Effects of Globalization on the Environment Essay

Globalization has had a huge impact on the world in a number of ways. It has increased the integration of countries’ individual economies, the rise in the world trade and multinational companies, and the effect of large amounts of money moving in and out of economies throughout the world. People around the world are more connected to each other than ever before. Information and money flow more quickly than ever before. In addition goods and services produced in one part of the world are increasingly available in all parts of the world. International travel and communication in now more frequent and has become commonplace throughout the world. It can not be denied that globalization has had an overwhelming positive influence. Millions of jobs have been opened up through the ever increasing productivity and efficiency of the global economy. Globalization for less developed countries has encouraged faster growth, in turn promoting poverty reduction, democratization and higher labor and environmental standards. It also gives citizens greater individual freedom to express views and experience cultures through such mediums as television and the internet, which encourage understanding around the world. This fairly new glorified issue has had a great impact on the global environment in addition to all other aspects of the world that it has affected. One of the greatest examples that come to mind is the endless support of the tsunamis victims. Without globalization the world could not have contributed to the extent of what we have. Relentless support has been granted to the victims of this tragic event in record time. Globalization has made this possible through the increase in technology and communication. Citizens of the world now have the ability to contribute time, money and supplies to countries that would otherwise be stranded or left hanging for a period of time. Our valiant efforts have put this epic event at an all time support relief. We are now able to send support in all forms more conveniently. Without the effects of globalization this event that has occurred would have been much more devastating. The world can thank globalization for this never ending support. In addition to the tsunamis relief support granted through globalization, it has affected the environment in other ways as well. It has greatly increased the environmental standards worldwide. Through the development of the internet many environmental agencies have evolved which have increased the protection of the environment. The internet has made them more effective and they are now able to communicate much easier than ever before. Through the development of environmental supports some beneficial factors have evolved such as new up to date emissions standards. This greatly reduces the worldwide threat of global warming. By agencies effectively implementing such standards our world has become safer and healthier. These efforts are now on a continuum which only leaves our world to improvement. Globalization is the reason for this and without it our world would be at risk of inevitable destruction. Through the efforts of environmental agencies we as a world are now aware and informed of the dangers of what used to be every day practices. We can thank the rise of globalization for our continuing efforts for world wide environmental improvement.

The Adventures of Lewis Carroll’s Alice

From a young age Charles Dodgson’s fondness for writing was already made apparent. He had made several contributions to some national publications in England as well as to two local publications in Oxford (Karoline 31). It was in one of his contributions to the latter where he used the pseudonym by which he would be remembered: Lewis Carroll. It took some time before Carroll finally came out with a published version of his manuscript for Alice in Wonderland. Among other things Carroll was also a mathematician and a deacon in his church (Collingwood 22-23).These occupations contributed to the delay in publication of the classic story of Alice. After its release and widespread acclaim however, it wasn’t long before Carroll published its sequel, Through the Looking Glass. The two texts have been popularized as children’s literature. However, closer analyses by critics have brought forth a string of explanations accounting for the uncommon descriptions and images in the texts. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the creation of the stories, it cannot be denied that the same were written for the enjoyment and benefit of children.Controversies Surrounding Alice The zeitgeist during the release of Alice in Wonderland was one of drug abuse resistance and a counter-culture of dependence on psychedelic substances. Such an air led scholars to deconstruct the text based on the prevalent norms in society. It was easy for scholars to relate Alice’s mushroom-eating and herb-use to regular pot sessions. Some scholars have claimed that the imageries in the story are akin to the hallucinations experienced when under the influence of addictive substances.From these factual circumstances arose the belief that Carroll himself was under the influence at the time that he wrote the text or that he was a habitual user. However, there is no evidence to show that at any point in his life Carroll was