Discuss issues of reliability and validity associated

Discuss issues of reliability and validity associated with the classification and diagnosis of phobic disorders. ( 8+16) A phobia Is an irrational fear which Interferes with daily life. For a phobia to be diagnosed It must meet the criterion set by the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Reliability and validity are two Important factors when considering classification of mental disorders; they must be present for an accurate classification to be made. Rellablllty and valldlty are linked because a diagnosis that Is not reliable Is not valid.Rellablllty refers to the consistency, such as questionnaires or scales to assess how fearful a person Is about something. Reliability of questionnaires or scales can be measured In terms of whether the test items are consistent, which Is called test-retest reliability. Another way of assessing reliability is whether two independent assessors give similar scores, which is called interrater reliability. Test re-test refers to how consistent results are when the specific interview/questionnaire is repeated.Brown et al (2001) conducted study which involved interviewing 1400 patients twice, the second interview occurred within 2 weeks of the first one. The interviews were based on criteria for various disorders in DSM -IV. Brown found that reliability in inter-rater agreement was excellent for specific phobia, social phobia and panic disorder wit agoraphobia. Reliability could have been higher for the various phobias than for other mental disorders because all phobias are associated with clear behavioural symptoms (avoidance of feared stimulus) which makes them easy to diagnose.This suggests hat diagnosis of phobic disorders according to the DSM is reliable however largely because phobic disorders are easy to diagnose . Brown et al also examined factors associated with disagreement between 2 interviewers. He found that inter-rater unreliability was caused by interviewers disagreeing whether the fear was causin g sufficient distress/interference to a person's life to warrant a phobia diagnosis. It was also caused by patient's reports of symptoms changing between interviews which could have been genuine.Another cause of difference between the two interviewers as that they made errors, as the same symptoms were presented to interviewers however different diagnosis given however this could be because they missed Important information. Skyre et al (1991) also found high Inter-rater reliability, 3 cllnlclans assessed 54 patients using SCID-I. He found +72 Inter-rater agreement which shows that phobia diagnosis Is reliable. Diagnosis of phobic disorders ld also reliable as Hiller et al (1990) found satisfactory – excellent diagnostic agreement In a test- retest study using MDC.Valldlty Is the extent to which a classification system easures what It claims to measure. We can assess the valldlty associated with phobic disorders by looking at content valldlty. Content validity means how much the diagnostic system addresses all of the symptoms In a given disorder. Seml structured interviews have high content validity because they were made to the classification system is vaild is to look at criterion validity. This looks into if individual receiving a diagnosis e. g. social phobia are any different to the people who have not been given the diagnosis in predictable way .

