Clinometer

Clinometer (forestry) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search A clinometer used in forestry The clinometer, known in many fields as an inclinometer, is a common tool used in forestry to measure slope, vertical angles, and – in combination with distance measurements – elevation change or tree heights. How it works A forester using a clinometer makes use of basic trigonometry. First the observer measures a straight-line distance D from some observation point O to the object. Then, using the clinometer, the observer measures the angle a between O and the top of the object.Then the observer does the same for the angle b between O and the bottom of the object. Multiplying D by the tangent of a gives the height of the object above the observer, and by the tangent of b the depth of the object below the observer. Adding the two of course gives the total height (H) of the object, in the same units as D. [1] Note that since multiplication is distributive it is equally valid to add the tangents of the angles and then multiply them by D: A = tan a B = tan b H = (A ? D) + (B ? D) = (A + B) ? D Note also that both angles should be positive numbers (i. . ignore any minus sign on the clinometer's scale). Units of measure There are typically three different units of measure that can be marked on a clinometer: degrees, percent, and topo. When buying a clinometer it is important to make sure it is calibrated to units suitable for the intended use.Tree height measurement Tree height measurement The forester stands at a fixed distance from the base of the tree. The most common distances in the United States are 50  feet (15. 24 m), 66  feet (20. 12 m), and 100  feet (30. 48 m). 2] To obtain accurate readings it is best to use taped measured distance instead of paced distances. For the most accurate readings it is best to use a distance that is not less than the height of the tree being measured. [3], that is, that the clinometer will me asure an angle less than 45 ° (100%). The observer sights to the top of tree, if total height is the desired measurement. If the desired measurement is merchantable height – that is, the height producing timber that can be sold – the observer sights to a point on the tree above which no more merchantable timber is found.The observer then measures to the bottom of the tree, takes the tangents and multiples them by the distance, and adds the two figures together. This will be the height of the tree. The observer must always measure a leaning tree so that the tree is leaning to the left or right. Measurements should never be taken with the tree leaning toward or away from the observer because this will affect their accuracy because of foreshortening. Slope measurement Measuring slope with a clinometerThe clinometer is also commonly used by foresters to obtain the percent slope of terrain. This measurement is based on the same trigonometric principles described above. Sl ope measurements, however, require that both observer and target be a constant height above the ground; thus a range pole or height of measurement (HI) stick is often used in slope measurements. The Clinometer The clinometer is an optical device for measuring elevation angles above horizontal. The most common instruments of this type currently used are compass-clinometers from Suunto or Silva.Compass clinometers are fundamentally just magnetic compasses held with their plane vertical so that a plummet or its equivalent can point to the elevation of the sight line. A better clinometer (I believe) is the Abney hand spirit level or clinometer, where the object sighted and the level bubble can be seen simultaneously, so that the index can be set accurately. An Abney clinometer is shown in the photograph. A spirit level is so-called because it contains alcohol in a tube of large radius, in which the bubble moves to the highest point.Spirit levels are used for accurate surveying, although automatic levels that go back to the principle of the plummet are now frequently found, and are easy to use. The Abney clinometer has a sighting tube with an angle scale reading from -90 ° to +90 °, and a spirit level with a Vernier index that can be moved along the scale while the user looks through the sighting tube. A small mirror and lens makes the level bubble visible in the field of view. When the object is aligned with the crosshair in the sighting tube, the spirit level is rotated so that the bubble is bisected by the crosshair, as illustrated in the diagram.Then, the elevation of the line of sight can be read off on the scale. The Vernier can be read to 10†², but it requires a magnifier to do this. The clinometer can read easily and accurately angles of elevation that would be very difficult to measure in any other simple and inexpensive way. A fairly common use of a clinometer is to measure the height of trees, which is easily done. A point should be marked with a stake as far from the centre of the trunk of the tree as its estimated height, so that the elevation angle is about 45 °, which gives the best â€Å"geometry. This distance D is measured with a tape. The observer then stands over the stake and sights the top of the tree, finding its elevation angle ?. The height H of the tree is then H = D tan ? + HI, where HI, the height of instrument, is the height of the observer's eye. All this is illustrated in the diagram. A useful accessory is a levelling rod, which can be home-made at little expense. Since the clinometer has no powerful telescope, the reading of the rod must be evident from a distance if you use it as a self-reading rod.Alternatively, if you have a rodperson, she can stand by the rod and move a finger or other marker up and down in response to your signals, then measure the distance with a tape. A self-reading rod can be made from a 1†³ x 4†³ x 10†² choice pine board available at Home Depot. A bold patter n that can be estimated to a few centimetres can then be applied by stencil and matte black spray paint. Two examples are shown at the right. Colors can also be used to make distinctions. The determination of the difference in elevation of two points is called levelling, and can be carried out with the clinometer set at 0 °.The place where you stand with the level is called a turning point, TP. Your rodperson holds the rod on the first point, and you make a backsight, BS, by reading the rod. The reading is the HI above the first point. Now the rod is held on the second point, and a foresight, FS, is taken. Foresights and backsights should be roughly equal in distance. The difference in elevation of the two points is BS – FS. This procedure is illustrated at the left. If both points cannot conveniently be viewed from one TP, a chain of turning points is used, with an intermediate elevation between each one.The difference in elevation is the sum of the backsights less the sum of the foresights. If the sights are short, such as those that are practical with the clinometer, the curvature of the earth will be taken into account automatically. Clinometer Clinometers are measuring devices that may be used in several different professions. Also known as an inclinometer, the essential function of the device is to determine accurate measurements as they relate to sloping, height and distance.The clinometer is often used in the profession of meteorology, as well as in forestry and surveying. One of the most common applications of the clinometer has to do with measuring angles as they relate to the slope of natural formations or buildings and other human construction projects. The idea is to measure the angle with an eye toward identifying any amount of slope, with respect to the gravity that is involved. The clinometer may be used to measure both inclines and declines, based on the perspective of the individual calculating the measurements.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

In the wake of the financial scandals that struck major corporations such as Enron, WorldCom and Tyco International, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was enacted â€Å"to protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures , made pursuant to the securities laws. † (P. L. 107-204, 116 Stat. 45) It aims to create new and enhance previously existing standards and practices for the boards of all publicly held companies as well as management and public accounting firms in the United States, delineating and clarifying rights and responsibilities with regards to auditing and accountability and emphasizing such points as auditor independence, corporate governance and responsibility and assessment of internal controls. Specifically, the Act stresses upon a more exhaustive disclosure of financial transactions as reporting requirements of companies based in the United States now need to be more thorough and more critical, and therefore more costly to implement. As such, this comes as a heavy burden to smaller companies who have to contend with the high costs imposed on them to complete their assessments, effectively forcing many of these small businessess to do away with public ownership, which in turn reduces valuable entrepreneurial activity. Ribstein & Butler, 2006, p. 101) The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, known in full as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act, was enacted June 30, 2002 through the sponsorships of Maryland Senator Paul Sarbanes and Ohio 4th District Representative Michael Oxley. The Act has 11 titles dealing with auditor independence, individual responsibility of senior executives for the accuracy and completeness of corporate financial reports, and enhanced reporting requirements for financial transactions. (P. L. 107-204, 116 Stat. 45, Titles II, III, IV) It also includes measures and practices designed to help restore investor confidence in securities analysts, as well as indicating violations and specific criminal penalties for fraud by manipulation of financial records or other interference with investigations. (P. L. 107-204, 116 Stat. 745, Titles VIII, IX, XI) In its establishment, the Act created the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) to regulate and discipline accounting firms as auditors of public companies. It also mandates the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to implement rulings on requirements in compliance with the Act. P. L. 107-204, 116 Stat. 745, Titles I, VI, VII) In his signing statement, President George W. Bush cl aims the Sarbanes-Oxley Act â€Å"the most far-reaching reforms of American business practices since the time of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. † He stressed that it ushers in a new era of integrity and responsibility in corporate America where dishonest leaders will be caught and penalized accordingly, a reference to the major corporate and accounting scandals that affected many large corporations during the '90s and well into the new millenium, shattering public confidence in the nation's securities markets. Office of the Press Secretary, 2002) Particularly enraging accounts that led to the creation of the Act are the scandals that involved Enron, WorldCom and Tyco International, where conflicts of interest, unusual and unreasonably justified banking practices, and problems in incentive compensation activities revealed massive fraud on the part of both the companies and their accounting firms, resulting in massive market downturns. (Patsuris, 2002) The Act combats such unscrupulous activities by emphasizing corporate controls and enhanced financial reporting to maintain credibility. Details of off-balance sheet transactions, pro-forma figures and stock transactions of corporate officers must be reported. To assure the accuracy of financial reports and disclosures, management assessment of internal controls must be thoroughly performed. Timely periodic reporting of material changes in financial condition is required, as well as specified enhanced reviews by the SEC of such corporate reports. (P. L. 107-204, 116 Stat. 745, Title IV) A specific part of the Act, Section 404, requires management and external auditor to report on the adequacy of the company's control over financial reports. This, however, is considered by many the aspect that costs most to implement as enormous effort is needed to document and test important financial controls. Since it requires both management and external auditor to perform assessment in the context of a top-down risk assessment, it must cover all aspects of compliance and thus needs much time, labor and cost. Ribstein & Butler, 2006, p. 100) Compliance with Section 404 of the Act has a much greater impact on smaller companies as there is a significant cost involved in completing their assessments. Ribstein and Butler (2006) contend that this necessitates many small businesses to spend much than what they actually earn, driving a huge percentage of their expenditure on compliance alone. This eventually forces them to forgo with public ownership. As an example, during 2004, U. S. companies with revenues exceeding $5 billion spent . 06% of revenue on compliance, while companies with less than $100 million in revenue spent 2. 55%. (U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2006) It is quite unfair that small companies should bear the brunt when they do not earn as much as their bigger counterparts, and the government must take steps and act on what can be seen as a drawback on such a well-intended regulation. In conclusion, while much of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was created and implemented to help put public trust back into corporations through recognizing and rewarding honest corporate leaders while discplining and fining unaccountable ones, much must be done to help alleviate the apparent burden on small companies who have to spend much on compliance, so that they may flourish and be able to compete without being compelled to spend too much on something that is beyond their capacity. And we should look forward in continuing the good work that the Act itself represents in defending the public from fraudulent and malicious corporate activities.