involved in drug abuse. There is evidence to support however that Carroll may have been ill thus prompting the hyperbolic descriptions in Alice in Wonderland and its sequel. It was observed that Carroll documented suffering from severe migraines which most often affected the ill person by skewing his or her perspective, such as making objects appear bigger then they actually were (Carroll 52).It is surmised that Lewis Carroll suffered from such an affliction all his life and thus the vivid imagery in his popular texts. The disease has now become popularly known as the Alice in Wonderland Syndrome or, medically, micropsia and macropsia. This is a neurological disease which affects visual perception in humans causing illusions in size, shape and color (Cinibis and Aysun 316). Some scholars have attributed the creativity in Carroll’s text to the fact that he was ailing from this disease.As regards the text Through the Looking Glass, critics have unanimously categorized the same as nonsense literature. It is not hard to imagine why , what with the text’s deconstruction of norms and the topsy turvy manner by which the text upends unquestioned customs – such as telling time for example. More than anything however, the text is a clear presentation on a play of words and wit. The Real Alice The first and strongest argument that Carroll’s stories were written simply for children to enjoy is an inspection of the life of Carroll. It has already been mentioned that Carroll was a deacon in his church.This paved the way to his acquaintance with a little girl who sparked the creation of his children’s masterpiece. In her text, The Real Alice, Clarks shows that sometime in 1855 Carroll met the Liddell family whose head, Henry Liddell, was the dean of Christ Church in Oxford. Because of his acquaintance with Henry Liddell, Carroll in turn became acquainted with Henry’s children. Alice Liddell was one of three girls belonging to the Liddell family. Carroll was quite fond of children and he often took the Liddell children to picnics and boat rides where he regaled the children with stories and make-believes.It was on one such occasion that Alice asked Carroll to tell them a story and the ensuing tale is what is known today as Alice in Wonderland. Although Carroll had told the children other stories prior to this particular one, the difference this time was that Alice Liddell had asked him to write down the story for her. Several pieces of evidence show that indeed Alice Liddell was the model, or at least the inspiration, for Carroll’s Alice. One of the strongest proofs is that Carroll actually dedicated the book to Alice Liddell thus demonstrating that Alice played a part in its completion.If it were merely a sign of the close relationship that he shared with the Liddell children, then Carroll should have dedicated the book to all of them and not just to one in particular. Moreover, a poem in Through the Looking Glass reveals an acrostic spelling out the name o f Alice Pleasance Liddell. Although Carroll himself admitted using acrostics to spell out the names of young ladies with whom he was acquainted, the appearance of Alice Liddell’s name in both his books is quite significant.No other acquaintance of his was mentioned in both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Certainly it was more than just the similarity in names of his friend and his protagonist that prompted him to spell out Alice’s name in the sequel of his story. There is also evidence showing that Carroll set the story on dates significant to Alice Liddell. The first story was set on May 4, Alice’s birthday, and the second story was set on November 4, Alice’s half-birthday (Wikipedia Alice Liddell). Carroll certainly went out of his way to allude to such significant dates in both his stories.Furthermore, when the fictional Alice stated her age it reflected the actual age Alice Liddell would have been at that time. Certainly that too co uld not have been mere coincidence. Although Carroll denied any association between his writings and Alice Liddell, the subtle hints that he planted in the story speak for themselves. A possible cause for the denial might have been the intrigue that eventually followed his intimate relationships with children. Karoline Leach first raised such a point in her book, In the Shadow of a Dreamchild, when she attempted to deconstruct the Carroll Myth.In essence, Leach insinuated pedophilia by observing that the relationship Carroll maintained with young girls was unnatural. Of course, with the stature and popularity that Carroll had attained, such statements, though founded with as much proof as other accepted historical facts regarding Carroll, were hotly contested and rebutted. This is not to say however that they have been debunked as such is not the case. Regardless of the relationship between Alice Liddell and Carroll, it is uncontested that the first book was dedicated to Alice Lidde ll while she was still a young child.Above any other proof of motivation, this clear manifestation of intent reflects that the story of Alice in Wonderland was written for the fancies of children. It necessarily follows therefore that its sequel also catered to children’s delights. A Journey into Wonderland Apart from the biographical setting, one may also look at the fictional setting which Carroll developed. The story