Throwing the Perfect Party

Brittney Liston Professor Thomas English Comp. I September 26, 2011 Throwing the Perfect Party Throwing the perfect party requires a lot of planning because the party planner’s reputation will be put in the spotlight. Rather it being a party that goes well or if it’s a total disaster. Hosting a party can be stressful if the proper amount of time is not used wisely in planning the party. Lots of people have failed and very few have succeeded in creating the perfect party depending on the time used in planning the party. The ones that failed usually were because they had poor planning skills. There are many steps that need to be followed in order to throw the perfect party. First off, take time to plan things out. Check dates out to make sure that party is not planned on top of another event that might be going on. A decision on location also needs to be made at this time. Now since they have a location and a date set a guest list can be started. Verify that all contact information for guest is good. The second step would be deciding a theme for the party. A month before the party is ideal for knowing the theme so that purchasing favors, decorations can be done and that everyone is properly dressed for the event. Wait around three weeks before the party to send out invitations. A reserve by date is good so that an accurate count can be made so that food and entertainment can be planned. The menu can be decided at this time. The menu will depend on the type of party being thrown. Finger foods and soft drinks are good for simple parties, while a full dinner maybe needed for a formal party. Activities should be decided at this time. If a band will be attending verify weekly with the band so that they are sure of their attendance. If planning to use personal media prepare what songs will be used and set those aside. Around a week before the party send out reminders to guest so that attendance will be assured. Calling the guest that has not responding is also a good idea in case they might have not received the invitation. Two days before the party get a final count of the guests attending so that the proper amount of things will be available at the party. Remember to take all food out of freezer that needs time to thaw out. Make sure that plenty of batteries and film are available so that all the special moments are captured by camera. If the party is to be held in a personal home be sure that all organizing and cleaning is done at this time so that it is ready for the party. The day before the party should be used to prepare most of the food that can be prepared early. If the party location is available use this time to do all indoor decorating so that it will be ready for the party. The day of the party is finally here. All of the early preparations have paid off to make this day a perfect day. Now is the time to put outdoor decorations out. All of the food that was not prepared prior should now get prepared and available to use. The guests are all arriving and all that is left to do is to enjoy to perfect party that you have made possible through proper planning. Now since the day of the party is finally here, do all of the last minute adjustments to the decorations. Make sure all the placements are out and ready, and that the music selection is in order.

