Marketing: video game console and shoppers stop Essay

Ask the company top brass what ‘almost there’ means. The answer: a premier Indian retail company that has come to be known as a specialty chain of apparel and accessories. With 52 product categories under one roof, Shoppers’ Stop has a line-up of 350 brands. Set up and headed by former Corona employee, B. S. Nagesh, Shoppers’ Stop is India’s answer to Selfridges and Printemps. As it proudly announces, ‘We don’t sell, we help you buy. ’ Back in 1991, there was the question of what to retail. Should it be a supermarket or a departmental store? Even an electronics store was considered. Finally, common senseand understanding won out. The safest bet, for the all-male team was to retail men’s wear. They knew the male psyche and felt that they had discerning taste in men’s clothing. The concept would be that of a lifestyle store in a luxurious space, which would make for a great shopping experience. The first Shoppers’ Stop store took shape in Andheri, Mumbai, in October 1991, with an investment of nearly Rs. 20 lakh. The original concept that formed the basis of a successful marketing campaign for seven years is here to stay. And the result is an annual turnover of Rs. 160 crores and five stores, nine years later. Everything went right from the beginning, except for one strange happening. More than 60 per cent of the customers who walked into Shoppers’ Stop in Mumbai were women. This gave rise to ideas. Soon, the store set up its women’s section. Later, it expanded to include children’s wear and then, household accessories. The second store in Bangalore came in 1995. The store at Hyderabad followed in 1998 with the largest area of 60,000 sq. ft. The New Delhi and Jaipur stores were inaugurated in 1999. All this while, the product range kept increasing to suit customer needs. The most recent experiment was home furnishings. Secure in the knowledge that organised retailing in global brands was still in its infancy in India, Shoppers’ Stop laid the ground rules which the competition followed. The biggest advantage for Shoppers’ Stop is that it knows how the Indian consumer thinks and feels while shopping. Yes, feeling – for in India, shopping remains an outing. And how does it compare itself to foreign stores? While it is not modeled on any one foreign retailer, the ‘basic construct’ is taken from the experience of a number of successfully managed retail companies. It has leveraged expertise for a critical component like technology from all over the world, going as far as hiring expatriates from Littlewoods and using state-of-the-art ERP models. Shoppers’ Stop went a step further by even integrating its financial system with the ERP model. Expertise was imported wherever it felt that expertise available in-house was inadequate. But the store felt there was one acute problem. A shortage of the most important resource of them all was trained humans . Since Indian business institutes did not have professional courses in retail management, people were hired from different walks of life and the training programme was internalized. By 1994, the senior executives at Shoppers’ Stop were taking lectures at management institutes in Mumbai. The Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) even restructured its course to include retail management as a subject. Getting the company access to the latest global retail trends and exchange of information with business greats was an exclusive membership to the Intercontinental Group of Department Stores (IGDS). It allows membership by invitation to one company from a country and Shoppers’ Stop rubs shoulders with 29 of the hottest names in retailing – Selfridges from the UK, C. K. Tang from Singapore, Lamcy Plaza from Dubai and the like. With logistics I in place, the accent moved to the customer. Shoppers’ Stop conducted surveys with ORG-MARG and Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) and undertook in-house wardrobe audits. The studies confirmed what it already knew. The Indian customer is still evolving and is very different from, say, a European customer, who knows exactly what he wants to purchase, walks up to a shelf, picks up the merchandise, pays and walks out. In India, customers like to touch and feel the merchandise, and scout for options. Also, the majority of Indian shoppers still prefer to pay in cash. So, transactions must be in cash as against plastic money used the world over. Additionally, the Indian customer likes being served – whether it is food, or otherwise. The company’s customer profile includes people who want the same salesperson each time they came to the store to walk them through the shop floors and assist in the purchase. Others came with families, kids and maids in tow and expected to be suitably attended to. Still others wanted someone to carry the bags. So, the shops have self-help counters with an assistant at hand for queries or help. The in-house wardrobe audit also helped with another facet of the business. It enabled Shoppers’ Stop to work out which brands to stock, based on customer preferences. In fact, the USP of Shoppers’ Stop lies in judiciously selected global brands, displayed alongside an in-house range of affordable designer wear. The line-up includes Levi’s, Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, Walt Disney, Ray Ban and Reebok, besides in-house labels STOP and I. Brand selection is the same across the five locations, though the product mix may be somewhat city-based to accommodate cuts and styles in women’s wear, as well as allowing for seasonal variations (winter in Delhi, for instance, is a case in point). Stocking of brands is based on popular demand – recently, Provogue, MTV Style, and Benetton have been added. In-house labels are available at competitive prices and target the value-formoney customer and make up around 12 per cent of Shoppers’ Stop’s business. Sometimes in-house brands plug the price gap in certain product categories. To cash in on this, the company has big plans for its in-house brands: from re-branding to repositioning, to homing in on product categories where existing brands are not strong. Competition between brands is not an issue, because being a trading house, all brands get equal emphasis. The in-house brand shopper is one who places immense trust in the company and the quality of its goods and returns for repeat buys. And the company reposed its faith in regular customers by including them in a concept called the First Citizen’s Club (FCC). With 60,000 odd members, FCC customers account for 10 per cent of entries and for 34 per cent of the turnover. It was the sheer appeal of the experience that kept pulling these people back. Not one to let such an opportunity pass, the company ran a successful ad campaign (that talks about just this factor) in print for more than eight years. The theme is still the same. In 1999, a TV spot, which liked the shopping experience to the slowing down of one’s internal clock and the beauty of the whole experience, was aired. More recently, ads that spell out the store’s benefits (in a highly oblique manner) are being aired. The campaign is based on entries entered in the Visitors’ Book. None of the ads has a visual or text – or any heavy handedly direct reference to the store or the merchandise. The ads only show shoppers having the time of their lives in calm and serene locales, or elements that make shopping at the store a pleasure – quite the perfect getaway for a cosmopolitan shopper aged between 25 and 45. The brief to the agency, Contract, ensured that brand recall came in terms of the shopping experience, not the product. And it has worked wonders. Value-addition at each store also comes in the form of special care with car parks, power backup, customer paging, alteration service and gift-wrapping. To top it all, cafes and coffee bars make sure that the customer does not step out of the store. In Hyderabad, it has even created a Food Court. Although the food counter was not planned, it came about as there was extra space of 67,000 sq. ft. Carrying the perfect experience to the shop floor is an attempt to stack goods in vast open spaces neatly. Every store has a generic structure, though regional customer variances are accounted for. Each store is on lease, and this is clearly Shoppers’ Stop’s most expensive resource proposition – renting huge spaces in prime properties across metros, so far totaling 210,000 sq. ft of retail space. Getting that space was easy enough for Shoppers’ Stop, since its promoter is the Mumbai-based Raheja Group, which also owns 62 per cent of the share capital. Questions 1. What are the significant factors that have led to the success of Shoppers’ Stop? 2. Draw the typical profile(s) of Shoppers’ Stop customer segments. 3. How are Indian customers visiting Shoppers’ Stop any different from customers of developed western countries? 4. How should Shoppers’ Stop develop its demand forecasts? Case let 2 The rise of personal computers in the mid 1980s spurred interest in computer games. This caused a crash in home Video game market. Interest in Video games was rekindled when a number of different companies developed hardware consoles that provided graphics superior to the capabilities of computer games. By 1990, the Nintendo Entertainment System dominated the product category. Sega surpassed Nintendo when it introduced its Genesis System. By 1993, Sega commanded almost 60 per cent of Video game market and was one of the most recognized brand names among the children. Sega’s success was short lived. In 1995, Saturn (a division of General Motors) launched a new 32-bit system. The product was a miserable failure for a number of reasons. Sega was the primary software developer for Saturn and it did not support efforts by outside game developers to design compatible games. In addition, Sega’s games were often delivered quite late to retailers. Finally, the price of the Saturn system was greater than other comparable game consoles. This situation of Saturn’s misstep benefited Nintendo and Sony greatly. Sony’s Play Station was unveiled in 1994 and was available in 70 million homes worldwide by the end of 1999. Its â€Å"Open design† encouraged the efforts of outside developers, resulting in almost 3,000 different games that were compatible with the PlayStation. It too featured 32-bit graphics that appealed to older audience. As a result, at one time, more than 30 per cent of PlayStation owners were over 30 years old. Nintendo 64 was introduced in 1996 and had eye-popping 64-bit graphics and entered in more than 28 million homes by 1999. Its primary users were between the age of 6 and 13 as a result of Nintendo’s efforts to limit the amount of violent and adult-oriented material featured on games that can be played on its systems. Because the company exercised considerable control over software development, Nintendo 64 had only one-tenth the number of compatible games as Sony’s PlayStation did. By 1999, Sony had captured 56 per cent of the video game market, followed by Nintendo with 42 per cent. Sega’s share had fallen to a low of 1%. Hence, Sega had two options, either to concede defeat or introduce an innovative video machine that would bring in huge sales. And Sega had to do so before either Nintendo or Sony could bring their next-generation console to market. The Sega Dreamcast arrived in stores in September 1999 with an initial price tag of $199. Anxious gamers placed 300,000 advance orders, and initial sales were quite encouraging. A total of 1. 5 million Dreamcast machines were bought within the first four months, and initial reviews were positive. The 128-bit system was capable of generating 3-D visuals, and 40 different games were available within three months of Dream cast’s introduction. By the end of the year, Sega had captured a market share to 15 per cent. But the Dreamcast could not sustain its momentum. Although its game capabilities were impressive, the system did not deliver all the functionality Sega had promised. A 56K modem (which used a home phone line) and a Web browser were meant to allow access to the Internet so that gamers could play each other online, surf the Web, and visit the Dreamcast Network for product information and playing tips. Unfortunately, these features either were not immediately available or were disappointing in their execution. Sega was not the only one in having the strategy of adding functionality beyond games. Sony and Nintendo followed the same approach for their machines introduced in 1999. Both Nintendo’s Neptune and Sony’s PlayStation 2 (PS2) were built on a DVD platform and featured a 128-bit processor. Analysts applauded the move to DVD because it is less expensive to produce and allows more storage than CDs. It also gives buyers the ability to use the machine as CD music player and DVD movie player. As Sony marketing director commented, â€Å"The full entertainment offering from Play Station 2 definitely appeals to a much broader audience. I have friends in their 30s who bought it not only because it’s a gaming system for their kids , but also a DVD for them. † In addition, PlayStation 2 is able to play games developed for its earlier model that was CD-based. This gives the PS2 an enormous advantage in the number of compatible game titles that were immediately available to gamers. Further enhancing the PS2’s appeal is its high-speed modem and allows the user’s easy access to the Internet through digital cable as well as over telephone lines. This gives Sony the ability to distribute movies, music, and games directly to PS2 consoles. â€Å"We are positioning this as an all-round entertainment player,† commented Ken Kutaragi, the head of Sony Computer Entertainment. However, some prospective customers were put off by the console’s initial price of $360. Shortly after the introduction of Neptune, Nintendo changed its strategies and announced the impending release of its newest game console, The GameCube. However, unlike the Neptune, the GameCube would not run on a DVD platform and also would not initially offer any online capabilities. It would be more attractively priced at $199. A marketing vice president for Nintendo explained the company’s change in direction, â€Å"We are the only competitor whose business is video games. We want to create the best gaming system. † Nintendo also made the GameCube friendly for outside developers and started adding games that included sports titles to attract an older audience. Best known for its extra ordinary successes with games aimed at the younger set, such as Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros, and Pokemon, Nintendo sought to attract older users, especially because the average video game player is 28. Youthful Nintendo users were particularly pleased to hear that they could use their handheld Game Boy Advance systems as controllers for the GameCube. Nintendo scrambled to ensure there would be an adequate supply of Game Cubes on the date in November 2001, when they were scheduled to be available to customers. It also budgeted $450 million to market its new product, as it anticipated stiff competition during the holiday shopping season. With more than 20 million PlayStation 2 sold worldwide, the GameCube as a new entry in the video game market would make the battle for market share even more intense. For almost a decade, the video game industry had only Sega, Nintendo, and Sony; just three players. Because of strong brand loyalty and high product development costs, newcomers faced a daunting task in entering this race and being competitive. In November 2001, Microsoft began selling its new Xbox, just three days before the GameCube made its debut. Some observers felt the Xbox was aimed to rival PlayStation 2, which has similar functions that rival Microsoft’s Web TV system and even some lower level PCs. Like the Sony’s PlayStation 2, Xbox was also built using a DVD platform, but it used anIntel processor in its construction. This open design allowed Microsoft to develop the Xbox in just twoyears, and gave developers the option of using standard PC tool for creating compatible games. In addition, Microsoft also sought the advice of successful game developers and even incorporated some of their feedback into the design of the console and its controllers. As a result of developers’ efforts, Microsoft had about 20 games ready when the Xbox became available. By contrast, the GameCube had only eight games available. Microsoft online strategy was another feature that differentiated of the Xbox from the GameCube. Whereas Nintendo had no immediate plans for Web-based play, the Xbox came equipped with an Ethernet port for broadband access to Internet. Microsoft also announced its own Web-based network on which gamers can come together for online head-to head play and for organised online matches and tournaments. Subscribers to this service were to pay a small monthly fee and must have high-speed access to the Internet. This is a potential drawback considering that a very low percentage of households world over currently have broadband connections. By contrast Sony promoted an open network, which allows software developers to manage their own games, including associated fees charged to users. However, interested players must purchase a network adapter for an additional $39. 99. Although game companies are not keen on the prospect of submitting to the control of a Microsoft-controlled network, it would require a significant investment for them to manage their own service on the Sony based network. Initially the price of Microsoft’s Xbox was $299. Prior to the introduction of Xbox, in a competitive move Sony dropped the price of the PlayStation 2 to $299. Nintendo’s GameCube already enjoyed a significant price advantage, as it was selling for $100 less than either Microsoft or Sony products. Gamers eagerly snapped up the new consoles and made 2001 the best year ever for video game sales. For the first time, consumers spent $9. 4 billion on video game equipment, which was more than they did at the box office. By the end of 2001 holiday season, 6. 6 million PlayStation 2 consoles had been sold in North America alone, followed by 1. 5 million Xbox units and 1. 2 million Game Cubes. What ensued was an all out price war. This started when Sony decided to put even more pressure on the Microsoft’s Xbox by cutting the PlayStation 2 price to $199. Microsoft quickly matched that price. Wanting to maintain its low-price status, Nintendo in turn responded by reducing the price of its the GameCube by $50, to $149. By mid 2002, Microsoft Xbox had sold between 3. 5 and 4 million units worldwide. However, Nintendo had surpassed Xbox sales by selling 4. 5 million Game Cubes. Sony had the benefit of healthy head start, and had shipped 32 million PlayStation 2s. However, seven years after the introduction of original PlayStation, it was being sold in retail outlets for a mere $49. It had a significant lead in terms of numbers of units in homes around the world with a 43 per cent share. Nintendo 64 was second with 30 per cent, followed by Sony PlayStation 2 with 14 per cent The Xbox and GameCube each claimed about 3 per cent of the market, with Sega Dreamcast comprising the last and least market share of 4. 7 per cent. Sega, once an industry leader, announced in 2001 that it had decided to stop producing the Dreamcast and other video game hardware components. The company said it would develop games for its competitors’ consoles. Thus Sega slashed the price of the Dreamcast to just $99 in an effort to liquidate its piled up inventory of more than 2 million units and immediately began developing 11 new games for the Xbox, four for PlayStation 2, and three for Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance. As the prices of video game consoles have dropped, consoles and games have become the equivalent of razors and blades. This means the consoles generate little if any profit, but the games are a highly profitable proposition. The profit margins on games are highly attractive, affected to some degree by whether the content is developed by the console maker (such as Sony) or by an independent game publisher (such as Electronic Arts). Thus, the competition to develop appealing, or perhaps even addictive, games may be even more intense than the battle among players to produce the best console. In particular, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft want games that are exclusive to their own systems. With that in mind, they not only rely on large in-house staffs that design games but they also pay added fees to independent publishers for exclusive rights to new games. The sales of video games in 2001 rose to 43 per cent, compared to just 4 per cent increase for computer-based games. But computer game players are believed to be a loyal bunch, as they see many advantages in playing games on their computers rather than consoles. For one thing, they have a big advantage of having access to a mouse and a keyboard that allow them to play far more sophisticated games. In addition, they have been utilizing the Internet for years to receive game updates and modifications and to play each other over the Web. Sony and Microsoft are intent on capturing a portion of the online gaming opportunity. Even Nintendo has decided to make available a modem that will allow GameCube users to play online. As prices continue to fall and technology becomes increasingly more sophisticated, it remains to be seen whether these three companies can keep their names on the industry’s list of â€Å"high scorers†. Questions 1. Considering the concept of product life cycle, where would you put video games in their life cycle? 2. Should video game companies continue to alter their products to include other functions, such as e-mail? END OF SECTION B Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks). 1. What is meant by sales promotion? Describe briefly the various methods of sales promotional tools used by business organizations to boost the sales. Explain any four methods of sales promotion? 2. Write notes on the fowling : a) Explain right to safety. b) What is right to consumer protection? END OF SECTION C.