starts out with a random romp in the woods with a little girl’s closest companion, her pet. It is a dull day and, upon falling into the rabbit hole, Alice finds herself in a refreshing change of scenery.The situation is not unlike the many dull summer’s days wherein children are wont to play make-believe. Wonderland itself is a crayon enlargement of pictures that are commonly drawn by children. The different colored trees and stark colors worn by the characters, both on their clothes and on their furs, shows a child’s easy use of colors. T he scenery in itself has a nursery rhyme quality around it reflecting the target audience it was written for. The contrast in colors is very much the same manner by which children view the world.It is only the adult-world that defines colors by hues of black, gray, and khaki. Such a variety of colors as is seen in Alice’s adventures is the world of young children. The mere fact that children often like to reverse colors in their portrayals of the world around them shows that they enjoy such mismatches. This only serves to reveal the delight they must have felt to have been launched alongside Alice into a world filled with mixtures of colors. Furthermore, the skewed perception of size of objects was entirely in line with the perspective of small children.For children, size is magnified in proportion with their own size. More so, size is magnified in proportion to their understanding of the utility of a particular object. Take for example the larger-than-life portrayal of the c hess board pieces. The game of chess is a game of knowledge and of skill. It is not unlikely therefore that a child would find such a game taxing, particularly so when he or she is free to enjoy the free terrain of nature. Another such example is found in the upturning of the concept of time telling in the story.One of the most difficult things to teach a child is how to tell time. The importance of the long hand, the short hand, and the second hand are sheer mysteries to a child who needs only to keep track whether or not it is night or day outside. The mockery of timepieces in the story is entirely in line with such difficulty. The concept may be refreshing to adult readers but it also allows child readers to completely relate with the story. Apart from the setting, Carroll’s use of characters already familiar to children showed that the story was indeed intended for them.The characters Tweedledee and Tweedledum for example, jump right out of the nursery rhyme to meet Alice in her adventure. This is very significant because to no other audience would these two characters hold strong bearing than to children. The language used in the story is also reflective of the genre for which the texts were intended. To most the language is mere nonsense. But the play of words, particularly in Through the Looking Glass, presents so much more than just play. The manner in which Carroll communicates his feelings with non-words is reflective of the way children themselves attempt to express themselves to adults.For example, in the poem Jabberwocky, Carroll uses the combination of words and the emotions evoked by non-words to paint out a story for his audience. Such mixture of words to express a new feeling or thought is most often observed in children who, for lack of vocabulary, resort to such splicing when the need arises. Furthermore, children often take meaning from the feelings that a particular word arouses in them, particularly so when they don’t know t he meaning of the word. The use of language in the two stories is a play on such psychology of children.Finally, the variety of sounds that Carroll brings to life in his stories presents good exercise for children’s linguistic abilities. The spectrum of sounds that his stories present is good training ground for improved diction and muscle memory for his young readers. Finally, let us examine Alice herself. Alice’s disposition is that of an obedient young girl who is both shocked and amused by the play of the characters she meets. Alice presents the character of a child who has learned to believe the teachings of her elders without fully understanding why she should do so.This very character of Alice persists from her falling into the rabbit hole to her arguing against the disruption of norms. Yet every time that Alice is forced to explain her stands, she finds herself running out of thoughts and words. Such blind obedience is common in children, particularly those sta rting education but not yet fully being taught about the concepts behind the lessons being learned. It is argued that Alice’s adventures had a darker undertone to it, with Alice finding each of her hopes being crushed throughout the story.However, such an observation does not discount the fact that Alice’s story still holds for the benefit of child readers. If nothing more, such an undertone elevates Alice’s story to apply even to young adults. It seems that Alice’s realization that her fantasies and dreams are not always in line with reality and therefore must be discarded shows a coming of age theme in the story. As with most coming of age stories, it is not uncommon that adults themselves find the issues they face being addressed.However, the benefit that children may derive from the story is not undermined because the issues portrayed are particularly addressed to