Disraeli: An unprincipled adventurer in politics Essay

â€Å"An unprincipled adventurer in politics.† How fair is this interpretation of Disraeli in the period 1837- 1846? 1st DRAFT Over the years, the political character of Disraeli has bewildered historians as much as it did his colleagues. Previously historians, such as Machin, had an inclination to accept the view of his contemporary critics which was often, that in the obscurities of his politically life prior to 1846, Disraeli was â€Å"An unprincipled adventurer in politics†, motivated by his own personal ambition rather that a doctrine of political principles. Yet recently there has been an upsurge in the number of historians that believe Disraeli did possess a clear set of ideas. These principles originated from Disraeli’s understanding of English history and values, and that a desire to defend and realize his conception of England gave his career coherence. Disraeli saw himself as a foe of dangerous cosmopolitan ideas that were damaging the national spirit and creating social conflict.1 Whilst Disraeli can be considered as unprincipled in his methods, Disraeli’s underlying sense of political purpose, and the rhetoric he used to promote his objectives, never changed thus showing that he was truly a principled politician. In the early 1830s Disraeli stood in several elections as a Whig, Radical and as an Independent. However, Disraeli was a Tory by the time he won a seat in the House of Commons in 1837 representing the constituency of Maidstone. These frequent changes of allegiance to the different political groups are one of the ways which one can claim Disraeli to be unprincipled but was he? Disraeli claimed that his switch to conservatism was due to his belief in the fact that Conservatives defended the interests of the people. This claim for can be proven by the fact that in the 1822 the Tory party under Lord Liverpool’s administration argued for the rights of Dissenters and even repealed the Test and Corporations Act which allowed for protestant dissenters to hold positions in public office. In addition, in 1836 Disraeli wrote and published the pamphlet ‘Vindication of the English Constitution (1835). In this pamphlet, Disraeli described the Whigs as a party, tried to monopolise the government by enslaving the monarchy during the 18th century. This evidence also leads to Ian St John’s conclusion that Disraeli was always a ‘Tory Radical’ who believed that the Tory party was the true party since the Whigs pursued ‘a selfish agenda in the interests of a narrow elite’2 . In addition, he claimed that the Tories had shown themselves to be a truly ‘national party’, representing the views of ‘nine-tenths of the people’.3 This evidence agrees with Disraeli’s own claim that the Tory party was the actual party of the people, and in this way one can say that Disraeli’s switch to conservatism was based upon a principled grounding. Further arguments that Disraeli’s switch to conservatism was based on his principle and not on his own personal ambitions are that during Disraeli’s earlier attempts for Parliament, he had always argued for agricultural assistance. This belief formed an integral part of the Tory party’s principals since in 1815 a Tory government had introduced the Corn Laws as a means of protecting the British agricultural market from an influx of cheap foreign corn. In addition, one can argue that Disraeli’s switch to Conservatism could also be a result from the fact that the Conservative party was the party Disraeli grew up around. During his youth Disraeli had met George Canning who was a friend of his father, in addition in the 1830s Disraeli was drawn to the Conservative’s party social circles. Through these functions he was introduced to Lord Lyndhurst (a former Tory Chancellor) by Lady Henrietta Sykes.4 Therefore one can say that through his background, fundamental beliefs and social circles, Disraeli was a natural Conservative in the same way that Gladstone was a natural Liberal However, for many historians these are not the main reasons as to why Disraeli became a Conservative MP. In 1834 Disraeli received Conservative financial support from Lord Lyndhurst who was his patron.5 This inextricably linked Disraeli to the Conservative party, especially when one considers the fact that Disraeli was not competent with his domestic economics and would therefore never be able to repay Lyndhurst. In conclusion one can say that Disraeli’s conversion to the Conservative party was mainly a genuine switch even though it may have been influenced by the generosity of Lord Lyndhurst The character of Disraeli can also been seen to be principled in is by his belief that rich members of society have a duty to the poor. This belief was expressed in Disraeli’s reaction to the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act. This Bill founded a Poor Law Commission to supervise the national operation of the Poor Law system, included the moulding together of small parishes into Poor Law Unions and the building of workhouses in each union for the giving of poor relief. The act was â€Å"Whig-Benthamite reforming legislation of the period†6 passed by Earl Grey in order to dissuade people from becoming poor and wanting to join the Work house system. In 1840 Disraeli condemned the New Poor Law and the Work house system due to his belief that the government should help the poor in a paternal way. This marked the start of Disraeli’s belief in one nation Toryism. The idea of ‘One nation Toryism’ was present in Disraeli’s novel Sybil, where he described Britain as â€Å"Two nations †¦ the rich and the poor.† 7 Disraeli believed that the ideology of young England, the 1852 budget and the 1867 Reform Act. Therefore this shows that Disraeli’s devotion to a Romanticised version of society where the upper classes had a duty to the poor was a stead fast principle of Disraelian politics. Another way in which Disraeli expressed his principles of preserving social harmony and helping the poor was through his sympathy to the Chartists. Chartism was a movement established in 1836 and controlled by working men who wanted to achieve parliamentary democracy as a step towards social and economic reform. In 1840 Disraeli was one of only 5 MPs who argued against the heavy punishments given to Chartists. This was due to the fact Disraeli believed that that political rights ensured social happiness. In his Chartist novel, Sybil or the two Nations, Disraeli gave the only fictional account of Chartism which understood the political demands of the movement8. This reaction to Chartism showed Disraeli as being principled as his desire to help the poor was present in his 1852 budget since he wanted to reduce indirect taxation on malt and tea, and levy the income budget. This would have helped with the working class who were more affected by indirect taxation than they were direct taxation as Gladstone would soon realise. In addition, one of the main values of Disraeli’s Young England was the conservative and romantic strand of Social Toryism that included the patronage of ‘noblesse oblige as the basis for its paternalistic form of social organization.’9 In addition, through his 1867 Reform Bill Disraeli also enhanced the franchise of the professional and middle classes. Despite the fact that cynical historians such as —- may see Disraeli’s attempts to widen the political field as a way of getting a Conservative political stronghold, the line of thought that Disraeli was a ‘Radical Tory’ dispels their claim. This is because Disraeli was radical in the sense that he welcomed the Reform and wanted to push British politics towards a ‘democratic principle’ of government with ‘triennial elections and the secret ballot.’10 This notion of wider representation links in with the previous argument of why Disraeli became a conservative MP. By extending the political map Disraeli believe that the English Nation would be better represented as it would dispel the oligarchical control that the Whigs held in Parliament. Therefore one can argue that Disraeli’s support of Chartism shows him as a principal politician as it reflects his belief in a need for reform in the Victorian political system. The case of Disraeli staying with his principles of a Romantic, paternalistic society is also evident in Disraeli’s works of fiction and his membership of Young England. Disraeli had helped to form the Young England group in 1842 based upon the that the middle class now had too much political power and an alliance between the aristocracy and the working class was needed to keep society functioning. Disraeli suggested that the aristocracy should use their power to help protect the poor yet a social hierarchy that should be maintained.11 Yet despite making these views of paternalism evident in his legislature such as the 1852 budget and his response to the 1843 Poor Law amendment historians such as Ian St John always ask how seriously did Disraeli regard young England? This is an obtuse question. Young England was an important tool of Disraeli’s as it helped him to publicise his political beliefs and during 1842 they helped him attack the Poor Law, and the rationalist sys tem of thought. In addition, due to his unconventional education, Young England was also vital to Disraeli as it allowed him to network within the Conservative party despite the fact that he was an outsider due to his Jewish ethnicity and middle class background. One can also argue that Disraeli showed a clear commitment to the ideologies of Young England due to his writings. Disraeli’s novels Coningsby (1844), Sybil (1845) and Tancred (1847) all show concern about poverty and the injustice of the parliamentary system. In Coningsby, Disraeli attacked the Tamworth Manifesto as ‘an attempt to construct a party without principles’. Moreover, his subsequent novel Sybil shows the start of one nation Toryism as it shows concern about the development of two nations causing a schism in society. This novels are critical as they all show Disraelian principals since all the novels show a continuation of Disraeli’s beliefs of a Romantic notion of government and desire for reform and in this way can be said to be principled. Moreover Young England is proof of Disraeli’s principles as it shows that his belief in a Romantic system of government and paternalism