What Are the Most Important Tools and Technologies for Safeguarding Information Resources?

3. What are the components of an organizational framework for security and control? Firms need to establish a good set of both general and application controls for their information systems. A risk assessment evaluates information assets, identifies control points and control weaknesses, and determines the most cost-effective set of controls. Firms must also develop a coherent corporate security policy and plans for continuing business operations in the event of disaster or disruption.The security policy includes polices for acceptable use and identity management. Comprehensive and systematic MIS auditing helps organizations determine the effectiveness of security and controls for their information systems. 4. What are the most important tools and technologies for safeguarding information resources? Firewalls prevent unauthorized users from accessing a private network when it is linked to the Internet. Intrusion detection systems monitor private networks from suspicious network traff ic and attempts to access corporate systems.Passwords, tokens, smart cards, and biometric authentication are used to authenticate systems users. Antivirus software checks computer systems for infections by viruses and worms and often eliminates the malicious software, while antispyware software combats intrusive and harmful spyware programs. Encryption, the coding and scrambling of messages, is a widely used technology for securing electronic transmissions over unprotected networks.Digital certificates combined with public key encryption provide further protection of electronic transactions by authenticating a user’s identity. Companies can use fault-tolerant computer systems or create high-availability computing environments to make sure that their information systems are always available. Use of software metrics and rigorous software testing help improve software quality and reliability.

The Need for Protecting the Environment

Environment, the word is a bit common, everything that surrounds us consist of our environment. We can say that environment is something which provides us everything. But can you think of a single thing we do for our environment ? The answer would most probably be NO. Today we humans hardly care what would be the effects of it on our environment. For thousands of years man has exploited the environment in the name is development and in return we humans defile it and pollute it. We are cutting trees at a large scale which is leading to higher levels of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. We kill animals for their skin and that in turn is disturbing the food web which causes unbalance in the nature. We can see that every little thing we did and we are doing is ultimately causing harm to us. Increasing levels of CO2, depletion of ozone layer, global warning, floods, droughts, earthquakes and all these things are gifted by us to our precious and priceless environment. If we go on exploiting our environment in the name of our use and needs, we are certainly inviting destruction and disasters . Be it forests, naturals resources, water, soil, rain, mountains, flora or fauna, we have destroyed it all . The point is not that how much wrong we have done and how much right we need to do now but simple actions such as planting trees can help us a lot. One does not need to be a great environmentalist or ecologist it protect our environment, it is simply human instinct.

BMW CENTRAL BUILDING (Leipzig, Germany) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

BMW CENTRAL BUILDING (Leipzig, Germany) - Essay Example Name Tutor Task Date BMW CENTRAL BUILDING BMW central building in Leipzig Germany, is a magnificent building designed by Pritzker Prize together with Zaha Hadid architects, this happened in the year 2003. The building was designed with the concept of holding the integral sections that involved in the production of the BMW vehicles in one roof. Initially, the BMW real estate and facility management group had designed the three separate production units; the competition was put up to design the interlinked three core production units ( Aaron Betsky, 256). The best design by the Zaha Hadid and the Pritzker Prize to interlinked the three productions unit, which is the paint shop, the body building shop, and the assembly area; also included were administration, Restaurant for the staff. The conceptual idea behind the design, and building of this state of the art building which is a nerve centre of all the factory processes of assembling BMW vehicles was to allow easily movement of assembl ed body parts to be conveyed from one production unit of an elevated building to the other production unit. The focal point of designing and building an assembly hall, was to create enough space around the production line, was to give room for further expansion of the hall in the future without disruption to production. The magnificent building is not only functioning as a production piece of the factory, but also an epicenter of so many activities, including; the public relation area, offices, and the meeting room. The environmental approach was put into considerations, when the stipulate the use of water based paints to avoid environmental conflicts. The BMW central building is made up of several elevated conveyers which are made of a standard range of building materials like corrugated metals, channel glass and glass walls; this gave it a spectacular appearance and a unique design which stand out to be a unique building in Leipzig, Germany. The whole BMW central building covered 2.2 kilometer square that is 540 acre piece of land. The fabrication of bodies’ hall covers 640,000 square feet; the paint shop is covering 270,000 square feet and the assembly hall which is the largest cover 1,075,000 square feet. Included in the structural design is the large parking yard, the integral structural feature has the dynamic spectacle where it allows the movement the inherent dynamism movement of car bodies and vehicles and the arrangement of the parking lots giving it a gorgeous look. The other unique features in the building are such like the strategy used to organize the cross section that connect the ground floor and the first floor, there are two sequences of terraced plates of staircases that were set up from the southern part of the building to the northern part of building. The other staircase moved straight up from the ground floor meeting the first cascade then moving up to the space projecting the entrance. The advantage is that the articulation of th e most recognizable domain within an overall field. The materials used in the internal organization and walls separating the conveyors allow visual communication much more among the staff of all the ranks; this is to avoid the common tradition of segregation of them into a status group. The designing and building of this centre followed the modern organization of the offices in such a way that can provide a working

Financial Accounting and Reporting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Financial Accounting and Reporting - Assignment Example 4). iii. They need the information about the resources of the organization not only to assess the prospects for future organization’s net cash inflows but also to identify how efficiently and effectively the organizations management has discharged or performed their duties and responsibilities in using the existing resources of the organization. For instance, it helps them to portray the results of the stewardship management hence being able to assess the management’s accountability so that their decision making process is influenced for their betterment (Weygandt et al 2010, pg. 4). Q1.2. Regulatory agencies and bodies are basically formed to address the needs of various user groups of financial statements. They usually address these needs by specifying procedures and requirements that should be followed in preparing and presenting financial statements. The different aspects used in addressing these needs include This Framework states the basic concepts that should be followed in preparing and presenting the financial statements particularly for the external users. It addresses the needs of different user because by addressing the reporting of the financial reporting, qualitative characteristics of the useful financial information, and by stating the definition, measurement and recognition of different elements of the financial statements (Alexander & Archer, 2008, pg. 2.20). IAS on the other hand, addresses the needs of the users by detailing the preparation of financial statements and by explaining the accounting treatment of various items in the financial statements, for instance inventories, leases, intangible assets to mention but a few. IFRS on the other hand, are designed in order to make company accounts comparable and understandable across international boundaries because it acts as a common global language particularly for multinational corporations. They specify accounting rules to be followed by accountants in

Macroeconomics (inflation) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Macroeconomics (inflation) - Essay Example The inference is not necessarily correct: other explanations are equally logical and sufficiently important to be worth serious consideration. Many countries might experience inflation at the same time without international transmission of inflationary forces because they respond in the same way to common causes (Wickens 54). All countries have undergone long-period institutional and structural changes which, although not in themselves inflationary, have made them more vulnerable to inflation. One of these changes is a widespread increase in the resistance to reductions of nominal prices and wages. Another is the growing role of the public sector in most national economies, a development that may increase the vulnerability to inflation in a number of different ways, which are discussed in the appendix to this paper. Another possible cause of a decrease in the dispersion of rates of change in consumer prices and other comprehensive price indexes, such as gross national product deflato rs, is a convergence in the rates of productivity growth of different countries. These comprehensive price indexes tend to diverge from the corresponding national indexes of wholesale prices in degrees related to the growth in a country's productivity. If changes in national wholesale prices continue to be tied together, a convergence of national rates of productivity growth would cause a convergence of changes in their consumer price indexes and GNP deflators (Wickens 51). Gali (2008) underlines that monetary changes may directly release inflationary forces. In the monetary field, the development and expansion of the Eurocurrency market, even if it has not greatly increased the supply of what one chooses to call "money," has increased the supply of liquidity or reduced the demand for it. Similarly, the establishment of special drawing rights has provided a non-national addition to the international reserve assets of the recipient countries without increasing the liabilities of other countries. Other explanations of a decrease in dispersion of inflation rates are also possible. For example, inflation rates may have been generated in many countries at the same time merely because cyclical expansion in a number of important countries coincided to an unusual degree (Gali 77). Although the probability that such similarity of movement in several large countries occurred by sheer coincidence may not be high, it is not so low as to be negligible; such synchron ization has occurred at times in the past when the world economy is widely regarded as having been less integrated than it is now, and it occurred then to a greater extent than in some subsequent periods, as is indicated by the evidence cited in the appendix (Gali 72). As national inflation rates may converge without increased international transmission through market forces, so may such transmission increase without making inflation rates converge. Indeed, an increase in such transmission may even increase the dispersion of some measures of inflation. This may be more than a possibility with regard to dispersion of consumer price in

