Security A+ policy Document Project Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Security A+ policy Document Project - Case Study Example business dealings, processes and tasks. However, in order to achieve these objectives, policies and procedures that are already in place such as, Acceptable Use Policy of Global Distribution, Inc. Information security is the basis for the business that must be incorporated into each element of the organization for instance, administrative service, planning and development, sales and marketing and operations. In addition, these functions need particular controls for mitigating the risk from normal business operations. State and federal laws that are associated with information security and privacy policies are applicable to Global Distribution, Inc., as non-compliance will impose fines, stakeholder confidence, audits and direct revenue loss for Global Distribution, Inc. 1.1 Overview Information security has now become everyone’s business. In fact, every member of staff present at Global Distribution, Inc.is responsible in making themselves alert with the compliance with Global Distribution, Inc. policies, procedures and standards connected with information security. Similarly, a policy is measured as a strategic control followed by budgets and organizations (Osborne, 2006). Information Security is defined as: â€Å"The protection of information systems against unauthorized access to or modification of information, whether in storage, processing or transit, and against the denial of service to authorized users or the provision of service to unauthorized users, including those measures necessary to detect, document, and counter such threats† (Vacca, 2009). The three fundamental objectives regarding Information Security includes Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. This policy draft is based on these three objectives. 2 Purpose of Establishing Information Security Policy An Information Security policy is required by the Global Distribution, Inc. in order to secure information resources from upcoming threats. This is to establish confidence in stakeholder. Moreover, valuable benefits are achieved in the market by securing information security resources. In addition, maximum profit along with trust is generated among the organizations. However, security of any organization does not fully depend on Information technology. Other sources regarding threats to an organization includes vandalism, sabotage, espionage, natural disasters, online frauds, phishing etc. In fact, cyber-crimes can also compromise networks while data in transit. Some of the other threats are non-ethical hacking, viruses, Trojan, malicious codes and denial of service attacks. 2.1 Success Factors In order to implement an effective and successful security policy within Global Distribution, Inc. these factors should be made into consideration: Absolute and inclusive security policy along with security objectives that is parallel to the business objectives of Global Distribution, Inc. A methodology that is compatible along with the Global Distribution, Inc. I n order to support Global Distribution, Inc., a comprehensive and visible senior management is needed. Extremely visible support from Global Distribution, Inc. executive management. Complete and thorough information regarding risk management and security requirement practices. Security requirements are communicated to the Global Distribution, Inc. managers, business partners, clients, software developers and outsourced

Book Report on Dear America Series- Diary of Hattie Campbell Essay Example for Free

Book Report on Dear America Series- Diary of Hattie Campbell Essay This book, written by Kristiana Gregory, is about a thirteen year old girl from Pennsylvania, Hattie Campbell. On her birthday, she was given a diary by her mother and her Aunt June. In the first entry, she mentions her Uncle Milton’s death three days ago while fixing her family’s barn and his funeral the eve of her birthday. At the funeral, the coffin fell out of their cart and was washed into the nearby river. Her father tried to save it but was almost sucked into the paddles of a riverboat. As a sign of apology, the riverboat captain agreed to give Mr Campbell and his family free tickets on his riverboat to go anywhere they wanted. That night, he announced that the family would be heading to the untamed West, at that time occupied by the Indians who were known to be violent. Mrs Campbell was very angry and initiated a â€Å"cold war† with her husband. Two days later, she relents and agrees to head out West. On the way out West, the family met a young adult named Tall Joe, who eventually becomes the captain of their group. Throughout the long trip, they lost many partners as their oxen died or they were shot by Indians. One day, Hattie and her friend, Pepper, are out playing and happened to stumble across what they thought were wild carrots and parsnips. They took some back as it was their turn to cook for the group. Back at camp, they got around their chores and started cooking. A little girl, Cassia, looked longingly at the â€Å"carrots and parsnips† and takes two bites before running off to play. Later, as they were rolling out pastry, they heard screams. They went in the direction of the screams and were horrified to find Pepper’s twin brother, Wade, and some of his friends lying on the ground, jaws clenched so tightly that nobody could pour charcoal and water into their systems to absorb the poison. In the end all of them except Wade died. The women were able to pour charcoal into his mouth. Hattie’s father then went to the tent where the kitchen was. When he saw the â€Å"carrots and parsnips†, he asked Hattie to cut some for him. He put it on the edge of his tongue and spat it out immediately. He said that it was actually water hemlock, a poisonous plant which could kill a horse if it just ate one. A man would die from a bite. They immediately remembered Cassia. They found her limp body and buried her together with the boys. The priest prayed over their graves. The next day, they called all the children and drew on the dirt to show them the difference between water hemlock and wild carrots and parsnips. Eventually, after twenty six months on the road, they reach their destination, Oregon. Along the way the accompanying Aunt June gave birth to a daughter, River Ann Valentine. The family, Aunt June and her husband settled in Oregon and became one of the first pioneers to make it to their destinations.