The Malala Debate

The Malala debate There is a groundswell of sympathy for Malala and also a strong demand for the Pakistani state to do something about the issue. Much of the discontent is directed toward the Pakistani Taliban, the extremist group that has claimed responsibility for the shooting and declared it has vowed to kill Malala if she recovers from her injuries. Also, it has issued fresh threats to another girl Hina Khan of Islamabad who is also known for her female rights activism and pro education stance.This threat comes two weeks after the Taliban shot Malala. Hina is originally from the Swat valley but was forced to move with her family to Islamabad in 2006 after she publically criticised the Taliban’s atrocities. The Malala incident has renewed the attention on the plight of women in Afghanistan. Twenty one year old Afghan activist Noorjahan Akbar, who has been leading a fight for women’s rights in Afghanistan, has articulated that Malala’s case will strengthen her and others fight for girl’s rights.Cofounder of a non profit group called Young Women for Change; she has been instrumental in organising trailblazing efforts such as the first Afghan march against street harassment, radio campaigns about gender equality and street posters against child marriage and abuse. This year, her group opened a women’s Internet cafe in Kabul, providing a forum for women to gather and share ideas. Although women in Afghanistan are for the cause of Malala and support her fight but there are many other women activists like Akbar who are fighting for the same cause and not getting the support they deserve.No doubt, Malala’s case is more horrifying as she is young and nobody would look at her as a threat as a 14-year old girl promoting education, no one has heard about Hanifa Safi women activist who was killed this summer. Fifteen girls had acid thrown on their face a couple of years ago but no public protest was held. More than 300 girls wer e poisoned in Afghan schools this summer specifically because they wanted to have access to education; unfortunately no one talks about it. Malala’s case has created a buzz which it deserves and the way its gaining popularity can help to highlight these cases which re otherwise completely ignored. The Civil Society Movements The Malala incident and eventually her cause got support from almost all parts of the World especially from the South Asian Countries where human rights activists, acedemicians, students and members of civil society took to streets to condemn the attack. From Madonna to Angelina Jolie to top Politicians like Hina Rabbani Khar and Rehman Malik, people from all walks and corners of the World are appreciating her courage and have vowed to support her mission to ensure education for girls in Pakistan.The Pakistan government has offered to provide security to Malala when she will return to Pakistan and has promised to provide all necessary help. Even the Sunni clerics in Pakistan have issued a Fatwa against the Taliban, decrying an attack on a girl as un-Islamic, which speaks volumes about Malala and her cause and how people from diverse background are in the same boat for the cause. In a message of defiance to the Taliban, authorities in Swat have decided to rename a government college after Malala. The College offers high school and undergraduate education for 2,000 girl’s and young women.Can this be sustained? Although the cause for women’s rights in Taliban affected areas has been supported by the developing countries and the western world, it has always been very hard to implement it at the grass root level. The women activists or others spreading education or fighting for women’s rights have to face the brunt of the Taliban. Malala’s cause has gained support from every corner, the blog she wrote for BBC with the pseudo name Gul Makai about the poor state of girls in Swat under the Taliban earned her innu merable sympathizers.The International Children’s peace prize in October 2011 and Pakistani first National peace prize further gave recognition to her work and the documentaries made on her added to the popularity. The Taliban feared that she is being held as a hero by the World and thus shot her which only added to more support for her cause. Thus, considering all the above factors and the debate and support she has generated, it is not wrong to say that the momentum evoked by the Malala movement is likely to sustain for a longer period of time and even more so if she returns to Swat and take the battle to its logical end.

Finance Presentation for Apple Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Finance Presentation for Apple - Essay Example On top of this, they also sell a wide variety of software, services, peripherals and other networking solutions. A. History - Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and is considered one of the pioneers in the technology industry. They are now based in Cupertino, California (Kimmel 1998) and since their inception in the 70's, have become one of the most well known brands in the world not only in terms of hardware power but also as an entertainment media, a niche market they have practically dominated for many years. B. Products - While the original product line of Apple were the Mac hardware and software, they have, in the course of their business, diversified and morphed into a company that creates gadgets that combine function, style and entertainment into one amazing and compact tool. 2. Business Strategy - In general, the company is dedicated to provide up to date computing tools and portable entertainment media for a spectrum of users like students, educators, professionals and many others. Apple is anchored on five core principles that have proven to be vital to the company's success in attaining market leadership and profitability. A. A. Digital Lifestyle (Apple Inc., 2007, p.1) - Unlike other companies in the technology industry, Apple has positioned itself as a provider of total digital experience. They have been a trailblazer in integrating various media like music players, mobile communication, video players, cameras and game consoles into one compact but powerful contraption. This stratagem has proven to be very effective in realizing Apple's vision to be the leading technology provider in the world. B. Expanded Distribution (Apple Inc., 2007, p.2) - Another key element in the business of Apple Inc. is their belief in getting closer to their target market. While it is possible to settle for other distribution channels, the company opted to expand their own retail outlet network strategically around the globe. This way, they will be assured that the quality of sales personnel conveying the features and benefits of their products and services will conform to their standard and provide top level customer care and after sales service. This has proven to be effective and efficient for the company as it has enabled them not only to increase their loyal customer base but to ensure repeat sales. C. Education (Apple Inc., 2007, p.2) - While Apple caters to most corporate requirements, they have since been a strategic partner of the academe. As a matter of fact, the company has committed itself in alleviating the teaching and learning process for educators and students respectively by delivering tools and devices that support this process. Apple is a firm believer that technology stimulated education will result to a higher level of student achievement and that technology can play an important role in the learning process as it allows educators and students a wider access to information that used to be limited to the privileged ones. Some of these tools and services aimed at supporting this sector are the Mac computers and Apple TV to name a few. D. Creative Professionals (Apple Inc., 2007

