Cyber Security Research Paper Essay

1. Preface This security profile of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is based on two documents of public record. The first is the published VA Handbook 6500 (VAH 6500) which defined policy and procedures for systems within the purview of the VA (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2007). The second document is the Federal Information Security Management Act Assessment for FY 20011 commissioned by the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) and performed by Ernst & Young in accordance with Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) guidelines (VA Office of Inspector General, 2012, p. i). 2. Identification of Controls This security profile presents one control function from three primary policy and procedure controls. These controls are â€Å"System/New Technology Development Life Cycle† from Management Controls, â€Å"Security Training, Education, and Awareness† from Operational Controls, and â€Å"Remote Access† from Technical Controls. These controls are selected based on the lack of resolution based on information provided fiscal year 2006, 2010 (VA Office of Inspector General, 2011) and 2011 (VA Office of Inspector General, 2012) FISMA audits. 3. Management Controls The protection of systems via risk mitigation techniques are referred to as management controls. Management controls are designed to minimize risk associated with development process and systems implementation. 4.1. VAH6500 Section 6.a.(7) System/New Technology Development Life Cycle VAH6500 requires that any new technology undergo a systems development life cycle (SDLC) specific to the VA. The cycle consists of Initiation, Development / Acquisition, Implementation, Operation / Maintenance and Disposal. Systems must be able to encrypt/decrypt data. Systems not capable of this must receive a waiver from the OIG. 4.2. Implementation Assessment The SDLC program provided does not provide the necessary information for an effective program. No supporting material or references to NIST SP 800-64 Rev2 Security Considerations in the System Development Life Cycle or VAH 6500.5 Incorporating Security and Privacy into the System Development Life Cycle is made. 4.3. Implementation Impact The OIG 2011 FISAM Assessment indicates that â€Å"FISMA Section 3544 requires establishing policies and procedures to ensure information security is addressed throughout the life cycle of each agency information system† (VA Office of Inspector General, 2012, p. 9). Based on the lack of consistency in use of SDLC and change control, major security risks may go unnoticed. 4. Operational Controls Operational controls focus on techniques and procedures put in place by Information Technology staff or systems managers. The purpose is to increase security and provide deterrence via system controls. 5.4. VAH6500 Section 6.b.(11) Security Training, Education, and Awareness VAH6500 provides a concise policy which states any individuals that access sensitive information or systems must complete annual security training. Key persons with â€Å"significant† roles must attend additional training. All training is monitored for completeness. Policy indicates before employees can use systems security training must be completed. 5.5. Implementation Assessment Policy indicates that fourteen key pieces of information must be covered before an individual is allowed to begin work. This training must also be refreshed annually. The tracking of this information is the responsibility of the local ISO (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2007, p. 57). 5.6. Implementation Impact The distributed manner of training management is not conducive to consistent security training. The OIG 2011 FISAM Assessment findings indicate a centrally managed training database be used to ensure personnel receive the proper training needed for their job function (VA Office of Inspector General, 2012, p. 15). 5. Technical Controls The technical control area focuses on minimizing and/or preventing access to a system(s) by unauthorized individuals via technical measures. The measures are designed to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of a system(s) (VA Office of Inspector General, 2012, p. 54). 6.7. VAH6500 Section 6.c.(3) Remote Access Control VAH6500 relies on nineteen policy requirements to enforce technical control. VA policy states that no sensitive information may be transmitted via internet or intranet without proper security mechanisms that meet NIST FIPS 140-2 criteria (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2007, p. 61). Each department within the Agency is responsible for monitoring remote access and privilege functions. Access can be revoked by a supervisor or superior at any time. The remaining requirements cover contractor access, PKI certificate distribution and termination of accounts. System protection is the responsibility of the ISO for each area of access. 6.8. Implementation Assessment VAH6500 does not utilize NIST SP 800-46 Guide to Enterprise Telework and Remote Access Security. The OIG 2011 FISAM Assessment also indicates some remote access systems do not provide Network Access Control (NAC) to block systems that do not meet predefined security requirements (VA Office of Inspector General, 2012, p. 6). 6.9. Implementation Impact The diversity of ISO management practices coupled with a lack of specific procedures for management, auditing and access creates opportunity for security breaches. 6. Summary The three controls outlined in this document show the disparity between written policy, procedure, and implementation. In order for the VA to be successful in meeting the standards of future FISMA assessments, a fundamental change in operations within the VA is required. 7. Comments The multifaceted nature of operations within the VA requires guidelines that meet the needs of multiple departments within the Agency. All three controls discussed in this document have very broad definitions to accommodate the extensive variety of services the VA provides. This flexibility coupled with a drop in training acceptance, legacy systems (VA Office of Inspector General, 2012, p. 7) and the lack of an â€Å"implemented components of its agency-wide information security risk management program† (VA Office of Inspector General, 2012, p. 3) will continue to limit future progress. These delay factors provide an understanding of why twelve recommendations from prior FISAM assessments remain open. Of the twelve recommendations listed in the VA FISMA FY 2011 report, only three have been closed, while three other recommendations have been superseded by new recommendations (VA Office of Inspector General, 2012, p. 19). The recent announcement of the Continuous, Readiness in Information Security Program (CRISP) seems to indicate a fundamental shift in the way the VA views security issues (United States Department of Veterans Affairs). In order for this program to be successful, this message must be understood and acted upon by all persons under the VA umbrella. 8.References Department of Veterans Affairs. (2007). VA Handbook 6500. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. Retrieved February 20, 2013, from http://www.va.gov/vapubs/viewPublication.asp?Pub_ID=56 Department of Veterans Affairs. (2010). Strategic Plan FY 2010-2014. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. Retrieved February 20, 2013, from http://www.va.gov/op3/Docs/StrategicPlanning/VA_2010_2014_Strategic_Plan.pdf National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2010). Guide for Assessing the Security Controls in Federal Information System (NIST 800-53a). Washington, D.C.: US Government Printing Office. http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-53-Rev3/sp800-53-rev3-final_updated-errata_05-01-2010.pdf United States Department of Veterans Affairs. (n.d.). CRISP. Retrieved February 21, 2013, from United States Department of Veterans Affairs: http://www.saltlakecity.va.gov/features/CRISP.asp VA Office of Inspector General. (2011). Department of Veterans Affairs Federal Informati on Security Management Act Assessment for FY 2010 (10-01916-165). Washington, D.C.: US Government Publishing Office. Retrieved from http://www.va.gov/oig/52/reports/2011/VAOIG-10-01916-165.pdf VA Office of Inspector General. (2012). Department of Veterans Affairs Federal Information Security Management Act Assessment for FY 2011 (11-00320-138). Washington, D.C.: US Government Printing Office. Retrieved February 20, 2013,from http://www.va.gov/oig/pubs/VAOIG-11-00320-138.pdf

High School vs College

As we go on in life we face many challenges and new situations that we deal with. A new situation that most people deal with is college and all the changes that come along with it. What many people don't realize is that high school, in many ways, is similar and different from college. Not only are people changing but the surroundings and work change as well. There are some things that seem to never change such as some work and people. High School and College are both educational grounds for a student to grow their lives with knowledge. Both places are full of experiences and filled with numerous memories. An individual graduates from High School and again in College with a degree. The government runs them. Both play an important role in making a person into a collected individual and a member of a society.. One of the biggest differences between high school and college is the atmosphere. When attending high school you wake up, go to school for a couple of hours of your day, and leave. This is very different when you get to college. Most of the time, when attending a university, you find schedule a lot different than in high school. For example, some people that go to college may live on their own meaning that they are responsible for getting themselves to class on time. Also, in college you usually don’t have all of your classes one right after the other like in high school. Instead, you may have a longer class period, followed up by a couple of hours in between your next class. Furthermore, you don’t have every class, everyday like you do in high school.