Issues With Energy Conservation And Sustainability Environmental Sciences Essay

Issues With Energy Conservation And Sustainability Environmental Sciences Essay Traditional sources of energy (coal, natural gas, and nuclear power) consumption present a plethora of issues related to conservation and sustainability. From a conservation standpoint, a reliable access to reasonably priced energy has long been the lifeblood of developed societies. Growing populations in impoverished nations strive for this reliable access at equally low or even more reasonably priced levels. These levels must factor in use, generation, future demand, cultural issues, growth, and a variety of other concerns. Beyond conservation, sustainability issues are also complex. The generation and use of these reliable energy sources bring about sustainability concerns for climate change, acid rain, air pollution, oil spills, strip mining, hazardous waste generation, occupational diseases, radioactivity, and a variety of other adverse environmental consequences. This section will explore the current prevalent uses of energy and the conservation and sustainability issues related to them. In terms of energy consumption, each American consumes (demands) 6.5 gallons of oil per day to heat homes and run our electrical equipment. One means by which Americans can consume less is to make the existing consumption more efficient. Recent estimates indicate that approximately 1/3 of the energy consumed per day is wasted. Turning to the supply side of the equation, coal provides 52%, nuclear energy 20%, and natural gas 16% of the conventional energy usage in the United States. There is a lot of room for energy conservation that would not necessarily require compromising lifestyles. Demand-side management involves promoting techniques that increase energy efficiency. For example, driving 55 miles an hour, turning down the thermostat from 68 to 65, and implementing equipment that is more efficient would certainly enhance energy conservation measures while generating a comparable quality of service by using less energy, thereby freeing up supply. Supply-side management involves seeking new methodologies to provide reliable low priced energy sources to consumers. Problems are involved with both sides of the equation. Social and cultural norms must be modified, a difficult proposition indeed, to manage the demand side of the equation. The supply side of the equation is equally demanding. Most notably, coal used for electric power generation provides a reliable, readily accessible, and low priced fuel source. Yet, hand-in-hand with this economic advantage is the often-unrecognized social problems of air pollution, ecosystem disturbance, and contribution to climate change. Nuclear power, initially thought to be a more environmentally palatable alternative to coal and natural gas, does provide a comparable source from the supply side of the equation. Further, if pervasively implemented, it was believed to also satisfy most of the demand side of the equation. However, there are only about 110 plants operating in the United States and no new plants have been constructed since the mid-20th century. With such promise from both the supply and demand side of the equation, why has nuclear power failed to live up to its lofty expectations? The answer lies in the potentially adverse health, safety, and environmental problems and perceptions associated with nuclear power generation and use. Three primary problems accompany the use of nuclear power generation. These three concerns must be addressed before nuclear power can achieve its real potential. These problems include meltdowns, waste management, and terrorism. Further, the heavy governmental subsidies that were initially invested in nuclear power are no longer available. Moreover, heavy governmental subsidies have been replaced with even heavier governmental controls and regulation. The use of nuclear power represents a social gamble. Estimates of cancer-induced fatalities from meltdowns have ranged from zero (Three Mile Island) to 500,000 for Chernobyl. However, people die from coal generation and pollution. On a lives-lost-per-kilowatt hour basis, nuclear power stacks up equally well to coal production. Yet it is the perception of a potential loss that stacks the deck against nuclear power. In addition, disposal of high-level waste and low-level waste from these facilities, in tandem with the NIMBY philosophy toward waste disposal siting exacerbate an already difficult problem. Finally, the public perception that nuclear reactors could somehow become terrorist weapons, in conjunction with public distrust of scientific risk assessments, has facilitated the widespread perception that nuclear energy sources are unsafe. Natural gas is also thought to be a replacement for coal. It is undeniably safer to produce electricity for both than coal and nuclear power. Moreover, it is the cleanest of the fossil fuels. It yields about 70% more energy for each unit then than coal. As you can expect, its share of the electric power generation market is likely to increase. Natural gas usage though does have its drawbacks. From a supply-side perspective, the available amount of natural gas is relatively small. Further, complicating this issue is the uneven geographic distribution. Further, if natural gas were to replace coal as the primary source of electrical production, the most recent estimates indicate that all sources would be depleted within 40 years. This would likely increase dependence on foreign suppliers. The implication here and is that the price of natural gas would become volatile and increase at a rate far exceeding that of coal or nuclear power. Not to be forgotten in this discussion of natural gas are the environmental factors related to its availability and consumption. The price of harnessing the natural gas is not inexpensive. Further, the cost of locating, capturing, storing, and distributing natural gas is also expensive. However, it stacks up favorably against both coal and is much less expensive than nuclear power. Let us also not forget that natural gas, composed primarily of methane, is a greenhouse gas. To avoid global warming, controls must be present to minimize the release of methane into the atmosphere. This too raises the price of natural gas. Governments have become increasingly involved in these most prevalent of energy options. Moreover, governments have become involved specifically in relation to the environmental aspects of energy production. In this, the government has taken a three-pronged approach. First, efficiency and environmental safety have risen to the fore as primary considerations for the future of energy policy. Governments have promoted and implemented policies to foster the use of cleaner burning, more efficient, and more environmentally safe energy sources. Often however these goals are in sharp contrast to the market forces of providing inexpensive and available energy sources. Second, policymakers have sought to equalize both the cost and demand side of the equation. This is most evident in the nuclear power supply and demand equation. The initial foray into nuclear power required governmental subsidies to assist in the construction of nuclear power plants. Further, governmental intervention demanded that societies use the sources. The current rate of federal energy subsidies is 59.8% for fossil fuels (coal and natural gas) and 28.7% for nuclear energy. The remaining paltry 11.5% is dispersed amongst the various other sources. This means government is still not inciting energy companies to research or implement new sources of energy. Finally, policymakers have begun to provide incentives for using alternative energy sources at the end-user (demand) point. This includes allowing the installation of small-scale energy efficient home heating units, hot water heaters, and hybrid and electric automobiles. Other options are available for large-scale technologies such as wind farms and solar panel arrays, but to a lesser extent. The practice of providing incentives presents particular problems. The most pressing problem is that the government or utility ratepayers still need to absorb some of the costs of capital. To counterbalance these problems, the promotion of more energy-efficient technologies and alternative energy sources must be specifically targeted and offer specific incentives to the end-user and producer alike. ___ ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY U2L1 Issues with Natural Resources Conservation Part 1 Human populations can be strained when subject to environmental stresses such as the inadequate availability of water, land, and agriculture, as natural resources. The availability of these resources is essential for the maintenance of human existence. Problems with these natural resources should be anticipated and prevented as much as possible. This section examines how economic institutions have allocated these resources in the past and how they might improve their allocation in the future. Water resources As we have discussed in previous course work, water is essential for human life to replace the continual loss of bodily fluids and to maintain the food sources upon which we depend. The problem with the existing sources of potable water is the allocation of supplies to sustain a variety of competing users. An efficient allocation of water must strike a balance between the competing users and sustaining the year-to-year availability. The concept of supply and demand is integral to this discussion. There are two problems to be address, maintaining an adequate supply of water and managing the demand for that water. This is especially relevant to groundwater resources where, when withdrawals exceed recharge from a particular aquifer, the resource will be mined over time until water supplies are exhausted. The problem is further complicated where groundwater and surface water supplies are not physically separated. For example, groundwater withdrawals from a specific region, in many areas of the United States, immediately affect the surface water flows. This is an especially tricky issue when cross-state, or cross national, boundaries are put into play. Therefore, the hydrologic nature of the water source must be taken to consideration when designing a water allocation scheme. From our previous coursework, we have discussed the concept of riparian rights. This is where the right to use water is allocated to the owner of the land adjacent to that water. Yet with population growth and the consequent rise in demand for water resources, this allocation system becomes less appropriate. This situation creates demand for a change in the property rights structure from riparian rights to one that was more transferable. A new structure developed by the government was known as usufructory rights. In this, users are accorded a right to use a common source of water. The current situation for allocating the use of water resources is embedded in the state and federal governments role in the problem. Many problems are associated with this point. The first is the restriction of free market availability of this natural resource. Diminished transferability of the use of this water resource puts market pressures on different parts of the market and in different portions of the United States. Likewise, these regulations strongly discourage conservation. Moreover, the government established preferential use which brought about bureaucratic preferences for the use of the water. Further, damage caused by overuse is not addressed in this doctrine. Possible solutions to the allocation of water are as follows. Reduce the number of restrictions on water transfers between agriculture and other uses. The current use it or lose it component that a companys most preferential use discourages conservation. Implement the use of water markets and water banks. In this, water is allowed to move to its higher valued use and buyers and sellers are brought together to negotiate its value thereby encouraging conservation. Revising the value of water is a necessity for conservation. This recognizes the efficiency associated with subsidizing the consumption of a scarce resource. Further, revenues collected can be placed into a fund to mitigate environmental damages and to allow for construction of dams for storing water. Revising the value of water seasonally. This would allow for changes in severe drought conditions and to manage water usage during times of scarcity. This would require consumers to act differently during times of drought. Encouraging the use of desalinated water in areas where appropriate. Technological advances have reduced the price of desalinized water but growth in this market has not outpaced demand. There are a number of possible means of remedying the current water situation. These reforms would promote a more efficient use of water while affording more protection to the natural resource. It is clear that charging everyone the same rate irrespective of their consumption is a strategy that deserves more attention. Land Land is another natural resource that deserves specific attention. Land conservation has specific issues related to typography, location, and characteristics. Land is typically allocated based on its highest valued use. The problem is clear. Wilderness areas are subservient to agriculture, residential development, commercial use, etc. There are particular problems with our current use and allocation of land. Urban sprawl is when land use in a particular area is inefficiently dispersed. Another issue is leapfrogging where new development continues not on the very edge of current development but further out. Both bring particular problems with development. These include longer trips to work, home, or leisure activities. This brings about increased energy demand and increased opportunities for pollution. Incompatible land usage is another particular problem with our current use and allocation of land. As an example, the particular costs associated with land use may not accrue exclusively to the landowner. An example of this occurs to neighborhoods near landfills, toxic waste facilities, CAFOs, or large industrial complexes. Undervaluing environmental preservation is just another particular problem with our current use and allocation of land. As an example, if the owner of a large farm near a scenic preservation area, sells to a residential developer, the benefits of their large open space to wildlife, travelers, and leisure activities is not typically a basis for different decisions affecting its land use. A final issue is the confluence of taxes on land use relative to conservation. Typically, property taxes in the United States are imposed on land for its current market value. Environmental factors are not typically included in that valuation model. One way to deal with the many particular problems associated with the current use and allocation of land is to implement innovative market-based remedies. The first innovative remedy is the separation of property rights. A property rights system can mitigate or avoid the problems of overexploitation that can occur when land is merely allocated on a first-come, first-served basis or sold to the highest bidder. By establishing secure enforceable claims, the efficient transfer and maintenance of the valuable use of the property can be directly allocated. Another way is to establish transferable development rights (TDR). TDRs establish areas where development is prohibited and areas where development is encouraged. If done in the local level, communities will determine the best allocation and use of lands. Another way is the establishment of land banks. For example, wetlands banking is a means of promoting economic benefits of wetland preservation. These mitigation banks allow for the use of lands around wetlands, streams, or other aquatic resources to preserve, enhance, or replace sensitive wetland areas. A similar program is present for conservation banking. Safe harbor agreements are a new means of conserving endangered and threatened species on privately owned land. These provide for new restrictions of land based upon the threat to the endangered species. Grazing rights has also been away to deal with the problems associated for overgrazing on public lands. This too is a means of dealing with the particular problems associated with the use of grazing on federal lands, which has been allowed since 1934. Finally, conservation easements and land trusts are means by which legal agreements limit the use of land in order to protect its intrinsic value. This intrinsic value might be to preserve a surface water resource, scenic vistas, or to promote eco-tourism. Agriculture The efficient use of agricultural land is a requirement for sustenance around the globe. The problems associated with a lack of efficiency includes starvation, hunger, hunger related diseases, malnutrition, and a variety of ancillary adverse effects. As an example, cereal grain is the worlds cheapest supply of food and is a renewable resource if managed effectively. Further, this could be sustained as long as we receive energy from the sun. Yet the current agricultural practices are neither sustainable nor efficient. Further, the recent trend has been to increase the scale (size) of the average farm and a reduction in the overall number of farms thus raising questions of future sustainability. The problems intrinsic to this argument are as follows. While technological progress provides the main source of support for optimism, concerns are present regarding the ability of industrial nations to achieve productivity gains. This includes a declining share of land allocated to agricultural use, the rising cost of energy, and increased environmental costs (i.e.: overuse of fertilizer, deforestation, soil completion, soil erosion, etc.). An interesting twist in this argument is imbedded in the example of corn. While this is a relatively stable and useful food source, the expansion and the use of ethanol has decreased the amount of corn available for food. There are sources for optimism in this discussion. Technological advancements in genetics have produced food crops that are more resistant to diseases and pests, hardier crops capable of surviving in marginal soils, and increasing crop yields. In addition, the growth in organic food sources has minimized human disease after upta ke. The economic gains in past several decades have created depletion to our agricultural resources. The past role of government has been complicit in this debacle. Historically, governments have subsidized the use of fertilizers and pesticides, guaranteed prices for outputs, given marketing loans based on crop prices, and implemented trade barriers. Recently however, the role of government in implementing effective agricultural policies has been on the rise. Governments have begun to encourage sustainable agriculture. Further, they have required that farmers consider energy and environmental costs. Subsidies for some agriculture have been removed and replaced with subsidizing possible technological advancements. Conclusion As we have seen from the above, human populations can be strained when subject to environmental stresses such as the inadequate availability of water, land, and agriculture, as natural resources. The availability of these resources is essential for the maintenance of human existence. Problems with these natural resources must be managed. As regulators cope with the myriad of issues related to conservation, they must consider the advancement in technology and the maintenance of a sustainable supply of natural resources.