Management Case Study Essay

I.CURRENT SITUATION A.Past Corporate Performance Indexes i.Marvel Enterprise Incorporated Marvel Enterprises, Inc. is an industry-leading firm whose core business is character-based entertainment. Marvel’s foundation and success is built on their proprietary library of over 4,700 characters featured in a variety of media for nearly seventy years (1939-2004). Marvel utilizes its character franchises in licensing agreements, and publishing of comic books through the division of Marvel Comics. ii.How it was formally organized: First Management Marvel had its first taste of corporate culture when founder Martin Goodman sold the publishing outfit that began life as Timely Comics to Perfect Film and Chemical– a company known for film processing and mail order drug sales in 1968. Perfect grouped Marvel under the Magazine Management brand. 1972 saw Stan Lee stepping in for Goodman as publisher, while parent company Perfect rebranded itself as Cadence Corporation the following year. The wonky Magazine Management Co. now officially became known as Marvel Comics Group. iii.New World Pictures purchased Governance of Cadence Industries for Marvel Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. (Marvel or MEG), the parent company of Marvel Comics and Marvel Productions, was put up for sale as part of the liquidation of its then parent corporation, Cadence Industries. Marvel was sold to New World Pictures. Cadence Industries, formerly Perfect Film & Chemical Corporation, was an American conglomerate owned by Martin â€Å"Marty† S. Ackerman. In 1989, Ronald Perelman’s MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings group of companies bought Marvel Entertainment Group from New World for $82.5 million, not including Marvel Productions, which was folded into New World’s TV and movie business. â€Å"It is a mini-Disney in terms of intellectual property,† said Perelman. â€Å"Disney’s got much more highly recognized characters and softer characters, whereas our characters are termed action heroes. But at Marvel we are now in the business of the creation and marketing of characters. iv.Going Public, Bankruptcy and Acquisition: Perelman’s Governance Marvel made an initial public offer of 40% of the stock in July 1991, giving $40 million from the proceeds to Andrews Group, Marvel’s then direct parent corporation within MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings. Marvel purchased the trading card company Fleer within a year of going public. In April 1993, Marvel acquired 46% of ToyBiz, for the rights to make Marvel toys.] The Andrews Group named Avi Arad of ToyBiz as the president and CEO of the Marvel Films division and of New World Family Filmworks, Inc., a New World Entertainment subsidiary. New World later became a fellow subsidiary of the Andrews Group. In 1993 and 1994, Marvel’s holding companies — Marvel Holdings, Inc. and Marvel Parent Holdings, Inc. — were formed between Andrews Group and MEG and issued over half a billion dollars in bonds under the direction of Perelman, secured by Marvel’s rising stock, which was passed up in dividends to Perlman’s group of companies. Marvel continued acquisitions with Panini, an Italian sticker-maker, in August 1994, and SkyBox International in April 1995. Under the governance of Perelman, Marvel also purchased Heroes World Distribution, a regional distributor to comic-book shops. Marvel’s attempt to distribute its products directly led to a decrease in sales and aggravated the losses which Marvel suffered when the comic book bubble popped.While licensing revenue reached $50 million in 1995, MEG laid off 275 employees on January 4, 1996. Perelman offered to have the Andrews Group purchase additional shares with an issue for $350 million in November 19 96, which would have required ToyBiz to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Marvel. Meanwhile, Carl Icahn began buying Marvel’s bonds at 20% of their value and moved to block Perelman’s plan. The Marvel group of companies  filed for bankruptcy on December 27, 1996, but the note holders, led by Icahn, blocked this. v.Marvel as Disney Subsidiary On August 31, 2009, The Walt Disney Company announced a deal to acquire Marvel Entertainment for $4.24 billion, with Marvel shareholders to receive $30 and about 0.745 Disney shares for each share of Marvel they own. The voting occurred on December 31, 2009 and the merger was approved. The acquisition of Marvel was finalized hours after the shareholder vote, therefore giving Disney full ownership of Marvel Entertainment. The company was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange under its ticker symbol (MVL), due to the closing of the deal. On June 2, 2010 Marvel announced that it promoted Joe Quesada to Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment. In June 2010, Marvel set up a television division headed by Jeph Loeb as executive vice president. Three months later, Smith & Tinker licensed from Marvel the character rights for a superhero digital collectible game for Facebook and Apple’s mobile platform. On October 1, 2010, Marvel moved its offices to a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) suite at 135 W. 50th Street, New York City, New York, under a nine-year sublease contract. Stan Lee Media’s lawsuit against Marvel was dismissed again in February 2011. In July 2011, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that Marvel characters co-created by Jack Kirby would remain the property of Marvel. In March 2013, Feld Entertainment agreed with Marvel to produce a Marvel Character based live arena show. Marvel was also launching a new pop culture and lifestyle web show, â€Å"Earth’s Mightiest Show†. Current Mission Marvel Enterprises Inc. aims to successfully meet the needs of its customers by continuing to design, develop, market and distribute character superheroes that made the Company’s name famous. It also aims at offering its customers fresh and different characters all the time. Not only that, but Marvel’s goal was also to secure the â€Å"best-in-class† licensing partners in all categories of its divisions in business. Current Objectives 1.To determine if Marvel can still increase the growth in their profit at a higher level. 2.To widen the range of their licensing activities. 3.To continue to maintain control over the quality of the product, from design to final engineering and execution. 4.To determine if Marvel could continue to capitalize on a limited set of prominent characters, most notably Spiderman or could decide to shift focus to a larger set of lesser- known characters that might have the potential of becoming blockbuster characters but were largely unknown to the wider public. 5.To determine if Marvel could venture beyond its current business model and take on more capital-intensive but also profitable activities. Current Strategies Marvel was acquired by Toy Biz and was named as Marvel Enterprises Inc. In line with the change of its name was the total change in its management. The start was a difficult one. Marvel’s new strategy was first aimed at monetizing the content library via licensing characters for use with media products (such as toys, apparel, collectibles, and food). Managing the library of characters to foster long-term value was the second key focus of Marvel’s new management. Retaining some form of control over the creative process- to ensure the quality of the content that featured Marvel characters was the third main strategic dimension. Marvel’s management team hired well-known artists and writers to lead its creative efforts in the publishing division, including popular writers from the film and television industry, and had started to sign exclusive contracts with key creative talent. Current Policies Some of the policies implemented by Marvel Enterprises Inc. to its management are: 1.Excluding its â€Å"Spider- Man† character from the deal with TBW (Hong Kong based independent Company) in creating the product design, marketing  and sales because Spider-Man has a separate deal with Sony Pictures. 2.Maintaining an incredible performance for its Toy division because competition was so intense at this industry. 3.Maintaining a wide channel of distribution of its products. 4.Pursuing a diversified base of studio partners, both to ensure their commitment to each project and to mitigate risks regarding Marvel’s motion picture division. 5.Widening the range of its licensing activities for its characters. 6.Investing in profitable investment-related activities. 7.Strictly implementing rules and regulations in its management. 8.Maintaining an effective internal control over its management. II.Corporate Governance A.Board of Directors i.Directors Marvel’s Board of Directors has three classes of directors with staggered three-year terms. Sid Ganis and James F. Halpin were elected at the 2008 annual meeting as Class I directors to serve a three-year term. Morton E. Handel, F. Peter Cuneo and Isaac Perlmutter were elected at the 2007 annual meeting as Class III directors to serve a three-year term. Richard L. Solar was elected, along with Avi Arad, who later resigned, at the 2006 annual meeting of stockholders as a Class II director to serve a three-year term. The Board of Directors elected James W. Breyer to replace Mr. Arad in June 2006, and Mr. Breyer is serving out the remainder of Mr. Arad’s term. In July 2007, the Board of Directors increased the size of the Board by one Board seat and elected Laurence N. Charney to serve as a Class II director until this annual meeting. Each of Mr. Solar, Mr. Breyer and Mr. Charney has been nominated for election to a new three-year term at this annual meeting. ii.Other Directors James W. Breyer (Class II), 47, has been a Marvel director since June 2006. Mr. Breyer has served as a partner of the Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, Accel Partners, since 1995. Laurence N. Charney (Class II), 61, has been a Marvel director since July 2007. Mr. Charney retired from his position as a Partner of Ernst & Young LLP in 2007, having served that firm for over thirty-five years and engagement acceptance across all service lines. Mr. Charney served previously at Ernst & Young as an audit partner and was Marvel’s audit partner for its 1999 through 2003 audits. Mr. Charney is a senior advisor to Plainfield Asset Management LLC, a hedge fund based in Greenwich, CT that specializes in special and distressed situations. Richard L. Solar (Class II), 69, has been a Marvel director since December 2002. Since February 2003, Mr. Solar has been a management consultant and investor. From June 2002 to February 2003, Mr. Solar acted as a consultant for Gerber Childrenswear, Inc., a marketer of popular-priced licensed apparel sold under the Gerber name, as well as under licenses from Baby Looney Tunes, Wilson, Converse and Coca-Cola. iii.Directors Who’s Terms Are Continuing For each member of the Board of Directors whose term of office as a director continues after the annual meeting, set forth below is the director’s name, age as of March 9, 2009, principal occupation for at least the last five years, selected biographical information and period of service as a director. Sid Ganis (Class I), 69, has been a Marvel director since October 1999. Mr. Ganis is the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that awards the Oscars. Mr. Ganis has been President of Out of the Blue†¦Entertainment, a company that he founded, since September  1996. Out of the Blue†¦Entertainment is a provider of motion pictures, television and musical entertainment for Sony Pictures Entertainment and others. From January 1991 until September 1996, Mr. Ganis held various executive positions with Sony Pictures Entertainment, including Vice Chairman of Columbia Pictures and President of Worldwide Marketing for Columbia/TriStar Motion Picture Companies. James F. Halpin (Class I), 58, has been a Marvel director since March 1995. Mr. Halpin retired in March 2000 as President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of CompUSA Inc., a retailer of computer hardware, software, accessories and related products, with which he had been employed since May 1993. Mr. Halpin was a director of Life Time Fitness, Inc. from February 2005 until August 2008. F. Peter Cuneo (Class III), 64, was Marvel’s President and Chief Executive Officer from July 1999 through December 2002 and served as the part-time Special Advisor to Marvel’s Chief Executive Officer from January 2003 through December 2004. Mr. Cuneo has been a Marvel director since July 1999, and since June 2003 he has served as a non-executive Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Cuneo is a senior advisor to Plainfield Asset Management LLC, a hedge fund based in Greenwich, CT that specializes in special and distressed situations. Mr. Cuneo is a also director of Iconix Brands, Inc. Morton E. Handel (Class III), 73, has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Marvel since October 1998 and was first appointed as a director in June 1997. Mr. Handel served as a director of Trump Entertainment Resorts, Inc. from June 2005 until November 2008 and as a director of Linens ‘N Things, Inc from 2000 until February 2006. Mr. Handel is also a Life Regent of the University of Hartford and is active on the boards of not-for-profit organizations in the Hartford, CT area. Isaac Perlmutter (Class III), 66, has been Marvel’s Chief Executive Officer since January 1, 2005. Mr. Perlmutter has served as a senior executive of Marvel Characters B.V. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. that owns and licenses Marvel’s intellectual property library) and its predecessor-in-interest Marvel Characters, Inc. since January 2007 and has been employed by Marvel as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors since November 2001. Mr. Perlmutter has been a Marvel director since April 1993 and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors until March 1995. B.Management i.Board Meetings and Committees The Board of Directors held at least 10 meetings annually. Each incumbent director attended, during the year, at least 75% of the aggregate number of Board of Directors meetings and applicable committee meetings held during the period in which he served as a director. The Board of Directors’ committees include the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Film Slate Committee and Strategic Planning Committee. ii.Corporate Governance Committee The Corporate Governance Committee’s function is (i) to identify individuals qualified to become members of the Board of Directors; (ii) to recommend individuals for selection by the Board of Directors as nominees for election as directors at the next annual meeting of stockholders; and (iii) to develop and recommend to the Board of Directors a set of Corporate Governance Guidelines and the modification of those guidelines from time to time. The Corporate Governance Committee is comprised of Messrs. Halpin (chairman) and Ganis. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met three times annually. The Board of Directors has determined that each of Messrs, Halpin and Ganis is â€Å"independent† iii.Audit Committee The Audit Committee’s function is (i) to directly appoint, retain, compensate, evaluate and, where appropriate, terminate Marvel’s independent  registered public accounting firm; (ii) to assist the Board in its oversight of: the integrity of Marvel’s financial statements, Marvel’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, the independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, and the performance of Marvel’s internal audit function and the independent registered public accounting firm; and (iii) to prepare the report required to be included in Marvel’s annual proxy statement, which follows. The Audit Committee is ultimately responsible for pre-approving audit and non-audit services provided by its independent registered public accounting firm including the compensation to be paid for those services. The Audit Committee has established a policy regarding pre-approval of audit and non-audit services, and has delegated its authority to pre-approve audit and non-audit services to its chairman, who reports any such pre-approvals to the Audit Committee at its next meeting. In accordance with the Audit Committee’s pre-approval policy, the Audit Committee does not engage its independent registered public accounting firm to perform non-audit services that are precluded by law or regulation or any services that would impair the firm’s independence. iv.Compensation Committee Our chief executive officer is invited to attend meetings of the Compensation Committee and to offer recommendations on compensation of other executives or directors, but he does not vote in the committee’s final determinations, and decisions concerning his own compensation are made in his absence. The Compensation Committee has the authority to retain compensation consultants to assist it in making its decisions. During 2008, the members of Marvel’s Compensation Committee were Messrs. Halpin and Ganis. Neither of those individuals was an officer or employee of Marvel, or of any of its subsidiaries, during 2008 or formerly, nor did either of them have any relationship requiring disclosure in â€Å"Transactions with Related Persons, Promoters and Certain Control Persons,† below. None of our executive officers served in 2008 on the compensation committee of any  other company that had an executive officer serving as a Marvel director. None of our executive officers served in 2008 as a director of any other company that had an executive officer serving on our Compensation Committee. . v.Executive Officers Below are the positions held with Marvel, and selected biographical information for our executive officers, other than Mr. Perlmutter, whose information is found under â€Å"About Our Directors,† above. 1.Alan Fine , 58, has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Marvel Characters B.V. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. that owns and licenses Marvel’s intellectual property library) and its predecessor-in-interest Marvel Characters, Inc. since May 2007. Mr. Fine also has served as Chief Executive Officer of Marvel’s publishing division since September 2004. Mr. Fine served as Chief Executive Officer of Marvel’s toy division from August 2001 until that division was closed in early 2008. 2.David Maisel , 46, has served as Executive Vice President, Office of the Chief Executive since September 2006 and became Chairman of Marvel Studios in March 2007. From September 2005 until September 2006, Mr. Maisel served as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and from September 2005 until March 2007, Mr. Maisel served as Vice Chairman of Marvel Studios. From January 2004 to September 2005, Mr. Maisel served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Marvel Studios. From October 2001 to November 2003, Mr. Maisel headed Corporate Strategy and Business Development for Endeavor Agency, a Hollywood literary and talent agency. 3.Simon Philips , 40, has served as President, Worldwide Consumer Products since October 2008 and as CEO of Marvel Animation since January 2008. Mr. Philips served as President, Marvel International from November 2006 to October 2008. From November 2003 to November 2006, Mr. Philips served as the Managing Director of 4Kids Entertainment International. Mr. Philips served as chief executive officer of LDI, a licensing and merchandising company, from 1996 to 2003. 4.John Turitzin , 53, has served as Executive Vice President, Office of the Chief Executive since September 2006. From February 2006 until September 2006, Mr. Turitzin served as Marvel’s Chief Administrative Officer. Mr. Turitzin has also served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel since February 2004. 5.Kenneth P. West , 50, has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since June 2002. vi.Code of Ethics Marvel has adopted a code of ethics applicable to its principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller and persons performing similar functions. We have also adopted a code of business conduct and ethics which is applicable to all employees and directors. III. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT: OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS A.Social Environment Economic/Demographic Forces Entertainment industry is targeting segmented groups that have been long ignored including ethic cultures, language, religion and women and in case by case basis adult’s only products. Technological/Physical Forces Entertainment is available in variety of ways including online, cell phone, and on-demand video. Sales in traditional entertainment merchandise has dropped. Social/Cultural Forces Entertainment has reached out to the community conscious in educating it on events and beliefs in the community. Political/Legal Forces Entertainment outlets are facing parental lawsuits to prevent particular products from being place and/or sold in a market or setting. Producers must  keep vigilant on product content in order to deal with either self regulated or government regulation in order to guarantee an investment return. The threat of piracy and illegal licensing is at stake in the entertainment industry. The entertainment industry lobbies to protect copyrighted product. B.Task Environment Competitors The entertainment industry no matter how fragmented it appears much of what is produced. In terms of entertainment is held closely by three US based media conglomerates, Disney, Viacom, and Time Warner. These conglomerates direct the entertainment market and the direction of the media. The Licensing segment competes with a diverse range of entities that own intellectual property rights in characters. These include DC Comics (a subsidiary of Time Warner, Inc.), The Walt Disney Company, NBC Universal, Inc. (a subsidiary of General Electric Company), DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. and other entertainment-related entities. Many of these competitors have greater financial and other resources than we do. The Publishing segment competes with numerous publishers in the United States. Some of the Publishing segment’s competitors, such as DC Comics, are part of integrated entertainment companies and may have greater financial and other resources than we do. The Publishing segment also faces competition from other entertainment media, such as movies and video games. The Toy segment competes with many larger toy companies in the design and development of new toys, in the procurement of licenses and for adequate retail shelf space for its products. The larger toy companies include Hasbro, Mattel Inc., and Jakks Pacific, Inc. Many of these competitors have greater financial and other resources than the Company. The toy industry’s highly competitive environment continues to place cost pressures on manufacturers and distributors. Discretionary spending among potential toy consumers is limited and the toy industry competes for those dollars along with the makers of computers and video games. The Film Production segment competes with other film producers, including major studios such as Twentieth Century Fox and Sony Pictures (which also produce films licensed by our Licensing segment). Many of these producers are part of integrated ente rtainment  companies and have greater financial and other resources Threat of New Entrants There is always the possibility of new entrants in the entertainment industry. Producers and/or manufacturers may create a product to carve out a particular market or segment niche. The industry has a history of employees banding together to create a new product to compete in the already in the full field, but getting a local or national distribution is challenging smaller entertainment providers team with already established distribution unit have an excellent chance of breaking ground into the market. Threat of Substitute Products The threat of any type substitute in the entertainment industry is high. Most often than not, the threat comes in time of gift giving season when marketing dollars are spent more to sway people from one product to the other. This time of the year is also filled with hopes of new products entering the market to capture a hungry audience. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Suppliers are creating new outlets for the entertainment industry through technological advances. The winner for battle technological supremacy will lie solely on which technological outlet has the most partners. Bargaining Power of Buyers Consumers have the ability to patronize or not to patronize an entertainment outlet. However, the limited ownership prevents consumers from believing they will never deal with a company they have been dissatisfied with in the past. IV. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT: STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES A.Corporate Structure Marvel is a multidivisional company that has three segments which are highly integrated and vertically differentiated. ï‚ §Licensing – The Licensing segment earns revenues from selling rights to movies, television production companies, video game publishers, and merchandise manufacturers to use its  character properties. The licensing business concentrates on a few large licensees, and attempts to manage and re-segment opportunities with its characters, creating â€Å"classic† editions, â€Å"youth† editions, and â€Å"movie† editions to take advantage of every revenue opportunity. ï‚ §Publication – The Publishing segment produces, markets, and sells comic books. This business publishes comic books and novels about the company’s characters, and licenses characters from other sources and turns them into graphic novels. ï‚ §Toys – The Toys segment collects royalties and service fees from Hasbro. The company has an exclusive to y merchandising agreement with Hasbro (HAS) until December 31, 2011, that began in 2007. Prior to this, most revenues in the Toy segment were made from toys produced by Marvel. ï‚ §Movie Production – The movie production arm of the company was set up to independently produce films and grow revenues. The new Films segment produces films featuring Marvel’s characters like Iron Man. B.Corporate Culture Honesty and integrity are the key organizational values of Marvel. The company gives importance in maintaining company reputation as well as fairness and awareness even with competitors. Marvel considers its almost 5000 character library as 5000 assets. The company looks forward to become even larger with the Disney merger. The company shares many shared values and maintains a constant renewing process. Marvel provides its people with Corporate Governance Guidelines, Corporate Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and Code of Ethics for CEO and Senior Financial Officers. These provides them with a brief description of their obligations and offer guidance concerning how to conduct their business in a manner consistent with their high ethical value. C.Corporate Resources 1.Marketing 2.Finance 3.Research and Development 4.Operations and Logistics 5.Human Resources 6.Information Systems

