Late Stage Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Late Stage Abortion - Essay Example This essay demonstrates different opinions and controversial meanings, that often surround abortion topic. This essay specifically takes a look on woman's right on abortion in general and late stage abortion as well. Controversial opinions of doctors and researches are also represented, but all agree that babies and their mothers have the right to be protected. This essay focues on what makes abortion victims. Its' suggests that the victim is not only denied experiences and projects, but there are some other things, which the aborted fetus cannot enjoy now but would have experienced them in future, which the fetus is denied or deprived of. There are also questions discussed such as: is it correct or not to kill unborn babies because it deprives them of their future. Late stage abortion is, mostly considered as wrong because logical arguments that surround it are about human rights. Some people claim that a woman has a right to privacy, entitled to her own decisions and act or behave in accordance to her own body to be carried out in terms of protection. However, when it comes to her committing an issue such as late stage abortion, their actions may be questioned. In conclusion, this essay simplifies to the two main conflicting events in this scenario. First one is whereby the women has the right to act to her own body and right to privacy. Or whether or not two individuals rights need to be in agreement, woman's and her unborn child. In addition, the women has obligation to the baby because she avoided using contraception to ward off pregnancy.

Histone Deacetylase Sirtuin 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Histone Deacetylase Sirtuin 1 - Essay Example A comparison was then made of the methylated genes at different stages for their commonality and uniqueness in order to find the pattern across the stages of LUAD. Validation and ranking of the patterns for their significance were made using literature evidence. Consequently, the ranked patterns were later analyzed as potential targets of LUAD. Limitations of the study were also identified including lack of laboratory validation of identified targets and availability of information on TCGA. A number of results were obtained through table analysis. After the assessment, it was observed that the highest number of significant DNA methylated genes were found in stage III and the least in stage I. Upon reviewing the table which listed the common significant DNA methylated genes across and between stages it was found that sampled 10 genes it was found that the three most hypermethylated genes were found to be in stage III. The rest of the genes that were hypomethylated were distributed acr oss stage II and I, with the least hypomethylated in stage I. The above hypermethylated and hypomethylated genes were further analyzed with respect to their methylation inside and outside of the CpG islands. â€Å"It was identified that hypermethylated genes in Stages I and III and hypomethylated genes in Stage II were mostly identified in TRUE CpG sites† ( Yang et. al. 37256). When network construction and analysis was done it was found that a greater degree of interaction existed within the significant DNA methylated genes.

Review of literature

Review of literature REVIEW OF LITERATURE Porters (1980) segmentation analysis has plenty of value to describe competition amongst participants. This approach establishes how and by which means positions of dominance are achieved. Studies based on this methodology have been applied to banking to assess the competitive process. Finlay (2000) suggested that Market Penetration fits strategically for a firm when current markets are not saturated for the types of offer the firm is making and its present customers can be induced to buy more. And typically, when a company wants to attack the market share of the competitors, they will undertake market penetration as a way of increasing their own share in the market. Similarly, Oster (1994) contended that the size of the market share held by the firm as well as the size of the major firms in the market are important considerations. He suggests that firms with relatively small market shares can increase their market share many times over without adversely affecting the overall market share of a large market leader. A study by Philp Robert, Haynes Paula, Helms Marilyn (1992) stated that growth through a market penetration strategy, reaching and influencing customers already served, has proved to be a less profitable course of action than expected. This strategy failed to achieve the projected growth not because of the basic plan itself, but rather due to its improper implementation. Financial service providers have typically viewed their primary customer base as males between 30 and 50 years old (Bartos, 1982). These men are seen as the primary wage earners and decision makers for financial planning in their households. Hence, this segment has been considered golden geese of the financial market. While some growth was achieved through the introduction of new financial products and services, the financial services needs of women and of consumers over 50 years of age were blurred for the financial service providers (Javalgi et al., 1990). (Schiele, 1974) suggested that a â€Å"Net† approach should be used to catch the youth market as they drift downstream from adolescence to adulthood. The research findings indicated that this is a simplification of reality and that a number of interrelated streams exist before young people reach the pond of adulthood, at which they are likely to be locked into a financial service organisation. Hence, in the highly competitive retail financial marketplace, it is more critical than ever to narrowly define the markets financial service provider can serve. Differentiation through claims of excellent customer service fails to provide competitive distinctiveness, particularly to key segments of the existing customer base. Many banks, over the years, have relied on intermediaries like DSAs, DSTs to reach out to the customers. Jensen-Macklin (1976) or Diamond (1984) in their studies have tried to justify the existence and effects of intermediaries. For them agents exist to reduce moral hazard and asymmetric information. There are different means adopted by the organizations to increase the number of services availed by the customers. Cross-selling is the practice of promoting additional products and services to existing customers in addition to the ones a customer currently has (Butera, 2000). The interest in cross-selling is due to its advantages for firms. Specifically, the selling of additional services to existing customers could reduce the need to spend money on customer acquisition (e.g. advertising) and lead to a pricing advantage over competitors (Reichheld and Sasser, 1990). It is reasonable to expect that customers with strong repurchase intentions will also be likely to cross-buy from the same service provider. This is consistent with the view that it is easier to cross-sell new services to existing customers than to the new ones. Study conducted by (Day, 2000), suggested that although customers may want to engage in a relationship with a service provider, they may not want to have all th eir services provided by that single provider For some service categories, customers intrinsically develop a multi-brand loyalty (Jacoby and Chestnut, 1978). For example, in the banking industry most households use two or more financial providers. (Reichheld, 1996; Anderson and Mittal, 2000). Howley John, Savage Grahame (1980) in their paper titled, â€Å"Bank marketing in the Personal Sector† discuss about Cross-selling, whereby having opened a current account, customers are sold loans, travel facilities, insurance and other services for further banking penetration of each customer. At the same time, there is a word of caution as well saying that theres undoubtedly great potential here, but there are dangers of placing too much emphasis on peripheral activities to the overall corporate purpose of being a bank. Raj Arora (2008) focussed on yet another important strategy to increase sales to existing customers Price Bundling. The study points out that the intent of bundle pricing is to increase sales by offering a discount when a pre-specified bundle of items is purchased at the same time. Usually, the additional items in the bundle are those that are complementary to the main product. The assumption is that the bundle priced items offer more value and are therefore more attractive to the buyer. The seller makes the buyer aware that the buyer is getting a bargain in the bundle because if the items are purchased separately, the aggregate price far exceeds the bundle price (Yadav and Monroe, 2003). While price bundling is frequently used by marketers, its effectiveness needs more research especially when used with other marketing variables. Murphy Ruth, Bruce Margaret (2003) stated that internet can be used to sell more existing products into existing markets. This can be achieved by using internet for increasing awareness of the firm. Bloch et al. (1996) proposed that e-commerce offers cost advantages to firms via less expensive product promotions. They also advocate that e-commerce can enable a company to implement customer focus strategies through better customer relationships. If the internet segment continues to grow and the branch banking segment shrinks, more customers will be using Internet banks and fewer customers using Branch banks (Heffernan 1996). But evidence also suggests that many companies have engaged in e-commerce activity, whether it is on a business to business or business to consumer basis (B2C), without any consideration towards a return on investment (Damanpour and Madison, 2001). One of the reasons for this may be that many businesses fear that without an Internet presence, the firm will get lef t behind. Hence a number of companies have turned their focus towards e-commerce, often by emulating the business module of another firm, as â€Å"me too† entities. Stafford David, King Susan (1982) stated that Marketing strategies which have been important to recent bank development include branch rationalisation and refurbishment, and promotional activities, especially advertising. Price competition has not yet achieved major importance between the big four and so price structures do tend to be relatively stable and similar between banks. A similar view shared by Neven (1990) and Vives (1991) is that banks, especially retail banks, do not compete in price but in service quality. RESEARCH GAP GOOD WAY TO MAKE GAPS Thus, we observe a number of important gaps in the literature. First, our knowledge is deficient on which foreign market entry modes service firms apply, and similarly, on target market selection. Next, it is also important to investigate if there are systematic differences within service industries in foreign market entry mode selection. Finally, are the internationalization theories and models developed for manufacturing industries applicable to firms in service industries? Or, is the internationalization process of services so unique that there is a need to develop separate theory to explain the internationalization of service firms? OBJECTIVES 1. To measure the penetration of banking products in different demographic profiles. 2. To find the neglected niches in existing markets served by the banks. 3. To identify and compare the means that public private sector banks adopt to attract new customers in existing market. 4. To study the consumer preference regarding the means that banks adopt to attract new customers in existing market. 5. To investigate and compare the methods used by public private sector banks to increase number of services availed by the customers. 6. To study the consumer preference regarding the methods used by banks to increase number of services availed by the customers. 7. To determine ways to increase usage rate of services consumed by the customers. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Tentative The study will be based on Primary as well as secondary data both with their well known limitations. For collection of data from customers, Stratified Random Sampling will be used. Convenience Sampling will be used for collection of data from the employees as the data will be collected as per availability and convenience. / Structured Interviews The secondary data has and will be collected from various sources such as International Journal of Bank Marketing, Indian Bankers Association Journal, magazines, research papers, books, internet websites etc. Scope of the study: Two Public Sector Banks – Punjab Sind Bank and State Bank of India have been selected for the study. ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank will form part of Private Sector Banks selected for study. Study will be carried out in different areas of Punjab. Universe of the study: Bank employees as well as the customers visiting the bank will be the universe of the study. Sample: Only the employees of the bank working at â€Å"Manager† designation and above will form the sample of the study. For purpose of collection of data from customers, every third customer walking into the bank will form part of the study. Sample size: The respondent data will be collected from 200 customers out of which hundred customers will be taken from public sector banks and rest from private sector banks. Number of employees of banks to be contacted for information will be 40. Out of this, twenty employees will be from Public Sector Banks and rest twenty would be private sector bank employees. Hence, the number of employees from each bank will be ten. Collection of Data: For the purpose of collection of data, two set of questionnaires will be prepared. First questionnaire will help in knowing the strategies being adopted by the banks to increase Market Penetration and would be filled by the bankers. Second questionnaire, to be filled by the customers will be used to collect preferences of customers related to various strategies being adopted by banks to increase Market Penetration. Analysis and Interpretation: The analysis will be done on the basis of review of existing literature and information collected through questionnaires filled by the employees and customers of the Public and Private sector banks. Microsoft Excel and other appropriate statistical tools will be used for Data Analysis. TENTATIVE CHAPTER SCHEME Chapter I Introduction Chapter II Review of literature Chapter III Need, Objectives, Research Methodology Chapter IV Overview of Indian Banking System * Public Sector Banks * Private Sector Banks Chapter V Growth Strategies * Market Penetration * Product Development * Market Development * Diversification Chapter VI Market Penetration in Public Private Sector Banks Chapter VII Data Presentation Analysis Chapter VIII Findings Conclusion Recommendations Appendix Questionnaire Bibliography REFERENCES http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/market-penetration.html as on Jan 28, 2010. http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4145, Jan11, 2007 as on Jan 31, 2010 Ansoff, I. (1965), Corporate Strategy, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY Title: Bank Marketing Strategies Author(s): Arthur Meidan Journal: International Journal of Bank Marketing Year: 1983 Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Page: 3 17 Banks to get sops for rural reach 3 Oct 2009, 0307 hrs IST, Anto Antony, ET Bureau http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/public-sector-banks-gain-market-share/383014/ David Stafford and Susan King, Bank Competition and Advertising by David C. Stafford, The Advertising Association, 1982 write references of foll. Articles in Emerald – A survey of critical factors in e-Banking Bank marketing Strategies P. Robert Philp, Paula J. Haynes and Marilyn M. Helms FINANCIAL SERVICE STRATEGIES: NEGLECTED NICHES International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol. 10 No. 2, 1992, pp. 25-28 Title: Bank Marketing in the Personal Sector Author(s): John C. Howley, Grahame P. Savage Journal: Managerial Finance Year: 1980 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Page: 271 276 Ruth Murphy and Margaret Bruce, Strategy, accountability, e-commerce and the consumer, Managerial Auditing Journal, 18/3 (2003) pg 193-201 www.emeraldinsight.com/1061-0421.htm Price bundling and framing strategies for complementary products Raj Arora University of Missouri – Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas, USA Journal of Product Brand Management 17/7 (2008) 475–484 Yadav, M.S. and Monroe, K.B. (2003), â€Å"How buyers perceive savings in a bundle price: an examination of a bundles transaction value†, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 350-8 Butera, A. (2000), â€Å"Cross-selling: capitalizing on the opportunities†, Hoosier Bank, Vol. 87 No. 7, pp. 14-16. Reichheld, F.F. (1996), The Loyalty Effect: The Hidden Force behind Growth, Profits and Lasting Value, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA. Reichheld, F.F. and Sasser, W.E. (1990), â€Å"Zero defections: quality comes to services†, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 68 No. 5, pp. 105-11. Anderson, E.W. and Mittal, V. (2000), â€Å"Strengthening the satisfaction-profit chain†, Journal of Service Research, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 107-20. Day, G.S. (2000), â€Å"Managing market relationships†, Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 28 No. 1, pp. 24-30. Jacoby, J. and Chestnut, R.W. (1978), Brand Loyalty, John Wiley Sons, New York, NY. Schiele, G.W. (1974), How to Reach the Young Customer, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 52, March-April, pp. 77-86. http://www.answers.com/topic/market-penetration-2 as on Feb 28, 2010

