Case study of The United Arab Emirates youths (UAEU) between modernity Essay

Case study of The United Arab Emirates youths (UAEU) between modernity and traditionalism - Essay Example To determine the available opportunities for young UAE nationals for the sole purpose of the implementation of processes that aim to replace the expatriate workforce with UAE nationals it is critical to determine their priorities in terms of religious and cognitive values. This is, as a matter of fact, what this study aims to do. 3- What was / were the methods used? The methodology of the study comprised the use of a questionnaire to conduct the research. An instrument of value structure was used to measure the values among UAEU students. Scores of each item took 0 and 3, where a score of 0 represented no choice and higher grades would indicate more choice. The numbers of items used were 60 pairs and they were used to measure individual differences on this instrument. 4- How large was the sample? The sample consisted of 595 students all of who were from UAEU. The selection process for these students was random and approximately 59 percent of them were female students, while the rest were male. Furthermore 81 percent of them were less than 25 years old and 84 percent of them were UAE nationals. 5- Interpretation: what were the results? The results of the study were relatively straightforward. The first priority amongst domains for a UAE national was that of religion; aspects of praying, believing, Quran reading and charity ranking the highest. The second priority was the cognitive domain which comprised of aspects of culture, success and aspiration ranked the most. The political domain came in as the third priority. With nationality, unity and freedom ranked at the top. The forth priority was the aesthetic domain. The students held aspects of elegancy as the most important value in this domain. The Social domain came next with obedience, friendship and forgiveness given the most rating. And the last domain was that of economic values, with productivity being the first priority for the UAEU students. 6- Synthesis: what were the conclusions? As an overall conclusi on of the research paper which evaluates the social values of a UAEU national through the use of a questionnaire the results produced indicate that religious and cognitive values were prioritized by the respondents In order to explore the importance of these socio-demographic factors in explaining the variation of values, multiple regression was used. The results of which display that gender, income, family size and father’s education explain about (11 percent) of social values variation and citizenship, GPA, gender variables explain about (8 percent) of religious values variation. Hence showing that gender, income levels, family size and father’s occupation were the most important factors in?uencing values. 7- Evaluate: how valid do you think the research was? The validity of a research hinges on the fact whether it measures what it sets out to. Looking at the objectives of this study what its sole aim is to appraise the values held by the United Arab Emirates Univers ity students and to assess the influence of socio-demographic factors on their values. That being said once we analyze the methodology, sample and the produced results we can effectively conclude that the research is credible in its findings and hence valid. 8- Evaluate: What is your response to the result? What has it contributed to your understanding? After going through the results I have come to the realization that the priorities of a UAE national hinge more towards the traditional side than the modern. With factors such

Men & Women Age Differently Essay Example for Free

Men Women Age Differently Essay †¢ The average life expectancy is currently 78 years old, but was at 49 years at the turn of the century. †¢ There is a widening age gap between men and women, such that among women who are 65-69, there are 81 guys for every 100 girls in the population. †¢ NY Times stated that the prospects for men are brighter than women. †¢ Men that survive beyond the age of 85 are more likely than women to be in better health and to have more remaining independent life years. †¢ More men than women over the age of 85 are married than women, and women are more prone to disabling effects of chronic condition while men are prone to fatal and chronic conditions. †¢ 23% of women age 85 or older are at poverty level, while men are at 16%. †¢ The nation’s oldest and fastest growing population today is dominated by a disproportionately large number of unmarried women who are likely to be poor and impaired. †¢ Women value friendship more than men, thus when a man is widowed- it is likely that he is alone while his friends are still married. †¢ Men’s income after the age of 85+ seems to be substantially less than the income of women the age 85+. †¢ Men and women approach things differently, where women are more likely to ask for help and men are less likely to ask for help. †¢ So, there is a sample study that was done and the men in this sample study were more likely to be married, and less likely to be physically impaired – in contrast to the women who are more dependent for personal assisted living and closer with their children, where men are not! †¢ 3 Competencies required to adapt to community living such as exercising control over the physical environment, maintaining social integration, and sustaining a sense of well being and motivations.

