Article Analysis Week 1 Economics 365

Week One Article Analysis ECO/365 January 16, 2012 Week One Article Analysis David Colander defines economics as â€Å"the study of how human beings coordinate their wants and desires, given the decision-making mechanisms, social customs, and political realities of the society† (Colander, 2010, p. 4). Coordination in this definition refers to production content, method, recipients, and even quantity. To think like an economist one must analyze every situation by comparing the costs and benefits and make any decisions based on those findings (Colander, 2010). The study of microeconomics zeroes in on the individual and analyzes how economic forces affect the choices he or she makes. Economic forces will ensure that what people want and will pay to get will match what is available. This is the concept of supply and demand. If the prices are such that people are not willing to pay it to obtain an item or service, they will choose to buy less of it, not buy it, or buy a substitute. This is the working of the law of demand. The price affects both supply and demand. When prices increase, the demand decreases, and when prices decrease, the demand increases. In the law of supply, however, if prices increase, individuals and companies will increase the supply because the opportunity cost of not producing the product rises with the price (Colander, 2010). There are factors other than price that can lead to changes in supply as well as changes in demand. These could be government policies, taxes, income, social norms or expectations, political forces, tastes, and prices of other goods, to name a few. Four Steady Trends In the Harvard Business Review, Beinhocker, Davis, and Mendoca discuss 10 trends emerging in this economy. They consist of four trends that are steady, five that are accelerating, and one that is decelerating (Beinhocker, Davis, & Mendonca, 2009). The four steady trends can be summarized as a scarcity of resources, the science of management, the economic growth of Asia, and progress in technological innovation (Beinhocker et al. , 2009). Because of the recession investment in the production of oil has been limited, and the prices on that which is available has climbed steadily over the last few years. Water resources are also seeing a strain because of the growth in population, industrialization, and changes in climate. The use of advanced quantitative tools to make managerial decisions continues to be a steady trend. Companies will continue to make decisions through analytical methods using data and computing rather than gut instinct as research has proven it to be effective. Asian countries have shown significant growth in modern technology, industrial practices, and organizational methods. Although the current recession has slowed the economic growth in Asia, it has not stopped it, and they continue to show remarkable development within their economy. The final trend that remains steady in their outline is the use of research and development. Companies will continue to budget for research and development to improve upon processes and increase proficiency. The payoff for this practice is too large for companies to ignore. Five Accelerating Trends Beinhocker et al. (2009) determined the five trends that are accelerating as loss of trust in business, government involvement in business, changing consumer-spending habits, reshaping of industries, and an unstable price environment. Companies are concerned with the decline of trust citizens have expresses toward corporations. This type of environment can make doing business difficult and more expensive. It is more difficult for businesses to attract and retain customers and talent. It also can lead to negative publicity or even boycotts. Leaders in corporate America need to demonstrate their understanding of citizens’ concerns relating to high-level compensation within their organizations, and their treatment of staff facing layoffs, among other things. Government has begun playing a much larger role in businesses since the turn in the economy started. Policy makers are taking part in decision-making processes previously conducted by managers and officers on the board. As in the past, when government becomes involved it most likely will mean a permanent change in its role (Beinhocker, Davis, & Mendonca, 2009). The change in consumption patterns is due to the fact that the 80’s and 90’s saw high consumption by baby-boomers financing their purchases. As the recession began the boomers faced retirement buried nder large amounts of debt. This easily brought buying to a halt and with the aging population and depleted savings it will be a more slowly rise back to normal patterns. All industries are generally affected by a recession. The trend outlined here is that businesses will continue to reshape themselves during these times at an even higher rate. Taking advantage of opportunities that become present can reshape a busin ess’s competitive environment and give them an advantage in this economy. The final accelerated trend reviewed is the pattern of price instability. Over the past thirty years companies grew to expect an overall steady price environment. This is no longer the case. The article suggests that â€Å"rather than trying to accurately forecast inflation or deflation – an impossible task – companies should focus on how they might manage price instability† (Beinhocker et al. , 2009 p. 60). They recommend reviewing contracts with suppliers, wage agreements, policies on pricing, and hedging strategies to locate any dangers to the company in this area. Companies should make it a priority to refine their purchasing practices. The Single Decelerating Trend The final trend outlined in the article is the decelerating trend of globalization. Globalization seemed secure before the recession; however, some aspects of this trend are now questionable. Although the globalization of goods and services may slow for a period because of a decline in international trade and demand, it will not reverse entirely. The globalization of talent will also continue. Financial globalization is the area of most concern to strategists and is less likely to continue at its previous rate. It is suggested that companies test their business models under various globalization scenarios to uncover situations that may arise with tariffs, capital constraints, or restrictions on the movement of people. These are all very real possibilities outside of our country and help to explain the deceleration in the trend of globalization. References Beinhocker, E. , Davis, I. , & Mendonca, L. (2009, July). The 10 trends you have to watch. Harvard Business Review, 87(7/8), 55-60. Retrieved from http://www. hbr. org Colander, D. C. (2010). Economics (8th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Ford and Toyota Case Study Essay

1. Which schools of management thought are illustrated in this case? When Ford was founded in 1903, Henry Ford followed the classical management thought to a â€Å"T† (no pun intended!) They made one car in one color. The classical management thought believes there is â€Å"one best way† to do things to accomplish a goal. Ford wanted to produce cars quickly to meet with demands, so at that time the classical management thought made perfect sense. Another part of the classical management thought is that managers constantly look for ways to improve the process of doing things. Ford then moved onto both quantitative and systems school of management though. They wanted to improve the ways they were using to design cars. Ford began using computers to help them more effectively achieve their goals of designing cars that would please their customers. Also, Ford wanted to meet and exceed any demands their customers may have thrown at them. This illustrates the systems school of management thought. Toyota demonstrated the contingency school of management thought. By studying Ford’s process and recognizing the need for and capability of improvement, they are being creative, learning from the past, and accepting diverse opinions and methods for doing things. Finally, both Toyota and Ford clearly demonstrated the quality school of management thought. Both companies focus a lot of efforts on quality as it is perceived by customers. In order to keep their customers happy, the companies listen to what said customers want. 2. Customers’ perception of quality includes performance, reliability, durability, serviceability, and aesthetics. What else do car customers want? Add to the perception of quality and create a list of the most-desired quality characteristics in a car Adding to what the book says is the perception of quality, car customers seem to want or are interested in consistent safety features, fuel economy, comfort, price, handling, environmental impact, and possible maintenance costs.