US History 1790- 1860 Essay examples -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During 1790-1860, there were many reformations taking place and many events that lead up to the reformation of this very inexperienced country, of America. All these events effected the United States different ways and caused many grievances for the young people living in America. In 1790 we firmly incorporated the first American cotton mill which led to the economic augmentation of the United States. In 1791 we established the Capital of the United States in Washington D.C., and Alexander Hamilton establishes the first bank of America. In 1794 in Pennsylvania there was an uprising called the Whiskey Rebellion. People were rejecting the taxes on their way of life, and that was whiskey. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became President of the United States, and the... US History 1790- 1860 Essay examples -- essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During 1790-1860, there were many reformations taking place and many events that lead up to the reformation of this very inexperienced country, of America. All these events effected the United States different ways and caused many grievances for the young people living in America. In 1790 we firmly incorporated the first American cotton mill which led to the economic augmentation of the United States. In 1791 we established the Capital of the United States in Washington D.C., and Alexander Hamilton establishes the first bank of America. In 1794 in Pennsylvania there was an uprising called the Whiskey Rebellion. People were rejecting the taxes on their way of life, and that was whiskey. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became President of the United States, and the...

Bad Influence of Television

Television is a bad influence Nowadays, almost each family has at least one television. Even when we grow up, we still have a cartoon in our memories. But we can see, more and more children indulge to TV shows, they pick up bad habits from the programs and they lost a lot of fun because of they spend too much time in watching TV. Not only to the children but also to the adults, watching TV is harmful to people’s health. Too often such cruel behavior can be seen on television programs. The children could not distinguish which behavior is right and which one is wrong.They even think some cruel behaviors are very cool. And when the children watch television programs, their parents do not have time tell them how to do is right. The programs or the films have many fighting and erotic actions to attract their attention. Young children could learn from them and do the same thing in their real life. That’s why young criminal are increasing in recent years. Watching television i s interesting in children’s eyes. This is how things are. Most children like watching TV rather than playing outside.But playing in the sunshine has better influences than staying at home. Because of staying at home, they have less chance to make friends or communicate with others. Social work skills should be learned from a kid. Maybe someone could say some programs are good for children to know more knowledge. But in fact, children are not interested in it. Learn knowledge from their own experiences can let them remember more clearly. For example, take the child to the zoo to see tigers would be better to watch tigers on a television.If you spend too much time in watching television, it’s harmful to your health. Many teens have shortsighted because of this. And it caused the problem like fat. Staying at home will let you become lazier. Our body needs to do sports. When people are watching TV, their brain actually doesn’t need to think, the images and the voice can give enough information to them. So, our brain could be stupid. In a word, television is a bad influence. Let’s read books or go outside to play to kill time. Do not let television to be harmful to us.

Evaluate the roles of named players Essay

Managing future energy needs is certainly a global challenge that requires the cooperation of many named players both on a small and large scale. It has been estimated that global demand for primary energy is set to grow 55% by 2030 and that $22 trillion of new investment is need to meet future energy forecasts. The main player in providing future energy security can be argued to be OPEC as they control the production of over 2/3’s of the world’s supply of oil, therefore leading them be price makers in the industry. OPEC is considered to be the most important player in global energy provision, it currently consists of 12 members and was created in 1960 mainly to protect the interests of member countries and to stabilise oil prices for a regular supply to oil consuming countries. However, OPEC’s obligations have been controversial as they have been accused of holding back on production of oil and gas in order to drive up prices, therefore using the market mechanism of demand and supply to increase profits for member states. Currently it has been proven that collectively, OPEC has stored 900,000 million barrels of crude oil, they own 78% of global resources and have a combined market share of 45% for oil and 18% for gas. This inherently makes them the largest producer of fossil fuels in the world meaning they will have a large if not absolute say in future energy provision and energy security. The responsibility of oil distribution will then fall on OPEC when supply of oil runs low leading to a bidding system for allocation of oil to where demand and price is highest. Another large player involved in providing energy security for the future is multinational oil companies; they are involved in the exploration and extraction of oil as well as transporting and refining the oil to consumers meaning they, as well as OPEC control the prices directly to consumers. Most of the top 20 oil companies in 2005 were state owned with companies such as Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia and PDV in Venezuela, this could be beneficial for domestic industry as they may charge less, stimulating the economy with lower production costs. However, many of the largest oil companies are relatively free of direct political influence and are therefore driven by the market mechanism leading to higher prices, above production costs. An example of a petro chemical company that has a direct impact on us in the UK is Gazprom in Russia. It solely controls one third of the world’s gas reserves and accounts for more than 92% of Russia’s gas production, but more importantly it provides 25% of the EU’s natural gas as we are consistently becoming net importers. The security of the energy provision is open to risk as Europe’s fear is that Russia will be able to name its price for gas because Europe is predominately dependent on its supply. In addition, the reliability is further doubted since Russia temporarily shut off gas supply to Ukraine in 2006 and therefore the whole of Europe. Fossil fuels are of course a finite resource meaning they will one day deplete to such an extent that it will not be cost effective to extract and refine to sell. This insinuates that it is the combined role of governments and oil producing companies to innovate and invest in new technology to sustain increasing energy demands. International Governments is the last and one of the main players in providing future energy security. Governments have the option of allowing oil companies to further exploit their own environment in order to increase oil production such as the case with the province of Alberto. It is estimated up to 2. 5 trillion barrels of are held within the sedimentary oil-shale – more so than in Saudi Arabia. This may relieve pressure for rising energy demand in the US as Canada does in fact have a surplus of primary energy. It will also relieve the US from its dominant reliance on the unreliable Saudi Arabian oil reserves with growing political challenges and the threat of terrorism and piracy. However, environmentalists see the exploitation of oil-shale are sands as a disaster in the making, not only does it already have detrimental environmental scars but with current technology, huge amounts of energy are needed in heating the sands to extract the oil (every 3 barrels of oil produced requires 1 barrel to be burnt). Conversely, Governments may opt to incentives conservation of energy through fuel duties or green taxes and emission trading as it leads to industries investing in cleaner technology. In addition, investment in greener fuels such as renewable and nuclear energy is a way for governments to secure energy provision in the future as it can be sustainable and everlasting. In conclusion, each player has a unique role in providing future energy security either with price stability with OPEC, investment into greener technology with oil companies and correct management and legislation from governments to both the exploitation of their environment and their fiscal system in incentive taxation. All in all it depends on the magnitude of integration of all these ideas brought forward that will secure actual energy provision in the future and allow for a sustained and secure increase in consumption of energy.

Propaganda in Foreign Policy essays

Propaganda in Foreign Policy essays Propaganda is a major political tool used by the United States, especially in its foreign policy. Politics on a global scale can be defined as the competition, which occurs among nations, due to the scarcity of the worlds resources. The political agenda of a nations foreign policy governs which resources for which it will compete through various political means. Propaganda, as a tool to advance ones political agenda, is the filtering and manipulation of information to guide a populaces decision making ability towards the propogandizers proposed end. The people are not exposed to all the information and therefore are not choosing one or the other but between one and one. If a political tool is any means used to gain leverage in a competition, then propaganda as a political tool would create an arena in which a person could only be in support of the propogandizers agenda because they are unaware of the political agenda of the competitor. Immediately after WWII ended, Germany became a potential global resource politically and economically for the allied forces of Germanys occupation, especially the United States and the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). For the United States, Germany presented as a potential political ally in Europe as well as a now desperate market for a variety of products, but victory would mean little if political and economic conditions which had spawned the totalitarian of the 1930s remained in existence (Gaddis 2). The U.S. occupation of Germany and foreign policy towards Germany during this time was motivated by both creating a democratic ally in Europe and opening up a new market for its products. US foreign policy also leads to the first Cold-War confrontation between US and the USSR over the resource of Germany (Hartenian). In addition, the US occupation put the US in the perfect position to utilize propaganda as its main political tool to ...