Theories of Adolescence Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Theories of Adolescence - Assignment Example In addition to these developments, individuals going through the process of adolescence often experience a number of physical and sexual maturation changes. The adolescence stage of human development generally starts at puberty before eventually ending at the age of between 18 and 21 years. One of the main theories of adolescence is Erik Erikson’s psycho-social theory of personalitydevelopment. The core concept that is seen to be presented by Erikson’s theory is that the most essential characteristic of adolescence in humans is the undergoing of an identity crisis and the subsequent acquisition of an ego identity. Erikson argues that during the adolescent stage of development, individuals must establish a sense of personal identity in addition t avoiding the dangers seen to be posed by identify confusion and role diffusion (Ratele& Duncan, 2003). In my personal experience, I support the postulations made by Erikson’s psycho-social theory of personality developmentas they match my own personal experiences while I was undergoing through this stage of development. During my adolescent years, I underwent an identity crisis as I was easily impressionable and often tried to copy the behavior and characteristics of the â€Å"cool† kids in school and some of the characters in my favorite TV show. Although it took some considerable time, I was eventually able to develop my own unique identity. Another key theory of Adolescence is Roger Barker’s Somatopsychological theory of adolescence (GuerreroandChaÃŒ vez, 2009). According to Barker, during adolescence changes affecting an individual’s endocrinology, physique and body dimensions experienced at a significantly accelerated rate as compared to the rate at which they were experienced during the individual’s preadolescent years. As a result of these change, a number of corresponding psychological situations

Political Climate in 1980s Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Political Climate in 1980s - Essay Example Liberals were subsequently wont to pronounce, to be sure, that conservatives were giving plain answers to difficult dilemmas. But the predicaments were multifaceted for the liberals only because they persisted on misinterpreting them at a very plain level. The depression time was intensified as conservatives were triumphed two times in the 1980s -- the corollaries of which prolong to reverberate - the first was the victory of the West in the Cold War; the second the intellectual victory of free-market economics over economic planning. Altogether, these have united to generate a noticeable move to the Right in the political world - as similar to the world's move toward liberalism after the crush of the Axis powers and the dishonoring of any kind of right-wing tyranny in 1945 (Ehrman, John., 2005). The political game continues for an indefinite period - but it goes on with a dissimilar ground and under shifting regulations. And though the Left have to be more baffled than the Right by the philosophical instability of the post-Cold War world, it is actually moving more rapidly to define again the rudiments and basics of the climate of political regime. With Reagan's assurance to reinstate the country's military force, the 1980s observed considerable spending on military, amounting to approximately $1.6 trillion in just five years. The administration then favored a lofty approach to the Cold War era, particularly in the Third World superpowers competition. Following the Vietnam fiasco, though, Americans were more disbelieving of swallowing the financial loss of troop promises. The government then sought to trounce this by supporting the fairly cheap policy of specially-trained counterinsurgencies in place of huge wars like Vietnam and Korea (Ehrman, John., 2005). The US administration then adopted a hard-hitting standpoint for USSR. Early in Reagan's first appearance, he assailed the competitor as the "wicked realm." When Jimmy Carter had justifiably ruined the plan of dtente following Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, the worries in East and West touched the levels that haven't seen since the crisis of Cuban Missile. And by the late 1980s, it turned out to be obvious that the Soviet Union would no longer make use of its forces to maintain the Eastern-European communists in control (Busch, Andrew E, 1997). Peoples have had lost their trusts that the communist system could bring a healthier lifestyle to them. In 1989, people came out in the streets and upturned the communist hold consecutively. After few months, the system inflicted on nations of Eastern Europe by Stalin for forty years vanished as if it were a bad delusion. Two years afterward, the European communist system is collapsed. Timeline for the 1980s January 5, 1980: Margaret Thatcher performed a Cabinet reorganize, firing Norman St. John-Stevas. January 20, 1980: Ronald Reagan succeeded Jimmy Carter, becoming the 40th head of the US. March 30, 1980: U.S. President Ronald Reagan is gunshot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C. hotel. November, 1980: Republican Party's Ronald Reagan became president. Reagan goes on to take on a hard-hitting anti-communist foreign strategy and tax-cutting strategies. 1985 - Chernenko passed away and Mikhail Gorbachev joined the office as general secretary of the Communist Party;

Defining Rule utilitarianism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Defining Rule utilitarianism - Essay Example Finally, Hospers brings up the last example when people vote. Thus, on an election day people may or may not be willing to go and vote. The first example might be considered to be an objection to act utilitarianism since according to it killing the fat man would be quite useful for the group of people, but the majority of people would agree on the fact that killing is wrong. The second example also shows that act utilitarianism might be regarded as a false approach: it is true that sometimes for a particular individual lying might bring considerable more benefits that tell the truth; however, the society condemns lying. Finally, the third example may also be regarded as a valid claim that rebuts act utilitarianism. According to the latter, it would be more ethical not to vote for a person, but it is quite obvious that such approach would ruin the legal system. Rule utilitarianism would provide a different solution for this problem. In case of the fat man, it would encourage people to let that man live. The reason for this is quite simple: it is generally accepted that killing other people is not an ethical action. That is why killing the person in question will violate the general rule which contributed to the security in the society. In the second example about lying, rule utilitarianism would urge a person to tell a truth even though it might be some problems. The logic behind it is rather simple: the social life is being productive and stable because people generally do not lie to each other. That is why if people chose to make an exception from that rule, they might undermine the very foundation of the society. Finally, in the example of voting, rule utilitarianism would encourage people to go and vote in spite of the fact that they may not be willing as if all the other people chose not to vote this is likely to break the democratic system and result in the collapse of the government. In my opinion rule

Earnest Hemingway's "The Indian camp" Essay

Earnest Hemingway's "The Indian camp" - Essay Example Nick becomes his assistant in the operation. Not long after, the expectant womans husband is discovered dead having slit his throat during the operation. The Indian Camp story reveals the upcoming of Hemingways use of counterpoint and the understated style. He addresses several thematic concerns that affected the people at the time. These are the theme of racism, sexism, masculinity and life and death. The ‘Indian Camp’ remains an important story in the canon of Hemingway to date. Being an initiation camp, the Indian Camp is used in the story to explain the theme life and death. Dr Adams, Nick’s father, exposes his son at a young age to childbirth. In the process, he unintentionally exposes the boy to violent death. Having witnessed the birth and death at the same time, Nick equates birth to death (Dudley 17). Although Nick may not have wanted to watch his father perform the caesarean, his father insists that he should do. Symbolically, he wants to make his son tough and prepare him for initiation into the adult world that was not always smooth. The theme of life and death is a symbolic depiction of the conditions of the Native American camp. There are struggles for life in the camp in which death romped life from people. The coming to birth of a child signifies the continuity of life in the camp (Dudley 18). However, life is lost at the same time when the childs father kills himself by slitting his throat with a sharp blade during the operation. In his story, Hemingway explains the desperate state of a struggle for life and at the same time the irony in a persons depriving his life. It is ironical that an effort is made to make the baby live signifying the value attached to life at the camp while at the same time the father takes his life. Fear of death is implicated in Nick’s fear for the death when thoughts of death in the forest a night before the operation overwhelm him. The themes of racism and sexism in the story are depicted in the