A Late Aubade

A person praises other of his daily activities and says that he does not waste his time and he utilizes his time in useful activities. He then asks him to bring them some eatables.Paraphrase:Now you could be seated in a carrel and turning rotten page or mounting in a caged lift that was moving toward Ladies’ Apparel. You could be sowing in a rough field of salvia while wearing rubber gloves or contemplating over a series of thought of somebody’s love with a disappointing head. Or you are helping a dejected setter to nurse back to health or paying heed to an unwelcoming lecture on Schoenberg's serial technique.1Is this nit something superior?Consider the whole time you are not dissipating and would not be bothered to throw away. Express gratitude to God that such things are not of your flavor. Take into account the time you have by a woman’s calculations and you who had somewhat lazed in bed and kiss, may use your thought and time for this than something else. You declare that it is about midday?If so, time takes wings and I feel no want to repeat the flowery topic of years old poetry. If you have to leave, stay for a short time and after that move downward and fetch some ice-cold white wine with some blue cheese, crackers and some amount of excellent reddish pears. Â  

Holcim Italia S.p.A Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Holcim Italia S.p.A - Essay Example While the company's sales continue to grow, Holcim loses its market share as the market develops more rapidly. In order to solve this problem the case study fulfils the following objectives: The case study is divided into two main sections: situation analysis and presentation of possible solutions. The situation analysis starts with drawing the general picture of Holcim's market environment. Further on main competitors of the company are introduced. Then the market analysis by segments proceeds. The situation analysis ends with interim summary of the information acquired. The next section, alternative solution is divided into five subsections discussing what changes can be made in order to affect the whole cement market and each of its segments. Conclusion sums up the information acquired from the case study. Italian cement market has experienced decline and recovery of the demand in the past decade. The volume of national demand was 34.868 million tons in 1994. Then in two years it fell down by 2.95% to 33.623 million tons. In 1998 national demand has almost recovered from the downfall getting back to the volume of 1994: 34.685 million tons. The next two years marked a significant increase of demand: 36.147 million tons in 1999 and 38.338 million tons in 2000. ... The changes in volumes of demand were conditioned with changes in the building industry. Its recession in the first half of 1990s caused the decline of cement demand volumes. Then this setback stopped and cement market resumed its growth. In the meantime, some qualitative changes occurred in purchasing processes during these years. While personal relations between sellers and buyers of cement were important in the past, their value has recently declined along with the increase of importance of technical requirements and information exchange. The demand has become more sophisticated, and purchasing process has become more professional in the cement industry. Introduction to main players in Northwestern region Unlike other European countries, Italian cement industry consists of large number of independent manufacturers, competing fiercely with each other. The scope of our case study requires us to look not on the competition on the whole national market but only on its Northwestern region. Therefore it is important to add that, while the behaviour of the demand in Northwestern region is almost the same as in the whole country, the latter regional increase of demand in 1999-2000 was even higher: 10.9 million tons in 2000 against 8.717 million tons in 1994, which means a 25% increase. Thus, the regional cement market of the Northwestern Italy grows faster than the whole national market. Holcim Italia S.p.A., which is a "main character" of our case study, has 3 factories in the Northwestern region and a market share of 23% in 2000. It is a multi-regional company with long and proud history, and it is perceived by customers as a solid and prestigious cement manufacturer. The advantages of the company are: high-tech machinery and sophisticated

Determinants of indian commercial bank profitability Essay

Determinants of indian commercial bank profitability - Essay Example A profitable banking system is able to cope up with different kind of negative shocks that an economy may get from different directions. It also brings a greater account of stability in the financial system of the economy. The determinants of profitability of banks, particularly commercial banks, have now therefore been drawing interest of academic research to an increasing extent. (Leeladhar, 2005; Ram Mohan; 2002) Indian banking sector is one of the largest industrial sectors in the country. Prior to 1990, Indian banking industry was operating in the country in a very comfortable environment. The degree of competition was not very high. However, with the initiation of economic reform, which banking reform was a part of, the whole banking system of the country had been pushed into the pool of extreme competition. Particularly after the starting of new millennium, the banking industry of the country started to face more and more challenges. In the present time the activity of banking can be characterized as the activity operating in a vast horizon together with high risk factor and intense competition. (Pandey, 2002; Rishi and Saxena, 2004; Ram Mohan; 2002) Therefore, profitability of the banks is a very vital factor for any bank, private or public, to ensure efficient performance and for survival. Hence the determinants of the profitability are also of great importance to the management as well as the researchers who are interested in doing research in the banking area. In the international sphere, most of the researches on the bank profitability, like the works of Molyneux and Thornton (1992), Goddard et al (2004), Short (1979), etc. basically used some linear model of regression to find out the effect of different factors that are expected to be important determinants of the profitability of the banks. These researches show the possibility of conducting meaningful study of bank profitability. There,

Winning in a world where hard work and talent is not enough Essay

Winning in a world where hard work and talent is not enough - Essay Example This paper offers an analysis of Reardon’s (2006) work in comparison to and in relation to DuBrins (2007) work on Leadership on the basis of concepts, principles and themes. Winning in a World where Hard Work and Talent as not enough Introduction In the book, It’s all politics; Winning in a World Where Hard Work and Talent Aren’t Enough; the author’s main objective was to bring out the fact that, this is a time when politics is the most significant factor that enables people to attain top most positions in most sectors of life, paying attention to business and economics. It shows that the world we live in today is highly competitive, and not everyone who works hard gets the expected reward. The author explains that nowadays everything is all about politics. Those who are politically strong, in that, they say the seemingly right things at the right time to the right people are the ones who emerge as winners in the end. No matter how one works as hard as an ant, with talents that one can ever imagine, the result is that politics still reigns (Reardon, 2006). In fact, in work places, the bell that rings only produces the sound of politics. Discussion Reardon (2006) brings out the concept that politics does not entail one being sly and devious, but it involves being ready to listen to fellow workmates, creating a good relationship with them and also trying to make everyone improve on his or her goals. Through these relationships, one can hold strong ties with people who can be able to offer a ladder push in terms of hierarchical positions in the work place. Politics has a lot in it other than what people stereotype about it. It involves critical thinking, being open-minded and being socially active (Reardon, 2006). When combined with both hard work and talent, politics acts like the salt that makes food tasty. It can make a person who is talented and industrious to get rewards that one can never imagine. The key theme brought out by Rear don (2006) is the theme of leadership. Leaders have to have well-defined skill set to enable them rule effectively. A leader is a person that people in the society, home, workplace or school look up to in times of problems and despair with the hope of changing their lives positively. A leader is one who can help others to live to their dreams and expectations. Leaders should be able to familiarize with the people they serve, knowing what problems they undergo and how to solve each one of them (Reardon, 2006). They should be social beings who are ready to serve their people under whatever circumstances they go through. She brings out a principle that, people who are experienced in politics, should take time to learn and practice about so many things so that they are not caught unawares by any circumstance that prevails. They know what they are to say and should be remarkably flexible in terms of conversations so that they are able to discuss anything with anyone. Leaders should know when and how to twist a discussion so as not to say things that will later be put against them (Reardon, 2006). They should think first before acting, and they should not jump into conclusions. People with an advantage in politics are those who are keen to give an ear to what other people say, and do not pay more attention to what they tell others In the book, Leadership: Research Findings, Practice, and Skills, Dubrin’s (2012) main purpose is to show what leadership entails. He gives out the skills that one who is called a leader should have. He brings out a vivid understanding of what leadership and leadership principles involve or entail. He explains the meaning of leadership and explains what it does not

Organization Structure and Its External Environmental Research Paper

Organization Structure and Its External Environmental - Research Paper Example These domains are very large but the company has focused on the ones that have more influence on its performance in the market. Samsung company faces stiff competition from other companies especially LG with similar products, markets, and geographic locations. The company is aware of its competitors, their organizational size, marketing strategies, developments, and their competitive advantages. This has given management an upper hand in watching their operation internationally. The company is aware of its customers who are the most critical element of external environment. In order to keep its customers satisfied, it is important to know the preferential changes of customers, which are the likes, and dislikes which changes rapidly. The company produces goods that suit its customers bearing in mind that people live in tight social system that establish and encourage trends. It is always on the anticipating changes in customer product requirement, emerging technologies that can change how the good is used. In addition, it is aware of demographical changes, which include economical, social, and cultural shifts such as population age and economic class (Oldham, 1980). Samsung depends on availability of some external resources for its productivity and operation. It has skilled workers who include graduate from the field of technology, training schools, and labor market. The availability of these labors changes dramatically over period in that once the need for certain skill drops, even the supply drops which can affect the company, therefore, Samsung is aware of this and aims to compete for skilled labor in the market to avoid collapse. Samsung uses certain raw materials to manufacture its products, which it aims to keep in adequate supply to its main plant because a drift in supply of raw material may halts or slow its operation. Samsung has strong financial base that supports its operation in other countries in that it has credit lines that enables it to fund new ventures. Technologically, it has technological tools that are used in production of its products (Jacobsen, 2011). It uses new and up to date technology to fit the changing need of its customers. The company is responsible in its external market in which it operates in that it abide by the legal system , new laws and regulations that are in place in its area of operation. Environmental uncertainty is inevitable for any company since it is a measure of how many factors change during the time of planning. High level of uncertainty means that management has an intricate environment to deal with since it their decision-making capacity in absence of clear information. Leaders of Samsung Company have a framework of environmental uncertainty in that they have determined the stability and complexity of the environment in which they operate in. environmental complexity of Samsung company is determined by number of domains that influence its operation by focusing on how to beat its competit ors. Environmental stability of Samsung is determined by the frequency in which the domain aspects change and if the changes in the environment are predictable. Some domains in the Samsung environment are considered predictable thus making its external environment stable. Therefore, the company looks to create suitable

Impact of Exposing Personal Data Research Proposal

Impact of Exposing Personal Data - Research Proposal Example Customers provide information online due to many reasons, but most importantly, they provide information mostly on the website. Due to the lack of technology and measures of customer personal privacy, online businesses fail to protect their database by security breaches conducted by hackers or cybercriminals. The data including all the personal information of the customer is breached resulting in exposure of thousands of authentic customer personal information and financial status. In order to conduct a security breach on the web server, cybercriminals use the Internet, as a carrier along with intelligent codes that are purposefully constructed to extract confidential information, the most favorable point of attack is the web server. The information that is provided online by the users is gathered in a database that is connected to the web server. Hackers and cyber criminals deploy various methods to attack web servers in order to extract information that is stored in the database. D ue to this reason, business suffers severe losses from data theft issues as in 2009 investigators related to data breach reported from Verizon business that crooks nabbed 285 million records. (Larkin 2009) Peter Tippett, who is the author of the report and vice president of innovation and technology with Verizon Business, says that the report includes all the IP addresses associated with the account that is used in the thefts, and criminals are identified only because of in-depth investigations by collaborative support of law enforcement agencies including FBI and Scotland Yard,. From this particular report, 90 security breaches were studied out of which 68 were reversed for further investigation to a specific IP address and location. The conclusions highlighted Eastern Europe as a common source followed by East Asia and North America (Larkin 2009). 1.1 Social Networking Sites Moreover, social network sites are another domain that is of prime concerned, in the context of exposing pe rsonal privacy. People are spending an enormous amount of time on these websites, and are becoming habitual of online communication, which portrays a negative impact on face-to-face communication. The teenagers are not aware that the information and published material including pictures can be retrieved even after deletion from the social networking site. By oversharing, personal information may attract cybercriminals, burglars and even employers who can evaluate values of a person by reviewing comments on the site that may compromise the individual to lose his job. There is no credibility of the user authentication of what they are claiming to be on social networking sites. Users trust textual communication from these social networking sites more than emails. The security of these websites can be compromised anytime and can publish communication or personal pictures on the web if breached.  

