William Turner Essays - Visual Arts, Painting, Arts, J. M. W. Turner

William Turner One of the finest landscape artists was J.M.W. Turner, whose work was exhibited when he was still a teenager. His entire life was devoted to his art. Unlike many artists of his era, he was successful throughout his career. Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in London, England, on April 23, 1775. His father was a barber. His mother died when he was very young. The boy received little schooling. His father taught him how to read, but this was the extent of his education except for the study of art. By the age of 13 he was making drawings at home and exhibiting them in his father's shop window for sale. Turner was 15 years old when he received a rare honor--one of his paintings was exhibited at the Royal Academy. By the time he was 18 he had his own studio. Before he was 20 print sellers were eagerly buying his drawings for reproduction. He quickly achieved a fine reputation and was elected an associate of the Royal Academy. In 1802, when he was only 27, Turner became a full member. He then began traveling widely in Europe. Venice was the inspiration of some of Turner's finest work. Wherever he visited he studied the effects of sea and sky in every kind of weather. His early training had been as a topographic draftsman. With the years, however, he developed a painting technique all his own. Instead of merely recording factually what he saw, Turner translated scenes into a light-filled expression of his own romantic feelings. As he grew older Turner became an eccentric. Except for his father, with whom he lived for 30 years, he had no close friends. He allowed no one to watch him while he painted. He gave up attending the meetings of the academy. None of his acquaintances saw him for months at a time. Turner continued to travel but always alone. He still held exhibitions, but he usually refused to sell his paintings. When he was persuaded to sell one, he was dejected for days. In 1850 he exhibited for the last time. One day Turner disappeared from his house. His housekeeper, after a search of many months, found him hiding in a house in Chelsea. He had been ill for a long time. He died the following day--Dec. 19, 1851. Turner left a large fortune that he hoped would be used to support what he called decaying artists. His collection of paintings was bequeathed to his country. At his request he was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral. Although known for his oils, Turner is regarded as one of the founders of English watercolor landscape painting. Some of his most famous works are Calais Pier, Dido Building Carthage, Rain, Steam and Speed, Burial at Sea, and The Grand Canal, Venice. Arts and Painting

A View From The Bridge By Arthur Miller Essays - Free Essays

A View From The Bridge By Arthur Miller Essays - Free Essays A View From The Bridge By Arthur Miller After reading Arthur Miller's play A view from the bridge, I am convinced that the most striking character is Marco. He is an Italian immigrant that moved illegally to the United States with his brother Rodolpho to work as longshoremen, since at the time (the play was written in 1955) his country of origin, Italy, was going through a major economic depression because of the outcome of World War II. In the play, we are told that Marco's plan is to make enough money to survive and be able to send some of that money to his wife and his three kids back in Italy, who are starving. Marco physically resembles the Sicilian stereotype, with dark skin and dark hair. He is also very strong and he could easily load the whole ship by himself.(pg.541) In this play, the author uses plot, dialog, actions and symbolism to emphasize Marco's honor which, in my opinion, is his prominent characteristic. Throughout the play, we can clearly see that the plot helps us develop Marco's character in our imagination. For example, he is an illegal alien, and this might give the reader a less honorable view of him, and it might justify Eddie's action. But the fact that Marco left his family to give them support and to save his oldest son who is sick in the chest, (pg. 535) makes the reader forget about his illegal stay and makes his status rise to the one of a hero. In this play, Marco's actions lead us to the discovery of a violent side which he uses to defend his honor in a number of occasions. For example, when he challenges Eddie to lift the chair at the end of the first act, we understand that he did it to save his brother's face and his family's honor. In addition, the killing of Eddie by Marco's own hands at the end of the play, is the final display of his character. Marco's character is definitely expressed more by his actions than by his words. He is very strong, and he is obviously aware of that, but doesn't like to show it in words, or brag about it. In fact, when Eddie was making fun of his brother Rodolpho, instead of replying to him in words, he chose to use his strenght to get his point across by lifting the chair. In addition, Marco doesn't talk about his family much; instead, he works as hard as he can, and that is enough to show everybody how much he cares about them. As a final insult to Eddie, Marco chooses to spit in his fac e in front of everybody. This is because in the Italian culture, that act is considered as an extreme expression of anger toward a person, and it is rarely left without punishment. In addition, the action of going to the church before facing Eddie shows us that he is very religious and cares about his soul. Marco is a very honorable man and believes in his tradition, and the author shows us that through a number of symbols. For example, spitting on Eddie's face once he realizes that Eddie turned him and his brother to the police is a symbol of disgust and revolt for Eddie's actions. In addition, at the end of the play, we are told that Marco went to church before going to talk to Eddie. This action tells us that Marco is ready to give up his life and commit a mortal sin to defend his honor, because what Eddie has done, the breaking of the omerta', the breaking of trust, is something that in his culture must never be left unpunished. Throughout the first act of the play, Marco is only referred as a flat character and the only time we are really aware his persona and his strength is at the end of the first act, when he lifts a chair over his head and makes it seem like a challenge to Eddie, as a response for mocking Rodolpho. But only in the second act his character is fully exposed and we see his image transform into a round character. In this