was as present in his ideals as a young man, as they were when he was Prime minister in the 1870s. The main argument for Disraeli being an ‘unprincipled adventurer’ in politics is often due to his relationship with Peel. There are often three main views to this section of Disraeli’s early political career. The first view is that Disraeli led his attack on Peel for revenge. According to Norman Lowe Disraeli was ‘furious when Peel did not offer him a place in his 1841 cabinet and perhaps because of this Disraeli lead the attack on Peel over the Corn Law repeal’12.However this account for Disraeli’s attack on Peel is highly flawed. In his biography on Disraeli, Christopher Hibbert claims that in 1844 Peel had wrote to Disraeli apologising for dismissing his offer to work in his cabinet and stating that if he had offended Disraeli it was ‘wholly unintentional on [his] part†13 Hibbert then goes on to state that this apology showed that the animosity between the two men was no longer tangible and, soon after the apology was made Disrae li and three member of Young England ‘voted with the government’14! In fact, Hibbert then goes onto disclose that Peel actually praised Disraeli’s speech on the Irish question calling it ‘very able’. These are all very clear examples showing how Disraeli’s direct and very public attack on Peel over the issue of the repeal of the Corn Laws could not have been a result of Peels rebuff in 1841. Both men had declared a truce with each other (although Grenville did comment in his diary that Disraeli’s speech on the Ireland question was ‘under the guise of compliment making an amusing attack on Peel’15) and it was for the benefit of the Tory party if this truce was maintained. After all as the historian Southgate remarked ‘[Disraeli had] no principle except that of maintaining party unity’.16 Therefore the claim that Disraeli’s attack on Peel was ‘unprincipled’ as it was based upon a personal vendetta against the Tory leader is historically inaccurate. Another interpretation for Disraeli’s attack on Peel given by Machin is that Disraeli’s attacks stemmed from a personal ambition. By attacking Peel over the 1846 Corn Law Crisis Disraeli apparently, made him name as an able orator and gave him his first political influence. Whilst the latter half of this statement may be viewed as true, Hibbert had already shown that Disraeli’s skills for oration were already known by 1846 due to his speech on the Irish question which ‘was so widely admired †¦that his wife asked him to note down’17 However one cannot dispute that by defeating Peel Disraeli gained a political advantage. Even Jenkins states that the ‘subsequent events helped to catapult Disraeli into a position of authority which he could never have expected to achieve so quickly if at all’. Whilst this may be true by toppling Peel from power Disraeli has left the Tory party ‘in the political wildernesses’18 according to Machin. Commonsense dictates that whilst he was the most promising Conservative MP, a person cannot fulfil any political ambitions whilst their party is divided and weak. Therefore it is illogical to say that Disraeli uprooted Peel from power in a bid to further his own political career, as without Peel leading the Tories, any chance of political victory would have been harder to achieve. The final and perhaps most justified reason why historians such as Monypenny believed that Disraeli lead the attack on Peel was due to ‘a clear question of principle and†¦pressure from his constituents’19. Whilst many historians believe that Peel was a true statesman, David Eastcote takes the Victorian contemporary view that Peel was actually a turncoat. By championing the ideas of Catholic Emancipation, the Maynooth Grant and the Corn Law repeal ‘Peel had quite deliberately isolated himself, and in so doing he had destroyed his party, or at any rate driven an immovable wedge between Peelism and Toryism. The destruction of the party was not an unfortunate, unintended consequence of the Corn Law crisis – it was, rather, quite deliberately engineered by Peel’.20 Although many people view that the Tory party disintegrated with the exodus of the Peelite fraction of the party, it is important to realise that Peel’s decision were unpopular with the core base of ultra-Tories. This was due to the fact that even though his party was in power, there were no real Tory party decisions as Peel preferred a Presidential style of governing rather than an executive governing style. In addition one can argue that Disraeli held a principle attack on peel due to the fact that whilst he had supported Peel in 1842 over further relaxation of the Corn Laws, he was unable to support Peel over their complete repeal. This was because he saw Peel’s desertion of ‘Protection and as a betrayal of agricultural interest’ which was the ‘backbone of the party’21.Disraeli therefore declared alongside Lord Bentinck that they would ‘never†¦be guilty or double dealing with the farmers of England†¦.or betraying our constituents’ 22highlighting the fact that Disraeli was fighting the issue of Corn law repeal based on his principles of agricultural protection as well as a having a sense duty to his constituents. This interpretation ca n also be verified by the fact that 242 former supporters of Peel also rebelled against his 1846 proposal for Corn Law repeal. The idea that the rebel against Peel over the corn Law crisis was based on a notion of having a duty to his electorate is also present in Walton’s verdict of 1846 where he states that Disraeli attacked Peel for ‘changing his policy without consulting the electorate or listening to the views of his supporters’23. Ian Machin also concedes that although Disraeli did have something to gain from usurping Peel, there was a strong public opinion in the constituencies that was for the idea of retaining the Corn Laws. Therefore one can logically conclude that Disraeli’s attacks on Peel in 1846 Disraeli’s attacks on Peel could be argued as being unprincipled on the surface as they are often seen as being based upon an underlining tone of resentment and antipathy due to Peel’s refusal to give him a position of power in 1841. However there is stronger evidence to suggest that Disraeli’s attacks were due to Peel’s betrayal of the Conservative party as well as pressure from his constituents. However, once one has argued away the beliefs that Disraeli was unprincipled due to his relationship with Peel, one is left with arguments Disraeli’s contemporaries held for him being unprincipled. The majority of reasons why Disraeli is often seen as an unscrupulous politician are due to his background. Due to Disraeli’s Jewish heritage he was often received with Anti-Semitic bias. This is recognised when Derby writes â€Å"there is no one in our arty who can compete with you†¦but†¦your formal establishment in the post of leader would not meet with a general and cheerful approval†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This means that whilst Disraeli was a recognised key political player in the Conservative party (thus eliminating the idea that he was a mere adventurer), his personal background would always work against him. However not only did Disraeli’s Jewish roots help to hinder his political progression. However all this argument is invalid since it does not state that he was unprincipled due to his political beliefs, but rather, that he was unprincipled due to his ethnicity. These arguments are therefore irrational and further alienate the claim that Disraeli was an irrational politician as historians no longer view Disraeli with a racial bias. In conclusion, the statement â€Å"An unprincipled adventurer in politics† is not a fair interpretation of Disraeli in the period 1837- 1846. By studying Disraeli’s early political career there is a key notion that the principles of a paternalistic Romanticised society is truly maintained, as well as a belief that the Tory party is the true party of the nation. In addition in regards to Disraeli’s dispute with Peel over the 1846 Corn Law crisis, one can see that on deeper examination the underlying roots of Disraeli’s arguments were held upon the as same convictions which he campaigned for as an independent MP and the same principles that made him a ‘Radical Tory’. Therefore one can convincingly argue that during the period 1837- 1846 Disraeli was as principled as a politician can be. 1 T.A. Jenkins ‘Benjamin Disraeli and the Spirit of England’, History Today 54:12 (December 2004), 9-15 2 Ian. St John, Disraeli and the Art of Victorian Politics, (London: Anthem) 2005, pg 10 3 Jenkins, 54 4 William M. Kuhn, the Politics of Pleasure: A portrait of Benjamin Disraeli (Michigan: Pocket) 2007 pg 174 5 William M. Kuhn, the Politics of Pleasure: A portrait of Benjamin Disraeli (Michigan: Pocket) 2007 pg 175 6 Norman. Gash, Politics in the Age of Peel (London: Longman) 1953, pg 395 7 Andrew Heywood, Political Ideologies: An Introduction, (Basingstoke: PalgraveMacmillian),2003 p88 8 Norman Lowe, Mastering Modern British History, (Basingstoke: Macmillan) 1984 pg 118 9 Wikipedia, Young England, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_england (January 4, 2009) 10 Ian . St John, Disraeli and the Art of Victorian Politics, (London: Anthem) 2005, pg 10 11 William M. Kuhn, the Politics of Pleasure: A portrait of Benjamin Disraeli (Michigan: Pocket) 2007 pg 185 12 Norman Lowe, Mastering Modern British History, (Basingstoke: Macmillan) 1984 pg 247 13 Christopher Hibbert, Disraeli- A personal history, (Hampshire: HarperPerennial) 2004 pg 160 14 Christopher Hibbert, Disraeli- A personal history, (Hampshire: HarperPerennial) 2004 pg 160 15 Christopher Hibbert, Disraeli- A personal history, (Hampshire: HarperPerennial) 2004 pg 160 16 John Walton, Disraeli, (London: Lancaster pamphlets) 1990 pg 59 17 Christopher Hibbert, Disraeli- A personal history, (Hampshire: HarperPerennial) 2004 pg 160 18 Ian Machin, Disraeli (Canada: Pearson Education) 1996 pg 110 19 Mary Dicken, Disraeli, (London: HarperCollins) 2004 pg 20 20 David Eastwood, ‘Peel-Statesman or Turncoat’, History Today 23 (December 1995)pg 20-25 21 Mary Dicken, Disraeli, (London: HarperCollins) 2004 pg 17 22 Mary Dicken, Disraeli, (London: HarperCollins) 2004 pg 19 23 John Walton, Disraeli, (London: Lancaster pamphlets) 1990 pg 8