Dance Critique Essay Example for Free

Dance Critique Essay Late last Saturday day night, on April 14,2012, I attended the very first dance concert at John Anthony Theater at Collin College Spring Creek Campus. This concert was performed by Collin Dance Ensemble, which is a vibrant company that performs innovative contemporary modern dance. Their goal is to produce dance works at the highest level of artistic excellence. The dance company attends and performs at the American College Dance Festival annually and has been selected for the Gala Performance at the regional festivals sevens times. At 7:30 pm, people started walking in to the theater, just a few minutes after, the audience seats filled with the crowed people who come to support the dancer, or maybe interested in dance performance, and mostly have â€Å"dance appreciation fever† like me. After the introduction of director, all the lights dimed down and the curtain slide up. The light focuses in the middle of the proscenium stage where there are group of seven dancers sat down in the middle of the stage ready to perform. They started it off with the piece called Friendships that was choreographer by the Chair of Dance Department and also a director of Collin Dance Ensemble, Tiffanee Arnold. Under the direction of Tiffanee Arnold, Collin Colleges Dance Program has gained the reputation for excellence in dance education, choreography and performance. Music is Sinking Friendships by Jonsi, this piece was kind of bored to me as an unprofessional audience to really understand the concept of every part of the story they tried to tell. Not very clear, but I can point out some of the movement of the dancer described the image of friendships such as holding hands and dance in circle as a group. And it was ballet so I’m not very interested. Outside topic, the theater was freezing cold. I try to concentrate to the performance to forget the coldness. The Time Between choreography by Reyna Mondragon is one of my favorite piece of the show. There were many of interesting parts, there were people ran across the stage back and forth while few others were illustrated the movement of time. The dance used running motion to create tick tick tick moves, it looked kind of cool to demonstrate the clock ticking. Through the music by Clint DiFranco, Welcome to Lunar Industries, this piece is very modern. I love how to change the speed now and then during the performance. They just went freestyle in the climax of the song; there were a lot of running and walking movements, jumping, exciting and then they cut it out the slow motion dance with rhythm and powerful moves. People still ran across the stage, in my opinion they say that does not matter what’s going around you, time keeps running and life goes on. So far that night, one bored me and one got my attention to the show. Here comes the solo of Jake Harkey, the only male student in the group, performed Unseen Injuries by Tiffanee Arnold. This dance is in support of Collin College’s Center for Scholarly and Civic Engagement Book-In-Common: Soft Spots by Clint Van Winkle. And also it was inspired by several passages in the book, in particular: â€Å"But nobody talks about the mental wounds. It is the unseen injury that slips through the cracks, leads people to drinking, puts pressure on spouses, and causes healthy men to call the fire department for host symptoms. You are suppose to about-face and forward- march, forget about the war as soon as you get home, take 800 mg of Motrin and carry on like nothing ever happened. But how was I supposed to let go when I was reliving it every day? † (p. 137; C. Van Winkle). One soldier, one person stood still in the middle of the stage. He was on the basic training clothes letting all the extensive madness out of his head. He raised the hands to try to reach out a reality of peace. Sometimes, he look back at what he had done as a soldier and all the images of war come back in his mind. The stress out anger movement was dynamic with the vocal sound. I can feel the pain through what he wanted to tell. He used wide range of space to show the falling and depression. He nailed the part wonderful as a college student. The one-foot stand come up to me as unbalance mind of a soldier in the war. Growing up in a country had a long history of fighting in war, I learn and see a lot about the soldier that come back from the war through real life and books. I can see in them not only the physical pain they had been through but also the spiritual scar that the war had impacted in them. I think that is why this piece Unseen Injuries gets my intention the most. The obsession will follow them for the rest of their life. Narrative modern dance described the feeling of those soldier had been yearly in war. The performer was success to send out emotion of a soldier after war. It would seem sadly they are often overlooked impacting not only the injured but their friends, families and wider communities. Those with psychological trauma can go undetected and it can be years before medical treatment is sought. Tiffanee has a great choice on music of Message in a Bottle: Nancy’s Letter. Farewell Nancy by Ed Harcourt is very romantic and particular fit in the motif of this dance. I see a lot of dancing on ground level to create the sea scene. Soft and flexible are the word to describe their actions. The music inspired me to more focus on the dance. It represents the emotion of the main character want to see her lover so badly in distance relationship. And she also is a quite entertainer with piece Can’t Shake It. It got people excitement by their funky dance moves on those fluffy dresses. The audiences included myself were very enjoyable in this song. They showed that they couldn’t shake most part of their body from their trunk to head. Shame face and frustrated movements revealed to be ashamed part of their body couldn’t be shake. I think the dancer also enjoy themselves in such a piece. The performer are all college student so they were bit lack of perfection timing with each other and the steady movements which required in most ballet pieces. They were connected to the audience strongly in Scars, strong movements and ran toward downstage at the end. I would they were success to give out the message of each piece to me as the audience. Just a few was kind of bitter to figure out. I was born in 90s so ballet and jazz were not my type of entertaining dance. It is little bit far from my generation. But modern is more enjoyable to me. I like to move fast with rhythm especially hit all the beat of the music is way cooler. I don’t know any of Jazz moves in there cause I cannot tell. One thing I saw a lot that the modern and ballet, those dancers use many of motif manipulations such as incorporative with the turn and jump, repetition, levels (ground, middle, high jump), rhythm was actually the part that I pay attention the most. Overall the concert was very great to me. Couple piece I did not understand what they try to say at all or I just did not be interested. Through all pieces by Tiffanee Arnold, I see that her choreography always tell a story along the dance. There is always something meaningful and deep down inside the performance that she wants the audience to see the piece and later on cautious thinking the background story.