Canterbury essays

Canterbury essays The Clerks Tale is an indirect response to the Wife of Bath who stated that women desire complete sovereignty over their husbands and lovers. The Clerk puts forth a diametrically opposite view and draws the sketch of a totally submissive Chaucers source for the Clerks tale is Petrarchs Fable of Obedience and Wifely Faith written in Latin that was in turn derived from Boccaccios Decameron. Chaucer closely follows Petrarchs text. Chaucer makes the Clerk candidly acknowledge that his tale is derived from "Frauncey's Petrak". The Clerks Tale is suited to his character as a serious student. His tale too has a scholarly theme and deals with the issue of genuine obedience and loyalty in a wife. Griseldas story upholds faith in goodness even in times of adversity. It is definitely a moral tale and the Clerk relates it with all seriousness and The Hosts warning to the Clerk to keep his language simple and to tell an entertaining and adventurous tale were not needed. The tale proves that the Clerk was not an ossified academic. However the Clerk does not relate an adventurous tale and does make use of rhetoric and figures of speech. When the Clerk concludes his tale the Host commends him for relating his story in a sweet and Chaucer has invested, the folk tale Petrarchan version of the patient Griseldas story, with an amazing degree of realism. Griselda comes across as a real life human character. Her sincerity to her husband and affection for her children seem realistic. Her pathos is heart rending and earns the readers Griseldas story of long suffering may be unappealing to modern readers. But it is important to interpret the tale in the context of the fourteenth century. Griselda was simply acting in accordance ...

Advanced Manufacturing Technology

The inspection process planning system is designed to produce an inspection process planning directly from CAD model. The prototype inspection process planning system includes  ®ve functional modules: the tolerance feature analysis, accessibility analysis, clustering algorithm, path generation and inspection process simulation. The tolerance feature analysis module is used to input tolerance information and establish the relationship between the tolerance information and surface feature. The accessibility analysis module evaluate all the accessible probe orientations for every surface feature. The clustering algorithm module groups the inspection probe and surface features into inspection group so that time for inspection probe exchange and calibration can be reduced to minimum. The path generation module determines the number of measurement points, their distribution and their inspection sequences. The inspection process simulation module animated display the inspection probe path and check whether a collision occurs between the part and the inspection probe. The methodology and theory for corresponding  ®ve functional modules are outlined. An example demonstrate the general process for the application of the inspection process planning system. The prototype inspection process planing system shown that the proposed theory and methods can be used in industry to generate an inspection process planning for a CMM. # 2000 Elsevier Science B. V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Inspection process planning; Co-ordinate measuring machines; Accessibility analysis; Clustering algorithm; Path generation 1. Introduction Recently, researches in inspection process planning have been increased [1]. Some prototypes inspection process planning systems have been developed. These systems include the task-decomposition inspection process planning system [2 ±5,11], the knowledge-based inspection process planning system [6,10] and some hybrid inspection process planning systems [7 ±9]. However, these systems are not satis ®ed by the industry. This paper outlined a prototype inspection process planning system. The inspection process planning system can be used to generate an inspection process planning for a CMM. It can be used as an integrated system starting from solid model and  ®nishing at production of inspection process planning  ®le. However, it can also be used as  ®ve stand alone function modules for the tolerance feature decomposition, accessibility analysis, clustering algorithm, path generation and the inspection process simulation, respectively. The inspection process planning system can be linked to a CAD system so that an inspection process planning can be produced directly once a part design has been  ®nished. It is expected that the laborious and error-prone manual programming currently used for a CMM can be replaced with the developed inspection process planning system. The lead-time for the CMM programming can be reduced signi ®cantly. . System framework The prototype inspection process planning system includes the tolerance feature analysis, accessibility analysis, clustering algorithm, path generation and inspection process simulation as shown in Fig. 1. The tolerance feature analysis module is used to input the tolerance information and then to decompose the tolerance features into individual surface inspection features. The accessibility analysis module evaluates all the possible probe orientations for a surface feature and represents these probe orientations with an accessibility cone. The probe orientation from the accessibility cone can guar- * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [emailprotected] co. uk (S. G. Zhang). 0924-0136/00/$  ± see front matter # 2000 Elsevier Science B. V. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 9 2 4 0 1 3 6 ( 0 0 ) 0 0 7 2 6 3 112 S. G. Zhang et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 107 (2000) 111 ±118 Fig. 1. Flow chart of integrated applications of the developed system. antee a no collision between the probe stylus and the part during the inspection process. The clustering algorithm module arranges both the inspection probes into probe cells and the surface features into feature families so that the time for probe exchange and calibration can be reduced. As a result, the number of the inspection groups is reduced to a minimum. A knowledge-based clustering algorithm is used in the module so that a partial separated block diagonal matrix can be obtained if it is not possible to obtain a complete separated block diagonal matrix. The path generation module determines the number of sampling points, their distributions, and the sequences. Then, the inspection process simulation module is used to simulate the inspection process on a computer video display unit intuitively. The collision check is also implemented in the inspection process simulation module so that a no collision occurs during a real inspection process. Finally, an inspection process  ®le is produced, which is a similar  ®le as DMIS command codes. The generated inspection process planning can be used both for automated and manual inspections. On an automated inspection system, it generates the inspection instruction codes directly according to the format of the CMM instruction codes. On a manual inspection system, it guides the CMM operator for the part installation, selection of probe orientations, and determination of the distribution of the measurement points. Fig. 2 shows main menu for the prototype inspection process planning system. 3. Tolerance feature analysis The tolerance information representation in CAD model has been a bottleneck for manufacturing industry. The size of the tolerance value is too small to be presented in CAD model with its real dimension. It has been judged that it is very dif ®cult to represent this information with a CSG solid model. Some CAD system, such as the AutoCAD system, uses a facility of DIMENSION to represent the tolerance information in a CAD drawing. However, this tolerance information is for displaying on the computer screen or for printing as a hard copy only. The tolerance information and its relationships to the surface features are not included in the database of the AutoCAD system. It is not possible to apply the tolerance information in the subsequent operations such as manufacturing and inspection process. Fig. 3 shows a 3D solid model that is used as a test component for the inspection process planning system. Surface features F10, F11, F14, F17, and F24 apply the dimensional or geometrical tolerances and will be inspected with a CMM. Other surface features will not be inspected with a CMM because those surface features either have the general tolerances that can be guaranteed by general manufacturing method or those tolerances are not suitable to inspect with a CMM. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a methodology to represent the tolerance information and its relationship to the surface features. In the project, tolerance information and its Fig. 2. Accessibility analysis The accessibility analysis module includes three submodules: Gauss mapping; accessibility cone calculation; discretisation of the accessibility cone. The Gauss map is used to analyse and to represent the normal directions for a surface feature. The Gauss map represents all the normal direction of a surface feature with a unit sphere.

Final Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Final Project - Research Paper Example There is a continued rise and development of companies throughout the world. This is mainly due to the increase in demand of various services that range from social amenities to business. Organizations have used a strong business strategy to take advantage of the developing markets to increase their profits. Real estate is one of the fastest growing sectors in India with an average of 14% annual pegs returns because of the Indian BPO boom. In addition, the housing sector has been growing at an average of 34% annually while the hospitality sectors have had a growth of 15% every year (Sarathy, 2011). It is anticipated that the real estate industry in India is purposed to grow exponentially in the future promising a potential market for investment. Therefore, real estate business is one of the key drivers of growth in India, with companies trying to consolidate their positions and trying to find effective means of suitable growth, the management of the real estate has emerged as one of the key challenges for the corporate sector. The Merlin Group is one of the real estate investors in India that have taken advantage of the rising real estate market to increase its profits. The company has developed a strategy to take advantage of the market boom to position its business in the most competitive manner. By conducting a PEST analysis of the India’s real estate industry, it is possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the market strategy that Merlin Group has employed to promote its business in this dynamic market. For the purpose of this research, the various factors influencing the Indian real estate business will be investigated, identified and evaluated. This section of the outline will discuss into details the history of real estate development in India and the rest of the world and how the industry have come to contribute to the high rate

Synthesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Synthesis - Essay Example It states that a capacitor is described as a device that is passive in nature and is used for the purpose of storing up energy for use in its own electric field. Any item which can be charged electrically and store energy, can be assumed to be a capacitor. The authors reiterate that the capacitor comprises of two plates, which are usually separate from each other by the use of a dielectric. The two plates are good conductors of electricity and that is why they are separated by an insulator. A capacitor is used in the situation where huge amounts of charge are to be distributed within a short time. The book notes that a capacitor’s charge level depends on the amount of voltage that is applied to the capacitor. If the capacitor is connected to a battery that has high voltage, then more amounts of charge will be supplied to the capacitor’s conductors, as compared to when the capacitor is connected to a battery of a low voltage level. Capacitance is usually a function that does not depend on the difference in potential value between the conductors of the capacitor as well as the charge that is present on the plates. Capacitance can be compared directly to the overlap area created by the two conductor plates of the capacitor. On the other hand, it is inversely comparative to the distance of separation between the plates. Connection of capacitors can be done either in series or parallel in a circuit. The authors say that in some cases, an integration of the two arrangements can be incorporated. The amount of time taken to charge a capacitor relies on the size of the capacitor as well as that of the resistor in the electric circuit. Capacitance is usually measured in units known as the Farad abbreviated as F. one Farad is equivalent to one Coulomb/Volt which is abbreviated as F=C/V. the book states that the stored up energy in the capacitor is usually measured in units known as joules, and it is equivalent to the work that has been

Motivational Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Motivational Management - Essay Example The researcher states that the most important things learned from the paper is the power of a good management practice. Utilizing a proper management program a business or organization is more likely to achieve its goals as opposed to not using. If am placed in a position of a future manager, the skills the author has acquired in the class will help him out in leading the company or business he will be running towards its success. The management theories of motivation are as follows: Content theory focuses on human needs and the motivating factor towards a particular achievement. Human needs do change with every achievement one makes. This comes from the need to be satisfied in life. Content theory looks at the motivating factors while process theory focuses on how the processes of motivation itself operates and maintain itself over a long period, not forgetting the factors that affect the amount of effort put into the act and the extension of the effort. Human beings doing various t hings due to different reasons as the theories have highlighted. Reward theory is not so different; it shows that an individual will be motivated towards doing or performing a particular action to get a specified reward at the completion of such an action.