Analysis Of Budget Airline Company Indigo Airlines Tourism Essay

Analysis Of Budget Airline Company Indigo Airlines Tourism Essay Indigo airlines are planning to introduce new promotional offers for the potential customers. The aim of the organisation is to increase the current market share by at least 30%.The goal of this marketing plan is to outline a new marketing strategy to attract the potential customers from other airlines, to attract the first time travellers as well. The demographic for the organisation consists people of all age groups with average income and middle class life style. In a recent survey it has been found that in India more than 20% people prefer air travel more than any other transport facility. Due to the sudden increase in the market for airline travel it can be said that it is easy to capitalise on the current image of the firm, however it could be a little difficult to gain competitive advantage in front of the competitors. Quality for the firm is the most important thing so quality can never be compromised with and that is the motto of the firm. 1. Introduction Organization and p roduct Indigo airline is a low cost airlines company operating from India since 2006. It has been very successful in the low cost airlines business from the time they have begun operations. They are one of the market leaders in the low cost airlines service providers and have a very good reputation in the Indian market. The reason for their good reputation is because of their punctuality and the service that they provide. Indigo airlines are currently catering to the needs of the domestic travellers in India and have been flying the sky since 2006. It has gained advantage in the market due to the punctuality and the prices that they offer to the customers. The need for new product offers arise from the increasing market which is growing at a rapid rate. The new offers for the airlines can not only attract potential customers but can also attract the loyal customers of other airlines as it would be very cost effective making it affordable. â€Å"The award-winning low-fare airline th at is redefining the airline business in India bagged the NDTV Profit Business Leadership Award 2009 in the category of Aviation†. (ndtv.com) Strategic Plan and Focus To achieve the firm’s strategic direction, the firm’s objectives, mission, aims, goals and competitive advantage have been created to offer an image and vanguard for the firm’s success. In accumulation, to determine the extent of the services and products that are offered by the organisation, and the primary environmental commitment towards nation and the aviation industry, are also important aspects of the company’s strategic direction and focus. Mission Statement Indigo airlines aims to become the number one leader in the low cost airline industry of India, offering the best service and ensuring highest standards of quality at low cost to the customer. Goals and Objectives Non- Financial Indigo airlines aim to attain the utmost rank of customer satisfaction in terms of the service an d products offered by the firm. The management ensures that the highest standards of quality are in place at every level to ensure 100% customer satisfaction.

I'm one, Archie Anderson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

I'm one, Archie Anderson - Essay Example ing fed up – I’d like to get the government off my back.† This statement possesses a tone of conviction and through the manner by which he conveys the rest of his argument in a piece of story, Anderson exhibits an ethos via defending his natural right to make choices and decisions for himself, as a man of the right age and maturity in a free country. According to him, regulation must be fair to everyone and Anderson acknowledges the good impact of the segregation scheme in restaurants and public places where smokers gather in a particular area apart from non-smokers. However, he expresses fervent disagreement toward the prevailing notion that smoking must be banned anywhere for this would entail terms of illegality being imposed upon his own territory and properties over which he believes he has every right to exercise freedom. He retaliates as well against the probability of charging 800% tax-increase on cigarettes which to him is a such discriminatory proposition of the government. It makes no just treatment for smokers and once the state officials manage to accomplish this task, Anderson figures that the government would have a way of implementing other policies in which prohibitions may further affect the interests of non-smoking parties. With the nature of his argument, Anderson occurs to have effectively delivered pathos through the details that communicate concern regarding suppression of rights especially as he sounds democratic in the process. The target audience is the reader who could be a smoking or a non-smoking individual residing in the U.S. and Anderson calls the audience to a collective thought and action by the logic (logos) that if the government intervenes and is able to carry out certain measures that hold illegal an activity or inclination of most people and the latter fail to react properly, it would be as though they would be deprived of right to options and democracy. Hence, he convinces the target audience by making them perceive

Ethics in Business. The analyse of the case study Essay

Ethics in Business. The analyse of the case study - Essay Example It is agreeable to say that by conviction and not through interest, we should treat others the very same way we would want them to treat us (Cory 2004:1). When adhered to, such moral values enhance the performance and profitability of the firm since it attracts and maintains customers together with their trust in the products or services offered by the business. The companies’ basic moral principles according to Cory (2004:2) â€Å"†¦are honesty, acting in good faith and in an equitable and just manner without betraying the trust of the stakeholders and by treating them as equals, practicing reciprocity, avoiding the exploitation of others, and acting from your own free will without forcing your will on your partners†. It is virtues like honesty and acting in good faith that in our case study we see Steffan, in his capacity as the project manager violating deliberately. There is need for business to develop and faithfully practice these moral values for purposes of well societal being. Unfortunately they fail to do that. Incidentally it is the managers and the CEOs who often are accused of violation of core values of the society like in the case of Steffan Larson who disregards Lauren’s advice. They are usually morally blind and instead throw their focus on profit making. This is largely so because of shareholders’ pressure for profit generation and the capitalistic economic arena in which they operate. But this notion is disputable since even in non-profit making organizations there is open deviation from set rules and regulation. They therefore do business without caring about people’s lives, the environmental, political, social, and moral values. International corporations also want to be exempted from certain core values of a given place if in their view the values will conflict with their set objects, a theory Bowie (2002: 3) calls relativism. He says that the international corporations want to

CRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

CRM - Essay Example Companies use BI in; surfacing new opportunities, cutting costs and identifying inefficient processes that need of re-engineering. Challenges that come with BI can be avoided if the data that are fed to BI application is clean and consistent. A good example of BI tool used worldwide is Microsoft Excel since it permits users to calculate, present and display numerical data; however, it is a poor BI tool (ZIFF DAVIS 2). Both large organizations and SMBs benefit from using BI technology. SMBs can greatly utilize low-cost, easy-to-use, easy-to-deploy BI options. Some examples are; desktop-analysis tools, quick-to-deploy software-as-a-service and scaled-down suites. BI tools become friendly to SMBs through novel technologies in the form of open source, Web 2.0 interface, new visualization technology and in-memory technology. The crucial BI-jargon are; analytics, benchmarking, Business performance management (BPM), predictive analytics, complex event processing, data mining and online analytical processing (OLAP) (ZIFF DAVIS 4). SMBs should take advantage of Business Intelligence. However, SMBs are challenged from achieving this dream becomes of slim technology budgets and limited IT support. To counter the above, some vendors have developed no cost and low-cost tools other vendors focus on midsize markets while big players provide scaled-down BI suites. BI tools are increasingly acquiring the characteristics of being affordable, fast to deploy and easy to use (ZIFF DAVIS

Temporary Works to Superstructures (Slabs) Essay

Temporary Works to Superstructures (Slabs) - Essay Example The braking system applies friction on the tire during braking and as a result, the kinetic energy is converted to heat and sometimes noise. However, the hybrid car is so energy conservative such that it uses its energy with minimal losses. The energy is converted into electrical energy by the motor installed on the car and is stored in the battery. Thus, in place of the normal braking system of friction, the car uses the electric motor. The motor runs in the opposite direction to the tires, and in so doing acts as generator, converting the lost energy into electrical energy for storage in the battery. The earth’s potential energy The earth is another system that has got very much energy pent up within its interior. This energy manifests itself in various ways, but the most common is the earth tremors and earthquakes that are experienced. This energy moves in the earth’s interior as waves referred to as seismic waves. These waves cause the movement of the earth plates. Once these waves meet and slip over each other, the pent up energy is released promptly and is propagated to the earths surface inform of seismic waves. There are of two main types, the primary waves also called longitudinal waves and the secondary waves also called transverse. The primary waves travel faster than the secondary waves but the secondary are stronger than the primary waves. If this energy is not anticipated and happens to be very high, it causes catastrophic effects on the earth. Structures are brought down and others destroyed for good. Means of harnessing this energy have not been discovered. Electric field energy The field of electric energy has really been exploited. The law enforcement agencies have also embraced this technology and developed a very beautiful and efficient gun. These guns use battery and an inbuilt circuit to produce charges. These are connected to electrodes which when the electric field created encounters the body, disrupt the nerves electrical signals which control the body muscles, making the muscles non-active and hence the criminal is subdued easily. The charge used to produce these electrical fields is regulated such that it does not cause any harm to the criminal. Another fine advancement is the discovery of the electric fish. Fish tat produce electric fields actively are known as electrogenic fish. They achieve the separation of charge by having an electric organ. The electroplates are disk like and hence once the brain launches the message, the plates become charged by a chemical progression which is just the same as that of the nerves functioning. There are many fish that are electric but the most common are the electric eel and catfish. These fish use these electric fields for catching and subduing their prey. The fish that have strong electric fields such as the eel, whose electric field makes up to fifty percent of its body, can kill a prey instantaneously as they touch it with the electrodes. They also use the se fields for locating prey or other organisms and for communicating with each other. Some fish such as the elephant nose have weak electric fields and hence they use them for communicating only. Their electric charge is as good as that contained in the batteries. Lightening energy Lightening, usually observed as a flash of light on the sky is another form