Journey Representations through Texts and Visual Image Essay

From the area of study on journeys, several texts evidently provide and present ideas, concepts and themes on journeys. A journey can be considered a physical movement from one place to another, but there are much deeper meanings conveyed in a journey. This can be seen in two of the Peter Skrzynecki’s poems in the core text ‘Immigrant Chronicles’. The poems ‘Crossing the Red Sea’ and ‘Feliks Skzrynecki’ significantly convey the meaning of journeys. The poems with an internet article titled ‘Journeys: A Cycle of Sacred Time’ and a journey related photograph influentially demonstrate how there is more to a journey than just physical movement. All these texts convey to the responder the many themes and concepts associated with journeys which at first sight seem physical, but actually also emotionally and spiritually affect the protagonist of the journey. In Peter Skrzynecki’s ‘Crossing the Red Sea’ the poem tells us about the post-war immigrants leaving on board a ship sailing towards Australia. The poem catches the immigrant experience at a point between two worlds. The depiction of the great physical journey that these immigrants are taking also lets the responder see the inner journey involved for the immigrants. The techniques used in ‘Crossing the Red Sea’ help to convey its meaning of journeys to the responder. The biblical allusion in the title is appropriate to the Israelis being led out of repression in Egypt by Moses through the Red Sea, to the Promised Land. For the immigrants they are leaving war torn Europe to Australia, their land of promise. For the Israelis it was a journey of liberation from slavery and oppression. Similarly, the immigrants are escaping post-war tyranny in hope for a better future. Another bit of biblical allusion mentions some of the immigrants sensing they are born again, like Lazarus in the bible. Imagery also creates much of the meaning in this poem. The immigrants are described with ‘milk white flesh’ showing that they are sickly and seemingly unhealthy. Another piece of imagery is created through the colour red. Red is used in the poem to symbolise two extremes. ‘Of red poppies, once behind the forest when the full moon rose ’ – these lines are used to describe the beauty of the flowers and creates an attractive scenery. But the next bit of dialogue contrasts the beauty of red by using the colour to describe blood. The line ‘Blood leaves a similar dark  stain’ shows how red can be of beauty and good, but can also symbolise terrible tragedies, evil and death in the form of blood. The contrast shown in the colour in the poem is perhaps not only a piece of imagery, but a clear motif as it relates to the contrast of emotions of the immigrants. They are glad about new hope and beginning, but are sad and scared about leaving their home on this journey. Emotive language is used in the poem to trigger the responder’s emotions. Examples of emotive language include ‘shackles’, ‘sunken eyes’, ‘secrets’ and ‘exiles’. All these words are used to describe the pain or suffering experienced by the immigrants prior to their journey. The language used also creates the feeling that the immigrants are leaving their homeland in disgrace because of the immense hardships that they have experienced. Alliteration is used in the line ‘shirtless, in shorts’, emphasising the soft, quiet situation that the immigrants on board are in. The symbolism of the equator in the closing of the poem represents the boundary between their old home and their new beginning. The division of northern and southern hemisphere represents great change for the immigrants, both mentally and culturally, as their optimistic future and their new home are beckoning them. As the poem suggests there is more to a journey than the physical movement involved. The emotions of the immigrants are deeply explored and their inner journey is obvious to the responder. The journey here is not entirely optimistic and has deep emotional effects on the immigrants. Uncertainty is present and there are memories of the past as well as hope for the future. We learn how the previous experiences of the immigrants have affected their mental state. The main theme the poem is trying to convey about journeys is that a physical journey will tie in with the mental and spiritual side of the protagonist. This idea is similar to what we have discussed in class during this area of study. The protagonist of a journey will not only be affected physically but they may emotionally change, grow or learn new things. The poem ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ also conveys journeys as more than just physical movement from one place to another. In this poem Peter Skrzynecki discusses the life of his father Feliks Skrzynecki and the struggles involved in his  journey migrating to Australia. The respect that Peter has for his father is evident in the poem but his perspective of the physical journey which they both took is different to his father. There are several poetic techniques used in the poem to convey meaning on journeys. Alliteration – ‘skilled in slaughtering’ describes his father who used to be a hard labourer and how his life was full of action. Many similes are also used to give us a clear description of Feliks Skrzynecki. He ‘loved his garden like an only child’ – this shows that he was a caring and devoted family man, to both his son and home. The lines ‘fingers with cracks like the sods he broke’ illustrates the extent of his old laborious life in Poland. Near the end of the poem the simile describing his father ‘like a dumb prophet’ expresses how his father knew that his son was moving further away from his heritage and there was nothing he could do about it. Descriptive language with words such as ‘gentle’ and ‘softness’ reveal the tenderness of Feliks Skrzynecki, while on the other hand, emotive words such as violently, slaughtering and darkened expresses his rough life in the past and toughness of this man, not just physically, but also mentally. The images of his rough and damaged hands and how they ‘dug cancer out of his foot’ reveals the hardships he had had to endure and also show us the trauma and severity of his past. The symbolism of the son pegging his tents further and further south of Hadrian’s Wall shows that Peter Skrzynecki is moving away from his father’s eastern European culture into Australian culture. As the different perspectives of father and son are given in this poem we can see the inner journeys which they have both gone through. Feliks Skzrynecki has, in migrating to Australia, missed his old lifestyle, heritage and culture, while his son has grown up in a totally different world to the one his father has known, and the absence of the same heritage and culture has made father and son somewhat detached from each other. A clear theme in this poem is that the result of a journey can benefit the protagonist but can also generate sadness and misery as the protagonist misses his or her home. This is evident for Feliks Skrzynecki and ‘Crossing the Red Sea’ also has a similar concept with the immigrants in two states of mind. Clearly the poem reinforces the idea that a physical journey can very much be an inner one. The internet article ‘Journeys: A Cycle of sacred time’ is very much a source which supports the ideas and concepts explored in the Skrzynecki poems. The article talks about how taking a trip, such as a holiday, is different to a journey. The article expresses that there is a great difference between just travelling and actually experiencing the journey. The article uses imagery to capture the responder’s attention. The article tells the responder to imagine you are at a holiday location and you are actually present with what you are experiencing rather than just keeping busy taking photos of sights. ‘Journey goes beyond the restraints of physical time and space. Journey feeds the soul.’ This statement from the article describes the mental and inner process of learning and growth involved in journeys, and that physically your destination is insignificant. The article mentions that physical travel is not a prerequisite for journeying, again stating tha t it is the inner process that matters not the physical destination. Another theme expressed about journeys in the article is that a true journey cannot happen in isolation. Connecting with others is the way for experiencing your journey. This idea is somewhat in contrast to the concept of personal journeys we have studied. The importance of self-growth and learning about yourself is required in personal journeys, but this article is saying that to grow and learn, you need to communicate and correspond with other people. The article uses techniques such as imagery to stimulate the responder’s thoughts, large and bold writing for significant or important text and uses several quotes to support the themes it is trying to convey. The final source relating to journeys and conveying significant themes is a photograph showing a number of travelers in the middle of their journey on top of a large mountain. The number of large mountains in the background and the scenery suggests that the location is somewhere foreign and faraway from the protagonists’ home. The protagonists in shadowy figures suggest some sense of mystery on this journey. This sense of mystery expresses inner journeying as well as the physical travel shown in the photo. The different contrast in colors of the foreground, middle of the image, and background show there are several parts or sections to a journey. The image of these protagonists journeying across a great landscape is comparable with the poem  Ã¢â‚¬ËœCrossing the Red Sea’ in the allusion the poem creates of journeys. The long shot taken of the protagonist also show that their journey is long and difficult and the sense of difficult journeys is similar to all three other sources. The theme of the physical journey providing an inner or imaginative experience is also evident in the photo, through the landscape and scenery, which seems surreal and dreamlike. Overall the sources discussed all hold important and valuable ideas and concepts on journeys, and they show us that journey is not just physical travel but also an emotional and inner experience.

Socrates theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Socrates theory - Essay Example The next two sections of the line are of the intellectual. The third is lower forms, and the final is higher forms. Plato uses the line to differentiate between what he views as different kinds of objects and ways we can obtain knowledge. Each line gets smaller the higher it goes, and the smaller the line becomes the closer to absolute truth it becomes. To briefly summarize the story of the cave, Plato envisaged people held prisoner within a cave who only saw the shadows of objects carried by a fire. One person briefly escaped from the cave, saw the sun, and returns to tell the other prisoners what was seen. The prisoners respond by threatening the person that briefly escaped if he continued to tell them about the sun. Plato is saying that people are like the prisoners, in that all people see are illusions, shadows of objects passing by a fire. They are seeing the material world, which he believed to be a copy of the higher forms. The person who escaped was able to see the sun, which represented the highest level of truth in this world: "But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible wor ld, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed" (Plato). The escaped person's eyes took a while to adjust before they were actually able to see the sun; the person was able to see things at night better first, then reflections in water and such, and then finally objects themselves. This was supposed to represent a gradual increase in the realness of the objects until the sun was able to be seen. When the person went back to the cave and told the other prisoners what he saw, they rejected it. This represents how Plato felt that most people are so used to seeing what they see everyday that they can't comprehend the idea that there is something of a higher truth out there. They've never seen it, and if they've never seen it, then it couldn't possibly exist. Plato was alluding to the fact that he thought that it was dangerous for him and othe r philosophers to tell other people of the truth since most people weren't willing to hear anything of the sort. What Plato didn't realize was that he was in an even larger cave himself. He felt that there was absolute truth, and even though people might not be able to reach it, it still existed in the universe in some shape or form. He thought that because there are things called trees, we can only know that that is a tree because on some higher plane of existence there exists the perfect tree, its original and true form, and that is how people are able to recognize that trees when one is viewed. He felt that true knowledge could only be perceived a priori, and that the physical world was merely a reflection of this true world. A deconstructionist way to argue against this kind of thinking be to would say that there is no such thing as absolute truth, that thinking and language can not be separated, because without language, there is no canvas upon which to paint one's words. This viewpoint would claim that language isn't trying to reflect

The Filipino and the Drunkard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Filipino and the Drunkard - Essay Example This confirms his passive aggressiveness to actually inflict injury on another person. Though this may be considered as proof that there was conclusive intent on his part to kill the drunkard, the circumstance of his utterance evidences the contrary. There was unlawful aggression on the part of the drunkard but his actions of stabbing, although it is categorically harassment of a grave nature, does not equate to a real life threatening situation which would make self-defense appreciable. It is not a reasonable means in relation to the type of aggression. There was no overt act on the part of the American that manifests he is without a doubt going to hurt or kill the Filipino. He had no deadly weapon except the fact that he was significantly bigger than the boy. Furthermore, one must consider that he was in a state of drunkenness and this is an alternative circumstance since he does not have the full capacity to grasp his actions and the right state of mind. When the drunkard grabbed hold of the boy and was choking him, we must consider that there was also provocation on the part of the Filipino since he first stabbed the man. It was clear from the facts that the Filipino was already overcome with rage and had decided to hurt the drunkard but he did not want to kill him. On a sudden fit of rage he stabbed the man once. If he was able to thrust his knife multiple times while was held compromisingly by the physically larger drunkard, then, on the first attack he would have already done so. This proves that his initial intention was to somehow physically hurt the man. But to reiterate, he was not completely without fault and to fully absolve him of his acts would be