Forms of Simple Stimulus Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Forms of Simple Stimulus Learning - Essay Example It is the most fundamental, individual way to reduce the unnecessary excitability of nervous system. Habituation appears after the multiple systematic repetitions of a particular stimulus. If it is not threatening life and body, after many perceptions of a stimulus, reaction decreases steadily. It depends on the frequency of repetitions until complete disappearance of the reaction. In other words, we "learn" do not react to stimuli, which do not cause any harm to us.   For example, a person, living in the vicinity of a railway, stops responding to the noise of passing trains very soon. Though, at first, the noise was annoying enough and interfered with sleeping. The same way, we get used to the sounds of the clock and flowing water, to billboards and road signs. The stimuli are no longer come to our consciousness. Perceiving familiar stimuli as common things, we just ignore them. For us, such adaptation means getting a state, where we can recognize easily new, important stimuli among the multiplicity of familiar, insignificant ones.  Ã‚   The reaction of habituation does not mean getting fatigue or tiredness of receptors. After the development of habituation, the nervous system continues perceiving a stimulus; just it needs a little effort to cause reaction immediately.   In nature, habituation is represented widely: from primitive creatures up to human beings. It provides an adequate reaction of a body to eliminate all superfluous, unnecessary perceptions, maintaining just reactions to the most important key stimuli. Such adaptation of nervous system saves lots of energy for an organism.

Motivational Effects of Technology in Music Education Essay

Motivational Effects of Technology in Music Education - Essay Example This report stresses that one of the main issues facing music education is the technological gap between the teachers and the real world. This is because most of the teachers are from another generation of learning and hence they did not acquire technological skills and knowledge in their training. In order to avoid this problem, music teachers and curriculum developers should integrate technology in their learning activities. It is important to note that in this context technology is a purveyor of many benefits which have virtually transformed the music world. Therefore, technology inclusion in the school system is not an imposition but rather a necessity. This paper makes a conclusion technology in music education has many benefits ranging from ease of study accruing from repetitive teaching tasks by computers to unlimited availability and accessibility of learning materials. Music as a subject is not very popular as compared to other disciplines such as engineering. There have been attempts by some countries to reform their music curriculum in a bid to appeal to more students . For instance, Scotland has implemented major reforms in its music schools including establishing technologically-enhanced music rooms for their schools . Technology seems to be the only solution to a seemingly unviable field of study . Integrating technology in a formal learning setting is bound to affect the involved parties in various ways . The effects of technology in education have already been studied in other curriculum.

Managenent and Leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managenent and Leadership - Assignment Example The essence of transience: Transience in a way is a continuation and chain of existence, without it everything would get into a stale mode with no change, no improvement, no replacement and hence no growth. All the technology and advancement that we see around us is the courtesy of transience and variability. What was not being achieved by the past generations has been done so by the present ones, and the chain and cycle would continue in coming ages. All the men of past, present, and future are equal men and human beings, no one is superiorly capable over another, yet it’s the transience, the process of evolution, change, progress that has resulted in all what we have today. In other words, transience is the name of life and this universe. Without it the mere existence would fall into jeopardy. Transience is the short lived interaction, short lived response or experience with one of these five elements namely an ordinary place, an individual, the working place, environment or any concept that is of some spark to the mind. Permanence is a transient phase which lasts only for a brief while. This concept is being advocated by many proponents of the field notably Edward Albee, Harold Clurman and various other people who have tried discovering the aspect of transience (Taylor, 1970). The incumbent concept is merely taken as elementary and goes unnoticed however the entire spectrum of human life and this universe revolves around the transience.... The incumbent concept is merely taken as elementary and goes unnoticed however the entire spectrum of human life and this universe revolves around the transience. With such a reach, it influences the manner in which relationships are taken, and their due tenures. The author is of the believe that with pacing change has resulted in the reduction of tenures of relationship between individuals. Relationships that would last longer in past are subject to various adverse factors due to the pace attained all over. Organizational relationship is one of those variables and it is equally undergone the transience in a fast paced manner. According to the author the pace of this phenomena has beefed up in recent times and as a result the variables that are subject to this phenomena are equally adapting themselves and hence pacing up the modes and means of operations and conductivity. Impact of transience on the organizations: The work place environments that are driven by the technology and stat e of the art tools, is largely reformed in comparison to its existence nearly a century ago. As a result the human behavior, the employees’ relationship, their approach, attitude and aptitude has seen a shift in its display. Long term customer and employee loyalty cannot be guaranteed any more. What runs and rules the industry is materialistic approach and achievements. The social relationships are reduced a great deal with modern design structures of the office work places. While the commitment to organizational loyalty lasted many years in past, they are merely limited to contracts and projects, all gifts of ever fast paced transience and technological

Motivational Effects of Technology in Music Education Essay

Motivational Effects of Technology in Music Education - Essay Example This report stresses that one of the main issues facing music education is the technological gap between the teachers and the real world. This is because most of the teachers are from another generation of learning and hence they did not acquire technological skills and knowledge in their training. In order to avoid this problem, music teachers and curriculum developers should integrate technology in their learning activities. It is important to note that in this context technology is a purveyor of many benefits which have virtually transformed the music world. Therefore, technology inclusion in the school system is not an imposition but rather a necessity. This paper makes a conclusion technology in music education has many benefits ranging from ease of study accruing from repetitive teaching tasks by computers to unlimited availability and accessibility of learning materials. Music as a subject is not very popular as compared to other disciplines such as engineering. There have been attempts by some countries to reform their music curriculum in a bid to appeal to more students . For instance, Scotland has implemented major reforms in its music schools including establishing technologically-enhanced music rooms for their schools . Technology seems to be the only solution to a seemingly unviable field of study . Integrating technology in a formal learning setting is bound to affect the involved parties in various ways . The effects of technology in education have already been studied in other curriculum.

HIS 135 Entire Course Essay Example for Free

HIS 135 Entire Course Essay In this archive file of HIS 135 Entire Course you will find the next documents:HIS-135-Assignment-Cold-War-Ideology-and-Policies. docHIS-135-Assignment-The-Vietnam-War. docHIS-135-Capstone-CheckPoint-End-of-the-Cold-War. docHIS-135-CheckPoint-Comparing-KennedyG History General History ASHFORD HIS 204 American History Since 1865 If dragging yourself out of bed at 6:00 am is impossible, dont torture yourself with 7:00 am classes. Most schools offer classes in a wide range of time slots. Take advantage of the classes later in the day and in the evening if you arent a morning person. You will be more likely to go and will get more out of the course. In this archive file of HIS 135 Entire Course you will find the next documents:HIS-135-Assignment-Cold-War-Ideology-and-Policies. docHIS-135-Assignment-The-Vietnam-War. docHIS-135-Capstone-CheckPoint-End-of-the-Cold-War. docHIS-135-CheckPoint-Comparing-KennedyG History General History ASHFORD HIS 204 American History Since 1865 If dragging yourself out of bed at 6:00 am is impossible, dont torture yourself with 7:00 am classes. Most schools offer classes in a wide range of time slots. Take advantage of the classes later in the day and in the evening if you arent a morning person. You will be more likely to go and will get more out of the course. In this archive file of HIS 135 Entire Course you will find the next documents:HIS-135-Assignment-Cold-War-Ideology-and-Policies. docHIS-135-Assignment-The-Vietnam-War. docHIS-135-Capstone-CheckPoint-End-of-the-Cold-War. docHIS-135-CheckPoint-Comparing-KennedyG History General History ASHFORD HIS 204 American History Since 1865 If dragging yourself out of bed at 6:00 am is impossible, dont torture yourself with 7:00 am classes. Most schools offer classes in a wide range of time slots. Take advantage of the classes later in the day a Follow the link Now for full guide https://bitly. com/1wySlYb If dragging yourself out of bed at 6:00 am is impossible, dont torture yourself with 7:00 am classes. Most schools offer classes in a wide range of time slots. Take advantage of the classes later in the day and in the evening if you arent a morning person. You will be more likely to go and will get more out of the course. History General History ASHFORD HIS 204 American History Since 1865.