Why education is important in todays society Essay

Why education is important in todays society - Essay Example It, for example, enhances one’s understanding of their surroundings. Consequently, the individuals get to know where to look for suitable opportunities. If in need of special services, such as writing wills, or even seeking legal advice, they know where to access the services, unlike the uneducated. Such people access information that they require easily, compared to those who do not have an education. They understand how different organs in the society function, which promotes their living standards as they seek help in the right places. Therefore, education benefits the society greatly as the people in the society lead informed lives. Educated people focus on living a better life, than their past life. They do this by improving their current situations for the better. Such people unite, and form groups that can drive change in the society. Those in areas that lack adequate essential services, for example, medical care, strive to enhance the standards of medical provision. Educated citizens in areas that have inadequate schools work on improving the education system. These efforts contribute to the development of the society, which yields positive progress in the society. According to Green and Shearman (2012), education serves an important function of allowing people to live together in harmony. Schooling integrates people from diverse backgrounds. These people learn to live with each other, and appreciate the differences among them. Education also proves that one cannot survive without mutual support as the studies require them to discuss, and learn from one another. Consequently, these traits get transferred to the society, which appreciates harmonious living. Education can be used to gain economic independence in society. Educated people can get employed in the different sectors of the economy, depending on their qualifications. The employment results in a steady income, which promotes the well being of the employed persons. The educated fellows can

ETHICALITY & PROFIT MAXIMIZATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ETHICALITY & PROFIT MAXIMIZATION - Essay Example Business enterprises seek to maximize their profits by ensuring that the legal aspects of profit making and ethical practices complement one another. These ethical practices relate to all the stakeholders that influence business operations in one way or another. For instance, a firm that rewards employee performance acts in the interest of both the employees and its own welfare. It is important to note that ethicality in business spreads across the internal and external business environments (Hooker, 2003, p.5). This makes ethicality in profit making a pertinent issue to account for across social and economic business concerns. Disregarding the ethical part of business operations can be fatal to the performance of any given enterprise. To start with, firms highly rely on markets and consumers for their business success. Customers favour firms that act in their interest alongside pursuing their bid to make profits (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2012, p.276). Secondly, the same process factors in social corporate responsibility among other concerns. Therefore, ethicality and profit maximization can essentially be complementary as opposed to being ‘enemies’ in the business environment. Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, W., 2012. Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making & Cases, London: Cengage Learning. [Online] Available at: http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=sI1jqoMRW7gC&pg=PA166&dq=business+ethics+and+profit+making&hl=en#v=onepage&q=business%20ethics%20and%20profit%20making&f=false [Accessed November,

Mixed-sex education Essay Example for Free

Mixed-sex education Essay Coeducation, also known as Mixed-sex education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution under same roof. Most of the older institutions of higher education were reserved for the male students but now changed their policies to become coeducational. The first co educational institute of higher education was Oberlin College in United States, which was established in 1833. In 1844, Hillsdale College became the second college to admit mixed-sex classes to four-year degree programs. The University of Iowa became the first coeducational public or state university in the United States in 1855. We have co education in many of our universities, a few colleges and some English type schools. It is mostly not available in most of our degree colleges up to intermediate level. Co education gives useful training to boys and girls to work together. While studying side by side in different classes, they learn to co operate for common aims and purposes. After completing their education, they can easily join different professions together. They can work together for common national aims and scientific research centres. Co education is good as it develops self confidence. Boys and girls studying together can discuss their subjects and can help each other in understanding them well. Co education can make boys and girls competitive with each other in studies. Both can try to learn more and do better in discussions and examinations. Co education can save some institutions and can save money and in such a developing country like Pakistan. At present, Pakistani govt. is not in the position to afford electricity for separate institutions for girls. Yet, co education has some disadvantages. First, it is totally against our religion. The system of co-education is not good in the Islamic States of the world. This system has been produced by the non-Muslim states. The concept of Hijab is not there, but in our religion Islam, Hijab (parda) is clearly ordered as presented in the Holy Quran in Surah Nisa. Meeting, talks, relations and other non-islamic tasks between the males and females (Muslim na-mahram) is prohibited in Islam. † A famous Hadith, When a na- mahram man and woman are standing alone, the third one is evil (Ebleese) among them. Finally, I will conclude that coeducation has some advantages as well as disadvantages. It is necessary to make a proper use of co education in our institutions of higher learning. It is possible to get the benefits of co education and avoid most of the disadvantages.