Baldrige Research Outline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Baldrige Research Outline - Essay Example II. Its mission is to enable its customers improve their mode of operations by incorporating information and communication solutions offered. In order to achieve its mission, the company’s products and services are distributed through integrated mechanisms and structures which include presence of extensive dealers, integrator and service networks among others. c) Budget preparation should incorporate future changes in cyclical peaks. The relevant people preparing the budget should have relevant information about changes that are likely to occur. This will enable them make appropriate decisions for all phases of development. b) The Excellence Scorecards bounds the staff and other stakeholders to be very responsible hence everyone will be committed towards achieving missions and goals of the company. They develop personnel commitments which reduce employee turnover. Managers and individuals will focus on the ways of improved service delivery so as to satisfy the customers (Cazzell, 2009). c) These forecasting techniques enable top level leaders to establish priorities in conjunction with efforts to implement and deliver solutions to customers on time and whenever they require. It also helps create customer intimacy since the design and development processes of products and services will be done while aligning customers demands and expectations. d) The scorecard process enables the company management set key strategic initiatives that are linked to business processes focused on results. The end results of all business processes should create value to both employees and key stakeholders of the company. f) Motorola Online extranets which the company adopted is used to adjust shipments and products that are available so as to meet the needs of potential customers. In general, the forecasting techniques are used to improve customer service, which is the first priority of the company. V. MRP concepts- The Company uses intranet data

Online Recipe and Meal Planner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

Online Recipe and Meal Planner - Essay Example This info is useful for people who are on a diet and want to control the calories they receive. The manager or administrator is the person who controls the content of the website by adding/editing and removing the information. The administrator also keeps control of other aspects of a website like hosting, databases and technical support. The system is a web application and uses web server technologies. In includes a database (MS Access 2007) that stores the meal recipe, ingredient and costs and a web interface (Asp.net and C#) that interacts with the database. The final system will have to be uploaded on a real server however in the development and testing process it can be implemented on a local machine and using a virtual web server created by a development tool like Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. Once the development and testing has been successful, it can be uploaded on an actual server for all the internet users to use. The structure of database has to be designed in a way to comply with issues like data integrity. So the main focus has to be on the relational database and normalisation. Making sure that the query, insert, update and delete commands operate correctly, otherwise that could lead to a loss of data integrity. The reliability of this system will be achieved when all the tables in the relational database are of Third Normal Form (3NF). The reason is that most 3NF tables in relational databases are free of insertion, deletion and update anomalies. There are many different software development techniques used/employed when software is being developed.