The Hawaiian revolution ( History of the United States ) Essay

The Hawaiian revolution ( History of the United States ) - Essay Example This paper will look at some of the events that led to the Hawaiian Revolution, and what the revolution meant to the people of Hawaii during that period. Being a monarchial state, Hawaii was ruled by a royal family, which ensured the safety and protection of the land. The king, David Kalakaua, got his authority from the people of Hawaii after successfully managing to reduce the power of the missionaries in the region. He ruled but was unsuccessful in completely eliminating the foreign powers in Hawaii, who would later turn against him. This led to the drafting of a new constitution that would limit his authority (Lightner 67). After the death of the king, Liliuokalani, his sister, succeeded him in 1891 and she refused to recognize the constitution in place opting to bring forth another that would give the native Hawaiians the right to vote and restore power to the monarch. It was at this point that the wealthy American class in Hawaii chose to establish the 13-member committee, which would ensure that the queen was overthrown for her treachery against the constitution. The coup took place on January 17, 1893 after the shooting and wounding of a police officer who tried to cease armament meant for the committee. In order to avert violence in the region, the queen opted to surrender peacefully after her palace was surrounded by the committee’s militia. It was at this point that the committee put in place a government that would rule the region and had a president who was given the authority to rule over the dominion. In 1895, however, a group of Hawaiian loyalists who believed in the old ways and traditions started their own coup, but failed in securing the region back to its rightful owners (Fritz 59). In some history books, this has been identified as the counter-revolution, which was brief and the lack of casualties makes it largely forgotten by most people. After its failure, the

The ISIS and Muslim Nations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The ISIS and Muslim Nations - Assignment Example Many Muslim Nations seem to have a relationship with the organization. Some of the countries have offered border routes and the financial assistance. However, even if these claims tend to be true the conclusion leads to an improper form. A form could be improper if the conclusion makes a vague or bold conclusion that the beginning two premises do not support or are not in accordance with (Dwyer and Rainbolt, Pg 46). Even if some Muslim countries are seen to offer relations and help to the group or even do not see the danger in the group, it does not mean they support or do not value the measure taken to stop the group. The fact that the group used some of their borders to pass through only raises concerns. It might be true but does not necessarily means they are in a relationship. The form is improper also since it suggests that the mentioned nations along with their perception of the group are what make it so dangerous. Argument 3 also does not make a good argument since both premises seem to have past the true premises test, but the proper form test is still debatable. The group is well financed and portrays a skillful and sophisticated manner matched by the brute force it imposes on its victims. In addition, it is true that it can seize and command two independent countries surely show its tactics and vision to control the Middle East. These two premises are true. The group has been able to seize control and impose harsh Islamic laws in these two countries. However, saying that it is different from any other group witnessed and that is the most successful extremist organization in history surely takes an improper form. Success is not measured by strong financial background and ability to seize control. How can it be named the most successful while its goals and objectives are not realized? Success can only be measured by their goals and objectives in this extremist war they undertake.

Situational Analysis of Women in Managament Essay

Situational Analysis of Women in Managament - Essay Example Situational Analysis of Women in Managament The goals and mission will be communicated more effectively and everyone in the organization will know what they are supposed to do and when they are supposed to do it in order to get to the goals of the organization and women are adept at managing households and communicating effectively with every member of the family. Every employee will work towards the same goals if they understand them and are committed. Most companies are aware that they need to have a good top management in their organization. However, they are unsure how to get that perfect team and many a times unsure about women. Creating the team requires that they know two aspects of their job; that is their responsibility to the organization and the lines of communication between them and the employees. Women should be crystal clear as to what they should be doing and how to do it properly. They also need to communicate the information effectively and efficiently so that other follow suit in the pursuing of goals. They should be open to employees and their feedback as well because communication is a two way street; women tend to be good listeners as well The top management job remains essentially the same; whether it is a flat structure organization or a typical hierarchical level organization with senior managers, middle managers and their own employees. It also changes with the size of the organization, but once again, even as the approaches are different, the roles remain the same. And since women always perceive themselves as an alien, they are more flexible to change and change management and so would be to the structure of an organization as well. The top management team takes charge of the decision making primarily and hence they need to have good judgment skills. A bad manager, will be detrimental both to the employees and the organization as well, and sometimes it is difficult to gauge if a manager has a sound personality fit for the job or not. The following discussion further outlines why women are competent for higher posts in organizations. (Drucker, 1974) Why women? A study of 2,500 Danish firms shows that women in top management and senior executive posts are not harmful but actually positive for an organization. Since this is a large sample size, the study seems to be plausible. However, the qualification of women is important as well; top management positions filled by less qualified women will lead the organization towards a downfall and therefore, women don’t have special knack but education benefits males and females both equally to equip them with the skill of running an organization. Women of skill and power such as Angelina Merkel and Hillary Clinton are good examples of good candidates for top posts and are a living example of leading women. (Nina Smith, 2006) Another study shows that women are good for the organization as they also bring diversity which is important in top management teams or TMTs. However, women in the top management are an ongoing issue over the years. Most men simply do not feel comfortable with women as their bosses. Especially in Asia, the barriers to entry for women are extremely high. However, those companies that did employ women noticed a positive growth in their companies and it is also foreseen as positive for their

The Difference between Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Material Research Paper

The Difference between Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Material - Research Paper Example On the other hand, an environmental hazard is a state of events with the potential to threaten its surrounding natural substances and hence adversely affect the health of people in that particular environment. Therefore, hazards are categorized into five types depending on their cause as follows; psychosocial hazards, mechanical, physical, biological and chemical hazards. Notably, a hazard is not the same as a risk. While a hazard is a source of potential damage, harm or adverse health effects, a risk is the combination of a probability that an event or incident may bring negative results. A hazardous waste is any waste substance that is dangerous and or is potentially harmful to the health of human beings and the environment. Such wastes can be liquids, solids, sludge or even gasses. Hazardous wastes may be in the form of the disposed commercial products, cleaning fluids or the by-products of any manufacturing processes. The different types of hazardous wastes are categorized into listed wastes, characteristic wastes, universal wastes and mixed wastes. It follows that specific procedures determine the ways in which wastes are identified, classified, listed, and also delisted. On the other hand, a hazardous material is any dangerous good in the form of a solid, liquid or gas with the potential to harm people, other living things, cause damage to property as well as cause damage to the environment. Such dangerous goods could be a biohazard, flammable substances, and allergens or constitute elements that render them hazardous at particular circumstances and instances. H owever, there is a relationship between hazardous wastes and hazardous material (LaGrega, Buckingham & Evans, 2010). It is through the use or getting in contact with hazardous materials that hazardous wastes are produced. Without hazardous materials, there would be no hazardous wastes. For instance, pesticides are used to control pests at homes or in

5 TD OBM Resistance to Change Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

5 TD OBM Resistance to Change - Coursework Example The challenge was based on the difference in the cultural patterns. The country where the site and office was installed, English was not the First Language and the locals there had difficulties comprehending English for communication and professional purposes. Other obstacles that were faced included the new environment, new trends, new culture and new people surrounded. The overall environment was such that the entire project had to be started from scratch. It was a new challenge with new goals, obstacles and objectives. We as the organization had to win the hearts of the people, and satisfy the government in terms of the local labor relationship and other basic elements. The initial resistance was due to the fear and lack of experience in the different countries. If I were the C.E.O I would take upon the technological change in an incremental manner. I would introduce trainings and other official programs. A step wise transition and transfer from currently established setup to new technology would be phased out which would allow for preventing any imbalance in the

An Accurate Reflection of the State of Corporate Crime Literature review

An Accurate Reflection of the State of Corporate Crime - Literature review Example On another level, given the absence of political control today, corporations serve to destroy the foundations of the civic community and the lives of people who reside in them. There are, of course, many different types of corporate crime. There is what is known as "corporate manslaughter", as when it involves a corporation causing a fatal disaster resulting in massive loss of lives. A good example of this would be the Union Carbide case of 1984. A more common type of corporate crime is one involving embezzlement by the directors of the corporation, resulting in prejudice to the minority shareholders and the public at large. In cases involving tax evasion, there is prejudice to the government as well. There is no dearth of examples of abuse of fiduciary duty by company directors. This paper will focus on the latter type of corporate crime, wherein fraud is perpetrated by directors wielding control over the corporation in a bid to earn a maximum profit at the expense of the other shareholders. The move to develop the notion of corporate governance and make it apply to corporate enterprises in the United Kingdom began in the late 1980s to the early 1990s, as a result of corporate scandals like Polly Peck and Maxwell. The idea of corporate governance is rooted in the idea of agency. Those who infuse capital into a business enterprise hire managers to run the business for them and see to its day to day affairs. The board of directors and institutional investors also play a role in the monitoring and control of firms. However, the relationships of these players - to each other and to the general public -- must not be left alone and unregulated. It is imperative that there be well-established rules for companies to follow as they navigate the course of the growth. (Demott, 1999.) In a company, virtually all policy-making is left in the hands of the Board of Directors or on the majority shareholders. The definition of the directions given in section 741(1) of the Companies Act 1985 'includes any person occupying the position of director by whatever name called. This definition can also be found in the Insolvency Act 1986 section 251 and the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 section 22, where it is extended to include shadow directors. While allowing directors to control business strategies has merit - for instance, decision-making is streamlined and businesses largely depend on the need to be able to respond to issues not only with soundness but also with dispatch -- some problems inevitably arise. Â  