the ones that they themselves face. A Child’s Wonderland Scholars have applied th e themes present in the stories to everyday life of more mature audiences. Moreover, numerous criticisms have been aimed at Carroll’s stories reflecting them to be no more than the products of a hallucinating mind. Despite these judgments regarding the source of the idea of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, it cannot be denied that both pieces have had a tremendous impact on its young readers.There is no doubt that these stories were created primarily for the enjoyment of children and for their beneficial understanding. This intention is the focal key in understanding the disjointed world that Lewis Carroll painted. To most adults and to the scholarly world, an in-depth analysis of the text was needed, particularly so when considering the intellect and the capacity of the man who rendered the same. But it is undeniable that the very reason why Alice’s Adventures are still loved today is borne of a deep affiliation between children and Alice herself.Car roll’s depiction of Alice and her Wonderland embodies the make-believe world that children often find themselves voiceless to express. In his masterpiece, Carroll is not only able to express the world of a child but he is able to impact the viewpoints of adults as well. Works Cited Alice Liddell. Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. April 2008. 16 April 2008 . Carroll, Lewis. The Diaries of Lewis Carroll. London: The Lewis Carroll Society, 1993-2007. Carroll, Lewis. The Complete, Fully Illustrated Works.New York: Gramercy Books, 1995. Cinibis, M. , and Aysun, S. â€Å"Alice in Wonderland syndrome as an initial manifestation of Epstein-Barr virus infection. † British Journal of Ophthalmology, 76, 316, 1992. Clark, Anne. The Real Alice. New York: Stein And Day, 1982. Cohen, Morton N. Lewis Carroll: A Biography. London: Macmillan, 1995. Collingwood, Stuart D. The Life and Letters of Lewis Carroll. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1898. Leach, Karoline. In the Shadow of the Dreamchild : A New Understanding of Lewis Carroll. London: Peter Owen Publishers, 1999.

Ventilator Associated Pneumonia in the Icu

Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) is a nosocomial infection occurring in hospitalized patients who are mechanically ventilated. These infections are common in ICU settings, difficult to diagnose early, and unfortunately have a high rate of mortality and morbidity. VAP accounts for almost half of infections in ICU settings, up to 28% of mechanically ventilated patients will develop VAP and of these patients the mortality rate is between 20% and 70% (Craven & Steger, 1998). A patient that develops VAP while mechanically ventilated adds days to his recovery as well as thousands of dollars to the care costs. Numerous studies have been conducted across the county in an effort to understand VAP, however very few of those studies focus on the nursing interventions that can prevent this deadly and costly nosocomial infection. Many of these studies focus on the â€Å"bundling† of certain interventions, so the question is does the implementation of a VAP bundle compared with the use of non-bundled interventions decrease the incidence of VAP in ventilated patients. The research that was found in nursing journals along with a related study from a medical journal follows. Cason, Tyner, Saunders and Broome (2007) conducted a study of 1200 critical care nurses and the results demonstrate the variability in the recommended and reported care of the ventilated patient. Their study aims to identify the areas of needed improvement to comply with the CDC recommendations for prevention of VAP. The study consisted of a questionnaire distributed to nurses who attended the 2005 American Association of Critical Care Nurses National Teaching Institute, with the findings demonstrating a need for more education and research in the area of preventing ventilator associated pneumonia. Ferrer and Artigas (2001) also noted the lack of compliance in even the most basic of preventative measures. The study focuses on non-antibiotic preventative strategies for VAP; they suggest the use of antimicrobial hand soap, clorahexidine oral rinses, stress ulcer prophylaxis, prevention of gastric over distension, providing adequate nutritional support as well as frequent position changes. The research also suggests that endotracheal tubes with an extra lumen designed to continuously suction secretions pooled above the endotracheal tube cuff would lower the incidence of VAP by reventing these secretions from being aspirated into the lower airway. The authors also suggest more research be done to further limit the number of patients who develop VAP. Siempos, Vardakas and Falagas (2008) found that after meta-analysis of nine published randomized controlled trials that a closed tracheal suction system has no benefit in reducing the incidence of VAP compared with an open tracheal suct ion system. The preliminary data suggests that a closed circuit would reduce the incidence of VAP, however the data and trials that were reviewed showed that there was no decrease in the rate of infection. Due to the fact that a closed system can be used more than once, and only needs to be changed every 24 hours, it does tend to be more cost effective. Also