Beowulfs Boasting

Beowulfs Boasting Beowulfs Boasting Beowulfs boasting is not merely to show how great he is but rather to keep true to his word and honor as a man. Beowulf does not boast for the sake of making himself look good. Marie Nelson from the University of Florida defines that there are two types of boasting that can be found in this Anglo-Saxon tale. The first form of boasting is modern boasting which consist of bragging and the second is an act of promising. Nelson states that the first type of boasting helps to establish Beowulfs credibility as a man who can be trusted to do what he says he will do, while type two boasts show the degree to which he commits himself to follow through on his promises (1). Anglo-Saxon boasting differs from modern boasting because modern time boasting focuses on making one look better than someone else. Anglo-Saxon boasting consist of making promises that are to be kept in order to keep ones honor intact. Modern boasting focuses more on displaying ones best attributes for all to see. Boasting is not merely a way to show off to others. Beowulf uses boasting to show loyalty to his liege. He shows his respect for his king, Hygelac, by vowing to keep the honor of his countrymen secure. One thing that always concerns Beowulf is keeping his word. He hopes to keep his word to Hygelac, and return home with his men after successfully defeating Grendel. In lines 199-201, Beowulf states his plans to aid Hrothgar in his troubles and defeat Grendel. Beowulfs community did not [try] to keep him from going along with his plans. (Heaney, line 202) No one questions Beowulfs boast because he has proven himself in the past and his word is valid. The boasting is a way to prove how honest what one says to be true. According to Dr. Kelly Taylor from the University of North Texas, Boasts were taken seriously. Boasts were understood to be serious utterances with personal, social, legal and political consequences. Beowulfs boasting represents a pledge to his King and community that he mu st keep. Beowulf keeps his word throughout the poem as he makes promises to defeat Grendel, Grendels mother, and the dragon. Modern boasting can be seen in the poem as well. In lines 480-490, there is a description of the Danes boasting about [waiting] for Grendel with their whetted sword. The Danes were bragging to show how courageous they would be when Grendel came to attack but later the reader learns that many of the boasting men were slain by Grendel. Beowulf is a man of his word. Lines 407-426 detail Beowulfs request to Hrothgar, asking his permission to fight Grendel. Beowulf boast to Hrothgar about his abilities and the strength of the mean of Geats. As Beowulf speaks to Hrothgar, the reader notices that he does not sound conceded when speaking to the king but rather humble. However in lines 415-418, the reader recognizes boasting in the contemporary use of the word. He discusses his strengths and how capable he is of fighting Grendel. This type of bragging helps support Beowulfs promise to Hrothgar. Beowulf is selling his skills, as well as the capabilities of his men, to Hrothgar and his community. While Beowulf is convincing Hrothgar to honor him the duty of fighting Grendel, he also mentions he would like to heighten Hygelacs fame and gladden his heart (line 435-436). On line 2145, Beowulf returns from the adventures and presents all his gifts to Hygelac as a sign of loyalty. Beowulfs boasting is a form of honoring his king as well as maintaining his reputation as a great warrior. Beowulfs boast reassure the people of Heorot that they will be safe. The boasting is a morale booster for them. When the people of Heorot thought all hope was lost, Beowulf arrives to raise their spirits. The Oxford English Dictionary defines boasting to mean to speak of with pride. Beowulf restores pride to the people of Heorot with his boasting. This bold speaking allows the people of Heorot to trust Beowulf and have confidence that he can slain the beast they call Grendel. Beowulfs heroic boasting is what makes him a great warrior, it allows him to prove himself and to show what he is capable of. In lines 630-639, Beowulf is speaking to Wealhtheow about his intentions for the battle with Grendel. Marie Nelson from the University of Florida states that Beowulfs promise-boast within these lines defines that Beowulf takes his promises very serious (Nelson 5). Beowulf states I shall fulfill that purpose [of killing Grendel]or meet my death here in the mead-hall (line 636 and 638). The lines state that Grendel will try his best to fulfill his promise and if not he will meet his fate at the hands of Grendel and is willing to accept them. Anglo-Saxon boasting is all about willing to accept fate but using all of ones abilities to keep a promise. Beowulf keeps his promise and defeats Grendel. Another form of the bragging type of boasting can be found in the poem when Grendels arm is put up for display for the country men to view. Although modern boasting can be seen throughout the poem, promise-boasting was more valuable to the Anglo-Saxon men rather than bragging (Nelson 5). Boasting is a form of showing off as well as a form of honesty. Both types of boasting are shown throughout the poem. Beowulf tends to brag less and make more promises. In the end, he succeeded in accomplishing all of his promises and thus confirming his boast. Works Cited Nelson, Marie. Beowulfs Boast Words. Diss. English Department, University of Florida. Florida: Springer, 2005. 23 Jan. 2010. Boast. Oxford University Press. 2009. 23 Jan. 2010. Taylor, Kelly. Boasting. 2004. 23 Jan. 2010.