School Based Management And School Changes Education Essay

School Based Management And School Changes Education Essay Abstract For more than three decades, School-Based Management (SBM) has become a global movement towards the quality of education. The ultimate goal of implementing SBM was to enhance quality of education in general and more particularly for better school improvement and increased student achievement. This article addresses the views of school stakeholders in exploring the association between SBM policy and school changes. The paper is on the basis of mixed-methods research design, combining quantitative and qualitative dimensions of research. The quantitative research design was applied through an empirical survey between February and June 2012, involving 318 respondents from 18 urban and sub-urban schools of Ngada, Flores, Indonesia. In addition to the survey, personal in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted, followed by documentary analyses. Keywords School-based management, school changes, Indonesia, Flores Introduction For more than three decades, School-Based Management (SBM) has become a global movement towards the quality of education. The ultimate goal of implementing SBM was to enhance quality of education in general and more particularly for better school improvements and student achievements. Research in the last twenty years affirm how SBM policy and programs have been evident to be effective for the improvement of schools and student learning outcomes (Bandur Gamage, 2009; Bergman, 1992; Brown Cooper, 2000; Caldwell, 2005; Dempster, 2000; Gamage, 2006, 1998; Kuehn, 1996; Odden Wohlstetter, 1995; ONeil, 1995; Sharpe, 1996). Several studies have also consistently revealed a positive association between higher parental and/or community involvement and improved student achievement resulting from implementing effective SBM (Blank, 2004; Gamage, 1994; Sheldon Voorhis, 2004; Williams, Harold, Robertson, Southworth, 1997). For instance, on the basis of research conducted in the Victorian state schools system, involving 75 interviews, Gamage (1998: 313) found that healthier teaching and learning environments as well as improvement of student achievement could be achieved by the fact that the parents and teachers who are the closest to the students have formed a partnership and both parties are represented in the governing body with accountability. Similarly, Sheldon and Voorhis (2004: 127) affirm that many researchers have supported the idea of how community and parental involvement can improve schools and the quality of education that the children achieved as well as the academic achievement of students. Several researchers also found how school-based management is associated with partnership in school decision-makings (Bandur, 2012; Blank, 2004; Gamage, 1998). For instance, Blank (2004: 62) asserts that schools can promote improvements in student learning by building relationships between schools and diverse community entities. He then clarifies that building partnerships that link school, family, and community is intimately connected to student achievement because linking schools and community resources leads to providing services and support that address various needs of the students. Partnership can also provide learning opportunities that enhance young peoples social, emotional, and physical development as well as academic skills. School changes in this article are related to: (1) how SBM policy has changed the absolute authority figure of school principals for school decision-makings; (2) how SBM policy encourage higher participation of parents and other school communities in schools; (3) how SBM policy change the fashion of financial management in schools; (4) how SBM policy create partnership in decision-making processes; and (5) how SBM has led to better teaching and learning environments. In the study, the general research questions were formulated as what are the results of implementing SBM policies and programs in schools as perceived by the school stakeholders? What is School-Based Management? School-Based Management (SBM) is a generic term in a response to change the centralistic and bureaucratic fashions of public school system toward more decentralized and democratic model. The term was born in mid-1960s in Australia after a public debate at the Australian National University, Canberra to choose a model of public school system that serve better students. Under the SBM scheme, power and authority in decision-making are shifted from governments to individual schools for better school improvement and increased student achievement. Later, the reform has appeared worldwide under various terms site-based management, site-based decision making, school-based decision making, school-based governance, shared decision making, and even school-based initiatives. However, even though these terms represent the widespread education reform agenda, they vary slightly in meaning, particularly to the extent whether authority and responsibility are devolved to school councils or whether th e councils are mandatory or not by laws and regulations. In this sense, similar to the SBM reforms in Chicago, USA and Victoria, Australia, Indonesian SBM model is mandatory, which means that all Indonesian public schools are compulsorily implementing SBM policy and programs on the basis of Law 20/2003 on National Education System and Government Regulation No.66/2010. Based on research conducted in Victoria, the ACT and NSW, and other countries, Gamage (1996: 65) defines SBM as a pragmatic approach to a formal alteration of the bureaucratic model of school administration with a more democratic structure. It identifies the individual school as the primary unit of improvement relying on the redistribution of decision-making authority through which improvements in a school are stimulated and sustained. In this context, the focus on facilitating improvements in the individual school as the key to successful educational reform strategies has a good deal of public appeal and other research support (Gamage Zajda, 2005; Gamage, 2003; Whitty, Power Halpin, 1998; Cheng, 1996; Odden Wohlstetter, 1995). Marburger (1991: 25-26) considers SBM as an approach in which decisions that are traditionally made by a superintendent are now being made by the school council comprising of the principal, teachers, parents, citizens, and the students. Likewise, Anderson (2006: 223) defines SBM as the shifting of decision-making authority from the district office to individual schools. Many scholars also affirm that the movement towards SBM is often assumed as the approach to serve students better by improving the school practices in meeting the diverse expectations of the stakeholders in a changing environment towards increasing student performance and achievements (Cheng Mok, 2007; Anderson, 2006; Caldwell, 2005; Gamage Zajda, 2005; Gamage Sooksomchitra, 2004; Muijs and Harris, et. al, 2004; Sheldon Voorhis, 2004; Blank, 2004; Gamage, 1998, 1994). Gamage (1996: 21-22) has proposed a revised theory of SBM based on twenty years of experience in the Australian SBM systems. In the revised theory, he has devised seven assumptions, on which to base a more realistic application of SBM. The first assumption is that a school council shall consist of all relevant stakeholders such as the principal or the head teacher and the representatives of staff (both teaching and non-teaching), parents, local community, and in the case of secondary schools, students. The representatives of the staff, parents, and students are expected to be elected by the relevant constituencies, whereas the community representatives are to be nominated by the other elected members and the school leader. The second assumption is that the devolution or transfer of both authority and responsibility needs to be affected by a legislative enactment. This approach will transform the former advisory body to a democratic governing body. The third assumption is the heavy reliance on the voluntary participation of the parents, community, and student representatives in the process of policy formulation in governing the school. It is believed that the school stakeholders are motivated and dedicated to developing quality schools because of the genuine transfer of authority and responsibility. The fourth assumption is that the lay councilors, with appropriate induction and training, will acquire sufficient knowledge to function as equal partners. The knowledge and experience of the lay-members who come from fields other than education are relevant and useful to the educational enterprise in order that the needs of contemporary schools are met. The fifth assumption is that because of de-zoning, the schools need to function in an interesting and effective mode that can improve the image of the school in a similar way to the business reputation of a private/public enterprise. Such an image will help attract high levels of school enrolments. The sixth assumption is that SBM would be cost effective because the ownership of the policies and higher levels of commitment leads to minimization of costs and better utilization of limited resources. More resources would also be available as a result of minimizing the size of the educational bureaucracy, as well as drawing on previously untapped resources from the school community. The last assumption is that stricter control needs to be enforced by the centre to ensure accountability for the finances placed at the disposal of the school in conformity with the Ministerial/Departmental Guidelines relating to the operation of school councils. The principal is made accountable to the governing body and through it to the states education authorities, as well as to the school community. Submissions of regular progress reports to the governing body and annual reports to other relevant authorities and the school community are required. Decentralization and SBM in Indonesia Prior to the implementation of School-Based Management (SBM) in Indonesia, its system of education was highly centralized. Bjork (2003: 193) affirms that by the end of the twentieth century, Indonesia was among the most highly centralized nations in the world. However, the real transformation with the concept of decentralization commenced in May 1998, when there was a radical political movement towards decentralization (Aspinall Fealy, 2003; Bangay, 2005; Bjork, 2006; Guess, 2005; Raihani, 2007). In terms of successful movements towards decentralization, Guess (2005: 220) claims that the Indonesian big bang devolution program has been described as one of the fastest and most comprehensive decentralization initiatives ever attempted by any country in the region. The decentralized system led to the implementation of educational decentralization through School-Based Management (SBM) which has been considered as a milestone in developing a better quality of national education (Departemen Pendidikan Nasional, 2004, 2002). For these reasons, on the basis of Law No.25/2000 on National Development Planning (2000-2004), the Indonesian Ministry of National Education, appointed a Komisi Nasional Pendidikan (KNP) or Commission of National Education in February 2001. The KNP worked until December 2001 with responsibilities, among others, to: (1) formulate policy recommendations to have a better quality education; (2) provide inputs to government about educational decentralization. It was expected that the work of this Commission would become a basis from which to comprehensively reform Indonesian education. One of the recommendations of the KNP was to develop educational councils at district level and school councils at school level. Thus, developing educational and school councils was one of the educational decentralization policies, aimed at devolving power and authority from central government to schools, resulting in improvement of democratic principles, community participation, equity, as well as accommodation of diverse local interests and needs (Departemen Pendidikan Nasional, 2001: 26). It was believed that local communities are the ones who will understand their own problems and needs better and decided to provide them greater roles and responsibilities in terms of operational decision making on national education policies. For this purpose, the central government embarked on the formation of education councils and school councils in each district of Western Sumatera, Bali, and Eastern Java. On the basis of these trials, the councils were considered strategic in coping with improving the Indonesian national education. Then, Government issued a set of guidelines in relation to the implementation of SBM in 2002 and later revised in 2004 in order to provide mandatory corporate governing body type school councils described as follows: This concrete one-sidedness requires to be channeled politically to become collective action placed by Educational Council located in the district/city and School Council at the level of educational unit (Departemen Pendidikan Nasional, 2002: 1). Further, the Education Act 20/2003 on National Education System strengthened the formation of school councils. In accordance with the involvement of local communities in achieving better quality education, Article 56 of the Act provides that the community members are required to participate in improving the quality of education. In this case, the educational council and school council represent the community, as stated: Community shall take part in the quality improvement of educational services, which include planning, monitoring, and evaluation of educational programs through the Educational Council and School Council (Education Act 20/2003, Article, 56). The Act defines a school council as an independent body established to provide advice, directions and support for personnel, facilities and equipment, and monitoring of a school (Article 56). On the basis of the Act, Government regulated power and authority vested in the school councils, as well as characteristics and formation, membership and structure of a school council. It is clear that authority is devolved to school councils and the councils are empowered to create better quality education in their schools. How SBM Change Schools Currently, SBM has been evident to be effective for the improvement of schools and student learning outcomes (Bandur Gamage, 2009; Bergman, 1992; Brown Cooper, 2000; Caldwell, 2005; Dempster, 2000; Gamage, 2006, 1998; Kuehn, 1996; Odden Wohlstetter, 1995; ONeil, 1995; Sharpe, 1996). More particularly, Odden and Wohlstetter (1995: 32) identified the conditions that promote improved school performance through SBM. They discovered that school stakeholders in the schools in which SBM has been effectively implemented to improve school performance have the authority over budget, personnel, and curriculum. These successful schools implementing SBM have used their new power and authority to introduce changes that directly affect teaching and learning practices. They also found other conditions, including (1) professional development and training opportunities to strengthen teaching, management, and problem-solving skills of teachers and other stakeholders; (2) adequate information to make informed decisions about student performance, parent and community