Reflection on Poems The Things They Carried, Dulce et Decorum Est, Essay

Reflection on Poems The Things They Carried, Dulce et Decorum Est, Facing It, War is Kind and The Red Convertible - Essay Example For example, The Things They Carried by O’Brien taught me to sympathize people, who had participated in Vietnam War. The author stresses that soldiers always carry with them the heaviest weight – thoughts and memories about cruel battles and pain. They carry this weight even when the war is over. As for Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen, it also helps to look at wars closer than I used to. In this poem the author describes all the horrors of war in much detail. He shows soldiers’ poor life and impossibility to have a rest. It is difficult to hold back a tear while reading the lines about the soldier who cannot escape from a gas attack. In Facing It by Yusef Komunyaka the reader’s attention is focused on the theme of war and death. The speaker faces the Vietnam War Memorial and understands that he is a part of that war because he participated in it. He remembers all the people, who died during the war and wishes it had never happened in his life. The Red Convertible makes the reader face an awful situation that happens to the poem’s speaker.

INVESTIGATING BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

INVESTIGATING BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT - Essay Example ers, it usually refers to those people who exist outside the organisation, such as, customers, suppliers, shareholders, customers, governments, and competitors. In case of the proposed companies discussed in this paper, the both categories of stakeholders are affected by the business activities and their real interest in the nature and types of decisions that the company takes. Stakeholders come together for a unified purpose and help to increases their strength to solve the business problems of conflicts at various levels to achieve common goals (Steven, Normand and Glavas, 1998; Jones, 2007). In this section, an attempt has been made to critically analyse the stakeholder composition of Asda and perform a thoughtful insight of the success features and the need for improvements, in this direction. In case of Asda, prioritizing on the quality product services and competitive price setting, the customers would be drawn towards the company due to its low-price setting and good range of products. Present day customers have high expectations from present day organisations. At the same time, they want to reap benefits and give back to the community. This way it helps to inform about the company’s dealings and ethical business proceedings. Similarly, the Asda stores and depots have community notice-boards and a monthly magazine to disseminate information. Adsa has been taken over by the American retail giant Wal-Mart. This as a result makes Wal-Mart a primary stakeholder of Asda as the business performance of the company will largely affect the financial status of Wal-Mart. The role of Wal-Mart as a stake holder lies as the owner of the majority of the condoling shares. However, the power to make decisions still dwells in the hands of Asda. Any major decision that can potentially change the organizational structure of the company needs to be approved by the parent company (Cowe, Buckingham and Martinson, 1999). Employees at Asda are conscious about the needs of

Breakfast at Tiffanys Essay Example for Free

Breakfast at Tiffanys Essay The movie begins appropriately with the lead Holly Goligthly having breakfast outside of Tiffany’s in New York and already that sets the tone of the whole movie. She’s dressed in a black Givenchy dress and her hair resembles something of a pineapple. She is looking in to the store and we see her perfectly polished reflection in the well-polished windows. Appropriately I say, since the title says just that, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Even though is seems unimportant, just a title, Tiffany’s plays a central role throughout the movie but not just as a location for several of the scenes. It represents everything Holly wants and doesn’t seem able to get or allow herself to want. Holly as a character is a very intriguing creature. Her quirkiness and seemingly free-spirit leaves me wanting to emulate her, doing my hair and make-up in the same way and act like she does. It’s not until the middle of the movie when I realize that under that perfect exterior lays a very broken and confused spirit. The ideas of the perfect and glamorous feel of Tiffany’s are nouns Holly tries to apply to herself. The presumed shallowness of the sales people and the expensive merchandise makes me understand that for her, money and the played identity of Holly Golightly, controls her life. It leaves me with a sense of longing to understand this complex personality and question was lies beneath the surface. It becomes clearer throughout the film that even though it seems very shallow there is a compassion and depth to Holly and so also to Tiffany’s. One of my favorite scenes that clearly represent this is when Holly and Paul Varjak spend a day doing things they have never done before and end up at Tiffany’s. Due to the censorship of the time, the movie was released in 1961, it is never outspoken, but definitely clear what lengths both Holly and Paul, will go for money. In this scene money is not the focus, and the ring from the Kracker Jacks becomes a representation of the humanity in not only Holly but Tiffany’s and even the city of New York. Every decision the director has made in this film is very carefully selected, and even though the details are very subtle at first glance, they all support the idea I believe the film is trying to portray. New York as the big, glamorous city where wealth and beauty seem like a commodity. The belief that anybody can pretend to be what they want, or in Holly’s case, hide what they are. Every detail becomes important. Holly dressing almost exclusively in black but when she thinks she has finally gotten what she want, knits a red dress. Her empty apartment that in that same moment gets decorated and the only reason we know it’s not real is because the cat still has no name. There are so many different layers to this film and I guess that is why it has become a classic. Every time you see it you discover new details or change your mind about the mysterious and ever changing Holly.