The God Father Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The God Father - Movie Review Example The film has been accused of promoting the view that Italian immigrants brought into the country their vices such as organised crime and corrupted the American social fabric. On the other hand, the trilogy has been credited with telling the story of a family uprooted from its ancestral home in Sicily, immigration to and adaptation in America, and the succession. The Corleone family depicts the Italian immigrants struggle to settle in a strange country, retain their culture and deal with past problems, familial ties, bad choices and, above all, a will to survive any problems (Sciannameo, 2010). The trilogy neither condemns nor excuses organised crime, but rather brings out into the open the hitherto secret operations of the Mafia imported from Sicily. It shows the original purpose of the organisation; which was the protection from oppression, and subsequent corruption into organised crime. Overriding this theme is the determination of a family to stay afloat, presented without judgement of the means by which they choose to achieve their

The important elements of marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The important elements of marketing plan - Essay Example Other important applications include informing the details of the company to the sales personnel, suppliers and others so that they become aware of company's goals and achievements. Feasibility study is an important phase in the development process. It enables the developer to have an assessment of the product being developed. It refers to the feasibility study of the product in terms of outcomes of the product, operational use and technical support required for implementing it. Economic Feasibility: It refers to the benefits or outcomes. We are deriving from the product as compared to the total cost we are spending for developing the product. If the benefits are more or less the same as the older system, then it is not feasible to develop the product. The development of the new product should greatly enhance the accuracy of the system and cuts short the delay in the processing of the product. The errors can be greatly reduced and at the same time providing great level of security. Hence, we do not need any additional equipment. Operational Feasibility: It refers to the feasibility of the product to be operational. Some products may work very well at design and implementation but may fall in the real time environment. It happens most of the time with feature films. It includes the study of additional human resources required and their technical expertise. Technical Feasibility: It refers to whether the product that is available in the market fully supports the present trend. It can be used to study the pros and cons of using particular kind of feature film for the development and it's feasibility. It also studies the additional training need to be given to the people to make the product work. A qualitative and quantitative research is must in developing an good feature film. Qualitative research is more of collecting data, conducting interviews, using documents and to understand and explain social phenomenon. Quantitative research involves is of development of natural sciences to study natural phenomenon. Survey methods, formal methods, econometrics, etc., are some of the examples of quantitative research. Qualitative research methods are more often used as it involves observation of data that helps in finding solutions to the problems. Qualitative research has been categorised into three categories named as positivist, interpretive and critical. Positivist research methods involves attempt to test theory that to understand the predictive element of the phenomena. It involves formal propositions, hypothesis testing, measuring of quantifiable variables, etc. In this type of research it is assumed that the objectives are given in reality and can be measured by their properties. Interpretive research method involves sharing of information and social constructions such as language. Interpretive method is used to understand the meaning of the given information that was assigned to the researchers. Critical research as the name implies concentrates more on the critical view of the subject. It highlights the critical viewpoint of the situation that has to be analysed. Implementation

Importance of the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949 Assignment - 1

Importance of the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949 - Assignment Example The two acts are important legislations, in that they limited the powers and the privileges wielded by the House of Lords, and sought to give the common person more powers through the empowerment of the House of Commons. The legislations are however not without issues, as demonstrated in the Jackson v Attorney General [2005] case regarding the legality of the application of Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949 to pass the Hunting Act, making it illegal to hunt wild animals using dogs, except in very limited circumstances. 6The case was heard by a Divisional court and later passed on the court of appeal. The court of appeal decision was that constitutional changes could not be passed under the parliament act of 1911. 2The legal issues raised in this case is that any legislation done under the parliament Act of 1911 was not primary, but a subordinate one. The legislative power wielded by the Act was not limited, and thus was open to statutory interpretation. Upon reaching the decision, the judges raised the issue that the Act did not authorize the House of Commons to change or remove any conditions on which the law-making power is based. 6 The judges observed that the 1911 Act was wide to authorize some amendments of the commons law making power, contrary to the 1949 Act, which was observed to be substantial and significant. 6The discussion by the judges was that it was highly unlikely that the House of Commons could contemplate to use the Act to enact a legislation that the House of Lords had not consented to or to abolish the House of Lords completely. 2 If however, the House of Commons had such intentions, then it would be seen as contrary to the intentions of the parliament, when it was enacting such legislations.

The Battle of Guadalcanal Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Battle of Guadalcanal - Term Paper Example However, by August 1942, the American marines landed on the Guadalcanal’s northern beaches after the firing of Navy ships ahead of them. About three months later, the Marine managed to secure the airfield, as well as about six miles wide on the beach section (Braun and Alexander 232). This paper thereby drills deep into the Battle of Guadalcanal, its operations, and scrutinizes the Allied and Japanese leadership during the war. Allied forces, predominantly from America, landed on Guadalcanal by 7th August 1942, seizing an airfield that had been under construction by the Japanese military- the airfield was later named as Henderson Field (Coggan 162). Subsequently, several attempts and efforts made by the Japanese Imperial Navy and Army tremendously failed as they used ships to deliver reinforcements to Guadalcanal, with a sole aim of recapturing the airfield. By early November, 1942, Japanese military organized a transport convoy that would take about seven thousand infantry tr oops and equipment to the island of Guadalcanal- their core intent being to make an attempt once again, which would aid their struggle to retake the airfield. According to Braun and Alexander, lots of Japanese warships and forces were allotted to attack the Henderson Field with a central aim of destroying Allied aircrafts, which posed threats to their convoy (248). After observing and learning the Japanese efforts of reinforcement and retake, the United States military forces launched warship and aircraft combats in order to defend the Henderson Fields, and hence prevent or bar the Japanese navy and ground troops from nearing the Guadalcanal area. Braun and Alexander reveals that for strategic purposes, the possession of an airfield or airbase within Guadalcanal was vital to the control of sea-line-communications between Australia and the United States (241).

Cognitive Framing Theory and Spiral or Silence Research Paper - 1

Cognitive Framing Theory and Spiral or Silence - Research Paper Example The thinking and all that matters in talking does involve framing. This is the basis of cognitive framing theory. According to Lakoff (2010), a single word defines not only the word, but it activates the frames by defining much about the system that is in it. However, frames do not work in solitude but they have a direct connection to all part of the brain including the emotional regions (Lakoff, 2010). This explains why people have different taste to different circumstances. The workings of the frame make it possible for some people to like football while other dislikes the same. Thus, it is how best a frame is internalized that explains the behaviors of individuals and emotional reactions to their surroundings. The political scene is one good example where systems of frames are vehemently used. Members of political parties share the political ideologies, and they all adhere to this course. Therefore, politician uses a language that point to specific ideological systems. The process they go through whether in party fundraising or conventional nomination informs their subconscious of the principle that they defend. The development of this political ideology frames explains the subsequent behaviors. Cognitive framing theory also argues that ideological language becomes a normal language as it unconsciously activates the brain of the ideas. Therefore, people cannot avoid framing, and they can only be strengthened or weakened. There are different frames and individual choose among the many in any given situation. Moreover, there are limited ways of changing frames. The thing that a person has made cognates in the brain can only relate to news set of frames that relate to the existing systems of frames (Lakoff, 2010). The changes need to be emotional and introduced through a communication system that must be sufficient, repetitive, and full of trust for the messengers. Negating frames tend to activate