The threat of globalization for smaller firms

The threat of globalization for smaller firms Globalization has costs and benefits. There are examples of poorly managed economies. (eg when countries opened their economic borders before they had the capacity to respond well) but there are also examples of well managed countries thatengage well with international community. Many governments and supranational authorities have committed themselves to encouraging trade in the world economy and further reducing poverty through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and are cooperating together to work out smart ways to manage globalization for their smaller firms /countries success in the world economy. Through the evaluation of the strategic management in the global competitive enviroment. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the process of the strategic management of smaller firms by governments and supranationals in the global competitive environment. Introduction and Background What is globalisation? Globalisation can be defined as the greater movement of people, goods, capital and ideas due to increased economic integration which in turn is propelled by increased trade and investment. It is like moving towards living in a borderless world. There has always been a sharing of goods, services, knowledge and cultures between people and countries, but in recent years improved technologies and a reduction of barriers means the speed of exchange is much faster. Globalisation provides opportunities and challenges. Bigger markets can mean bigger profits which leads to greater wealth for investing in development and reducing poverty in many countries. Weak domestic policies, institutions and infrastructure and trade barriers can restrict a countrys ability to take advantage of the changes. Each country makes decisions and policies that position them to maximise the benefits and minimise the challenges presented by globalisation. ( www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au) In a world economy, characterized by a high level of changes over the past few years, we can say that the world does not appear any more like it was in the past. Indeed so many transformations have been done in terms of government regulations, business, telecommunications, technology, research and development, customers needs and tastes, reduction in barriers to free trade and the world with all these factors have led to a great convergence. All these transformations are leading our national economies into a global system or a global economy, i.e. an independent, integrated global economic system therefore a process that we can refer to as globalization. Hence, in the era of the globalization, it has been inevitable for national enterprises to globalize in order to gain for instance some competitive advantage, economies of scales, more market share, better skills. Indeed, nowadays, wherever a company operates, theses products or services would find some foreign competitors. ( Hill, 2006), The impact of globalization on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has received a lot of attention in international markets in the past few years. Today, globalization is a major driver that has impact on nearly every business. One of the reasons for the international focus on SMEs is that these firms make significant contributions to the economy of both developed and under-developed countries. SMEs contribute over 55 percent of GDP and over 65 percent of total employment in high-income countries (UNCTAD, 2004). In Middle and East Asia for example, SMEs are major players in their countries economy; accounting for a higher percent than what it represents in the developing countries. Globalization has that much impact on business forces which have added more drivers to Porters five Forces. One of these new drivers in business life was discussed in an article by Larry Downes in Beyond Porter says that technological progress in logistics and distribution enables nearly every business to buy, sell and cooperate on a global scale. Similarly, customers have the chance to compare prices globally in order to find the best offer. Many SMEs are now looking to go global. The markets are more accessible than ever before. However, most SMEs are finding it difficult to master the art of market entry, resulting in heavy losses. Globalization has increased competitive pressures on firms. Together with rapid technological change it has altered the environment in which SMEs operate. The bottom line is that, in an open and liberalized world, increasing SMEs competitiveness has become a major challenge. Globalization has also expanded competition both geographically and to new areas. Competition between companies was mainly on products and services, at least to the extent that markets were protected from foreign competition. There is a wealth of economic evidence that demonstrates that globalization brings great benefits as well as costs. It offers the opportunity for a higher rate of sustainable growth- growth that translates into longer, healthier lives and improved living standards. But, if we look at another side of picture then it has been proven that some of the competitive obstacles often faced by the little fish in the big ocean. Compared to larger firms, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are generally less well-equipped to face increases in international trade. As a result of their lower productivity, many have found it difficult to compete. Also, given their limited resources, they have found it more difficult to take advantage of the removal of tariff barriers. Global markets are more integrated with more free flow of information, goods and services and migration. As a consequence of globalization we have seen the rise of the influence of large multi nationals, to the detriment of Small and Medium Enterprises. In response to this threat governments and supranational authorities have designed programs to protect and support these small firms to allow for their survival. Threat of globalization The increasing interdependence of countries in a globalised world makes them more vulnerable to economic problems for smaller firms like the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. (J.O Ajiboye, Adeyunke Tella University of Botswana) Smaller firms will find it difficult to compete on the global level as they lack the financial and technical resources that multinationals have. In addition they lack the economies of scale which results in lower cost per unit for the multi nationals. Pricing could be a challenge since the smaller firms are likely to have high costs per unit. Larger firms have the capacity to undercut the smaller firms prices as a consequence of this competition between smaller and large firm would erode margins of smaller firms and some of them would end up making loses and winding up. It would be difficult for smaller firms to attract a highly skilled work force because multi nationals have the capacity to pay better packages as they will have more financial resources. This would pose a challenge for smaller firms to operate efficiently and effectively. High promotional, advertising and branding costs are a barrier to entry for small firms Cultural and religious factors can also affect competitiveness of small firms. For instance, in countries where Islam is a dominant religion in which strict adherence to halaal standards is a requirement, small firms may find it difficult to penetrate the market or to survive in such markets. Import restrictions can also affect small firm competitiveness. For example, in some countries such as Egypt, where there is an import ban on raw materials small firms may find it difficult to penetrate in such markets without a diversified global market base. Smaller firms may find it a challenge on the global market in terms of meeting certain international standards imposed by certain markets. Export restrictions may also pose a problem. In some markets there are restrictive export regulations which, smaller firms find difficult to comply with e.g, small firms in Africa exporting agricultural produce into European markets such as honey or paprika. Membership of a Trading blocs such Common Market For Eastern and Southern Africa COMESA, Southern African Development Community SADC and the European Union EU, inter alia, could be another source of hindrance to smaller firms. Countries that are not members of such trading blocs may find it difficult to trade with member countries. Further other government policies such as high taxes are a disincentive to investment. Small firms are likely to be affected by such taxes. Unlike multinationals, small firms are likely to suffer currency exchange losses. This is because small firms may not have capacity to hedge against such losses. Multinationals, operate in different markets and can easily cushion such effects. Multinationals have the capacity to produce better and cheaper goods as a result of the superior resource endowments such as modern technology and have larger budgets for research and development as compared to smaller firms. Purchase Power Parity is another factor to