Misuse Of Computers At The Workplace

Misuse Of Computers At The Workplace In general, the use of computers for illegal activities is an increasingly problem as virtually every commercial transaction occurs in the digital world. In addition, people spend a significant part of their lives at the workplace so that chances are high that any sort of misuse will occur. Internal and external threats to an organization are becoming prevalent. In order to manage the collection and handling of digital evidence, allowing it to be admissible in court, an organization needs to concentrate efforts in constituting mechanisms to effectively handle potential evidence for criminal investigations. In order to address that issue, I initially discuss how computers can be misused at the workplace, identify trends in the security incidents arena, and provide a quick view on the field of digital forensics science and cyber forensics. Later, I move to the context of the problem addressing issues of forensic readiness, admissibility of digital evidence, discovery, and practices for incident response. Finally, I convey a proposal aiming at proactively addressing issues of collection and admissibility of digital evidence. The background Misuse of computers at the workplace Computers can be misused at the workplace in a variety of different ways. From accessing inappropriate Internet sites to copying copyrighted material, such as music, video or software, employees can make offenses against the employer corporate policies. In addition, non-work related Internet activity, such as visiting sport sites, bidding online, trading stocks, shopping online, and collecting and sending jokes to co-workers may also infringe Information Security or Information Technology (IT) resources policies. It is known that one of the most common ways of computer misuse in the workplace is the utilization of corporate e-mail and the Internet for private use. Most companies use Internet as a powerful business tool, but sometimes the misuse of that asset could turn out to be very expensive as it consumes IT resources and affects negatively employee productivity, in addition to compromise security. Some businesses accept the personal use of IT resources at the workplace, but there is a faulty line that divides what is right and wrong in terms of personal use. Other more serious offenses may include access to unauthorized or confidential material, cyberstalking, identify and information theft, hacking, embezzlement, child pornography etc. Internal computers can also be used to commit fraud against the employer or its customers or suppliers. In some cases involving an employee accessing certain types of illegal websites, a company may be subject to criminal investigation.  [1]  Computer related evidence can also be used to investigate cases of bribes.  [2]   Companies from different sizes have some sort of security policy in place that helps shaping the adequate use of information technology (IT) assets or identifying misbehaviour. Those security policies may have been implemented in line with security standards, such as ISO/IEC 27001:2005  [3]  , ISO/IEC 27002:2005  [4]  and the Internet Security Forum (ISF)  [5]  , but initiatives in this area are normally linked to two important and quite different streams. First, financial obligations impose IT systems to have tight checks, such as access control and authorization procedures, segregation of duties, contingency plans etc. Second, IT departments establish security mechanisms to protect internal computers from external threats, such as viruses, network attacks, and phishing among others cyber threats. Such tasks are mostly performed by distinct teams, with different skills in the IT and business areas. Failures to protect the internal network can put companies in situations where information systems can be compromised, private or confidential information leaked, or even computers being used by criminal networks via botnets  [6]  . In cases like this, companies may find its computer systems confiscated for inspection as part of criminal investigation, in addition to being subject to damages in reputation. A recent survey from Ernst Young  [7]  shows an increase in the perception of internal threats related to information security. About 75% of respondents revealed that they are concerned with possible reprisal from employees recently separated from their organization. That may have had some impact originated from the recent global financial crisis, but it is also due to the increasing level of automation and value of digital assets present in almost all organizations. Another interesting finding of this survey is that the primary challenge to effectively delivering information security was the lack of appropriate resources.  [8]   The computer misuse act (UK) As a first important UK legislation designed to address computer crime, the Computer Misuse Act (CMA)  [9]  became law in 1990. It turned, for example, hacking and viruses dissemination criminal offenses. The Act identifies three computer misuse offences: Section 1 Unauthorised access to computer material (a program or data). Section 2 Unauthorised access to a computer system with intent to commit or facilitate the commission of a serious crime. Section 3 Unauthorised modification of computer material. A person is guilty of an offence under section 1 if: He causes a computer to perform any function with intent to secure access to any program or data held in any computer The access he intends to secure is unauthorised; and He knows at the time when he causes the computer to perform the function. The Section 2 deals with unauthorised access to computer systems with the specific intention of committing, or facilitating the commission, of a serious crime. A person is guilty of an offence under this section if he commits an offence under Section 1 with intent to commit or facilitate the commission of a further, sufficiently serious, offence. The Section 3 covers unauthorized modification of computerised information, and thus includes viruses and trojans  [10]  . A person is guilty of an offence under this section if: He does any act which causes an unauthorised modification of the contents of any computer; and At the time when he does the act he has the requisite intent and the requisite knowledge. The requisite intent is an aim to cause a modification of the contents of the computer and by so doing impair its operation or hinder access to it, or any data stored on it. The requisite knowledge is the awareness that any modification one intends to cause is unauthorised. The CMA is responsible for a variety of convictions, from nanny agencies (R v Susan Holmes 2008) to ex-employees (R v Ross Pearlstone one of the first).  [11]  One recent arrest under the CMA involved two suspected computer hackers that have been caught in Manchester in a major inquiry into a global internet fraud designed to steal personal details. The investigation focused on ZBot trojan, a malicious software or malware  [12]  that records online bank account details, passwords and credit card numbers to ultimately steal cash with that information. It also steals password of social network sites.  [13]   Trends in security incidents Large organizations are the ones more likely to have adequate Information Security Policies in place. The utilization of Information Security practices in general requires the availability of skilled and well-trained people, risk assessment procedures and well managed incident response procedures. To some extent, the implementation of such practices is available in most businesses. However, the last PWC Global Economic Crime Survey  [14]  shows that large organizations are the ones to report more frauds. The survey confirms that the larger the organization the bigger the relative number of reported incidents. It also showed an interesting trend in detections methods, which is pertinent to our analysis. For example, internal audit went down to 17% of cases in 2009 against 26% in 2005. In addition, fraud risk management rose to 14% in 2009 from 3% in 2005. Newly risk management approaches try to be more proactive as opposed to traditional audit procedures. That trend may also demon strate that manual procedures (mostly audits) are being replaced by more automation (fraud management systems). Digital forensics science and cyber forensics Digital forensic science can be defined as: The use of scientifically derived and proven methods toward the preservation, collection, interpretation, documentation and presentation of digital evidence derived from digital sources for the purpose of facilitating or furthering the reconstruction of events found to be criminal, or helping to anticipate unauthorized actions shown to be disruptive to planned operations.  [15]   Carrier and Spafford (2003)  [16]  argue that digital evidence concerns with data in digital format that establishes a crime has been committed, thus it provides a link between a crime and its victim or perpetrator. A digital crime scene is therefore the electronic environment where digital evidence potentially exists. Evidences, which are made of bits and bytes, are part of the digital forensic science (DFS) realm, which also includes visual and audio evidences. As a subset of the DFS, the cyber forensics field focus on the investigation of evidences via scientific examination and analysis of digital data so that it can be used as admissible and verifiable evidence in a court law. Evidences in this field includes log files, equipment primary and volatile memory, storage media, software (code) and virtually any document in digital format, such as email, sms messages etc. Evidence in general must be admissible, authentic, complete, reliable and believable, therefore requirements for digital evidence are not different in essence. Fundamentally, the process of managing the lifecycle of digital evidence is the same as the physical evidence. It includes the following phases: preparation, response, collection, analysis, presentation, incident closure.  [17]  However, digital evidence is highly volatile and once it has been contaminated, it cannot come back to its original state.  [18]  The chain of custody is an essential condition for digital evidence admissibility and preservation. The context Threats to evidence collection Evidence may exist in logs, computer memory, hard disks, backup tapes, software and so on. IT organizations are normally the ones supporting the usage of IT assets that generates most of the digital evidence as a result of doing business. However, IT organizations provide services to their companies mostly using multivendor strategies. In addition, users are mobile and spread along several geographic areas; workstation and servers are hardly standardized; and vendors use different methods for proving services and are bound to complex service level agreements (SLAs) that penalize them when services are not available or running with poor performance. The focus is always on running services to the lowest possible cost with adequate performance and availability. Whenever a problem may exist damaging the availability of a system, analysts will try to recover the full capacity of that service. It may imply that systems will be, in a rush, restarted or have its logs and other files deleted to improve processing capacity. In addition, although storing costs have fallen considerably during the last years, mainly on the end user side, data-center storage has been still expensive. Therefore, the pressures coming from costs reduction programs can, as a result, compromise running an adequate storage strategy. Moreover, this have implications that will hinder storing data longer, and reduce backup/restore procedures. Forensic readiness In the context of enterprise security, forensic readiness may be defined as the ability of an organization to maximize its potential to use digital evidence whilst minimising the costs of an investigation.  [19]  An adequate management of digital evidence lifecycle may help an organization to mitigate the risk of doing business. It can support a legal dispute or a claim of intellectual property rights. It can also support internal disciplinary actions or even just show that due care has taken place in a particular process.  [20]   An initiative, which aims at supporting a forensic readiness program, would include:  [21]   Maximising an environments ability to collect credible digital evidence; Minimising the cost of forensics during an incident response. In a general perspective, the utilization of enterprise information security policies will facilitate forensic readiness initiatives. However, in any security incident there will be mostly focus on containment and recovery due to the short-term business critical issues.  [22]   In order to help organizations implement a practical forensics readiness initiative, Rowlingson (2004) suggests a 10-step approach, as follow:  [23]   Define the business scenarios that require digital evidence. Identify available sources of different types of potential evidence. Determine the evidence collection requirement. Establish a capacity for securely gathering legally admissible evidence to the requirement. Establish a policy for secure storage handling and potential evidence. Ensure monitoring is target to detect and deter major incidents. Specify circumstances when escalation to a full formal investigation should be launched. Train staff in incident awareness, so that all those involved understand their role in the digital evidence process and the legal sensitivities of evidence Document an evidence-based case describing the incident and its impact Ensure legal review to facilitate action in response to the incident. Rowlingson also highlights two types of evidences: background evidence and foreground evidence. While the first is collected and stored via normal business reasons, the second is gathered to detect crime, and more frequently done via monitoring. However, monitoring typically raises privacy issues consequently requiring alignment to local laws. The monitoring process may help identifying data correlation between different events, thus increasing the potential of digital evidence based investigations. Admissibility of digital evidence Digital evidence can be defined as any data stored or transmitted using a computer that support or refute a theory of how an offense occurred or that address critical elements of the offense such as intent or alibi  [24]  . Digital evidence is useful not only to address cyber crimes, but also in an extensive range of criminal investigations, such as homicides, child abuse, sex offenses, drug dealing, harassment, and so on. Dicarlo (2001) argues that the basic questions about admissibility of evidences are relevance, materiality, and competence. When evidence is considered relevant, material, and competent, and is not blocked by an exclusionary rule, hearsay for example, it is admissible. Evidence is relevant when it has any tendency to make the fact that it is offered to prove or disprove within certain probability. Evidence is material if it is offered to prove a fact that is at issue in the case. Evidence is then competent if the proof that is being offered meets certain traditional requirements of reliability.  [25]   Daubert  [26]  has posed a threshold test to validate an evidence competency as a class of evidence.  [27]  Digital forensic evidence proposed for admission in courts must meet two basic conditions; it must be relevant, and derived by scientifically sound method. The digital forensics field is highly technical and grounded on science, which in turn bring some challenges to forensics professionals. Initially, it requires specific skills to deal with as it can be challenging to handle. For example, pieces of bytes can be put together to recover a deleted email that would provide key information to a case. Nevertheless, it would require an exhausting work to collect, handle and find the significant data. A similar situation occurs when decoding information carried by wire or wireless networks. Additionally, the knowledge of the digital evidence environment and how it can be produced is essential for any investigation. In Loraine  [28]  , Judge Grimm (2007) remarkably considered the Federal Rules of Evidence regarding its admissibility and authentication. He confirmed that the way evidence is gathered, processed and produced have a significant impact on its admissibility. According to the court, evidence must be: Relevant; Authentic; If hearsay, allowable under the hearsay exceptions; Original, duplicate or supported by admissible secondary evidence; The probative value of such evidence cannot be outweighed by any unfair prejudice or other factors. Another important issue is that digital evidence, to some extent, is easily manipulated. It can purposely suffer modification from offenders or be accidently altered during the collection phase without obvious signs of distortion.  [29]  However, differently from physical evidences, it offers some particular features:  [30]   It can be duplicated. In fact, this is a common practice in investigations and aims at diminishing the risk of damages to the original. It is traceable. Appropriate tools can be used to determine if digital evidence has been modified or tampered when compared to the original copy. It is difficult to destroy. For example, deleted data can be recovered even if hard disk is damaged. It may contain metadata (data about data). For example, a deleted file can show when it was deleted and last modified. Electronic data discovery Electronic Data Discovery  [31]  is any process in which electronic data is sought, located, secured, and searched with the intent of using it as evidence in a civil or criminal legal case.  [32]   The 2006 amendments in the US Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP)  [33]  were driven by the increasingly use of the electronic form as evidence in litigation. The FRCP refers to electronic data discoverable as Electronic Stored Information (ESI). It constituted a milestone in the field, which is requiring organizations to be better prepared to store and manage business records. In addition, it established the legal hold, which means that organizations are under the duty to preserve information if they reasonable anticipate that a lawsuit may commence.  [34]   Normally, following a court order, an electronic discovery procedure can be carried out offline or online, on a particular computer or in a network, for the purpose of obtaining critical evidence. Electronic data is clearly easier to be searched when compared to paper documents. In addition, data can be perpetuated if properly stored, or even recovered if once deleted. If an entity becomes involved in a lawsuit, it will probably be requested to provide information that is in digital form. It is essential to be able to identify where and how the information can be retrieved. In preparation for electronic discovery, an enterprise will likely have to face the following issues:  [35]   Changes in business process to identify, collect and manage business records and knowledge assets; Implementation of new systems, technology or consulting to manage the lifecycle of the electronic discovery; Need to instruct and inform employees about their responsibilities regarding the need to preserve information and make it discoverable. In a event that an organization cannot locate or retrieve discoverable information, it may be subject to penalties or even have the case turning to the opposite side.  [36]   Discoverable electronic information must be produced regardless of the device it is stored, its format, its location or type.  [37]  If the burden or cost to produce is not reasonable, then it does not need to be produced. However, courts are entitled to order the discovery in situations where a good cause would exist.  [38]   Chain of custody is a fundamental requirement of ESI. Electronic discover processes should demonstrated the integrity of documents from storage to retrieval. Without historical records, evidence can be held inadmissible. Metadata per se is contestable as digital evidence; however, it can support the integrity and traceability of evidences. The FRCP also provide that one side may be required to grant the other access to a specific computer system as part of a discovery request, including technical support for that.  [39]  The whole aspect of maintaining an appropriate environment to locate, secure, and search discoverable information, increase the need to maintain IT tools that better support ESI processes. Although IT departments within organizations are the ones on duty to guarantee the technical means to preserve and recover ESI, electronic discovery as such is an evolving field that requires more than technology. Moreover, it may rise legal, jurisdictional, security and personal privacy issues, which still need to better assessed. Practices for incident response Every incident is unique and can incorporate many different areas of the affected organization. A right response to incidents requires an appropriate level of planning and coordination. In spite of being a critical element of any information security policy, incident response is one of the least practiced, most stressful, highly scrutinized task as it requires that incident analysts be well prepared in advance, be quick and calm, and act considering a wide range of possibilities.  [40]   Common cases of information security incidents may include economic espionage, intellectual property theft, unauthorized access to data, stolen passwords, unauthorized or inappropriate use of email and web, malicious code, such as worms with backdoors or trojans, and insider threats. In dealing with breaches, organizations face the following common challenges:  [41]   Misunderstanding of risks; Limited understanding of where sensitive data are collected, used, stored, shared and destroyed; Insufficient emphasis on secure coding practices and security quality assurance; Permissive access; No information classification; Flat architecture; Duties not segregated; Third-party connectivity/access; No access controls and limited physical controls; End-use computing vulnerabilities; Limited role and activity based training and guidance. The ISO/IEC 27002:2005 is a Code of Practice for Information Security Management. It is a well-known guide for the subject and widely used within private organizations as a reference for the information security management. The Section 13 Information Security Incident Management deals with information security events, incidents and weaknesses. It intends to provide a framework and a starting point for developing a cyber threat response and reporting capability. It says incidents should be promptly reported and properly managed. An incident reporting or alarm procedure is required, plus the associated response and escalation procedures. There should be a central point of contact, and all employees, contractors etc should be informed of their incident reporting responsibilities.  [42]   In addition, responsibilities and procedures are required to manage incidents consistently and effectively, to implement continuous improvement (learning the lessons), and to collect forensic evidence. An organization must respond in some way to a computer security breach whether it is an intrusion/hack, the implantation of malicious code such as a virus or worm, or a denial of service attack. The better prepared the organization is to respond quickly and effectively, the better the chance it will have to minimize the damage.  [43]   The ISACA ´s Cybercrime: Incident Response and Digital Forensics  [44]  internal control checklist recognize the following steps for reacting efficiently and quickly to information security-related incidents: Pre-incident; Immediate action; Secondary action; Evidence collection; Corrective measures; Evaluation. Systems administrators duties Statistics in general indicate that companies are more and more subject to internal and external attacks. The digital economy is pervasive and more and more documents now appear to exist only in electronic means. Even social engineering techniques, which many times target non-authorized physical access, will leave electronic traces in some way. Thus, system and network administrators are many times the first ones to get to know that security incidents or breaches are taking place. The appropriate procedure to collect evidence is vital to the success of any certain case. It is fundamental to understand how to collect evidence, how it may be interpreted and what data will be available to trace criminal actions.  [45]   The AAA  [46]  architecture, defined by the RFC 2903  [47]  , is a familiar concept for system and network professionals, and useful when considering forensics. The model is based on key information security concepts: authentication, authorization and accounting. Authentication is concerned with the process of positively identifying a user, process or service and ensuring that they have sufficient credentials to enter and use systems and resources. Each usually requires information (account user names and passwords being a good example) that differentiates them uniquely and hopefully undisguisably. Authorization is concerned with ensuring that resource requests will be granted or denied according to the permission level of the requester. Accounting is concerned with the monitoring and tracking system activities. From a network security perspective, accounting is often called auditing. Auditing is the process of logging communications links, networks, systems and related resources to ensure that they may be analysed at a later date. Accurate and detaile