satisfaction, and school resources; and (3) systematic and creative in communicating with parents and the community. Several studies have also consistently revealed a positive association between higher parental and/or community involvement and improved student achievements resulting from implementing effective SBM (Blank, 2004; Gamage, 1994; Sheldon Voorhis, 2004; Williams, Harold, Robertson, Southworth, 1997). For instance, on the basis of research conducted in the Victorian state schools system, involving 75 interviews, Gamage (1998: 313) reports that healthier teaching and learning environments as well as improvements of student achievements could be achieved by the fact that the parents and teachers who are the closest to the students have formed a partnership and both parties are represented in the governing body with accountability. Similarly, Sheldon and Voorhis (2004: 127) affirm that many researchers have supported the idea of how community and parental involvement can improve schools and the quality of education that the children achieved as well as the academic achievements of student s. Several researchers also found how school-based management is associated with partnership (Bandur, 2012; Blank, 2004; Gamage, 1998). For instance, Blank (2004: 62) asserts that schools can promote improvements in student learning by building relationships between schools and diverse community entities. He then clarifies that building partnerships that link school, family, and community is intimately connected to student achievements because linking schools and community resources leads to providing services and support that address various needs of the students. Partnership can also provide learning opportunities that enhance young peoples social, emotional, and physical development as well as academic skills. Research Design and Methods The research design employed in this study was the mixed-methods design. The design has advantages to attain valid and reliable research outcomes as well as to provide specific techniques and strategies by which the researchers are guided in data collection procedures and data analyses (Creswell, 2005; Creswell Clark, 2007). More particularly, this study employed the concurrent triangulation strategy, which primarily aims at using separate quantitative and qualitative research as a means to offset the weaknesses inherent within one method with the strengths of the other method. In this context, the quantitative and qualitative data collection is concurrent, happening in one phase of the research study. The strategy integrates the results of the two methods during the interpretation phase. In the data collection phase of this study, the empirical survey was conducted concurrently with in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and documentary analyses. As the primary goal of condu cting interviews was to seek clarifications and deeper understanding on the issues emerged in the empirical surveys, the results of quantitative data analysis and qualitative data analysis were combined. Research method is more specific than research design. Research methods are techniques of data collection and analysis, such as a quantitative standardized instrument or a qualitative theme analysis of text data (Creswell, 2005; Creswell Clark, 2007). In this study, the term mixed-methods research means to the research design which has philosophical assumptions to guide the direction of the data collection and analyses. As methods of inquiry, it focuses on collecting, analyzing, and mixing both quantitative and qualitative data in a single study. For the purpose of quantitative data collection, questionnaire was employed for obtaining close items and scale items related to the objectives of the study. The close items allow the respondents to choose from two or more fixed alternatives, for example, the dichotomous items which provide two alternatives only: yes or no, while the scale is a set of items to which the respondents respond by indicating degrees of agreement or disagreement (Burns, 1994, p. 349). The questionnaire of the study consisted of two major parts. The first main part is about the demographic information of respondents for the purposes of providing descriptive statistics, including: school location, gender of respondents, ages of respondents and their position in schools. The second part is about respondents perspective on the results of implementing School-Based Management (SBM) policy and programs; general functions of communication in schools; the importance of communication for school improvements and student achievements; communication networks in schools; and styles and strategies of communication of school leaders within the SBM framework. For the purposes of qualitative data collection, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) were used to obtain open-ended information. These techniques of data collection were useful for providing better insight of the research problems. For this reason, the researcher the researcher set up two major steps. The first step dealt wit selected the key informants. Accordingly, fourteen key informants (principals and school council presidents) in seven schools were interviewed personally face to face. In addition, FGDs with seven groups of teachers in the schools were conducted. All interviews were recorded in the digital-tape recording and note-books for checking validity and reliability. Validity and Reliability of the Item Scales Several statisticians (Brace, Kemp, Snelgar, 2006; Manning Munro, 2006) affirm that the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a type of Factor Analysis which is used to explore the possibility of a factor structure underlying the variables. In particular, Manning and Munro (2006) explain the usefulness of PCA to measure the validity of variables. In the context of quantitative research, validity is simply defined as the degree to which it measures what it claims to measure (Manning Munro, 2006; Wiersma Jurs, 2005; Pallant, 2005; Best Kahn, 1998). The results of Principal Component Analysis demonstrate that the factor loadings of all scale items were ranged from .72 to .97 and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) of Sampling Adequacy was statistically significant (Bartletts Test of Sphericity, p = .000) and ranged from .64 to .87. These results clearly indicate a good factorability (Brace, Kemp, Snelgar, 2006, p. 318). Reliability in quantitative research refers to the consistency of the methods, conditions, and results (Manning Munro, 2006; Wiersma Kurs, 2005; Pallant, 2005; Best Kahn, 1998). There are three common ways of testing reliability in quantitative research, namely, test-retest reliability, split-half reliability, and coefficient (Munning Munro, 2006; Pallant, 2005). The test-retest approach is applied when a researcher tests the same set of people on two different occasions and the scores from the first test is correlated with the scores from the second test. In the split-half reliability, a researcher administers questionnaires only once and split the items used to create composite variable into two equivalent halves, followed by creating two composite variables from these two sets and correlate them. For the purpose of this study, the coefficient alpha (also known as Cronbachs alpha) was applied. The values of coefficient alpha above .70 are considered to represent acceptable reliability, above .80 good reliability, and above .90 to represent excellent reliability. The values of coefficient alpha of this instrument ranged from .82 to .95, indicating good and excellent reliability (Manning Munro, 2006, p.25). Results and Discussions Demographic Information In the study, several variables in relation to demographic information were analyzed for providing the general background of respondents. These include location, genders, qualification of formal education, positions in schools, and ages of respondents. The majority of respondents (57%) were located in district town schools of Ngada, while 43% of them were from village schools located in Golewa Sub-district area. Then, the majority of respondents (53%) were male, while 47% of them were female. Meanwhile, most of respondents (39%) graduated from bachelor degrees, while 36% of them graduated from diploma educational institutions. Meanwhile, 25% of respondents had the high school teacher training education or senior high school. The biggest percentage (38%) of respondents in the empirical survey was parents, followed by teachers and school council members (26% and 24% respectively). Other respondents were administrative staff (9%) and principals in seven schools (2%). Most of the respondents (40%, N=318) were between 41 and 50 years old. Twenty-six of them were between 31 and 40 years old, while small percentages of respondents were between 51-60 and 20-30 years old (20% and 14% respectively). Opinion on the Current Practice of SBM Policy In Indonesia, the policy in decentralized education system through School-Based Management (SBM) was actually the initiatives made by the Central government in Jakarta. Fortunately, the initiative was strongly supported by international donor agencies. In Flores, Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) provided assistance for school stakeholders in the areas of SBM policies and programs, including the devolution of authority and responsibility from governments to school councils in terms of building new schools, building renovation, library, school text books, school curriculum, school development planning, monitoring anf evaluation, school operational grants, as well as how joyful teaching and learning is linked to active participation of the whole school community members. An analysis was made in this study to find out the overall impression of school stakeholders on the current implementation of SBM policies and programs. As shown in Table 1, all respondents in th e empirical survey perceived the implementation of School-Based Management (SBM) either adequate (5%), good (46%) or excellent (48%). This implies that SBM policies and programs in these schools were applicable. Table 1 Opinion on the current practice of SBM Valid Item Frequency Valid Percent Unsatisfactory Adequate Good Excellent 0 17 147 154 0 5.3 46.2 48.4 Total 318 100.0 An effort was also made to find out whether there was statistically significant difference in terms of the school stakeholders opinion in terms of the implementation of SBM. As presented in Table 2, there was no statistically significant difference (Chi-sq =59, N = 318, p = .74) with the 96% of respondents who are working in schools (teachers, administrative staff and school principals) who either stated good or excellent on the implementation of SBM, compared with 94% of respondents (school council members and parents) who stated the same. Table 2 Opinion on the implementation of SBM by position of respondents in school NewPosition * Opinion on the Implementation of SBM Crosstabulation Opinion on the Implementation of SBM Total Adequate Good Excellent New Position 1* Count 5 56 60 121 % within NewPosition 4.1% 46.3% 49.6% 100.0% 2** Count 12 91 94 197 % within NewPosition 6.1% 46.2% 47.7% 100.0% Total Count 17 147 154 318 % within NewPosition 5.3% 46.2% 48.4% 100.0% * = Teacher, administrative staff, principal ** = School council members and parents Chi-Square Tests Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) Pearson Chi-Square .593a 2 .744 Likelihood Ratio .612 2 .736 Linear-by-Linear Association .311 1 .577 N of Valid Cases 318 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 6.47. How SBM Change the Authority on School Decision-Makings Since the implementation of SBM, authority in decision-making is vested from governments to school level decision-makers. For this purpose, each Indonesian school has established school councils for decision-making processes. In this research, it was necessary to find out how the school stakeholders considered the authority in decision-making after the implementation of SBM. Table 3 SBM and decision-making authority in school Valid Item Frequency Valid Percent Disagree Agree Strongly Agree 18 166 134 5.7 52.2 42.1 Total 318 100.0 Table 3 shows that the vast majority (94%) of respondents in the empirical survey either agreed (52%) or strongly agreed with the statement: School-Based Management has resulted in the provision of wider authority in school for decision-making. This result implies that as perceived by the respondents, authority for decision-making has been vested in school level since the implementation of SBM. In the history of Indonesian education system prior to the implementation of SBM, school principals were the authority figures in school decision-makings. They worked very closely to the district government officials in relation to the arrangements of new school buildings, school renovation, and even school textbooks for children. In such a practice, parents and other school community members never involved in decision-making processes. These practices were in line with Education Law No.2/1989 on National Education System and Government Regulation No.28/1990. It was regulated that central government has the authority in regard with curriculum, textbooks, school facilities, deployment, and development of staff, while authority in relation to new school buildings and renovations are in the hands of district governments (Article 9, Government Regulation 28/1990). In contrast, under SBM scheme, authority in these areas is not solely vested in school principal, but to the school councils. This requires principals to distribute the authority to school council members. The central government decided on the structure and composition of the councils to represent school communities. However, each school itself was given the authority to decide the size of the council based on their school size. Thus, each school has to elect a school council with a minimum of nine members depending on the size of the school. The membership of a school council should comprise of principal and the representatives of teachers, students, parents, school foundations, local governments, and community. The community representatives should consist of: (1) public figures, (2) educational experts; (3) industries or businesses; (4) professional organization of teachers; representatives of alumni; and (5) representatives of students. Apart from electing and/or nominating a maxi mum of three representatives only from teachers, school foundations, and Advisory Body for the Village Governance (Badan Pertimbangan Desa/BPD), there is no limitation of the total number elected from the representatives of the community members. Opinion on How SBM Creates Higher Participation of School Stakeholders An effort was then made to seek the nature of participation of school stakeholders in school decision-makings as perceived by the school stakeholders. Table 4 SBM and higher participation in school Valid Item Frequency Valid Percent Agree Strongly Agree 196 122 61.6 38.4 Total 318 100.0 Table 4 shows that all respondents (100%) stated either agree (62%) or strongly agree (38%) with the statement: SBM implementation has resulted in increased participation if all stakeholders in school. The result indicates how SBM policy in schools has crea

