolen or sold and eventually get to criminals for unlawful acts. This may start a chain reaction of people trying poses weapons. Obviously, there is a problem with criminals having access to guns, which is why so many people feel they, too, need a gun for self-defense. </div>
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Another is the issue of national security. Gun advocates argue that guns should be available to all citizens in a country, so that in time of invasion by a foreign power, they can defend themselves, but they fail to realize the compromise. A government that advocates guns for “national security” should also be wary of the fertile ground it prepares for violence and rebellion. For instance, in a society with so many guns in circulation it is easy for political opponents of the incumbent government to mobilize a rebel group against the government. Making guns available may ultimately lead to a state of anarchy in a country.</div>
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The problem with guns is that it makes it easy to kill someone. A simple pull of the trigger whether accidental or intentional can cost a person’s life. A psychologically unstable person can easily commit suicide in time of depression, and a quick tempered person can kill someone easily if provoked. A recent shootout at an <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">American</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>, Virginia Tech, left 32 people dead including the gunman. The gunman happened to be an English major student at the university. His reason for shooting all those people is still a puzzle. Countries with weak gun control policies suffer this kind of situations often and thousands of people are condemned to death every year as a result. </div>
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If we can imagine what the world will be without guns, we will realize that although it is difficult to imagine a perfect world without guns, it is easy to imagine a much more peaceful environment. A trigger cannot be pulled if there is no trigger to pull.</div>
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Omasirihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542100492572957870noreply@blogger.com1