Four Core It Applications Paper

In an organization, there are many IT applications that are used in all the different departments from finance to human resources. Human resource is one of the major areas in an organization in which having a solid and efficient IT application or program will be most beneficial because it deal directly with the employee. Unfortunately, there has been a growing neglect in this area by many organizations especially with entrepreneurs who are inexperience in the realm of satisfying their employees.

Research by Profit, and Toronto-based executive search and HR Services IQ Partners Inc. (cited in Shiffman, 2006) "demonstrates the surprising extent to which sound HR practices drive financial performance, and reveals which tactics matter most and least" (para. 5). Technology plays a crucial role in the success of any human resource campaign. Human resource personnel should focus on the employees with disabilities and provide more assistive technology. There are a lot of people with disabilities that need to be dependent and work.

Phil Kragnes (cited in Jossi, 2006) states "Assistive technology is important because it provides access to computers and it allows persons with disabilities to do a job." In the article by Frank Jossi, he discusses the impact and the importance of assistive technology. He focuses on all the types of assistive technology that is already available for employers to use to provide better employment opportunities for people with disability. There is the availability of speech-to-text software, which "provides a way to record observations without typing or using Braille" (Jossi, 2006) and the high-tech Braille keyboards with provide the connection to computers.

The increased need for this type of technology has made many technology companies jump on the opportunity to develop new technology to assist disabled employees. IBM has developed such things like "web site text reader, software that corrects for tremors and an application that allows persons with limited mobility to manipulate computer programs through facial movements" (Jossi, 2006). In the article, the focus was also placed on the cost of providing assistive technology to each employee with a disability. As a matter of fact, cost should not even be an issue. There are federal loans and tax incentives that provide employers with the financial assets to pay for this type of technology.

The Navy is an equal opportunity employer. They must also find ways to provide people with disabilities with jobs. The Department of Defense established the Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program for the sole purpose of assisting people with disabilities find employment. According to the web site for Tricare (2006), "CAP provides assistive technology and services to people with disabilities, Federal managers, supervisors, IT professionals, and Wounded Service Members" (para. 1).

There are many similarities between the human resource assistive technology available in the civilian sector and the one available for Department of Defense (DoD) employees. First, the goal is the same. The civilian sector of human resources is looking for ways to assist or facilitate employment for people with disabilities. The DoD's CAP mission "is to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to the information environment and opportunities in the Department of Defense (DoD) and throughout the Federal government" (Tricare, 2006). Both find success when there is a disable person that can have access to employment due to the success of installed software or assistive technology.

The differences are few but major. For example, the civilian human resource departments have to pay huge amounts of money per person in order to have this type of technology available in their organization. The result might be dramatically different from the military because money is not as much of an issue. The reason for this is "Following