Internal Revenue Service Essay Example for Free

Internal Revenue Service Essay According to the Internal Revenue Service, a taxpayer has the choice between five different filing statues. The five statuses are, Single, Married Filing Separately, Married Filing Jointly, Head of Household, and Qualifying Widow(er) with dependent child. For the couple in question, the recommendation I am making is that they use the filing status of married filing jointly. Since the couple has three children they will qualify for three dependency exemptions as well as two exemptions for themselves. Since all three of the children still live in the household and all of the children are under the age of nineteen the couple is allowed to claim them as dependents. On the other hand, the couple cannot claim spouse B’s mother since they did not supply over fifty percent of the support for her for the year they are filing. The total amount of the mother’s living expense, including the cost of rent, food, and other expenses brings the total support to seven thousand dollars and the mother supplies the couple with $7920 a year. The money that she supplies is what she receives from her Social Security benefits. The reason that the couple should not file under the status married filing separately is because the tax rates are higher than the tax rates for those filing under the status married filing jointly. Also, there several deductions, credits, and exclusions that are allowed for the status married filing jointly that are not allowed for those that are choosing to file separately. One example, is that the couple would only be able to deduct $250,000 of the income from the sale of the personal residence if they had filed separately, where if they choose to file jointly they will be allowed to excluded the entire amount of income from the sale. The definition of income, as stated by the Internal Revenue Service, is all income of the taxpayer whether it is taxable or non-taxable. The couple has several items that are considered as taxable income. Those items included, spouse A’s income from the partnership in Fan Company A of $142,000, the $2000 of income from the City Park referee job, the dividends for 2011 that spouse A received from Company E, the income that souse B received form the Controller job of $88,000, and the $5000 loss that spouse B incurred while they were unemployed. The couple also have items that fall under being considered as non-taxable income. Those items are, the child support that spouse B receives in the amount of $2400 for care of the child, the tax exempt interest payments received from Municipal Bonds in the amount of  $900, and the $296,000 of income from the sale of the couple’s personal residence. There is an allowance to taxpayers of $250,000 exclusion on the sale of the taxpayers’ principal residence, and for couples that file under the status married filing jointly, the amount of the exclusion rises to $500,000. A profit on the sale of a capital asset is a capital gain, and a loss on the sale of a capital asset is a capital loss. There are short-term capital gains and losses and there are long-term capital gains and losses. A short-term asset is an asset that has been in the taxpayers’ possession for less than a year, and a long-term asset is an asset that the taxpayer has held for more than a year. Initially it seems that the couple has a long-term capital gain in the amount of $44,000 f or the year since they sold a rental property that the couple has held for four years that was purchased for $90,000 and they sold it for $134,000. The gain would be then added to the couple’s total income for the year. The couple had a short-term capital loss in the amount of $5,000 from the day trading that spouse B was involved while unemployed. The Internal Revenue Service only allows for a $3,000 capital loss per filing year, so the remaining $2,000 will need to be carried forward to the next filing year. The loss would be subtracted from the couple’s total income for the year. If the couple have a gain for one item and a loss for another item, the amounts will offset each other. For example, if the couple has a total of $10,000 in capital gain and a capital loss of $5,000 ($10,000 $5,000 = $5,000), their income would increase by $5,000. Any of the proceeds that come from the sale of a personal residence will be subject to taxes. Since there is a rule for a married filing jointly couple, the couple will be able to exclude the entire $296,000 from income. The rule states that a married filing jointly couple are allowed an exclusion up to $500,000 as long as the taxpayer owns the property and has been residing in the residence for a minimum of two of the previous five years prior to selling the residence. Also the exclusion would not be allowed if the couple had sold a residence and used the exclusion in the last two years. On the other hand, when the couple sold the rental property, all of the proceeds from that sale are taxable. If the couple realized a profit from the sale it would be a capital gain and would be added to total income for the year, and the event that they realized a loss it would be deducted from total income for the year. Since spouse A was in a  partnership, a K-1 was issued to the spouse stating that $142,000 was the spouse’s share of the income from the partnership. This amount would be added to the couple’s total income for the year. Spouse A did withdraw an amount totaling $83,500 over the course of the year. The withdraw amount would not be subject to tax since it did not exceed the basis that spouse A had in the partnership. Passive activities are defined as income producing ventures that the owner does not actively participate in. Owning rental properties are also considered a passive activity. The couple did have some items that would be considered to be passive activities. The couple had two rental properties that they owned which brought in total of $23,000 in rents and had a total of $29,200 in associated expenses and depreciation. The couple would recognize a passive loss for this income of $6,200, ($23,000 $29,200 = -$6,200). The couple also had a passive gain of $44,000 when they sold a third rental property. The impact these items have on the couple’s income would be a total of $37,800 in passive gain. The $44,000 gain from the sale of the third rental property minus the loss of $6,200 on the other two rental properties, ($44,000 – $6,200). A $44,000 passive gain on the sale of a rental property, which could be offset when the adjusted cost basis is figured for the property. This basis will take into account purchase costs, selling costs, improvements, rent received in this period, and accumulated depreciation. The adjustments to income that I would include on the couple’s return would be the alimony that was paid to spouse A’s ex-wife, the contributions that were made to the Keogh retirement plan, a portion of the self-employment tax, a possible deduction for paid health insurance, and possible deduction for their dependent in college. The alimony qualifies as an adjustment because a deduction is allowed for the person paying the alimony. The contributions made to the Keogh retirement plan also meet the rules set by the Internal Revenue Service for deductibility. The amount contributed falls under the maximum allowed and therefore are deductible. The tax code allows for a partner to deduct a portion of the self-employment tax, such tax would have been paid on spouse A’s income from the partnership and the couple would be allowed a deduction. The health insurance that spouse A has through the partnership may qualify for a self-employed health insurance deduction. The  cost of tuition and fees that the couple paid on behalf of their dependent that is attending college might be deductible if the couple’s AGI falls under the maximum allowed income of $160,000. My recommendation is for the couple to take the standard deduction, opposed to itemizing. The standard deductions will offer more than itemizing. Itemizing would require the couple to have expenses that exceed 7.5% of their adjusted gross income, and with the items that would be allowed for deductions, that amount would not be reached. The couple would receive a larger tax break by taking the standard deductions. The deductions that the couple would not be able to claim are the mileage that spouse B incurred commuting to and from work or the amount spent on business suits because the mileage was not part of actually performing work tasks and the suits would be able to deemed as normal wear and could be worn for activities other than work. The deductions that the couple could claim if they itemized are any medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of the couple’s AGI and the charitable contributions that the couple made during the year that totaled $6,000. The credits that the couple would be able to claim would be the Child Tax Credit, the American Opportunity Tax Credit, and the Saver’s Credit. The Child Tax Credit is a credit of $1,000 for each qualifying child, which would give the couple a total of $2,000 as long as the couple’s AGI is not above $110,000, if their AGI is above that amount the credit is reduced. The American Opportunity Tax Credit allows a credit of up to $2,500 for qualifying expenses of a college student, which is applied to couples that have an AGI up to $160,000. The Saver’s Credit allows for a credit up to $2,000 for jointly filing taxpayers that have made contributions to a qualifying retirement plan.