Starbucks :: essays research papers

Starbucks is a corporation that offers specialty coffees, coffee beans, cold blended beverages, pastries, coffee related products and machines, and tea. Starbucks opened its first location in 1971 in Seattle. By the year 2000, Starbucks had over 3300 locations, and it is still growing. SWOT STRENGTHS:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2000 marked 5th consecutive year of sales increase.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Low long-term debt to equity ratio of 0.01, company has good financial standing.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1993, Opens second roasting plant in Kent, Washington in order to maintain on-time production and delivery, then in 1995 opened state of the art roasting facility in York, Pennsylvania.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Howard Schultz joins corporation in 1982, is a visionary leader who made Starbucks the famous coffee bar that it is today. In 2000, Schultz assumed role of chairman and chief global strategist. WEAKNESSES:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Low presence in third largest coffee market, Japan and Asia.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Limited (currently increasing) channels of distribution. OPPORTUNITIES:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Schultz sees opportunity to make coffee/espresso bar available to everyone: (i.e.: new channels of distribution) o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1990 – Horizon Air Account o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1991 – First licensed airport location o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1992 – Nordstrom Account o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1993 – Barnes & Noble relationship o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1994 - Starwood Hotel Account o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1995 – United Airlines Account o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1997 – Canadian Airlines Account o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1998 – Grocery store coffee bars due to agreement with Kraft Foods. o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2000 – Host Marriott International Agreement  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Global Opportunities: o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Opens locations in several countries.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other types of drinks, including cold coffee beverages, blended drinks, fruit drink, and tea. THREATS  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Small coffee shops in New York are trying to compete with Starbucks on the basis of customer loyalty.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Protesting against Starbucks for using milk with artificial bovine growth hormone. GOST GOALS  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Open 1,200 new locations in 2001, 900 in the United States.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Open new store in Vienna by end of 2001.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Open 10-15 new stores in Zurich within the next 12-18 months.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Distribution of new Bottled Frappuccino Coffee Drinks, from affiliation with PepsiCo, to entire USA by September 2001.

American Industrialization Essay -- American History

Between 1865 and 1920, industrialization caused significant changes in many people’s lives. First, the development of a new railroad system help settle the west and made it more accessible to people. Second, public transit systems in big cities provided an outlet from congested cities. Last, the discovery of a method for transmitting electricity helped to light up our daily lives. I feel that these are three of the most important changes in people’s lives caused by industrialization. First, the building of railroads out west played a huge part in the successful expansion of our country and the fulfillment of American dreams. Priot to the development of a more efficient railroad system, the movement of people and freight were relatively slow, difficult, and costly. Because of different rail gauges, sometimes freight had to be unloaded and then reloaded on boxcars. Second, most goods had to be produced and provided locally on a small scale. As a result, prices for products were very high. Nevertheless, with the help of federal grants, railroad promoters were able to build a more efficient railroad system that would connect the settled east with the unsettled west. After the completion of the new railroads system, farmers were in reasonable distance of railroad depots, which meant manufacturers could locate their plants anywhere and be able to bring in raw materials and send their products wherever they could find customers. Also, freight and passengers could travel by rai...

Debate for the Constitution

When the U. S. constitution was made it there was a long debate over the ratification of the constitution. There were two sides in the debate, the Federalists, who were supporter of the new constitution, and were better, organized than their opponents, and the Federalists had the support of the most respected men in America, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin. The other side of the debate was the Antifederalists, who opposed ratification; although they weren’t as organized as the Federalists they did have some dedicated supporters. One major argument used by the supporters’ side in the debates over the ratification of the U. S. constitution is that there would be disorder without a strong central government. By 1787, most people were not happy with the articles of confederation. The farmers came to be debtors: and revolts like Shays’ rebellion where happening. The Federalists argued that without a strong central government, more rebellions like Shays’ rebellion would occur. So they looked to the constitution to create a national government capable of maintaining order. According to document 1, in which the Massachusetts sentinel wrote that the United States needed to adopt the constitution to make a more efficient federal government, to help the farmers, and protect the American name and character. Also according to document 3, in which a letter written by George Washington to John Jay, where Washington agreed with Jay that the articles of confederation had to be corrected. Also Washington suggested that America needed a stronger, national government. In the end, the Federalists won but not without strong debates and arguments from the Antifederalists. One major argument used by the supporters’ side in the debates over the ratification of the U. S. Constitution is that there would be disorder without a strong central government. The documents supporting my answer were document 1, and document 3.

Problem or Success of Implementing Tourism Essay

The problem that has face by the owner of the Salak Denai Chalet is promotion to promote their service. They only promote their service via customer, facebook and blog only. But, facebook and blog not actively yet. Besides, the chalet that they build was doesn’t have a plan and Majlis Daerah Yan was issued a summons to their business. Then, they had to spend a lot of money to hire the architect to draw plan to settle the problem with Majlis Daerah Yan. Besides, they have a lot of competition with other chalet around there that they was provided a better service and comfortable place to the customer. Sustainable and environmental affects towards project In every chalet at Salak Denai,its has their own pool. Only a river water of Batu Hampar that use to fill the pool. Besides, the owner of the chalet not use a chlorine to maintain the water cleaning. The owner of the chalet still preserve the natural condition of the forest. He always make sure that the area of surrounding was clean. The strength and success story of project The strength and success of project is Salak Denai has a five chalet with every chalet has their own pool. This success of project can was attracted the customer to rent the chalet. This chalet give more privacy to the customer when they want to picnic with their family.The owner of the chalet is more concern about the ‘aurat’ of the muslim and he was highlighted this project in his business. So, the customer do not have to worried anymore about the ‘aurat’ of their family because they get more privacy to swimming. This chalet become popular after he was organized his daughter wedding ceremony here. Now, every weekend and public holiday, this chalet was fully booked until March 2013. Only the weekday has no reservation from customer. Proposed new marketing plan As we know, this chalet was fully booked every weekend until March 2013. So, the owner must have a plan to build more chalet to accommodate the demand of the customer towards this chalet. In addition, the owner shall register the service with the minister of tourism so that all tourists can get information about the activities of Salak Denai chalet easily. Besides that ,owner must actively involve in the social network to promote the service The annual update about the info always like put pictures chalets along the information, update new-items added to the chalet and put the best service to compete with the newar chalets. How tourism can contribute to environmental conservation Salak Denai chalet use travel system which can preserve the natural condition such as using natural river water flowing into the pond in the chalet, built a house with the original wood from the trees and so on. Futhermore , owner of Salak Denai chalet not use substance can pollute the nature condition in that chalet area.

Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities Facing IT Managers Essay