Statement of Purpose for UCLA art major Personal

Of Purpose for UCLA art major - Personal Statement Example Since an early age, my parents instilled in me a love for art and a respect for various artistic disciplines. I attended painting and drawing classes every week since 7 years of age until 15 years of age. I came to the U.S. from Taiwan at a young age. I fully credit my parents with having given me the tools to succeed in the art world in the U.S. My parents passed on to me their interest in collecting paintings of a wide variety. Therefore, we have an art gallery at home full of famous paintings from both Taiwan and China. My parents consistently took myself and my siblings to art galleries, and is still one of our favorite family activities when we get together. Regarding my own personal interest in art, I’ve participated in numerous painting and drawing contests. When I moved to the United States for high school, I attended a creative and performing arts school in San Diego and continued working on my artistic talent. After high school, I developed my other interests in desi gn. I chose to work on fashion design. Fashion is art to me. I wanted to pursue art on a different level, however. After graduating from college, I wanted to have more formal higher education experience focused not just on art as it is studied in traditional schools, but also study art at another level at UCLA. My purpose in pursuing this graduate degree in art at UCLA is undergirded by the fact that I know UCLA is an excellent school with a stellar reputation in this field. UCLA also has respect for diversity in its student body, which was important to me in selecting a grad school program. The UCLA faculty is very experienced and knowledgeable in several aspects of the art world, which was also another key factor in deciding to apply here. I sincerely feel that attending UCLA will help me become a better artist. My ultimate goals in obtaining a graduate degree in art are to: 1) own my own gallery; 2) share my art with the public at large; and 3) work with art museums and/or galler ies in order to restore and preserve masterpieces for posterity, so our children and grandchildren will still be able to appreciate creative pieces from master artists. Obtaining a graduate degree in art at UCLA would not only serve to bolster my experience and interest in art, but would also help provide a schema for how to realize my dreams. Wanting to become well-known in the art world, I believe this degree would give me instant credibility that would signify my expertise in not only dealing with art but creating it. I thank you for reading and for your thoughtful consideration of my application in light of the above-stated comments. Personal Accomplishments, Community Pride: A Response to Prompt #2 I have accomplished many personal achievements in my lifetime, but I consider many of these achievements as exemplars for my community (including my family). Having grown up as an immigrant, I realize the incredible opportunities that coming to America gave me and my family. I will b e forever grateful for those. Undertaking this graduate degree in art from UCLA, therefore, is not only a source of personal accomplishment but a symbol of community pride for everyone I know and love that contributes to my culture—both in the U.S. and in Taiwan. While in Taiwan, I won the first-place award for the Taiwan Shei-Pa National Park’s official drawing contest when I was only an 11-year-old elementary school student—chosen from all the student contestants in all of Taiwan. When I came to attend high

Canadian Historical Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Canadian Historical Development - Essay Example According to the essay findings  Canada is one country that has received immense influence on its political landscape from the French, Americans and Britons. For this reason what is practised in Canada is more less a blend of the three to a hug extent. The rights and freedoms of individuals are well guarded by the constitution and so are regional autonomy and the rule of law. The English traditions, French civil law and North American aboriginal government have all been embedded into one item to form the Canadian political culture.This study declares that  the political landscape being a borrowed one is characterised by the country being a constitutional monarchy whose origin is the traditions of Britain. The other important characteristic is that of having federal system of governance with a parliament. These manifestations in the political arena all work together in harmony under the guidance of well rooted democratic traditions. It is important to note that the Canadian struct ure of governance was one that was established by the British parliament whereas the federal system of governance came later and was enacted by politicians of Canadian descent. These developments where Canadian politicians begun to take full control of the changes witnessed in their country gained momentum with the advent of the 1st World War.  The natural resources in Canada are distributed in such a way that some regions are adored than others.

Emotional Intelligence Essay Example for Free

Emotional Intelligence Essay There are various ways in which the government can punish the criminal offenders or the civil offenders. This includes, fines, imprisonment, or corporal punishment. In punishing the offenders, the society aims at revenging, correcting the wrong doers, and acting as deterrence for others to commit same offence. The current preferred mode of punishment is aimed at correcting the offender rather than punishing them Due to the changing situations, many societies have changed the mode of traditional punishment that were imposed on offenders and opted for better humane terms, for instance, compensation. There are various kinds of compensation that can be imposed on an offender. These are, fines, restitution, and community service. Fines have been imposed in the United States and the Canadian courts as provided in the statutes (Encarta Library). The fines are widely used because many criminals do not have the money for the fines. Furthermore, fines imposed on criminals would not deter them from committing other criminal activities as they know that they can just pay fines and be let free. In restitution, the court will order the offender to compensate the offended for the crime that was committed against them. The damage might have been in form of psychological damage, physical or monetary. For the judge to pass restitution, the offended must initiate the process, for instance through providing such things as medical bills or any other forms of prove for the restitution to be passed. This sentence is important because it is considered to restore the offended back to the original position before the offence. Community service on the other hand is when an offender is sentenced to performed some duty in the society. The state can then use some of the funds saved due to community service to compensate the victims. This method is important in that it helps the administrative to save the amounts that would be used in prosecution, and gives the offender time to reform rather than being punished. Emotional intelligence  According to the initial definition given by Salovery and Mayer in 1989/90, emotional intelligence is â€Å"the ability to monitor one’s own feelings and emotions, the ability to monitor the feelings and emotions of others, and to use this information to guide future thinking and action†, (Stone, Parker and Wood, 2004). To cope with emotional uncertainties, an individual relies on the competency of emotional intelligence. To cope with environmental uncertainties, an individual relies on the competency of emotional intelligence. The components of emotional intelligence are Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Motivation and Empathy Social Skills. Emotional Intelligence in an organization. The current manager of the team is a nice, welcoming and harming person. He has been able to give room for the team members to air their different views and allow for each person’s views to be accommodated. This kind of democracy has given members of the team room to participate in all organizational matters. One of the weaknesses with the manager is that he is not able to build a strong teamwork spirit. This has been contributed with the fact that he has not put in place principles that can enable people to put aside their personal interest and concentrate on teamwork spirit. This has allowed many people to mix their personal matters with organizational matters. To be able to connect my team members to act as one team, the five principles of emotional intelligence are very important. First of all by self-awareness I will be able to know exactly my strength and weakness. I will have to try as much as possible to use my strength to achieve teamwork and control my weaknesses, it means having full self-regulation. Different situations leads to different mood, but as a team leader, personal moods should not prevail over the team sprit. Most of the goals of the team will only be achieved only if as a leader am motivated by building a strong organizational team and put aside such things as endeavor for money and prestige status. This will play an important role in motivating other employees to follow the example. It is also important put my self in other employee’s position so as to understand their emotions and help them to grow in the organization. This can all be achieved if as a leader in treat all the employees equally and develop a good communication with them. A team leader needs to have the ability to sway everyone’s emotions. â€Å"If people’s emotions are pushed towards the range of enthusiasm, performance can soar, if people are driven toward rancor and anxiety, they will be thrown off stride†, (Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee, 2004, pg5). this implies that the effect of a leadership role will go beyond only having a job well done. Therefore to apply the principles of emotional intelligence to achieve the organizational goals are important. For instance, the development of collective goals and objectives is important in an organization. This will enable all team members to put aside their personal endeavors to achieve organizational goals. Leaders can also be encouraged to instill â€Å"in others an appreciation of the importance of work activities; generating and maintaining enthusiasm, confidence, optimism, cooperation and trustencouraging flexibility in decision making and change; and establishing and maintaining a meaningful identity of the organization (Eintel Organization, N. d).