Phishing and Pharming Attacks

Phishing and Pharming Attacks In this report, it provides overview about phishing and pharming like what is phishing, what is pharming, what are the impacts that caused by phishing and pharming and what are the solutions can be apply to remediate or minimize the chance of being attack by phishing and pharming. Phishing are internet frauds or identity thefts that use to acquire or steal targeted victims sensitive information like personal identity data or financial account credentials. Phishing can be carried out by attackers using social engineering like sending email, through instant messaging (IM), peer to peer (P2P) networks, search engine and other techniques to redirect users to fraudulent website. Pharming is the new twist of internet fraud or identity theft. It is the evolutionary of phishing that used to achieve the same goal, but pharming is more sophisticated. Pharming can be carry out by using technical subterfuge such as DNS cache poisoning, domain hijacking and other techniques to redirect users to fraudulent website or proxy server to solicit users sensitive personal information. Phishing and pharming attack will cause financial impacts on the targeted victims or hard-hit to small organization. It will also cause the undermining of consumers confident in using internet over secure transaction or communication. Beside from this, phishing and pharming will also cause the law investigation become harder. Table of Content Summary2 Table of Content-3 Table of Tables and Figures4 Introduction-5 Method of Phishing Attack-6 2.1. Link Manipulation6 2.2 Filter Evasion7 2.3 Website Forgery7 2.4 Phone Phishing-8 2.5 Example of Phishing9 2.6 Phishing Report-10 Method of Pharming Attack13 How Pharming Works13 DNS cache poisoning16 Domain Hijacking16 Registration of similar sounding domains17 Impact caused by phishing / pharming18 Prevention of phishing and pharming20 Prevention: What to do?20 Prevention: What not to do?-21 Classic phishing defenses 21 Client-side21 Server-side22 Enterprise-22 Additional Pharming-Specific defenses23 Change Management, Monitoring and Alerting-23 Third-party Host Resolution Verification Services-24 DNS Server Patching, Updating and Configuration25 Search Engine Control-26 Conclusion-27 Recommendation29 Reference30 Bibliography31 Appendix32 Template 1.032 Template 2.034 TABLE OF TABLES AND FIGURES Figure 1-9 Figure 210 Figure 311 Figure 412 Figure 514 INTRODUCTION Phishing and Pharming are two of the most organized crimes of the 21st century requiring very little skill on the part of the fraudster. These result in identity theft and financial fraud when the fraudster tricks the online users into giving their confidential information like Passwords, Social Security Numbers, Credit Card Numbers, CVV Numbers, and personal information such as birthdates and mothers maiden names etc. This information is then either used by fraudsters for their own needs such as impersonate the victim to transfer funds from the victims account, purchase merchandise etc., or is sold in a variety of online brokering forums and chat channels for a profit. The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) study indicates that 26,877 phishing attacks were reported in October 2006, a 21 percent increase over Septembers 22,136 attacks and an increase of 70% as compared to October 2005. Through these attacks the fraudsters hijacked 176 brands resulting in huge financial losses and loss of reputation to enterprises. The Gartner study reported that more than 2 million Americans have had their checking accounts raided by criminals in 2004, the average loss per incident being $1,2002. With phishers developing evermore sophisticated attacks, these numbers are bound to increase in the near future. Hence, battling these attacks has become a high priority for Governments and Industry Groups. METHOD OF PHISHING ATTACK Link Manipulation Most methods of phishing use some form of technical deception designed to make a link in an e-mail (and the spoofed website it leads to) appear to belong to the spoofed organization. Misspelled URLs or the use of sub domains are common tricks used by phishers, such as this example URL, http://www.yourbank.example.com/. Another common trick is to make the anchor text for a link appear to be valid, when the link actually goes to the phishers site, such as http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genuine. An old method of spoofing used links containing the @ symbol, originally intended as a way to include a username and password (contrary to the standard). For example, the link http://[emailprotected]/ might deceive a casual observer into believing that it will open a page on www.google.com, whereas it actually directs the browser to a page on members.tripod.com, using a username of www.google.com: the page opens normally, regardless of the username supplied. Such URLs were disabled in Internet Explorer, while Mozilla and Opera present a warning message and give the option of continuing to the site or cancelling. A further problem with URLs has been found in the handling of Internationalized Domain Names (IDN) in web browsers, that might allow visually identical web addresses to lead to different, possibly malicious, websites. Despite the publicity surrounding the flaw, known as IDN spoofing or a homograph attack, no known phishing attacks have yet taken advantage of it.[citation needed] Phishers have taken advantage of a similar risk, using open URL redirectors on the websites of trusted organizations to disguise malicious URLs with a trusted domain. Filter Evasion Phishers have used images instead of text to make it harder for anti-phishing filters to detect text commonly used in phishing e-mails. 2.3 Website Forgery Once the victim visits the website the deception is not over. Some phishing scams use JavaScript commands in order to alter the address bar. This is done either by placing a picture of a legitimate URL over the address bar, or by closing the original address bar and opening a new one with the legitimate URL. An attacker can even use flaws in a trusted websites own scripts against the victim. These types of attacks (known as cross-site scripting) are particularly problematic, because they direct the user to sign in at their bank or services own web page, where everything from the web address to the security certificates appears correct. In reality, the link to the website is crafted to carry out the attack, although it is very difficult to spot without specialist knowledge. Just such a flaw was used in 2006 against PayPal. A Universal Man-in-the-middle Phishing Kit, discovered by RSA Security, provides a simple-to-use interface that allows a phisher to convincingly reproduce websites and capture log-in details entered at the fake site. To avoid anti-phishing techniques that scan websites for phishing-related text, phishers have begun to use Flash-based websites. These look much like the real website, but hide the text in a multimedia object. 2.4 Phone Phishing Not all phishing attacks require a fake website. Messages that claimed to be from a bank told users to dial a phone number regarding problems with their bank accounts. Once the phone number (owned by the phisher, and provided by a Voice over IP service) was dialed, prompts told users to enter their account numbers and PIN. Vishing (voice phishing) sometimes uses fake caller-ID data to give the appearance that calls come from a trusted organization. EXAMPLE OF PHISHING As scam artists become more sophisticated, so do their phishing e-mail messages and pop-up windows. They often include official-looking logos from real organizations and other identifying information taken directly from legitimate Web sites. The following is an example of what a phishing scam e-mail message might look like. Figure 1: Example of a phishing e-mail message, which includes a deceptive URL address that links to a scam Web site. To make these phishing e-mail messages look even more legitimate, the scam artists may place a link in them that appears to go to the legitimate Web site, but it actually takes you to a phony scam site or possibly a pop-up window that looks exactly like the official site. These copycat sites are also called spoofed Web sites. Once youre at one of these spoofed sites, you might unwittingly send personal information to the con artists. PHISHING REPORT Figure 2: The number of websites hosting key logging crime ware systems raise by over 1,100, reaching 3,362, the second highest number recorded in the preceding 12 months. Web sense Security Labs believes much of this increase is due to attackers increasing ability to co-opt sites to spread crime ware using automated tools. Figure 3: The number of unique key logger crime ware variants detected in January reached a new high of 364, an increase of 1.4% from the previous high in October, 2007. Figure 4: Anti-Phishing Working Group, Phishing Activity Trends Report, June 2005 Phishing undermines consumer confidence. Corporate websites of valid, well-respected companies are being cloned to sell nonexistent products, or to get consumers to participate in money-laundering activities while believing that they are dealing with a legitimate organization. The public relations consequences for the company that has had its website cloned can be as severe as the financial losses. 3.0 METHOD OF PHARMING ATTACK You must be well aware of phishing and its potential to cause damage. They bait bank customers with genuine looking emails and manage to usurp money or personal information from unsuspecting customers with reasonable success. You are also aware that responding to mails sent by your bank may not be a good idea because banks never require to send emails to get your credentials. They have more secure channels to get that information. However, pharming attacks do not require an attacker to send mails. By carrying out pharming attacks, a criminal can get access to a wider target than phishing emails and as quickly as possible. Hence the ph effect on the word farming. They are not fishing, they are farming for gullible people! By the way, pharming is a real dictionary word. HOW PHARMING WORKS Pharming attacks do not take advantage of any new technique. They use the well known DNS cache poisoning, domain spoofing and domain hijacking techniques that have been around for quite long. However, the motives of carrying out these attacks have changed. Earlier they were interested in just disrupting services and causing nuisance. But now, the game has become a matter of money than that of chest thumping. These techniques continue to exist because administrators and website owners dont care to secure and monitor their DNS servers while they have invested millions of dollars in application firewalls. How a typical pharming attack is carried out: Figure 5: 1. The attacker targets the DNS service used by the customer. This server can be a DNS server on the LAN or the DNS server hosted by an ISP for all users. The attacker, using various techniques, manages to change the IP address of www.nicebank.com to the IP address of a web server which contains a fake replica of nicebank.com. 2. User wants to go the website www.nicebank.com and types the address in the web browser. 3. Users computer queries the DNS server for the IP address of www.nicebank.com. 4. Since the DNS server has already been poisoned by the attacker, it returns the IP address of the fake website to the users computer. The users computer is tricked into thinking that the poisoned reply is the correct IP address of the website. The user has now been fooled into visiting fake website controlled by the attacker rather than the original www.nicebank.com website. Once the attacker has managed to get the user to visit the fake website, there are many ways in which the user can be tricked into revealing his / her credentials or giving out personal information. The beauty, or lets say, the notoriety of pharming over phishing is evident from the fact that one successful attempt in poisoning the DNS server can be potentially used to trick all the users of that DNS service. Much less effort and wider impact than phishing. DNS cache poisoning All DNS servers cache the queries that users have made for a certain period of time. This is done to speed up the responses to users for frequently used domains. This cache maintained by the DNS server can be poisoned by using malicious responses or taking advantage of vulnerabilities in the DNS software itself. Domain Hijacking This is an actual incident that took place a year ago. Panix, an ISP based in New York was the target of a domain hijack attack. All domains are typically registered with registrars which store information about the owner of a domain and location of the domains DNS servers. If any of this information is required to be changed, the approval of the domain owner is required. A domain owner can even switch registrars depending on costs and convenience. However, confirmation of the switch is required from all three parties, the domain owner, the old registrar and the new registrar. In case of Panix, a change was initiated by an unknown person in Australia. The person managed to skip confirmation from the old registrar and the domain owner. This was because the new registrar was not following the domain transfer process strictly. The result was, the unknown person managed to gain control over the panix.com domain completely. The person managed to divert all the web traffic of panix.com and customer emails to another server located in Canada. Domain hijacking has the widest impact because the attacker targets the domain registration information itself. Registration of similar sounding domains Similar sounding or similar looking domains are another source of security issues for internet users. An attacker can register a