John Steinbecks The Pearl :: essays research papers

Kino lives in the shore with his family, he was a fisherman. When the morning comes he can hear the song of the family which includes the sounds of waves and animals that surrounded them. Juana his wife had a song too, an ancient song that had only three notes and yet endless variety of interval. One day their baby , Coyotito got stung by an scorpion a deadly poisonous, tiny creature the couple was panicked and didn’t know what to do. Their neighbors help them to get to a doctor but it seems that the doctor was very mean to poor people. There is this other song too which is the song of enemy, they heard it when they have a problems. There is this beggars actually, four of them in front of the church who knew everything in the town. They were students of expressions of young as they went into confession. When they got into the house of the doctor Kino hesitated a moment because this doctor was not of his people. The gate was closed a little and the servant refused to speak in t he old language. They never got to speak to the doctor with Kino’s anger. He struck the gate a crushing blow with his fist. Kino own a canoe which was owned by his Grandpa and give it to his father and passed to Kino it was the one thing of value he owned in the world. Kino found a pearl a silvery pearl he seemed to saw the great oyster for the first time. His wife was so very excited when he saw the pearl and she could not want to hold it. Before he found the pearl he heard the song of the pearl but in the song there was a secret, little inner song., hardly perceptible, but always there sweet and secret and clinging. The town lay on a broad, zstuary, its old yellow plastered buildings hugging the beach. On the beach the hungry dogs and the hungry plgs of the town searched cudlessly for any dead fish or sea bird that might have floated on a rising tide. The news that Kino found a pearl was all over the town. A town is like a colonial animal. A town has as nervous system and a head and shoulders and feet. Before Kino and Juana and the other fishers had come to Kino’s brush house, the nerves of the town were pulsing and vibrating with he news, Kino had found the Pearl of the World.

Sport Journalism, a view of the world, or a view generated by the dominant male supremacy?

The media is a powerful tool, which shapes the views and ideas of society, ‘the print media is an influential socializing agent in that it informs and entertains the reader and encourages social integration and social change by values, ideas and attitudes it presents' (Eitzen and Sage, 1995, p78). When the media has such an important effect on society, is it right that male journalists dominate the media, in a sense serving to maintain and preserve patriarchal relationships. Although there have been many changes in the treatment of females in society in the past, many females are still excluded from numerous professions. Certain institutions frown upon the entry of females, as advancements made by females in society decreases the amount of men in dominant positions in society. This is shown by the small number of ‘male preserves' (Elias & Dunning, 1986, p268) left in today's modern society. However, one institution that seems unable to accommodate change, for the sake of protecting its ‘male preserve' (Elias & Dunning, 1986, p268) is the print media. The media is increasingly becoming more of a male preserve, due to ever-growing equality females strive for; many men's clubs have vanished, as they would rather shut than accommodate females, and erase issues of equality. Therefore the print media is an important site for this male preserve, ‘our newspapers are run like old boy's clubs' (Stratford, 1992, p130). Even when females have broken in to the sports journalism profession, it is still under the dominant ideologies of a male supremacy. Entry is possible for women, as long as no attempt is made to alter or even question the status quo' (Stratford, 1992, p130). The only way females can be involved in the sports journalism world, is to reject the issues that display feminine power, in addition they also have to adopt the dominant ideologies of a male society. ‘They wanted the jobs: therefore played by the rules in order to get them, the rules were not changed to facilitate the progress of other female journalists after them. Long hours, drinks with the boys and a disregard for childcare remain the norm' (Stratford, 1992, p130). Although females do break in to the media profession, this most commonly comes in the form if a television reporter. As sports journalism portrays the journalist's personal opinions, where television reporters are presented with scripts to shape the ideals of viewers, the only important thing on television is image, which is more often than not an attractive female. The profession of sports journalism in the print media is one of the most gender specific in modern society. ‘Sport is a male preserve and at the part it plays, relative to other sources, in the production and reproduction of masculine identity' (Elias & Dunning, 1986, p268). The print media has always been run by a dominant male supremacy producing a masculine identity, with jobs of highest priority, which shape the views of society such as journalist, more often than not given to men. This dominance of males in the media raises issues, which are constantly raised over the treatment of females in society, especially over the stereotypical coverage they receive. Therefore, sports journalism in this light can not actually be classed as sports journalism, sports journalism is all about reproducing and portraying the views of society, and giving everyone a equal voice. However, the media is so one sided it clearly cannot achieve this successfully. Although journalists, claim to be reflecting the attitudes of society rather than shaping men, recent national trends indicate that, with respect to women's lives, they lag behind dismally' (Stratford, 1992, p134). Affect of Bias In Sports One major area, which is affected by the dominance of a male hegemony is sports journalism. A large number of achievements are lost in the media concerning female athletes, due to the stereotypical coverage they receive. This negative coverage is the production of having a print media, which is run by men, as they will never be able to write about females from a female perspective. Their ownership by rich, white middle aged men, and their editorship usually by the same type of men, explains the difficulties they have in reflecting recent changes in society in any but the most stereotypical ways' (Stratford, 1992, p130). The media frequently directs the reader away from the success and the strengths of female athletes, and towards the typical stereotypes of women. Journalists achieve this by the use of narratives, which is the forming of a story, ‘narratives provide drama, human interest and appeal necessary to attract and keep viewers' (Higgs and Weiller, 1994, p234). Narratives often demonstrate traditional qualities associated with females, females successes are seen to be more challenging due to the struggles of their personal lives. ‘Women's sport is further denigrated in importance by a heightened focus on the athlete's personal lives' (Duncan, 1993, p234). Furthermore, females are repeatedly represented as being weak and depending on others, more often than not this figure comes in the shape of a man. This shows how narratives often reinforce inequalities in power and gender relations. These inequalities help to construct a hegemonic masculinity, which Humberstone (1990) labels ‘the reproduction of patriarchal gender relations in society' (Humberstone, 1990, p235). Therefore, it can be argued that the media is just a site where men are free to oppress females, and are free from criticisms. In essence, journalists can be seen as originators of patriarchy in society, as they help it develop and manifest itself on to the larger stage of society through their own accounts they present to society. People are inevitably affected by what media present them, if the writers of the media are predominately of one gender, then there is potential that another side of the story or noteworthy athletic accomplishments are being neglected' (Urquhart and Crossman, 1999, p199). Conclusion: In conclusion, sports journalism is a flawed profession. The whole concept journalism is to illustrate and construct an equal argument, giving no one group priority over the next. However, many accounts of sports journalism demonstrate that the majority of the time, coverage is biased towards men and their male perspective. This bias is especially evident when it comes to the case of females in the media, often females voices and opinions are lost and unequal arguments are created. Research into the absence of female journalists in sport has previously demonstrated that not one single article was written by a female until 1976 concerning articles surrounding the Olympics, in two Canadian newspapers. There was also only one article written by a female in the 1992 Olympics, this is one example of a male supremacy in the media. ‘Sports journalism is obviously a male stronghold' (Urquhart and Crossman, 1999, p199). In addition, a recent count showed that in two popular British newspapers, female journalists still suffer from oppression due to the dominant male operated media. With 100% of sport articles written by male journalists for the Independent, and 96% written by male journalists for the Times. This justifies the argument that sports journalism is essentially flawed, as the codes of sports journalism are rejected. ‘For example, the practice of sports journalism should revolve around a set of essentially ethical concepts: freedom, democracy, truth, objectivity, honesty, and privacy' (Belsey and Chadwick, 1992, pXi), yet sports journalism does not. Thus, sports journalism cannot be seen as a democratic and truthful process, sports journalism simply is the production of a dominant male society, trying to hold on to one of its ever-fading male preserves.

