Have alook at the ttachments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Have alook at the ttachments - Essay Example Nonetheless, SMEs are defined differently from one country to another. However, most of the time, these are defined in accordance with the number of employees a business has, the turnover, and the economic scale of the business. Furthermore, electronic business (e-business or e-commerce) is defined as any type of businesses that serve or sell using the digital medium or with Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Moreover, an e-business can have three main classifications, and these are the consumer-to-consumer (C2C), the business-to-business (B2B), and the business-to-consumer (B2C) (MacGregor & Vrazalic, 2007; Khosrow-pour, 2006). In line with the globalisation, many governments suggest that SMEs incorporate e-business in order to promote advantageous economic activities (Taylor & Murphy, 2004). On the other hand, prior to integrating a business or a company with ICT, it is necessary to look over the e-economy of a country or a market. E-economy is defined by Booz, Allen, and Hamilton (2002 cited in Oliver & Sanders, 2004, p. 120) as â€Å"the dynamic system of interactions between a nation’s citizens, business, and government that capitalize upon online technology to achieve a social or economic good.† In order to guarantee readiness in the e-economy, e-readiness is being created with the following indicators: network access, network society, network economy, and network policy (Nejadirani, Behravesh, & Rasouli, 2011). Access and Usage of the ICT or Network In assessing the network, questions, such as the accessibility, the cost, and the quality of the ICT must be answered. Also, the equipment, network, and services within a given economy or market must also be determined (Nejadirani, Behravesh, & Rasouli, 2011). Furthermore, SMEs are considered as a vital part for the UK economy because almost 99% of the business enterprises in UK are SMEs with almost 60% are employed in this economy. In relation to access and usage of the network, th e most commonly used technology is the website of the company, electronic mail, and the Internet. Most of the SMEs, which had employed 10 or more staffs, had already set-up their own intranet. Also, most of these businesses had used wireless technology and electronic data interchange, which depend on the capacity and size of the SME. Furthermore, in the process of automated record-keeping of sales and orders, most of the SMEs use ICT accounting and finance activities. Moreover, the automation of business designs, enterprise resources planning, human resource management tasks, and the production control was also used by SMEs. The shift to the usage of ICT of SMEs has been due to the efficiency that the automation results to, the highly technologised competition in the market, and in order to enhance customer service and employee satisfaction (Dyerson, Harindranath, & Barnes, 2008a). Furthermore, in relation to skills needed in the usage or integration of ICT to SMEs, technical skills are not enough. The ICT department or staff must also have excellent communication skills and customer service skills. Also, the ICT staff must be capable of transferring theories into knowledge that can be sued in practice (Lowry & Turner, 2007). Network in the Society In this aspect, a

The importance of human touch (like hugs) in personal health and how Research Paper

The importance of human touch (like hugs) in personal health and how the amount of touch a person receives varies depending on that persons culture - Research Paper Example It has been demonstrated that hormonal reactions take place with hormones such as oxytocin being released leading to production of beneficial effects. One instance of beneficial effects is experienced during emotional support shown by human touch such as by a hug. According to Berkman (1995), lower cardiovascular risk is experienced by emotionally supported patients through hugs. Consequently, the adverse effects of the condition such as related mortalities considerably fall in people experiencing emotional support such as by hugs. Besides human touch, there are other quality practices expressing emotional support that contribute to personal health by producing beneficial effects to the body systems. Such practices include friendly facial expressions, speech and quality of words, hand holding and sitting together. Health benefits experienced through touch can not leave out enhanced oxytocin activity, a hormone with several roles in the body human systems. According to Insel and Young (2001), oxytocin roles in social recognition as well as partner preference are major sources of connectivity between individuals. Stimulation of oxytocin release by mere touch is useful in the mechanism of its operation especially in emotional touches such a hug. The specific benefit of reduction in blood pressure assists in personal health stability especially in healing conditions. In an experiment conducted by Amico et al (2005), it was observed that pre-menopausal women who live with emotional support from their husbands are exposed to lower blood pressure due to high oxytocin levels produced on touch. Emotional support is paramount to healthy existence according to the authors. Keating in her book (1987), lists several beneficial impacts of hugging in relation to personal health which range from easing tension to fighting insomnia. Physical touch among human beings is portrayed as a powerful tool for healing processes, and the author reports that the