domain www.n1cebank.com and carry out pharming and phishing attacks on unsuspecting customers who dont notice the difference in the letter i being replaced by a 1. Also domain names created by typos on the original words (e.g. www.nicebqnk.com) manage to attract a lot of traffic. One such study on a popular domain cartoonnetwork.com shows that one in four people visiting the website incorrectly type a simple name like cartoonnetwork.com. So what about typo domains? One quick search in Google reveals that it is quite a big concern. An attacker can easily buy typo domains and setup his fake website on these domains to fool unsuspecting visitors. IMPACT CAUSED BY PHISHING AND PHARMING There are impacts that caused by rising of phishing and pharming. One of the impacts that caused by phishing and pharming is the lost of financial on both organizations and consumers. According to the InternetNews.com, there are about $1.2 Billion lost in financial of banks and credit card issuers at year 2003, while at year 2004, there is about  £12 Million lost in financial reported by the Association of Payment Clearing Services in United Kingdom. Due to the credit card association policies, the online merchants that accepted and approved transactions made by using credit card numbers which solicit through internet fraud may need to liable for the full amount of those transactions. This may cause hard-hit to those small organizations. Another impact that caused by phishing and pharming is the undermining of the consumers trust in the secured internet transaction or communication. This situation occurred because the internet fraud like phishing and pharming made consumer feel uncertain about the integrity of the financial and commercial websites although the web address display in the address is correct. Phishing and pharming also caused some impact on the Law investigation. It makes the law investigation become harder because the technique that used by attackers to perform phishing and pharming is more sophisticated. In nowadays, those attackers can perform all of the phishing and pharming attack at a location that provided with the internet connection. With the available of internet connection, they can make use of it to perform attacking activities. Those activities included the control of a computer located in one place to perform phishing and pharmings attack by using computer located at another place. The investigation become harder also because of the division of attacking tasks to several people located in different locations. PREVENTION OF PHISHING AND PHARMING Pharming attacks tend to be harder to defend against that traditional Phishing attacks due to the distributed nature of the attack focus and the use of resources not under the control of the victim organisation.   In addition, the manipulation of the DNS resolution process occurs at such a fundamental level that there are very few methods available to reliably detect any malicious changes. 5.1 PREVENTION WHAT TO DO? By using anti-virus software, spyware filters, e-mail filters and firewall programs and make sure that they are regular updated to protect your computer. Ensures that your Internet browser is up to date and security patches applied. Be suspicious of any e-mail with urgent requests for personal financial information or threats of termination of online account. Dont rely on links contained in e-mails, even if the web address appears to be correct, and use only channels that you know from independent sources are reliable (e.g., information on your bank card, hard copy correspondence, or montly account statement) when contacting your financial institution. When submitting credit card or other sensitive information via your Web browser, always ensure that youre using a secure website. Regularly log into your accounts. Regularly check your bank, credit and debit card statements to ensure that all transaction are legitimate. PREVENTION WHAT NOT TO DO? Dont assume that you can correctly identify a website as legitimate just by looking at its general appearance. Dont use the link in an e-mail to get to any web page, if you suspect the message might not be authentic. Avoid filling out forms in an e-mail messages or pop-up windows that ask for personal financial information. CLASSIC PHISHING DEFENCES Many of the defences used to thwart phishing attacks can be used to help prevent or limit the scope of future Pharming attacks. While readers are referred to the detailed coverage of these defence tactics explained in The Phishing Guide, a brief summary of these key defences is as follows: Client-Side Desktop protection technologies Utilisation of appropriate, less sophisticated, communication settings User application-level monitoring solutions Locking-down browser capabilities Digital signing and validation of email General security awareness 5.3.2 Server-Side Improving customer awareness Providing validation information for official communications Ensuring that the Internet web application is securely developed and doesnt include easily exploitable attack vectors Using strong token-based authentication systems Keeping naming systems simple and understandable 5.3.3 Enterprise Automatic validation of sending email server addresses, Digital signing of email services, Monitoring of corporate domains and notification of similar registrations, Perimeter or gateway protection agents, Third-party managed services. ADDITIONAL PHARMING-SPECIFIC DEFENCES While Phishing attacks typically use email as the attack delivery platform, Pharming attacks do not require any email obfuscation attacks to succeed therefore Phishing defences that rely upon email security play a lesser role. The defences that will be most successful in preventing Pharming attacks focus upon the following areas: Change management, monitoring and alerting Third-party host resolution verification DNS server patching, updating and configuration Search engine control 5.4.1 Change Management, Monitoring, and Alerting The potential for an administrator or other authoritative employee to maliciously modify DNS resolution information without detection is great.   As financial incentives increase, organisations and ISPs will need to ensure that adequate change control, monitoring and alerting mechanisms are in place and enforced. It is recommended that: Wherever editing is possible, access to DNS configuration files and caching data is limited to approved employees only. A change management process is used to log and monitor all changes to DNS configuration information. Auditing of DNS record changes is instigated by a team external to any DNS administrative personnel; with automatic alerting of changes conducted in real time. Regular audits and comparative analysis of secondary DNS and caching servers should be conducted. Third-party Host Resolution Verification Services Toolbars Many third-party developed plug-in toolbars originally designed to detect Phishing attacks are deceived by Pharming attacks.   Typically, these Phishing toolbars show the IP address and reverse lookup information for the host that the browser has connected to, so that customer can clearly see if he has reached a fake site.   Some managed toolbars (normally available through a subscription service) also compare the host name or URL of the current site to an updatable list (or real-time querying) of known phishing sites. Some toolbars now offer limited anti-pharming protection by maintaining a stored list of previously validated good IP addresses associated with a particular web address or host name.   Should the customer connect to an IP address not previously associated with the host name, a warning is raised.   However, problems can occur with organisations that change the IP addresses of their online services, or have large numbers of IP addresses associated with a particular host name. In addition, some toolbars provide IP address allocation information such as clearly stating the geographic region associated with a particular netblock.   This is useful for identifying possible fake Pharming sites that have been setup in Poland pretending to be for an Australian bank for instance. Server Certificates To help prevent pharming attacks, an additional layer can be added to the authentication process, such as getting the server to prove it is what it says it is.   This can be achieved through the use of server certificates. Most web browsers have the ability to read and validate server identification certificates.   The process would require the server host (or organisation) obtain a certificate from a trusted certificate authority, such as Verisign, and present it to the customers browser upon connection for validation. 5.4.3 DNS Server Patching, Updating and Configuration As with any Internet-based host, it is vial that all accessible services be configured in a secure manner and that all current security updates or patches be applied.   Failure to do so is likely to result in an exploitation of any security weaknesses, resulting in a loss of data integrity. Given the number of possible attacks that can be achieved by an attacker whom manages to compromise an organisations DNS servers, these hosts are frequently targeted by attackers.   Therefore it is vital that security patches and updates be applied as quickly as possible typically organisations should aim to apply fixes within hours of release. Similarly, it is important that organisations use up to date versions of the service wherever possible.   As we have already discussed in section 3.6, each new version of the DNS software usually contains substantial changes to protect against the latest attack vectors (e.g. randomising DNS IDs, randomising port numbers, etc.) 5.4.4 Search Engine Control Internet search engines are undergoing constant development.   Many of the methods used by attackers to increase their page ranking statistics are known of by the search engine developers, and a constant cycle of detection and refinement can be observed by both parties.   For instance, Google modified its search algorithm to reset the page rank statistics of web sites that had recently changed ownership this was to reduce the impact of instant backlinks and the weighting they attach to a ranking. Traditionally the emphasis on increasing a pages ranking has been for revenue or lead generation most closely associated with advertising.   However, the increasing pace at which customers are relying upon search engines to access key services (such as online banking) means that a Pharmer who can get his fake site ranked at the top is likely to acquire a high number of victims. Organisations should ensure that they regularly review keyword associations with their online services.   Ideally automated processes should be developed to constantly monitor all the popular search engines for key search words or phrases customers are likely to use to locate their key services.   It is also important that region-specific search engines also be monitored. CONCLUSION The term phishing is about the use of social engineering by performing online imitation of brands to send spoof email that contain of hyperlink to fraudulent website to solicit users sensitive personal information like credit card number, PIN, mothers maiden name and etc. Phishing can also be done through installing keylogger at users computer. Pharming use technical subterfuge like DNS cache poisoning, domain hijacking, routers setting or firmware malconfiguration to redirect users to a fraudulent website. Pharming may also perform by sending the targeted victims an email that contained of viruses or Trojan horse that will install small application that will redirect user to fraudulent website. There are impacts that caused by both phishing and pharming. Those impacts included the lost of financial, undermining of user confident in secured online transaction or communication, hard hit to small organizations and cause the law investigation harder. As a web developer, SSL certificate, switching of the recursion queries or DNS security extension should be apply because it can protect the DNS or website from phishing and pharming attack. Visual clues can also be use so that user can easily differentiate between authentic website and fraudulent website. Token based authentication also one of the technique that can be apply to protect the website or DNS server from phishing and pharming attack. Users are also responsible to protect their self from phishing and pharming attack by not opening email or download attachment from unknown sender or email that required user to respond by clicking on the hyperlink contained in the email. User should also double confirm the URL at the address bar when a warning message like SSL certificate do not match with the sites appear. User can also install security suite or firewall in the computer in order to protect user from phishing and pharming. User can also look for the lock or key icon at the bottom of the browser that lock the site they want to enter their sensitive personal information. As a user, we can also report the attack of phishing and pharming to the related agencies or company through internet or telephone to assist the work of minimize the attack. In addition, laws are also being introduced to against phisher and pharmer. RECOMMENDATION To prevent from becoming the victims of phishing and pharming, I suggest to users that must install security suite or firewall in their computer and the detection signature of the security suite should be up to date. Besides from this, I also suggest that users should beware in opening any email or attachment that they receive in order to prevent their self from becoming the victims of phishing and pharming. I also suggest to web developers that they should use SSL certificate, switch off the recursion queries, install DNS security extension in protect