Amazon SWOT Analysis

Amazon SWOT Analysis Amazon is an american electronic commerce company that has become an icon of internet business. Jeff bozos founded the company in 1994 and launched it online in 1995 as an online bookstore. However, the logo soon became symbolic as they started to sell everything from a to z. Time magazine names bezos 1999 person of the year and said, bezos vision of the online retailing universe was so complete, his amazon.com site so elegant and appealing that it became from day one the point of reference for anyone who had anything to sell online. In 2001, amazon.com reported a fiscal loss and over a couple of years they laid off over 1000 workers. But, this set back did not discourage bezos instead he came up with the idea of joining forces with other retailers to sell their products online through amazon.com. So, through hard work and determination bezos has been able to turn the simple online bookstore from its early beginnings into the global phenomenon that is amazon.com. INTRODUCTION OF AMAZON:, Amazon is one of the largest internet retailing company in the world, that sells from books to electronics to potential buyers from all over the country, it is well known to have cheaper prices for their items, and having great expertise in making sure their customers needs are met at all times (Amazon, 1996-2010) Amazon has been in business for so many years to where they will not be undersold to any other company that are trying to compete with them. The products are displayed with great advertising publish with using the press release, competent customers who will invest their products to be displayed through amazon to make money, and great policies that show lower rates, When the customer is needing for their product to shipped to them (amazon, 1996-2010). Amazon has always kept their prices to a minimum, to where most customers will use Them around the holidays, to have the products sent to their families that live in further Countries. There have been customers that apply for a career at amazon, making money Just sitting at home, waiting for potential buyers to show interest in wanting a great Quality product that they would not find cheaper at any other retail store, such as target, Sears, and toys R us (amazon, 1996-2010). Amazon has a type of behavior that it shows customer satisfaction as being no.1, that if a product is defected, it would not cost anything to have it sent back to them. The product will be returned with one that is new and will have warranty. SWOT ANALYSIS:, Amazon.com has become the king of its own private little industry. The only problem with being the king is that everyone wants your throne. While Amazon.com has many strengths and opportunities it has threats and weaknesses, too. STRENGTHS: Well established web brand Loyal customers base of over 12million shoppers Distribution facilities to handle growth and fulfillment Leader in use of technology to delivery targeted content Excellent offline customer service Amazon has moved away from being a low price supplier of books toward a focus on delivering outstanding service at a price, WEAKNESSES: Too much diversity in their product line and Amazon.com could risk damaging its brand name. There is the potential for confusing their clients Shipping costs could be a deciding factor on whether a customer buys from Amazon.com or goes to a traditional store. More online retailers are offering free or discounted shipping and some, such as Wal-Mart, offer site-to-store free shipping. Need to restructure business to drive toward profitability has meant upward pressure on prices No offline brand presence Insufficient community added value No telephone support OPPORTUNITIES:, Opportunity to establish itself as a global mass merchant leader in the online shopping arena Building community events around the brand would help create brand affinity as well as loyalty Establish 247 hour telephone support for customers and order processing Frequent shopper discounts will increase retention and repeat purchases Further offline partnerships can potentially help Amazon by allowing customers to return products offline stores. Amazon has an opportunity to Create a higher international market segment. Also can make Strategic alliances with companies. THREATS:, Competitors such as Barnes and Noble, eBay.com, and half.com. Book publishing companies could start up own website and get rid of the middleman companies The continuous changing of trends in the marketplace. Amazons lack in-depth community leaves it exposed to customer being attracted to competitors with more in-depth content. AMAZON.COM KEY SUCCESS STRATEGIES:, CONTINOUS INNOVATION The areas of innovation shown by amazon was the use of collaborative filter technologies which allows customers to evaluate books on a one to five star rating system and browsers can rate which reviews are helpful and which are not. The site offers peep into books contents index and beginning pages with a search inside the book feature that allows customers search the entire text of 120 000 books- about as many times as are in Barnes Nobles bookstore. Amazons .com one click shopping lets buyers make purchase with one click. Another innovation is the syndicated selling networks. Through this network or association, amazon.com has a cross product programme that enables those who visit those associate sites to purchase several titles across multiples product lines, from single source. In addition, almost all web search engines are members of the associate programme with hotlinks on the entry of every research page, its like amazom.com has a store on every major mall around the wall, i.e. clever advertising Amazon .com has also established itself as an electronic market place enabling merchants of all kinds to sell items on amazon.com. It powers and operates retail websites for Target, the NBA, Timex, Marks and Spencer. Amazon.com cards offers every visitor the ability to send free cards to friends from its web site, these creates an opportunity to set new customers as well as keep current customer happy, because the recipients of the those cards must visit Amazons website to view the personalized messages. VALUE ADDED SERVICE TO CUSTOMERS In a competitive environment, amazon.com has scaled through as a firm with the offer of value added service as its competitive advantage which includes courteous, personalised customer services. Amazon.com personalised the storefronts for each customer by providing more useful information and more choices that could not be found in neighbourhood bookstore. This Allows customers communication flows, information site on products, quality, praise, complaints, rating, featuring, description, reviews, comparison, discussion, problem report, information statistics, ranking prices, discount, e.t.c thereby building its customer relationship management (CRM). Through this (CRM) Amazon were able to record customers reading habits, buying habits and buying trend, which allows Amzon.com to offer different promotion and selling strategies tailored to meet customers demand and needs. Amazons diversification into other types of services (music, video, home improvement and auction) also enhances their competitive advantage because all other services links back to them faster than their competitors can duplicate. Amazon.com offers services beyond discount, for example; the ability of the site to allow students search book of related topics for their projects, search for books in foreign languages or out-of-print, provides information about its products editorial contents in the form of reviews, interviews, excerpts, purchases, circles and related recommendation made for deeper exploration of the site, provide information for those who cant remember a book or video or are looking for a sound bit , but dont remember exactly what they want. UNBEATBLE LOGISTICS Amazon.com offering for fast, inexpensive shipping has helped the firm to overcome the lag between purchase and delivery of a product. For a $79 annual fee, Amazon.com prime offers unlimited free express shipping for most items. At amzon.com customers orders are handled in-house and to achieve this they established distribution centres and each distribution centre is equipped with the latest material-handling equipment technology. For instance, each distribution centre has a pick-to-light system which uses a terminal display mechanism to guide a worker through the picking and packing process; frequency technology is used to direct workers to warehouse locations with a radio signal, and voice technologies which allows computers to communicate instructions to workers. 2. Current Strategic Situation Amazons mains resources and capabilities: , The presence of strong as well as effective leadership in todays organization imposes a great responsibility to the organizations team and management networks as leadership implies the overall capacity of the organizations performance like for instance, in terms of operations and research development. It can be said that Amazons resources and capabilities can be divided in the management of the company specifically their leader which is Bezos, the ability of the management to effectively use strategic supply chain management and aligning it with their business process and information technology, their competitive advantage in the online market, and the financial resources that it gains through its successful approaches. There are various resources in the enterprises such as human resources and customer resources. First of all, concerning human resources, AMAZON COMPETITORS: , Amazon.com has major competition including such well known business as below Ebay.com EBay is Amazon.coms prime competition for its online auction services .Ebay.com is also on the Internet and it is much larger than Amazon.com and offers live auctions and bidding for customers. Amazon and eBay all provide generally similar information, but additional information is provided based on the companys primary of sales method. Customer product reviews are one piece of extremely valuable data for making purchases that is provided by all three companies. One difference is that since Best Buy is a retailer that primarily focuses on driving sales through physical stores and they have a place where customers can go to physically touch and feel their products, they have the ability to provide information that is less extensive on their website Barnes Noble.com Is an internet commerce branch of Barnes Noble Inc. which includes physical bookstores that have been designed with comfort and convenience. It receives more than six million unique visitors per month to its Web site, www.bn.com. It is perhaps their largest competitor. Barnes and Nobles and Amazon.com are competing, but both stores and other online stores recognize what works and are studying one another often duplicating one anothers business strategies. This has resulted in them having more similarities than differences and it helps the consumers find similarities across the Web such as; When a description of an item is given, Amazon and Barnes and Nobles both place the shopping cart option prominently displayed to the upper, right portion of the screen. This makes it very efficient and useable for the viewer and they do not have to search around the page for this button. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) In pricing, both Amazon.com and Barnesandnobles.com display the average price for their items above their own discounted rates so that the users feel as though they are saving money. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) Both sites are Flexible, there is an option of buying things at a later date and placing them in the shopping cart temporarily. This option is called the wish list and it is displayed just beneath the Add to Cart button. Users can access this saved information and access it on their next visit. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) Both sites offer Security that provides safe shopping, privacy and efficiency by requiring customers to join as members at a certain point during a transaction. Membership is free and requires an email address, full name, home address and phone number. It allowing customers to maintain an order status and helps provide a history of what they bought. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) C) Wal-Mart.com Wal-Mart has experienced success internationally because of its ability to transport the companys unique culture and effective retailing concepts to each new country. They respond to customer needs, merchandise preferences and local suppliers. Business strategies that have helped Amazon.com to enhance its competitive advantage are The first strategy, cost-leadership is pursued by Amazon.com by differentiating itself primarily on the basis of price. Due to this strategy, Amazon.com always makes sure that it offers the same quality products as other companies for a considerably less price. Its third strategy is long-tail, Amazon only started the online retail business with books, but now it sells everything from toys to books and is looking in future to sell more and more products. Unlike its competitor Amazon.com didnt maintain huge inventories of books; it relied on wholesalers to supply books on time. The most obvious benefit of this just-in-time procurement system was that it multiplied inventory turns and reduced working capital requirements. Amazon saved money on everything except people and computers. Amazons investment in computer technology was focused on software rather than hardware. In that sense Amazon.coms business strategy involved maintaining Unique resources, its people. Amazon did more than just sell books; It also provided a range of services including information about books: interviews with authors, book reviews and recommendations from other customers and media, links to other sites, new release information and more. Stakeholder Analysis: . A) . Government Agencies The Federal Communications Commission, is a commission that defines the broadband to meet customer broad communication needs and desires. B. Labor Unions Since Amazon is an online buying center, there are no labor unions. These unions exist when there are enough in center employees to need protection as an employee. C. Completing Organizations In the technical products and systems market, competitors are looking towards opportunities to get ahead of others. The best thing for Amazon is to push forward ahead of the competition because of their diverse background and continue their surge for new customers. D. Employees Failure to remain competitive will affect the employees. The president is about making cost cuts to improve profits which in turn will cut the salary of current employees. Layoffs are the first method most often in making cost cuts. E. Suppliers The suppliers for this company include the sellers that offer their personal products for sale, as well as the partnerships Amazon formed. F. Customers Amazon.com caters to people of all ages and discretions. These customers include seniors, baby boomers, generation X, and generation Y. Each group have a percentage in the population of customers with tastes for different products 3. Strategic Direction for the future Strategic Management The main area we will look at is Amazons strategic management capabilities, we will look at the External factors that have influenced Amazons stratgey and the Opportunities and Threats this industru poses. We will also look at the strengths and weakenesses that Amazon have to address these threats and take advantage of the opportunites presented to them Firstly it is necessary to conduct an external analysis of the environmnet that may have influenced amazons strategic management decision. We will look at the PEST analysis model that may have influenced Amazons strategic planning. The main two external factors that influenced amazons strategies were Political These factors address legal issues such as trading laws etc. The low sales tax in seattle was one of the factors that encouraged Amazon to set up their first distribution center Technological Factors Introduction of new technology can create new markets. The main reason for Amazon setting up an online store was the growth in the use of the world wide web technologies and their ability to offer a flexible service online. Ansoff matrix: Amazon seem to have chosen two of the four growth strategies: 1. Market Development Â- through the opening of distribution centers and the launching of websites in the UK and Germany Amazon offered their existing goods and sevices for sale in new markets. 2. Product Development Â- through the acquisition of several online companies such as pets.com and drugstore.com Amazon could offer new products for sale in their existing market Based on these strategies the following mission statement has been formulated: Our vision remians being the Earths most customer centric company, the best place for customers to find and discover anything they want to buy online In addition Amazon wish to achineve the objective to become the best place to buy, find and discover anut product of service available online. In line with this and the growth strategies adopted to do this Amazon will continue to enhance and broaden its brand, customer base and eCommerce expertise Recommended Solution Implementation Technology Integration and RD Amazon.com should increase expenditure in the research and development arena. We believe that Amazon should prepare itself for additional telecommunications implementations such as high speed internet and network security. These types of implementation, though representative of considerable RD costs, are probably most significant factors that etailers must prepare for near future. As users, connections increase in speed, any delays on the part of the etailer they are connecting to will become obvious and less tolerable. Amazon can stay ahead of the pack by preparing a unique and comfortable interface for the users. Strategic Cost Analysis Amazon.com should also use Strategic cost analysis process where identify the firms value chain, diagnose the key elements that drive the costs of each value activity, identify competitors value chains, develop a strategy to lower relative costs by controlling cost drivers, ensure that any cost reduction does not erode differentiation in service and test the cost reductions if its sustainable in the end of the analysis. Differentiation They should also consider by costs by determining Differentiation where the process goes as determine who the real buyer is, identify buyers value chain and put in rank order the buyers reason to purchase, asses the current potential sources of diffentiation, identify the cost of these resources, design a value chain to maximize value relative costs, test for sustainiablity and reduce costs in activities that do not affect the chosen forms of differentiation. Inventory; There are programs built to be extremely user-friendly, and most offer great support along the way of usage for online businesses to maintain the book database. Amazon should invest in software to best highlight and maintain the data on the site and importantly back up systems. Keep inventory accurate and up to date; This is also an important aspect that Amazon can out beat its competitors with as this is first step towards building a long-term relationship with that customer. Inventory of the books stock-out and sold out will be kept up to date on the site. Visionary Informative A picture is worth a thousand words; Uploading pictures by decreasing explanations or descriptions could attract customers attraction and curiosity in exploring the book. Somehow it boosts up sales compared to other online booksellers who give attention in words. Product Review Information; In case of books, editorial reviews are provided by the company and it applies for all books. Customers can also rate each others review. A rating is placed against each review so that customers can decide whether to read or not based on that. Most online booksellers do not include this but they display the customers satisfaction on the delivery service provided by them which is less important to boost up sales. People out there want to pay you for your books; Amazon should use own merchant service account or a service offered by a listing site, make sure that customers can buy books quickly and painlessly with a credit card while you have them on the brink of finalizing said purchase. Dont judge a book by its cover; First impressions are lasting impressions. When a customer receives the book theyve ordered, make sure the first thing they see is a product and package that you are proud to have supplied by using use clean, new boxes without writing (or envelopes for low-cost paperbacks) for shipments. Customers will be expecting an excellent service but if its vice versa then they are chances for them to switch to other online retailers. Keep customers in the loop on everything; Amazon should update the status of order to customers on the order made and also keep them in loop by e-mail the listing service directly with questions about their orders and keep updating the latest events and new stocks of books through emails. Shipping Delivery Follow-up; After shipping out an item to the customer, Amazon should send them an e-mail a day or two after expecting that theyll receive their package, asking them if theyve received it and are satisfied, and reminding them that there customer rep are there to help should they have any questions about their order. This is also a great time to remind them that you have similar items in stock or to offer them a coupon towards future purchases. Expansion to Asia Region Amazon should strive to expand its expertise to Asia region as well as high potentials are there which huge population. Education is becoming one important aspect in Asia and lack of important reference books are always a problem in many parts of Asia. It should diversify its marketing capability in Asia too to capture the market. Amazon is very less popular in Asia regions. Amazon.com should take Asia to consider for its business expansion. Amazon could also diversify its marketing and research ability to expand mostly to the developed countries of other territory. In order to grow big and always sustain in the market and competition, Amazon should takes this sort of steps to expand. International Sites; Amazon.com has got an added advantage of international sites on Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, France and China. All about what the customers have to do to browse the site with their language is by clicking to their national site. For example, if you clink Japan, immediately the whole website will change its descriptions and instructions into Japanese language. This is not at all applicable for a customer in Malaysia or any other regions of Asia. It should expand and add more languages options in its site to accumulate its customers. Giving customers what they want is also one strategy not all online business can do but if this can be proven in Amazons case then it have all the potential to be the one. Word-of mouth advertisement Amazon also should increase its word-of mouth advertisement. This might seem odd for an industry leader to rely upon such a quaint tactics as this, but we truly believe that in the world of Internet this is a powerful tool. We are quick to visit sites that our friends identify as being fabulous, and Amazon might capitalize on this by rewarding its customers who can reel in a new prospects. Expand the product lines Amazon should expand its product lines. Givens Amazons vision and its unique position in the etailer industry, the cost associated with entering new markets is significantly lower than that of its competitors. There is no reasons to let this advantage slip away unused. Conclusion In order to stay focus on business Amazon.com has various ways and strategies that can be implemented with proper organizations communication networks. Financial reports should be reviewed annually and quarterly if necessary to come up with decisions whether to boost up sales or to maintain on a certain criteria for the wellness of business. Amazon.com also should have a frequent customer feedback program where they could exchange view on the services and products most desired to be acquired online by customers. Top level management meetings should be initiated to assure goals are achieved. A proper corrective action should be determined after the first year if annual objectives werent accomplished. 3) Recommendations 1. Develop and implement a B2B exchange for suppliers manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to use. Because the largest percentage of e-commerce sales resulted from transactions conducted on B2B exchanges, this opened up a large potential market for Amazon.com to expand into. The benefit of this alternative was that Amazon.com could easily market this service to its large number of affiliates and partners that it conducted business with. 2. Amazon should expand its online auctions. Amazon has a need for an intermediary in transactions and would be able to market this additional service to both current customer base and use of personalized emails to new customers through advertising campaign. The benefit of this alternative is that Amazon.com would be expanding on an existing service offering and would not incur any developmental or startup expenses. This would work because of the prior experience of Amazon in expanding and marketing other product lines and services. 3. Develop an effective differentiating enterprise wide strategy to survive and prosper over the competition for the long-term future. 4. Amazon should use a web-based model to personalize service. Amazon should attempt to use personalization to build the right store for every customer. Each customer has a web page personalized based on his or her recent purchases. This is the equivalent of having a unique storefront for each customer in hopes of drawing in as many return customers as possible. 5. Increase advertisement to increase brand awareness. Through a general advertising campaign, like television and print ads, Amazon would be able to market their service to current customers and new customers. 6. Create a location where people have access to the internet to do online shopping. This could be in an Amazon location in different cities. The cities could consist of major populated areas to start. If this idea is a success, then they could venture out to under populated areas. Conclusion Amazon.com is a public owned company, which focuses on employees and excellent services. It is team oriented organized by product. Amazons web site offers the ability to present a broad range of merchandise. Well organized and easy to navigate help and FAQ pages make the difference in smooth shopping experience. Building a customer community helps to keep customers coming back to the site. It also helps shoppers identify with the brand. Amazon has built a loyal customer base of millions, thanks to a highly efficient web buying experience and outstanding customer service. With some controlling interest in popular Web sites, word-of-mouth from users, the ease of communication using e-mail and options such as gift certificates, Amazon.com has created one of the most popular home-shopping sites today.