Medieval vs Renaissance Art Essay

There were no notions of real-life techniques and proportion. Figures, which were more prominent, were drawn larger than the others. All figures are motionless, they sit or stand and there are no attempts to depict movement. There is little in the way of nude bodies, erotic scenes and sexual connotations. People were painted with stoic, serious expressions; the lack of emotions was obvious. Pictures were not voluminous; they were flat and stable. The background was painted with one color. Artists used ordinary basic colors. Paintings weren’t very realistic, but the artists did not necessarily want them to be so. The art was treated as the means of connection with God, and the main purpose of it was to foster the spiritual development of the people. The Early Renaissance starts in Italy in fourteenth century AD due to a number of reasons. According to Jim Lane, perhaps the biggest factor contributing to the rise of the Renaissance was money. He states â€Å"when it became economically feasible to enclose an entire city in fortress walls, then those with money could begin to relax and enjoy it, which meant a craving for beauty that meant art. The city of Florence, Italy, is a classic exampleâ€Å"(Lane, 1998). The church was no longer the only institution with the resources to commission works of art. Religion was not able to serve as the only reason for creativity any more. While religious imagery still dominated many works of art during this period, secular and humanistic themes began to emerge as well. People were in the focus of this art period. They were depicted the way they looked in their real life. It was not uncommon for a wealthy merchant to commission a portrait of himself. People were interested in the anatomy of the human body. The knowledge of anatomy was reflected in the new art. Bodies looked not only real, but attractive for viewers. Most of them were depicted in motion, and appeared much more lifelike. This interest in anatomy precipitated the appearance nude images in paintings and sculpture. An emphasis on natural beauty, and the human form began to emerge. All figures were placed on the canvas considering the perspective. Painters paid attention to light; they started using the technique of shadows and lights in their paintings. Artists were interested in the way people express their emotions and did their best to render the emotional expressions on the faces of people on the paintings. The same features occurred in sculpture as well. It is obvious that art develops in relation to the prior art periods. Some periods build upon the tone and style of earlier periods, while others strike out in new ways in reaction to the earlier period. There are clear examples of how Renaissance art continued the traditions of medieval art. However, the combinations of new styles, techniques, subjects, and philosophies leads to the conclusion the Renaissance developed in reaction to the medieval era. The Renaissance served as the transitional period between the medieval art and the new period in human history. The Renaissance brought significant change to the world of art. Artists started creating art for the sake of art, and not necessarily for the sake of god. They created new art forms, and mastered their skills in order to make things look as they are in real life on the canvas. God was not the only point of depiction. The Renaissance Art is much closer to the conception of art which is common now. It uses mixed colors, shades, real sizes, and perspective. Unlike Renaissance art, medieval art is more primitive. The pieces of art were representations of crucial spiritual content. These differences are best explained by examining a few examples. For instance, the medieval Virgin Mary is rather specific (Duccio, 1300). She is depicted only with the upper part of her body. She holds the infant in her arms. Her face is cold and reserved. The background is static. All objects are two-dimensional; there is no volume or change in colors. The picture lacks dynamics. At the same time, it is a classical representation of Virgin Mary. It was created for the purpose of religious worship. The Virgin Mary is the main figure at the picture. In this respect, the infant on her hands is smaller than he should be in reality. Madonna is the representation of Virgin Mary in Renaissance art. Madonna Litta by da Vinci (1490) shows the tendencies of how the art developed. First of all, both Madonna and her child look lifelike. They appear much more human in their facial complexion, proportions and positions. They are not static. The child holds his finger in his mouth. He is playful and alive. Madonna holds him in her hands and looks at him carefully. Viewers can notice the feelings of comfort and pleasure in the way she looks at her baby. This transition from expressionless, some may say emotionless, depictions of humans to lifelike, active characters can be seen throughout Renaissance art. The Renaissance artists wanted to depict realism in their art. They strived to have the images correspond in some way to the real world. In this respect, they tried to learn how to paint the world they have, not only the world which belongs to Saints. This shift in philosophy during this period created the necessity to create art in a different manner. People became interested in themselves. This may be the most obvious reason why these two art periods are so different. At the same time, Renaissance art is the logical continuation of the development of art in human history. People do not stay the same; the world is changing, so the art changes too. It is hard to imagine that the Renaissance period would have developed in the manner that it did without the foundation laid during the medieval period. It’s clear that later periods built extensively off the techniques and philosophies developed during the Renaissance. The Renaissance served as the greatest transitional period from earlier, more primitive styles, and set the stage for modern art as we know it. References Duccio di Buoninsegna. (1300) Madonna and Child [Picture]. Retrieved from: http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/works-of-art/2004. 442 da Vinci, L. (c. 1490) Madonna Litta. [Picture]. Retrieved from: http://www. abcgallery. com/L/leonardo/leonardo13. html Lane, J. (1998). Renaissance (1400 – 1600). Retrieved from: http://www. humanitiesweb. org/spa/gil/ID/35

Families of Patients with Asthma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Families of Patients with Asthma - Essay Example The limits are as follows: "published in the last 5 years", "Core clinical journals", "Nursing journals" and "All Adult: 19+ years." The search: ((asthma education)) AND ((improved asthma control)) AND ("last 5 years"[PDat] AND (jsubsetaim[text] OR jsubsetn[text]) AND (adult[MeSH]) ) produced eight articles for review. Further limit of "Nursing journals" without "Core clinical journals" yielded four articles only. One study completed at the University of Florida College of Nursing, entitled Promoting adherence: effects of theory-based asthma education, utilized audiotapes, booklets, both, or no additional educational materials. This study revealed that out of the 46 adults participating, a significant benefit of improved adherence for medication use verified by pharmacy records was found in the education intervention group. The group was followed at three and six month intervals (Schaffer & Tian, 2004). Another study which closely relates the clinical question was conducted by department of Internal Medicine,, Croatia. The study implicates that by promoting different educational plans a better asthma control and also asthma related quality of life (QoL) can be achieved.

B1- Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

B1- Financial Management - Essay Example If a firm becomes competent to establish this optimal capital structure, then it provides maximum returns to shareholders. In spite of this appeal by Modigliani and Miller, the optimal capital structure has not been found by researchers. This forms the basis of evaluation of the model depicted by Modigliani and Miller (Simerly & Li, 2002). The research paper is based on different arguments related to the approach of Modigliani and Miller with respect to its propositions. Modigliani and Miller have proposed two models in this context where one is with effect of corporate taxes and the other in absence of the corporate taxes. The objective of this paper is to critically evaluate the models and present a critical understanding of the Modigliani and Miller propositions. The paper also deals with the identification of certain critical issues associated with the models and demonstrates the analyses of the issues. The purpose of the paper will be fulfilled by embracing different criticism of the two models and evidences related to their practicability. During the Belgium Tax Reform of 1982, the cost of equity was 13%. The cost of equity was tax deductible at the level of corporate during 1982-1983 for equities that were newly issued. The following consequences of the situation were evaluated that depicted the propositions of MM approach when tax rate was considered: equities were issued in highest quantity during the period 1982-1983 which was more than that during the last 13 years. The Belgian stock market increased by 40% in December 1981. The consequences implies that since expected equity return increases with the amount of borrowing in the presence of corporate taxes, hence people strived towards buying more equity (Rao, 2010). In MM Model of capital structure without taxes, markets are assumed to be perfect that means there are no taxes, no lawyers and no costs of bankruptcy. Now, on condition of market being perfect and efficient, Modigliani

The Art of Lucid Dreaming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Art of Lucid Dreaming - Essay Example I was moving slowly into the forest. My eyes were blackened by the energy around me, and all I could see were flashbacks of my time there, some time ago. As I moved forwards and reached the hill, I started visualizing empty spaces as a part of my trekking adventure. It took me further into it, and now, fully aware that I was in an array of infinite time and space, I started juggling with my visuals. I used the force of my memory and consciousness to forge a mountain, albeit a different one to where I was, and through this mountain I entered a cave, where I met my match, a tiger waiting for me, with his sprawling features and unfettered look, like a warrior, ready to fight me. I found him and finally entered into a battle scene, where with my superior confidence managed to kill the tiger. By doing so, I won the cave to myself, where in the coming days and weeks, I spend time in chilling inside it.I found myself in my hotel room. I was awake there, smoking with my friends. I was laughi ng and enjoying myself. There was no room for any negativity, any sort of bad trip. Suddenly, I realized that it was not real, and I was in a dream, very subconsciously I realized this and then I immediately triggered the dream to a beach, where I was chilling with the same group of people I was with. At this time, I decided to drop LSD. And all these emotions and actions were happening inside my mind by not out of chance, but out of a conscious energy present inside the dream, which was making it happen by force and awareness. Probably this was my sucbsciousness coming out in full picture and dictating the use of LSD, something it felt was beautiful and it had to try during the dream. As I found out later, this was a good chance to go back to the old glory days with my friends, to live those days again, although in a dream, but still real from the perception with respect to where I was at that time. Lucid dreaming often tends to be on the level of a man walking in the sky, while at the same time he knows that he is in bed and is going through a different parallel universe of space and time. It is the open awareness of the man which is crucial to the fast that he can go through lucid dreaming.

Organization's Market Orientation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organization's Market Orientation - Assignment Example Market orientation and organizational performance are linked and a critical evaluation is provided for firms which are not market oriented such as M&S yet perform well and recommendations are provided for firms which don't perform well. The importance and characteristics of market orientation are studied along with the barriers to market orientation, how to overcome these barriers, the importance of change management and policies in human resource management, the attributes of internal marketing, quality systems and customer relationship management. The theories and applications of market orientation are also studied using examples of the large companies such as Virgin and M&S. Adoption of market orientation could motivate companies to provide better service provisions and quality and Green et al (2007) argued that within an organization, customer care is primarily important and marketing orientation helps in understanding the needs of customers. By satisfactorily identifying customer needs, organizations could provide quality services that would highlight the positive links between market orientation and service quality. In another related study, Racela et al (2007) show the market orientation in international business relationships with emphasis on cooperation, dependence and relationship distance between organizations or individuals. A survey of Thai exporting firms was done considering business units and Thai export firms. The results obtained from more than 200 firms show that export market orientation of companies enhances cooperation between exporters and distributors and export performance is higher with greater export cooperation and lower relationship distance. The influence of exporter dependence on export performance tends to vary among industry groups. Market orientation is thus essential to the development of business to business relationships that enhances export performance and shows how exporters could manage their relationships to achieve better performance. Marketing orientation is thus helpful in developing cooperative efforts and Racela et al (2007) recommended that overseas dist ributors develop cooperative norms for marketing decisions and actions and also establish some form of mutual dependence for superior performance enhancement. The relationships between market orientation, export performance and behavioral aspects of business relationships are investigated and the paper suggests that market orientation practices help in enhancing cross cultural relationships.A multilayered model of market oriented organizational culture tends to distinguish between market oriented values and norms. The different aspects of market oriented culture within organizations can affect attitudes and behaviors of the sales force and market orientation values can have a substantial impact on role conflict, role ambiguity, job satisfaction and organizational commitment of such employees (Farrell, 2005). However market oriented norms do not substantially affect customer orientation of salespersons. Considering these background studies, we can analyze whether a specific chosen company has adequate market orientatio