Academic Dishonesty 10 Essays

Academic Dishonesty 10 Essays Academic Dishonesty 10 Essay Academic Dishonesty 10 Essay services and methods to reduce the amount of academic cheating or at least dissuade some students from using technology to cheat. Some of the technologies that are used to thwart cheaters are website like Turnitin. com, use the Internet to disseminate disinformation, and even the extreme of electronic cages. The availability of texts on-line makes it far easier for students to cheat. The technology has been manipulated to address Internet plagiarism (Sheridan, 2005). There are now websites that check uploaded papers to see if the contents are plagiarized. Teachers no longer need to know their students’ writing styles or the breadth of their vocabulary to detect plagiarism (Niell, 2006). The main service among plagiarism detection web sites is Turnitin. com. The service checks around 70,000 papers a day from both high schools and universities (Niell, 2006). Turnitin. com is also the underlying website that is used for University of Phoenix’s Plagiarism Checker. Institutions are signing on to the Turnitin. com service at fairly fast pace. The service makes a digital fingerprint of papers submitted and compares that fingerprint against a database. The papers are then scored for percentage of plagiarized wording. All submitted works become part of the database as well (Sheridan, 2005). This technology is impressive and will contribute to academic honesty, but two issues arise from this service. First, academic honesty is based on an honor code. The honor code is built on trust. Submitting all papers to a plagiarism website fosters a culture of guilty until proven innocent (McCarroll, 2001). Also, there are some grumblings from students about Turnitin. com. The claim is Turnitin. com is misusing their intellectual property by incorporating all submitted papers into the services repository (Pereira, 2006). This service may stem the tide of Internet based plagiarism. Some professors have taken the cheating epidemic into their own hands. They have used the Internet against the very students that use it to cheat. Professors at University of Maryland posted responses to 30 test questions. The responses were riddled with false answers (Read, 2004). Of the 400 students taking the test 12 had copied the answers directly. Staff at the university applauded the professors’ scheme, but some professors and students are claiming the professors actions are ethically questionable (Read, 2006). Posting incorrect answers on the web uses the Internet to employ an old strategy of misinformation. Another way to curb cheating is to block cell phone use. Since the mobile phone is one of the main devices used to cheat during test, some education institutions have looked into electronic cages or Faraday cages (Meilke, 2006). The Faraday cage is named after the physicist Michael Faraday. The cage or shield could be constructed around test halls to prevent mobile devices from receiving outside transmissions (Meilke, 2006). The cage would prevent any electromagnetic fields form penetrating the test hall. This would render all mobile communication useless (Yaqoob, 2006). The problem with this technology is that some students have good cause to carry a cell phone and may need to receive an important call from family. Another way to deter mobile communication would be to use metal detecting devices or other equipment to sense wireless phone transmissions (Yaqoob, 2006). Conclusion Most students recognize the need for a good education and therefore conduct themselves honorably. Academic dishonesty has created a challenging situation for educators. The misuse of well-intended technology has further contributed to the proliferation of inappropriate academic behavior. But for those individuals who attempt to excel scholastically, or simply to attain average performance, by adopting dishonest practices, measures have to be taken to stem the tide. Many learning institutions have implemented standards of academic behavior that is shared with all students, education on the various forms of cheating or plagiarism, and the punishment that would be exacted upon the offenders. By so doing, a clear message is sent to those brazenly dishonest people, while allowing fair-minded students to derive the benefits of a wholesome education. References Barlow, D. (2006). The teachers lounge. Education Digest, 71(9), 40-43. Retrieved October 7, 2006, from the Academic Search Premier database. Cell phone penetration to climb higher. (Brief Article). (2005, July 22). KiplingerForecasts, 1, 3. Retrieved October 6, 2006, from InfoTrac OneFile via Thomson Gale: http://find. galegroup. com/ips/infomark. do? contentSet=IAC-Documentstype=retrievetabID=T003prodId=IPSdocId=A136155835source=galeuserGroupName=uphoenixversion=1. 0 Cox, A. (2006, October). Communication 101: Cell phones, text messages are changing the way people relate. Gainesville Times Website. Retrieved October 1, 2006, from gainesvilletimes. com/news/stories/20061001/localnews/127757. shtml Gross-Davis, B. Preventing Academic Dishonesty. [Online chapter HTML from the book Tools for Teaching] Retrieved September 27, 2006, from ttp://teaching. berkeley. edu/bgd/prevent. html Heyman, J. D. , Swertlow, F. , Ballard, M. , Barnes, S. , Duffy, T. , Gray, L. , Farrell-Mailander, J. , Harvey-Rosenberg, S. , Pang, D. , Shepherd, A. (2005, January 24). Psssst Whats the answer? No problem. Some teachers worry high-tech electronics, mixed with old-fashioned sneakiness, are making cheating easier and more widespread than eve r before. (Cheating in the Classroom). People Weekly, 63, p108. Retrieved October 19, 2006, from Academic OneFile via Thomson Gale Kleiner, C. , Lord, M. (1999, Nov 22). The cheating game. U. S. News World Report, 127, p55. Retrieved October 19, 2006, from Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center via Thomson Gale Laird, E. (2001). We all pay for internet plagiarism. Education Digest, 67(3), 56-60. Retrieved October 07, 2006, from the Proquest database. McCarroll, C. (2001). Beating web cheaters at their own game. Christian Science Monitor, 93(192), 16. Retrieved October 1, 2006, from the Academic Search Premier database. Meilke, J. (2006). School exam cheats turn to technology. The Guardian Website. Retrieved October 1, 2006, from guardian. co. uk/uk_news/story/0,,1880089,00. tml Morton, A. , Tarica, E. (2006, September 30). Web offers cheats tailor-made assignments. The Age. Retrieved October 18, 2006, from theage. com. au/news/national/web-offers-cheats-tailormade-assignments/2006/09/29/1159337339350. html? page=fullpage#contentSwap1 Nelson, H. (2006). University of California Santa Barbara website. The Academic Dishonesty Question: A Guide to an Answer through Education, P revention, Adjudication, and Obligation. (2006). Retrieved September 27, 2006, from http://hep. ucsb. edu/people/hnn/conduct/disq. html Niell, B. , Lim, S. (2006, October). Manatee schools confront cheatings multimillion-dollar industry. Herald Today Website. Retrieved October 1, 2006, from bradenton. com/mld/bradenton/news/local/15651386. html Pereira, L. (2006, October). Conspiracy Theory: Who’s the thief? Anti-plagiarism Web service turns students into Tom Cruise. The Breeze: James Madison University Student Newspaper, Retrieved October 1, 2006, from thebreeze. org/2006/10-02/op2. html Plagairism. (2005). Plagairism_stats. Retreived October 19, 2006, from plagiarism. org/plagiarism_stats. html Read, B. (2004), Wired for

Dworkinian Law essays

Dworkinian Law essays Dworkinian interpretation is very much like the general interpretation of the constitution, in that not only must law imposersconsider the explicit meanings of the constitution but also their impact and acceptance by society. In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education, the court held that it was not constitutional to segregate blacks and whites, but if a strictly explicit view of the constitution was taken segregation would have been in accordance (Altman 85). This brings the human aspect into the equation. With the original meaning or intent an inhumane law would have been upheld. Consider the impacts on our culture if that ruling had been that it was constitutional. Implicit and explicit interpretations are both very important aspects to consider when ruling on a law, a case, or simply an infraction. Though implicit ruling may be viewed as a very liberalist approach to law making, one must consider that the original constitution was meant as a guideline not as a stone clause. By allowing decisions to be made only through the explicit meanings of the constitution, we are allowing the social stature of a two hundred year old society rule in a very different and diverse time. In the revolutionary war, the beginning battles were fought using respectable tactics. This meant standing in a formation and exchanging fire, at an extremely high death rate. Now fighting a war like that in our common day would be ridiculous, virtual suicide. If following the original warrior way is suicide, then why should the judgment of citizens strictly on what those soldiers and scholars wrote explicitly in the constitution be any different. According to Dworkinian theory the constitution should be viewed as an underlying philosophy to law, meaning we should use the words of the constitution as a backbone for the embodiment of law. It is best described as the difference between concepts and conceptions (Altman 84). This ...

An Understanding of Creating and Managing Products or services is essential for effective marketing