Scott Joplin :: essays research papers

Scott Joplin was know as the kings of ragtime. I will explain also explain how he grew up and what type of music he played. I will also write about why I believe he deserves the title that he has been bestowed upon him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first thing I will talk about is the type of music he is know for which gave him that name. Most people listen to the type of music he composed but next to none know who or how it was composed. There seems to be an abundance of music fans who know little or nothing about the origin of their music. By discussing what he has accomplished it will explain why he is considered to be so important to his type of music.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rag time as it is most commonly know was the type of fast paced music played around 1885 in St. Louis. Scott Joplin was born in 1868 and lived until 1917, but has done a lot in his life span. He was one of the first African Americans to be know as a composer. Born in Texarkana, Texas to a large family with musical background, he began learning to play the guitar and beagle, and gained free piano lessons by showing such fast progression to his teachers. After death of his mother, he left the house at age fourteen. He learned much form traveling through Mississippi playing in local spots and learning form what was offered to him. In 1885 he arrived in St. Louis, at the time a center for a new music phenomenon called ragtime.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ragtime, also called â€Å"ragged rhythm†, was first a piano style know for its fast paced beats. It first came into the publics eye in 1893 when he performed an instrumental ensemble at the World Exposition in Chicago. His originally developed style of rag time know as â€Å"Maple Leaf Rag† First came on the scene in a club in Sedalia, Missouri as his own form of ragtime. In 1899 He gained nationwide popularity after selling over one million copies worldwide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After this Joplin tried to make this new from of piano style he had grown to love more widely know form of music In 1911 he finished an opera called Treemonisha, designed to reach this status. Sadly this opera was not well accepted by the public and caused him to slip into a state of depression.

The Impact of Information Technology Infrastructure Flexibility on Strategic Alignment and Applications Implementation