Thinking Cross-Discipline 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Thinking Cross-Discipline 3 - Essay Example After this, I had to explore the chronological evolution of bankruptcy in the society that I am studying. Here, the major problem that I encountered was about which examples and instances in history to pick. As I am not a historian or researcher in history, I found this job very challenging. I had to pick up representative examples from history, the correct examples that point to a common tendency or sign that leads a company to bankruptcy (Ekvall and Smiley, 2007, p.83). When the turn of business as a discipline came under the purview of my topic area, the many sub-disciplines of business like economy, management, marketing, public relations needed to be understood to arrive at analytical inferences. I had to have some general knowledge on matters like debt restructuring and debt advice to understand and analyse company bankruptcy as a business phenomenon. Especially, understanding the technical financial details of bankruptcy was a difficult task for me who had not studied economics as such. The financial history of the debtee is yet another multidisciplinary area where business and history combine (Ekvall and Smiley, 2007, p.83). The management aspects of bankruptcy was also intriguing as there are plenty of examples of companies facing debt crises and recovering from them. It is necessary in this context that I clearly argue why certain companies go bankrupt in the face of their debts. There are global, national and local factors involved. Also t here are sector-wise specific problems and issues that lead a certain company to bankruptcy, which also I needed to have certain idea about. Practical recovery measures like out of court work outs, and sale of assets to avoid bankruptcy declaration are all part of business, management and economics and need to be understood and weighed (Ekvall and Smiley, 2007, p.32-38). Psychology as a distinct discipline also had a role in my topic area and

Programmatic Changes in the Islamic Politics Assignment

Programmatic Changes in the Islamic Politics - Assignment Example People of the west have been misinformed about Islam as some of their journalists have disseminated wrong information about Islam and created a bad impression about the religion. Though, some of these aspersions are relatively true as some minor members of the Islamic community are guilty of what they have been accused of, but this is not to say that the whole Islamic community should be regarded as being demonic. In view of these accusations, the government of the Islamic countries should create a medium that would seek to portray the good image of Islam and the people that practice the religion to the Western countries and this would go a long way in correcting the wrong impression that has already been created about the religion. The Muslim societies have been known to practice a religion that does not permit freedom in their societies. The negativity in this impression should also be corrected as the religion does not tolerate sin and frowns against performing activities that could cause a person to commit sin. The Islamic community is, in fact, a free society as the individuals in these societies have the freedom to choose and do what they liked as long as it does not impede on their religion and take their hearts away from their God. The only thing that could be said not be free in Islam is that they do not have the freedom to sin and the act of doing this attracts severe penalties in the religion. The Western civilization, which is known for its principle of freedom and the protection of the fundamental human rights of its citizen claim that Islam does not guarantee freedom to all. They are of the opinion that the laws of Islam do not permit freedom to the bulk of its citizen, which includes women and the youths.

Informatin systems in business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Informatin systems in business - Assignment Example The results provide an exploratory factor analysis of UTAUT model, demonstrating reliability and validity of the scales of the stated constructs, confirming if the model is a valuable measurement tool for evaluating the users’ intention of use of smartphones. Background to the study Controversies have come up lately over which smartphone is the best to use. Depending on the purpose that one would like to put his smartphone into, preferences are different for different people. According to the article, Blackberry versus iPhone: Which is better for business users? Articles by Hunter Skipworth (2010), show that businessmen have favored Blackberry for long very an iPhone. However, it is clear that the Apple has made an effort to introduce an enterprise feature which is more likely to make it the favorite for many whose attitude is futurists. With iPhone gaining stability due to its fast software update, Blackberry too has its own outstanding merits that make it marketable still. I t is for these and many more reasons that this study was done to analyze the factors determining intention of use of a particular smartphone and not the other one. ... Various major features of Smart phones were investigated to come up with conclusive factors about what really is the key influence of people’s intentions to use smart phones. These features include the keyboards, speed, screen sizes and resolutions software updates, hardware simplicity, battery life, screen type and many more. The questions of study considered are: 1. What makes a certain smart phone the preference for many? 2. What is the difference in intentions and actual usage of different smart phones? 3. How do these intentions relate with 1 above? UTAUT Model Development This study is to illustrate that the Unified Theory of Acceptance and use of Technology (UTAUT) model captures the factors impacting upon the intention and actuality of the use of smart phones. Its aim is to explain users’ intentions to choose and use a certain information system and the factors that affect the usage intentions. It proves the general factual and theoretical basis for understandin g a users’ attitude and acceptance of using an information system. People always have a certain attitude towards a new technology based on factors like experiences, routines, and even .habits (Bandura, 1986). Fig1: The UTAUT model. Source: Taylor & Todd, 1995. The model was developed by reviewing constructs of eight models that had been used to explain behavior of using Information Systems and Technology. These eight constructs that were consolidated are; Theory of Reasoned Action(TRA) (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) ),Motivational Model (MM) ) (Davis et al.,1992), the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), a combined theory of planned behavior/technology acceptance model, Social Cognitive Theory, Innovation

Drama Coursework Essay Example for Free

Drama Coursework Essay The main reason I chose this extract was that there were two female characters in the extract and two female actors in the group. I liked the way the relationship between the two characters developed during the extract. At the beginning of the play, there is a professional, quite friendly relationship but by the end, both characters hate each other. I also liked the way my character, Mrs Lyons, descends into madness. When I first started to rehearse this play, I found that it was harder than I expected. This is the first serious play I have been involved in, so I found it hard to say the lines convincingly and naturally. I suggested that I should talk with a more educated voice and that my partner, Becky, should talk with a more common voice to emphasise the social difference between the two characters. I also suggested some ideas for what we should wear. In my coursework I wanted to present a convincing portrayal of a wealthy, educated woman who, faced with a extremely distressing, seemingly insurmountable personal problem, sees what looks like a perfect solution, but which ends up driving her to madness. I wanted to initially gain the audiences sympathy for her predicament by showing how much she wanted children and to show her as a reasonable person. I considered the second scene the most important as this was when my character discovered that her employee was expecting twins and couldnt afford to keep them both; and when the plan for Mrs Lyons to pretend to be pregnant and to keep one of the babies was hatched. In this scene, she promises Mrs Johnstone that the baby will be better off with her, and that Mrs Johnstone will be able to see him every day as she comes to work. However, in the next scene, she breaks that promise by sacking her. I wanted to show that the sacking was motivated by Mrs Johnstones paranoia. In the final scene I wanted to demonstrate that my characters mental health had deteriorated. I tried to portray that she was wealthy and educated was by talking in an upper-class, educated accent, and by dressing in a smart suit. I could have improved my performance by making my accent more pronounced, doing my hair in a more sophisticated way, and wearing some tasteful make-up. In the first scene I tried to convey her longing for a child by delivering the words as if I was completely wrapped up in my problem and as if I was talking to myself rather than anyone in particular. To demonstrate this, when I said the lines about only buying such a big house in the hope of having children, I looked down at the table rather than looking at my partner because I wanted to make it seem as if Mrs Lyons felt vulnerable because she was being so open. I concentrated on what I was doing at the time, which was getting something out of my bag, to try and convey that my character was fighting back tears, and didnt want to look at Mrs Johnstone in case she showed her any sympathy or pity, which might have made her cry. I think I could have emphasised my characters reaction when she found out that Mrs Johnstone was pregnant in a similar way to Kara when she choked back her tea. In the second scene I wanted to show the first signs of my characters madness, when, on learning that Mrs Johnstone is expecting twins, she comes up with the extraordinary idea that she should fake her pregnancy and take one of the babies. I tried to express how she got more excited by speaking more quickly and by the tone of my voice. I also moved around a lot and started to talk more to myself than to my partner as my character got more carried away with her plan. In the third scene, where Mrs Lyons sacks Mrs Johnstone, I started off talking in a very authoritative tone and avoided eye contact with Becky because the supply teacher explained that when you have a problem with someone, you dont look at them. As the conversation develops, and Mrs Johnstone threatens to take the baby away or tell the police, I wanted to show that Mrs Lyons was manipulating Mrs Johnstone by playing on her superstition and lying to her that shell be locked up if she tells anyone what happens. I showed this by getting close up to Becky and talking quite slowly and with a deep voice, in a threatening way. Because I am quite a bit taller than Becky, I was also able to look down on her, which reflected the difference in class between the two characters. I think it was a mistake to avoid mannerisms as compared to some other groups, whose little individual touches made their plays stand out, our performance was quite boring.