Globalization in My Community

Globalization can be described in a number of different ways; it can describe the empowerment of decision making of dominant nations at the expense of less powerful nations, it can be defined as a force for economic growth prosperity and democratic freedom; but most notably it’s the integration of economic, political, and cultural systems across the globe. Globalization involves the movement of people, goods, ideas and information throughout the world.It is known to be the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa (Gibbens’ Globalization). In other words it’s a global domino effect of social, economical, governmental and communicative processes; for example a hotdog restaurant chain from the U. S. can be introduced to China, because of the unhealthy ingredients in their food this lead to an increase in obesity throughout their nation affecting their workforce.Due to the increase in health risk manufactures in China began to decline in production affecting other nations including the U. S. This is just one example of globalization, but the effects aren’t always negative their can also be positive influences as well but the outcomes can be rather unpredictable. Although relations between two trading nations can be mutually beneficial and positive it can still have a negative effect to another nation’s economy, culture, and/or commerce or vice versa.Globalization has helped shape the world to what it is now, a global chain of fast paced technological advancements devised and shared to improve multiple processes, lifestyles and livelihoods. My community is comprised of many ethnicities and multi-cultural backgrounds, I’m relatively new to the area but from what I have seen thus far showcases an incredible amount of potential for growth and employment. I’m formally a New Yorker who has fo und a new life in what’s known as the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia).This area is driven predominately behind government contractual funding which is stimulating the economy and making it one of the most prosperous areas to earn a living. With global occurrences such as the war on terror, U. S. global interest, aiding foreign alliances and military expeditions it isn’t hard to conclude why this predominant military area is influenced by the amount of activity and funding that is developing this areas prosperity. I work as a government contractor for one of the agencies servicing the Department of Defense, having inside visibility sheds light on how the U. S. spends American tax dollars.When there is global situation whether it’s the deployment of a military task force, or responding to a global disaster, or political indifferences with other nations it results in America responding by either starting a government project or increasing the amount of activity fo r a current project to take action, aid and counter expected negative outcomes. This results in the government allocating millions of dollars and contracting the work out to government contractors such as Lockheed Martin or Northrop Grumman who then seeks qualified individuals to perform the duties and tasks required.This type of domino effect has improved the job market, quality of life, promoted growth, and has made this area virtually recession proof for individuals who possess the desired skill set. Nursing, finance/ accounting, security, business, engineering, logistics, and of course information technology are just some examples of specific desired skill set’s that has emerged during a starving recessed nation. A series of chain of events began to occur, home development projects in what use to be low income areas began to grow, construction improvement efforts went underway expanding roads to improve traffic flow, and businesses began to flourish.Recently this chain of event began a small migration of neighboring states along the east coast to seek better opportunities here in the DMV. According to the Census bureau Northern Virginia has reported an increase in population totaling 2. 62 million in 2010 which is a difference of 2. 12 million reported in 2000 (CRA Census Series). That’s a 23. 9 percent increase over a decade in just one section of the state; the state itself experienced a 54. 9 percent increase overall.Most notably Loudon county of Virginia reported the most significant increase, in 2000 the population was at 169,599 and in 2010 it more than doubled that number reaching 312,311; this reflects more than an 84 percent increase. These numbers are staggering but cannot be blamed all on the migration of neighboring states; there has also been a significant increase of undocumented and legal immigrant Hispanic presence that makes up much the figures presented above. Virginia is home to a large percent of immigrants who have come h ere due to natural and man-made isasters that have occurred in their former country and because of that they have received or are eligible for legal status through Temporary Protected Status (The Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce). Multinational corporation Nicholas Georgantzas, Giddens’ Globalization: Exploring Dynamic Implications, Fordham University, School of Business http://www. setav. org/ups/dosya/15100. pdf http://www. vahcc. com/? page=legislative_committe http://policy-cra. gmu. edu/census/Population%20Change%20in%20Northern%20Virginia. pdf

Information Technology - Human Computer Interaction (Evaluating Essay

Information Technology - Human Computer Interaction (Evaluating Website for usability) - Essay Example One of these handfuls of researchers who helped build the internet in the 1970’s .The world we see now has become a global village. The internet has made this world into this global village .We see hustle and bustle everywhere, houses, gardens, schools, colleges, universities etc .Since now the world has become such a global village it has made man more inquisitive and competitive at the same time. Every man today wants high living standards, good education, high quality of food and leisure etc. To cater this never ending flow of human wants and needs, groups of individuals formed organizations, and then the process of production and marketing, selling came into being. It is also a fact that in the fast paced world we live in today, things are in flux almost always. What was a trend a decade back may not be evident anymore. The world has been completely invaded by modern inventions. The vast exposure that internet has provided to us has resulted in bringing about great change to the mind sets of people. Various organizations and institutions small and large tend to market their products and services differently. For e.g. marketing through print media, electronic media etc .these ideas came more into being because of the individual wants and needs and how humans were to cater to those. This also then helped individuals identify and prioritize their needs. A prime value of ‘Education’ exists, this has all along been the vital contributor to wards the evolution of man. As time has elapsed both young and old have this clear in their minds that they need to acquire quality education in order to exist respectably in this world. There are different modes of advertising of products and services .This is done in order to help satisfy themselves and others around them. Initially schools, then colleges and now universities with huge campuses, state of the art facilities and accommodation are being

The Similarities and Differences of Nature versus Nurture in Regards Essay - 5

The Similarities and Differences of Nature versus Nurture in Regards to Plato and Aristotles Theories - Essay Example Nature and nurture debate is a discussion that concerns the comparative significance of individuals’ innate qualities. Nature refers to the physical world and its contents. On the other hand, nurture refers to the total of milieu controls and conditions operating on an organism. The fundamentalism in this debate underpins the establishing or causing personal dissimilarities in physical and behavioral qualities. This debate has lasted numerous decades and it is believed to last longer due to the existing and emerging theories of explaining the human behavior Plato believed that behavior knowledge was a result of innate factors. Plato’s theory implied that all knowledge is present at birth and the only thing the milieu does is to remind humanity of the information they already knew. Aristotle believed that, when humans are born into the world, they are just blank slates, whose behavior and thoughts are due to experience, which is attributed to the environment. Aristotle’s theory explains that the environment is a fundamental element in the development of humans’ behavior. Considering Jeannette’s case in the â€Å"Glass Castle† the environment that surrounded her upbringing was harsh. For instance, her father applies a sink or swim approach to teach her how to swim. Later we see Jeannette grows to a strong and outstanding woman who excel in academic and other areas of life. This is a true reflection of Plato’s theory that, the environment consists of influential forces that shape an individual’s behavior. The nature of Jeannette’s perseverance is immensely correlated to the harsh milieu of upbringing characterized poverty that she was she brought in.  Ã‚  