Revelation Essay -- essays research papers

Revelation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Revelation† starts off at a small town doctor’s office in the waiting room. Mrs. Turpin and several other characters are making small talk as they wait to see the doctor. Mrs. Turpin’s words quickly reveal the fact that she is a prejudiced snob. She is very quick to judge everyone in the room. Mary Grace is an ugly girl who is setting in the room listening to all of Mrs. Turpin’s judgments. Mary Grace gets very upset with Mrs. Turpin for being so judgmental. Instead of saying something to make her stop, Mary Grace throws her book at Mrs. Turpin. She then continues to hit and strangle Mrs. Turpin. During the struggle, Mary Grace calls Mrs. Turpin and â€Å"old warthog from hell†. Mrs. Turpin goes on with her day very angry. She could not understand what she had in common with a warthog since she was better than everyone else. While Mrs. Turpin was taking care of her family’s pigs she had a revelation. She was talking to God and she realized that she was wrong for making judgments so quickly and thinking that she was better than others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are two conflicts in â€Å"Revelation†. The first is the physical conflict between Mary Grace and Mrs. Turpin. The conflict is man versus man because there are two people physically battling. Mary Grace begins by throwing her book at Mrs. Turpin and then hits her and puts her hands around Mrs. Turpin’s neck as if to strangle her. The conflict is ...

Biometrics are New Technological Tools in Computer Security :: essays research papers

As a result of the evolution in the field of biometric computer security tools, a new class of techniques and methods for user identification has erupted. Fingerprint and hand patterns, voice recognition, iris and facial scans, as well as skin patterns and smart cards, have all been used in justifying individuals on who they claim to be based on their unique characteristics. Although still relatively new, these innovative technologies are already being demanded by not only consumers but as well as the government to help find new methods of passport usage, border control, and mere security matters (Kooser, 2006, p.74). Fortunately, biometric technology has already reached a level of development that allows its potential acceptance into this current day and age. So far in the development of biometrics, fingerprint scanning has taken main control of the market. Ink fingerprints have been used for years by police in investigations to identify criminals. Now with technological advances, the use of small digital imaging devices has replaced old ways of capturing fingertips. Portable or built into keyboards, fingerprint scanners have the ability to capture the print, digitalize it and convert it into mathematical characters. Additionally, when used for password recognition it is clear that the main reason for the biometric is simply because individuals can not remember their usernames or even passwords. The efficiency of this technology is so precise that it is faster and easier to login, impossible to forget because it is and individuals own finger, and nearly unreasonable to lose because in most cases the digital scanner is built into the computer (Kok, 2006, p. 576). In fact fingerprint biometrics is being highly considered by the governme nt to be placed on boarders as well as passports. With today’s war on terror many official feel that it is necessary to take in all precautions and heighten the United States security (Mocny, 2005 p.38). Biometrics can absolutely help move forward in government security. Although hand biometrics is not nearly as popular as fingerprint recognition within computers, this expressive body part can be used to identify individuals on a wider basis. Capture units, which are the devices that can receive the biometric hand print, have the capability to withstand temperature and weather damages. And most devices can still recognize the hand even when it is dirty, something a detailed fingerprint scanner can not (Kooser, 2006, p.74). Speech is so common to our everyday lives that it is often forgotten that voices are distinct and unique to every individual. Biometrics are New Technological Tools in Computer Security :: essays research papers As a result of the evolution in the field of biometric computer security tools, a new class of techniques and methods for user identification has erupted. Fingerprint and hand patterns, voice recognition, iris and facial scans, as well as skin patterns and smart cards, have all been used in justifying individuals on who they claim to be based on their unique characteristics. Although still relatively new, these innovative technologies are already being demanded by not only consumers but as well as the government to help find new methods of passport usage, border control, and mere security matters (Kooser, 2006, p.74). Fortunately, biometric technology has already reached a level of development that allows its potential acceptance into this current day and age. So far in the development of biometrics, fingerprint scanning has taken main control of the market. Ink fingerprints have been used for years by police in investigations to identify criminals. Now with technological advances, the use of small digital imaging devices has replaced old ways of capturing fingertips. Portable or built into keyboards, fingerprint scanners have the ability to capture the print, digitalize it and convert it into mathematical characters. Additionally, when used for password recognition it is clear that the main reason for the biometric is simply because individuals can not remember their usernames or even passwords. The efficiency of this technology is so precise that it is faster and easier to login, impossible to forget because it is and individuals own finger, and nearly unreasonable to lose because in most cases the digital scanner is built into the computer (Kok, 2006, p. 576). In fact fingerprint biometrics is being highly considered by the governme nt to be placed on boarders as well as passports. With today’s war on terror many official feel that it is necessary to take in all precautions and heighten the United States security (Mocny, 2005 p.38). Biometrics can absolutely help move forward in government security. Although hand biometrics is not nearly as popular as fingerprint recognition within computers, this expressive body part can be used to identify individuals on a wider basis. Capture units, which are the devices that can receive the biometric hand print, have the capability to withstand temperature and weather damages. And most devices can still recognize the hand even when it is dirty, something a detailed fingerprint scanner can not (Kooser, 2006, p.74). Speech is so common to our everyday lives that it is often forgotten that voices are distinct and unique to every individual.