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome To Amputate Or Not Nursing Essay

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome To Amputate Or Not Nursing Essay Abstract Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is pain syndrome confined to one or more limbs, usually occurring after trauma. The cause of CRPS remains unknown and its diagnosis is based upon a set of clinical signs and symptoms: the Budapest Criteria (figure 1). CRPS is characterised by the presence of limb pain associated with sensory, motor, autonomic, skin and bone changes. It is often resistant to treatment and its clinic course is difficult to predict. Early diagnosis and treatment from a multidisciplinary team is associated with the best outcome. In the UK there has been recent guidelines published to aid the diagnosis and treatment of CRPS. The mainstay of this treatment is physiotherapy, patient education and the medical management of pain. The patient in this case was scheduled to undergo an amputation of the affected limb prior to trying any of the above management, indeed prior to even being diagnosed with CRPS. Amputation for the treatment of CRPS is controversial. Evidence based guide lines regarding CRPS currently state that there is insufficient evidence to prove that amputation positively contributes to the treatment of the patient. It also runs the risk of the patient suffering from phantom limb pain or CRPS recurring in the stump or contralateral limb. If indeed CRPS is a sympathetically mediated neuropathic pain, as proposed, surgery to the area is likely to aggravate the condition. Tissue damage locally will result in the release of inflammatory neurokines leading to up regulation of the immune and nervous system. Amputation in the presence of CRPS can only therefore be justified in the treatment of therapy-resistant infection after other treatment options have been explored. Even more pertinent to this case was that the patient had never tried more conventional treatment options before an amputation was decided upon. Case Presentation Referral Information Patient JM was referred by Dr FJ, consultant in rehabilitation medicine as a query diagnosis of CRPS of his right lower limb. JM was scheduled to have a Symmes amputation, under a Professor MS a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, two weeks after this referral was made. Questionaire Scores MPSQ 8 Mod Zung 21 Current Problem JM complained of gradually worsening pain in right ankle and foot over a twenty-four month period. He scored his pain from 2-8/10 worse on light touch, cold weather and at the end of the day. The pain was accompanied by decreased motor function, oedema, an increase in sweating and skin colour changes in the limb. He described his pain as like a really bad tooth ache especially worse when the limb was swollen and only decreased by rest and elevation. He described a dropping sensation in the foot despite it being fused at the ankle which causes such severe pain it has at times caused him to vomit. Background History JM was born with a congenitally abnormal right tibia. As a child he underwent multiple operations on his right ankle. He has had two osteotomies, a bone graft and Lizorov frame and a triple arthrodesis at this ankle joint. Past Medical History JM has no other medical problems. Drug History Dihydrocodine 30mg four times a day. No other medication tried. Family History No family medical history of note. Mum and Dad alive and well. Social History JM lives with his parents and works in IT full time from an office at home. He feels that his career progression has been halted over the last few years as his pain has increased and his function worsened. He has an active social life and close family support. He played regular tennis until the pain in his ankle increased a few years ago but hasnt been able to play since 2010. He denies any depression or anxiety although finds his functional limitations frustrating. His mother attended his first clinic appointment and was extremely upset and anxious when it was suggested that her son try medical treatment options before resorting to a Symmes amputation. She felt that JM had gone through a lot of psychological distress coming to terms with the prospect of having his leg amputated at the foot and was fully decided this was the best course of action only for that decision to be questioned. JM didnt have any expectations of the pain clinic other than to help him reduce his pain to a liva ble level. The main reasons given by the Orthopeadic team for amputation was functional: to improve his gait and in the long run reduce possible arthritic changes developing due to his poor posture. Examination Findings JMs right lower limb on inspection was swollen from below the knee, with a pale discolouration and multiple operation scars at the ankle. There were noticeable trophic changes in the nails of the right foot but no hair or skin changes locally. His right ankle is fused in fixed dorsi flexion. On palpation it is cooler to touch and clammy when compared to the left lower leg and ankle. JM is tender to light touch over the medial aspect of the right ankle. The right knee has normal and has a good range of movement. Diagnostic Formulation JMs right ankle is positive for the Budapest Diagnostic Criteria for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Sensory Allodynia Hyperalgesia Vasomotor Temperature asymmetry Skin colour changes Skin colour asymmetry Sudomoter / Oedema Oedema Sweating changes Sweating asymmetry Motor / Trophic Decreased range of movement Motor dysfunction Trophic changes (hair/skin/nails) For the patient to be positive for CRPS with the Budapest criteria they must have continuing pain which is disproportionate to the eliciting event and have: More than one sign in two or more of the categories above AND More than one symptom in three or more of the categories above AND No other diagnosis that could better explain their signs and symptoms. JM has all of the italic signs and symptoms above and no other diagnosis that could better explain his symptoms. JM had also undergone a bone density scan of the right leg showing osteopenia and an xray showing arthritic changes to the deformed and fused ankle joint. Therefore a diagnosis of CRPS of his right lower limb was made. Subsequent Management JM was started on lignocaine 5% patches. Communications were also made with the other consultants involved in JMs care (orthopaedics and rehabilitation medicine). The orthopaedic team were keen to point out that the benefits of the surgery were functional and that even if JM were to become pain free with conservative treatment then it would not solve his functional problems. At follow up one month after starting the lignocaine 5 % patches JM was managing extremely well. His pain was down to a manageable level and by wearing the patches he could function nearly normally. He is now walking without a stick and had managed to return to playing tennis and had attended a work conference. He had decided against having the amputation and was happy to carry on with the current medical management of his condition. Further treatment options, should his pain flair up again, were discussed. These included IVRA (intravenous regional anaesthesia) and a spinal cord stimulator. Discussion CRPS is a pain syndrome with an unclear pathophysiology and unpredictable clinical course. The diagnosis of CRPS is based upon a set of signs and symptoms derived from the history and examination of the patient. The treatment of CRPS is aimed at improving function and requires the use of a interdisciplinary team encompassing physiotherapy, psychological therapies and pain management. The management of CRPS depends on prompt diagnosis and early management as response to treatment is adversely affected by any delays. In the UK recent guidelines have been developed for the diagnosis and management in the context of both primary and secondary care (2). JM in this case had been managed primarily by an orthopaedic team who had not linked his symptoms with a diagnosis of CRPS. CRPSs management requires a multidisciplinary approach based upon the published Four Pillars of Intervention (3). The Four Pillars of Treatment for CRPS Patient information and education Patients should be provided with appropriate education about CRPS to support self management Patients should be reassured the physical and occupational therepy are safe and appropriate and engaged in the process of goal setting and review Pain relief (medication and procedure) No individual drug can be recommended at current time due to lack of evidence but the following may be considered a)neuropathic pain medication b)pamidronate 60mg iv single dose in pts with CRPS

Truth and Hypocrisy in Animal Farm and The Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers fc

Truth and Hypocrisy In Animal Farm and The Scarlet Letter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lies are often distorted into truth by those in power, who eventually become hypocrites as they continue to delude for selfish gain. In the process of this distortion, they will do everything possible to conceal and maintain their hunger for dominance and deference. This theme of truth ( or lack thereof ) and ultimate hypocrisy is skillfully shown through Napoleon in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and Reverend Dimmesdale in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most notable characteristics shared by Napoleon and Reverend Dimmesdale is their ability to skillfully twist lies into the truth. In Animal Farm, Napoleon is relentless in his deception of the other animals. According to Graham Greene ( Bloom, 1996, 21), he is a â€Å"consummate powermonger† who can skillfully undermine any idea that isn’t his own. The first signs of his dishonesty are shown when he hoards the milk and apples, with a message to the others that â€Å" It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples.† ( Orwell, 52 ) From there, the lies only increase in frequency and size. It’s easy to compare this to the deceptive nature of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale of The Scarlet Letter. The young minister veils his sin from his Puritanical community by â€Å"cultivating an image that is far from the real truth.† ( Johnson, 14) From the revelation of Hester’s scarlet letter to that of his own, Dimmesdale conceals his shame by portraying himself as a â€Å"miracle of holiness†. ( Hawthorne, 139) Thus, both Napoleon and the minister share the negative attribute of fraudulence throughout their respective novels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another notable comparison between the two novels is that both Napoleon and Dimmesdale lie for ambition. This is distinctly observable in Animal Farm, where the pigs take the immediate initiative to establish themselves as the leaders. Napoleon is instantly placed as a head, being the only Berkshire boar on the farm that has â€Å" a reputation for getting his own way.† ( Orwell, 35 ) From the moment the animals beat Jones out of the farm, it’s obvious that Napoleon is shrewdly planning to fill the farmer’s position. He envisions plans that will benefit only himself, yet â€Å"make him appear to be working for everyone’s advantage.† ( Allen, 37 ) Thus, he will rise in the animals’ eyes as a caring and considerate leader. This is exemplified by his