Tesco Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Tesco Marketing Plan - Essay Example Price competition, backed by improved efficiency, is the main feature of food retailing industry today. UK food retailers fight for survival in markets faced with over-capacity. Within rapidly changing environment, this kind of development ensures that long-term survivors are those firms who are more competitive and are better able to satisfy consumer needs and adapt to the new competitive environment. In 2004, consolidation re-shape UK retailing industry and Hypermarket retailers (like Tesco) want to make sure they don't miss out on this growing area of the UK market" (Moreau, 2004; Desjardins, 2005). The first marketing aim is to get the right goods to the right consumers, trying hard for customers. Another marketing aim is to build and promote healthy living brand. Knowing what individual customers appreciate and what they want to avoid can add up to one of differences that create a competitive advantage. C) Tesco customer groups are defined on the basis of their specific segments and buying potential whether they be country groups or individual consumer groups-of potential customers with homogeneous attributes who are likely to exhibit similar responses to a company's marketing mix. Tesco customers can be divided into five broad categories: The second group of customers share universal wants, n... Life stage of customers (students, young adults, older adults, young families, older families, over 60s); lifestyle ('Basket typology'); Customers driven by product promotions; Customers loyal to specific brands" (New Marketing Techniques Search for the Edge, n.d.). The first group of consumers is characterized by strong purchasing power. They need high quality product and ready to pay for them. This is a high-income group. The second group of customers share universal wants, needs, desires, (for name brands, novelty, entertainment, trendy, and image-oriented products). This segment is attractive both in terms of its size and its multi-billion dollar purchasing power. This segment's needs and wants are spread over various product categories: durable and nondurables goods. The third group is characterized by share few family activities; they want build-to-order solutions. They do not need a specific brand or new product, but high service and product at low price. This is a fast-growing segment. Customers driven by product promotions are not usual visitors of Tesco being attracted by low price and discount for new products. They are deluged with passive information. The fifth group includes people whose tastes are based on desired standards. Quality is the main purchasing criteria of this group. Their choices are made on the basis of price and product features. Graphically these groups can be represented as follows: 100% (customers) 50% 1 2 3 4 5 (Groups) It is important to note that there are some customers which belong to two different groups. For instance, they can represent lifestyle ('Basket typology') group, but be loyal to specific brands. D) The main competitors of Tesco are Sainsbury and Asda. Minor competitors

Case study on Performance Management and Rewards Essay

Case study on Performance Management and Rewards - Essay Example There are certain key issues which need consideration, and in this case, the type of issues varies considerably with regards to the different type of organizations operating in the same sector. FSC faces an employee turnover rate of 16%, which is roughly equal to the general turnover rate in the industry, this portrays room for improvement, and if the human resource management is properly handled, this rate could be reduced, like BSFC. A major issue for FSC is employee recruitment procedure, it focuses more on external recruitment which has significant consequences attached to it, though new and fresh minds entering the organization would mean more ideas, it would also simultaneously have negative impact on the existing workforce, who have been in the business for long and shown their loyalty, while at the same time, an outsider would be recruited from outside to fill a higher vacant position. With regards to BSFC, employee turnover is not a major issue since it is relatively lower than the industry level, and hence depicts their competitive strength in attracting employees, in addition they recruit workers internally, which proposes greater promotional opportunities for ex isting employees, however they should focus on retaining employees who enter the business anew, and the reward system should also take into account their preferences to ensure that they remain loyal to the firm. The discrimination at the effect in BSFC would have a negative impact on the lower levels, where the women and foreign nationals mostly clustered, leaving no promotional room for them, it should hence develop a more cultural diversity conducive approach, instead of the white male dominance in the organization.

Effective Leadership and Management of Starbucks UK Essay

Effective Leadership and Management of Starbucks UK - Essay Example According to chairman of the board, Howard Schultz, "You get more than the finest coffee when you visit a Starbucks-you get great people, first-rate music and a comfortable, upbeat meeting place." This is what the company calls "the Starbucks experience." The impacts of globalisation, the influx of Internet commerce and intense competition in the market have dramatically influenced management in order to sustain the organisation's existence. The primary business objective of a firm has evolved into creating strategic and competitive advantage. Starbucks reinvented the traditional coffee shops and created a global brand because of its corporate strategies and competitive edge. Strategic advantage is the product of synthesizing different learning of managers from sources such as personal insights, people's experiences and market research. Strategy is the plan that the organisation shall pursue in order to achieve the organisation's purpose. Developing a competitive strategy is developing a broad formula for how business operates and how it is going to compete. (Porter, 1980, p. xxvi) It includes the goals the organisation desired and policies needed to carry out those goals. However, the most successful strategies lie in the leader's vision (Mintzberg, 1994, p. 107). It is the role of leadership to give purpose and meaningful direction to the company and to cause organisational effort in order to achieve that purpose (Jacobs & Jacques, 1990, p. 281). Successful leaders understand that strategy is not stagnant but instead it is dynamic and changing. Creating strategic advantage requires a leader's deep understanding of the company's strengths, weaknesses, its competitive strategy, and its current and potential customers. (Porter, 1985, p. 4) Starbucks' mission is to "build customer loyalty around cappuccinos, lattes and other fancy beverages." Starbucks redesigned the coffee industry by shifting its focus from commodity coffee sales to the emotional atmosphere in which customers enjoy their coffee. Howard Schultz made it a point to visit his stores every week and talk with his employees. He spreads his unique gospel of how to run a business. He preaches his vision to as many people as possible in order to engage his employees to the strategies of the company. (Kim & Mauborgne, 2005, p. 74) The management of Starbucks has invested a great deal of resources to know and understand their customers' perspective. The knowledge that they learned is transformed and utilised to provide services, products and communications. These business processes are long lasting and consistent. The management of Starbucks are aware that customers are the company's most valuable asset. They make it a point to consider the pulse of the customers in creating their strategies. Starbucks create competitive advantage through a strategy of differentiation. The company offers coffee and fancy beverages, baked goods, and a unique experience that distinguishes them from other market players. Starbucks is good at making consumers feel special when they arrive at their regular Starbucks store because the barista knows the customer's preferred drink. Starbucks has an edge over their

Introduction to Supply Chain Management Research Paper

Introduction to Supply Chain Management - Research Paper Example Dell has accomplished to turn into one of the mainstream victorious computer corporations in the human race, by highlighting as well as making straight its strategies with the plan of its management supply chain. The ground-breaking ideas of its inventor, Dell, and their effectual execution have transformed Dell into the mainly quoted exemplar of the Supply Chain scientific society. As a result, the concern in examining Dell’s SC policies is important, as it is anticipated to emphasize more universal and pioneering problems of SCM. Although numerous exploration works have investigated Dell’s strategies of supply chain, the majority of the implemented advances fall into the groups of strategic as well as hypothetical, theoretical outlook of the topic. Moreover, the production world is â€Å"hungry† for illustrations along with practical, sensible recommendation for policies as well as operations. Therefore, there appears to be a number of gaps between academic world and the commerce world regarding the handling of the topic of Supply Chain Management. Our goal is to seal this gap by giving an evaluation of a lower degree, therefore, employ knowledge-oriented methods to evaluate and shape Dell’s trade as well as Supply Chain policies. After investigating these strategies, we will create a business progression representation (BPM) for Dell that is planned, business-goal-centered as well as implementable. To create the BPM be implementable we will develop a workflow foundation for BPM model and computation of the total implementation duration and expenditure. Thus, the key aim of our effort is to gain knowledge of Dell’s strategies of supply chain. The minor aims comprise: i) the creation of Dell’s BPM model that demonstrates its strategies of SC, ii) the formation of a workflow foundation for BPM model that is production situation responsive, and iii) the reproduction of the urbanized

Indirect Theories and Moral Equality Theories on Kindness to Non-Human Essay

Indirect Theories and Moral Equality Theories on Kindness to Non-Human Animals - Essay Example This means that despite them being non-human animals that â€Å"are not rational, self-conscious beings capable of grasping the moral law† ( 63 ), they still have intrinsic moral worth. According to Kant, animals are not included in the human territory because only humans are capable of creating and understanding moral laws. This also means that while a human, being an â€Å"end in itself† ( 64 ) are not indebted to animals, kindness towards animals â€Å"will help develop good character in us and help us treat our fellow human beings with greater consideration† ( 63 ). Aside from making humans less likely to be cruel to other humans, kindness to animals makes human beings fulfill the indirect duties to humanity, which is a categorical imperative. Kant provides good examples of this claim. A dog, for example, may not have rights like humans do, but letting the dog suffer is a reflection of lack of humanity. Kind treatment of the dog, especially one that has been faithful over time, in not necessarily a human being’s duty towards the animal, but a human being’s duty of â€Å"humanity which it is his duty to show towards mankind† ( 64 ). Cruelty to animals, according to Kant, reflects in humans an immoral tendency that might be inflicted to fellow humans. However, despite the need to be kind to animals, they should not be treated as ends in themselves. Human beings â€Å"serve(s) the will as the objective ground for its self-determination† ( 63 ), yet this is not the same with non-human animals. Animals are a means to an end, and that end is man. This means that while man does not have the right to use other people in ways to serve another human’s end, the case is not the same with animals. Still, one must consider that kindness towards animals is an imperative that will ultimately serve the end purpose that is humanity. Human beings require respect because they are sovereign and have freedom. Such autonomy is important and a creature can only have it by having free will. Since animals do not have the capacity for reason and are not guided by consciousness, they do not really have free will, and are thus not autonomous. Kant has a strong point when he says that one can ask, â€Å"Why do animals exist?† ( 64 ). However, the question â€Å"Why does man exist?† is meaningless ( 64 ). It seems the argument is that animals exist for a specific purpose, and one of those purposes is to serve the goals of man. Kant’s arguments make strong points. However, some amendments may be done according to some principles of consideration. While animals do not have the capacity for reason, are not guided by consciousness, do not really have free will, and are not autonomous, humans should act with â€Å"consideration in satisfying (their) needs and interests† ( 76 ). Singer quotes Bentham: â€Å"The day may come when the rest of the animal creation may acquire those rights wh ich never could have been withholden from them but by the hand of tyranny† ( 76 ). Does this mean that consideration of one’s needs and interests apply to animals as well, and that giving animals rights is utterly necessary to reach this goal? To answer this requires not only a slight reconstruction of Kant’s views, but of Singer’s as well. What is required here is to determine if animals have morally significant needs and interests. The emphasis on moral significance means that withholding such could inflict unnecessary harm and suffering to non-human animals. Do animals have welfare or well-being that could benefit or be harmed by the non-existence of animal rights? It could be possible. However, saying this about a creature lacking logic, consciousness, and free will is tantamount to saying the same regarding a, say, car. Do animals have needs and interes

