Cloud and virtual computing

Answer

Cloud-based computing happens to one of the recent technologies that are employed in safeguarding organisational data. This paper presents the selected cloud-based solution for my terms paper, and proceeds to summarize why this solution was selected. The paper also summarized how this cloud-based solution can help the company. The paper then concludes by providing a list of five peer-reviewed articles that will be employed in the term paper.

The cloud-based solution adopted will be from Oracle Cloud. Oracle Cloud is considered the industry’s most integrated and broad public cloud (Oracle Cloud, 2017). One of the primary benefits for choosing Oracle Cloud is its ability to help companies to drive business transformation and innovation by lowering costs, reducing IT complexity, and increasing business agility (Oracle Cloud, 2017).  Software as a Service (SaaS) is one of the cloud solutions from Oracle that will be selected for the company. This cloud platform is employed in reimagining the business, organizational processes, and experiences. SaaS applications provide companies with the innovation and speed of best-of-breed cloud software in a cloud suite, which is complete, secure, and connected. Oracle (2017) adds that the application is embedded with contemporary, best-practice processors, as well as built-in analytic, mobile and social capabilities. In this manner, the organization will manage to provide experiences expected by customers, talent required for success and the performance demanded by the market. The following five articles will be employed in executing the term paper task:

1. Bhardwaj, S., Jain, L., & Jain, S. (2010). Cloud computing: A study of infrastructure as a service (IAAS). International Journal of engineering and information Technology, 2(1), 60-63.
2. Iyer, B., & Henderson, J. C. (2010). PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE: UNDERSTANDING THE SEVEN CAPABILITIES CLOUD COMPUTING. MIS Quarterly Executive, 9(2).
3. Marston, S., Li, Z., Bandyopadhyay, S., Zhang, J., & Ghalsasi, A. (2011). Cloud computing—The business perspective. Decision support systems, 51(1), 176-189.
4. Oliveira, T., Thomas, M., & Espadanal, M. (2014). Assessing the determinants of cloud computing adoption: An analysis of the manufacturing and services sectors. Information & Management, 51(5), 497-510.
5. Subashini, S., & Kavitha, V. (2011). A survey on security issues in service delivery models of cloud computing. Journal of network and computer applications, 34(1), 1-11.

In conclusion, the Oracle Cloud solutions, particularly the SaaS, will be employed to address the company’s cloud computing problem. This cloud solution presents benefits such as enabling an organization to drive business changes and innovation by reducing costs, reducing IT complexity, and enhancing business agility. The five articles outlined in this paper will used to execute the term paper.

Findings

The study found a number of factors to be related with working post retirement. These included flexible working schedules, good health, having an employer who allows working past the retirement age, appreciation from clients or colleagues, a feeling of being responsible, skills and knowledge (like ability to pass on knowledge and skills, use of abilities, and learning new knowledge and skills), not desiring to sit at home, financial benefits (like higher standards of living and having to pay for some mortgage), and worries regarding their retirement life. The study’s findings are unequivocally comprehensive and insightful. The motivations for why people work way past their retirement were individually assessed to help determine their individual effects on people’s morale. The use of direct quotes strengthened the findings since the reader is allowed an opportunity into the mind of the interviewer’s mind. The itemization of the themes allows a reader to quickly glean the effect of each of factor on people’s motivation. Nonetheless, the researchers should have quantified the findings as opposed to just qualifying them using quotes. They should have at least compared the feeling of each interviewee and reported the percentage of people who may have seconded a particular factor as the reason for their post-retirement working. By quantifying the findings, the researchers would have supported their findings with figures, tables, charts or any other data presentation technique which would significantly role play in informing the understanding of the reader concerning the study.

Discussion

The article’s discussion is informative in a number of ways. The discussion juxtaposes the findings of the study and other studies regarding a particular theme, justifying the reason for a particular finding. For instance, regarding health, Sewdas et al. (2017) found out that good health is a precondition for working post retirement age. Similarly, Hess’ (2018) found out that maintaining mental and physical health, and keeping physically active are necessary for one to work past retirement. Nonetheless, the comparison is limited since it is done with very few articles, making it difficult to rely upon.

Further, while the article discusses how each factor contributes to working past the retirement age, there are assumptions that employed, making the study’s findings to be little reliable and valid. For instance, the researchers suppose that most participants preferred part-time working as opposed to full-time working since employees want to have a gratifying balance between relaxation and work in their individual lives (Guest, MacQueen and Namey 2012). Such assumptions do not auger well with research when there is a plethora of studies that have been done on the issue that would have provided substantive prof for the preference of part-time over full-time work schedules. 

The study’s findings were limited with regard to the STREAM approach that was employed. While the framework allowed the researchers to conduct targeted studies on factors that possibly influence working beyond retirement, there are other factors that are excluded by the framework, like purpose in life. The researchers, therefore, did good to slightly stretch past the framework to incorporate the purpose in life theme.

The researchers also convoluted the discussion section by including strengths and weaknesses of the study. In a well-organized work, the strengths and weaknesses of a paper should be covered under a separate heading. Nonetheless, the researchers did good to comprehensively discuss the limitations and strengths of their study.

Conclusion

The paper restates the objective of the study and summarizes the findings of the study as required. Similarly, the researchers state the significance of the study, noting that it would contribute to the development of work-associated interventions that would enhance extended working life for employees aged 65+ years. However, the conclusion does not provide gaps for further studies and his gives a false impression on the reliability and validity of the study. 

Suggestions for Further Research

For more robust findings, a similar study could be conducted with the number of women and men participants kept at balance and that the participants should be of better health. In the study by Sewdas et al. (2017), the number of women was limited besides the fact that the respondents were less healthy. As opposed to solely relying on semi-structured telephone interviews and focused group, there is a need for employment of other data collection techniques in future studies. Lastly, further research is needed for larger sample sizes.

Reliability

Questions about reliability emerge when analysing Sewdas et al.’s (2017) article. Like for any other qualitative research, the sample size is relatively small, making it difficult to transfer the study’s findings to other populations and situations. Nonetheless, the reliability of the study is enhanced by the fact that the study is credible; the study measures what it was intended for (Cypress 2017). The process that was used in conducting the study is also dependable, adding to the reliability of the study.  Lastly, the reliability of the study is buttressed by the fact that its findings are confirmable by other studies. The findings of the study are supported by other studies, thus, it is reliable.

Credibility

The study by Sewdas et al. (2017) meets a number of credibility measures. Through the use of focus group and interview techniques, the researchers were able to enhance the study’s response rate (Fitzpatrick 2019). Though the sample size is relatively small, it served the paper’s purpose. Secondary data sources were also used to back up the study, enhancing the paper’s richness in terms of facts. Similarly, the paper effectively measured its assertions by itemizing the element of the study and delving deep into details of the study (Rose and Johnson 2020). Lastly, while the sample size was relatively small, the findings can be generalized for an organization or a country.

Validity

Sewdas et al. (2017) tried to ensure the study’s findings were valid in various ways.  Using the focus group, the researchers aimed at validating the findings by exploring explanations that were gathered using the interview technique. The researchers tested initial outcomes with the interviewed participants to help determine if what was gathered was correct.  Additionally, the researchers sought alternative explanations for the findings, comparing their findings with what previous studies found. By excluding other factors, the researchers improved the strength of the study’s findings. Nonetheless, the quality of data that was gathered during the telephone and focus group sessions depended upon the type of moderator or interviewer that was involved (Moon 2019). Similarly, concerns ensue with the findings’ validity with respect to the sample size that was used. With the small sample size that Sewdas et al.’s (2017) study employed, there are very little room for generalizing the study’s findings.