consider e.g, multinationals can procure inputs in countries where the currency has a higher PPP. Globalization poses new challenges for SMEs by leading them to at least partially integrate the consequent idea of global change in their strategy. The expansion of markets does not mean that only large businesses will be able to profit fully from this trend. There is no correlation between large market and large business. Whatever the cost, to encourage the competitiveness of large national businesses. A fish that has become bigger and bigger in its pond will be eaten when it reaches the sea; it is better to teach it how to fight when it is small so that it can deal with the competition, wherever it is. On the other hand, the internal factors constraining the globalization of SMEs are lack of experience on their part, insufficient resources and an excessive perception of risk. The major external factors are national information networks that are inadequate or poorly connected internationally, deficient complementary regional resources and assistance programs that are maladapted to SME requirements. In a number of countries, the positive factors appear to be gaining ascendance over the negative. The recently completed (1996) OECD study on market globalization and SMEs shows, on the one hand, that the major factors sustaining or accelerating SME globalization are as much a result of the internal dynamics of small businesses as of environmental support. In the first instance, searching for diversified growth, specific innovation-based production, and open-minded management capable of engaging the appropriate specialized resources, go a long way toward explaining the behavior of internationally open SMEs. The case of the environment presumes effective regional consulting, funding and logistical resources to support exports. (Pierre-Andrà © Julien Università © du Quà ©bec à   Trois-Rivià ¨res ) How Governments and other supranational authorities support small firms In order to support the small firms from the threats of globalization governments and other supranational have designed programmes to protect them as stated below. Examples of Supranational institutions that manage such programs are: Governments, COMESA, WTO, World Bank, AU, SADC,UN, ECOWAS, EU etc. Government support: Some of the different programs that must be designed include: Favorable bilateral and multilateral trade agreements which, support positive trade balances must be instituted by governments. This will ensure the growth of small firms thereby contributing to overall country growth. Governments should use their political influence to lobby for relaxed trade. Providing loan guarantees to small firms. Some of these guarantees involve partnerships with private banks or multilaterals such as the World Bank. Such policies help the smaller firm have access to finance. Governments also offer incentives and subsidies to allow the smaller firms compete on the international markets e.g. the Government of South Africa made deals with the Government of Zambia to allow a tax rebate of about five years also the EU also subsidies small scale farmers in the EU. Governments should introduce tax rebates on certain sectors of the industry e.g. in Zambia agricultural inputs are have zero tax to bring into the country to encourage more people engage in to agriculture and overall boost the economy for exports . Governments may devalue its currency to increase export volumes by allowing its exports to be cheaper e.g. China and Japan are practicing this. This should however be done carefully recognizing that it can be inflationary. Government should institute policies that encourage domestic trade through relevant monetary and fiscal policies. Government should encourage policies that support reduction of borrowing costs. Legal enactment of credit acts must be encouraged to protect the consumer. Government should provide grants to economic agents for capital injection. Government should encourage agencies such as the Zambia Development Agency which to provide support to help small and medium businesses become more innovative, efficient and competitive through a national network of services and support for eligible SMEs to access expert, practical advice and support tailored to their individual firms. 4.2 Supranational Support includes: Supranational authorities should introduce grants, loans and funding for small economies to encourage production and trade among countries. Supranational should endeavor to help less developed countries by exposing entrepreneurs to the international markets. Supranationals should facilitate trade expos to stimulate trade. eg traditional indigenous artifacts have found their way to the international markets. Fair trade policies play a bigger role in protecting trade, fair and stable price and institutes like the WTO should encourage this. Forums are another platform that these institutions have introduced to give a voice to the voiceless on issues of economic development e.g. G8 are encouraging world trade by adopting certain polices. Examples of supranational and their impact on globalization: 4.2.1. a International Monetary Fund (IMF) The IMF is a sister institution to the World Bank in the United Nations system. It shares the same international membership and the same goal of raising living standards in its member countries. It works to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty. 4.2.1. b World Bank(WB) The World Bank Groups mission is to fight poverty and improve the living standards of people in the developing world. It is a development bank which provides low-interest loans, interest-free credit, grants, policy advice, technical assistance and knowledge sharing services to low and middle-income countries to reduce poverty. The Bank promotes growth to create jobs, and to empower poor people to take advantage of economic opportunities. The Bank is strongly committed to the Millennium Development Goals which target poverty. (www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/.) 4.2.1. c World Social Forum (WSF) The World Social Forum (WSF) is an amalgamation of many political/social movements from around the world. It was created to openly discuss alternatives to the model for globalisation formulated by the World Economic Forum, large multinational corporations, National Governments, IMF, the World Bank and the WTO. It is working to demonstrate that the path to sustainable development, social and economic justice lies in alternative models for people-centered and self-reliant progress, rather than in neo-liberal globalisation. (www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/.) 4.2.1. d World Trade Organisation (WTO) The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a global international organisation dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the worlds trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business. (www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/.) 5.0 Conclusion More and more SMEs are availing themselves of new material and immaterial technologies to increase their productivity. They are innovating to prolong the useful life of their products or to change these products. They are associating with large businesses or working in networks to boost their strike forces. These networks also provide them with international information to prevent them from being outpaced by change. But given the limitations of globalization, some Governments and supranational can have SMEs break away from increased competition by positioning them in specific niches. Globalization can offer as many opportunities for dynamic SMEs as obstacles for those that lag behind in modernizing their production processes or developing these niches which can give them at least temporary shelter from the pressures of new competition. There are social and economic costs to globalisation. Trade liberalisation rewards competitive industries and penalises uncompetitive ones, and it requires participating countries to undertake economic restructuring and reform to help smaller firms. Some countries have been unable to take advantage of globalisation and their standards of living are dropping further behind the richest countries. The gap in incomes between the 20% of the richest and the poorest countries has grown from 30 to 1 in 1960 to 82 to 1 in 1995 (www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/.). The major economic powers have a major influence in the institutions of globalisation, like the WTO, and this can work against the interests of the developing world. The level of agricultural protection by rich countries has also been estimated to be around five times what they provide in aid to poor countries. Trade liberalization and technological improvements change the economy of a country, destroying the traditional agricultural communities and allowing cheap imports of manufactured goods. (www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/.) References and Biography www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au www.worldbank.org/ www.forumsocialmundial.org. www.wto.org/ www.ausaid.gov.au/ Michael Porter Johnson and Scholes, 1993