Twenty-first Centry Images of Nurses and Nursing Essay

Twenty-first Centry Images of Nurses and Nursing - Essay Example Effective leaders in the nursing professional also ensure that the nursing education and practices are quality and safe. Effective nursing leadership advocates for an innovative, collaborative, and evidence-based working environment, which assists the nurses in the profession to have value and respect in their position. The nursing profession has evolved over the years, from the initial description of altering the environment to ensure that the patient is in the best condition possible for nature to act upon them. This was the initial description of nursing by Florence Nightingale in the mid 1800s. However, the world has had broad and milestone advances in technology and scientific facts over the past decades, thus the roles of nurses have evolved to those of promoting health, assisting patients to cope with their illnesses, and preventing diseases. The roles of a nurse including meeting some of the needs of a patient that cannot be met by any other member of the society (Summers and Jacobs, 2009). Currently, the nursing career is a helping profession, providing assistance services to the well being and health care of patients. Nonetheless, the nursing profession is expected to evolve even more as we venture into the second decade of the twenty-first century. The nursing stereotypes has also changed with the development of the nursing profession, evolving from a domestic art, a religious calling, a skilled discipline, a pool of expert managers, a pool of expert clinicians to today. The media representation of the nursing professional influences the societal view of nurses and nursing in general, portraying them as toxic to innocuous. Among the representations include the ministering angels taking care of wounded soldiers, the dumb nurses happy to be on the receiving end of patients’ coughs, the saucy nurses wearing their usual abbreviated skirts, pneumatic breasts and frilly hats, and the battleaxe, the queen of patient torture in ward routines. However, experienced and qualified nurses have come forth to present the real images of nursing and the profession, arguing that the media portrays the professionals as background fillers rather than highly skilled, university educated, and autonomous health care specialists responsible for the life and death of patients. These nurses oppose the commonly held notion that technology can replace nursing, presenting facts that back their stand. According to them, a device hooked up to a patient cannot detect some of the subtle changes that may be life threatening to the patient like demeanor, color, state of mind, or their speech (Summers and Jacobs, 2009). The image of nurses and nursing is improving over time, with more regards and appreciation over the importance of the profession. The education and practicing standards of nurses have improved immensely in the twenty-first century, with the curriculum incorporating high-level skills and techniques on health care. In today’s society, nursing is considered as an autonomous and professional, complete with its own theories and methodology. 2. Describe three historical views that influence or have influenced the definition of contemporary nursing as a science, an art, and a practice? Many nurse researchers consider the contemporary nursing profession as a basic science. This is a result of the various nursing theories put forth. Contemporary nursing principles organize the nursing theories in a hierarchical order,

Characters in Hamlet Essay Example for Free

Characters in Hamlet Essay William Shakespeare uses various elements, themes and connections between them to present ideas of enduring value in ‘Hamlet. His character development in Hamlet Claudius and use of dramatic techniques present values in ‘Hamlet’ those of which are timeless. These enduring values include guilt, corruption and life death. Shakespeare has used various dramatic techniques to express his idea and enduring value of guilt. In Act 1, as Polonius talks about ‘the devil hiding’, Shakespeare uses a dramatic technique as Claudius acknowledges his conscience in an aside, â€Å"how smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience†. Claudius is the villain of the play, however Shakespeare has a created a complex character with a working conscience and serious feelings of guilt. Claudius sense of guilt emerges through the use of the dramatic technique, soliloquy. Furthermore, it also makes him a more ‘rounded’ character in his development, not merely evil or lacking in human qualities. His guilt is emphasized when he attempts to ‘pray’, and he finds that as a sinner, he cannot, while he still desires the fruits of his crime, these being Gertrude and the crown, â€Å"Forgive me my foul murder? That cannot be since I am still possess’d of those effects for which I did the murder. †Shakespeare has used metaphor and alliteration in, Oh bosom black as death† as Claudius, concedes that he is not really capable of praying. From this point, as a development of his character, his villiany increases as he becomes desperate to eliminate Hamlet and ultimately plotting his death. Gertrude can also be played as experiencing guilt throughout until she concedes her guilt and claims it will not go away, â€Å"I see such black and grained spots/ As will not leave their tinct†. Claudius and Gertrude share the guilt for what goes wrong in the play, as theirs is the corruption that infects Denmark. Corruption is another prominent value in ‘Hamlet’. In Act 1, the dramatic technique, monologue is used as Claudius addresses his court and celebrates his coronation and marriage to Gertrude to reconcile the grieving for Old Hamlet. His speech, â€Å"mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage† is commonly known as ‘spin’ today. There is a notion that Claudius’ motive for killing Old Hamlet is envy, strictly a lust for power and to be king however this cannot be interpreted as Claudius consistently shows true love for Gertrude and displays qualities of a good king. Consequently, it is plausible that the function of the marriage is genuine however also essential for Claudius’ agenda which makes his reign corrupt. Shakespeare demonstrates the idea of corruption, that if the king reigns on false or evil grounds, hence the whole kingdom suffers, as Marcellus says, â€Å"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark†. Furthermore, through Hamlet’s main source of distress of the thought of his mother remarried too soon, and to his uncle, he introduces the theme of corruption with the technique, imagery, â€Å"unweeded gardens†. Hamlet interprets news of Old Hamlet’s ghost as a reflection of the corruption in Denmark, â€Å"My father’s spirit in arms! All is not well†. He believes that foul deeds will rise and that evil will inevitably unravel. The use of Hamlet’s development of a complex multi-faceted persona demonstrates Shakespeare’s idea on life and death, conveyed through the use of the dramatic technique, soliloquy. Hamlet’s situation in the play is relevant today because circumstances force him from being a critical observer of the world to being a participant, an experience that is universal. The flaw in Hamlet’s character lies in the involutions of his character. He is guilty of â€Å"thinking too precisely on th’event†, a man who â€Å"continuously resolves to do, yet does nothing but resolve†. It is assumed Hamlet is honest and open in his soliloquys. At other times he is puts on a ‘faà §ade’, the main purpose is to hide his true state of mind and intentions often portraying himself as ‘mad’. In Hamlet’s first soliloquy he is already contemplating about the desire to disappear or commit suicide, â€Å"O that this too too solid fle sh would melt†. Hamlet rejects the idea of trying to predict the future and reaches a point of acceptance of life, death, and everything more, â€Å"Not a wit, we defy augury†¦ the readiness is all†. This expresses the idea that what is destined is inevitable and what is significant is ‘readiness’. Hamlet acknowledges this when he holds up Yorick’s skull. The dramatic technique of visual imagery of Hamlet looking at Yorick’s skull is one of the most enduring images in all of literary history. It is a human confronting the truth, contemplating death and decomposition that even the greatest of humans are subject to. His speech on ‘readiness’ is all about his own death. It is this, which he must become ready for, something, which is presented as central sad truth of human life. ‘To be, or not to be, that is the question’ is definitive on life and death. It provides a stark contrast to the intense confrontation with Ophelia as it is contemplative, intellectual and uncharacteristic for someone who is supposedly ‘mad’. Shakespeare implies through Hamlet’s character development that the reason people do not commit suicide is because of the fear of the after life which is unknown and could potentially be worse. Hamlet ponders the question as a matter of philosophical debate. Yet though the play is thus rooted in its own time, ‘Hamlet’ seems to have a rapport with all ages and centuries. It speaks eloquently to the twentieth century as it did to the 17th 18th and 19th. Reasons for the play’s enduring appeal is attributed to the values Shakespeare has expressed. How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience Forgive me for my foul murder? This cannot be for I am still possess’d of the effects for which I did the murder I see such black and grained spots/ as they will not leave their tinct Something is rotten in the state of Denmark Mirth in funeral, dirge in marriage O that this too too solid flesh would melt Not a wit we defy augury My father’s spirit is in arms! All is not well Unweeded garden To be or not be, that is the question

Explain The Need For Lesson Pacing English Language Essay

Explain The Need For Lesson Pacing English Language Essay Explain how pacing differs for a class that includes English language learner students from a class that does not include ELL students. Instructional pacing will vary from classroom to classroom based on any special needs of the students that occur in each classroom. A classroom that contains English Language Learners (ELL) needs to maintain a pacing  that is slower than a classroom that does not contain ELL students. ELL students need a pace that is much slower than non-ELL students. They need opportunities to ask questions during and after instruction, extended time requirements for activities, and longer wait times when being asked a question. Teachers need to provide students with a pace that is slower than non-ELL students; however, teachers should take care that the pace is not so slow that the natural rhythm of the English language is completely lost. ELL students need concepts to be broken down into less complex, easy steps that are offered at a more gradual pace. It is also necessary for teachers to check for student comprehension more often in an ELL classroom than it is for a teacher in a non-ELL classro om. It is essential for ELL students to receive instructional pacing that is according to their language and academic abilities. Teachers may need to make accommodations in their lesson plans to provide students with instruction that is paced according to their language abilities, but it is necessary for the ELL student to achieve academic and language success that the pace is adapted according to his/her needs.When a lesson is particularly complex, the teacher needs to provide students with a pacing that coincides with their ability levels. This is essentially the case in a classroom that contains ELL students. While a moderate pace could be adapted for a classroom that does not contain ELL students, a complex lesson may need to have a slower pace in a classroom with ELL students. ELLs need complex concepts broke down into simple and easy components, and sometimes need additional instruction in their first language, in order to gain appropriate comprehension of the subject. Because ELL students need more complex materials to be broken down into more easier, manageable steps, the instructional pacing that the teacher has established of planned for could be directly affected. Pacing would become much slower when concepts need more extensive instruction than what would normally be required. However, it is essential to remember that pacing must always take a backseat to the student being able to gain mastery of the content. Pacing does not govern the classroom-student learning does and with ELL students, that pace could become much slower at times and cause teachers to pick the essential content that must be taught and maybe foregoing extensive instruction on easier to grasp subjects. (I did not write thisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦copied from a website. It looked pretty good.) http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1820697/instructional_pacing_in_the_classroom_pg2.html?cat=4 Providing content clarity for ELL students requires a significantly slower pace of instruction in the classroom than teaching students who possess a fluent understanding of the English language at there age/grade level. Although preparation for a classroom with or without ELL students requires similar planning procedures, such as defining objectives and providing activities that reinforce what the students are learning, executing the lesson and reaching those objectives differs. Because ELL students do not possess the level of proficiency that non ELL students at a similar age possess, the teacher must speak more slowly and articulate the language on a level that students can understand, never assuming that they know what he/she is talking about. The teacher must also provide visual assistance more often in the form of words, pictures, graphic organizers, etc. The teacher must also provide more opportunities with ELL students to interact with one another in the classroom. This can be done by utilizing group work with partners, groups of three or more students, or teams that vary in language development so as to reinforce and encourage further language development. This gives children an opportunity to practice new language concepts that have been taught. Teaching ELL students also requires a special knack for providing lessons that incorporate a well rounded task set. Students that learn lessons that allow them to hear, speak, read and write words experience more effective reinforcement than students who only have one or two of those concepts provided in a lesson. Teach and Assessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.teach and assessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦teach and assessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦must be a constant and consistent technique. Explain how the complexity of lesson content can influence lesson pacing with a class that includes ELL studentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Referring to the above paragraphà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦see key concepts and build on different ways in order to present them in the classroom. Each concept requires a framework that engages the students in using multi-sensory activities. If they seeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦written letters that make words that make sentences that make paragraphs that actually communicate somethingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦word walls, word study books, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, hear words spoken as vocabulary with definition and spoken in contextà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦word usage, touchà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦using manipulatives in the classroom. Where words are concerned, writing them is key concept. Writing words and sentences that make sense. Speakà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ talking to the teacher and one another makes a huge difference. Interaction, interaction, interactionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦immersion in the language!!!