Economics of Competitive Advantage Essay Example for Free

Economics of Competitive Advantage Essay A globalized economy in its theory entails opening up of the local economy of a certain country towards internationalization, creating a â€Å"borderless world economy†. Thus, ideally, it should pave the way for economic interdependence and promote economic fair play amongst participating countries. Globalization shall surely expose an economy towards the world market due to increased amount of global trade and exchanges in products and services and by encouraging application for an open-economy. Globalization has imposed too many changes on the international monetary policies. On the other hand, international monetary has seriously influenced trade and investment policies, finance, tourism and many other aspects that are coincided with the modernity imposed by globalization. Moreover, open-economy principles have profoundly affected exchange rate policies on the macro level. Thus, international economic migration has increased exposure towards international financial changes and commercial flows. (Frieden, p. 1) Moreover, according to Betts and Kehoe (2004), the aggregate real exchange rate movements are believed to be influenced by inter-country movements with regards to the relative prices of their traded goods within countries. Also, the currency denomination of international trade widely influences the trade prices of goods and services. Thus, it also turns out that changes or fluctuation in the on currency will decrease the buying power of a particular currency if compared to other currencies that have less amount of fluctuations in their market. In addition, the strong market competitors in this case, are those who are believed to have strong economic relations with participating countries, thus they carry an edge towards their trade practices. Nevertheless, they don’t act to stabilize world exchange rates, rather they only work to provide balance of trades and multi-lateral interaction amongst participating nations. There are several factors that affect the bilateral rate movements which have significant economic effects. According to the Reserve Bank of Australia Bulletin (RBAB) (1998, p. 2) These are: (1) divergences between export and import and aggregated trade-weighted exchange rates; (2) role of US dollar as currency for international trade; (3) longer-term pricing of commodity exports in terms of other major currencies; and (4) importance of bilateral rates vis-a vis competitor countries with relatively little direct trade. These changes however, the depreciation or appreciation can create effects on international competitiveness. Moreover, aside from purely economic reasons of rate fluctuations, the political side behind changes in the market activity is also significant. This political-economic aspect is important most especially amongst developing nations. The emergence of developing countries and the continuing influence of strong countries amongst less empowered countries create domestic and international political pressures that are integral to the competitiveness of the participating countries (Freiden, p. 12) Thus, economically speaking, exchange rate fluctuations have impacts on the country’s competitiveness. Stability or non-stability of their currency has adverse effects on the currency’s buying and trading power. On the political aspect, excluding the changes and fluctuations in the currency rates, powerful groups and powerful consumers affect international economic integration. And thus the openness of world economy therefore pushes more politicized movements and political pressures in the economic arena.

Study on the Effects of Methyl Mercury

Study on the Effects of Methyl Mercury KOLIANDRIS Damianos EHS 519 Introduction Methyl mercury is ranked in the top ten groups of chemicals listed as environmental problem globally and is significant associated for public health issues8, 10. Published literature suggests that methyl mercury is suspected to have negative effects brain development and the consumption of this compound pregnant woman may eventually lead significant neurological defects in newborns13. We will identify the adverse effects (if any) of methyl mercury by examining major epidemiological and animal studies and using the mean levels of exposure, we will assess the level of exposure of methyl mercury and work out the BMDL and RfD. Hazard Identification We will study Mercury. Mercury exists in different forms, either in elements (or metals) as inorganic form (occupational exposure); and organic form such as methyl mercury (dietary exposure) 1. Mercury, a natural element in water, soil and air, is considered by WHO as one of the top 10 groups of chemicals of major public health concern1. Methyl Mercury primarily targets the nervous system during its early development1. That is why foetuses and young children are mostly vulnerable to Methyl Mercury’s adverse health effects. Methyl Mercury is oxidised in the brain and causes chronic diseases 2,3,4,5. Specifically, in the Faroe Islands, people consume whale meat at very high rates. The population was found to be highly contaminated and the researchers associated europsychological deficits at 7 years of age Developmental delays with the methylmercury exposures6. The Faroe Islands and New Zealand studies provide evidence of a negative association between methylmercury in seafood consumed by pregnant women and the neurodevelopmental capabilities of the siblings at the age of 4 and 6-7 years old. Even in low concentrations of methylercury, the effects are small but still there 6,8 The Seychelles study did not detect any significant associations between developmental tests and methylmercury exposure. The study measured concentration of hair mercury in pregnant mothers and then evaluated the development capabilities of children at 6.5, 19, 29 and 66 months of age7. From the study there is no evidence about the association of MeHg exposure and DDST-R where was showed in pilot study7. The New Zealand study associated exposure to Methyl mercury with mental development of children at the age of 4 and 6-7 years old8. The study shoes a high exposure group consisted of 200 children (mean exposure = 9ÃŽ ¼g/g) at the age of 6 to 7 years old, lower mental capabilities were observed as opposed to the Control group with lower exposure rates. Nevertheless, JEFCA posed several methodological questions on this study1, 7. Exposure assessment Various epidemiological studies were conducted in which researchers assed the level of exposure of the mothers of the children. Noteworthy attention is given in the study in the Faroe Islands6, in Seychelles7 and in New Zealand8. The studies we examined 6,7,8 and the report for WHO1, suggest that the population is primarily exposed through seafood consumption. Since methylmercury oxidises in the brain during early development stages, the adverse effects are apparent to foetuses and young children where cognitive capabilities are mainly affected. The population of Faroe Islands is not more than 50,000 people and the New Zealand is roughly 4.5 million. It is evident that population that resides in islands and fish consumption is highly observed, and then the exposure is of high rates. Typical levels of fish consumption vary between 1ÃŽ ¼g/g and 9ÃŽ ¼g/g (Faroe) and sometimes higher (10ÃŽÅ"g/g in New Zealand). The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) determined that a steady-state daily ingestion of methylmercury of 1.5 ÃŽ ¼g/kg body weight/day would result in the concentration in maternal blood estimation1. Table 1: GUIDANCE FOR IDENTIFYING POPULATIONS AT RISK FROM MERCURY EXPOSURE, August 2008, Issued by UNEP DTIE Chemicals Branch and WHO Department of Food Safety, Zoonoses and Foodborne Diseases Dose-Response Analysis The population in Faroe Islands was found to be highly contaminated of about 2 mg methyl mercury/kg6. The results were also (statistically) significant even when they excluded children whose mothers exceed 10 ÃŽ ¼g/g 6. This study included many neuropsychological tests such as Finger Tapping, Hand-Eye Coordination, an Intelligence scale (Wechsler), Similarities, and Block Designs, Visual and verbal tests by Bender6. The 3 studies (Faroe, N. Zealand and Seychelles) were used by the US EPA to derive an RfD of 0.11 ÃŽ ¼g/Kg boy weight per day for methyl mercury. The benchmark dose was derived with an uncertainty factor of 10 and based on the 95% confidence levels of the 3 studies1. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives concluded pregnant women exposure to methyl mercury neurotoxic effects were the most sensitive health outcome of the 3 studies. Original BMDLs of 17–24mg/kg were produced. Nevertheless, a single observation in the New Zealand study (86ÃŽ ¼g/Kg) seemed to inflate this BMDL, and when omitted a BMDLs of 7.4–10mg/kg was derived. Minor adverse effects are expected when the threshold of 0.056ÃŽ ¼g/l is not exceed1. This threshold was obtained by dividing a maternal hair-mercury concentration of 14mg/kg by the hair: blood ratio of 250. In humans, the steady state concentration of mercury in blood can be related to average daily intake using a one-compartment model that incorporates refinements to the original WHO formula, as follows: [u1] Using this equation, the Committee determined that a steady-state daily ingestion of methyl mercury at 1.5 mg/kg of body weight per day would result in a maternal blood-mercury concentration that would have no appreciable adverse effects on offspring in these two study populations. Potential human variability was taken into account by the application of adjustment or uncertainty factors such as â€Å"inter individual variation in pharmacokinetics† Risk Characterisation Mercury, a natural element in water, soil and air, is considered by WHO as one of the top 10 groups of chemicals of major public health concern1. Exposure to mercury – even small amounts – causes major health problems, and is treated for the development of the child in utero in early years. The studies have shown that people, who consume fish and shellfish, are more likely to be exposed to methylmercury1. References WHO. (2006). Exposure to Mercury: A major public health concern. Preventing Disease Through Healthy Environments, 4. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2011.12.007 Kanai, Y. et al (2003): Functional properties of multispecific amino acid transporters and their implications to transpoter-mediated toxicity. Journal of Toxicological Sciences. 28 (1): 1-17 Kerper et al (1992), Methylmercury transport across the blood-brain barrier by an amino acid carrier. American Journal of Physiology Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 262 (5): 761-765. Mottet et al, (1985), Health risks from increases in methylmercury exposure, , Environ Health Perspect. Nov;63:133-40. Sakamoto et al (2004), Maternal and fetal mercury and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as a risk and benefit of fish consumption to fetus, Environ Sci Technol. Jul 15;38(14):3860-3. Grandjean et al (1997), Cognitive deficit in 7-year-old children with prenatal exposure to methylmercury, , Neurotoxicol Teratol. Nov-Dec;19(6):417-28. Myers, G. J., Davidson, P. W., Shamlaye, C. F., Axtell, C. D., Cernichiari, E., Choisy, O., †¦ Clarkson, T. W. (1997). Effects of prenatal methylmercury exposure from a high fish diet on developmental milestones in the Seychelles Child Development Study. Neurotoxicology, 18(3), 819–829. Kjellstrom at al (1986), Physical and mental development of children with prenatal exposure to mercury from fish. Stage 2:Interviews and psychological tests at age 6. Report 3642, National Swedish Environmental Protection Board Castoldi, A. F., Onishchenko, N., Johansson, C., Coccini, T., Roda, E., Vahter, M., †¦ Manzo, L. (2008). Neurodevelopmental toxicity of methylmercury: Laboratory animal data and their contribution to human risk assessment. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 51(2), 215–229. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2008.03.005 Stern, A. H., Smith, A. E. (2003). An assessment of the cord blood: Maternal blood methylmercury ratio: Implications for risk assessment. Environmental Health Perspectives, 111(12), 1465–1470. http://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.6187 Gilbert, S. G., Grant-Webster, K. S. (1995). Neurobehavioral effects of developmental methylmercury exposure. In Environmental Health Perspectives (Vol. 103, pp. 135–142). http://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.95103s6135 Grandjean, P., Herz, K. T. (2011). Methylmercury and brain development: Imprecision and underestimation of developmental neurotoxicity in humans. Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, 78(1), 107–118. http://doi.org/10.1002/msj.20228 UNEP DTIE Chemicals Branch, WHO Department of Food Safety, Z. and F. D. (2008). GUIDANCE FOR IDENTIFYING POPULATIONS AT RISK FROM MERCURY EXPOSURE. Exposure.