Strategic Bombing During World War 2 :: World War II History

Strategic Bombing During World War 2 "World War 2 was a war fought in two distinct phases. The first was the last war of a new generation. The second was emphatically the first of a new era" . "The British strategic bomber campaign was of doubtful cost effectiveness" . Bomber Command was by far the largest claimant on labour and factory space within the armed forces. Relative to their size they suffered more casualties than any other sector. The Anglo-American bomber force was divided in terms of strategy. Bomber Command believed it was too risky to bomb by day, while the Americans believed it was too difficult to bomb by night. Initially both forces lacked accurate navigational equipment, which deterred them from precision bombing. Germany developed a 'night fighter' force to counteract the bomber fleet. They were equipped with an on board radar, which enabled them to locate the bombers in the darkness. The German industry was sub-divided in an attempt to minimise the effectiveness of bombing raids. Both the Britain and Germany made substantial scientific developments throughout the course of the war. Prior to the development of the Lancaster, the British Air Force lacked a long-range bomber, capable of carrying substantial bomb loads. Wattson Watt foresaw the need for an early detection system; he developed the 'Radiolocation' system, which alerted Britain to invading forces. The German Air Force developed an on board radar, called the 'Metric system', which was equipped to German night fighters. Bomber Harris believed in the theory of 'carpet bombing'. Nick named 'butcher Harris'; he was known as the man who supported such campaigns as Dresden. He believed in breaking the morale of the German people. The strategic bombing campaign significantly shortened the length of the war. It disabled the production industry and weakened the German morale. Between Jan. 12-23 of 1943 President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill meet at Casablanca, to plan the 'future global military strategy for the Western Allies'. The work of the conference was primarily military; deciding on the invasion of Silicy, apportioning forces to the Pacific theatre and outlining major lines of attack in the Far East. Most important of all was Roosevelt's claims for the "unconditional surrender" from Germany, Italy, and Japan. Hamburg was largely responsible for the production of German U-boats. Subsequently it was the target of numerous air raids. In an attempt to protect the fragile industry, three huge anti-aircraft artilleries were built.

herody Odysseus as Epic Hero of Homers Odyssey Essay -- Odyssey essa

Odysseus as Epic Hero of Homer's Odyssey      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Homer's epic poem The Odyssey is about Odysseus' ten-year journey home from the Trojan War and what Odysseus has to do when he returns.   The journey itself is quite a story.   Odysseus and his men come in contact with many obstacles that they must overcome and there are more hurdles to jump when Odysseus reaches his destination.   Odysseus is an epic hero who, besides showing superhuman characteristics in strength, bravery and cleverness, also proves himself through his emotions, leadership, and the corrections in his faults.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Odysseus' emotions are rare, yet profound enough to enhance the way Odysseus is viewed as an epic hero.   The first sign of Odysseus' true emotions occur once Odysseus chooses to take the path past Scylla, a six-headed monster who devours sailors in passing ships, rather than the one through Charybdis, a whirlpool.   While Odysseus watches below, Scylla snatches six of his best men, one for each of her heads. Seeing his men being devoured while calling his name is the worst sight Odysseus has ever had to suffer through on all his journeys on the sea (646-662).   When Odysseus returns to his home on Ithaca, many more emotions take over him when he comes in contact with people he hasn't seen for twenty years.   Odysseus tells Telemachus, his son, what his true identity is and the men weep and embrace to try to make up from the twenty years where this kind of bonding was unavailable (896-906).   Also, Odysseus has feelings that he has to hide when he s ees Argos, the dog he trained from a puppy, being mistreated and not cared for properly.   However, since Odysseus is in disguise he cannot reveal his true emotion and hides his tears away... ...-1027).   This change in Odysseus' character accents his epic hero characteristics even further by Odysseus being able to recognize his problem, then correcting this obstacle in able to complete the needed task. Odysseus was truly the epic hero in Homer's The Odyssey.   Odysseus' emotion and the could control of that emotion, the ability to lead his crew through difficult situations and recognizing and changing his faults were only some of the epic hero characteristics that Odysseus met during this epic poem.   The attributes displayed by Odysseus are everyday characteristics of the present.   By reading The Odyssey many people may be able to deal with emotional conflicts of today. Works Consulted: Bloom, Harold ,   Homer's Odyssey: Edited and with an Introduction, NY, Chelsea House 1988 Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: 1996

