Modern, post-modern and other critical approaches ( Subject of your Essay

Modern, post-modern and other critical approaches ( Subject of your choice) - Essay Example One such aspect affected by postmodernism in any aspect of a business, marketing in particular, involves the sphere of business ethics, because it is in the marketing function that the business makes a promise to its customers, and customers respond on the basis of this promise in the corresponding sale. If there is an aspect of business that must be as categorical and definite as possible, it is this interface between the customer and the firm. Ethics is governed by a set of norms and values that define relationships between people. In the context of business, ethical behaviour, or one that is conceived to be, is necessary to maintain trust in what is essentially a fiduciary relationship (as between transacting parties, faith that each counterparty will comply with his or her obligations). Were such a relationship governed by the subjectivity of postmodernism, then the clarity of obligations between parties – what is promised and how it should be accomplished – will be tantamount to an unenforceable matter because of a lack of definition. For this reason, there have been spirited debates about the effect of postmodernism on the conduct of business ethics. This paper shall first discuss the meaning and significance of postmodern marketing and its usefulness as a strategic business tool; thereafter, the discussion shall well on the degree to which postmodern marketing may promote or impede realization of imperatives of business ethics. Meaning of postmodernism vis-a-vis modernism Before the topic of â€Å"postmodern marketing† could be discussed, it is necessary to give a meaning to the term â€Å"postmodern† – and upon a quick scan of the available literature, the only impression that the reader is left with is that postmodernism defies definition. The term conveys something that is â€Å"after modern†. The dilemma in this term is that the layman’s connotation of â€Å"modern† is that of the here and now; therefore there can never be an after-now, because â€Å"modern† is always current and always new. As much as been said by some authors, who state that â€Å"modern would seem to be a time-descriptive term, not a fixed state, and therefore †modern† and â€Å"postmodern† had often been interchanged and are, sometimes, used to connote the same thing (Alloway, 1981). To this reader’s mind, it amusedly mirrors the similarity between â€Å"flammable† and â€Å"inflammable† that the inclusion of a prefix does not change the meaning conveyed. One’s misconceptions are set aright, however, with the explanation Firat, Dholakia, and Venkatesh (1994) about the distinction between modernism and postmodernism. Modernism does not describe the attribute of things due to their currency in time, but rather a state of mind in viewing things. In postmodernism, the individual, self, freedom, agency, and structure, all of these become â€Å"ephemera l rather than essential and fixed† (Firat, et al., 1994, p. 40). They are viewed as imaginary, as in a myth system, compared to modernism’s concept of things as essential and fixed. When something is allowed to be a myth, however, then it ceases to have a substantial reality, and instead may assume several essences, to as many who would perceive it. The reality of the thing exists in the mind of the viewer, and if this mythical reality is to be sustained over its substantive

Telecommunications and Networking (cloud computing) Essay

Telecommunications and Networking (cloud computing) - Essay Example As a result of this, the most notable changes are visible in the applications and approach of the Web servers. The web servers’ functions have undergone new definition in manner in which they facilitate the clients directly or indirectly (Terry, 2010).Cloud computing is defined as a scalable infrastructure on which the servers rely their operations. The data available in the remote networks and remote infrastructure allowing ease of access and rapid transmission (ACM, 2009). Cloud computing has number of characteristics to it which make it more distinctive and unique compared to the conventional form of web servers that were in practice in past. It also provides various applications and functionalities that separate them from their predecessors. These features include software as a Service feature, platform as a service feature and finally, infrastructure as a service feature. These three factors are the characteristic attributes of the cloud computing. Other features include advanced algorithms, service oriented architecture availability, massive broadband availability. New Functionality: Virtualization is another factor characteristic of cloud computing which differentiates it from the earlier technologies that were present in the market for the purpose of clients-servers operations (Josyula, et al., 2012). Cloud computing has an edge relevant to the capital expense as well and no major deployment is needed prior to the operations. It rather targets Operation expenses. The need for internally purchased servers is also eliminated with the help of cloud computing concept. More servers’ installation is another edge which can be enjoyed in the case of incumbent technology (Terry, 2013). Advantages: Other advantages include: economic advantages, reduction in the variable costs, ease of operations, scalability, disaster recovery and handling costs control, further enhanced automated network, data security, all these are few of the advantages served by Cloud computing technologies. 2-A central challenge of cloud computing is providing scalable, secure, self-managing, and fault-tolerant data storage for long-running services. What data models are supported by existing cloud-based storage systems? What are the technical trades-offs between the key-value stores commonly provided and relational databases? How do application developers choose a particular storage system? How does one design cloud-based storage systems to ensure that a user's data survives for 100 years, even as companies come and go? The data models employed ensure scalability and flexibility enabled infrastructure. Various models are in practice for these purposes which include one dimensional vs. multi dimensional models, access path optimization, and multi data centre models. Cloudy is another model designed for the purpose of bringing about more flexibility in the cloud mechanism and system. Relational model is another model in existence that is being used by Clou d computing technique for the purpose of service providing to the clients. Key value, queue, xml are few other models being incorporated (Weiss, 2007). Tradeoff: Consideration of the pricing, service level agreements, and Application program Interface are few of the technical tradeoffs. Performance trade off is a serious factor in Read Optimized data base. Limitations in the existing setups: Allowing for