The Image of Alcohol Use in Country Music Essay -- Songs Singing Media

The Image of Alcohol Use in Country Music The relative presence or absence of clear norms prescribing certain kinds of alcohol use has long been regarded as a key factor in rates of alcoholism (e.g., 1, 2). In societies where it is expected that drinking will be used as a means to facilitate certain kinds of behavior or to assuage problems the incidence of alcohol problems is much higher than in those where expectations are that it be used for ceremonial functions (3). The purpose of the present study was to examine the current image of alcohol use in country music, an element of American popular culture in which alcohol use and misuse has long been a major theme (4, 5). In country music the simple ideal and real values of the southern and southwestern regions of the United States, as well as middle-America generally, are explicitly stated. The lyrics affirm a simple and working classes and by those whose class origins are in these two groups. Therefore, analysis of such lyrical expressions provides an opportunity to explore values common to large segments of the population. We hypothesized (1) that country music would reflect a high degree of ambivalence concerning the use of alcohol, wavering between an ideal value and a real one, and (2) that it would promote or prescribe the use of alcohol for the facilitation or assuagement. While the ideal values of society, particularly the agrarian society from which country music stems, tend to portray drinking as "evil", the lyrics also extol its use. Adhering to the traditional fundamentalist view of alcohol as a tool of Satanic temptation (6), the ideal view condemns the use of alcohol. The real values, however, are quite different: Drinking is seen as related to manhood... ... Two particular attitudes were found: (1) highly ambivalent feelings toward alcohol use and (2) the promotion of drinking for the sake of facilitation and assuagement. These two themes are clearly related to a large body of literature on the relationship between societal attitudes toward drinking and the existence of alcohol problems. Fallding (3), for instance, demonstrated the potential destructiveness of drinking patterns based on ambivalent attitudes and the use of alcohol as a problem-solving mechanism. The presence of these themes in a "grass roots" expression of attitudes such as country music is an indication of their depth in the American social milieu. American society has no clear consistent drinking pattern, and, assuming that the values and attitudes expressed in these songs reflect basic attitudes, is not likely to develop such a set of norms.

History, Culture and Self Discovery in Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club Essay

History, Culture and Self Discovery in Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the novel The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, the relationship between history, culture and identity is illustrated through the narrations of seven women. In these stories the women discuss events of their past and the reader is able to see how it affects them later in life. In addition, they also discuss how they have been shaped by cultural expectations. These two things affect both the mothers and daughters in the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The best example of how personal history affects the development or loss of an identity is through the stories of Ying-Ying St. Clair. The events in Ying-Ying’s early life foreshadow ones that happen later in her life. For example, when Ying-Ying was a small child she fell overboard a boat and was lost in the water. Even her name means "clear reflection" which foreshadows her future loss of identity (Tan). Later, she immigrated to the United States and ended up being stuck on Angel Island Immigration Station for three weeks, "lost in a sea of immigration categories"(Tan 107). Throughout her life she was able to see things before they happened, but this did not allow her to prevent the loss of her sense of self.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During Ying-Ying’s first marriage she plays the role of an obedient wife so well that she becomes one and puts it above everything else. Later in the book when she looks back on it she states, "I became a stranger to myself"(Tan 280). After all this the man is unfaithful to her and leaves her for an opera singer. It is to this event that she attributes the loss of the golden side of her tiger sprit. Long after this, when St. Clair began courting her, she saw this as a sign that she would also lose the other half of h... ...es she wants to keep the house and is in control of her life again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many of the characters in the novel are struggling to find themselves. Personal history is an obvious contributor to the development of the characters' senses of self. The events that occur in a character’s past influence their attitudes toward themselves and the way they treat their daughters. The two cultures that meet in the families portrayed also influence these attitudes. It is only when the characters take both these factors into account can they begin to discover their true selves. Work Cited Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Random House, 1989. Sources Consulted Do, Thuan Thi. Chinese-American Women in American Culture. 1992 http://www.ics.uci.edu/~tdo/ea/chinese.html Jokinen, Anniina. Anniina's Amy Tan Page. 1996 http://www.luminarium.org/contemporary/amytan/

Order vs Chaos in John Steinbecks Cannery Row :: Cannery Row Essays

The theme of Cannery Row, in short, is no less than a poetic statement of human order surrounded by a chaotic and essentially indifferent universe, and this is one reason why the structure of the book does seem so "loose" - why Steinbeckian digressions and interchapters so often interrupt the flow of narrative. A wandering and mysterious Oriental threads his way through the story with no "purpose" but to remind us of the emptiness and pathos and loneliness we all share, things which render our cruelty or ambition futile. The face of a drowned girl appears like a paradoxical vision of "immortal death"; a chaos of sea-life-and-feeding is given order and shape by an obscure scientist - observer, who realizes the he is himself part of the processes which he catalogues; a serio-comic painter devotes himself to work which inevitably comes to nothing - and we recognize an allegory of our own labors; there is suicide, loneliness, joy, love, and isolation jumbled together in a peculiar and haphazard fashion which somehow results in emotion neither peculiar nor haphazard; the recognition of ourselves. The symbolism of chaos-and-order is basic to Cannery Row; various characters, each in his own fashion, try to arrange and observe what cannot, in any essential aspect, be changed. As Steinbeck says in one of his "inter-chapters" or digressions, it is the function of The World-of human communication-to create by means of faith and art an Order of love which is mankind's only answer to that fate which all men, and indeed all life, must ultimately share. And if John Steinbeck turns to the "outcasts" from society as symbols for this vision, it may be that only the outcasts of machine Order vs Chaos in John Steinbeck's Cannery Row :: Cannery Row Essays The theme of Cannery Row, in short, is no less than a poetic statement of human order surrounded by a chaotic and essentially indifferent universe, and this is one reason why the structure of the book does seem so "loose" - why Steinbeckian digressions and interchapters so often interrupt the flow of narrative. A wandering and mysterious Oriental threads his way through the story with no "purpose" but to remind us of the emptiness and pathos and loneliness we all share, things which render our cruelty or ambition futile. The face of a drowned girl appears like a paradoxical vision of "immortal death"; a chaos of sea-life-and-feeding is given order and shape by an obscure scientist - observer, who realizes the he is himself part of the processes which he catalogues; a serio-comic painter devotes himself to work which inevitably comes to nothing - and we recognize an allegory of our own labors; there is suicide, loneliness, joy, love, and isolation jumbled together in a peculiar and haphazard fashion which somehow results in emotion neither peculiar nor haphazard; the recognition of ourselves. The symbolism of chaos-and-order is basic to Cannery Row; various characters, each in his own fashion, try to arrange and observe what cannot, in any essential aspect, be changed. As Steinbeck says in one of his "inter-chapters" or digressions, it is the function of The World-of human communication-to create by means of faith and art an Order of love which is mankind's only answer to that fate which all men, and indeed all life, must ultimately share. And if John Steinbeck turns to the "outcasts" from society as symbols for this vision, it may be that only the outcasts of machine

Needs of Customer Essay

Greeting Service When customers walk into a restaurant, whether it is McDonald’s or Chez Pierre, they expect to be acknowledged. This is a small service, but it is imperative to the success of the restaurant, as customers who are not greeted may simply walk out and eat somewhere else. The type of host a restaurant has will depend on the type of restaurant it is as well as how busy it is. Some restaurants pay hosts to greet customers, call names off waiting lists and walk customers to their tables. In other restaurants, management and wait staff take over this duty. Regardless of what you can afford for your restaurant, always make sure someone has the responsibility of greeting the guests and that person knows it is her responsibility. Wait Staff When customers go to a restaurant, they expect a good wait staff, unless they are dining at a fast-food chain. Even then, customers expect the counter workers to get their orders right in an appropriate amount of time and solve problems quickly and courteously. In traditional, sit-down restaurants, customers expect the wait staff to be attentive, but not too attentive. Wait staff should not hover or interrupt, but they also should come back frequently enough to attend to their customers’ needs. In addition, they should bring food in a timely manner and handle problems, such as food that has been sent back pleasantly. Customers also expect wait staff to be friendly and personable. Environment Customers usually go to restaurants to meet with others socially in a friendly environment. Although environment is not usually considered a service, service plays a large role in creating a good environment. In addition to making sure the restaurant is clean, attractive and the decor is consistent with the food and restaurant’s image, restaurant owners need to tell their staff it’s OK to let guests linger. Wait staff should not hint that it is time for the guests to go. For example, they should not rush the food to the table unless the customer requests it. They also should not start to clean nearby tables in an obvious manner or wait for customers to get out their money to pay the check. To the contrary, wait staff should say things like, â€Å"Feel free to chat as long as you like — let me know if you’ll need some dessert or a drink refill.† Food and Drink Probably the most important service that a customer expects to receive when dining out is a good selection of delicious and well-presented food. According to London wine writer Jamie Goode, it is more important that food be simple and good tasting, made with quality ingredients, than to be fancy or pretentious. Goode also notes that customers expect a large wine selection that is not overpriced. Furthermore, customers expect food to be consistent with the image of the restaurant. Customers who are dining at a family restaurant, for example, expect sandwiches, traditional dinners and moderate prices. At a more elegant restaurant, prices can be higher but food needs to be more of the gourmet variety.