School Violence and Safety Promotion :: School Violence Shootings Safety Essays

Increase in school violence Over the past several years, incidents of school violence have intensified. Disasters like the shootings at Columbine High School are not unheard of, and precautions for school safety are on the minds of numerous communities. Johnson and Johnson claim that â€Å"Teaching is different from what it used to be. Fifty years ago, the main disciplinary problems were running in the halls, talking out of turn, and chewing gum. Today’s transgressions include physical and verbal violence, incivility, and in some schools, drug abuse, robbery, assault, and murder† (1995). When examining school violence, researchers have begun to investigate how society has redefined violence as normal and acceptable, claiming that this is the root of the problem. In addition, I have considered other factors that lead to violence in schools. As violence increases, pressure for safe and orderly schools does the same. I feel that the first step to ensuring school safety is to work with the stud ents themselves to establish a safe school. The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the occurrences of violence in schools across the United States and to articulate strategies to promote school safety. Two forms of school violence When assessing violence, it is important to know that it occurs in two major forms. First, violence can penetrate the climate of schools, allowing negative events to escalate into increasingly damaging patterns. The second form of school violence entails random mayhem, where the school is simply the setting (Hill & Hill, 19). An example of the latter form is the sniper shooting that occurred at Walt Whitman High School on October 8, 2002. Both forms of school violence among young people in society are increasing, forcing educators to search desperately for causes. Causes of school violence One cause of this increase in school violence is the fact that society is slowly beginning to redefine violence as normal and acceptable. What is probably most alarming is that violence is becoming so commonplace in many communities and schools that it is considered the norm rather than the exception. Johnson and Johnson believe that the media is most responsible for children falsely believing that violence is acceptable: Mass media influence how people view violence and deviant behavior. Some television shows obliterate or obscure the boundaries that society has created between good and evil, public and private, shame and pride (Abt & Seeholtz 1994)†¦Killing is sometimes portrayed as understandable and righteous when it advances a certain point of view on a controversial issue.

There Is a Competiton Between Education and Appearance

There is a competition between appearance and education. Physical appearance is something that you will get a first impression on. There are many reasons why education is important to me and should be important to everyone. Appearance can take a back seat when it comes to the corporate world. Education is something everyone can relate to. When it comes to physical appearance or education people may have their different views on which one is more important. This might be a problem in our modern day society. Failure to make the proper one a priority can lead to a life of crime drugs and being unsuccessful. Some individuals may think that physical appearance is more important or that education is more important than the other. In the play Death of a Salesman by Author Miller it’s clear that Willy feels appearance is more important than education. Willy puts that appearance is better than education in all of his family heads. Then there are some that think that they both can be managed equally. This is an argument that will go on for years to come. I personally think that education is way more important than physical appearance for many different reasons. Life can be easier for people that can distinguish at an early age which one is more important. I think the ones that can distinguish which are more important at an early age will have a head start in life. I think that education is more important than physical appearance or talent because, majority of individuals in today society will rely on education to make a living rather than their appearance or talent. With an education I feel that you will have way more opportunities to be successful in life. No matter how much I dislike school or how much it may sometimes get me down, I know that it will be beneficial in the future. Education is important to me because no matter how much I may dislike sitting in school with a teacher I don’t care for, I know there is nothing more important to me for my future. I someday will want a house, a car, a family, and a job and the good and bad experiences through education will one day help me achieve all of these. Being worried about your appearance can have an effect on you where you will not be focused on your education. A person that is worried about their appearance does not have time to worry about their education. Even if u do get a good job that pays goods you still need some kind of education because people will take advantage of you . Education will lead you to a better life in the future and make it more stable. With education u will be able to get a good job and you will become better off financially and be able to support your family. I would be able to have as much amenities as I want and also be able to pay my bills on time and don’t have to worry about where the next check will come from. With a better education I will be able to live around people that want something in life. Individuals that are like this their opinions are valued more. With that good education I would be able to do many other things such as travel the world and see different religions and see how different people live which will be a nice experience for me and my family. I would be able to buy better looking clothes and look good. In the article ‘Working at McDonalds’s’ it shows the importance of education and how it pays off these high school teens. It shows how hard life will be with a minimum wage job and how it can’t provide a life that they dreamed about and desire. In the last couple of years, we have come across to a big issue, children, and adult dropping out school. People who have completed high school earn more than those who have not, people with bachelor’s degree earn more than those with only an undergraduate education. In the article ‘Giving Kids Opportunity’ by Hector Batista the guy that created a program which helped people without an education to get training that will help them get a job. I don’t think that if these people could have made a living off if their appearance they won’t be coming back to get this jobs training. Which it show the importance of education. His father was very big on education and what it can do for you. This gave these people chance at life and showed them that it is not the end for them. With education I can help children that are in troubled situations and encourage them that there is hope. In this Twenty-First Century, the value of education has taken on a whole new meaning. So no matter what, education is the key that allows people to move up in the world, seek better jobs, and ultimately succeed fully in life. Society usually says the more educated, the better of a person will be. People who attend college tend to work in white collar jobs in office buildings or other facilities. With air-conditioning, heating, and conveniences that improve the quality of life. This will make our lives easier and happier to work somewhere that we like to and education can give us that option. I feel that education is something that no one can take away from us once we have it but on the other hand if you make a living on appearance and you get into a car accident one day and you no longer look beautiful what will you rely on. So don’t be one of the few that tries to make a living on appearance rather than a good education.