The Impact of Information Technology Infrastructure Flexibility on Strategic Alignment and Applications Implementation Sock H. Chung Department of Computer Information Systems College of Business Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI 48197 sock. [email  protected] emich. edu R. Kelly Rainer, Jr. ** Department of Management College of Business Auburn University Auburn, Alabama 36849 (334) 844-6527 [email  protected] auburn. edu Bruce R. Lewis Calloway School of Business Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC 27109 (336) 758-7195 [email  protected] edu ** Corresponding Author: Kelly Rainer The Impact of Information Technology Infrastructure Flexibility on Strategic Alignment and Applications Implementation Abstract IT infrastructure flexibility is now being viewed as an organizational core competency that is necessary for organizations to survive and prosper in rapidly-changing, competitive, business environments. Utilizing data from 200 U. S. and Canadian companies, this study examines the impact of the four components of IT infrastructure flexibility (compatibility, connectivity, modularity, and IT personnel) on strategic IT-business alignment and the extent of applications implementation within an organization. The findings from analysis of a structural model provide evidence that connectivity, modularity, and IT personnel have significant, positive impacts on strategic alignment and that all four components have significant, positive impacts on the extent of applications implementation. The study reinforces the importance of IT infrastructure flexibility to organizations as one source for sustainable competitive advantage. Key Words: IT infrastructure flexibility, strategic IT-business alignment I. INTRODUCTION In the early 1990s, Johnson & Johnson faced new business pressures when large customers, such as Wal-Mart and K-mart, made new demands on the company, such as cost savings and just-in-time stock replenishment. Johnson & Johnson’s business and IT managers acted in partnership to develop a new set of information technology (IT) infrastructure capabilities which enabled the company to provide the necessary services for its large customers while at the same time reducing costs at Johnson & Johnson [Weill & Broadbent, 1998]. In the late 1990s, Charles Schwab focused on delivering customized information to its investors in a timely manner. Using the company's IT infrastructure and applications aligned with its business focus, Schwab became a full service brokerage firm. The firm was able to provide information and process transactions in meeting its business objectives. Customers could retrieve stock quotes and place orders via Schwab's Web site. As a result, the corporation continues to be an industry leader. These two examples demonstrate that an organization’s IT infrastructure can provide tangible benefits and a continuity of business practices [Kettinger, Grover, Subanish, & Segars, 1994]. A particularly important characteristic of IT infrastructure is flexibility [Byrd & Turner, 2000]. Researchers have stated that IT infrastructure flexibility should be viewed as an organizational core competency and that IT infrastructure flexibility is necessary to handle increased customer demands without increased costs [Davenport & Linder, 1994; Weill, 1993]. As we discuss next in developing the theoretical framework for our study, two important aspects of IT infrastructure flexibility emerge from previous research: the core business applications of an organization and the strategic IT-business alignment. That is, an organization’s IT infrastructure flexibility should be reflected in its implementation of core business applications and the extent of its strategic IT-business alignment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to empirically examine the relationship between IT infrastructure flexibility and the extent of applications implementation in the organization and the relationship between IT infrastructure flexibility and strategic IT-business alignment. II. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK We develop our theoretical framework by first reviewing definitions of IT infrastructure and its components. We then define the concept of IT infrastructure flexibility and its relationship to strategic IT-business alignment and to applications implementation in the organization. Information Technology Infrastructure The topic of IT infrastructure has been a key issue for both researchers and practicing managers for some time [see e. g. , Brancheau, Janz, & Wetherbe, 1996]. The organization’s IT infrastructure basically integrates technology components to support business needs but the IT infrastructure concept is more complicated. The definition of IT infrastructure encompasses a variety of components. Based on previous studies, Duncan [1995] stated that IT infrastructure includes a group of shared, tangible IT resources that provide a foundation to enable present and future business applications [Broadbent & Weill, 1997; Davenport & Linder, 1994; Earl, 1989; Keen, 1991; McKay & Brockway, 1989; Niederman, Brancheau, & Wetherbe, 1991; Weill, 1993]. These resources include: (1) computer hardware and software (e. g. , operating systems); (2) network and telecommunications technologies; (3) key data; (4) core data-processing applications; 5) shared IT services. Duncan [1995] also stated that IT infrastructure includes the alignment of IT plans to business objectives, the IT architecture, and the skills of IT personnel. Broadbent and Weill [1997] noted that IT infrastructure capabilities enable the various types of IT applications required to support current and future business objectives, and enable the competitive positioning of business initiatives. McKay and Brockway [1989] describe d IT infrastructure as the enabling foundation of shared IT capabilities upon which the entire business depends. This foundation is standardized and shared by business functions within the organization, and typically used by different organizational applications. Byrd and Turner [2000, p. 172] provided a thorough definition of IT infrastructure as: â€Å"†¦ the shared IT resources consisting of a technical physical base of hardware, software, communications technologies, data, and core applications and a human component of skills, expertise, competencies, commitments, values, norms, and knowledge that combine to create IT services that are typically unique to an organization. These IT services provide a foundation for communications interchange across the entire organization and for the development and implementation of present and future business applications. † As can be seen from these definitions, the IT infrastructure is composed of two components: a technical IT infrastructure and a human IT infrastructure. The technical infrastructure consists of the applications, data, and technology [Broadbent & Weill, 1997; Broadbent, Weill, O'Brien & Neo, 1996; Henderson & Venkatraman, 1993]. The human IT infrastructure consists of the knowledge and capabilities required to manage organizational IT resources [Broadbent & Weill, 1997; Lee, Trauth & Farwell, 1995]. Davenport and Linder [1994] suggested that a robust IT