Concept Application Project Essay

Throughout the semester I have explored many topics in sociology. While exploring these topics, three main theoretical perspectives were used. I will briefly illustrate each of the main theoretical perspectives of functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic Interactionism. During this semester I have watched two films, Food Incorporated and The Vernon Johns Story. I will describe how a theoretical perspective is used in each of these examples. Then I will provide my own two examples where concepts and theoretical perspectives can be illustrated. My First example is the Boston Marathon Bombings and the second is the Mass Media’s coverage of the Boston Bombings. The Functionalist Perspective is a sociological perspective that emphasizes each part of society contributing to the survival of that society. In Sociology in Modules, they define the functionalists perspective as, â€Å"A sociological approach that emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability (Schaefer 15). † The functionalist perspective can be compared to the human body model. Each part of the body performs specific tasks. For example, our legs allow us to walk or run and our lungs allow us to breathe. Without each and every body part, one simply cannot perform to the maximum potential. Now when a functionalist is looking at a society, they may see different social groups that contribute to a larger population. The Conflict Perspective is a sociological perspective that views the world as a constant struggle. In our textbook, Sociology in Modules, they define the conflict perspective as, â€Å"A sociological approach that assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of tension between groups over power or the allocation of resources, including housing, money, access to services, and political representation (Schaefer 15). † There are many areas where conflict can arise in today’s society. Religious groups, political parties, and different social classes, may all have conflicting views with other or opposite groups. Examples of the conflict perspective include means of production versus labor and the concentration of wealth. In recent history, the conflict perspective is becoming more popular. With, â€Å"The widespread social unrest resulting from battles over civil rights, bitter divisions over the war in Vietnam, the rise of the feminist and gay liberation movements, the Watergate political scandal, urban riots, and confrontations at abortion clinics have offered support for the conflict approach (Schaefer 16). † Groups in society with different viewpoints often pose a great threat to conflicting parties. The Interactionist Perspective is the third main sociological perspective where the traditional way of thinking comes from typical human interaction between groups. Sociology in Modules defines the interactionist perspective as, â€Å"generalizations about everyday forms of social interaction in order to explain society as a whole (Schaefer 17). † The interactionist perspective is also know as symbolic interactionism. I believe it is much easier to look at it from a symbolic interactionism perspective because symbols are easier to understand. From a symbolic interactionist perspective, one may see the world we live in as full of objects. These objects can come on the form of people, places, things, thoughts, feelings, or symbols. Symbolic interactionism looks at these symbols to characterize groups by their symbol. Each symbol may be different. For example, a symbol could be the type of color of car you drive, what you wear to work or school everyday, or even tattoos. Groups in society are often characterized by their symbols. These symbols allow people with similar symbols to communicate with ease. Food Incorporated is a documentary film that portrays the corporate farming industry in the United States as unhealthy, harmful, abusive, and inhumane. Food Inc. the movie really gave me something to think about, it only reinforced my beliefs to eat healthy and support organic and free-range grass fed meats. The most meaningful thing to me was when one of the contributors said the corporate farming industry only wants to grow their products â€Å"bigger, fatter, cheaper, faster†. This agribusiness in only in it for the sake of business and they don’t see the other side. On the other side there are these products that are being mass-produced in factory farms. This seemingly only affects the lower class Americans who can only afford the cheapest of food products at the super market. From a financial standpoint, it only makes sense that people are forced to consume such low quality products at their demise. As the conflict theory would describe it, this is a constant struggle between the producer and the consumer. The producers are producing animal products in close quarter factory farms and feeding them corn, which is not a naturally occurring meal. Specifically cattle and chickens are given hormone shots to make them grown bigger, fatter, and faster. These farms do not treat the animals well at all. The animals live in horrible conditions, often times in their own manure. This causes disease to reach to food that eventually people eat. There are cases that come up all the time where products need to be pulled from the shelves in stores because of contaminated foods. The Vernon John’s story is a true story turned into a movie that portrays a Minister, Vernon John, who leads the African Americans in the fight for civil rights. This film demonstrated the development of social change in the south. First, the blacks do not measure up to the whites in social class. They often held position in social that were not important of looked down upon. For example, the position that Vernon John holds is viewed as a conflict by white law enforcement officials. During the early 1900s, Black Americans were being segregated from society. Secondly, During this time, African Americans were not recognized by society as having any value other than slavery. Race and ethnicity played a large role in society during this time. African American Racial groups formed and they were discriminated against. Vernon John is a leader of social change. He stepped up and faced the danger in speaking his views. The movie illustrates two great examples of hate crime in the 1920s. The first is when Vernon John was driving in his car late at night to bring a girl who had been raped to the hospital. The white policemen pulled Vernon John over and just antagonized him for no reason. Another example is when part of Vernon John’s church was set on fire. This was obviously planned by the white Americans out of hatred for Vernon Johns following and community. The blacks were heavily being discriminated against. Third, the government used force and power to exercise their will against Vernon John and the Black Americans. The movie demonstrates a great example of what goes on in society today. Although the United States may not be going through the exact same situation of discrimination as the 1900s, we are still facing sorts of discrimination and hate crimes today. Which leads me into my next example, the recent Boston Marathon bombings. The Boston Marathon bombings is an alleged terrorist attack that happened during the finish of the 2013 Boston Marathon. On April 15th, 2013, two Muslim brothers from Massachusetts detonated two explosives near the finish line of the Marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 200 people. The 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings display the conflict some people have with society. I am not in the head of the bombers or the investigators so I am only speaking from an outside perspective. With that being said, I cannot imagine what they were thinking when setting off these two explosions in front of thousands of people. From the suspects point of view, they must have seen the world from a conflict perspective. They must have believed that they didn’t fit into society. In a Wall Street Journal article, one suspect claims â€Å"he and his brother were angry about the U. S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the killing of Muslims there† (Authorities Say Bomb Suspects Planned NYC Attack). My only guess is that their hatred for the United States is so fierce that they concluded in carrying out these horrible acts. It appears that other groups from over seas heavily influenced the suspects. This is just one example of how government, religion, and cultural differences can become conflicting in society. The mass media can influence the coverage of any story by the time it reaches the public. The mass media is defined by Sociology in Modules as, â€Å"print and electronic means of communication that carries messages to widespread audiences† (Schaefer 153). The leverage they have is huge in what information/sources they have and what they release. In the coverage of the Boston Bombings, the media helped the public understand of what precautions they should take around the threatened area. The media also helped people from across the country understand what was happening in Boston. In this case, I believe the media did a good job in providing accurate information to the public. However, this is not always the case. The conflict view states that gatekeeping can control what information reaches the public. For example the media can choose on which pieces of news to report on, leaving out specifics that could totally twist the story. They can also choose which sources they want to use which may also have an affect on the outcome of the story. Not all social classes have access to certain news sources. Many sources are behind a pay wall, which prohibits some potential viewers from accessing the information. The functionalist view would say that the mass media plays a role in society that keeps it moving forward. Sociology in Modules says, â€Å"the mass media is to occupy our leisure time—from newspaper comics and crossword puzzles to the latest music releases on the Internet. While that is true, the media have other important functions. They also socialize us, enforce social norms, confer status, and promote consumption† (Schaefer 154). This is all very true and it reinforces our viewpoints of the media. Overall, multiple theoretical perspectives can portray the mass media. Indeed, concepts and theoretical perspectives learned in class are used to illustrate events in society today. First, the example of the Vernon John’s story gives one the ability to see the upbringing of social change through the civil rights movement. The second example of the Food Inc. production is one that produces for profit without taking into consideration all the ethical and health needs of American citizens. Third, my example of the Boston Marathon Bombings illustrates conflict and hates crimes in our culture today. Lastly. The mass media acts as an agent between information and the public through print and electronic versions. The conflict and functionalists theoretical perspectives can be used to analyze the mass media. Therefore, social concepts and theoretical perspectives are used throughout the society we live in today. ? Works Cited â€Å"Authorities Say Bomb Suspects Planned NYC Attack. † WSJ. com. Associated Press, 26 Apr. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Movie One, 2008. DVD. Schaefer, Richard T. Sociology In Modules. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. McGrawHills Connect. Web. 4 Apr. 2013. The Vernon Johns Story. Dir. Kenneth Fink. 1994. DVD.

Conflict and culture Essay

Conflict is an integral part of human culture. When a number of people of interact with their own individual perspectives, view points, ideologies, cultural and social backgrounds and intellectual development then differences and debates are bound to arise as a logical and inevitable consequence of the interaction (Killian and Pammer Jr. 2003, 3). These differences, acted upon by incompatible interests of attaining personal goals, change into conflict within groups, societies and nations. (Rahim, 2001,1) The greater the diversity and richer the profile of a society, the greater is the scope and range of its embedded conflict. Therefore it is essential to educate people on understanding and handling conflict and treat as an integral component of a democratic society that is important for developing a healthy social life (Killian and Pammer Jr. 2003, 3). In every conflict, whether it is individual or at social scale, culture has always an important role to play. Depending upon the actors involved and the context of conflict, the role of culture in conflict can be direct or subtle, but it is always present as the ultimate factor in deciding the scope of conflict, its direction or its outcome. Culture even decides the existence of conflict, for people who are embedded in the culture of seeing world as a harmonious entity, may not be aware of any conflict through their life. In all the major disputes, debates and disagreement taking place around world, differences in cultural identities and perceptions are fundamental causative factors. A further evidence of the role that culture plays is evinced by peace and harmony existing among societies that have same culture, such as observed between USA and Britain, sharing same historical and cultural roots. Every conflict, whether it is trans-generational, geographical, religious, organizational, or personal, has a cultural component involved. People enshrined in their own culture often react with hostility against any cultural identity that appears contrary to their thought process and ideas. It follows therefore that any effort of conflict resolution needs to incorporate cultural understanding and acknowledge the existence and necessity of diversity (ibid).