Testosterones Effects on Biology and Behavior Essay -- Hormones Sexua

Testosterone's Effects on Biology and Behavior Introduction The study of the interaction between hormones and behavior is truly a complex one. It would be simple if it were true that hormones directly cause a behavior. We know the relationship between hormones and behaviors is reciprocal. Higher levels of hormones increase the probability of certain behaviors, and certain behaviors increase the probability of change in hormones. The Biosocial Model was developed to encompass the influences and relationships the social environment, biology, and behavior have with one another, and how they interact to influence one another. Biology affects the type of behavioral response that a person has to the social environment. At the same time, that behavioral response is influencing the physiological reaction the body has to that stimulus. That environmental stimulus induces those behaviors that cause our body’s internal biology to react. Therefore, anyone of the three variables, social environment, behavior, or biology, can cause a change in the others. When applying this model to behavioral endocrinology, the relationship between hormones, behavior, and the social environment is examined. It is important to study these relationships to try and determine to what extent each factor affects the other. How much does testosterone influence aggression, or risk behaviors such as smoking, sexual promiscuity, or alcohol abuse? As researchers become closer to finding these answers, they become closer to finding out how to treat and council people on these types of activities. In this study, several hypotheses are made about the hormone testosterone, and it’s relationships to biology, health and social behaviors. On average, te... ... Also testosterone collections would need to be done in both genders when subjects are not sexually stimulated, while sexually stimulated, such as while watching a sexual video, and after stimulation. In this way the relationship between testosterone and sexual behavior might better be understood. For a study of aggression/antisocial behavior subjects (male and female) should be given a questionnaire pertaining specifically to hostile and rebellious behaviors. Collection of testosterone samples should be taken when subjects are at a baseline (not exposed to stimulation), when faced with a situation that might warrant aggression, such as an argument, and collected after the situation has ended. These types of studies could better equip researchers with an understanding of these relationships, as well as the relationships testosterone has with other behaviors.

Project Management Theories

Assessment 2: Pre-Course Assignment (20%) Carry out a comprehensive literature review on the software development methodologies (for eg: Rapid Application Development, Object-Oriented Software Development etc) adopted by organizations emphasizing on the following for each method addressed: * What are the main characteristics of the method? * What are the main constraints of the method? * What are the advantages and drawbacks of the method? * When is this method more suitable to use? This is an individual assignment. All reference materials used must be properly acknowledged.Use Harvard referencing method. Assessment 3: Main Assignment (20%) Select an organization of your choice. * Describe the nature of the organization and the nature of the industry to which it belongs to. * Identify the major competitors and the competitive forces affecting the organization. Describe any environmental opportunities or threats to the chosen company that can be considered as significant or likely to be significant over the next few years. * Identify key business, functional or standalone strategies formulated by the chosen company to face the changing environmental conditions.How are these strategies matched with the strengths and weaknesses of the company? * Critically examine the Information systems/strategic IS used, development alternatives used, the purpose of use and analyze the benefits achieved and drawbacks of these information systems. Explain how each of these systems supports the overall business goals of the organization. * Describe the nature of the relationship between the IT division and the other divisions of the organization. Explain problem, change and recovery management processes adopted by the IT division. If the organization does not posses such processes, you may make suitable suggestions as part of your recommendations) * Explain the types of controls used by the IT division in order to protect the IT assets of the organization. * Explain briefly how IT costs are recovered and charge back mechanisms used by the IT division. * Based on you findings make suitable recommendations to improve the Information Systems and the IT division that would enable the organization to emerge as a market leader. Related article: Conveyor Belt Project

College Goals Essay

Attending college is the first step to a better future. Throughout life there will be many goals to accomplish but some of the most important goals to accomplish will be during the time you are in college. My first goal is to pass every class this semester. After completing this goal my next goal to complete will be to graduate from Hudson County Community College with an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts. Finally my last goal to complete is to further my education and get the job I want. Passing every class this semester will help me feel positive and confident about my future and future goals. In order to complete this goal I will have to attend every class and be on time. By missing one class I will miss out on a lot of work and may not be able to catch up. I will have to finish every assignment on time because if I write the best essay I could possibly write but hand it in late, my grade will drop dramatically. Finally I will have to ask for help if I need it. Even though it is my first semester of college and I do not know what to expect, asking for help is easy and can help improve my college experience. To be able to obtain my Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts by August 2015 I will have to work harder than I ever have. I will have to be sure to complete all my assignments and be sure to attend all my classes. I will have to put school first in life and avoid activities that will have a negative impact on my education. Prior to achieving this goal I also want to choose the career I want so I can know what direction my life is going. My final long-term college goal is to go on to obtain my Bachelor’s Degree and possibly my Master’s Degree, depending on the career I choose. I have not chosen the career I want yet but I want to have the best education possible to qualify me for the job. To be able to obtain the best education possible I want to keep my grade point average high and be able to attend a good university. I have not really thought about all the details since I have not chosen a career yet but I am going to better my education as much as I possibly can. After completing all my education I will have the job I want and be happy and financially stable. In conclusion, my college goals are some of the most important in my life because they greatly help shape my future. By passing all my classes this semester I will have the confidence to continue my education and do well. By obtaining my Associate’s Degree I will be able to go on and obtain my Bachelor’s and possibly Master’s Degrees. And finally when I finish completing all my education I will be able to get the career I want and be happy with my life. My entire future depends on the choices I make in college.

Fight Club Essay

Every so often, a film comes along that shocks people and forces them to acknowledge issues and realities that are normally taboo in open society and are fodder for conversations with therapists. The film â€Å"Fight Club† (1999) directed by David Fincher is just one of these films. How do people react when challenged to question the purpose and perspective of their lives as influenced by society, isolation, fear, survival and their own vulnerability and mortality? Narrator: This chick Marla singer did not have testicular cancer. She was a liar. She had no diseases at all. I had seen her at Free and Clear my blood parasite group Thursdays. Then at Hope, my bi-monthly sickle cell circle. And again at Seize the Day, my tuberculous Friday night. Marla†¦ the big tourist. Her lie reflected my lie. Suddenly I felt nothing. I couldn’t cry, so once again I couldn’t sleep. What happens when people are faced to accept the negative side of what they do? As what happened to the narrator when he was forced to see his actions for the perverted and voyeuristic nature that it had, discovery almost always leads to guilt and self-loathing. Sociology propounds the thinking that every individual’s behavior and values are influenced by factors within his environment. People have a need for a certain level of security, control and belonging in society. These needs are often met by actions chosen and motivated by fear of being isolated and failure. The narrator, for example, has led a fairly routine life. He is a mild-mannered employee that makes him fair game for his more arrogant bosses and other more outspoken people such as his doctor. One might say it is his need for job security to sustain his materialistic life style that makes him meek and generally docile. People are bound by the need to be accepted and recognized as good, moral and reliable people who follow rules. The rules that bind society may either be judicial, social, or the tenets ascribed to by one’s faith or religion. It may be reasonable to think that while at the back of the narrator’s mind, he knows his participation in group therapy has turned into a perverted and voyeuristic addiction. Having made to come to face with the reality of his actions in the person of Marla, he begins to get angry. Even people in real life are like that. They can delude themselves into acknowledging only the more acceptable part of their actions to the point of rationalization it. It’s the Machiavellian adage of â€Å"The end justifies the means. † But almost always something or in this case, â€Å"someone† happens that shatters the delusion and people then turn angry and experience guilt once they are confronted with the truth and reality of what they have been doing. There is a belief that for a man to discover what he is made of, he must first be stripped of all his possessions and pre-conceived notions of existence. Buddhism was founded on such a premise. Symbolically, that is also what happened to the narrator’s character when he was stripped of all his worldly possessions by a fire. Human nature exists within boundaries. One can take the losses and negativity up to a certain point. Once that point is reached, the need for assertion and self-preservation takes over. One might almost call it â€Å"the feather that broke the camel’s back. † Losing the reassurance of a comfort zone and being plunged into unknown territories is probably one of man’s greatest fears that turns life into a matter of survival. In society, people take on roles that come with certain expectations. It is satisfying because it is â€Å"familiar. † Be it defined by their job title, family or role in personal relationships, people are more often viewed by the actions and responsibilities entailed by their roles. Employees are expected to be subservient to management and perform well, a husband is expected to earn and sustain his family, friends are expected to be good buddies and be there when their friends need them. If one thinks about it, in these roles, a person’s identity is determined by the value that one brings to a relationship. And for people to earn their â€Å"survival† in familiar grounds, they do their best to fulfill such roles. There is however, the secret â€Å"self† that is part of every person that is kept hidden from the world. Tyler Durden: All the ways you wish you could be, that’s me. I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not. How often is it that one feels anger that produces pictures of violence within their heads? In today’s fast paced and stressful times, different modes of therapy and tension busters have been designed specifically to deal with repressed emotions. â€Å"He made me so angry I could have killed him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Violence occurs in the thoughts of people whether they admit it or not. It could be from the pettiest irritation to the more dangerous rages. Beneath a veneer of social graces and smiles, a person could be imagining the most violent thoughts against the person they are smilingly chatting with. Tyler Durden: People do it everyday, they talk to themselves†¦ they see themselves as they’d like to be, they don’t have the courage you have, to just run with it. What is freedom? One would think that if people were to take freedom for its full definition, they would be able to do whatever they wanted as long as they took responsibility. In the same sense, what defines a free man? Is it the ability to do whatever he desires without thought to anything else or is it the ability to assert and maintain one’s identity in the face of social expectation and laws? Take the case of the narrator: He is unhappy with every aspect of his life from his job to how he deals with others. His life is defined only by material possessions. He is meek and subservient towards a boss he detests. He is free yet constrained. Freedom therefore is constrained by man’s fear of consequence. This is a common experience. People are forced to do things as if in a barter. In the work place, tempers are controlled and respect is forced. In return, there is material gratification in the form of salaries, survival in the sense that employment is maintained and of course, advancement socially and personal economics. This kind of existence meets its most supreme challenge however in the inevitable for, human mortality. â€Å"Tyler Durden: Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of Raymond K. Hessel’s life. His breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted. â€Å" In the scene where Tyler put a gun to Hessel’s head, it is a reasonable belief that the character Hessel fully expected to die at that very moment. To be given a reprieve when he was let go is literally being given a second chance at life. Death is a very powerful concept and eventuality. It is interesting to note that people faced with their own mortality experience a shift in perspective when it comes to how worthless or meaningful their lives have been. The definition of life changes from day to day waking existence to something that is much more valuable and dynamic. From the roles a person takes on due to necessity, mortality makes them face the reality of what they really are complete with their wants and desires. The realization of a life led without personal truth and realization makes a person desperate to grab at the few chances to actualize their desires before death claims them. â€Å"Tyler Durden: Guys, what would you wish you’d done before you died? Steph: Paint a self-portrait. The Mechanic: Build a house. Tyler Durden: [to Narrator] And you? Narrator: I don’t know. Turn the wheel now, come on! Tyler Durden: You have to know the answer to this question! If you died right now, how would you feel about your life? † Certain things happen that changes a person’s view of life completely. Be they positive or negative, the life experience and human individuality are complex yet intertwined. Some may find it easy to dismiss Norton’s character as simply schizophrenic or â€Å"weak. † Yet the truth is that within every person is an honest being that has individual needs, desires and desired freedoms that may just be unacceptable in an organized and tradition ruled society. Everyone also has the potential to rebel against it and prescribed conventions. The dialogue between the narrator and Tyler best summarizes this: † Tyler Durden: Did you know that if you mix equal parts of gasoline and frozen orange juice concentrate you can make napalm? Narrator: No, I did not know that; is that true? Tyler Durden: That’s right†¦ One could make all kinds of explosives, using simple household items. Narrator: Really†¦? Tyler Durden: If one were so inclined. † Works Cited Fight Club. Dir. David Fincher. Perf. Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf. Art Linson Productions, 1999.