International Adoption Essay -- Social Issues, Adoption

The necessity of adoption in the world is astounding. Currently, there is an estimated 143 million orphans worldwide (Wingert, vol.151). As of 2007, there were 513,000 children living in foster care within the United States alone (Rousseau 21:14). International adoption in the United States was jumpstarted post World War II as a way of helping those children who were left homeless, after war had taken their parents. Although there are thousands of healthy children awaiting adoption in the United States, several American couples still turn to foreign adoption when seeking potential children. Americans often fail to realize the need for intervention within their own country and their duty to take care of domestic affairs before venturing to other countries to attempt to rescue foreigners in need. International adoption in the United States must be abolished, since it is detrimental to prospective parents and their potential children. Injustices surrounding international adoption often results in a harmful impact on the children involved. Hollingsworth examines the harmful implications that are associated with international adoption: The adoption of children from other countries by U.S. families presents the risk that these children will be deprived of an opportunity to know and have access to their birth families- an infringement on the basic rights of these children compared with more advantaged children in their country of origin or in the United States. (48:209) International adoption can result in a lost connection to a child’s culture. This loss of culture confuses the child who is now forced to grow up in an American society that is so different than what they are used to. Children, who can be domest... ...at is only seeking to profit, instead of to unite children with families who care. For young children â€Å"to be removed from one’s family of origin or be killed or forever ostracized is not a choice that should be imposed on the world’s children† (Hollingsworth 48:209). Just because the faces of the neglected youth of America are not flashed across the television screen or plastered on posters, does not mean they do not exist. The ignored youth of America need people to care for them as if they were born into their family. Hollingsworth expresses his realization that â€Å"children’s rights to be raised in a safe healthy environment by their biological families and in their cultures of origin are primary and should be equally available to all children†(48:209) especially those in the United States, where the protection of the youth is crucial.