of note, in two separate trials, a closed system was found to increase colonization of both the respiratory tract and the ventilator tubing. Obviously more research is needed to determine the best intervention when endotracheal suctioning is necessary. Ventilator associated pneumonia is both common and unfamiliar to nurses in the critical care setting, according to Labeau, Vandijck, Claes, Van Acken & Blot (2007). They note that while nurses deal with VAP frequently their knowledge of the infection and preventative measures may be a reason that VAP is still so prevalent in the intubated patient. The research points to the idea that because many nurses are not responsible for the ventilator circuit; they rely on the respiratory therapist to manage the ventilator, they may be less informed than if they had more control and training in the interventions necessary to prevent VAP. The research suggests more training and education for nurses who work with ventilated patients. Research done at the University of Toledo College of Medicine has shown a decrease in the incidence of VAP in its ten bed surgical ICU by implementing a â€Å"FASTHUG† protocol. Papadimos, et al, (2008) explained the interventions that the college used as a tool to educate the critical care team. â€Å"FASTHUG† stands for daily evaluation of feeding, analgesia, sedation, thromboembolic prevention, head of bed elevation, ulcer prophylaxis, and glucose control in critically ill intubated patients. The â€Å"FASTHUG† protocol was emphasized at morning and afternoon rounds and after a 2 year esearch period the incidence of VAP declined to 7. 3 VAPs/1000 ventilator days down from a historical rate of 19. 3 VAPs/1000 ventilator days. Of note, in 2007 the surgical ICU that implemented this program actually had no incidence of VAP from January to May. The research suggests that the use of bundled care processes for ventilated patients may reduce the rate of VAP. The nurs e’s knowledge of the use of the ventilator bundle is crucial to the success of the protocol according to research done at the University of Texas. Education sessions were held with pre and posttests administered as well as observation to evaluate the nurse’s understanding of the bundles. The VAP bundle focused on the elevation of the head of the bed, continuous removal of subglottic secretions, change of the ventilator circuit no more often than every 48 hours, and washing of hands before and after contact with each patient. The research done by Tolentino-DelosReyes, Ruppert and Shiao (2007) suggests that a lack of understanding and knowledge of VAP leads to a higher rates of infection. Observation of the nurses in the study revealed that after the education sessions nurses demonstrated an increase in compliance with the established standards of care. Given the high mortality and morbidity of ventilator-associated pneumonia, compliance in the critical care unit is crucial to reducing the rate of VAP. The critical care nurse is vital to the prevention of VAP, and nurses need to initiate further research concentrating on education and prevention. References Cason, C. L. , Tyner, T. , Saunders, S. Broome, L. (2007) Nurses’ implementation of guidelines for ventilator-associated pneumonia from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. American Journal of Critical Care, 16, 28-37. Craven, D. E. , Steger, K. A. (1998) Ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonias: Challenges in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. New Horizons, 6(2). Ferrer, R. & Artigas, A. (2001) Clinical Review: Non-antibiotic strategies for preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia. Critical Care 2002, 6, 45-51. Hunter, J. D. (2006) Ventilator associated pneumonia. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 82, 172-178. doi:10. 1136/pgmj. 2005. 036905. Labeau, S. , Vandijck, D. M. , Claes, B. , Van Aken, P. , Blot, S. I. & on behalf of the executive board of the Flemish Society for Critical Care Nurses (2007) Critical care nurses’ knowledge of evidence-based guidelines for preventing ventilator- associated pneumonia: An evaluation questionnaire. American Journal of Critical Care, 16, 371-377. Morrow, L. E. Shorr, A. F. (2008) The seven deadly sins of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Chest, 134, 225-226. doi:10. 1378/chest. 08-0860. Papadimos, T. J. , Hensley, S. J. , Duggan, J. M. , Khuder, S. A. , Borst, M. J. , Fath, J. J. , Oakes, L. R. , & Buchman, D. (2008, February) Implementation of the â€Å"FASTHUG† concept decreases the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in the surgical intensive care unit. Patient Safety in Surgery 2(3). doi:10. 1186/1754-9493-2-3. Siempos, I. I. , Vard akas, K. Z. & Falagas, M. E. (2008) Closed tracheal suction system for prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia. British Journal of Anasthesia 100(3), 299-306. doi:10. 1093/bja/aem403. Tolentino-DelosReyes, A. F. , Ruppert, S. D. , Shiao, S. P. K. (2007) Evidence-based practice: Use of the ventilator bundle to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia. American Journal of Critical Care, 16, 20-27. Ventilator-associated pneumonia. (2008). Critical Care Nurse. Retrieved from http://ccn. aacnjournals. org