Cyber-security demands are ever increasing in the field of Information Technology with the globalization of the internet. Disruptions due to cyber-attacks are affecting the economy, costing companies billions of dollars each year in lost revenue. To counter this problem corporations are spending more and more on infrastructure and investing to secure the cyber security vulnerabilities which range anywhere from software to hardware to networks and people that use them. Due to the complexity of information systems that interact with each other and their counter parts, the requirement to meet specific cyber security compliances have become a challenging issues for security professionals worldwide. To help with these issues, security professionals have created different standards and frameworks over the years for addressing this growing concern of vulnerabilities within enterprise systems and the critical information they hold (â€Å"Critical Security Controls,† n.d.). Before we get into the details let first examine what exactly is a security vulnerability. By definition a security vulnerability can be flaws in hardware, software, networks or the employees that use them which in turn can allow hackers to compromise the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the information system (â€Å"Common Cybersecurity,† 2011). To thoroughly discuss this topic in more detail I will first discuss Confidentiality as it is one of the three main goals of IT Security. Confidentiality is as simple as it sounds, limiting access to resources for only those that need it. Confidentiality vulnerabilities occur when hackers try to exploits some weakness or flaw  within information system and view information that they are not normally allowed to. In this case the confidentiality of the documents have been compromised. The second goal of IT security which can also be affected if security vulnerabilities are present is Integrity. Integrity by definition can mean many different things for different topics but for the IT world it solely relates to the trustworthiness of a document or resource. This means that the document or file has been unhindered or changed and is still in its original form. This is very important because if data has been hindered or changed it can cause substantial damage to corporations due to the possible wrong decisions being made like investments or unintended publications or even trouble with the law if tax audits are not adding up properly which would all result in a net loss. The last goal of IT security which can be compromised if security vulnerabilities exist is Availability of the information system. Availability refers to the idea that a resource is accessible by those that need it, whenever they need it. In my personal opinion I believe availability is probably the most important out of the three security goals. I say this simply because there are many mission critical applications out there that need to be online 24/7 and any downturn can result in catastrophic results. One prime example of this is the air traffic control towers at LAX; they were having problems with the system a few months back due to the U-2 spy plane flying over their airspace. This caused major panic which grounded taxied planes that were ready to take off and forced the manual tracking of planes already in air (Ahlers, 2014). Throughout this the paper I intend to report on the many different types of cyber-security vulnerabilities available and their effects. I will also describe in detail the vulnerability I feel is the most important facing IT managers today, its impact on organizations and the solution. As I stated before there are many different types of security vulnerabilities out there which can affect the integrity, availability and confidentiality of a resource. So the question still remains what exactly are t hese types of vulnerabilities? Especially since they range from software, hardware, networks and the people that use them. Firstly I will discuss the software vulnerabilities, more specifically in terms of web applications. This is because more than half of the current  computer security threats and vulnerabilities today affect web applications and that number is ever increasing. (Fonseca, Seixas, Vieira, Madeira, 2014). When considering the programming language used to develop web applications you have PHP which is considered a weak language, on the other hand you have Java, C# and Visual Basic which are considered strong languages. It is important to note that the language used to develop the web applications is very important because although the different programming languages are similar overall, each one has different rules of how data is stored, retrieved, the execution methods, tables and so on. For example when I say how data is stored and retrieve, I am basically regarding to data types and data structures and how the programming language that is being used maps their values into type fields like strings for names, Int for numbers, or even Boolean for true and false statements. Overall though even if you are using a strong typed language like Java, it does not always guarantee itself free from defects because the language itself may not be the root cause of the vulnerability but possibly the implementation methods used or even insufficient testing (Fonseca, Seixas, Vieira, Madeira, 2014). Vulnerabilities in web applications invite XSS exploits and SQL injection which are the most common types. Below you can see in the image the evolution of reports caused by SQL injection and XSS exploits over the years. This next section we will discuss some more types of security vulnerabilities, more specifically vulnerabilities with regards to hardware. Many people assume that hardware vulnerabilities have the lowest security concern compared to other types of vulnerabilities like software, networks and people that use them simply because they can be stored up in secure environments. The truth is even hardware vulnerabilities can be easily susceptible to attacks. Hardware in general have a longer lifespan than software because simply with software you can upgrade it and install new patches/builds even after deployment. With hardware you once you purchase it, you are most likely going to keep it for a while. When it does become obsolete and ready to be disposed a lot of organizations make the simple mistake of not securely disposing the old hardware properly which in turn opens up the door for intruders. Old hardware have software programs installed on them and other things like IC transistors whi ch can help  hackers learn a lot more about the organization and help lead to future attacks (Bloom, Leontie, Narahari, Simha, 2012). The most recent example of hardware vulnerability which caused one of the biggest Cybersecurity breaches in history was most recently with Target. 40 million credit and debit cards with customer information was stolen simply because a malware was introduced to the point of sale system through a hardware encryption vulnerability (Russon, 2014). Although hardware vulnerabilities are not normally the root cause for majority of the exploits and breaches out there, it is always still good to follow best practices. Network vulnerabilities will be the next topic of discussion and my personal favorite. Vulnerabilities through network systems are very common especially with the all the resources available to hackers today. There are many open source software programs on the market which can help intruders learn critical information about an organization. Just to name a few of the most popular and commonly used ones include Nmap security scanner and Wireshark. Nmap security scanner was originally developed to be used for security and system administration purposes only, like mapping the network for vulnerabilities. Today it most commonly used for black hat hacking (Weston, 2013). Hackers use it to scan open unused ports and other vulnerabilities which in turn helps them gain unauthorized access to the network. Wireshark on the other hand is also similar to Nmap as it was originally developed for network analysis and troubleshooting. It allows administrators to view and capture all packet resources that passes through a particular interface. Over the years hackers have started using Wireshark to exploit unsecured networks and gain unauthorized access (Shaffer, 2009). Although scanning unused open ports and capturing packets are a great way for intruders to gain access to a network, the most popular method by far to breach a network is USB thumb devices. Most enterprise networks are very secure in the sense that they use a DMZ (De-militarized zone) and outside penetration becomes very difficult. In a de-militarized zone outside network traffic must go pass through two different firewalls to get to the intranet of the organization. The first firewall includes all the commonly used servers like FTP, SMTP and all other resources that can be accessible by the public. The second firewall has the actual intranet of the organization which includes all private resources (Rouse, 2007). Below is the diagram of a DMZ. So the question still remains, since most enterprise organizations use DMZ which in turn helps prevent port scanning or packet analyzing, why is USB thumb devices the most popular network vulnerability? (Markel, 2013) The answer is very simple â€Å"Social engineering†. We as human beings, through social conditioning do not stop and ask questions when were not familiar with someone, which in turn has become one of the major causes for the cybersecurity breaches that occur today. Just to give one example from my own personal experiences at work, each floor has an authentication swipe policy to gain entry. Every time I enter the office area, there are a few people with me and only one person in the group usually swipes his/her badge to open the door. This is a huge security vulnerability because anyone can just follow the group and gain access to the entire intranet of the organization. In my case in particular I work for United Airlines headquarters in Chicago at the Willis tower which is more than 100 stories high and the fact that the entire building is not ours alone, this becomes a huge security concern. While I have briefly explained the vulnerabilities in software, hardware, networks and the people that use them, the question still remains, what is the most important security vulnerability facing IT managers today?. This answer to this questions differs person to person, and one must take into consideration the actual vulnerability, its threat source and the outcomes. A person with a small home business might only be concerned with denial of service attacks, since they may not have enough cash flow to properly secure their network. On the other hand an enterprise organization with large cash flow might have a different prospective and probably does not concern itself with denial of service attacks but instead is focuses on making sure all the systems are upda te using windows server update services. In my personal opinion though, you might have guessed it but it’s definitely us human beings because we have the tendency to fall victims and contribute to the successful security breaches that occur in today’s society. Mateti in his essay â€Å"TCP/IP Suite† stated that vulnerabilities occur because of human error. A study by Symantec and the Ponemon institute showed that 64 percent of data breaches in 2012 were resulted due to human mistakes (Olavsrud, 2013). Larry Ponemon the founder of security research at Ponemon Institute and chairman stated that â€Å"Eight  years of research on data breach costs has shown employees behavior to be one of the most pressing issues facing organizations today†, up by twenty two percent since the first survey† (Olvasrud, 2013). A prime example of this is when I stated earlier about how anyone can just enter my office area without swiping their card, just by simply following the group. This is a form of human erro r when employees are too intimidated to ask questions and request authorization from someone they believe does not work for the organization. The intruder can just walk in the front door pretending to be a salesperson, repairman or even a white collar businessman and may look like someone legitimate but in fact they are not. This intruder now has direct access to the intranet and can install malicious malware on to the computers to disrupt daily operations or even steal sensitive data like confidential project information, release dates, trade secrets and many more. A very good example of this is the Stuxnet worm which infect the Iranian nuclear facilities and caused a lot of damage internally which in turn delayed Iran’s nuclear development. All of the security measures that were put in place by Iran’s cyber defense team were circumvented simply by just one employee because the worm was introduced through an infected USB drive. This simply shows how the direct access from unauthorized users due to employee negligence can cause such tremendous damage and that all the perimeter defense become completely useles s. Another prime example of human errors was the RSA breach in 2011 where cybercriminals thought instead of just sending millions of phishing emails to different random mailboxes, let’s send personalized emails to specific employees. The employees at RSA thinking since it’s a personalized message its â€Å"safe† and clicked on the links unknowingly which in turn caused the malware to be downloaded on to the network. To counter this problem firstly IT managers need to properly train employees and give them specific guidelines to follow. Symantec has issued a press releases with the guidelines on how to properly secure sensitive data which includes information on how to train employees for these types of intrusions. Human error is not just limited to intimation or foolishness, it also expands too many different areas because after all it is us humans who manage the cyberspace, grant physical access to the terminals and systems that are connected to the internetwork. We setup the protocols used for communication, set the security policies and procedures,  code backend server software, create passwords used to access sensitive information, maintain updates on computers and so on (â€Å"Security 2011, † 2011 ). The human element matters very much possibly more than the software, hardware or the network systems especially when it comes to properly securing an internetwork from data breaches. The impact on the organization always depends on what type of business it is and what it is engaged in. For example if an organization is very popular and has bigger presence in the online commerce (Amazon and New Egg) compared to one that does not use the internet quiet often will be more concerned with web based attacks and vulnerabilities. The impact though regardless of the type of organization will always be tremendous. Once a breach occurs not only are you spending on recovering from its effects but you are also spending on beefing up your current security measures by installing new devices, hiring new employees so the same occurrence does not occur again (Hobson, 2008) Sometimes at the end of the day some of the cost are not even recoverable like sensitive data, trade secrets, personnel information or even customer information. Another major cost and headache that occurs once an organization becomes a victim of cybercrime is lawsuits. Many customers who feel that the organization could not protect their confidentiality will sue the corporation for millions of dollars which in turn can cause major loss. IT managers can do many things to help prevent breaches due to human errors. The first thing they can do is properly train the employees as stated above on a periodical basis and use current guidelines like Symantec to properly secure their intranet from any type of intrusion. IT managers can also establish a safe harbor in the sense that they can force employees to periodically change their passwords and establish rules so the password must be certain characters long and must include other types of characters besides just the typical alphanumerical ones. Employee negligence also due to bad habits like sending sensitive data over an unsecured email and IT managers must ensure that they continually educate their employees. There are many different types of security vulnerabilities out there in today’s world that are affecting organizations. In my personal opinion I believe human error is the one vulnerability that affects IT managers the most simply because we as humans make mistakes. It is in our nature and no matter how hard we try we will always be susceptible to deception either through social engineering tactics or clicking dangerous  links because it â€Å"looks safe† or even being negligent by not reporting something unusual. Employees need to realize that their actions can bring terrible consequences for both them and the organization as a whole. References Fonseca, J., Seixas, N., Viera, M., & Madeira, H. (2014). Analysis of Field Data on Web Security Vulnerabilities. IEEE Transaction on Dependable & Secure Computing, 11(2), 89-100 doi:10.1109/TDSC.2013.37 Russon, M. (2014, June 10). Forget Software Vulnerabilities, Hardware Security Must Improve Before It’s Too Late. International Business Times RSS. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/forget-software-vulnerabilities-hardware-security-must-improve-before-its-too-late-1451912 Bloom, G., Leontie, E., Narahari, B., & Simha, R. (2012, January 1). Hardware and Security: Vulnerabilities and Solutions. . Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://www.seas.gwu.edu/~simha/research/HWSecBookChapter12.pdf Common Cyber Security Vulnerabilities in Industrial Control Systems. (2011, January 1). . Retrieved July 12, 2014, from https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/documents/DHS_Common_Cybersecurity_Vulnerabilities_ICS_2010.pdf Critical Security Controls. (n.d.). SANS I nstitute -. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://www.sans.org/critical-security-controls Ahlers, M. (2014, May 6). FAA computer vexed by U-2 spy plane over LA. CNN. Retrieved July 13, 2014, from http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/05/us/california-ground-stop-spy-plane-computer/ Most Important Cybersecurity Vulnerability Facing It Managers. (n.d.). . Retrieved July 13, 2014, from http://www.ukessays.com/essays/computer-science/most-important-cybersecurity-vulnerability-facing-it-managers-computer-science-essay.php Security 2011: Attack Of The Human Errors – Network Computing. (2011, December 22).Network Computing. Retrieved July 13, 2014, from http://www.networkcomputing.com/networking/security-2011-attack-of-the-human-errors/d/d-id/1233294? Hobson, D. (2008, August 8). The real cost of a security breach. SC Magazine. Retrieved July 13, 2014, from http://www.scmagazine.com/the-real-cost-of-a-security-breach/article/113717/ Direct, M. (2013, December 20). Human error is the root cause of most data