Integrated Case Study: Bandon Group, Inc. Essay

1 – Purpose and Scope of the Study The Bandon Group intends to have an information system study conducted to determine how they can best use Information Technology (IT) to meet the overall mission, goals and objectives of the organization over the next 3-5 years. The purpose of a Management Information System is to collect, store and process business information and to deliver it to decision makers in a format they can use. Information systems have gone through many changes. Experts currently refer to the current era as the â€Å"Customer-Focused Era† of modern computing (Petter & Mclean, 2012). Users expect to receive customized experiences based on their unique requirements. Currently Bandon has decentralized divisions around the country supported by a centralized IT infrastructure. The purpose of the study is to identify how Bandon Group can build a more integrated information system structure that ensures the following business goals: * Standardize business processes and reduce redundancy * Reduce IT expenses and maximize outcomes associated with IT dollars * Improve data migration and data sharing techniques   * Implement e-business solutions to remain competitive with other copier dealers upgrading to ERP solutions The study will identify the business direction of the organization over the next 3-5 years. It will also identify the collective information needs and business requirements of its regional divisions. Finally the study will identify the current IT situation to help determine the way forward. 2 – Document High Level Business Direction The goal of management in this study is to clarify the direction and current vision of the organization and identify what IT investments are needed to improve the performance of the entire Bandon Group. It is very difficult to calculate the business value of an IT investment (Masli & Sanchez, 2011). Bandon’s leaders have identified specific data needs that their IT systems should deliver. The organization has commissioned a consulting group to sit down with key manager and identify the vision for the future. In order to continue to be successful and competitive the Bandon Group must unify its regional divisions with a clear business direction and a foundational set of business principles and practices. There is broad agreement on the basic business direction. The Bandon Group wants to target the office equipment market by catering to the needs of businesses with fewer than 25 employees. They want to grow their market share and revenue by $7 million over the next 3-5 years. To accomplish these goals managers have identified several key business initiatives that they believe will lead to expanded business success. First, the group wants to increase it information technology consulting capabilities. The market is moving towards selling information and network based services. A big part of the future lies in being able to help customers come up with solutions that allow them to run their organizations more efficiently and at a lower cost. Second, the group wants to establish better Customer Relationship Management (CRM) capabilities. Loyal customers equal future dollars. The organizations information systems need to give a holistic view of each customer. This will allow sales, support and marketing to take advantage of opportunities in real time. This has always been a philosophy of the Bandon Group. They have focused on building loyalty through superior service to the customer. CRM will build this idea into every piece of data the organizations collets and will allow them to meet the customer’s needs at every turn. Third, the group needs to improve the accuracy and efficiency of billing and collections. An automated, integrated solution that feeds information about system usage directly to a financial system will ensure the organization maximizes its profits while providing sales and support staff with critical information on the use patterns and needs of their customers. Finally, the group invested heavily in 1994 in Office Machines Dealership (OMD) a commercial systems designed to support the administrative information system at Bandon Group. This system is dated and a solution is required to overcome the current limitations of the system and allow for the seamless flow of information in and out of the system. The leaders and managers at Bandon Group have articulated a clear business direction for the organization. The consulting group must put into place clear solutions to address the growing problems. 3 – Identify Key Information Needs and Measures Information needs should be the driving force behind information systems. An information need is a business’s requirement to capture a specific piece of information or set of information points to meet a business necessity. The ability to manage information plays a critical role in developing a firm’s capabilities in customer relationship management, process management and performance management (Mithas, 2011). The Bandon Group has identified several specific sets of information needs. First they must have the ability to analyze existing customer accounts for profitability. The have a need to understand which account they are making money off of and which account represent high volume profits. Second, they must have an effective sales prospecting system. The ability to measure the effectiveness of sales and marketing efforts is critical. Third, they need an integrated accounting system. To be successful and competitive they must have an accurate web-based billing, use tracking and reporting capability. This will produce a better billing, invoice and collection system. Finally, they need an integrated service management system. The small market companies the group targets expect prompt, specialized service. The organization must be able to track and correct or improve any issues related to servicing customers and keeping their systems up and active. 4 – Document Details Business Requirements Business requirements should describe exactly what the Bandon Group’s divisions expect from the information system. The requirements should be expressed in terms that can be easily discussed and understood by the stakeholders. Requirement (1): An effective Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. CRM must be an organization wide effort to build customer satisfaction and loyalty. An effective CRM program brings together information from every area of the organization. It provides actionable data to sales representatives, customer support, and marketing personnel who directly or indirectly interface with the customer every day. Requirement (2): Effective e-Business Solutions. Bandon needs to utilize existing internet technologies to improve its productivity and profitability. E-Business will extend Bandon’s capabilities beyond the reach of their offices and even beyond the reach of their technicians. By integrating their model with online services the company will be able to monitor and interact with customers in real time. Requirement (3): Effective Sales Prospecting solutions. The first rule of sales prospecting is to identify as many legitimate potential customers as possible for sales representatives to contact. Experienced sales personnel will explain that quality supersedes quantity. Bandon want to be able to exploit its access to current customers to identify future needs and make the sales pitch just as the company begins to understand that they need more support. Requirement (4): Overcoming the shortfalls of OMD. There comes a time in the life of every legacy system where it fails to meet the growing needs of the organization. Bandon’s objective has to be to build on the core functions of the OMD system and augment it with enterprise wide supplemental technology that bridges the gap between the current capabilities and the company’s future needs. 5 – Document Current IT Situation – Internal Bandon’s current infrastructure is outdated and doesn’t meet the needs of the organization. Support systems have been developed separately at the various divisions and interoperability is a significant issue. The information needs of the organization are not being met. The company’s leadership need to build an integrated system that delivers the data needed to make strategic decision. To accomplish this they have to design an end-to-end system that integrates their vision of future business requirements with the existing technology. References Masli, A., Richardson, V. J., Sanchez, J., & Smith, R. E. (2011). The Business Value of IT: A Synthesis and Framework of Archival Research. Journal Of Information Systems, 25(2), 81-116. doi:10.2308/isys-10117 Mithas, S., Ramasubbu, N., & Sambamurthy, V. V. (2011). HOW INFORMATION MANAGEMENT CAPABILITY INFLUENCES FIRM PERFORMANCE. MIS Quarterly, 35(1), 137-A15. Petter, S., DeLone, W., & McLean, E. R. (2012). The Past, Present, and Future of â€Å"IS Success†. Journal Of The Association For Information Systems, 13(5), 341-362.