Seasons-Spring and Winter in Whistling of Birds by D. H. Lawrence Ess

â€Å"Whistling of Birds† by David Herbert Lawrence is a depiction of the vividness of his writings and his own artistic vision and thought. In this essay he has elucidated the change of seasons- change from winter to spring- in an impressive way by the use of images, similes and metaphors.. Winter, as he narrates, brings woe and causes wreck. The intense frost that sustained for several weeks caused the death of birds. The remnants of the beautiful bevy of birds – lapwings, starlets, thrushes, lied scattered in the fields. The â€Å"invisible beasts of prey† had wolfed the birds. The winter had massacred the song birds and their blood-soaked skins were spread all around. The beings that could not shield themselves against its rigours shivered with cold and were exposed to the fury of biting cold winds. Winter thus had brought a host of hardships to the poor souls who found it hard to face the vagaries of the weather. Oh, the long and dreary Winter! Oh, the cold and cruel Winter! – LONGFELLOW, Hiawatha Then sudden change appeared. The way wind began to blow depicted change of weather. The winds were warm and during the day shimmers sunlight could be seen. The birds began to chirp uncomfortably, without a pause. The doves were uttering strained coos as the influence of winter prevailed on them. Their attitude was queer. It was like a overlapping season. The surroundings were still snow carpeted. They kept on cooing with weakness. The breeze was still chilly enough to hurt. The subdued sunlight provoked the birds to chirrup in feeble tones. During the hard frost, deathly silence held sway. Then with the slight change of conditions, the whistling of birds appeared to be a peculiar act. It was extremely difficult to accept the change. The writer inquires for it, as the earth had been covered with the sheet of lacerated cadavers. The scene was quite frightening and alerting as the birds kept on tweeting and spreading their â€Å"silver† songs all around in the winter-effected sur roundings. The joy and defiance of the birds amazes and inspires him; it is the image of all brave rebirths. The birds were reconciling to the death of the other birds. They were forgetting the dead world in order to join the new bright one. â€Å"If winter comes, can spring be far behind.† –Shelley, Ode to the West Wind. If there comes a little thaw, Still the air is chill and raw, Here and there a patc... .... He continues with his whistling. Whistling affirms passionately the irrepressible renewal of life after death and destruction. The essay describes the renewal of the birds’ song after the long and dreary winter. The song is a metaphor for life that is chosen, willingly and deliberately. Lawrence is not alone in his determination to choose life. Many others have reached the same decision after grappling with the horror of death in their minds and souls. In Whistling, Lawrence celebrates the impulse to life that cannot be quenched--the hope that lives in all of us. He uses the metaphor of the whistling of birds for his depiction of this inextinguishable flame of life and hope in humans. Lawrence not only affirmed life but insisted on the inevitability of it: â€Å"Who can thwart the impulse that comes upon us? It comes from the unknown upon us,† Faith of life is generated in them; they have escaped from the dreadful shadows of death. It becomes essential for us to relocate from the zone of death to life. Thus the two seasons, spring and winter, have been clearly portrayed by the writer. The change that fascinated him has been explained in a vivid way that it enthralls the readers too.

George Herbert Mead and Erik H. Erikson Essay

George Herbert Mead was a ground-breaking sociologist that coined the phrase â€Å"self† and the theory behind it in the early 1900’s. The self can simply be defined as, â€Å"the part of an individual’s personality composed of self-awareness and self-image.† Mead’s primary approach to social behaviorism centered around the idea that one’s self is purely a product of social interaction with others. Sociologists today find Mead’s work important as the self is needed for survival of society and culture. Comparatively, Mead shared some intellectual sociological similarities with Erik H. Erikson. Particularly with Erikson’s broader view of socialization: his eight stages of development. Mead understood the self to thrive as long as four major components that revolved around social cooperation fell into place. The first belief he transmitted was that the self was not present in a person at birth. It must be developed over time through social reciprocity with other individuals. Mead then believed that social experience is the product symbol exchanges. In other words, human beings can find meaning not only through language and words but also within the use of actions and such other symbolic representations. His next conceptualization assumed that in order to fully understand one’s intentions we must take the role of the other. What Mead plainly meant by this was that anticipation of how another human being will react can often be attained when we imagine ourselves in another person’s shoes. His final inference about the self is by taking on the role of another we then become self-aware. This idea spilt the concept of self into two parts, the I and the me. The I part is used to describe the self in action, the subjective aspect of self. The me part outlines the self as we imagine others to see us. Mead then theorized that the development of these four components could be achieved in four basic stages. In developing the self, we must learn to take the role of another. Infants lack the social experience to do this so they achieve responses through imitation, or the mockery of actions. Children learn to use symbols and language to evolve the self through play. Play involves the assumption of a singular role in a singular situation. This role is typically modeled on significant others, such as parents, those most  important to a child in their life. The child gradually learns to accept the roles of several other people at once in a singular situation as opposed to just one at a time. Mead called this evolution engaging in games. Therefore, if play refers to a game of catch, then exhibition in games would be the sport of baseball. The final stage of development occurs when one is able to recognize the roles of many others in many situations. Mead referred to this as the generaliz ed other. The existence of self depends upon the existence of society and culture in a very key way. The primary reason self is so important perhaps revolves around communication for survival. In order for the world to be able to support society and culture in any facet people must communicate. Mead described this as transmission through the use of words, hand and facial gestures and a general sense of self composure. Without total and proper development of the self, communication would be extremely difficult. If everyone in the world suffered deficient or no personal growth people would struggle to find ways both as a culture and as a society to flourish within inter-group communication. Erik H. Erikson explained socialization with the theory that people face challenges throughout the life course that develop and shape personality indefinitely. He mapped out these potential challenges within eight generalized stages. These stages stretch to include infancy, toddlerhood, preschool, preadolescence, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, and old age. Though Erikson presented a much broader and different view of socialization than Mead, their works remain similar because they share one familiar aspect, the self. Erikson never used the phrase â€Å"the self† within these eight stages of development, however, he explains that in many of these stages communication with family members, peers and society in general helps to play crucial roles in the proper development of one’s personality. George Herbert Mead was indeed a brilliant sociologist and theorist. By studying the concept of the self, Mead relayed the idea that social experience or lack thereof could create or destroy a human being thereby affecting society and culture as we know it. He concluded that the self  continues to change and evolve as we encounter social experiences. Throughout this evolution, we remain creative individuals. It is in the shadow of this creativity that we, indeed, play a very distinctive role in our own socialization process.

Chinese architecture

Ancient Chinese architecture is an important component of the world architectural system. Through the years it formed into a style that combined stone carving, rammed earth construction, bucket arch buildings and many other techniques. Chinese laboring people created many architectural miracles like the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the mausoleum of the First Kin Emperor. The most significant characteristic Is the use of timber framework. Painting and carving were added to make the work more beautiful and attractive.The ancient buildings have a long history that can be tracked back all the way to the Shank Dynasty. The houses are built in a very nice way with the roofs colored, windows with exquisite applique © design and beautiful flower patterns. The layout of a courtyard is unique to China. The main structure is on the central axis of a court while less important structures are to the left and right. Houses of China were similar, the way of laying out a house was similar am ong rich and poor. Chinese people build one floor of a building everyday.Some examples of beautiful buildings are the Lieu Pagoda of Hangout, (it was build during the Song Dynasty); the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, (it was build during the Tang Dynasty); the Hall of Supreme Harmony within the Palace museum, (it was built during the Mining Dynasty). The Coughing Garden in Ouzos, it's one of the most finest gardens in China. Now the architecture in China became modern, there are still ancient architectural building and houses, but lots of buildings and houses have been taking down to put the new modern buildings.

Teachers Responsibility Should Be Replaced by Robots

TEACHERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES SHOULD BE REPLACED BY ROBOTS For ages, human beings learn from teachers over the world to live their life. They learn how to read, to count and even to speak. However, certain parties have recently proposed that the teachers responsibilities should be replaced by robots; the fully programmed machines. People with sound mind and wise thinking would strongly believe that the proposal is ridiculous. They are totally opposed this issue in terms of reducing the quality of human touch, increasing number of unemployment and wasting money.Naturally, robots cannot replace human beings as teachers because they do not have what human have; feeling, passion, love and determination. So, let us turn back to the purpose of school in the first place. It is not only about passing the examination or obtaining good grades, but it is about becoming a good Samaritan as whole. If we pull out the presence of teachers in class, the spiritual and emotional quotient of the st udents would be disturbed by this action. It is a big waste to produce human capital without human value that can distinguish them from the machines.Equally important, increasing number of the unemployment will also take place. In the country itself, we are facing with the situation where a lot of people are unemployed. By replacing the teachers with robots, it will exacerbate the condition. The principle of utilitarianism should be applied as to reduce the problem of unemployment. Presently, if the government were to purchase the robots, and to replace the teachers, the compensation money that should be paid to the teachers is too costly for the government.Even after purchasing all the robots, the government will still need to pay for the monthly maintenance of those robots. Isn’t that consumed more money? Many would say that by having robots as teachers in school, the education system would be standardized. No more good and bad teachers. However, this misconception should b e tied off quickly. The system that is programmed to the robots, is not sufficient to cater all types of student as in reality we have excellent, average and weak students in our schools.This is a very serious issue that will need an extra attention from the government before accepting the proposal. All in all, it is strongly believed that teachers responsibility should not be replaced by the robots because they are lack of human touch, exacerbate the matter of unemployment plus it will be a waste of money. Thus, in order to have a better education system, we should have a good quality teacher that owns the x-factor to teach the students to become a perfect human beings as whole.