The History Of Reliance Fresh Marketing Essay

The History Of Reliance Fresh Marketing Essay Giant corporations like Wal-Mart and Reliance have started to try and take over the Indian retail sector. The entry of the giant corporate retail in Indias food market will have direct impact on Indias 650 million farmers and 40 million people employed in tiny retail. More than 6600 mega stores are planned with Rs40,000 crore by 2011. Our case is intended to cover two primary objectives which are: First, when experts and giants like future group WalMart and Reliance they are ready to start operations in retail what kind of strategies and structure they would be having to get the competitive edge over each other and established small and unorganized retailers. Second, what kind of impact has been on other retailers including unorganized ones with the opening of Reliance Fresh stores. In the following case findings about Reliance Fresh were quite awakening and exemplary. Even after recent shutdown of Reliance fresh stores from UP and unwelcoming vibes from states like Kerala, West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand for its retail format (which was allegedly capturing the unorganized sector and leaving thousands of self employed people jobless) Reliance was not in any mood to hamper its 25000 crore plan. Reliance responded with superb strategy in which it shifted its focus from retailer to being a supplier i.e. targeting hawkers, vendors, Push cart wheelers instead of customers. Big retailers like Reliance have huge resources and network which directly impacted many of the retailers some of whom are planning to quit. In our sample size of 75 retailers more than 30 agreed to have lost as much as 50% of their sales. This case also discusses pros and cons of contract farming which on one part assures farmers of price for their crop and knowledge about fertilizers and seed b ut on other side has some obvious drawbacks like monopoly of big retailers. As a big market in which organized sector is poised to grow with 25% 30% annually our government must come with appropriate regulations to save small retailers and our agricultural sector. BACKGROUND OF RETAIL India is a land of retail democracy- hundreds of thousands of weekly haats and bazaars are located across the length and breadth of our country by peoples own self-organizational capacities. Our streets are bazaars lively, vibrant, safe and the source of livelihood for millions. India has the highest shop density in the world, with 11 outlets per 1000 people. This does not include the village haats. Our retail democracy is characterized by: 1. High levels of livelihoods in retail with nearly 40 million employed which accounts for 8% of the employment and 4% of the entire population. 2. High levels of self organization. 3. Low capital input 4. High levels of decentralization Retail in India has started with the concept of weekly markets, where all the traders gather at one big place to sell their products every week. The people come to these weekly markets to buy the household items for the next one week. Village fairs and melas were also common as it had more of an entertainment value. Once the people started getting busy with their lives and when they turned entrepreneurial, there emerged the mom and pop shops and the kiranas in the neighbourhood. After independence, came into existence the system of Public distribution of foods through the ration shops, where food grains, sugar and oil for the daily consumption were distributed at subsidized rates through the government ration shops. The modern corporate retail formats are of the exclusive brand outlets, hypermarkets and supermarkets, departmental stores and shopping malls. But still the Indian consumer depends on the self-organized retail shops for their daily needs. This is largely due to the excell ent food retailing system that was established by the kiranas (mom and-pop) stores that continue meet with all the requirements of retail requirements albeit without the convenience of the shopping as provided by the retail chains. The Hawkers/lari galla vendors and the local kiranas are the two main forms of unorganized retail in the country, which almost account for 97% of the total retail trade. Giant corporations like Wal-Mart and Reliance have started to try and take over the Indian retail sector. Currently the value of the retail market is estimated at around $ 270 billion with a growth rate of 5.7 per cent per annum according to the Indian retail report. The size of small retail is big, the size of big retail is small, a mere Rs. 250 billion in 2004 or 3% and Rs. 485 billion or 4.7% per cent of the retail market in 2006. However, the large scale corporate retail is projected to grow at the rate of 28% to 30% per annum, reaching Rs. 1000 billion or $ 70 billion by 2010 from th e current size of US $ 8.7 billion. The tenfold increase in corporate retail will be at the cost of small scale retail, which employs nearly 10% of Indias population. The strategy here is to define the small scale self-organized retail as unorganized and the large scale corporate retail as organized. The real difference is however not unorganized vs organized. But it is self-organized vs. corporate Reliance Fresh is the convenience store format which forms part of the retail business of Reliance Industries of India which is headed by Mukesh Ambani. Reliance plans to invest in excess of Rs 25000 crores in the next 4 years in their retail division. The company already has in excess of 560 reliance fresh outlets across the country. These stores sell fresh fruits and vegetables, staples, groceries, fresh juice bars and dairy products. A typical Reliance Fresh store is approximately 3000-4000 square. feet and caters to a catchment area of 2-3 km. History Post launch, in a dramatic shift in its positioning and mainly due to the circumstances prevaling in UP, West Bengal and Orissa, it was mentioned recently in news dailies that, Reliance Retail is moving out of stocking fruits and vegetables. Reliance Retail has decided to minimise its exposure in the fruit and vegetable business and position Reliance Fresh as a pure play super market focusing on categories like food, FMCG, home, consumer durables, IT and wellness , with food accounting for the bulk of the business. The company may not stock fruit and vegetables in some states. Though Reliance Fresh is not exiting the fruit and vegetable business altogether, it has decided not to compete with local vendors partly due to political reasons, and partly due to its inability to create a robust supply chain. This is quite different from what the firm had originally planned. When the first Reliance Fresh store opened in Hyderabad last October, not only did the company said the stores main focus would be fresh produce like fruits and vegetables at a much lower price, but also spoke at length about its farm-to-fork theory. The idea the company spoke about was to source from farmers and sell directly to the consumer removing middlemen out of the way. Reliance Fresh, Reliance Mart, Reliance Digital, Reliance Trendz, Reliance Footprint, Reliance Wellness, Reliance Jewels, Reliance Timeout and Reliance Super are various formats that Reliance has rolled out. In addition, Reliance Retail has entered into an alliance with Apple for setting up a chain of Apple Specialty Stores branded as iStore, starting with Bangalore. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Today when most of the companies are busy in making profits by any means, there are few Ones who are focused to return this society, a part of what they have earned through this society. Reliance retail is one of them. Following efforts of reliance retail are aimed at benefiting the society making reliance socially responsible: 1) Reliance Retail aims at recruiting people from the underprivileged community in society. Hence, we are planning to train students from corporation schools and schools run by NGOs. And, we consider this as a part of our corporate social responsibility, he said. Asked whether the company will take students on an employment basis and pay them a stipend during the course period, he said that actually, it is planning to charge a small fee from those who want to join the course as we want to bring in some discipline and regularity among the students, and will reimburse that once they are inducted into service. 2) Farming in India is highly fragmented and subject to harsh climatic conditions: once harvested, it is very difficult to keep fruits and vegetables fresh. To secure high quality, Reliance Retail is directly sourcing fresh agricultural produce from thousands of farmers from villages through Collection Centers. With this concept, Reliance has built a business model generating shared value that links the company supply chain more closely to poor farmers in Indian villages. Reliance is providing a guaranteed market for the farmers produce, reducing transaction costs and training the farmers in better and sustainable farming practices. This initiative results in higher income and upgrading of skills for the farmers, and reduced spoilage of produce (up to 35 percent) and better quality products for Reliance retail stores. 3) Reliance retail has adopted farm to fork theory which means it is procuring Directly from the farmers thus offering them quite reasonable prices for their produce as now no intermediaries are involved. In return Reliance is giving farmers information about how can farmers improve their productivity. They have centers in villages who apart from providing information make farmers aware of market rates of different crops so that farmers can choose crops they want to sow to become profitable. farmers are provided technical help as well like information about quality of seeds and fertilizers. Service marketing environment Service marketing environment of reliance fresh can be scanned by considering the six major environment forces like demographic, economic, socio-culture, natural, technological, and political legal. As the demographic environment consists of the age mix of population, literacy and education level. Economic level consists of income distribution of different people. The rich grew by 400% in urban areas and 200% in rural areas. Socio- cultural environment consists of influence of religion, languages and customer that shapes the values and attitudes of customer preferences, habits and behaviour. Services Marketing and Marketing Mix A service is the action of doing something for someone or something. It is largely intangible (i.e. not material). A product is tangible (i.e. material) since you can touch it and own it. A service tends to be an experience that is consumed at the point where it is purchased, and cannot be owned since is quickly perishes. A person could go to a cafà © one day and have excellent service, and then return the next day and have a poor experience. So often marketers talk about the nature of a service as: Inseparable From the point where it is consumed, and from the provider of the service. For example, you cannot take a live theatre performance home to consume it (a DVD of the same performance would be a product, not a service). Intangible and cannot have a real, physical presence as does a product. For example, motor insurance may have a certificate, but the financial service itself cannot be touched i.e. it is intangible. Perishable in that once it has occurred it cannot be repeated in exactly the same way. For example, once a 100 metres Olympic final has been run, there will be not other for 4 more years, and even then it will be staged in a different place with many different finalists. Variability- since the human involvement of service provision means that no two services will be completely identical. For example, returning to the same garage time and time again for a service on your car might see different levels of customer