Same-Sex and Cross-Sex Friendships

Same-Sex and Cross-Sex Friendships Friends. How many of us have them? Friends. Ones that we can depend on. This question about friendships was asked in the 1984 song Friends by Whodini. Humans have the need for social interaction and one of the ways that human beings fill this need is by forming friendships. From an early age, we form bonds with our peers. Initially these bonds start as surface friendships in childhood and as people grow older, the friendships they have take on a more profound meaning. Many different kinds of friendships can be found depicted in the media. From television shows like Friends, Girlfriends, and Seinfeld to movies that depict the ups and downs of friendships. People typically have more same-sex than cross-sex friendships (Booth Hess 1974; Ross, 1985). In this paper, I will discuss the differences and similarities of female-female and male-male friendships and use examples from two movies to show how the values and characteristics of these friendships differ and are alike. I will also be discussing cross-sex friendships (CSFs). There hasnt been as much research or theory on cross-sex friendships because for a long time, theorists and researchers viewed cross-sex friendships as potential romantic relationships (Bleske-Recheck Buss, 2001). This view has changed and there is now emerging research and study of difficulties and advantage of having and maintaining cross-sex friendships. I will also be discussing a movie that demonstrates the positive and negative features of cross-sex friendships. Male-Male Friendships Although there has been a rising popularity of depicting bromances (a term used to describe close male friendships) in the media, Traustadottir found that research has found that males have significantly fewer friends than women, especially close friendships or best friends. (2008 p.1) There are three main barriers that have been attributed to the lack of close friendships in men; competition between men, traditional masculine stereotypes about real men, and fear of homosexuality (Fasteau, 1991; McGill, 1985; Miller, 1983). The movie The Wood, is about three male friends from Inglewood, California who have grown apart and reunite back in their hometown during one of their weddings. The movie shows present-day and also flashback scenes to their childhood to show how their friendship developed. One of the flash-back scenes gives an example of the three barriers attributed to lack of closeness. The three main characters; Mike, Roland, and Slim in a pizza parlor discussing how their luck with the women is going during their junior year of high school. All three are talking about their frustration at still being virgins as sophomores (traditional masculine stereotypes), they begin to argue about who will lose their virginity first (fear of homosexuality) and decide to make it a competition by making a pot. Every week, they add a dollar to the pot and whoever loses their virginity first will receive the money (competition). Male friendships tend to emphasize activities and companionship and expressions of closeness felt between friends comes in the form of friendly teasing. Although male friendships are formed and maintained in ways that differ from female friendships, there are still some similarities that can be seen. Male friendships provide a release of stress and reduce depression in the same manner that women friendships do. Female-Female Friendships The differences in female friendships and male friendships is not in what is strived for in their close relationships i.e. intimacy, empathy, and trust; but in the means in which their friendship goals are accomplished. Women are naturally more apt to show emotions and this translates into the friendships they form as well. Traustadottir (2009) examination of female friendships found: Women typically describe their friendships in terms of closeness and emotional attachment. What characterizes friendships between women is the willingness to share important feelings, thoughts, experiences, and support. Women devote a good deal of time and intensity of involvement to friends. (p.1) Women are more open with affection and more likely to sincerely complimenting each other. While men use communication to accomplish things, communication is seen as a way to build and maintain intimacy and closeness in female friendships. This is why women are more likely to discuss personal thoughts, feelings, and problems with their friends (Greif 2009). In a survey done by Greif (2009) 71% of women stated that being understood (communication, sharing, caring, not being judged, and receiving feedback) to describe what friendship means. Only 51% of men surveyed answered the same. Demonstrating friendships with concrete acts (example. helping move, giving loan) was a choice that men responded to in the survey was not shown on the womens responses. In the movie, Waiting To Exhale, it depicts four female friends providing support and advice to each other through their dealing with men, families, and careers. This movie shows how female relationships are built on communication and emotional intimacy. Cross-Sex Friendships Because male and female same-sex friendships have different characteristic, it has been speculated that men and women cannot become and maintain strictly platonic friendships. Although much more difficult, successful cross-sex relationships are possible. There are at least four unique challenges facing individuals in cross-sex relationships: defining the relationship, managing sexual attraction, establishing equality, and managing interference of others (OMeara, 1989). The movie Brown Sugar is the story of two friends Dre and Sidney that met as children and have maintained their cross-sex friendship throughout their adulthood. In the movie, Dre starts dating a woman and they become engaged. This sparks questions and thoughts about Sidney and Dres own friendship and if there was any romantic feelings between them. One scene in the movie after Dre has become engaged, shows Sidney prepping and beautifying herself when Dre calls to say hes coming to visit. As she looks at herself in the mirror and fixes her hair and make-up, she pauses and asks herself What am I doing? Its just him. This scene shows how managing sexual attraction and clearly defining the relationship are concerns that come up even in long-term cross-sex friendships. Although difficult, there are benefits from cross-sex friendships that cannot be seen in same-sex friendships. Those benefits include, an increase of the understanding about beliefs and values of the other sex (Canary, Emmers-Sommers, Faulkner, 1997), verifying out attractiveness to the other sex (Rubin, 1985), protection, short-term sexual opportunities, self-expression, and intimacy (Bleske-Rechek and Buss 2000). Conclusion Developing and maintaining friendships is key in developing interpersonal skills. Although some friendships may be more easy to maintain than others, there are benefits to all types friendships and they are attainable if the parties involved value the relationship enough to put in the hard work and effort. References Alison P. LentonLaura Webber. (2006). Cross-sex Friendships: Who has More? Sex Roles, 54(11-12), 809-820. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from Psychology Module. (Document ID: 1175830101). Diane H Felmlee. (1999). Social norms in same- and cross-gender friendships. Social Psychology Quarterly, 62(1), 53-67. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from Research Library Core. (Document ID: 40396565). Greif, G. L. (2009). Buddy system: understanding  male friendships. New york: Oxford Universtiy Press. Matthijs Kalmijn. (2002). Sex Segregation of Friendship Networks. Individual and Structural Determinants of Having Cross-Sex Friends. European Sociological Review, 18(1), 101. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from Social Science Module. (Document ID: 323673221). Traustadottir, R. (2008, April). Gender patterns in friendships. Retrieved from http://thechp.syr.edu/genpat.htm

M-commerce :: essays research papers

Contents Part A: What is M-Commerce? 2 Part B: Terminologies & Standards 2 Part C: Features & Advantages of M-Commerce 3 Part D: Services 3, 4 Part E: Limitations of M-Commerce 4 Part F: Conclusion 4 Part G: References 5 What is Mobile Commerce? M-commerce (mobile commerce) is the buying and selling or transaction of goods and services through wireless devices such as cellular phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). OR Simply, any e-commerce done through wireless devices (e.g. mobile phones) over any network especially the internet. Some Terminologies & Standards Used in M-Commerce   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  GPS:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Global Positioning System A system of satellites and receiving devices used to locate positions on the Earth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  PDA:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Personal Digital Assistant It’s a handheld wireless computer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  SMS:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Short Messaging Service Enables us to send simple text messages.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  EMS:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Enhanced Messaging Service Enables us to send simple melodies, images, sounds, animations and formatted text.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  MMS:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Multimedia Messaging Service Enables us to send multimedia messages.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  WAP:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wireless Application Protocol It is an international standard for mobile internet access.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smart Phone: Internet-enabled cell phones A combination of a mobile phone and a PDA.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  GPRS: General Packet Radio Service One of the latest advancements in wireless data. It is used in GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) for transferring data in packets. Features & Advantages of M-Commerce Mobility Users can carry cell phones or other mobile devices anywhere. Reachability With a cell phone a user can be contacted anywhere anytime. Convenience These devices can store data and have advance features and are easy to use. Instant Connectivity Users can connect instantly and easily to the internet through their wireless devices anytime anywhere. Location-Based Services By knowing interests of a user sellers can send user-specific or location-specific advertising messages. Mobile Services Some services offered in m-commerce are:- Entertainment †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Music †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Games †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Graphics †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Video Communications †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Short Messaging †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Multimedia Messaging †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Advertising Messaging †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  E-mail †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Video – Conferencing Transactions †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Banking †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shopping †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Auctions †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Booking & Reservations Information †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  News †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sports †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jokes †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Directory Services †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Maps †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traffic and Weather †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stock Exchange Limitations of M-Commerce   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Limited storage capacity of devices   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hard to browse sites   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Small size of mobile devices (screens, keypads etc.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Insufficient bandwidth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Power consumption limitations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Poor reception in some places (like tunnels) Conclusion Within a few years, there will be well over a billion mobile phone users worldwide and the majority of mobile phones will be connected to the Internet.