Asda: Strategic Management And Leadership

Asda: Strategic Management And Leadership INTRODUCTION This case will critically examine links between strategic management and leadership, impact of management and leadership styles on strategic decisions and how leadership styles adapted to different situations. Here I am going to use a case study from the choosing an organisation (ASDA) to view the relation between strategic management and leadership, and analyse how a new Strategic decision effect on the management and leadership. 1.1 ASDA ASDA is the second biggest supermarket chain in the UK. Since 1999 ASDA has been wholly owned by Wal-Mart which is the largest company in the world. ASDA was formed in 1965 by a group of farmers from Yorkshire, and its activities are still mainly based in north of Britain. [Corporate watch: ASDA Wal-Mart: overview]. 1.2 ASDA Mission, purpose and values ASDAs mission is: to be Britains best-value retailer exceeding customer needs always. ASDAs purpose is To make goods and services more affordable for everyone. ASDA also has a series of values. ASDAs values are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Respect for the individual à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Strive for excellence à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Service to our customers. 2. Strategic management and Leadership 2.1- Strategic management- strategic management is the process of organisational objectives, developing policies and plans to achieve their objectives, and allocating resources to implement the plans. It is usually performed by the companys top management level such as CEO, Stakeholders and executive team. It provides all direction to the whole organisation. It can be described as a way of achieving overall organisational objectives. It is the process that involves analysis of external and internal environment, resources and competencies of the company. Basically it is a set of managerial decision and action that determines the long-run performance of an organisation. Peter Ducker, 1954. 1.2- Leadership- For every problem there is a solution. It often happens that the person best fitted to solve the problem is someone not directly connected with or influenced by it. Michael J. Dreikorn, 2003. Leadership is the position in an organisation that leads and motivates people to achieve the organisational goal. Leadership inspires others to take the appropriate action. In an organisation there should be a leader to lead the people or group. They take responsible of their people and support them through training and development in order to encourage effective contribution toward meeting organisational objectives. 2- Link between strategic management and Leadership The management and Leadership are basically the words referred to as equivalent and in most cases are comparable from the same position. Management and leadership are the two vital discipline of the organisation. These are most important for the people who are involved in managing a team, business, and organisation. Leadership and management are the skills that an organisation should possess through its chosen leader with the support of its management. Leadership is driven by the person in an organisation who guides the group to achieve the company goal. There is good understanding between the leader and group people to determine the ability and articulate visions and goals. Management is the process of planning, organising, maintaining, controlling the efforts of the organisation member and using all the organisational resources to achieve the stated organisational goal. James A.F stoner and Chales Wankel, 1986. Leaders stand out by being different. They question assumption and are suspicious of tradition. They seek out the truth and make decisions based on fact, not prejudice. They have a preference for innovation. John Fenton, 1990. 2.1- Strategic Management and Leadership (ASDA) As one of the UKs fastest growing retailers, the aim of ASDA to committed to building and operating stores in a sustainable for the benefit of the environment and the communities they serve. Its strategy is centred on its mission, purpose values, which guide to make business even better. Wal-Mart has carried out a plan, to grow ASDA over the next five years to become number two in grocery and British biggest non-food leader. ASDA Corporate website. ASDA people are the companys most important asset and source of competitive advantage. Its success depends on the strength their management, which build from manage with a disciplined process led by the CEO and the senior leadership team. Employees are working seriously going above and beyond the call of duty to get the job done under leadership. Every department has a good team leader to lead the employee in a proper manner towards the organisational goal. Wal-Mart management which owns ASDA appointed Andy Clarke as the new CEO. Andy Clarke joined ASDA in 1992, during his tenure Andy Clarke has been groomed by the dynamics of ASDA by working in variety of leadership roles. He used to work as a business unit director such as frozen, bakery and grocery. He has good leadership skills in which he can lead his people in store in effective manner. In a statement of Doug McMillan, the president and chief executive of Wal-Mart international, said: At Wal-Mart and ASDA, we have a robust succession planning and talent development process and Andy Clarke has long been identified as a leader. He joined at a difficult time when the company has slowdown in sales because of the food price inflation effect the sales across the sector. But Clarke has done a fantastic job within a couple of week and that leads him to high designation. He has announced a great deal with the deep discounter in UK called Netto. ASDA bought 193 Netto stores worth  £778m. The new CEO will lead the retailers efforts to become an even better food retailer, a broader non-food retailer and a leader out its plans to open a new chapter in its story and that over the five years. It had to be market leader in general merchandise and food. (www.your.asda.com, posted by Asda press team on 11May 2010). 3- Impact of Management and Leadership in ASDA The acquisition with Netto could get strength like small Tesco stores that will help to achieve its goal and becoming Britains biggest retailer of general merchandise. It is a great idea that ASDA can be a part of the market with the small stores in high streets. It is also targeting Home Retail Group, the owner of Argos and Home base. During its past five year strategy ASDA has increased its sales from  £15bn a year to  £20bn. It has created more than 30000 jobs in the process with opening new 70 stores in UK. CEO Andy Clarke has believed to have again creating thousands of new jobs at every level of growing business. Andy Clarke, CEO and president of ASDA said Through a combination of opening new stores, extending existing ones, converting Netto stores, and continuing to expand our grocery home shopping service we will create 7500 new roles throughout the country. We also currently have nearly 3000 vacancies on our jobs website. www.asda.com/press-centre. Conclusion As one of the largest retailer in the UK, in order to be successful, An organisation should think about customer satisfaction. It helps to the business to achieve their mission, purpose and values. The study reviewed, argues that the companies that demonstrate perform to a highly invest a lot of time placing customer at the centre of their strategy. However it also recognises that the challenging of managing people is one of the most difficult jobs for a manager. Introduction A leading in an environment which is characterised by useful resources, an uncertain and unpredictable economic environment where the competition is constantly increasing and extremely challenging as no clear direction of an organisation. In an organisation change is tough and always has been. When change has become the order of the day, it is most important is having the right leadership team. This is why having a leadership strategy is the key. Change is tough and always has been. Many executives arent good at leading change because they dont understand the importance of making critical changes in how their companies are led, not just in how they operate. William Pasmore, 2008. When we planning to adopt a new strategy, we do have always some questions, which are- à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ What style of leadership will be required? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ How would we need to lead differently? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Do we have the right leaders to lead? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ If not what are we going to do about it? Leadership Theory Many leadership theories have been suggested for a leader to support an organisation. An earlier most of the leadership theories are based on the behaviour and qualities of successful leaders but later on it focused on the role of associates and follower. The following review and discussion of leadership theories may argue that demanding new approaches that encourage a more collective and unpredictable rearrangement view of leadership and leadership development and sharing the role of leader more widely within organisation. Situational Leadership Theory The theory is more likely tied to using the style needed to be a successful leader in work environment. The leader is able to create much leadership style as changing situation. The Hersey-Blanchard Model of leadership also takes a situational perspective of leadership. In this theory the developmental situation of a leaders subordinates play the biggest role in determining. It is based on the amount of task behaviour and relationship behaviour. In task behaviour the leader engages in duties and responsibility to an individual or a group. The task behaviour is like, what to do, how to do, when to do, where to do and whos to do it. In this behaviour the leaders are used one-way communication. In other way the relationship behaviour is the extent to which leaders are communicating in two-way by creating socio-emotional support. When determining the appropriate leadership style, according to Blanchard the key situational variable is the developmental level of subordinates. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Directing: The leader produce specific directions and clear instructions. For the low follower this is the best matched. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Coaching: The leaders two- way communication helps to build confidence and motivation of the follower. The leader has responsibility and controls decision making. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Supporting: In this style the share decisions making between the leader and followers expect the relationship to be directive. Participating style is the best preferred to a moderate follower readiness level. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Delegating: In this style the leader is still involved in decision making with the group. It helps to make solution of the problem but the control is with the followers. In this style the followers are decide when to take the leader involved. Transformational leadership Theory The transformational leadership theory is occurring when one or more people engage, in which the leader and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation. For an example Mahatma Gandhi is a transformational leader. He satisfied the required of the followers. But instead of riding those require he remained seek to high purpose. The transformational leadership theory is focused on the hypothesis that the leaders can satisfy a need of the follower. The needs are always high order needs and are closely aligned with the internal motivation of the follower. Bernard Bass developed the transforming leadership where the leaders transform the followers. It is very closer to the prototype leadership in which the follower have in mind they describe their leader and provide a role model in which subordinates want to identify. He purposed that there is a special power in transforming leadership with leaders may transform both leaders and followers. Transformational leadership- à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Is preoccupied with purposes and values, morals and ethics. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Builds on a mans need for meaning à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Is orientated along long-term goal and focuses more on missions and strategies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Identifying and developing new idea à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Designs and restructure jobs to make them meaningful and challenging Leadership Strategy of Shell Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies. The parent company of the Shell group is Royal Dutch Shell plc. This is incorporated in England and Wales. The strategy of this group is seeks to reinforce the position as a leader in the oil and gas industry in order to provide a competitive shareholder. The leadership strategy used by Shell includes these elements as bellow; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Builds shared vision à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Maximises business opportunities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Champions customer focus à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Demonstrates professional mastery à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Displays personal effectiveness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Motivates, coaches and develops à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Values differences à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Delivers results With a current market capitalisation of 292 billion dollars (2009), 278 billion dollars in annual review, operation in more than 150 countries, Shell is one of the largest businesses, but never as one of the fastest. With its 100 year history, its deep sense of tradition, and its carefully and longevity, but never as one of creativity or innovation. They use old traditional theory like authoritative style of leadership which based on upward directions. Leaders are creating strategy for the team and work with the subordinates on these policies. The rules and regulation made by the leaders are followed by the team members. Steve Miller, group managing director of the Shell group of companies, who guide the day to day activities, but two year after the company had lunched transformational leadership style. The upper level managers had shown their efforts, but employee morale continued to slip. Suggestion A successful organisation depends on leadership and a new approach to providing it. The leader has to find the proper vision to empower these frontline people, to challenge them, to provide them with their required resources and hold them accountable. As the followers are struggling with challenge, the leader becomes their coach, teacher and as well as facilitator. As employee move upwards in an organisation, they get caught up in board strategic issues, legal issues, stakeholder issues. They need a common understanding of the business which drives execution. Conclusion The review of leadership theory and example in use to the Shell group of company it would conclude that a limited version of transformational leadership is being promoted. The qualities and behaviour exhibited by the leader that encourages the followers participation, development and commitment. Leader is seen to act as a visionary equipped with a set of goal though communication, problem solving, people management, decision making, etc. that can be applied a diverse range of situations. TASK-3 Planning For Leadership Introduction Today the business environment is quite fast paces with the changing economy rapidly. There is a need for an organisation to implement competitive advantage, such as identify the sources of competitive advantage, implementing them and how to defend them. Organisations are using financial resources to get an edge over their competitors. They could also reliable their human resources or another is through implementation of technological changes. With all these, it can be tricky for an organisation to balance the three aspects. Porter, 1985. Virtual Organisation The word virtual organization is to be called as a network of independent organisation. The firms are temporarily join together to produce a service or product. It is consult with such term as virtual teams, virtual office, and virtual leadership. Advance information technology becomes an important element. That is why the success of a virtual organisation. Computerised information systems allow employees from geographically dispersed location to link up with one another. Virtual team members need to learn new skills like they are total lack or face to face contact. So they need the skill is the ability to interact with everyone in an effective manner. Another one is the ability to assimilate quickly and effectively into new teams. They may need computer based technologies as well as intercultural skills to work effectively in multinational organisations. Virtual leaders required new skills to lead in the different environment to virtual operations and sustain virtual relationship with internal as well as external constituents to support their team. For an example; like Apple computer and Sun Microsystems. When Apple computer linked its easy- to-use software with Sonys manufacturing skills in miniaturization, Apple was able to get product to market quickly and gain a market share in the notebook of the PC industry. Mergers and Take Overs Mergers and takeovers are an action of an organisation. They turn two companies in a single legal entity. Two organisation combine together to improve the organisational performance and shareholders value over the long time period. Historically mergers are occur in periodic burst, typically included by economic shocks such as, changing environment, cost of goods, deregulation, technology, political uncertainty and demand reduction. During the period of corporate change leadership has a profound effect on stakeholders. ASDA has announced in May 2010 that it is to take over Netto store. This is the great example of horizontal integration. This will increase their market share and to compete with Tesco. e- Leadership E-Leadership means a balancing many roles and carrying them out via communications technologies. Leadership is not only a job or a position; it is a way of being the world. As an e-leadership in the world today, it need to bring people together around the world, through national, geographic and cultural, using communications technologies tools to achieve the strategic goal. E-Leadership takes place in the context of e-environment in which the work is mediated by information technology particularly the internet (Hani, 2001). Development of leadership skills Everyone can develop their capacity to lead a party or a committee, or a group. When someone already committed, and practised using their capabilities in their life, they can develop their own skills as a leader. Mainly leadership skills are the skills that can use in various situations. This type of skills called as situational theory. It does not mean that assessing the leadership styles will identify the strength and weakness, but it can be develop the leadership skills. Golden Rule at Work- The skills which we used at work every day like the way treating others is wish to be treated. It is not always easy as it sounds. In an organisation leaders need to keep balance of short term results and long term job satisfaction. Coaching and Teaching- some leadership skills has to develop with the help of coaching and teaching as well. This is especially effective, where leaders may be lead as expert and should be interested in the development of the group or people. In this situation leader can develop coaching skills by face to face with others. Delegating Task- Delegating task is not only giving the work to someone and runaway. It is not only extra knowledge or experience for the co-worker, but it works in trust. This type of skill can be develop by giving less task, which could be complete by the certain time with a good result. As the task become easy to do and comfortable leader can start delegating more and more difficult tasks. Democracy at Work- This type of skill we said simply encouraging independent at work. It allows the co-workers to believe they have right direction the team is going. It can be say democratic leadership styles. Among them they discussing with others that often comes with freedom to take any decisions, while it takes a long time. Emotional Intelligence Leadership Skills- Emotional intelligence skills are in natural and leading other with successfully interacting through people. The skill helps the leader to understand the dynamic of those interactions. Self-Awareness is our ability to determined that the position of the leader by self. It is the ability to understand the emotions, moods, and motivations. Self-Regulation is the skills that more responsibility with control the emotions. It controls the emotions which will be counter productivity to desire the goal. Motivational Skills- Motivation skills come from external source, like managers recognition for a job well done, and internal sources like self-motivation or internal motivation. As a leader it is very important to identify the key which motivates more at work. Empathy Skills- It is the skills that involves in the relationship with the co-worker. It is ability to understand someones point view. The skill has the ability to understand the impact change on someone else. Social Skills- To develop these skills you need to be socialise others. It works in networking style in a work setting. The followers need to listen their leader and take interest on listening. Need to be able to develop and guide followers using social skills. Conclusion Without any leadership, most strategic plans of an organisation will end up as dead piece of paper.