An Understanding of Creating and Managing Products or services is essential for effective marketing Abstract Marketing is an extensive process that involves quite a lot of activities. In this diverse field, one is required to do a lot of research on the destined market, sell some products or perform some services to clients, promote their products and services through different means like advertising which at the end of the day helps in the promotion of the sales activities.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on An Understanding of Creating and Managing Products or services is essential for effective marketing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the field of marketing, strategies have to be developed which aid in communication, technique improvement, and for the eventual development of the business. In this conglomeration of activities which form the field of marketing, the company creates a face which it uses to keep in good relationship with the most essential part of the business, the customer. This paper seeks to dwe ll into the field of marketing with a lot of weight behind creation and management of products as one of the essential tools for effective marketing. The paper will first introduce the concept of marketing theoretically looking into the main models of this field and then establish the extensiveness of this concept to the impact it has on the customer. The paper will conclude with a simple study sample of how the values learnt in the body of the paper can be established in a real life situation. Introduction In marketing, one is supposed to keep value on the customer in various ways, identity of the right person, satisfaction to the customer, and maintenance of the customer. In order for any business venture to stay profitable in whatever it is engaging in, they have to then shift they focus from mainly production to the needs of the customers. In this manner, this paper seems to imply that the production sector should not be halted but should be oriented towards the needs of the peo ple to whom that production is aimed at. The concept of marketing has it that in order to achieve the goals and needs of any organization, one has to know what the target customer base or the target market requires such that he/she or the company is able to deliver the required product in accordance to the needs of that customer at any one time in order to satisfy the customers.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the same concept, for the company to be able to meets its targets as they might have been outlined in the mission and objectives, it should mostly consider the needs of the customer more than it would look into the competitive market. If the company was to focus on the above discussed criteria then the question at hand gets answered; an understanding of creating and managing products is indeed essential for effective marketing1. There are many models and a pproaches today that are applied by different organizations in marketing their products. Depending on the approach or the model that a company employs, eventual effectiveness in marketing is determined and thus determines the profitability of the company. In all these dimensions, the most important aspect is the achievement of marketing effectiveness. Marketing effectiveness is chiefly concerned with optimization of the expenditure in a bid to improve the returns. In marketing effectiveness, there are four dimensions which help in ensuring its effectiveness. The corporate body determines the bounds within which the market operates. Competition helps the marketers to consider offering products that would augur well into the wants of the consumers. The decisions that customers make and put in place as they consider going on with their purchases are very important in any market situation. It is due to this that the business values the quality of the product during its creation and deve lopment in order to suit what the customer requires. Other factors that may affect the marketing departments are those without the control of the business which can vary from geographic and climatic conditions, political and economic stability and government decisions and taxes. Product management is the cycle within a certain organization or a company that is concerned with the planning on the product, marketing of the product and market forecasting. This edge has a lot of activities involved within it which need to have keen strategies and tactics depending on the nature of the company. As a part of marketing among other arms of the business organization, knowledge in this field is critical in determining the effectiveness of the marketing team. Product management, when compared to product marketing, happens to be two different things but they interrelate with each other in a number of ways.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on An Understanding of Creating and Managing Products or services is essential for effective marketing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They all have a focus on the maximization of profits and also the market share. Product management has a grass root which is focused on product creation. When the two interrelate, then the company can be focused on the likely effectiveness of the market2. Models of management Before grasping the concept and getting into the models which can be applied to product management for the enhancement of marketing effectiveness, the paper will look into the disciplines involved in product management. Majorly, the field has planning of the product and marketing of the product. Planning of the product is a dynamic process that identifies and articulates the requirements in the market that define how the product will be or the features of the product. Marketing of the product is outbound. It seeks to establish to the populace that a certain product is th ere and gives its features so that the people can get involved interested in the product3. One of the marketing models that is constantly applied by different organizations in their strategies is the 4P’s strategy. This strategy is also known as the marketing mix model. The model is mostly applied by marketers in various areas in order to assist them in their marketing strategy. In this model the marketing managers try they best that they can to try and put together 4, 5 or 7 variables in a way that is optimum and aimed at achieving the optimum objectives. The variables that are used in the marketing mix model are controllable. This entails that the strategy or the marketing mix model can be adjusted frequently such that it meets the ever changing requirements of the target customer base and also some other changing things in the marketing environment which can be referred to as marketing dynamics. In the 4P’s model, the major issue is the product. In the olden days, i t was assumed that once a product is good, it is bound to sell itself. The difference between now and then is the fact that manufacturers have become keen and products are becoming better with days bringing along a stiff competition. Still on the same issue, legislations have been put in place that have given the customer a right to having a Good product and thus once he/she perceives that a certain product is not good, the product can be returned. It is thus the purpose of the organizations to ensure that the products that they create and supply to the customers are good and satisfies the needs of the customer.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Secondly, there is the price option. One should take into consideration the amount that the customer is willing to produce for the particular good. Companies should therefore be very keen on pricing and incentives like discounts and offers. The place where the product is available comes into place also. Availability of any good is the most important thing. Promotion also plays a very big role in today’s market world. In this realm the market groups must be well informed about the organization and more so the products that the organization offers. This model can thus be seen to be having two very crucial benefits which include satisfaction of the customer and also the maximization of the performance of the organization4. Applying the right marketing mix comes up with an extra model which can be termed as strategic marketing and tactical marketing. As discussed earlier, marketing and selling are two very different approaches to a product. In marketing, there has to be identific ation, anticipation and meeting of the customer’s requirements in such a way that the organization will remain at a profit. Of most importance in this area is the research that is done or in this case, the market research. It is a crucial step in that it leads to creation of the right product. For the process to be successful, then the right mix has to be applied. In this case, the previous model is applied where one gets the right product from the right place at the right price. The model in discussion from the previous paragraph operates mainly in two levels; strategy and tactics. The strategic part is mainly concerned with the long term choices that have an impact on the organization in its entirety. In this realm, marketing is visualized as the backbone of the company or the organization. This makes all the concerned parties in that organization get responsible and focus on meeting the needs and requirements of its customers both externally and internally. Tactical market ing helps in the right application of the marketing mix. In other words, it is the right application of the marketing mix. While trying to apply the right market mix, all the activities outlined in the previous model are put in place. When the conditions discussed are met, focus is shifted from selling of the product to marketing which eventually leads to buying of the product by the customers. Analysis According to the arguments which have been put across in the discussions above, it is clearly evident that marketing revolves around two main entities; the product and the customer. In practice the customer or the consumer of any product is concerned with the value of the product. The consumer is interconnected with the product primarily due to the need of the consumer to purchase the product in the first place. If the company does not offer the expected value to the customer, it is highly likely that the customer will not get back to the same stalls due to dissatisfaction. It is thu s important that the customer gets the right value for the purchase made. Before dwelling deeper into this topic, it is important to know what the meaning behind the term value? Popularly, many people have taken value to be a low price. On the other hand value is an attribute that has a certain set of features. The features are then followed by benefits by the product that has been purchased, and also the psychological and the service benefits that a marketer offers due to the need of the customer to buy a certain product and thus use their money in such an endeavor. It can thus be clearly put across that value is a direct association between the product’s price and the customer. Depending on how the customer perceives this question, a product can be taken to be of a high value or of a low value. Practically, there is no measure of value. It all depends on the customer and the needs of the customer and the satisfaction that the purchase brings along with him. People perceive things in different ways and thus value to them comes in differently. As an example, two people might want to buy shoes. One of them is willing to buy a shoe directly from Adidas whilst the second one might be requiring the same shoe but from a second hand store. Despite the similarity in the make and the difference in usage and of course the price, both the people might perceive the end products to be either of high value or of low value5. This hence seems to justify the argument that when the segments are combined differently, them there lies a different combination in value. The perception of value to this person who can afford the second hand shoe is very different from the perception of value from the person who wants to get the product directly from the manufacturer. A low end person as per the example posed before will probably be concerned with the functionality of the product he is purchasing, the price and maybe the design. The other person is seeking to fulfill his person al expression, the outlet retailing to him and maybe after-sales-service. Some other factor that may determine the value of the product is the psychological implications that the product comes along with. Risk is one of the factors that affect the psychology of the consumer and it is possible to find most people choosing a brand that has been renown over time so as to feel safe with their purchases. Perception of value When trying to market any product to a person or to a group or set of consumers, it is good to consider what the consumer perceives to be value. When such a matter is put in focus, some attributes of the product may even not be necessary to the target person as it depends on his/her perception. To some people, affordability may mean a huge deal to them but to some people; it might not be anything but control over the product matters. Taking an example of a product which is packed in small packages or in bigger packages for usage at home, there are those people who wil l prefer the sale package as they will be able to manage usage of the product as much as they can afford the bigger packages. In such a case, value to the person is not the price but the size. The smaller package is more valuable as it will be easier for him to manage than the bigger package which will be a bit hard to manage. To some people, value is depicted by the price. Some people might fear visiting exclusive places due to fear of high costs which might not be the case as it all arises from the fear that the offer might prove to be a little too expensive for them. If a way was found to prove to the consumer that the price is not as expected, then there is a high likelihood that the consumer will try to accept value. From the above examples, it is evident that different people perceive value differently and it is upon the organization to create that link which connects the product to the target. This can simply be done using the marketing mix method through the application prom otion. Promotion carries along with it the aspects of understanding the organization as well as the product and bringing it closer to the target consumers. This can be enhanced through a variety of ways like advertising, offering and other incentives which tend to pull the end user closer to the product specifications and thus value6. In creating this link, the organization will have respected the needs of the customers that it holds. Following up the link creation from the beginning of this paper the following points hold up; effectiveness in marketing is found once the customer is satisfied with the value. To reach the right value, the marketing mix strategy is applied after a thorough research. The right product hence gets created and through proper management, the customers get the right value for their purchase and thus effectiveness in the whole process. Conclusion This part seeks to study a company which has applied this strategy in marketing its product. Procter and Gamble i s a German company that supplies consumer products. It majors in pharmaceuticals, personal care, cleaning paraphernalia and more. In the recent past, the company was forced to restructure its packaging to modes that were friendlier to the environment. The reason for this was due to some emerging and increase in resistance from the consumers who demanded that the products had to be friendlier to the environment. Consumers were pushing for an environmental friendly product and so the only way that the company would stay safe was by respecting the decision of the customer. Arguing from the basis of the discussed aspects, organizations need to be aware of the needs of the consumers. With this knowledge, they can then be able to create products which will be meaningful to the customers and thus be profitable to the organization. After creating the right product, proper management of the product should follow which will cement the factor of effective marketing. In the case of Procter and Gamble, they discovered what the consumer wanted and went ahead to create it. After, this, proper management of the product led to the effectiveness in the market. Without this knowledge, the company would probably have gone so down in business today. References Andreasen, R. Marketing Social Change, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1995, pp 100-232. Berger, P. and Nasr, N., ‘Customer lifetime value: marketing models and applications’ journal of interactive marketing, 12(1); 17-30. Blattberg, R., and Deighton, J., ‘Manage marketing by the customer equity’, Havard Business Review, July-August, 1996, 136-144. Day, G., ‘A two dimensional concept of Brand loyalty’, Journal of Marketing Research, 2(2), 29-35. Kumar, R. The power of managing value, The Hindu Business Line, 2003, https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/catalyst/2003/01/23/stories/2003012300140400.htm Walsh, D. et al., â€Å"Social Marketing for Public Health,† Health Affairs , Summer, 1993, 104-119.7 Footnotes 1 Andreasen, R. Marketing Social Change, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1995, pp 100-232. 2 Day, G., ‘A two dimensional concept of Brand loyalty’, Journal of Marketing Research, 2(2), 29-35. 3 Blattberg, R., and Deighton, J., ‘Manage marketing by the customer equity’, Havard Business Review, July-August, 1996, 136-144. 4 Walsh, D. et al., â€Å"Social Marketing for Public Health,† Health Affairs, Summer, 1993, 104-119. 5 Kumar, R. The power of managing value, The Hindu Business Line, 2003, 6 Berger, P. and Nasr, N., ‘Customer lifetime value: marketing models and applications’ journal of interactive marketing, 12(1); 17-30