Assisted suicide :: essays research papers

Assisted suicide is a controversial issue in our society today. We ask the question, should people have the right to decide when and how to end their lives? Imagine a loved one in unbearable pain and knows it is only going to get worst until finally death. What if a loved one came to you and asked you to help them escape all their pain and suffering. Wouldn’t you want to help that loved one if you could? Hazel Blazer suffering from cerebral spinal meningitis that could not be cured is an example. Eugene Bauer suffering from terminal throat cancer, or Clarence Herbert who suffered a heart attack and remained in a coma. There are two places in which terminally ill patients can be legally assisted in suicide. The Netherlands is one place where assisted suicide is common among terminally ill. The method they use is euthanasia. Euthanasia is considered very humane and done very carefully. The family has the right to be there when terminally ill patient is given the drugs. The process is totally up to the patient if they want to end their life or not. Another place where assisted suicide is legal is in Oregon. Passed by the voters in 1994 the law enables terminally ill patients to obtain lethal doses of medication if their doctor determines they have less then six months to live. The right to die is illegal in most places, but yet an individual has a constitutional right to request the withdrawal and withholding of medical treatment even if doing so results in death. The right of a person to refuse medical treatment is widely practiced and a more accepted way to end ones live in our society. Living wills are one way to refuse medical treatment. These wills are legal documents which state how much treatment a person wants and where to stop. Another way to refuse medical treatment is do-not-resuscitate orders. In which the person states if something would happen they would not want to be resuscitated. The raises an important question, is the request of assistance in dying just an extension of an individual right to control the kind of treatment received when dying? Karen Ann Quinlan suffered a respiratory arrest which left her in permanent vegetative state. The condition left her unable to breathe without respirator and unable to eat without a feeding tube.