Gauss Guns :: physics gauss gun

The theory behind gauss guns is that you can take electrical energy and convert it to kinetic energy by using an electromagnetic energy storage field. In essence, you take a ferrous object (the projectile) and place it at one end of a hollow solenoid. When electricity is applied to the coils inside the solenoid, a magnetic field is generated which pulls the projectile towards the center of the coils. As the projectile reaches the center and continues, the magnetic pull decreases and eventually reverses. Before this happens, you need to either shut off the field, or reverse it. This will allow the particle to continue out the opposite side of the solenoid and beyond, thus being a "gun". This system cannot make for a very powerful projectile without becoming prohibitively draining in terms of power for the coils. But it is possible to line up multiple coils and by carefully timing electrical pulses fire the projectile with much more acceleration. However, in terms of a man-portable "gun", anything beyond a single stage would be too heavy, while a single stage gun that is portable cannot generate too much force. Thus, there are no soldiers carrying Gauss rifles. The formula for Projectile Force from a Gauss Gun F = A*N*I(((ÃŽ ¼0*N*I)/(2*(c)2))+(1/CL)) Breakdown of Formula: F = Final force of projectile, in Newtons A = Area of cross-section of barrel, in meters N = Number of turns in solenoid coil I = Current through coils, in Amperes ÃŽ ¼0 = The permeability of free space (12.5663*10-7) in Teslas c = (ra/2b) Found from measurements in figure 1 C = Quantity of electric charge, in Coulombs (A/s) L = Length of barrel, in meters Using this formula and the mass of your projectile, you can determine the acceleration your projectile will have when exiting the gun. (F=ma) There are too many variables to ever find a perfectly efficient setup for a gauss gun, but it is possible to find various setups that provide a very high level of efficiency. If you are looking to see a gauss gun being used as a weapon, your best bet is too run out and buy some futuristic video game. At this point in time, there are no known (unclassified?) portable weapons that fire with electromagnetic forces. However, some prototype, tabletop sized models have been built, and below you can find some links to see some current experiments in Gauss Gun technology. Sam Barros's POWERLABS currently has built a nice single stage Gauss Gun and there are also developing a powerful multi-stage gun.

Black Boy-Oppression :: essays research papers

*Black Boy Essay: Oppression Growing up as a Negro in the South in the early 1900's is not that easy, some people suffer different forms of oppression. In this case, it happens in the autobiography called Black Boy written by Richard Wright. The novel is set in the early part of the 1900's, somewhere in Deep South. Richard Wright, who is the main character, is also the protagonist. The antagonist is no one person specifically, it takes many different forms called "oppression" in general. The main character over comes this "oppression" by rebelling against the common roles of the black, society. Richard Wright's character was affected in early childhood by the effects of society oppression, but he became a great American author despite the negative factors in his life. Today everyone encounters some form of oppression. One of the forms Richard is encountering is called societal oppression. As an example, after Richard sees a "black" boy whipped by a "white" man, he asks his mother why did the incident happen. His mother says, " 'The "white" man did not whip the "black" boy...He beat the "black" boy, '. This quote is showing racism, which is one way of society keeping Richard, and all other blacks in the South down. Another example is when is at the rail road station with his mother, and as they are waiting for the train, he sees something he has never seen, "...for the first time I noticed that there were two lines of people at the ticket window, a "white" line and a "black" line†. This is demonstrating how laws keep a certain group of people apart, which is also another form of society oppression. Society oppression occurs again when Richard is "hanging" out with his friends, and their conversation with each other leads on to the subject of war. One of his friends gets really into the subject and says, " 'Yeah, they send you to war, make you lick them Germans, teach you how to fight and when you come back they scared of you.’ This means that the "white" people put the "black" people on the front line to defend our country, and when they come back, they can not accept them, therefore they oppress them in different ways, which is society oppression. These are examples of society oppression that Richard overcomes and rises to the top on his own.

Letters vs. E-mail Essay -- Communication Writing Technology Essays

Letters vs. E-mail: Communicating through Writing My grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins live in Ireland leaving oceans and expensive air fare separating us. Through pictures, stories, letters, and phone calls I have come to know the history of my family, what brought my mother to this country, and what a life in Ireland is like. However, over time these forms of communication were not strong and consistent enough to enable me to build an emotional connection and relationship with specific members of my family. I mainly just heard my mother’s point of view and got to know my family through her experiences with them. That was before the invention of electronic mail, a faster, cheaper outlet for communication that can reach anyone in the world who has access to the World Wide Web. Without technology, cyber space, and e-mail I would have very little communication and understanding of my family in Ireland. Prior to the creation of e-mail, writing letters was the best way to communicate overseas or anywhere a phone company considered long distance. Phone calls were too expensive and the time difference between Ireland and Michigan made it inconvenient to reach someone at a suitable hour. Phone numbers and area codes are also constantly changing while e-mail addresses stay with you wherever you go. While I was in High School my family moved three times, making it difficult for my relatives overseas to keep up with which number was the most recent. However, they knew it was still possible to get a hold of us via e-mail. Communicating through letters was exhausting, demanded time, and required readable penmanship. It could take almost two weeks to receive mail and half the time it would... ...f writing provide for a fast and effective mode of communication. There are both positive and negative characteristics associated with the use of the postal mail system and the handwritten letter versus electronic mail and computer created text. However, without the invention of e-mail it would not be possible for me to communicate and keep in touch with my family overseas as often and frequently as I do. Thanks to e-mail I can now build a better relationship with family members I seldom get to physically interact with. Works Cited Baron, Dennis. â€Å"From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies.† Tribble and Trubek 36. Lesser, Wendy. â€Å"The Conversion.† Tribble and Trubek, 227-231. Tribble, Evelyn, and Trubek, Anne, eds. Writing Material: Readings from Plato to the Digital Age. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc., 2003

Thoughts on Love Dating and Marriage

There are many different thoughts about dating, love and marriage. I had the pleasure of interviewing six co-workers from different lifestyle regarding their views on these matters. I will compare their thoughts with the theories of love and attachment. The social science theories that help us understand the components and processes of love include attachment theory, Reiss’s wheel theory of love, Sternberg’s triangular theory of love, Lee’s research on the styles of loving, and exchange theories. Many people perceive marriage as an important occasion in their lives, while others take marriage for granted and not that serious. Do people just hate each other after a while? What happens when the vows are in place, do people get too relax into their real selves? Or is it just unrealistic today? Dan a Gay Caucasian 43 yr. old male feels that marriage is fading away. He doesn’t know if people understand what they are entering into, rather it is love or lust. Dan feels that these idealistic dreams often sweep people off of their feet and then in a few years or less – Reality Hits – Ouch! Marriage is no longer a bringing together of a family, business or wealth. † It is actually based on this strange concept called love and with the concept of family to some people. Families are not the stable, strong and the dominant group that is shaping the young. â€Å"Families are unstable and weak however bonds are weaker. † As far as Gay marriages goes Dan fee ls that it should be legal and that it should not be called or treated and different than a marriage. Even though the church doesn’t rule the populace anymore Dan feels that marriage should be a legal coupling and not a religious coupling. Then he yelled â€Å"WHY DON’T PEOPLE STOP SAYING MARRIAGE IS SOME SACRED INSTITUTION THAT CANNOT BE DARKENED BY THE EVIL GAYS. WITH THE DIVORCE RATE THAT WE HAVE, the agreement that marriage is some sacred institution just rings hollow. Dan feels that an arranged marriage seems to last longer than marriage of choice and that people seem to grow to love each other that are put together by religion or family. However he will never support the mandating of an arranged marriage. Dan was heartbroken over premarital sex due to people not being responsible and protecting themselves. It saddened him to think about the many unwanted babies and the quantity of single mothers that we have in the economy today. These children and mothers are really being robbed of the American Dream. Dan believes that some people can find love on the internet the same way that his mom found her soul mate there. He believes that everyone should be happy. Next I interviewed three Caucasian women, Marcie a29yr old woman divorced once and remarried again with one child by the second marriage. Nikki, divorce twice and she is single mother of two with one child that diagnosed as being autistic. Then there is Kaitlyn a 22yr old white bisexual lady. Even though these women came from different beliefs and lifestyles their opinions on these issues were pretty much the same. They believe that choosing a lover, a husband and a partner is based on one’s personality and the way that they were raised. All three believes that people should live together before getting married. Nikki and Marcie do not believe in open marriages and feels that an open marriage allows each other to cheat and be with someone else. Kaitlyn on the other hand feel that an individual can love more than one person. She is all for open marriages. It’s funny, but all three women have found their recent husband or lover on the internet. They seem to be happy and would recommend internet dating to their friends. Marcie and Kaitlyn believe in premarital sex while Nikki is still deep-rooted by some of her family beliefs which are not to have sex until married. As you can see love is beyond constraints in these women lives. Last but not least there is Craig and Shon. Craig is a 52yr old Caucasian male and Shon is a 40year old African American. Both men were married and are now divorce with children in their twenties. Soon these men will be moving in with their girlfriend of three years. Even though open marriages are not for them, Craig believes in â€Å"What floats your boat. † While Shon showed a little jealously about the situation. He feels that people should not play with emotions because when he is with someone he is with that person. In these men lives, they believe that marriage is the act of a physical union. They have free choice over arranged marriages even if cultural differences play a role in certain marriages. They support two people who have a bond to be able to have their marriage recognized by the state and church. In their eyes Gay marriages is a civil rights movement and have no complaints about a person who wants to stay single. It’s your choice and whatever floats your boat. Just live life and be happy. Even though I have not talked about the theories one on one in this report one can see that all theories applied to every person that was interviewed. However I will explain each theory the way that our text clarified it. Attachment theory proposes that our primary motivation in life is to be connected with other people because this is the only true security we will ever have. The Attachment theory comes in three different styles. * Secure style: I find it easy to get close to others and am comfortable depending on them and having them depends on me. I don’t often worry about being abandoned or about someone get-ting too close to me. * Avoidant style: I am somewhat uncomfortable being close to others; I find it difficult to trust them completely and to depend on them. I am nervous when anyone gets too close and when lovers want me to be more intimate than I feel comfortable being. Anxious/ ambivalent style: Others are reluctant to get as close as I would like. I often worry that my partner doesn’t really love me or won’t want to stay with me. I want to merge completely with another person, and this desire sometimes scares people away. Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love According to Sternberg, the mix of intimacy, passion, and commitment can vary from one relation-ship to another. Relationships thus range from nonlove, in which all three components are absent, to consummate love, in which all the elements are present. Intimacy encompasses feelings of closeness, connectedness, and bonding. * Passion leads to romance, physical attraction, and sexual consummation. * Decision/ commitment have a short- and a long-term dimension. In the short term, partners make a decision to love each other; in the long term, they make a commitment to maintain that love over time. Lee’s Styles of Loving According to Lee, there are six basic styles of loving: Eros, mania, ludus, storge, agape, and pragma, all of which overlap and may vary in intensity * Eros means love of beauty. Because it is also characterized by powerful physical attraction, eros epitomizes â€Å"love at first sight. † This is the kind of love, often described in romance novels, in which the lovers experience palpitations, light-headedness, and intense emotional desire. Erotic lovers want to know everything about each other— what she or he dreamed about last night and what happened on the way to work today. They often like to wear matching T- shirts and matching colors, to order the same foods when dining out, and to be identified with each other as totally as possible. MANIA Characterized by obsessiveness, jealousy, possessiveness, and intense dependency, mania may be expressed as anxiety, sleeplessness, and loss of appetite, headaches, and even suicide because of real or imagined rejection by the desired person. Manic lovers are consumed by thoughts of their beloved and have an insatiable need for attention and signs of affection. Mania is often associated with low self- es teem and a poor self- concept. As a result, manic people typically are not attractive to individuals who have a strong self- concept and high self- esteem. LUDUS is carefree and casual love that is considered â€Å"fun and games. † Ludic lovers often have several partners at one time and are not possessive or jealous, primarily because they don’t want their lovers to become dependent on them. Ludic lovers have sex for fun, not emotional rapport. In their sexual encounters, they are typically self- centered and may be exploitative because they do not want commitment, which they consider â€Å"scary. † * STORGE is a slow-burning, peaceful, and affectionate love that comes with the passage of time and the enjoyment of shared activities. Storgic relationships lack the ecstatic highs and lows that characterize some other styles. Sociologist Ira Reiss and his associates proposed a â€Å"wheel theory† of love that generated much research for several decades. Reiss described four stages of love: rapport, self- revelation, mutual dependency, and personality need fulfillment. In the first stage, partners establish rapport based on cultural backgrounds with similar upbringing, social class, religion, and educational level. Without this rapport, according to Reiss, would- be lovers do not have enough in common to establish an initial interest. In the second stage, self- revelation brings the couple closer together. Because each person feels more at ease in the relationship, she or he is more likely to discuss hopes, desires, fears, and ambitions and to engage in sexual activities. In the third stage, as the couple becomes more intimate, the partners’ mutual dependency in-creases: They exchange ideas, jokes, and sexual desires. In the fourth and final stage, the couple experiences personality need fulfillment. The partners confide in each other, make mutual decisions, support each other’s ambitions, and bolster each other’s self- confidence. Like spokes on a wheel, these stages can turn many times that is, they can be repeated. For example, partners build some rapport, and then reveal bits of them, then build more rapport, then begin to exchange ideas, and so on. The spokes may keep turning to produce a deep and lasting relationship. Or, during a fleeting romance, the wheel may stop after a few turns. Information taken from Marriages & Families: Changes, Choices, and Constraints, Seventh Edition by Nijole V. Benokraitis My personal interviews with Nikki, Dan, Craig, Shon, Marcie and Kaitlyn.