satisfaction, or speediness of work. Right of ownership is not taken to the service, since you merely experience it. For example, an engineer may service your air-conditioning, but you do not own the service, the engineer or his equipment. You cannot sell it on once it has been consumed, and do not take ownership of it. Western economies have seen deterioration in their traditional manufacturing industries, and a growth in their service economies. Therefore the marketing mix has seen an extension and adaptation into the extended marketing mix for services, also known as the 7Ps physical evidence, process and people. Reliance Fresh Marketing Mix (7 Ps) After segmenting the market, finding the target segment and positioning itself, each company needs to come up with an offer. The 7 Ps used by Reliance Fresh are: 1. Product 2. Place 3. Price 4. Promotion 5. People 6. Physical Evidence 7. Process Target Segment what is Reliance fresh for me? A Family with children, a purchase place to be for the children. Urban customer on the move Great taste, quick service without affecting the work schedule. But keep it affordable. Product: How should the company design, manufacture the product so that it enhances the customer experience? Product is the physical product or service offered to the consumer. Product includes certain aspects such as packaging, guarantee, looks etc. This includes both the tangible and the non tangible aspects of the product and service. Reliance fresh has intentionally kept its product depth and product width limited. Reliance Fresh studied the behaviour of the Indian customer and provided a totally different menu as compared to its International offering. India is the only country where reliance Fresh serve vegetarian. Even the sauces and cheese used in India are 100% vegetarian. Place: Where should be the product be available and the role of distribution channels? The place mainly consists of the distribution channels. It is important so that the product is available to the customer at the right place, at the right time and in the right quantity. Nearly 50% of U.S.A is within a 3 minute drive from a Reliance Fresh outlet. There is a certain degree of fun and happiness that a customer feels each time he dines at. There are certain value propositions that reliance fresh offer to its customers based on their needs. Reliance fresh offers hygienic environment, good ambience and great service. Now Reliance Fresh have also started giving internet facility at their centres and they have been playing music through radio instead of the normal music. There are certain dedicated areas for children where they can play while their parents can have some quality time together. Price: What should be the pricing strategy? Pricing includes the list price, the discount functions available, the financing options available etc. It should also take into the consideration the probable reaction from the competitor to the pricing strategy. This is the most important part of the marketing mix as this is the only part which generates revenue. All the other three are expenses incurred. The price must take into consideration the appropriate demand-supply equation. Reliance fresh came up with a very catchy punch line Growth Through Value Creation. This was to attract the middle and lower class consumers and the effect can clearly be seen in the consumer base Reliance fresh has now. Promotion: What is the suitable strategy and channels for promotion of the product? The various promotion channels being used Reliance fresh to effectively communicate the product information are given above. A clear understanding of the customer value helps decide whether the cost of promotion is worth spending. There are three main objectives of advertising for Reliance fresh are to make people aware of an item, feel positive about it and remember it. The right message has to be communicated to the right audience through the right media. Reliance fresh does its promotion through television, hoardings and bus shelters. They use print ads and the television programmes are also an important marketing medium for promotion. Some of the most famous marketing campaigns of Reliance fresh are:  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Food and Fun People: How to converge the benefits of internal and external marketing? Reliance fresh understands the value of both its employees and its customers. It understands the fact that a happy employee can serve well and result in a happy customer. Reliance fresh continuously does Internal Marketing. This is important as it must precede external marketing. This includes hiring, training and motivating able employees. This way they serve customers well and the final result is a happy customer. The level of importance has changed to be in the following order (the more important people are at the top): 1. Customers 2. Front line employees 3. Middle level managers 4. Front line managers Physical evidences -Actual Experiferal evidence -A good time entry. -Sign boards. -Essential eminence of service. -Good parking place Process Process Exist are complex on railways like some processes are: -refund process / claim process. -Communication process. -Entraining/Detraining Process. The service segmentation Reliance Fresh has segmented their service to all class of people like rich, poor by providing standards of facility in different ways, for example you can find different items/buget packs for them these are the service segmentation of Reliance Fresh by which they are serving different categories of people. In all these service segmentation Reliance Fresh is providing different facilities and charging same money. Items at a Glance timetable, I have always used these on booking and have never had a problem, write the abbreviation in which you want to purchase, next to the word on the purchase form. Organizations are taking an interest in the international marketing of services because of low cost factors and the ability to compete in nearby country markets (Bradley 1995); however, international services pose special challenges for marketing managers as a result of the intangibility of services, the extent of customization, and differences in preferences across cultures. Research on international service offerings has focused on entry-mode choices technology growth , geographic roles, service influences on national competitive advantage and strategic differences across services . Yet the marketing literature has not investigated several key components of service strategy, particularly in the international domain. Customers Requirements and Customer Expectations Customers Experience after visiting the store can be said to be not much satisfactory. After this entire buzz it seemed to be a damp squib to me. 1. Choice and Range. Reliance Retail is primarily a super market store. So, one expects a wide range of goods available across various categories, brands and price ranges. Hardly there is any range available. Not even, any categories of goods. Just one or two we can easily live without. 2.  Super Markets like Nilgiris, Trinethra (recently bought by Birlas), Subhikhsa, and Modern Market especially the last one has a superb range and Reliance Fresh is nowhere in comparison to them. 3.  The Ambiance in the shop is good, but as I said nothing much different from the other super market chains. 4.  The staff is cordial and friendly very much eagerly looking forward to help. After I made the payment, the staff greeting me by saying a Namaste. This I liked a lot. Especially after horrible experiences of visiting shops in Kolkata. I do not know why but shop keepers in Salt Lake have this tendency of looking at you as if why do these customers keep bothering us, when u visits them. 5.  They accept card payment even for payments less than a hundred rupees. 6.   They have this membership card option with a free insurance thrown in, just to ensure that you show loyalty to them. As they go through the reviews by the members, they observe that the same points they have quoted above are bothering them too. Some more reading, browsing and research made me understand some of the aspects related to it, which I want to share with you. 1.  Customer is the last person in the minds of these supermarket chains. Though it might be surprising, thats the fact straightly put. What matters the most is the number. The more the number of stores opened, the more is the number of people visiting them, the more the chances of success. 2. The commission they get for selling a product. They are least bothered about providing a range of goods and brands to the Customer. In contrary, the companies that pay them the highest commission get to sell their goods from them. When they have the numbers, companies cannot afford to ignore them courtesy, the large number of customers visiting them. But why are the Customers visiting them, when they are not getting what they want? 3.  The feel good factor. The goods we buy here can be easily bought at any other grocery store round the corner. Then why do we flock to them? Just because, we feel good. We feel happy becoming a part of another India, which looks great much unlike the India we have grown in. We love the ambience. We like being greeted. 4.  By making a right balance between the numbers and the feel good factor, they achieve their targets some times much beyond the expectations they have set. We are just part of the market grind that is happening right now! Service recovery strategies -Improving the after sales services. -Admit and apologies. -rectification of any error -Compensate -Minor performance lapse need monitoring Quality concern Quality means watching the services from customer prospective. The main quality concern of Reliance Fresh is: To provide hygienic condition inside the stores. Avoiding as much as possible the delay in the schedule. Freshness is also one of the concern for Reliance fresh. Improving the infrastructure to world class level of standards. Integrated gap model of service quality Revenue% The central focus of gap model is the customer gap, the difference between customer expectations and perceptions. GAP-1 Not knowing what customer expect i.e. what are the expectation of customer of Reliance Fresh which can be due to inadequate marketing research. GAP-2 Not selecting the right service design and standards. Reliance Fresh have a good service design but not reached to that level of standards to meet all customer expectations. GAP-3 Not delivering to service designs and standards. This can be due to deficiency of human resource policy of Reliance Fresh. And may be due to failure in meeting supply and demand. Because of the huge population of India. GAP-4 Not matching performance to promises. This can be due to lack of integrating services marketing communication and ineffective management of customer expectation by Reliance Fresh. In this way the gap between expected quality and perceived quality can be calculated by Reliance Fresh. Blueprint of Reliance Fresh (near Patel chowk) Entering path Tracks for purchase of googd Tracks for purchase of googd Billing counter Gate keeper Entrance to Reliance Fresh This is the blueprint of reliance fresh. Customer when comes to this store firstly the gate keeper will check it and keep the bag if he has with him. The billing counter is first right of entrance. When customer enters it the tracks whether for seeing of goods and if he liked something than he can put it in trolley and then he can go the billing counter. If he needs some help than he also can ask for it but telling the nearest salesman. After selecting the good he can go to billing and go back to gate keeper. Gate keeper now demand for the receipt for just the security purpose. Pricing Strategies by Reliance Fresh -Discount pricing strategy -Wide price range of each items -Credit card acceptance -Accept coupons Competitive prices. -Price marked in paisas -comparable cost.