Mexico’s Experience after NAFTA

The question whether Mexico has benefited from NAFTA is still under discussion and constant debates. Some claim that since NAFTA there is a significant increase in poverty rates, whereas others provide the opposite information. Apparently, in broader terms, the country has benefited from free trade agreement and NAFTA is surely good for Mexican population, although it leads to inevitable changes in agricultural sector. However, changes don’t mean turning situation for worse. In particular, two-way trade between the United States and Mexico swiftly grew up and amounts up to $231 billion in 2002 compared with $81 billion in 1993. It means that Mexican modest trade deficit is turned into trade surplus of about $37 billion. (Williams 2004) Further, country’s export grew as well up to 80% during 1985-1993 after accession to GATT. Since NAFTA the growth rate has even doubled. Mexico’s export of end-products amounts about 90% of total exports. It leads to creation of more jobs and higher paying. The next moment to mention is that the annual growth of gross domestic product (GDP) is 5.4% in 2000 compared with 3.9% during 1990-1994. Many economic analysts say that both export and international trade are keys to accelerating country’s economic and financial recovery after crisis in 1995. During 2001-2002 GDP growth slowed down because of economic woes in the USA, but since 2002 it has been increasing. (Gruben 2001) Agricultural export has also certain benefits since accession to NAFTA. Previously, the country’s annual deficit was about &1.5 billion with the USA, but since NAFTA agricultural export has doubled as well – in 2002 growth of agricultural exports was about 9%. The next benefit is lower costs inputs for country’s food processing due to increased competition and free trade. Moreover, decreased inflation rates for food products provided excellent opportunities for stabilizing inflation since 1990s. It may seem that increased competition would destroy some business, but the positive moment is that the dollar value of country’s agricultural production has increased – for pork up to 24%, for beef up to 13%, for chicken up to 60%, for fruits up to 27%, for sorghum up to 85%, and for vegetables up to 36%. (Williams 2004) Despite increased competition, many of Mexico’s sectors remain competitive with the US sectors: fresh fruits, vegetables, live cattle, tomatoes and avocado. Moreover, export of horticultural has also increased by 120%. Mexican debate in agricultural sector is how to offer more protection from imports. However, some claim that party simple seeks ways how to capitalize relations with the rural poor. For example, David Williams writes that â€Å"NAFTA provisions coupled with the U.S. Farm Bill, often have been portrayed as portending certain doom for Mexico's agricultural sector; however, U.S. producers absorb costs that Mexican producers do not, such as high labor costs, costs of compliance with strict environmental and worker safety regulations and taxes†. (Williams 2004) Actually, Mexico faces domestic structural problems which can’t be addressed by NAFTA. Creation of new jobs, lower consumer prices and deceased inflation rates allowed farmer not to feel dependent from agricultural sector mainly. Transition from agricultural sector is inevitable even without NAFTA. Summing up, Mexico has benefited from NAFTA, and nowadays about 20% of country’s GDP is â€Å"attributable to trade made possible by NAFTA provisions†. (Williams 2004) Country’s rural regions also benefited from NAFTA as free trade ensured creation of thousands of new jobs along with higher payments. Mexican government announced that poverty rates had decreased in urban and rural areas since 1995. So, Mexico revealed that free trade was necessary for accelerating economic and financial development and transitions to competitive manufacturing sectors. Future Mexico’s policies are to focus on generating more jobs, developing more trade opportunities and improving productivity of those businesses which have the competitive potential. (Sandronsky 2006) References Gruben, William. (2001). Was NAFTA behind Mexico’s High Maquiladora Growth? Retrieved January 11, 2008, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DKI/is_2001_3/ai_82092014 Sandronsky, Seth. (2006). Mexico after NAFTA. Retrieved January 11, 2008 Williams, David. (2004). Mexico's NAFTA Experience – North American Free Trade Agreement. Retrieved January 11, 2008, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3723/is_1_16/ai_114328142/pg_2                  

Automotive Industry in Slovakia Essay Example for Free

Automotive Industry in Slovakia Essay 2. Describe the industry and explain why you have chosen that one (Porter’s five forces). The automotive industry is a big term; indeed it is used to describe a large range of companies and organizations engaged in the development, design, manufacture, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. The automotive industry is one of the world’s most important economic sectors in terms of revenue. The automotive industry is one of the biggest industries in Slovakia with big manufacturers such as Volkswagen, PSA Peugeot- Citroà «n and Kia. Porter’s Five Forces are used to examine the attractiveness of an industry. It is done by observing five forces which influence that industry. The five forces are; 1. The threat of new entrants 2. The bargaining power of customers 3. The threat of substitute products 4. The bargaining power suppliers have 5. The intensity of the competitive rivalry This is generally a very low threat. Factors to examine for this threat include all barriers to entry such as upfront capital requirements, brand equity, legislation and government policy and the ability to distribute the product. A new entrant will also have to adapt he’s cars to the customers habits, e.g. bigger cars in the US than in Europe. 2. The bargaining power of customers: There are so many cars to choose nowadays. The main factors that affect the customer’s choice to purchase a car or not are: * The appearance * Quality * Price * Environmental effect Customers like to have the latest brand new looking car on the market. The quality of the car will be an important issue in the choice. The car has to be efficient, which means a safe and less consuming car. Due to all the competitors you find in the market, customers will be able to purchase a cheaper car at a good level of quality. Car manufacturers are also building environmental friendly cars; indeed, they have to take into consideration all the environmental problems we are having nowadays. A car will be purchased depending on the lifestyle of the buyer. 3. The threat of substitute products There are very low substitute products, indeed apart from the second hand business where you are able to purchase older cars at lower prices than the new ones or a city/country with very good public transportation, bicycle lanes that would allow you to move in a different and cheaper way than our usual cars you will not find any other substitute. 4. The bargaining power suppliers have: In the car industry this refers to all the suppliers of parts, tires, components, electronics, and even the assembly line workers. Suppliers usually have very low power, indeed, each manufacturer has many suppliers. Toyota has more than 10 different suppliers in the US which means car manufacturers do not rely at all on the suppliers but the suppliers rely on the manufacturers. 5. The intensity of the competitive rivalry In most countries all carmakers are engaged in fierce competition. All major car-producing nations experience this intense rivalry. This obviously includes the US, Japan, Italy, France, the UK, Germany, China, India, and more. While a Porters five forces analysis applies to all companies competing in one same industry, what differs is that those firms’ profitability will vary between them. This is because of their own competitive advantages and varying business models. So just because all firms in one industry and market are subject to the same forces doesn’t mean they perform equally. We should not forget that an analysis of Porters five forces will not be the same in all countries and same for the type of automotive industry, we understand by type whether if it’s the electric car industry or the conventional car industry. 4. Describe profile of successful business leader (or company) operating in this industry. Identify key elements of the strategy that lead her/him to success. Automotive Industry in Slovakia. (2016, Dec 08).

Please write a 2,5003,000 word research paper incorporating MLA Essay

Please write a 2,5003,000 word research paper incorporating MLA documented information from the five primary sources you have abstracted that evaluates an Amer - Essay Example We are the microcosm of the culture that shaped and is shaping our lives. Although we exhibit our own culture everyday through our actions and thinking, it is hard to talk about or explain it because it already seem second-nature to us. For example, Americans celebrate Independence Day to commemorate the end of war and oppression, celebrate Thanksgiving with roasted turkey, and celebrate Halloween with kids going door to door for the "trick or treat" - all these are part of the American tradition. Americans are also pro-democracy, and will go to a great extent to fight against tyranny. These traditions and beliefs all seem very natural to an average American that most go about them without question or resistance. They are just the way they are, and they represent the status quo. Our culture defines and dominates us as result of a lifetime of socialization through many cultural institutions (Pearce, 1999). Socialization is important for a culture to survive, so it can pass itself from one generation to the next generation. A culture needs to perpetuate itself and preserve the society and its identity, and it does this by conditioning its members that the culture is natural, normal, good and in their best interests (Pearce, 1999). Children are sociChildren are socialized by their parents or caretakers to behave in a way that is pleasing and socially acceptable. At an early age, they are subjected to authority, to control, to conformity, according to society's beliefs and practices. In the same principle, teenagers follow the same socialization process but modelling from friends and peer groups rather than from parents. Women too have been socialized to act, think and feel as second-class citizens by the generally paternalistic society, although the advent of feminism is slowly changing this. Lastly, poor people and the ethnic minorities have also been socialized to feel and believe that they are economically and culturally inferior compared to the dominant educated, affluent majority. In our lifetime, we are exposed to many different cultural institutions such as schools, churches, the media, the arts, and others. These institutions shape the way we think and the way we communicate. We conform to social conventions that were thought to us by these institutions. Conventions can be any commonly agreed forms of behavior, dress, art, literature or film, etc (Pearce, 1999). For instance, we label a girl who wears a miniskirt, a cleavage-revealing top, high heels and full make up, as a slut. We do so because there is a common understanding in our society about how a slut should dress, and we agree to that understanding. Since childhood we have been conditioned to understand how the world of adults is like. Parents give their children toys that actually are smaller versions of adult objects such as playhouses, dolls, cars, kitchen utensils, appliances, toy guns and many more. All these toys, with the exception of educational toys, mean something and they all present to the child how modern adult life is played (Barthes, 1954). The toys are conditioning and preparing children to accept adult life, and not merely entertaining them. For instance, girls are given dolls and playhouses to play with, which is in fact a way of

Enrollment trends in adult education or training setting, such as Research Paper

Enrollment trends in adult education or training setting, such as community college, university, distance learning, workplace-sp - Research Paper Example However, these statistics are generic and do not account for differences of such elements as race, ethnicity, income, disability or gender. Examination of these numbers from the microscope of these elements increases challenges. Attainment of education has been the most difficult for the poor. In the last 6 years, no more than 8 per cent and 7 per cent of the poor have attained an associate degree and a bachelor degree respectively. This article by Ginsberg and Wlodkowski (n.d.) tends to determine the population that generally participates in adult education, explore the concept of adult participation, the individual and institution specific factors which can increase the adult participation in learning, and the means to ensure greater and equitable participation. The authors started the discussion with the definitions of such terms as adult basic education, access, persistence, formal, informal and nonformal learning, and workplace learning so that the audience may perceive the disc ussion with respect to their understanding of the respective terms. The researchers found that least earning adults with least formal education were least participative in adult education programs while workers aged between 45 and 54 years were the greatest participants of the formal and nonformal education programs. Hispanic adults that did not complete high school were found least likely to participate in formal learning programs in the workplace.