Case Studies in Busines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Case Studies in Busines - Essay Example The Army has been forced to deal with several high-profile sexual harassment cases. Its former top enlisted man was court-martialed on sexual-misconduct charges, but a jury cleared him of all but an obstruction of justice count. A retired major general was convicted at court-martial of having affairs with the wives of his subordinate officers. (Scarborough, 2000) The case of sexual harassment is related to the top-ranking generals of the United States army – Lt. General Claudia Kennedy and Major General Larry Smith. The incident was occurred in October 1996. Initially, the incident was avoided even it was not confirmed that whether the inquiry was in progress or not. Later, it was confirmed that the Army inspector general (IG) was investigating Gen. Kennedys charge. Kennedy became famous and had been the focal point of the media in the year 2000 as a general who has accused another general. She lodged her complaint when she was the deputy chief of staff for intelligence that she was accused by the Major when she was a major general and assistant deputy chief for intelligence. During the case, Kenneth Bacon, spokesman for Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said that the Pentagon policy is "a zero tolerance for harassment. And thats been made clear by Secretary Cohen and by all military leaders. There are established channels for reporting allegations of harassment. And the IG is one of those channels." (Scarborough, 2000) Major General Smith gave his clarification by saying that he did not harass her and denied the charge. He told the investigation team that he only gave her a hug and perhaps a light kiss as they concluded an Oct. 11, 1996, meeting. The critiques also raised some concerns as why did she go to the army inspector general with her complaint about the Smith’s act, when he was announced to be the next deputy inspector general of the army, a

Wk3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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FREE MOVEMENT OF PERSONS IN EU LOW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

FREE MOVEMENT OF PERSONS IN EU LOW - Essay Example nce of the European Court of Justice's (ECJ) ruling was. In Defrenne, the individual acted against a condition in her contract of employment that required her to retire at the age of 40, whilst male employees continued up to the age of 55. She pleaded her defense on the basis of Article 141 of the Treaty of Amsterdam (then Article 119), guaranteeing equal pay for equal work. The fundamental problem at hand was whether the provision could be enforced horizontally- against a private party by such a party- as Sabena Airline was classified as a private party, albeit with the state as a majority shareholder, on the basis that it was constituted under private law, and with staff under private contracts of employment. However, the ECJ held that Article 141 did have direct effect so that the equal pay principle applied to contractual relations between employer and employee in a Member States. This was on the grounds that 'Article 119 is a mandatory in nature'. But because of a general principle of legal certainty, there could not be direct effect for retrospective applications, thus only claims for equal pay already brought at the date of the Defrenne judgment could be pursued in national courts. The Defrenne case also provides an example of the court interpreting the Van Gend En Loos conditions for direct effect flexibly. Article 141 states that 'the application of the principle that men and women should receive equal pay for equal work', and this was deemed to lack sufficient precision to be invoked by a private party and enforced by a national court. This is on the basis that it did not impose a precise negative obligation on the Member States- or Belgium in this case- nor did it provide a clear definition of terms such as 'priciple' or 'pay' or 'equal work'.5 However, the case retains its credibility as the court segregated the principle of equal work, within the article, with the factual uncertainties regarding the terms stipulated. Indeed, the case shows a clear determination by the courts to ensure tht the EC's aims were not ignored by laggard Member States. As a conclusion, therefore, the aforementioned considerations portray that Defrenne was successful in her claims, and the court did give priority to the social, rather than economic, aims of Aritcle 141, upholding 'one of the fundamental human rights', and therefore pursing its obligation to ensure the respect of such rights.6 The case of Baudet7 was another case relying on the success of the Defrenne claim. However, Defrenne was only successful in claiming the first of her three claims- that in respect of wages paid to her during her employment by Sabena. The other two, the indemnity paid to her at the termination of her employment and her pension rights could not be claimed as the court deemed that