Ability to Create a Diverse Team Is a Priority for Leaders Essay

Ability to Create a Diverse Team Is a Priority for Leaders - Essay Example Nowadays, a number of organizations and leaders have proposed that a diverse workforce is not essentially an ethical imperative, rather it is a source of competitive advantage. The reasons include the fact that a diverse workforce facilitates to serve different clients through effective communication and it can also generate better ideas and possible solutions to certain issues. Due to this reason, leaders must have the ability to bring together people from different families, disciplines, cultures, and groups and accordingly leverage every aspect of diversity (Kramar & Syed, 2012). According to Mullins (2010), diversity incorporates differences between employees. The difference can be in terms of ethnic origin, gender, family background, cultural background and education among others. In accordance with the research of Ibarra & Hansen (2011), a workforce which consists of individuals from different backgrounds can cause better productivity in comparison with those workforces which a re not diverse. Diverse teams have different thoughts and viewpoints as they arrive from different backgrounds. As a result, it facilitates to create innovative ideas. Thus, managing a diverse team is considered to be the most important skill for any industry. The management of a diverse workforce comprises the implementation of approaches by which varied employees are combined into a dynamic workforce. However, an assertive and strong leadership is essential in order to manage this kind of workforce. In an actual situation, appreciating diversity is quite simple to say, but quite hard to implement. Diverse workforce if not managed properly can generate conflicts among the team members. The different viewpoints and perspectives frequently generate confusion for the diverse workforce. Ultimately, disagreements can possibly give birth to the unproductive work environment and hinder the progression of organizational operations. Besides, unfamiliarity among diverse employees owing to di fferent values can have a negative impact on overall team morale, hindering organizational productivity. A diverse workforce also makes the decision-making process lengthier, because of diverging opinions, resulting in delayed reaction (Cronin and Weingart 2007). Conversely, a diverse workforce has several benefits and one of the most important benefits of diversity in innovation. Managers or leaders can use diversity by inspiring ‘outside-the-box’ thinking that can result in new discoveries. Furthermore, through a diverse workforce, managers can also realize the requirements of diverse customers. Hence, it enhances the marketing ability of organizations. A diverse workforce can enable derive access to a comprehensive talent pool. As a result, organizations will be in a better position of providing a variety of services to suit specific consumer groups. Thus, diversity is stated as the only way to satisfy the requirements of diverse customers (Barnett & McCormick, 2012) . Nevertheless, in order to be effective, the leaders of the diverse workforce must recognize the employees’ individuality. It would help to reveal the strengths and limitations of employees and also assist leaders to know the place in which an employee belongs within the organization. Managing a diverse workforce does not signify that leaders encourage their own values and alter the value of the workforce to match them. For managing a diverse workforce, leaders require greater emotional aptitude, allowing them to observe a business condition from different viewpoints (Shin, Kim, Lee, & Bian, 2012).  

Response to Coments on DQ1 KS and MB W10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Response to Coments on DQ1 KS and MB W10 - Essay Example I would not recommend a buy decision on such a stock because it is never wise to make investment decisions when not all the information available. The investor should seek the information using advanced search techniques such as using professional databases. DQ2 When investors analyze the value of a stock the trends and events occurring in the industry influence the price of the common stock a lot. Microsoft belongs to the computer industry. They are the market leaders in the operating system software segment. The company belongs to an industry that is currently booming in terms of sales. The company also has a diversified product portfolio that includes products such as the Xbox 360 which is one of the top selling game consoles in the marketplace. On the other side of the coin is General Motors. A company that struggled so much recently that they decided take the bailout money and the dishonored their shareholders making the shares of the common stockholders virtually worthless afte r the bankruptcy decision. The P/E ratio of Microsoft in comparison to GE clearly shows that the investor community values Microsoft as a better investment than GE. References Dun & Bradstreet (2011). Key Business Ratios. Retrieved June 7, 2011 from Dun & Bradstreet database.

Closing the Racial Achievement Gap in our Schools Essay

Closing the Racial Achievement Gap in our Schools - Essay Example Class and culture from which the students come to this school are important role players in the academic life of the students. Integrity among them is never possible without establishing the harmony among them and this has to be done in the academic results, too. This is why taking care of the students varying from one individual to another is an important task for the faculties associated with the institution. Academic achievement is the reason why the students come to Berkeley High School from all the nooks and crannies of the world, and a background of hard and patient work is obviously related to the unparalleled success of this institution. The most important thing about this research work is that Noguera and Wing have talked to everyone connected with the business. Apart from the members of the school authority and its staffs, the editors have worked with guardians of the students, too. This operation has made them successful in portraying a wholesome picture in the book. Identifying the main factors that differentiate from one student from another has been successfully deduced by Noguera and Wing in their edited work. The work shows that history has played a vital role in the formation of ideas regarding racism in USA: "the cause of such pronounced differences in academic outcomes is not some form of inherent racial difference or racism." (Page 5) The biological differences have been prominent through the traditional processes of education that are active in different academic establishments throughout the country. Apart from the Afro-American students Noguera and Wing have also taken the Asian students into consideration. Maintaining a perfect harmony among... This essay stresses that class and culture from which the students come to this school are important role players in the academic life of the students. Integrity among them is never possible without establishing the harmony among them and this has to be done in the academic results, too. This is why taking care of the students varying from one individual to another is an important task for the faculties associated with the institution. Academic achievement is the reason why the students come to Berkeley High School from all the nooks and crannies of the world, and a background of hard and patient work is obviously related to the unparalleled success of this institution. The most important thing about this research work is that Noguera and Wing have talked to everyone connected with the business. Apart from the members of the school authority and its staffs, the editors have worked with guardians of the students, too. This operation has made them successful in portraying a wholesome p icture in the book. This paper explores that the biological differences have been prominent through the traditional processes of education that are active in different academic establishments throughout the country. Apart from the Afro-American students Noguera and Wing have also taken the Asian students into consideration. Maintaining a perfect harmony among the students from almost the opposite sides of the world is a real challenge for any institution.

Troubleshooting electric circuits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Troubleshooting electric circuits - Essay Example As part of the pre-qualifying parameters, it is significant to identify the defected system, whether it is electrical or mechanical. This should be followed by a thorough analysis of the fault found in the identified system. Carrying out the troubleshooting steps would then follow for repairs. These techniques would make the troubleshooting a lot faster. In the scope of troubleshooting an electrical circuit, it is likewise of utmost importance to identify the controls and loads, clearly understand the sequence of the operation in a system, and the mastery of the basic circuit theory which will help in the analysis of the individual components at hand. To make the troubleshooting more systematic, I should look at the problem from a smaller view to a larger view which will project the picture as a whole. To carry the troubleshooting process effectively, I would extensively utilize the three important measuring devices: ohmmeter, voltmeter and ammeter. Nevertheless, these would not be e nough without having a view of the backbone of the system. This can be addressed by using schematic diagrams, electrical wiring diagram (EWD) and test lights. What should I do if the problem remains undetected after exhausting all the troubleshooting process? The answer depends on you

Gardens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gardens - Essay Example Many gardeners have forgotten what each row contains, since not many gardeners plan their gardens on paper. By using a classification with only three categories, gardeners only have to remember the type of plant sowed in one third of their garden. Root plants would consist of carrots, onions, potatoes, radishes, and other plants that are harvested for their roots. Top plants could be corn, blackberries, and other plants that are harvested above ground. Vine plants would be watermelon, pumpkins, cucumbers tomatoes, grapes, and other plants grown on a vine. By planting root plants first, top plants second, and vine plants third gardeners could easily know what they are harvesting. Root plans like carrots and onions have a distinct top. All a gardener needs to do is find an onion plant to know what third of the garden was allotted to root plants. Top plants like corn also have distinct stalks which would help the gardener know what third of the garden is for top plants. Vine plants grow on vines, so this part of the garden would be easy to spot. Classifying a garden will help gardeners harvest their crops more easily. By using the classification of root plants, top plants, and vine plants, a gardener could easily identify what is being