Strategic Intent Essay

This article serves a purpose to illustrate some of the flaws that are currently used by western organizations in regards to strategic planning. In this article we see are shown the detriment of the methods in practice at the time of the article, and examples of alternative strategic approaches in use by Japanese firms which have allowed them to have sustained success. Strategic Intent and Characteristics As indicated in the article, Japanese companies â€Å"began with ambitions that were out of all proportion to their resources and capabilities†, but â€Å"created an obsession with winning at all levels of the organization and then sustained that obsession over the 10- to 20-year quest for global leadership†. Inspired by this obsession, the concept of â€Å"strategic intent† is introduced to the world of strategy. Strategic intent captures the essence of winning, is stable over time, and sets target that deserves personal effort and commitment. It comes with an ambition in the pursuit of global leadership that used to be outside the range of traditional strategic planning. By implementing strategic intent, a company can create long term objectives despite of considerable resources, whereas thinking in a traditional way, decisions should be made on the degree of fit between existing resources and current opportunities. Description The key points to this article refer to the differences in strategic approach that the Japanese firms use, in contrast to the approaches used by western organizations. Japanese firms use four main techniques when constructing their strategy: Building layers of advantage Searching for â€Å"loose bricks† Changing the terms of engagement Competing through collaboration Applications Strategic Intent is a breakthrough concept in the field of Strategic Management. It has strongly influenced how strategy is defined, and is  responsible for main changes in the functioning style of many organizations. Key ideas brought together with â€Å"strategic intent† such as â€Å"core competence† and â€Å"stretch†, have been introduced to every company. With the same amount of resources and capacity, many companies have become much more successful than they were before under the inspiration of this strategy. One example that emerges from the article is when Canon changed the terms of engagement in an effort to compete against Xerox. Xerox had created many advantages where other competing firms (most notably Kodak and IBM) were not able to directly compete against Xerox. Canon changed the terms of engagement by: standardizing their components, distributing through office supply stores instead of their own sales force, sold instead of leased, and appealed to secretaries and administrative positions within companies. All of these factors helped Canon change the terms of engagement, and not directly compete against Xerox who already held a sizable advantage. Questions and concerns In the article Making Strategic Planning Work there is reference that ineffective planning may be a result of failure to develop clear policies, where those policies would guide decision making. However, in Strategic Intent, a global executive describes how they look for competitors who operate on a portfolio system (where businesses may be sold if a certain market share is reached). Therefore, could having a strategic policy hurt decision making? Connection to Prior Thoughts In Making Strategic Planning Work, the author talks about some requisites for strategic planning. Strategic intent share the same way. It requires the management to conduct internal self-appraisal and future environment assessment to ensure the strategy is on the right track. The main reason for failure could be the same – lack of commitment for planning. In Crafting Strategy, it mentions how detecting the subtle discontinuities that may undermine a business in the future is crucial. This opinion is also shared in Strategic Intent, where it references the problem how managers operating on a 3-5 year window can cause damage as they are not looking out for the long term interest for the company. While both articles share the same  thoughts, why aren’t more companies willing to pay for those managers with several years’ experience—instead of hiring outside the company?

Sociology research Paper and Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sociology research Paper and Questions - Essay Example rime, this study proposes to examine whether increasing crime can in fact be attributed to race, or whether there may be other factors that could explain the explosion in crime. People belonging to ethnic minorities had long complained of racial profiling by law enforcement personnel, which is often the cause of feelings of resentment, hurt and an increasing loss of trust in the police among members of racial minorities. But Kleinig and Risse (2007) have discussed racial profiling in the context of the September 11, attacks, and detailed the results of a study that appeared to justify the evils of racial profiling as an efficient law enforcement strategy. The reason was because it was based upon the underlying belief that members of certain groups appear to possess a greater tendency to commit crimes and police can curb crime by adopting harsher measures against members of such minority groups. Based upon the findings of this study, an argument is offered that racial profiling is attributable to pre existing racism, hence profiling only expresses that racism rather than perpetuating it. Another argument offered is that the benefits of profiling and benefits provided by Government to the minorities far outweigh the harmful effects. Huff (2007) reports on an extensive ethnographic study that was carried out among police officers to examine their attitudes towards gang related crimes, their reasons for wanting to be assigned to units fighting against gang related crimes and how gang units are managed. Although this was an exhaustive study utilizing multiple data sources, it was limited by the selection of four primarily southwestern cities with a higher incidence of Hispanics. The study found that officers feel more independent while functioning in gang units but there was also clear evidence of racial profiling against the minorities. Graham and Lowery (2007) examined the problem of racial profiling from another perspective – the working of the criminal justice

Language Difficulties Of Foreign Students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Language Difficulties Of Foreign Students - Essay Example While other students would consider the learning difficulties presented by being a non-native English speaker quite insurmountable. I faced the obstacle more as a challenge that I was meant to overcome. By facing my demons and challenging myself to achieve more than others believed I could, I would be able to find a place during the semester where I would begin to enjoy the English classes. Over time, I was able to find my place, my voice, and a comfortable way to tackle my English assignments, coursework, and exams that allowed me to begin to feel comfortable with the use of the English language. As such I am now more comfortable with the English language classes I am taking this semester than the last term. I would have to say that peer reviews from my classmates served a definite purpose in helping me to improve my English writing technique. That is because I am given an opportunity to see the way other people view my writing. Which also helps me get a clearer idea as to the weak points that I have with my writing skills and how I can improve upon those errors. It is because of the peer reviews that I was also able to develop an idea as to what good writing is all about and how to recognize a well-written essay. For me, a well-written essay does not have much to do with the grammar or structure of the paper. Neither does it have to do with the way the writer approaches the subject. Although these things are of some importance to the written word, it is not the be all and end of a perfect essay.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Neil DeGrasse Tyson - Essay Example His passion and advocacy for science is evident in all his undertakings. Technically, Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, and a science communicator regularly seen as the host of special science occasions. The scientific community has heaped numerous academic and honorary degrees to this 56-year-old Tyson. When we talk about Neil deGrasse Tyson, we are talking about a hardcore scientist and a prime-time badass scientist. Neil deGrasse Tyson was born in October 1958, in Manhattan, New York City, United States of America. His father, Cyril deGrasse Tyson, was a sociologist while his mother, Sunchita Feliciano, was a gerontologist. At the age of nine, Neil visited the Hayden Planetarium, the largest planetarium in the world. After returning from his visit, Neil developed an enhanced passion for astronomy. He attended Bronx High School of Science and actively participated in writing and editing the school’s physical sciences magazine (Marne, 19). Neil possessed not only a great passion for astronomy but he was also an excellent communicator. Surprisingly, he had started giving astronomy lectures at the age of fifteen. In the midst of his teenage lectures, Neil deGrasse Tyson was discovered by the iconic astrophysicist Dr. Carl Sagan. Sagan invited him to join an undergraduate degree program at Cornell University but Neil opted to pursue his degree at Harvard University, where he graduated in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts in Physics (Marne, 25). After receiving the Bachelor’s degree, Neil deGrasse Tyson became distracted by extracurricular activities like wrestling and dancing. Three years later, Neil proceeded to earn the Master of Arts in Astronomy and Master of Philosophy in Astrophysics from the University of Texas and Colombia University respectively and finally received a PhD of Astrophysics in 1991. Technically, Neil deGrasse Tyson completed his academic journey in 1991, and commenced his career in science. In 1992, Neil