Dissertation Methodology †Impact of Technology on Recruitment

Dissertation examples – Dissertation Methodology – FREE our site ESSAYS The following article is a sample dissertation methodology on the following dissertation topic: Impact of Technology on Recruitment in UK Retail Banks.A case study of Lloyds Banking Group:The methodology depicts a mixed method research, using quantitative surveys and semi structured interviews. Based on Saunder’s Research Onion.a. Research Philosophy – Dissertation ExamplesThe social world of banks and graduates upon which this study is based exists externally and are not related to the researcher; therefore they would be measured through objective methods rather than being inferred subjectively through reflection, sensation or intuition (Easterby-Smith, 2002). This study would therefore adopt a positivist approach as credible data could only be derived through quantitative analysis of phenomena observed (Saunders et al, 2007). The social interpretivism philosophy, which aims to study and reflect on the inner feelings of participants, is not being utilized in this study, due to the study’s research objective, which is to ascertain the effectiveness of online recruitment in an organization. Details regarding effectiveness are measured using objective means (such as increase in candidate application and reduction in costs), thereby warranting a positivis t approach.b. Research approachDue to the positivist nature of the research, this study would adopt a deductive approach (Saunders et al, 2007). This approach represents the most common view of the relationship between theory and research and results gotten from this approach are developed through logical reasoning (Bryman and Bell, 2007). The data findings would be compared against existing literature to ascertain if they concur with what has already been published in the field of online recruitment.c. AccessThe ability to gather primary data during this study was dependent on gaining access to an appropriate source within the organization. The level to which this source is appropriate relies on the research question, related objectives and research designs (Saunders et al, 2007). Therefore, the researcher, as a friend of an employee within the organization, was in a favorable position to get access within the organization. I contacted a friend of mine who currently works within graduate recruitment at Lloyds TSB, and discussed the prospects of my dissertation. She spoke to several of her colleagues on my behalf and they agreed for me to conduct telephone interviews with 4 members of the graduate recruitment team, some of which had been there for an average of 5 – 10 years (reasons expatiated further in this chapter). Due to the non-intrusive nature of my research, there were no objections or limitations raised by the participants with regards to the questions asked or the purpose of the study.d. Research StrategyThis study would adopt a case study strategy in answering the research question. Robson (2002) asserts that the case study strategy would be useful if the aim of the study is to gain a rich understanding of the research perspective and the process being endorsed. Therefore as this study aims to understand the recruitment process within Lloyds TSB and also any benefits associated with onl ine recruitment, a case study would be most effective. Two separate yet parallel approaches would be utilized in this study, and are outlined in the table 1 below. Table 1: Research Strategy STRATEGYAIMSAMPLETYPE OF QUESTIONSMETHOD OF ANALYSIS 1. Quantitative questionnaireQuantify graduates’ perception of what constitutes an effective recruitment platform10 graduates who have applied to one or more organizations through their online system.Closed rating scale questions, and nominal data.Descriptive analysis (bar chart, pie chart and line charts). 2. Qualitative semi-structured interviewsThis was done in order to ascertain the benefits associated with online recruitment.4 members of the recruitment staff within Lloyds TSB, who have been in the organization for more than 5 yearsStructured questionnaires. Open questionsContent analysisi. Quantitative QuestionnaireQuantitative methods are mainly used in the data collection process of research. It involves data that is either in the form of, or expressed as numbers (Easterby-Smith et al, 2008). The quantitative questionnaires were handed out to 10 graduates and undergraduates. The questionnaire was mainly designed wi th rating scale questions, where respondents were asked to state their opinion or preference for a particular question on a scale of 1 – 5. Secondary nominal data was also included in order to ascertain the respondent’s status, application activity and preference. The quantitative questionnaire distributed to respondents is outlined in appendix. Quantitative questionnaires are useful as the results derived are quantifiable and measurable against other variables in an objective manner (Saunders et al, 2007). ii. Qualitative Semi Structured InterviewsFollowing the access grant to four members of the recruitment team within the organization, 15 – 20 minute qualitative telephone interviews were carried out. A semi-structured interview is a qualitative interview that is defined by a pre-set question guide. It aims to provide in-depth findings through informal discussions with participants (Collis and Hussey, 2003). This interview method was chosen over unstructured or structured interviews, because this study intends to answer the research questions by asking specific questions, but not so much (unstructured) that it generates useless data, and not so less (structured) so as not to miss out on any unanticipated information. The interview questions in the semi-structured interview are in appendix. The themes utilized in this study were derived mainly from the literature review and were crucial in developing the questions that were raised during the study. The semi-structured approach also provided the researcher with the ability to probe answers. Answer probing was particularly useful in responses whereby more explanation was needed in order to fully understand the answers. Due to the recent adaptation of online recruitment, the semi structured interviews was targeted at members of the team who had witnessed or orchestrated the shift towards online recruitment, that way these respondents would be better able to answer questions that relate to the comparison of both methods. Also, members of the online recruitment team being interviewed had different positions within recruitment and handled separate tasks. The questionnaires were given to them beforehand, when the approval was first sought, and each respondent chose the questions that they were more qualified to respond to. Therefore the research was such that all respondents answered some questions, while some others were answered by a particular individual because of their knowledge of that process. Table 2 outlines the respondent details and their interview theme. Table 2: Interview Respondents and Questions asked RespondentFictionalNameRoleYears in LloydsSubjects Covered R1AliceGraduate Events Manager2Effectiveness, Disadvantages R2MarthaApplication Review7Background, Adoption, Effectiveness, Disadvantages R3NickFinance and Budgeting9Adoption, Effectiveness, Efficiency R4ChloeMedia Advertisement3Effectiveness, Advertisement Each respondent were asked for their consent to interview, prior to the interview sessions, and also requested not to have their names mentioned so as to prevent any form of organizational backlash if the contents of the study were interpreted in any other non-academic form, and distributed. They have therefore been given fictional names, so as to make the research more readable.e. Data Collectioni. Sampling MethodBased on the research objectives and the issues to be investigated, it would have been most appropriate if all recruitment staffs within the organization were interviewed. However, due to the time constraints and resource limitations inherent in this study, a non-probability sample of the population was selected. Saunders et al (2007) asserts that a non-probability sample is most often used when adopting a case study strategy. A non-probability sample, as described by (Oppenheim, 2000), is a sample in which the probability of each case being selected from the total populat ion is not known. The samples of graduates that were chosen to partake in the quantitative study are too small to constitute a probability sample of graduates within London or UK. Also, the number of employees within Lloyds who took part in the qualitative study was not high enough to constitute a significant portion of the recruitment department within Lloyds TSB. Therefore the study focused more on the quantitative facts of the perception of recruitment within the organization, as opposed to theories expressed in the literature review, and what graduates on the outside thought of online recruitment. ii. Primary Data CollectionIn collecting data that could be analysed using quantitative means, Easterby-Smith et al (2008) claims that researchers could collect either primary or secondary data. He further claims that though each of these means have their merits and demerits, the collection of one’s own data gives control over the structure of the sample and the data obtained from each respondent . It also gives greater confidence that the data collected would match the research objectives. The researcher therefore chose to collect primary data from 20 graduates using questionnaires distributed-in-person to each respondent. This was done amongst friends and colleagues within the university who have utilized online recruitment systems. Data from the semi-structured interviews would be collected using a tape recorder, and the conversations with all four employees would be transcribed word for word, and expression for expression. The advantages inherent in this approach is that it allows the researcher to document and see patterns in words and emotions that would not be available if other forms of interviews were conducted.f. Analysis of Research Findingsi. Quantitative DataThe quantitative data collected during the course of this study, whilst still in its raw form, is described by Saunders et al (2007) as being useless and conveying little information to most people. Univariates, which are total sample distributions of one variable at a time (Oppenheim, 2005) was utili sed in analysing the frequency and percentage occurrence of each variable; including both ordinal and nominal, category and rating scale questions. However an indepth correlation or bivariate analysis was not conducted due to the low number of graduate respondents, and also due to the fact that the study was mainly concerned with the viewpoint of the organization, and not necessarily that of the graduates. Results would be analysed using Excel and graphs would be drawn out to analyse all data with the aim of comparing them to the qualitative study. ii. Qualitative DataYin (2002) suggests that in studies whereby the research question has been formulated based on the literature review; these theories that have been used in the postulation of the research question could also be used in analyzing the findings. Thereby suggesting that a deductive approach to data analysis would be essential for theoretical driven studies. Based on these arguments, this study analyzed the qualitative findings using deductive methods. The findings from each respondent and questionnaire theme were analyzed according to the literature review topics discussed. In the instance whereby different respondents had something to say about a particular issue, all their opinions were recorded and taking into consideration in the analysis of findings. A fact sheet of all findings according to the theory is illustrated in chapter 4. Full transcripts of the interview are in the appendix. The pattern matching procedure, as postulated by Saunders et al, (2007), would be utilized in this deductive analysis. It involves predicting a pattern of outcomes based on theoretical propositions. These propositions are thereby analyzed in the data analysis process. This procedure involves the development of an analytical framework, utilizing existing theory, and then testing the adequacies of the framework as a means of explaining the findings (Saunders et al, 2007). In the instance where a pattern is found as initially predicted, it would be evidence that suggests that there is indeed an explanation for findings.g. EthicsBlumberg, et al (2005) describes ethics as referring to the appropriateness of one’s behaviour in relation to the rights of those who become the subject of a research project. A number of ethical issues have been identified and raised with respect to this study. The issues, and steps taken to alleviate such issues are discussed below: The company may be secretive about some aspects of its online recruitment, such as the quantity of graduates and marketing techniques to attract graduates, which it may not like its competitors to know about. Employees responding to semi structured interviews may not be so willing to discuss their personal opinion of the bank’s recruitment system, or the quality of graduates received through their channels, in case their response does not really conform to the brand and reputation that the organization is trying to build (for instance, the bank may pose as an equal opportunity organization that employs from diverse backgrounds, whereas they mostly only recruit students from top Oxbridge universities with a certain background). Information such as this could pose difficulties if the bank eventually decides to broaden its pool of candidates and employ people from varying backgrounds. Apart from these ethical considerations, no other ethical dilemmas have been found with relation to this essay. Therefore, in order to alleviate these issues, the questionnaire and interviews would be designed in such a way that it does not offend, harm, provoke or stress any of the participants in any way. Questions asked would be non-instrusive as no personal information about names; age or post would be requested. Information about specific applicant quality and demographics of applicants’ recruitment would not be sought. Also, in terms of graduate questionnaires that have been distributed, some candidates may think that answering these questions and including personal details may impede or even benefit them when applying to said organizations. Therefore the questionnaires would fully state that it is an academic research and in no way constitutes a study conducted by the organization.h. LimitationsThe major limitation of this research would be gaining access to graduates who have gone through online recruitment systems and applied specifically to Lloyds TSB. Graduates that have applied to the bank are diverse both in culture and geography. Therefore this study would be limited in not being able to survey a probability sample of graduates who have either used online recruitment or specifically applied to Lloyds TSB in the past. The willingness and capacity of staff to answer questions with relation to graduate recruitment is also impeded. Some staff may not be willing to discuss sensitive issues such as their views, some may be unwilling to discuss online recruitment in any capacity to an external researcher such as myself, while some may not have the relevant experience required to answer most of the questions raised in this study. Therefore the list of participants has been limited to 4, which in no way represents a probability sample of the recruitment workforce within the organization. There is also a secondary limitation with regards to the experience of those staff that participate in the interviews. The ideal participants would typically have been working in recruitment for over 10 years, and would have witnessed and participated in the transition from traditional to online recruitment within the organization. However, only two of the participants answering this questionnaire are ‘ideal candidates’, the other 2 have been working within recruitment over the past 2 – 3 years and were in no capacity to discuss the transition between traditional and online recruitment. However, their views were still helpful and contributed significantly to the findings of this study. This study did not incorporate recent events such as the merger between Lloyds TSB and HBOS. It also did not include the recent government bailout and financial crisis affecting most UK financial institutions. This information could have impacted on the quality of graduate applications that the organization received within the past 3 years, and could pose a shortfall in the information gathered. However, including this information would have extended the limits of the study, beyond the word count and capacity currently accepted.