Environmental Issues in the Pacific Islands Case Study

Environmental Issues in the Pacific Islands - Case Study Example References will be made to other regions that have formulated and implemented successful environmental programs to serve as guidance in deducing viable environmental projects or programs for the country. The Philippines now comprises of about 80 million people and the majority is found to be dwelling in urban areas. Among other Asian countries, the Philippines ranks as having one of the highest urbanized areas. The rapid increase in the population rate in general and in the urbanization rate in particular, has thus contributed much not only to resource depletion but also to the significant decrease in air and water quality levels. One of the direct results of this is the increase in the levels of waste generation. According to a World Bank study on Waste Generation (World Bank, 2001), the average Filipino generates around 0.3 to 0.7 kilograms of garbage daily depending on income levels. The highest waste-producing area is the National Capital Region, which accounts to 23% of the country's production, or 1/4 of the country's generation waste as a whole. In a similar study in 2004, the World Bank found that around 2.2 million metric tons of organic pollution have been produced annually by domestic (48 percent), agricultural (37 percent), and industrial (15 percent) sectors. Out of the identified regions with critical water levels, domestic and industrial sources were determined to be the major water pollutants. Inadequate wastewater treatment has affected the health of the people, with the water having found to contain significant presence of disease-causing bacteria and viruses, making it unsuitable for drinking and even bathing. On a more macro level, this poor water quality threatens biodiversity, and deteriorates the quality of life. Diseases such as gastro-enteritis, diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, dysentery, hepatitis, and more recently, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) have all been attributed to poor water quality. As such, the water-related death rates and health outbreaks have been reported to increase over the years. Despite all of these, however, awareness of the urgent need to improve overall sanitation and implement more effective water pollution control have remained very low, as reflected by the low prioritization given to sanitation and sewerage investments. As it is, only a small portion of the country's population has access to sewer systems and decent sanitation facilities (World Bank, 2004). The enactment and implementation of the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 which has led to the gradual phase out of leaded gasoline, has contributed much to the significant drop in the ambient lead levels. Despite this, however, other air pollutants such as particulate matter, sulfur dioxides and total oxidants remain in levels that exceed the standards and therefore are still considered a major concern. Industrialization and the growing population are seen to be the major contributors to this persistent problem. These air pollutants come from small and medium industries that use fossil fuels, with a high share of coal, as the main sources of industrial energy. Among these major air-polluting industries are those engaged in the use of iron, steel, fertilizer, and cement. In addition, the increase in urbanization has encouraged the establishment of

Troubleshooting electric circuits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Troubleshooting electric circuits - Essay Example As part of the pre-qualifying parameters, it is significant to identify the defected system, whether it is electrical or mechanical. This should be followed by a thorough analysis of the fault found in the identified system. Carrying out the troubleshooting steps would then follow for repairs. These techniques would make the troubleshooting a lot faster. In the scope of troubleshooting an electrical circuit, it is likewise of utmost importance to identify the controls and loads, clearly understand the sequence of the operation in a system, and the mastery of the basic circuit theory which will help in the analysis of the individual components at hand. To make the troubleshooting more systematic, I should look at the problem from a smaller view to a larger view which will project the picture as a whole. To carry the troubleshooting process effectively, I would extensively utilize the three important measuring devices: ohmmeter, voltmeter and ammeter. Nevertheless, these would not be e nough without having a view of the backbone of the system. This can be addressed by using schematic diagrams, electrical wiring diagram (EWD) and test lights. What should I do if the problem remains undetected after exhausting all the troubleshooting process? The answer depends on you

Environmental Issues in the Pacific Islands Case Study

Environmental Issues in the Pacific Islands - Case Study Example References will be made to other regions that have formulated and implemented successful environmental programs to serve as guidance in deducing viable environmental projects or programs for the country. The Philippines now comprises of about 80 million people and the majority is found to be dwelling in urban areas. Among other Asian countries, the Philippines ranks as having one of the highest urbanized areas. The rapid increase in the population rate in general and in the urbanization rate in particular, has thus contributed much not only to resource depletion but also to the significant decrease in air and water quality levels. One of the direct results of this is the increase in the levels of waste generation. According to a World Bank study on Waste Generation (World Bank, 2001), the average Filipino generates around 0.3 to 0.7 kilograms of garbage daily depending on income levels. The highest waste-producing area is the National Capital Region, which accounts to 23% of the country's production, or 1/4 of the country's generation waste as a whole. In a similar study in 2004, the World Bank found that around 2.2 million metric tons of organic pollution have been produced annually by domestic (48 percent), agricultural (37 percent), and industrial (15 percent) sectors. Out of the identified regions with critical water levels, domestic and industrial sources were determined to be the major water pollutants. Inadequate wastewater treatment has affected the health of the people, with the water having found to contain significant presence of disease-causing bacteria and viruses, making it unsuitable for drinking and even bathing. On a more macro level, this poor water quality threatens biodiversity, and deteriorates the quality of life. Diseases such as gastro-enteritis, diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, dysentery, hepatitis, and more recently, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) have all been attributed to poor water quality. As such, the water-related death rates and health outbreaks have been reported to increase over the years. Despite all of these, however, awareness of the urgent need to improve overall sanitation and implement more effective water pollution control have remained very low, as reflected by the low prioritization given to sanitation and sewerage investments. As it is, only a small portion of the country's population has access to sewer systems and decent sanitation facilities (World Bank, 2004). The enactment and implementation of the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 which has led to the gradual phase out of leaded gasoline, has contributed much to the significant drop in the ambient lead levels. Despite this, however, other air pollutants such as particulate matter, sulfur dioxides and total oxidants remain in levels that exceed the standards and therefore are still considered a major concern. Industrialization and the growing population are seen to be the major contributors to this persistent problem. These air pollutants come from small and medium industries that use fossil fuels, with a high share of coal, as the main sources of industrial energy. Among these major air-polluting industries are those engaged in the use of iron, steel, fertilizer, and cement. In addition, the increase in urbanization has encouraged the establishment of

Huffman Trucking Essay Example for Free

Huffman Trucking Essay Huffman Trucking is a large organization that provides transportation of goods and services to its customers. In order to better serve these customers and to compete and stay at a high level above other suppliers, Huffman Trucking management enlisted the assistance of Team B to upgrade their companies systems to be able to create, maintain, and report on a database, which tracks the servicing of Huffman Trucking vehicles. Huffman Trucking has a number of business needs that should be met. The system should not require more than a few days of supervision to learn. It should be usable on modestly priced computer systems. Most of all, it should be simple and convenient for the users. The current system is not meeting business objectives because they are not able to tracks the servicing of the vehicles at Huffman Trucking. Huffman employees usually scan alphabeticly for vehicles . This is a fairly simple procedure if the exact name of the vechilce is available. However, many new employes may only know the few words of the vechile type. A tracked vehicle could possibly be misfiled, which requires a full stock review to find it. With the new shipment of vechicles need maintanes every month, it is close to impossible for a counter employee memorize Project Requirements There are two different types of requirements for this project. One is the technical requirements of the chosen database system and another is the business requirements of the Huffman Trucking. The business requirements  define the boundaries. Starting college can be like entering an entirely new world. You have more freedom than youve ever had before and you are in total control over your own life. This increased responsibility however can make you susceptible to some serous pitfalls. Read the following article to learn what habits to avoid in order to have a successful college career. Business Accounting Project Overview Huffman Trucking is a large organization that provides transportation of goods and services to its customers. In order to better serve these customers and to compete and stay at a high level above other suppliers, Huffman Trucking management enlisted the assistance of Team B to upgrade their companies systems to be able to create, maintain, and report on a database, which tracks the servicing of Huffman Trucking vehicles. Huffman Trucking has a number of business needs that should be met. The system should not require more than a few days of supervision to learn. It should be usable on modestly priced computer systems. Most of all, it should be simple and convenient for the users. The current system is not meeting business objectives because they are not able to tracks the servicing of the vehicles at Huffman Trucking. Huffman employees usually scan alphabeticly for vehicles . This is a fairly simple procedure if the exact name of the vechilce is available. However, many new employes may only know the few words of the vechile type. A tracked vehicle could possibly be misfiled, which requires a full stock review to find it. With the new shipment of vechicles need maintanes every month, it is close to impossible for a counter employee memorize Project Requirements There are two different types of requirements for this project. One is the technical requirements of the chosen database system and another is the  business requirements of the Huffman Trucking. The business requirements define the boundaries in which the project team has room to operate in. Huffman requires that the new system be relatively inexpensive with little ongoing maintenance required. The new system should not require many hours of training in order to use. The new system should also be usable  gout of the box. h Given these business requirements.