Research Summary and Ethical Considerations Essay

Research Summary and Ethical Considerations - Essay Example Many suspected that the cause of disease is because of lack of knowledge of the hospital personnel like the nurses and doctors. The disease being highly contagious can lead to many cases within a short period. I will do a research on the Texas Children Hospital to find out the number of children that have measles. I will also analyze the level of knowledge of nurses and doctors to account for the increased prevalence of the disease. Background of study Problem The chief problem that has increased level of patients under five years having measles is ignorance. This is because the new nurses and doctors have not experienced children that have the measles infection. This is because for, a long time, the disease in Boston has been nonexistent because of vaccination (Fabes & Martin, 2008). Therefore, the doctors cannot correctly diagnose the disease as measles. Again, the new doctors and nurses do not know the importance of issuing vaccines to children. This is because they have just lear ned about the diseases in medical schools but have never treated a child with the disease to know how it is serious. Significance The significance of the study is to enlighten the nurses on the danger of neglecting these reduced but acutely dangerous diseases. By doing this, the study aims at improving the attention nurses pay on children by ensuring that all receive their vaccinations (Thomas, 2003). Purpose The study aims at ensuring the prevalence of measles does not increase as this will ultimately increase the mortality rate of children less than five years. Objectives This reading aims at assessing the knowledge level of measles of nurses and doctors in the Texas Children Hospital. HA- There is positive relation existing between the knowledge level of measles and the increased prevalence of measles in Texas Children Hospital, Boston. Concepts Vaccination- this is when an individual is given antigens that trigger the immune system to create protection from a specific disease. M edical personnel- this are qualified people who work in a health facility to ensure that patients are treated and taken care of. Method of study The study will be a qualitative research where the observations found will be expressed in words. This is most appropriate when the data required cannot be expressed numerically. An example is like the attitude of nurses and doctors towards vaccinating children below 5 years. Research Design The study will use a cross sectional study design as it is most appropriate. This is because it will show knowledge of people on the measles disease as well as the importance of vaccination against it. Sample The approximate number of children who come for measles vaccination in the Texas Children Hospital is 425. The sample will target 129 children who will be used in the study. I was able to find the sample size to use in the study by using the following formula. D=G Where D is the desired sample size; G is the standard normal deviation at 95% confide nce level. S is the number of children who have vaccination against measles. b is 1-S, and f is the level of statistical significance set. H=Z?Sb/f? To substitute the symbols with values enables one to find the estimated population size. H= (1.96)? (0.14) (0.86)/ (0.05)? (The number found is divided by the estimated value of the number of children who received vaccination from the hospital.) H=40 Therefore, the sample size that the study will use will be forty children to

Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-consumer (B2C) Essay

Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-consumer (B2C) - Essay Example Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-consumer (B2C) are two types of e-businesses found on the Internet. E-commerce is an umbrella term used for all business done online but when close studied there are some technical differences which set of type of business apart from another. B2B is the business where both parties are organizations or companies working with each other for some kind of mutual benefit such as Skillbay.com. An example of this would be industrial suppliers or manufacturers who sell to a business that eventually takes final goods to the customers. Whereas most other sites would fall in the category of B2C since organizations are selling their services or products to consumers. Examples include Amazon.com and Walmart.com.The main difference between a B2B and a B2C is that of who purchases at the other end, whether it's the consumer or a business buyer as defined earlier. The other difference is the complexity of the business-to-business setup as compared to a busi ness to consumer setup. Supply chain management gets involved with in a business-to-business setup making the online process all the more complicated. And then there is also an issue of security that needs special consideration in business to business as compared to the business to consumer e-commerce. The other differences could be the negotiation and integration. Negotiation means bargaining prices and in case of business-to-business selling the most important thing is a negotiation.... While the business to consumer seems very easy as the any online retail store would just has to upload a catalog with prices and specification, the negotiation part involves another complexity within the business to business setup and that is of integration. There needs to be integration between the seller and the buyer system for effective business-to-business e-commerce to take place. At times, the buying company could not integrate with the selling company and vice versa which makes the transaction difficult to handle. Channel integration was also a problem for the business to consumer e-commerce in the earlier phase of e-commerce development as a lot of stores declined to connect their Web companies through the internal back office systems. Many companies rejected in an effort to build up a distinct Web unit and articulated much about the efforts of those who approached them as cannibalization of present sites. However, as it proved it was much of a fear than the actual eating up and companies like the Gap without delay adjusted to the new system in order to let customers do online transactions and in case of any default return the products back to the physical retailer. This opportunity and ease pulled out many fears of the customers of an online shopping system and in turn increased online sales as there could be more effective follow-up system online and the order management would be handled more effectively. This not only gave confidence to the online shopper but also increased the value of th e products and services they purchased. There are various ethical and legal regulations to follow when these businesses are started. Like any other business, online organizations have a responsibility towards their clients and this includes

Teaching Today's Teachers to Teach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Teaching Today's Teachers to Teach - Essay Example Griggs uses Psalm 78 as a basis for his argument, but this is an argument that I cannot support. While I believe that children must be a priority for the church in regards to teaching, I believe that the same Psalm suggests the very opposite in the first stanza of the Psalm. The Psalmist says â€Å"Give ear, O my people, to my teaching†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The Psalmist does not suggest that children should be the first priority here but rather the opposite. Take the West End Baptist Church as an example to illustrate this point. Greater emphasis is placed on Biblical learning for younger people and not enough for the senior persons of the church. As a result, there is an ineffective Christian Education Department not because of the teachers but because of misplaced emphasis. The philosophy that I’ve struggled to implement is to teach the parents and the children. There can be no direct distinction between the two; they are equally important entities for the modern day church, just a s they were for the early church. I further do not support the statement that â€Å"too many pastors don’t see teaching as their responsibility.† In order for preaching to be effective, it has to contain certain teaching elements. Otherwise it is simply entertainment. Any pastor who does not see the importance of teaching, from the pulpit, bible study group, church school, or by any other means through which we teach GOD’s word, is in the wrong business. I assessed all the pastors I knew, both male and female, and I could not think of one who would allow a novice teach the bible on behalf of them. I liked the following quote from the book: â€Å"too often we ask the newest, youngest, and least experienced members of our churches to do the teaching.† This suggests that the pastor is negligent in the handling of God’s word and His people. As I compared the West End Baptist Church with the reading

Tourism system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tourism system - Essay Example A large amount national income comes from the tourism industry. Such vast amounts of information and data have to be stored and processed and should be distributed to the customers as efficiently as possible. Information technology plays a very important role in the tourism industry because through the use of information technology, several devices can be implemented which are used to store large amounts of information. Tourism industry was never a very renowned industry and people were not very interested in tourism industry. IT was only recently due to the technical advancements in technology. The advancements in Information Technology resulted in both the quantitative and the qualitative aspects of the economy of a nation and also advancements in the tourism department consequently fueling and sustaining an impressive growth rate over the years (Franke, 2003). This brings into focus the role of IT in tourism education geared at nurturing the necessary skills in potential managers in the industry to make the industry influential and effective. The benefits of implementing Information Technology in tourism industry can only be observed through the development in the tourism industry all over the world. Information Technology when applied to tourism industry, it takes the level of the tourism industry to a whole new level where touris... ome into play while implementing Information Technology in tourism - the information about the tourist places, the kind of places people would like to live in, the type of technology to be used and many such factors (Baggio, 2006). Each one has an important role to play in tourism. Tourism is characterized into three different components: Transport Sector Accommodation Sector Attraction Sector Transport Sector Transport is a major contributor to the development of the tourism industry. Transport helps link the origin and the destination areas through some means of transport. This means of transport could be any moving vehicle. Transport includes many entities such as holiday makers, business travelers, relatives, travelers, and other such entities. Transport facilitates the movement of these entities from one place to another. Before setting out on a journey of any kind, every traveler makes sure which Transport Company has a good safety record (Vich-I-Martorell, 2002). To this effect, airplanes coaches and even taxis are equipped with good communication equipment. An airplane requires highly sophisticated and highly advanced technical instruments to ensure passenger safety. Today's airplane has this highly advanced technical instruments and flies with the help of modern information technology equipment. A deep understanding and detailed weather information, altitude information and other such small but important information is provided by Information Technology. This information is given to the pilot. Using this information the pilot can communicate with the ground control during emergencies. With information technology in place, it is easy for airplanes to communicate to any airport during emergencies. In-flight entertainment is also a product of information