infrastructure enables employees to be able to perform their respective jobs, both from having the available technology and the necessary technological skills. Information Technology Infrastructure Flexibility Early work on IT infrastructure flexibility described the concept without actually defining it. Weill [1993] asserted that an IT infrastructure should be flexible to be able to handle increased customer demands without increased costs. Davenport and Linder [1994] stated that IT infrastructure flexibility should be viewed as a core competency of the organization and suggested that an effective IT infrastructure is flexible and robust. Duncan [1995] observed that one organization’s IT infrastructure may enable strategic innovations in business processes, while another’s IT infrastructure may limit such innovations. She referred to this characteristic as IT infrastructure flexibility and suggested that both business and IT application development capabilities reflect the flexibility of infrastructure components. She suggested that infrastructure flexibility improves systems developers' ability to design and build systems to meet organizational business objectives. She described IT infrastructure flexibility through the characteristics of connectivity, compatibility, and modularity. She maintained that an organization with high modularity, compatibility, and connectivity would have high technical IT infrastructure flexibility. Compatibility is the ability to share any type of information across any technology component throughout the organization [Duncan, 1995; Keen, 1991]. Tapscott and Caston [1993] noted that IT compatibility helps span organizational boundaries, empower employees, and make data, information, and knowledge readily available in the organization. Connectivity is the ability of any technology component to communicate with any of the other components inside and outside of the organizational environment [Duncan, 1995]. Tapscott and Caston [1993] emphasized that IT connectivity enables seamless and transparent organizations that are independent of time and space. Connectivity facilitates the sharability of IT resources at the platform level. Modularity is the ability to easily reconfigure (add, modify, or remove) technology components [Duncan, 1995]. She also stated that modularity is the standardization of business processes for sharability and reusability (e. g. , structured programming and component-based software architectures). Schilling [2000] suggested that modularity is a continuum describing the degree to which a system's components can be separated and recombined. Byrd and Turner [2000, p. 172] defined IT infrastructure flexibility as â€Å"†¦the ability to easily and readily diffuse or support a wide variety of hardware, software, communications technologies, data, core applications, skills and competencies, commitments, and values within the technical physical base and the human component of the existing IT infrastructure. Historically, the flexibility of the IT infrastructure has been viewed as necessary to accommodate a rapidly changing business environment [Byrd & Turner, 2001]. This flexibility enables businesses to effectively use IT to prosper in dynamic environments. The literature review points out that strategic IT-business alignment and core business applications are embedded in the definitions of IT infrastructure and IT infrastructure flexibility. However, the actual relationships between IT infrastructure flexibility and strategic IT-business alignment and between IT infrastructure flexibility and business applications have not been empirically tested. We test these relationships through our conceptual model. III. CONCEPTUAL MODEL IT Infrastructure Flexibility and Strategic IT-Business Alignment Strategic IT-business alignment refers to the extent to which the IT mission, objectives, and plans support, and are supported by, the organization’s mission, objectives, and plans [Hirscheim & Sabherwal, 2000]. This alignment creates an integrated organization in which every function, unit, and person are focused on the organization's competitiveness. Sambamurthy and Zmud [1992] suggested that IT management is a problem of aligning the relationship between the business and the IT infrastructure to take advantage of IT opportunities and capabilities. Duncan [1995] first included the alignment of IT plans to business objectives in her description of IT infrastructure. She continued by noting that an organization’s IT infrastructure could be considered flexible if it enabled strategic innovations in business processes. Broadbent and Weill [1997] stated that IT infrastructure capabilities provide the foundation for â€Å"†¦competitive positioning of business initiatives. † From this discussion, we propose the following hypothesis: Hypothesis 1: Each component of an organization's IT infrastructure flexibility will positively affect the organization's strategic IT-business alignment. IT Infrastructure Flexibility and Applications Implementation Today, IT applications not only process data and provide management information reports. Corporations now use IT applications to gain competitive advantage [Earl, 1989; Porter & Millar, 1985; Powell, 1992; Saunders & Jones, 1992; Smith & McKeen, 1993]; to create new business opportunities [Earl, 1989; Rockart & Scott-Morton, 1984; Smith & McKeen ,1993]; to improve customer service; to enhance product and service quality; and to integrate supplier and customer operations [Luftman, Lewis, & Oldach, 1993]. Several studies have included business applications as part of IT infrastructure [see e. . , Broadbent & Weill, 1997; Byrd & Turner, 2000; Duncan, 1995]. Duncan [1995] addressed business applications when she asserted that IT infrastructure flexibility enabled organizations to build applications that more closely satisfy business objectives. Broadbent and Weill [1997] stated that IT infrastructure capabilities are the â€Å"base for computer applications. † Byrd and Turner [2000] noted that IT infrastructure flexibility enabled organizations to â€Å"†¦easily diffuse and support†¦core applications. For this study, we use the extent to which organizations have implemented a variety of business applications to examine the concept of â€Å"applications implementation. † These eleven business applications in our study include transaction processing systems, management information systems, executive information systems, decision support systems, expert systems, data warehousing, data mining, interorganizational information systems (e. g. , electronic data interchange), knowledge management, network management, and disaster recovery. From this discussion, we propose the following hypothesis: Hypothesis 2: Each component of an organization's IT infrastructure flexibility will positively affect the organization's extent of applications implementation. Conceptual Model This study utilizes four previously identified measures of IT infrastructure flexibility: the technical components of modularity, compatibility, connectivity, and IT personnel skills [see Duncan, 1995; Byrd & Turner, 2000]. The conceptual model representing the relationships addressed in this study is presented in Figure 1. [pic]* p