People Oriented Leader Or Relations Oriented Leadership Business Essay

People Oriented Leader Or Relations Oriented Leadership Business Essay Many business majors do not see the early management though as primitive in nature. Modern management thinking is often thought as modern management theory. Modern management thinking has been researched in reference to early management though, businessmen today only have a clear understanding of current and modern managing thinking, they have little knowledge of the past management thinking. Management thought involves politics and theory. The politics of management thought often come from the ones whom want the management styles to be received (OConnor, 1999). Because of political institutions order can be restored under established institutions. Management science during the factory era did just that. This could be seen during the Great Depression where management was desperately needed for reestablishing jobs. The birth of The Labor Unions was in this era. This proved to be one of the most effective changes management science contributed to history (Wren/Bendein, 2009). Modern management has its foundations based on management science and thoughts. The birth of early management started like everything else started i.e. people wanting a solution to a problem. Management thought has been often thought of as a type of science, and in fact it is. Managerial science uses assets of human resources and business principles to define and resolve workplace issues (Bedeian, 2004). During the early era of factory companies managerial companies were basically absolute and non-existent this caused chaos and lack of communication. Miller in his book Barbarians to Bureaucrats mentioned that there must be a strong relationship between the life cycle stage of an organization and the nature of its leadership, where as leadership is defined as an elusive concept, which comes through a conversation quite easily but very, few people understand. The very idea of leadership presupposes the existence of follower. (Wright and Taylor) stated that the activity of leadership co uld not be carried out without the aid of the followers to lead. Advanced managerial thoughts are based on the foundations of Millers 7 stages which are Prophet, Barbarian, Builder and Explorer, Administrator, Bureaucrat, Aristocrat and Synergist. The compelling new vision of a prophet and the aggressive leadership of an iron willed barbarian, who implement the prophet ideas will help to build new techniques and expansions. The builder and the explorer then push these through, but the growth spawned by these managers can easily stagnate when the administrator sacrifices innovation to order, and the bureaucrat imposes tight control. The aristocrat spends his time re-arranging, trading, and manipulating the assets but is unable to create new ones. It is the synergist that are capable of specialized knowledge and skills, and the integration of those competencies makes them a business leader who balances creativity with order, to restore vitality and insure future growth. It is important that a leader has good ethics in leadership, this is because in management the leaders must take decision that not only will benefit them but also think how other people will be affected. Millers work showed how leaders offered their leadership skills with their known value and ethics. These stages offered more advanced managerial thoughts, since companies started to focus on more of a humanistic approach to resolving issues with managerial science by establishing policies and procedures as well as employee labor relations. Leadership can come in many forms such as: Autocratic Leadership Bureaucratic Leadership Charismatic Leadership Democratic Leader or Participative Leadership Laissez-Fair Leadership Task-Oriented Leadership People Oriented Leader or Relations-Oriented Leadership Servant Leadership Transactional Leadership Transformational Leadership The right leadership is chosen according to the requirements of the company it self. Each leadership carries its own scope. To be a good leader means switching him or herself instinctively between styles according to the people and work they are dealing with. To choose the most effective approach one must consider: The skill levels and experience of the members of the team. The work involved (routine or new and creative). The organizational environment (stable or radically changing, conservative or adventurous) Among all of the management thought theories there are some key principles that have been defined. The identification of systems is done by their structures, since there are different types of systems. These include: real system, abstract or analytical system and controlled system. Systems of theory provide an internally consistent framework for classifying and evaluating the world. This consists of many definitions and concepts. When system theory was first introduced to management science and organizations were significantly affected. The main effects of system theory in management are that educators and consultants started helping managers to change their overall perspective regarding an organization. Managers were being thought to look at an organization from a broader and new perspective, by interpreting patterns and events in the workplace. Before the theory of systems was introduced, managers used to focus on one part of an organization at a time and after they moved all attention to another part. In other words, the importance of synchronization between departments (or parts of an organization) was not given great importance. As already mentioned, earlier in the introduction, feedback, communication and collaboration between systems are a necessity in order for an organization to work efficiently with a common goal. Theory of systems is an abstract philosophical framework that involves a highly empirical and investigative form of management science [2]. Moreover, system of theories is a useful conceptual tool, although it is insufficient. System theory is a useful tool because it helps analyse orderly research problems while it is insufficient because researchers need to take a very active role to complete the abstract role suggested by the systems theory. It also clarifies the role of complex organisations in modern society; and predicts that the complexity of organisations, and therefore the role of management, will probably continue to increase at least for so long as the efficiency-enhancing potential of complexity can continue to outweigh its inevitably increased transaction costs. The introducing of theory of systems to managers, helped them recognizing the various parts of the organization, and in particular the interrelation of the parts. As system theory was introduced, it took much more of a holistic view of organisation, focusing on total work organization and the inter-relationship between structures and human behaviours producing a wide range of variable within organisations [3]. They help us understand the interactions between individuals, groups, communities, organizations, larger social systems, in their own environments and help us enhance our understanding of how human behaviour operates. The fundamentals of the past have been neglected by scholars of the present day. (Bedeian, 1998) states that evolution of management thought has been deprived of the past, which has the backbone of modern day management. It is a known fact that anything that is currently in existence as we as humans may know it to be, had to come from somewhere. The past exists in a reciprocal relationship with the present (Bedeian, 2004). Early management thought has evolved over this time period with more advanced thinking in how to better manage and keep order. Significant contributions have deemed necessary in order for management thought to become as evolved as we know it today. Modern Management Thinking is mainly surrounded by policies, procedures and ethical methodologies these guide the co-operation itself. Many aspects of modern management thought derived from the economic history of traditional management. Factory era management science concepts such as well-defined hierarchy, labor relations, rules and regulations, interpersonal skills, competence and records management cultivated the framework of the 21st century of modern management. (CliffsNotes, 2010) Structural contingency theory makes part of Modern Management. This theory is closely related to system design (Scott 2003). The contingency adopted an open systems view on organization. It is a class behavioural theory, which claims that theres no best way to organize a corporation, lead it or make decision. Instead, the optimal course of action is contingent (dependent) upon the internal and external situation. Several contingency approaches were developed concurrently in the late 1960s. Some important contingencies for companies are listed below: 1. Technology 2. Suppliers and distributors 3. Consumer interest groups 4. Customers and competitors 5. Government 6. Unions Structural contingency theory suggests that companies will have a plan so that if any organizational change takes into place the other plan will be obtained. Therefore, each business ensures that it will operate within the most efficient structure to support the business. There are varies factors that influence structural contingency decisions and plans. This theory also states that organizational structure needs to fit the three contingencies of the environment, size and strategy. This means that every aspect of the current situation has to be taken in account when a manager makes a decision. It also has to act on the aspects that are the key of the situation at hand, this means that what worked once is not going to work on a different situation, that is why it all depends. According to this, the best style will be achieved due to a continuing effort of identifying the best leadership or management style. Making decisions or applying leadership styles contingent on internal and external factors. These can increase effectiveness in the current situation. Such theory is part of the contingency theories of leadership, decision-making and also rules. In this theory, it is explained that a managers success relies on variables such as the workforce, leadership style, task structure, perceived power of the manager and corporate culture. Modern management science is obviously shaped by every aspect of the past. Although education plays a great part in modern management thinking, the term modern thinking is truly understood by experience. Bedeian in his book the Gift of Professional Maturity explains the five lessons that are considered invaluable. The first lesson is that of realizing ideas are a product of their own time and place.(Bedeian, 2004). This is an epiphany for business majors because it denounces the idea of management thought being universal to all times. This type was evident in the Great Depression where as one can see it was only justified and useful in a particular time period. The second lesson in management thinking in accordance to Bedeian is the advantage of being an informed consumer of received knowledge. Having the correct information in a the palm of your hand will serve as an adversary when it comes to management thought; everything in management theory is based off of acclaimed information. Without received knowledge management is obsolete (Bedeian, 2004). The third lesson of Bedeian is the danger of inherent in relying on secondary source materials. Information is best effective when obtained from a primary source. Secondary information; when it comes to management thought is useless. Which is why modern management thought has a bit of an advantage over factor era management thought. Bedeian in his fourth lesson of management says: widely accepted facts are often wrong. He implies that accepted facts are widely wrong. In fact, this begs the explanation of what is considered accepted as fact. In management thought fact may not always be determined as fact unless the information to support the facts are true in nature (Bedeian, 2004). Employees had lack of managerial facts during the factory era. This included the actual conditions, which they had been working on. Due to an understated compensation, employees were not sure who they will believe while child labor was spread. By taking great strides to improve these facets of management, modern management has learnt lessons from the factory era. The fifth and last lesson of Bedeian is the special advantage of the past history. (Bedeian, 2004) Modern management thinking has had the advantage of learning from the past events that were so devastating to the world and has the advantage of making better management economic choices. After evaluating and discussing in detail such contributions, it can be concluded that effective and qualitative management is a necessity in both small and large corporations/businesses. The latter will yield a better organizational structure incorporating all the departments of a company to work as unity to achieve several goals.