Zara Fast Fashion: Case Study

Zara Fast Fashion: Case Study Describe how Zara uses technology to improve operational responsiveness to customer expectations, and at the same time to reduce costs in certain areas. Zaras main strategy is to give a quick answer to end consumer demands and anticipate consumer trends through information technology and human resources. It operates on the basis of heavy backward vertical integration, working its way from the end consumer all the way back to the manufacturing and distribution. It ensures a very tight control of production through simple and effective IT systems as well as a high tech distribution center (DC.) It realizes cost optimization on its basic items for production and also time optimization in terms of speed to market of its fashion items making use of technology. Zara adapted to trends and differences across markets by interacting regularly with the store managers using the PDA and phone systems to get updates on customer feedback, fashion sense etc. The Point of Sale system (POS) in the store computers also provided valuable sales data to the distribution center which had a mobile tracking system that docked hanging garments in appropriate bar coded areas. The various garments were given Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) and orders were placed from the hand-held computers in the stores twice a week or more, to the distribution center where if particular items were in short supply, allocation decisions were made on the basis of historical sales levels and other considerations. After the orders were approved, the warehouse issued lists for delivery to the stores. Zara design teams tracked customer preferences and used sales information such as sales analysis, store trends and product life cycle information from the store managers, based on a consumption information system to transmit repeat orders and new designs to internal/external suppliers and the DC. The design teams thereby bridged merchandising and the backend of the production process and they developed the right products within the season to meet consumer demands. Zaras product development teams attended high fashion fares and exhibitions to translate the latest seaso nal trends into the designs. Hence, a super fast rate of operational responsiveness to customers was maintained and the DC was more of a place to merchandise than merely for storage. Technology also helped keep Zaras costs under control. By using the POS systems in store computers, handheld PDA devices for store managers and phone systems, accurate information regarding orders required were transmitted to the DC. The SKUs ensured accuracy in terms of which products needed to be produced and in what quantities and the DCs could use all this information and feedback from the design teams to make orders of the right quantity of each kind of product. Thus, inventory costs were very low, runs were limited and production costs were maintained at very manageable levels in spite of the large number of new items that are continuously produced. Zaras factories were also heavily automated, specialized by garment type and focused on the capital intensive parts of the production process, like pattern design and cutting as well as final finishing and inspection. A Just-in-time system was installed in collaboration with Toyota in these factories and this helped in faster comple tion of work and controlling of costs through continuous improvement processes. Management Information System technology plays a crucial role in Zaras customer responsiveness and cost control measures. From what you see in the case, does Zara price to market or on the basis of other factors? Zara always followed a market based pricing method. In each country, Zara always placed more focus on the market prices (local pricing levels) rather than on its own costs to forecast prices of items in particular markets. These forecasts were later overlaid on cost estimates that included all considerations such as distance, tariffs, and taxes and so on to see whether the potential market could achieve profitability in a year or two of opening the first store. Zara followed a different pricing strategy in each country, for example, in Italy and Paris the focus was more quality oriented and so the price of the same items were much higher, however, in Germany where consumers are price sensitive the items were lesser priced. This figured in the different marketing strategy followed in each country. Zara controlled its costs through its production and distribution processes and was positioned in many countries as high fashion at affordable prices which though were centrally determined, much lower than competitor prices for comparable products in its major markets. Percentage margins still held up, this was possible because of the direct efficiencies of short, vertically integrated supply chain, reduced advertising costs, and markdown requirements. Thus Zara competed at reasonable prices through a cost leadership strategy, completing Porters generic strategy through differentiated products and broad segmentation. Zaras customers in many countries bore the extra costs of supplying the items from Spain though the prices were market based, for example, prices were 40% higher in Northern Europe and 70% higher in the Americas than in Spain. This could be seen on the garments price tag which was an atlas to the customers. These higher prices outside Spain affected Zaras positioning overseas as high end instead of mid market range products to better validate the price differences. Like in Mexico where the target consumer base is narrow, it is geared towards the upper and middle class that knows fashion. Moreover, as in Europe, the artificial scarcity that Zara creates of its products in its stores urge the customers to pay the price and buy rather than wait it out. Markdowns are very low for Zara in Europe and elsewhere, 15-20% of its sales as compared to 30-40% for its European peers. Zara does not completely compete on basis of price as the usual Zara customer is not that price sensitive; instead, it competes on fashion and its quick response capability. Zara (2010) has just launched an on-line, e-retail distribution service. For an apparel retailer what are the advantages and disadvantages of online distribution? Can Zara make it work? Inditex has long used the internet to promote its various lines and corporate image and is also popular on Facebook, where it has 4.5m fans. Its Smartphone application, launched about a year ago, has been downloaded by 2m people. Zara can very easily make its online e-retail distribution service work successfully. Familiarity with the Zara stores thus provides name recognition for the online retail site, and the combination of customer data gathered by the store and the online retail site (through Google Analytics, for example) could lead to substantial personalized marketing efforts, using various channels. With Zaras policy of a lean advertising budget, an online retail portal will add greatly in terms of branding and awareness. Zara had initially decided not to sell clothes on the internet since the returns rates were too high. However, as of September 2010, Inditex put Zara branded products online for its customers, waiting for online demand to build. Customers can choose from the usual range of paying methods and opt either for a free store pick-up or paid-for postal delivery. The online return and exchange policy is identical to the store system, with shoppers given 30 days to change their minds. iPhone and iPad applications that allowed purchasing will soon be available and online sales will help Zara reach potential customers who have no easy access to physical stores. For an apparel retailer, the advantages of online distribution would be providing convenience to the shoppers to buy from the comfort of their home, save on travel time and costs and have easy access to the products. Customers will have 24 hour access to the shopping platform online and make better buying decisions through online chat and discussion. Researchers identify convenience as a fundamental objective related to online shopping (Schaupp Belanger, 2005). This is relevant to 72% of online shoppers claim that they would rather surf online than go to retail store to attain information about a product (Lokken et al., 2003). Costs on human resources (Vendors, shop assistants, managers) can be saved by the retailer and customers can make relaxed wise buy decisions without pressure from vendors. Infinite shelf space will be available in that, products available at all store locations and around the world without geographical boundaries, to the customers to choose from. Comparison sh opping in terms of styles and prices will be easier on the online portal than in the store for the consumer. Boston Consulting Group analysts Evans and Wurster theorize that the three main strategic draws of online retail are reach, affiliation and richness. Reach is defined as access and connection: how many customers a business can access and how many products it can offer. Moreover, a retailers range of product offerings was traditionally limited by the size of its stores and the cost of carrying inventory while online retailers as intermediaries between customers and suppliers need not necessarily have an inventory at all, only a catalog, often transparent to the customer. Affiliation refers to whose interests are represented by the online retailer who can treat the products from their various vendors more objectively, providing more objective information and better product comparisons for their customers. Richness refers to the depth and detail of information, about products and about customers. Evans and Wurster argue that traditional retailers still are at an advantage to supply expe rt information about products to their customers, and that they also are still in a better position to gather information about product sales and customer profiles and buying patterns. Online retailers are quickly catching up, however, gathering data about customer browsing behavior, purchasing history, and demographics. Online retailers are subsequently able to use this data to provide their customers with a fully customized online shopping environment, including individualized web pages, targeted ads and offers, and specific product suggestions, something traditional retailers cannot effectively do at their retail outlets. Some of the disadvantages of online retail would be the difficulty to gather trend information, product sales and customer suggestions. Zara could remedy this by using analytics and customer feedback forms online that are user friendly and attractive. The experience of shopping in a Zara store would be lost, but Zara would need to make its retail platform very interactive and spellbinding. Zaras prime store locations cost a lot of investment, and the advent of online shopping could mean cannibalization of its retail outlet sales and a waste of upkeep costs, this could put Zara into a fix. Customers will not be able to touch and try the product like they can in an actual store, [t]he likelihood of purchasing on the Internet decreases with increases in product risk (Bhatnagar, Misra, Rao, 20000, p. 100). Apparels in particular had negative rating in online shopping because of it is difficult to feel and see the texture of colour online that is incomparable to going to a retail store. The biggest drawback itself would be the concept of infinite shelf space that an online distribution will bring, for Zara. Being a company that thrives on the creation of artificial scarcity of its products, the online distribution channel will have to be very carefully controlled to ensure that customers buy the products with the same fervour as when they visit the store, knowing that it might not be available the following week. Zara can remedy this situation by advertising only a limited number of units of each product online so customers will know if the numbers are dwindling and that they need to act fast in order to acquire the product just as in the case of the actual store.

Brave New World :: essays research papers

Today there are strong debates and questions about the extraordinary breakthroughs in science such as cloning, in communications through the Internet with its never ending pool of knowledge, and the increasing level of immersion in entertainment. People facing the 21st century are trying to determine whether these new realities of life will enhance it and bring life as they know it to a great unprecedented level, or if these new products will contribute and perhaps even cause the destruction of society and life. To many cloning, censoring, and total immersion entertainment are new, but to those who have read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, the topics are reminiscent of the horror that is found in Huxley's fictional utopian world where the dehumanizing of man is achieved in the interests of "Community, Identity, Stability," the world state's motto. The novel Brave New World shows that in order for a utopian society to achieve a state of stability, a loss of individuality, and the undoing of Mother Nature must occur. Successfully engineering these conditions produces a world where people are finally living "happily ever after," but at a great cost. The time of Brave New World is in the future on the planet earth and it is, a pessimistic accounting of the shape a scientifically planned community would take, of its sterility and human emptiness. Ten controllers of the world states determine all aspects of society. Children are born in state hatcheries where according to what social class they will be, they are given or denied certain elements that are critical to proper development. The citizens are happy and content with their simple lives as it is shown in the novel when it is stated, "We don't want to change. Every change is a menace to stability," therein lies the problem. The key ingredient to stability that the novel implies is that individuality must be absent. The government in Brave New World understands that fact and in the worlds of one of the ten controllers of the world states, "[there is] no civilization without social stability. No social stability without individual stability." The need for stability creates a government which believes that stability can be achieved if people think and look the same. Stability, in effect, demands robots, not people. The main element of what makes a person human and unique are the emotions that inhabit their minds, which they can control to some degree.