The roads of major cities are congested to a great extent

Many people say that bikes are the future â€Å"environment friendly† transport. The roads of major cities are overcrowded and no one seems to do anything about it. Cars, Lorries, vans and busses are vehicles that take up a lot of space and create mayhem. Most people who take vehicles as an option to work or school are late. There is traffic everywhere nowadays. Bikes, motorbikes and possibly trains are the future transports. Children and teenagers up to the age of eighteen cannot ride a motorbike. Trains don't take you specifically where you want. And the only option left are bikes. There are many advantages and disadvantages of bikes. The most important advantage of bike is that it is safe for the environment. It also means that the air around will be cleaner. If most countries start to use bikes, gradually there will be a lot less pollution. One of the countries that have already started to use bikes as a transport is China. Most of the population in china use bikes. Cycling also means that a person can become fit and everyone could become healthier. It would also mean that the roads will be free and everyone could reach to their destination on time. If bikes are considered as an answer to a major sport, than what if people have to go on a long distance journey-possibly to another city far away. This would take a long time to reach the destination and the person would have to take rests in between. It would also be tiring for a person who has to go on long distance cycling. Another factor to be considered is it would be dangerous for children under ten to ride bikes on roads and what if the mother had to take a baby to a place (babies can't ride bikes!) Some adults that are unhealthy don't like to ride bikes, and some have cardiovascular or other diseases or problems that prevent them from riding bikes. Most aged people would not be able to ride bikes and it wouldn't be safe for them to ride bikes. There are lots of statements that agree and disagree to bikes being the transport for roads in major cities. In my opinion, there should be a lot less vehicles in the future. This would mean vehicles for only long journeys. People whose destinations are closer could take a bike or walk.