Analysis of Toni Morrisons Beloved Essay -- Beloved Toni Morrison Lit

Analysis of Toni Morrison's Beloved Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize winning book Beloved, is a historical novel that serves as a memorial for those who died during the perils of slavery. The novel serves as a voice that speaks for the silenced reality of slavery for both men and women. Morrison in this novel gives a voice to those who were denied one, in particular African American women. It is a novel that rediscovers the African American experience. The novel undermines the conventional idea of a story’s time scheme. Instead, Morrison combines the past and the present together. The book is set up as a circling of memories of the past, which continuously reoccur in the book. The past is embedded in the present, and the present has no foundation without the past. Morrison breaks up the time sequence using the visions of the past that arouse forgotten experiences and emotions. The visions of the various occurrences of slavery survive time and continue to haunt not only the characters directly involved, but also their loved ones. In Beloved, Morrison makes the past visible in the present by making it into a tangible place that can be revisited, where people can be seen and touched, and where images and pictures survive and are projected outward from the mind. Morrison transforms these projected images into events for the reader to experience. The reader becomes part of the tradition of passing on the memories of the past. Yet, in the last two pages of the novel, Morrison instructs her readers that Beloved is not a story to be passed on. (275) It is not a story about happiness or healing or the success of one woman’s escape from slavery. Rather, Morrison communicates these images through a maze of emotions to accentuate the pain and suffering left by the remains of slavery. It is the story and the experience that Morrison wishes for the reader to reme mber, and not the characters. The novel is based on real events, that have past and been forgotten. Yet Morrison is not telling a story about happiness or healing or the success of women escaped from slavery. Rather Morrison delivers the past experiences of enslaved African American women, a past which is often forgotten. In the novel, Morrison brings to life the events and the stories that become permanently imprinted on the reader’s conscious. Morrison communicates these images through a maze of emotions ... ...past that is not even theirs. Morrison brings forth a novel that opens the experience of slavery to the reader. She makes the reader see the hopelessness, horrors, and realities of slavery. The reader is forced to contemplate and only try to understand. Beloved stands not as a story, but as a memorial to the â€Å"sixty million or more† people that were victims of the bonds of slavery. This is a book that is not to be read, but instead experienced. It is through this novel itself, that the past lives on, and it is this power that makes Beloved stand out and succeed as being a memorial to those who suffered and died; those who would have been forgotten in the past. In essence, Beloved is not a story about slavery and its affect on the people involved, instead it is the experience. For Morrison, history is something to be reflected on, and she does this by reenacting the horrors of slavery and the impacts it had on the people involved. The reader is left to come to their own conclusions, and their own interpretations. What Morrison is essentially saying at the end is that Beloved is not just about individuals and individual experiences but about the experience of a race and a community. Analysis of Toni Morrison's Beloved Essay -- Beloved Toni Morrison Lit Analysis of Toni Morrison's Beloved Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize winning book Beloved, is a historical novel that serves as a memorial for those who died during the perils of slavery. The novel serves as a voice that speaks for the silenced reality of slavery for both men and women. Morrison in this novel gives a voice to those who were denied one, in particular African American women. It is a novel that rediscovers the African American experience. The novel undermines the conventional idea of a story’s time scheme. Instead, Morrison combines the past and the present together. The book is set up as a circling of memories of the past, which continuously reoccur in the book. The past is embedded in the present, and the present has no foundation without the past. Morrison breaks up the time sequence using the visions of the past that arouse forgotten experiences and emotions. The visions of the various occurrences of slavery survive time and continue to haunt not only the characters directly involved, but also their loved ones. In Beloved, Morrison makes the past visible in the present by making it into a tangible place that can be revisited, where people can be seen and touched, and where images and pictures survive and are projected outward from the mind. Morrison transforms these projected images into events for the reader to experience. The reader becomes part of the tradition of passing on the memories of the past. Yet, in the last two pages of the novel, Morrison instructs her readers that Beloved is not a story to be passed on. (275) It is not a story about happiness or healing or the success of one woman’s escape from slavery. Rather, Morrison communicates these images through a maze of emotions to accentuate the pain and suffering left by the remains of slavery. It is the story and the experience that Morrison wishes for the reader to reme mber, and not the characters. The novel is based on real events, that have past and been forgotten. Yet Morrison is not telling a story about happiness or healing or the success of women escaped from slavery. Rather Morrison delivers the past experiences of enslaved African American women, a past which is often forgotten. In the novel, Morrison brings to life the events and the stories that become permanently imprinted on the reader’s conscious. Morrison communicates these images through a maze of emotions ... ...past that is not even theirs. Morrison brings forth a novel that opens the experience of slavery to the reader. She makes the reader see the hopelessness, horrors, and realities of slavery. The reader is forced to contemplate and only try to understand. Beloved stands not as a story, but as a memorial to the â€Å"sixty million or more† people that were victims of the bonds of slavery. This is a book that is not to be read, but instead experienced. It is through this novel itself, that the past lives on, and it is this power that makes Beloved stand out and succeed as being a memorial to those who suffered and died; those who would have been forgotten in the past. In essence, Beloved is not a story about slavery and its affect on the people involved, instead it is the experience. For Morrison, history is something to be reflected on, and she does this by reenacting the horrors of slavery and the impacts it had on the people involved. The reader is left to come to their own conclusions, and their own interpretations. What Morrison is essentially saying at the end is that Beloved is not just about individuals and individual experiences but about the experience of a race and a community.

Consider how Blake Edwards Present Issues of identity and possession :: English Literature

Consider how Blake Edwards Present Issues of identity and possession in Breakfast at Tiffany's In this essay, I am going to analyse the different techniques Blake Edwards used to present issues of identity and possession in the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" Breakfast at Tiffany's is a film that was directed by Blake Edwards in 1961. It deals with romance and life in the 1960's. The film was originally Based on the book "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Truman Capote, who wrote the book during the 1958's, which suggests that he must have experienced the style of life in the 1960's. Holly Golightly, the most important female character, in the film was played by Audrey Hepburn, who is one of the most famous Hollywood actresses at that time. The film consists of many genres eg: romance, comedy, so the film would suit a wider ranger of audiences. I do believe that the film was aimed at adults, because Blake Edwards has given the characters in the film a complicated contrast of personality and identity. Issues of identity and possession changes and is revealed bit by bit throughout the film. The director has made Holly Golightly the centre of identity and possession, and made every other character move around Holly, revealing her identity, personality and past. There are many different camera angles like close up of Holly when she is singing or when the characters are talking. The camera angles like close ups can often show what a character is thinking or what their personality is like, for eg: when Holly was singing moon river, the close up shows that Holly is a gentile and kind person. Holly's cat hasn't got a name, in fact we don't know anything about the cat, where it came from or its gender. In the film Holly says, that she would only name the cat when she feels that she is rich enough. The cat is a symbol of mystery, that represents Holly. There are many types of dialogue. Sometimes during the film body language and silent dialogue, is used to express a characters feelings, for example: In the scene of the party, we see a woman standing in front of a mirror, crying then laughing, without saying anything. Facial expressions are also used to show a characters feelings instead of saying their feelings. This could be more effective than dialogue, eg: when Holly says she is not going back with Doc, the expressions on Doc's face show us that he is deeply hurt. Holly seems very strange sometimes, she compares he past boy friends with objects that mean much to her. Holly says that you can tell how

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.