Access Control Proposal Essay

Access control: type of access control by which the operating system constrains the ability of a subject or initiator to access or generally perform some sort of operation on an object or target. In practice, a subject is usually a process or thread; objects are constructs such as files, directories, TCP/UDP ports, shared memory segments, IO devices etc. Subjects and objects each have a set of security attributes. Whenever a subject attempts to access an object, an authorization rule enforced by the operating system kernel examines these security attributes and decides whether the access can take place. Any operation by any subject on any object will be tested against the set of authorization rules (aka policy) to determine if the operation is allowed. A database management system, in its access control mechanism, can also apply mandatory access control; in this case, the objects are tables, views, procedures, etc. With mandatory access control, this security policy is centrally controlled by a secu rity policy administrator; users do not have the ability to override the policy and, for example, grant access to files that would otherwise be restricted. By contrast, discretionary access control (DAC), which also governs the ability of subjects to access objects, allows users the ability to make policy decisions and/or assign security attributes. (The traditional UNIX system of users, groups, and read-write-execute permissions is an example of DAC.) MAC-enabled systems allow policy administrators to implement organization-wide security policies. Unlike with DAC, users cannot override or modify this policy, either accidentally or intentionally. This allows security administrators to define a central policy that is guaranteed (in principle) to be enforced for all users. Historically and traditionally, MAC has been closely associated with multi-level secure (MLS) systems. The Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria[1] (TCSEC), the seminal work on the subject, defines MAC as â€Å"a means of restricting access to objects based on the sensitivity (as represented by a label) of the information contained  in the objects and the formal authorization (i.e., clearance) of subjects to access information of such sensitivity†. Early implementations of MAC such as Honeywell’s SCOMP, USAF SACDIN, NSA Blacker, and Boeing’s MLS LAN focused on MLS to protect military-oriented security classification levels with robust enforcement. Originally, the term MAC denoted that the access controls were not only guaranteed in principle, but in fact. Early security strategies enabled enforcement guarantees that were dependable in the face of national lab level attacks. Data classification awareness: For any IT initiative to succeed, particularly a security-centric one such as data classification, it needs to be understood and adopted by management and the employees using the system. Changing a staff’s data handling activities, particularly regarding sensitive data, will probably entail a change of culture across the organization. This type of movement requires sponsorship by senior management and its endorsement of the need to change current practices and ensure the necessary cooperation and accountability. The safest approach to this type of project is to begin with a pilot. Introducing substantial procedural changes all at once invariably creates frustration and confusion. I would pick one domain, such as HR or R&D, and conduct an information audit, incorporating interviews with the domain’s users about their business and regulatory requirements. The research will give you insight into whether the data is business or personal, and whether it is business-critical. This type of dialogue can fill in gaps in understanding between users and system designers, as well as ensure business and regulatory requirements are mapped appropriately to classification and storage requirements. Issues of quality and data duplication should also be covered during your audit. Categorizing and storing everything may seem an obvious approach, but data centers have notoriously high maintenance costs, and there are other hidden expenses; backup processes, archive retrieval and searches of unstructured and duplicated data all take longer to carry out, for example. Furthermore, too great a degree of granularity in classification levels can quickly become too complex and expensive. There are several dimensions by which data can be valued, including financial or  business, regulatory, legal and privacy. A useful exercise to help determine the value of data, and to which risks it is vulnerable, is to create a data flow diagram. The diagram shows how data flows through your organization and beyond so you can see how it is created, amended, stored, accessed and used. Don’t, however, just classify data based on the application that creates it, such as CRM or Accounts. This type of distinction may avoid many of the complexities of data classification, but it is too blunt an approach to achieve suitable levels of security and access. One consequence of data classification is the need for a tiered storage architecture, which will provide different levels of security within each type of storage, such as primary, backup, disaster recovery and archive — increasingly confidential and valuable data protected by increasingly robust security. The tiered architecture also reduces costs, with access to current data kept quick and efficient, and archived or compliance data moved to cheaper offline storage. Security controls Organizations need to protect their information assets and must decide the level of risk they are willing to accept when determining the cost of security controls. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), â€Å"Security should be appropriate and proportionate to the value of and degree of reliance on the computer system and to the severity, probability and extent of potential harm. Requirements for security will vary depending on the particular organization and computer system.†1 To provide a common body of knowledge and define terms for information security professionals, the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2) created 10 security domains. The following domains provide the foundation for security practices and principles in all industries, not just healthcare: Security management practices Access control systems and methodology Telecommunications and networking security Cryptography Security architecture and models Operations security Application and systems development security Physical security Business continuity and disaster recovery planning Laws, investigation, and ethics In order to maintain information confidentiality, integrity, and availability, it is important to control access to information. Access controls prevent unauthorized users from retrieving, using, or altering information. They are determined by an organization’s risks, threats, and vulnerabilities. Appropriate access controls are categorized in three ways: preventive, detective, or corrective. Preventive controls try to stop harmful events from occurring, while detective controls identify if a harmful event has occurred. Corrective controls are used after a harmful event to restore the system. Risk mitigation Assume/Accept: Acknowledge the existence of a particular risk, and make a deliberate decision to accept it without engaging in special efforts to control it. Approval of project or program leaders is required. Avoid: Adjust program requirements or constraints to eliminate or reduce the risk. This adjustment could be accommodated by a change in funding, schedule, or technical requirements. Control: Implement actions to minimize the impact or likelihood of the risk. Transfer: Reassign organizational accountability, responsibility, and authority to another stakeholder willing to accept the risk Watch/Monitor: Monitor the environment for changes that affect the nature and/or the impact of the risk Access control policy framework consisting of best practices for policies, standards, procedures, Guidelines to mitigate unauthorized access : IT application or program controls are fully automated (i.e., performed automatically by the systems) designed to ensure the complete and accurate processing of data, from input through output. These controls vary based on the business purpose of the specific application. These controls may also help ensure the privacy and security of data transmitted between applications. Categories of IT application controls may include: Completeness checks – controls that ensure all records were processed from initiation to completion. Validity checks – controls that ensure only valid data is input or processed. Identification – controls that ensure all users are uniquely and irrefutably identified. Authentication – controls that provide an authentication mechanism in the application system. Authorization – controls that ensure only approved business users have access to the application system. Input controls – controls that ensure data integrity fed from upstream sources into the application system. Forensic controls – control that ensure data is scientifically correct and mathematically correct based on inputs and outputs Specific application (transaction processing) control procedures that directly mitigate identified financial reporting risks. There are typically a few such controls within major applications in each financial process, such as accounts payable, payroll, general ledger, etc. The focus is on â€Å"key† controls (those that specifically address risks), not on the entire application. IT general controls that support the assertions that programs function as intended and that key financial reports are reliable, primarily change control and security controls; IT operations controls, which ensure that problems with processing are identified and corrected. Specific activities that may occur to support the assessment of the key controls above include: Understanding the organization’s internal control program and its financial reporting processes. Identifying the IT systems involved in the initiation, authorization, processing, summarization and reporting of financial data; Identifying the key controls that address specific financial risks; Designing and implementing controls designed to mitigate the identified risks and monitoring them for continued effectiveness; Documenting and testing IT controls; Ensuring that IT controls are updated and changed, as necessary, to correspond with changes in internal control or financial reporting processes; and Monitoring IT controls for effective operation over time. References : http://hokiepokie.org/docs/acl22003/security-policy.pdf Coe, Martin J. â€Å"Trust services: a better way to evaluate I.T. controls: fulfilling the requirements of section 404.† Journal of Accountancy 199.3 (2005): 69(7). Chan, Sally, and Stan Lepeak. â€Å"IT and Sarbanes-Oxley.† CMA Management 78.4 (2004): 33(4). P. A. Loscocco, S. D. Smalley, P. A. Muckelbauer, R. C. Taylor, S. J. Turner, and J. F. Farrell. The Inevitability of Failure: The Flawed Assumption of Security in Modern Computing Environments. In Proceedings of the 21st National Information Systems Security Conference, pages 303–314, Oct. 1998. Access Control Proposal Essay Proposal Statement Integrated Distributors Incorporated (IDI) will establish specific requirements for protecting information and information systems against unauthorised access. IDI will effectively communicate the need for information and information system access control. Purpose Information security is the protection of information against accidental or malicious disclosure, modification or destruction. Information is an important, valuable asset of IDI which must be managed with care. All information has a value to IDI. However, not all of this information has an equal value or requires the same level of protection. Access controls are put in place to protect information by controlling who has the rights to use different information resources and by guarding against unauthorised use. Formal procedures must control how access to information is granted and how such access is changed. This policy also mandates a standard for the creation of strong passwords, their protection and frequency of change. See more:  Perseverance essay Scope This policy applies to all IDI Stakeholders, Committees, Departments, Partners, Employees of IDI (including system support staff with access to privileged administrative passwords), contractual third parties and agents of the Council with any form of access to IDI’s information and information systems. Definition Access control rules and procedures are required to regulate who can access IDI information resources or systems and the associated access privileges. This policy applies at all times and should be adhered to whenever accessing IDI information in any format, and on any device. Risks On occasion business information may be disclosed or accessed prematurely, accidentally or unlawfully. Individuals or companies, without the correct authorisation and clearance may intentionally or accidentally gain unauthorised access to business information which may adversely affect day to day business. This policy is intended to mitigate that risk. Non-compliance with this policy could have a significant effect on the efficient operation of the Council and may result in financial loss and an inability to provide necessary services to our customers. Applying the Policy – Passwords / Choosing Passwords Passwords are the first line of defence for our ICT systems and together with the user ID help to establish that people are who they claim to be. A poorly chosen or misused password is a security risk and may impact upon the confidentiality, integrity or availability of our computers and systems. Weak and strong passwords A weak password is one which is easily discovered, or detected, by people who are not supposed to know it. Examples of weak passwords include words picked out of a dictionary, names of children and pets, car registration numbers and simple patterns of letters from a computer keyboard. A strong password is a password that is designed in such a way that it is unlikely to be detected by people who are not supposed to know it, and difficult to work out even with the help of a Protecting Passwords It is of utmost importance that the password remains protected at all times. Do not use the same password for systems inside and outside of work. Changing Passwords All user-level passwords must be changed at a maximum of every 90 days, or whenever a system prompts you to change it. Default passwords must also be changed immediately. If you become aware, or suspect, that your password has become known to someone else, you must change it immediately and report your concern to IDI Technical Support. Users must not reuse the same password within 20 password changes. System Administration Standards The password administration process for individual IDI systems is well-documented and available to designated individuals. All IDI IT systems will be configured to enforce the following: Authentication of individual users, not groups of users – i.e. no generic accounts. Protection with regards to the retrieval of passwords and security details. System access monitoring and logging – at a user level. Role management so that functions can be performed without sharing passwords. Password admin processes must be properly controlled, secure and auditable. User Access Management Formal user access control procedures must be documented, implemented and kept up to date for each application and information system to ensure authorised user access and to prevent unauthorised access. They must cover all stages of the lifecycle of user access, from the initial registration of new users to the final de-registration of users who no longer require access. These must be agreed by IDI. User access rights must be reviewed at regular intervals to ensure that the appropriate rights are still allocated. System administration accounts must only be provided to users that are required to perform system administration tasks. User Registration A request for access to IDI’s computer systems must first be submitted to the Information Services Helpdesk for approval. Applications for access must only be submitted if approval has been gained from Department Heads. When an employee leaves IDI, their access to computer systems and data must be suspended at the close of business on the employee’s last working day. It is the responsibility of the Department Head to request the suspension of the access rights via the Information Services Helpdesk. User Responsibilities It is a user’s responsibility to prevent their userID and password being used to gain unauthorised access to IDI systems. Network Access Control The use of modems on non- IDI owned PC’s connected to the IDI’s network can seriously compromise the security of the network. The normal operation of the network must not be interfered with. User Authentication for External Connections Where remote access to the IDI network is required, an application must be made via IT Helpdesk. Remote access to the network must be secured by two factor authentication. Supplier’s Remote Access to the Council Network Partner agencies or 3rd party suppliers must not be given details of how to access IDI ’s network without permission. All permissions and access methods must be controlled by IT Helpdesk. Operating System Access Control Access to operating systems is controlled by a secure login process. The access control defined in the User Access Management section and the Password section above must be applied. All access to operating systems is via a unique login id that will be audited and can be traced back to each individual user. The login id must not give any indication of the level of access that it provides to the system (e.g. administration rights). System administrators must have individual administrator accounts that will be logged and audited. The administrator account must not be used by individuals for normal day to day activities. Application and Information Access Access within software applications must be restricted using the security features built into the individual product. The IT Helpdesk is responsible for granting access to the information within the system. Policy Compliance If any user is found to have breached this policy, they may be subject to IDI’s disciplinary procedure. If a criminal offence is considered to have been committed further action may be taken to assist in the prosecution of the offender(s). If you do not understand the implications of this policy or how it may apply to you, seek advice from IT Helpdesk. Policy Governance The following table identifies who within [Council Name] is Accountable, Responsible, Informed or Consulted with regards to this policy. The following definitions apply: Responsible Head of Information Services, Head of Human Resources Accountable Director of Finance etc. Consulted Policy Department Informed All IDI Employees, All Temporary Staff, All Contractors. Review and Revision This policy will be reviewed as it is deemed appropriate, but no less frequently than every 12 months. Key Messages All users must use strong passwords. Passwords must be protected at all times and must be changed at least every 90 days. User access rights must be reviewed at regular intervals.  It is a user’s responsibility to prevent their userID and password being used to gain unauthorised access to IDI systems. Partner agencies or 3rd party suppliers must not be given details of how to access the IDI network without permission from IT Helpdesk. Partners or 3rd party suppliers must contact the IT Helpdesk before connecting to the IDI network. Access Control Proposal Essay 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Title of the project Access Control Proposal Project for IDI 1.2 Project schedule summary The project will be a multi-year phased approach to have all sites (except JV and SA) on the same hardware and software platforms. 1.3 Project deliverables †¢ Solutions to the issues that specifies location of IDI is facing †¢ Plans to implement corporate-wide information access methods to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability †¢ Assessment of strengths and weaknesses in current IDI systems †¢ Address remote user and Web site user’s secure access requirements †¢ Proposed budget for the project—Hardware only †¢ Prepare detailed network and configuration diagrams outlining the proposed change 1.4 Project Guides Course Project Access Control Proposal Guide Juniper Networks Campus LAN Reference Architecture 1.5 Project Members David Crenshaw, IT Architect and IT Security Specialist Members of the IT Staff 1.6 Purpose A proposal for improving IDI’s computer network infrastructure is the purpose for this proposal. This project is intended to be used by IDI’s information security team to developing a plan to improve IDI’s computer network infrastructure at multiple locations. 1.7 Goals and Objectives Objective 1 To assess the aging infrastructure and then develop a multi-year phased approach to have all sites (except for JV and SA) on the same hardware and software platforms. Objective 2 The core infrastructure (switches, routers, firewalls, servers and etc.) must capable of withstanding 10 – 15% growth every year for the next seven years with a three-to-four year phased technology refresh cycle. Objective 3 Solutions to the issues that the specifies location of IDI is facing Objective 4 Assessment of strengths and weaknesses in current IDI systems Objective 5 Address remote user and Web site user’s secure access requirements Objective 6 Prepare detailed network and configuration diagrams outlining the proposed change Objective 7 Prepare a 5 to 10 minute PowerPoint assisted presentation on important access control infrastructure, and management aspects from each location. Objective 8 A comprehensive network design that will incorporate all submitted requirements and allow for projected growth. Objective 9 Final testing of all installed hardware, software, and network connectivity. Objective 10 Initialization of the entire network and any last minute configuration adjustments to have the network up and operating within all specified ranges. 2 Current Environment 2.1 Overall: There are a variety of servers, switches, routers, and internal hardware firewalls. Each of the organization’s locations is operating with different information technologies and infrastructure—IT systems, applications, and databases. Various levels of IT security and access management have been implemented and embedded within their respective locations. The information technology infrastructure is old and many locations are running on outdated hardware and software. Also, the infrastructure is out dated in terms of  patches and upgrades which greatly increase the risk to the network in terms of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. 2.2 Data Center: Logisuite 4.2.2 has not been upgraded in almost 10 years. Also, numerous modifications have been made to the core engine and the license agreement has expired. Progressive upgrading to the current version will be required. As a result, renewing this product will be extremely cost and time-prohibitive. RouteSim is a destination delivery program used to simulate routes, costs, and profits. It is not integrated into Logisuite or Oracle financials to take advantage of the databases for real-time currency evaluation and profit or loss projections. IDI’s office automation hardware and software has not been standardized. Managers have too much liberty to buy what they want according to personal preferences. Other software problems include early versions of MS Office 5, WordPerfect 7.0, and PC-Write that are not compatible. Telecommunications has not been since the company moved its current headquarters 15 years ago. This has left many of the new features for telecommunications lacking and not integrated with the customer service database to improve call management efficiency. The generic system was acquired from a service provider who is now out of business. Policies for personal devices are being ignored by many of the executives who have local administrators install the clients on their unsupported, non-standard personal laptop computers and workstations that interface with the internet. The original WAN was designed in the early 2000’s and has not been upgraded. During peak periods, usually between September and March, the capacity is insufficient for the organization resulting in lost internet customers which  further reduces growth and revenue. Telecommunications works through a limited Mitel SX-2000 private automatic branch exchange (PABX) that only provides voice mail and call forwarding. 2.3 Warsaw, Poland This is the largest office based on number of employees, strategically located to assist IDI for major growth in the Middle East and Asia, and the home portal for expansion and geographical client development, yet there is insufficient computing power to stay afloat on a day-to-day basis. The primary freight forwarding application is almost 10 years old and does not interface with the McCormack dodge accounting and finance system There are 6 Web servers (4 are primary and 2 fail during clustered load balancing) The cafeteria sponsors a public wireless network running WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) with no password protection. Telecommunications is an 8 year old Siemens Saturn series PBX, some of whose features have become faulty. The desktop phones have not been replaced or upgraded during this time. There is a lack of separation of duties between the network operations and the accounts receivable department and there is evidence of nepotism and embezzlement. 2.3 Sao Paulo, Brazil Vendors are unwilling to sign a service agreements.