Financial Management in Nonprofit Organizations Essay - 3

Financial Management in Nonprofit Organizations - Essay Example Another important difference in the financial management of the two types of organizations is the constraint of non distribution. Nonprofit organizations cannot distribute the profit generated to the owners. Nonprofit organizations do not have any owners. Thus the people who fund the organizations do not necessarily gain any kind of control over the firm. The nonprofit organizations have board just like profit making organizations. Although there is one major difference, that the boards of the nonprofit organizations are self appointed. Thus the board members are not accountable to the shareholders. There is considerable debate in these two matters, one is the bringing in accountability in the actions of the board members and other one is granting the investors with the rights to control the firm. It is advisable that the board members be held accountable for the actions taken, since this will help to bring in controllability and responsibility in the actions. The second recommendati on is to grant the investors who provide the firm with specific and important investments, the right to control the firm to some extent. Introduction The mode of operations for a nonprofit organization is markedly different than that of a profit making organization. ... he topics which are chosen for further discussion are difference in the sources of fund, difference in the use of debt, difference in the evaluation of the performance and the difference in the mechanism of governance in the nonprofits. Sources of fund In case of debt financing a nonprofit organization organization has options to raise funds from grants, debts, overdraft and line of credit. Whereas an organization that works for the generation of profit are allowed to raise funds from the operations and financial capital markets. The concept is very simple, the net income is income left after deducting all kind of expenses from the total revenue is utilized in two ways, either it is given away to the investors or is utilized for the purpose of the business (Stephen, 2012). A nonprofit organization organization can only retain the profit for its business purposes and cannot distribute profit to the equity holders. Thus it is not able to finance using equity shares and thus it is barre d from raising money from the capital market. Unlike a FP organization, a nonprofit organization organization sets short term goals and objectives. This is the same reason for which the debts are used in a different way in both the organizations. A for profit organization may use short term debt for both long term as well as short term purposes. For example the for profit organization which is in need of $ 10 million, can resort to short term financing of $ 2.5 million in four equal installments (Stigler, 2011). The cost of financing through such short term borrowing will be considerably more, producing a debt burden over the organization. For profit organization can still manage to pay for the interest as well as the principal due to the fact that they enjoy a steady flow of cash

Assess the argument that a new era of automation is leading to higher Term Paper

Assess the argument that a new era of automation is leading to higher inequality and threatening the social order - Term Paper Example Nevertheless, the fact that technology has also resulted in the loss of jobs and layoff of some employees in the course of creating efficiency within organizations is also a fact that cannot be denied. The major difficulty therefore arises in the attempt to balance the positive impacts and the negative impacts of technology on economic progress, employment and the consequent social change. Thus, while the proponents of the argument that technological automation is likely to create higher unemployment going forward are pitching their argument on the negative effects that technology has created historically, the opponents of this argument counter it with pointing at the positive effects of employment creation arising from technological automation. Overall, there is no single industry in the global economy that has not felt the impacts of technological changes that have created automation and replaced manual processes. The difference emanates from the fact that; while technological automation has favorably affected certain industries, it has affected the other industries unfavorably (EMSI, n.p.). Thus, whether technological automation increases or decreases unemployment, is all dependent on which industry is affected. For example, a study undertaken by the Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) to assess the impact of automation on job losses in different industries indicated that the tourism industry in the USA has lost 24% of its jobs by laying-off 38,000 workers between 2002 and 2014 (EMSI, n.p.). However, the internet marketing industry created 99,000 new jobs between the same 12 year period running between 2002 and 2014 (EMSI, n.p.). The increase or decrease in employment has a major impact on the social equal ity or inequality within the society, respectively. Nevertheless, it can be easily concluded that a new era

Discuss how Death of a Salesman comments on American society and Essay

Discuss how Death of a Salesman comments on American society and values - Essay Example In the story, we see Willy as a desperate man in terms of financial and family relationship success. He is constantly in argument with Biff and is always troubled by his inability to earn more money as compared to his brother Ben. Biff and Happy, at their thirties, are still unable to achieve financial success and are characterized by adolescent behavior. This is in contrast with their cousin, Bernard, who became a well- respected lawyer. Linda is depicted as a sympathetic wife who suppresses her disappointment with their family financial and relationship status. The story culminated in Willy's suicide. The story illustrates how deep-seated is the dream of financial success in American society. The pervading aspiration is to achieve financial success. Willy dreams of making more money like his brother. He still retains his belief that his sons are capable of such success too. However, the story also illustrates how failure to achieve such success can affect the psyche of a person. This is shown by Willy's suicide. His act is the mark of a failed man, but, more importantly, it shows the disparity between his aspirations and his actual achievements. From the story, one can see the implications of the concept of the American dream.

Emergency Manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Emergency Manager - Essay Example In doing so it is vital to have integration between federal, state, tribal and other agencies so that the workers can work in a coordinated manner as disaster management is not a task that can be tackled by a single agency alone. Emergency managers are responsible for tactically dealing with emergency situations such as these so as to protect the general public and their properties. The fundamental disciplines of emergency management include mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. The unpredictable nature of disasters makes it difficult to control. The loss and damage caused by disasters is great and during recent years the social and economic costs of disasters has plunged. Climate change, global warming, and the rise in sea levels along with human actions have resulted in an increase in the cost of dealing with disasters. Mitigation is an essential discipline that deals with reducing or eliminating the impact of disasters. It focuses on long term solutions to reduce the ri sk and harmful effects of disasters. Also it involves the participation and partnership of players beyond the usual emergency management including land use planners, building officials, insurance companies, and so on. The mitigation tools being used by officials are: building codes, warning and identification systems, land use planning, public education, insurance, and controls. In order to enhance the construction of structures near hazard locations, technical guidance has been prepared. These have together caused a decrease in the number of casualties due to disasters (Haddow, Bullock, & Coppola 2010). Preparedness refers to the readiness to respond to an emergency situation and has been described as being the first step to emergency management. This phase includes undertaking activities before the disaster occurs to develop operational and procedural efforts to aid an effective response to an emergency management event. Since all organizations are susceptible to disaster therefor e it is recognized that they must ensure their own preparedness efforts (Haddow, Bullock, & Coppola 2010). Proper planning, allocation of resources, prioritizing training of emergency responders and disaster simulation exercises are required as part of an efficient preparedness effort. The steps identified by ICMA (2003) for emergency management preparedness efforts include adoption of emergency management related ordinances, risk assessment, Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), warning systems, resource identification, grant acquisition, mutual aid agreements, trainings, and public awareness (Bumgarner 2008). Emergency response addresses the needs of the population and involves several emergency response programs and capabilities to provide support at times of crisis. The National Response Framework (NSF) was formed in January 2008 by FEMA that provided a series of mechanisms, structures, and policies for incident management. The National Incident Management System (NIMS), which provid es a framework for incident management also works closely with NRF (Haddow, Bullock, & Coppola 2010). Response to an emergency situation involves partnership with several government and non-government agencies and after poor response to Hurricane Katrina the after report resulted in the formation of NSF and the adoption of NIMS to act as a base for coordinating and integrating responses. Response to disasters comes from local responders, state responders, volunteer groups, the Incident Command

ETHICS (Response to a Case Study Dilemma in an Information & Essay

ETHICS (Response to a Case Study Dilemma in an Information & Technology Organisation) - Essay Example And as, organizations requires order, and as, every organization faces its own ethical problems, having a well-defined code of ethics is more than important to safeguard the organization against unethical practices detrimental to the organization’s reputation and services (Heermance 1). This is so because code of ethics set the tone for the expected company’s behavior as, â€Å"it outlines uniform policies, standards and punishments for violations† (Pride, Hughes, & Kapoor 45), thereby guiding organizations in dealing with and judging â€Å"situations not specifically covered in written instructions† (Canton 13). These make code of ethics more than important to the organization as it ensures order in and secures the organization. In business, not all gifts are pleasant and safe to receive as, these can be sources of ethical issues, specifically conflict of interest – â€Å"occurs when a person’s or organization’s obligation to act in the interest of another is interested with by a competing interest that may obstruct the fulfillment of that obligation† (Crane & Matten 366) as illustrated in the case under review. Here, the stakeholders – the owner of a small printing business unexpectedly received a parcel containing 12 bottles of expensive scotch whisky in the mail from the manager of the business’s biggest contract delivery company, two weeks before New Year, yet a few weeks before the expiration of their contract. First, although gift giving is generally an act of goodwill, it is also a bribe. In this case, factors drawing the line between goodwill and bribe such as the relationship of the giver to the receiver, the timing, the costs, and the manner of delivery, i ndicate that the gift is meant to gain (Roa 106) the owner’s choice of Delivery Company in favor of the gift-giver as against other applicants. In this light, acceptance of this gift