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Essay Example â€Å"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl† shows a clear example of the inhumane abuses placed upon slaves. It was written by the slave girl herself so that the information is firsthand. The author tells about her experiences and observations about slavery. As a girl, Harriet Jacobs was blessed to have a master who treated her well. She was not sent to the farm as would any male servant would have been treated. Instead, she was taught to do household chores and even sew. Perhaps these are instances that gave her also the privilege of having been taught by her mistress to read and write. She experienced better days compared to other slaves who would be out in the field under the heat of the sun, whipped by overseers when unable to perform well and constantly exposed to the harsh treatments of slave owners. She was even given time to play whenever her mistress perceived she was tired from sewing. This made Jacobs’ situation quite odd for a slave. She was made to enjoy l ittle joys as a child. As a result, she perceived life better than his brother did. Initially, Jacobs fancied that someday, she could gain her freedom in a manner that is praise-worthy. Unlike her brother who told her that gaining freedom is easier said than done, Jacobs held positive outlook in her life about her situation. Later in her life though, Jacobs proved his brother to be right when she experienced many bitter circumstances. First, she witnessed how her grandmother was cheated on about her mistress’ debt form her as well as her long-promised freedom. Luckily, her former master’s relative knew her well and therefore bought her when she had the chance to do so. When Jacobs served her new master, she became the object of her male master’s sexual abuses. Consequently, the master’s wife despised and hated her. Being a woman and a slave, Jacobs was vulnerable to such circumstances. The situation was true in so many circumstances as revealed by the nar rations of the author but she never dreamed of becoming a victim herself one day. She claims that she vowed to never degrade herself and the people that she loved in such a manner however her circumstances pressed her to use her womanhood. Perhaps because Jacobs thought when opportunity presented itself that her womanhood has been violated by her master anyway, that she would rather benefit from it. The author met an unnamed white man to whom she willingly gave herself to and was soon to sire her son. Whatever pressures the woman might have been is of course not for people to judge or question but this shows how a woman can use whatever she has for her own benefit. Of course this is not to praise and encourage such manner of solving problems but it shows how a woman can always be armed with the benefits of being a woman. On the contrary, it is also important to mention that the author’s being a woman has been a disadvantage because she was vulnerable to sexual abuse. It is co nsidered in this condition that male slaves are at an advantage over their female counterparts. There have been no reported sexual abuses toward them and this makes their situation better than women and if there would have been cases, they are not at a disadvantage at all because they do not become pregnant. For the women slaves though, their affairs with the opposite sex, whether consensual or not, is difficult to hide because there was a great probability of

Hewlett Packard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hewlett Packard - Essay Example Their e-services are based on is based on a multi-operating system strategy that leverages a suite of integrated applications upon which dynamic e-services can be built (Cook, 2001). Their e-services strategy revolves around creating and delivering services over the net. To position itself as a company for helping a business mature of the internet, HP needs to have three initiatives – the ability to deliver highly reliable systems, the eagerness to supply services over the internet, and the support of the proliferation of mobile devices clients use to stay in touch with the office and associates. HP’s internet business model was supposed to provide customers an end-to-end solution but it failed to achieve its mission. Although technology was the backbone of its operations and management functions, their control strategies were not in place. Knowledge portals in the form of internet, intranet or extranets have the most common function in communication forms. Portals help to attain well-versed and speedy transportation of knowledge in any form. This improves interdepartmental communication, gives easy access to information which means informed decisions. The emergence of knowledge management follows two paths. One is the application heavy IT oriented approaches which emphasize the acquisition and storage of knowledge. These include data warehousing, Yellow pages, document management, decision support systems. Every person in HP has access to intranet and it is based on the standards established by the management. Initially intranet was used mainly for publication of information but gradually it evolved to mission-critical operations and now is vital for day-to-day operations. All departments at HP did not evolve at the same pace and did not reach the same level of sophistication. Although they attempted to standardize the use and application of intranet,

DynCorp International Human Resource Concepts and Methods Research Paper