Log Mgmt

Log Management in the Cloud: A Comparison of In-House versus Cloud-Based Management of Log Data A SANS Whitepapers – October 2008 Written by: Jerry Sheen Sponsored by Alert Logic Basic Practices Questions for the Cloud Provider Considerations for In-House Log Management Executive Summary In the 2008 SANS Log Management Survey, 20 percent of respondents who were satisfied with their log management systems spent more than one week each month on log analysis. Most of those companies were in the Global 2000.The remaining small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB) and government organizations spent twine a half-day to five days per month on log analysis. The survey also showed that, because of difficulties in setup and integration, most organizations have only achieved partial automation of their log management and reporting processes. These difficulties have organizations, particularly SMB, wondering if they should turn over log management to an in-cloud provider†one that prov ides their log management software and log data storage over the Internet.In January, 2008, Stephen Northup, president of the SANS Technology Institute, wrote that there are pitfalls with putting log management in-the-cloud. On the plus side, he adds, â€Å"you will almost certainly save money. In addition, real experts on log analysis are hard to find†¦ † 1 Recently, vendors began offering log management in-the-cloud (otherwise known as Software as a Service or AAAS), as a way to simplify log management because the provider can dedicate the material resources and retain the talented, focused personnel to do a better Job for less money.This particularly makes sense not only for SMB without the dedicated manpower, but also for enterprises whose IT resources are stretched trying to manage multiple distributed Lana. While IT managers agree that log management is difficult, they are leery about handing over their log data to a third party application provider because the dat a might not be available when they need it, not to mention the sensitive nature of some of the data that shows up in log files.Before deploying or overhauling log management systems, organizations need to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each model in context of their business requirements. To simplify the process, this paper presents some questions to consider when vetting those business needs against each (and in many cases, both) of these log management models. Www. Sans. Du/resources/leadership/log_logic_interview. PH Log Management in the Cloud Basic Practices When looking at both models of log management (internally or in the cloud), begin with the end in mind by clearly laying out the reasons you want to collect log data.The following are some pre-selection tenets to keep in mind when considering both models of log management: Identify Your Goals One of the keys to any successful project deployment is identifying the goals before starting. Log management needs are differen t for each business unit staking a claim in the process. The IT group may be interested in the value of log data for problem solution; the security team may be interested in information management or event management tied into an overall SEEM; and the audit and compliance group is most likely interested in tracking what people are doing in regard to sensitive data.Other possible uses for log data include marketing, forensics and HER accounting. As they identify goals, companies would do well to consider the broader advantages of log management and analysis, and look for systems or services that will allow a migration toward a more complete use of log data in the future. Of importance to all groups is the type of reporting supplied by the service or system. Log management systems often have reporting that is geared toward compliance for PC, SOX, HAIFA and other similar standards.Apart from required reports, log management can generate reports that are helpful for system maintenance, security management and many other purposes. Whether log management is handled in-house or in the cloud, reporting and correlation features should be easy to use and able to meet current and future business goals. Locate Resources Critical to the success of any log management initiative is finding the staff needed to implement, manage and maintain the system. This is particularly difficult for SMB and government agencies that can't afford top dollar for IT talent.Yet, according to a Gardner paper in May of 20082, compliance drivers are pushing organizations with smaller security staffs to acquire log management systems. In these cases, in-cloud services make sense. Larger organizations with dedicated security staffs and advanced log management processes, on the other hand, are more likely to keep log management functions in-house. But even those organizations might use log management services for branches, or as a part of their larger security or network management operations. 2 GO 56945, Mark Nicole and Kelly Savanna's.SANS Analyst Program Try Before You Buy The computer industry is fraught with solutions that don't work nearly as well as they purport. So, testing and trial use is critical to determine whether the system or service suits your needs. Put the search interface through its paces to test for functionality and accuracy. Start off with a few devices sending log data, but also set up as many devices as you are allowed to test during the trial period. Some log management systems work very well for a small amount of data; but as the data feed test larger, the performance goes down quickly†and the systems or services can miss events.A good way to test the system or service is to send some suspicious data to a device that is being monitored. Then go look for that particular data to make sure it's all there in the logs. One way to do this is to use the Kiwi Slog Message Generators to send messages to the target, for example by using an option in the program to send a simple text message followed by a number. This makes it simple to see if any of the test messages have been picked up by the log management system or service and reported upon as required.If there is a security component to the monitoring service (there usually is), try attacking your server and see how the provider responds. The specifics of how you would do this testing will vary with your goals, but logging in as a user and intentionally mistyping the password enough times to lock the account should get a response from the log service or system. I have actively used this testing approach on some appliances that collected security information and never got a response. If you choose to do this kind of testing, start slowly to get an idea of where the response threshold is.In addition to testing for nationality and security, pay attention to the user interface. In most cases, this will be a Web-based front end. Go through all the options and make sure they work. A lso, make sure that responses to the GUI are intuitive. If you have a report that you need regularly, you should be able to get that report reasonably easily, even have it e- mailed to a specified account. Custom reports and specialized reports may be more complicated to receive as a test, but the basic flow of the system should make sense.Finally, make sure that the people who will use the service test the interface before decisions are finalized. Www. Sociology. Com/kiwi-slogged-overview Questions for the Cloud Provider Selecting a log management software service provider is more like cementing a partnership than making a purchase. The service provider will have copies of critical log data†at times they may have the only copies of that data. The table below offers a quick snapshot of what to cover in a Service Level Agreement with a log management cloud service provider.Following that are questions to consider before taking the plunge. AAAS availability No more than 2 minute s of downtime a day and no more than 5 minutes per week. Timeliness of log data showing up in system Individual logged events must be available to a search from the customer portal within 90 seconds of the event. Timeliness of log data analysis Regulatory compliance Alerts must be delivered to the client within 30 minutes of a critical event. The AAAS provider must maintain compliance to changing regulations within 30 days of notification of change.New attack vectors should be applied to the processing system within 24 hours of a new attack being identified. The processing system must be upgraded to support changes and modifications to alerting from supported systems when systems are available for mineral release. Prompt upgrades to support new attack vectors Prompt upgrades to support upgrades to hardware and software 4 When considering cloud-based log management applications, organizations should ask the following questions (most of which can also be applied to in-house log manage ment systems): Is It Safe?Many IT managers are concerned with the safety of their log data, and rightly so: Log data can be dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands. Attackers can get valuable information from reading the logs. For example, they can see if their attacks work, been known to show up in logs). Log data as common as Web or e-mail traffic often contains confidential information. Having control of logs can be useful to attackers who, in some cases, will try to clean the log data to remove any traces of their activity. Therefore, it's important to look at the safety of log data†whether it's stored on- or off-site.If the log data is stored locally, it's often kept on each individual computer producing the data. Larger organizations will have log servers that will store the log data in a centralized attached storage device. Those systems are, in an ideal situation, secured and difficult to break into. In the cloud model, this data storage would be handed off to the c loud provider, which relieves the organization of the hardware, security and HER burdens involved with keeping storage in-house. However, as they lose control of that data, organizations must rely on the cloud service to handle their data securely.The issue of whether a service organization is competent is difficult to determine, and is ultimately based on reputation. Cloud providers must create a trust model as they manage collected log data securely and separately in a multi-tenant environment. This creates the need for additional layers of security to operate multiple tenants from one another on a shared server, while also protecting the data stores from attackers. Firewalls, encryption and data loss prevention are all areas of security that apply to sensitive log data stored in the cloud†a cloud that's increasingly brutalized.Fertilization, in itself, is not necessarily a negative, as long as proper security procedures are followed within the virtual cloud. The same charac teristics of fertilization that make it a concern as a hacking agent also provide a hiding technology that has the potential to make user accounts harder for attackers o access. Already security vendors are developing virtual technologies so that their anti-mallard products can't be detected and overruled by today's kernel boot- level rootlets. 5 How Is It Transported?Ask the cloud provider for specifics about how the data gets transmitted from your systems to their operations center. Is the data encrypted in transit? What type and strength of encryption is used? Is the encryption proprietary? Be wary of providers that claim their encryption information is confidential or proprietary; instead, look for providers that use proven technologies such as SSL or AES. There are numerous examples of companies that have invested vast amounts of money in creating their own encryption technologies only to find out after release that they missed a critical component.How Are Keys Stored? It would be easier for a log management vendor to use the same encryption secrets client, that attacker can access the accounts of all clients. A different key for each customer account would not only offer better protection against customers accessing one another's accounts, but also against an attacker cracking a password and getting the keys to the entire kingdom. Logical separation of key storage is also important for the same reasons. How Often Is The Data Transmitted? Most log management systems send data in batch mode.The collection appliance typically waits for either a specified time or amount of data before transmission. In general, a quicker frequency is better because the data is getting processed faster. More frequent transmission minimizes traffic bursts and gives an attacker less time to interrupt or block the transmission of alerts, a technique attackers use in an attempt to avoid detection. What Is The Level Of Compression and Bandwidth Utilization? Bandwidth utilization is a question that you'll want to keep an eye on as you test your log management service.It is common to get 90 percent compression or better on ASCII (plain text) logs, while binary log compression ratios may be less. If your Internet connection is currently heavily utilized, the log traffic may impede other traffic, and you'll want to plan for this issue ahead of time. One way to monitor the bandwidth is to capture traffic statistics using Net Flows. If you aren't monitoring your overall Internet traffic utilization, it's best to get a handle on that prior to implementing a log management service and use this number as a baseline. What Backup and Redundancy Is Included ? If a cloud provider claims to be set up to handle this type of data correctly, verify that it is, in fact, doing a better Job than you would. The provider should have data stored at multiple locations and secure backups for redundancy. Check, too, with the company that is actually doing storage. In the cloud model, storage could be handed off to another vendor. Ask questions about how stored data is encrypted, how it is transferred, where the tapes or other media are stored, and if there is a process for racking tapes.Find out how long backup data is retained, how it's destroyed, and what happens to the data if the service is terminated. It will probably be impossible to verify most of this, but the cloud provider should be able to answer questions and provide benchmarks, customer references, service agreements and other documentation. What Are The Responding Options? System. These built-in reports typically cover things like regulatory compliance and common performance and security metrics. Verify that the reports your organization needs are included as overbuilt reports, or that they're easy enough to customize.Often, reporting is not as straightforward as people would like it to be. Sometimes, the logging application won't provide the required information directly, but it may be available i ndirectly. For example, a security manager may want to identify invalid session IDs on a Web site because a high frequency of invalid session IDs may point to an attacker trying to guess a session ID and clone or hijack the session. If the log manager doesn't report that information directly, it may be possible to get similar information by tracking the number of connections built from any given IP address. How Much Of The Data Is Actively Searchable?In some cases, the most recent data will be more quickly accessible for searching than data that has been removed from an active state. Moving data out of an active part of the database can make databases faster, so some data may be moved into an area that provides slower access. Ask if there are any special requirements to access archived data or whether the only issue is a performance penalty†and request a demonstration. 7 How Much Of The Data Is Stored? If data is moved out of primary storage, is the full log data retained or w ill recovery of data be limited to searchable data fields and metadata?If some detail is eliminated, determine whether this will cause problems with regulatory compliance, forensics processes and other log management and reporting needs required across your organization. If there are processes that automatically eliminate some data, can those processes be suspended for special circumstances, such as litigation requiring the preservation of data? How long does it take to make such changes? What Log Data Will Be Accepted? What specific devices, operating systems and applications are supported?Several operating systems and hundreds of widely used appliances and devices are critical o today's diverse organizational IT infrastructures. The number of applications a log manager may be called upon to understand is staggering. Prioritize on all your critical devices and applications. How are they supported by the service provider, and how thorough is that support? How Are Its Instructions Fo r Setting Up Devices? Log management can become more complicated as the number of log-producing for setting up devices, operating systems and applications that need to be monitored.Often, a company will need to deviate from the normal setup procedure, based on the peculiarities of its business that complicate the log data life cycle. As a result, setup instructions should be termed as guidelines, not hard and fast rules. Rules often must be massaged to work with the varying operating systems and applications (including their versions) that an organization needs coverage for. 8 How Are Alerts Determined? If the cloud provider is offering to send alerts for events of interest, find out how they determine what is of interest and compare that to what is of interest to your organization.Are they looking solely at security events or do they include more routine support and maintenance events? If the events of interest include both types f events, how do they distinguish between the two? H ow much involvement does the log management client have in setting up what alerts are of interest to them? If a drive runs out of space, for example, that can often be Just as big a problem as an attacker compromising a system. Ask, also, if they can correlate related events to give the analysis situational awareness. For example, an administrator logging into a domain controller at 10 a. . And creating a user is quite different from the DNS process starting a command shell and creating a user in the middle of the night. In both cases, a user is being created. In the first instance, the process seems normal; but in the second instance this combination of events could be associated with the RPC DNS exploit as demonstrated in an April, 2007, SANS Webmaster. Cloud (and in- house systems) should, therefore, include situational awareness to understand when creating a user is a normal event and when, as in the second example, it is not normal.In addition to automated monitoring and alerts , it would be ideal if cloud providers could offer human review of logs as an add-on fee for service. Human review is required under some regulations, and is a good basic best practice for organizations to follow because automated systems don't catch everything. How Quickly Does Processing Occur? Timing is an important issue with log management that the cloud model is well- suited to address. One typical problem with in-house log management is that events are often found after a problem is noticed.It is, of course, best to detect log events leading up to a critical event in order to avoid the critical event. The question about processing speed encompasses a number of different issues: Once an event has been logged at the local device, how long does it take for that event to show up in the yester? If that event should trigger an alert, how long will it be before the alert is relayed to the client IT department? Is there an option for the vendor to do more than April 24, 2007 Webmaste r – www. Sans. Org/websites/show. PH? Beastie=90861 9 How Often Are The Alerts Updated? Operating systems and network devices are constantly coming under new and different attacks requiring new responses. The errors from these devices also change with some upgrades, so it is important for the Log Management provider to conduct regular and timely updates to its system, and respond reasonably when errors occur. How Are System Upgrades Handled? In the cloud, upgrades to the log management systems are handled by the provider, thereby relieving the organization from having to maintain these systems in-house.There is a risk, however, that the upgrades may cause outages in coverage by accidentally introducing new compatibility or protocol problems. It would be a good to ask the cloud provider about how upgrades are handled and how clients are protected during the upgrades. By the same token, how would updates to any internal system log-generating devices affect the cloud provider's coverage? 10 Considerations for In-House Log Management Many of the same questions that apply to companies offering log management service in the cloud also apply to internally-managed log management systems.The 2008 SANS Annual Log Management survey indicates it is still incredibly difficult to automate log management systems to the degree organizations need. A recent article by Patrick Mueller in Information Week refers to log management as a â€Å"monster. † Just because it's difficult doesn't mean log management needs to be outsourced. When weighing in-house log management, consider the following factors: Could A Personal Change Ruin Your Log Management Process? Log management is often the pet project of one person while the rest of the IT staff tries not to get involved.If that person leaves the company, it can be difficult for initiatives. Will Your Staff Monitor The Logs Regularly And Maintain Updates? Log management services have requirements built into their contract s for response time and full-time monitoring. Can your staff live up to those same expectations? One of the issues for log management companies is keeping up with updates to applications, operating systems and regulatory issues. Is your staff able to keep up with the changes? As an example, how did your staff do when Windows Server 2008 changed all its event Ids?At the time, most administrators used a collection of scripts; however, all those scripts, which were working, suddenly became broken. Floggers lashed out about it. For a log administrator who finally has everything working, that sort of a situation can be a demoralizing surprise. Maintaining updates and monitoring logs is complicated by the fact that most companies support a diversity of logging devices. To properly support local log management, an IT group will need to work with different vendors ho use different types of log data.At times, it may be necessary to bring in consultants to assist with tracking down specific i ssues. Organizations need to consider the associated costs and frustrations of working with multiple vendors and integrators along with the costs of the initial deployment and ongoing internal staffing requirements. 56 www. Informational. Com/story/charities. Jhtml? Articled=208400730 www. ultimate windows security. Com/wick/WindowsServer2008VistaSecurityLog. Sash 11 Roll Your Own Or Buy An Appliance? A big debate in the log management arena is how to deploy log management tools.According to the SANS Log Management survey, the majority of organizations (38 percent) are building home grown solutions through the use of slog servers, custom scripts and applications. The remaining respondents used a combination of commercial software and appliance-based tools or checked â€Å"other. † In either case, organizations are not happy with their level of automated correlation or system coverage, according to the survey. Coverage, automation, correlation and access must all be addressed, maintained and improved upon as needs dictate, regardless of which option is chosen.