DynCorp International Human Resource Concepts and Methods - Research Paper Example The company applies a number of HR management principles assisting in managing its workforce. It also has unique methods of attraction, selection, training, and rewarding its employees. These processes are carried out to ensure that the leadership and culture are maintained as well as making certain that employment and labor laws are compiled in the management of the employees. Introduction DynCorp International is a private military contractor based in the United States, which originally started as an aviation company. Over the years, the company has diversified to the provision of air operation support, intelligence training, and support, international development, security and maintenance of vehicles (Kinsey, 2006). The company’s largest earnings come from the United States Federal Government and are mostly involved in providing various services to the US military HR planning and alignment DynCorp International has it objectives clearly stated. The company has various depar tments that have various objectives. For instance, the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team provides education and resource to the Iraqi Police Force. The departments align its strategies and programs to the company’s needs and objectives (Jorgensen, 2008). ... However, the HR department considers a number of issues while planning and aligning its strategies and activities. Firstly, it is crucial to determine the type of new skills and experiences that will be needed for any job assignment (Kinsey, 2006). This also necessitates changing procedures relating to the services offered by the company. The planning process by the company also considers the performances required in any type of job. Various jobs require different approaches. Training of security forces in the war-torn countries, such as Iraq, requires plans that consider the high level of threat in that country. The company also engages in the provision of air support operations that require another level of perfo rmance. The various requirements in the performances of different jobs are determined and plans are made on how to achieve them. This includes identifying the type of skills needed and the specific people that will carry out the tasks (Kinsey, 2006). Key Strategic Considerations of Organization Strategy DynCorp Corporation is largely involved in security missions. The company has always been contracted by the US government to offer its services in different areas of the country and outside country assignment as well. All this entails changing the environment of operations which necessitates careful planning to cope with the changes. For an effective offering of the services, the HR department identifies the changes (if any) required in the company’s culture to enable the employees to meet the new requirements (Purpura, 2010). Without proper planning and alignment of these plans to company’s activities, there would be confusion in the performance of the job.

The Value of Equity Theory Essay Example for Free

The Value of Equity Theory Essay Introduction Cadbury Nigeria PLC is an associate company of the Cadbury Schweppes Group. Established in Nigeria in 1965, its core business is the manufacture and sales of fast moving consumer goods in the foods, food drinks confectionery groupings. There are 2000 employees in Cadbury Nigeria at various management and non-management staff cadres. Its major competitor is the Nestle Group PLC. Other manufacturing firms in the brewery, foods telecommunication industries also compete with Cnplc in the area of manpower poaching; staff turnover amongst these companies is common. This write up seeks to analyse how Cadbury Nigeria PLC (Cnplc, the organisation or the company) motivates its workforce as well as how the equity theory can assist in ensuring an equitable and fair organizational structure. I am of the opinion that a motivated workforce will contribute to better performance and higher profit margins. Motivational Methods Techniques in use in Cadbury Nigeria PLC Cadbury Nigeria Plc is one of the foremost multinational firms in Nigeria, whose aim is to become the employer of choice. This it hopes to achieve through a people-focused Human Resources Strategy. A central theme of this strategy is to attract, develop, retain and optimise talent to meet both current and future business needs. (Source: Cnplc employee handbook). This it hopes to achieve by becoming the employer of choice. The understanding of the implications of the equity theory in my view should be one of the primary responsibilities of the HR function of any company. This is why I have begun this analysis with a brief examination of what the HR strategy of Cnplc consists of. To a large extent, it is possible to deduce how seriously a company takes the subject of inequity, by examining its HR policies and strategies. The study was undertaken mainly by questioning a few employees. Information was also obtained from the HR strategy manager and other company sources, all sources are duly acknowledged. I happen to be an employee of Cnplc for the past 7 years; hence, this provides with me sufficient grounds to assess the trends over the years. Source: Cadbury Nigeria plc, HR strategy dialogue 2004. How Cadbury Nigeria PLC motivates its Workforce This will be discussed under four areas: 1. Annual Salary Reviews 2. Upfront Allowances 3. Staff Capabilities Investment 4. Welfare Packages. Annual Salary Reviews This is tied to the performance appraisal review, which occurs once a year. Each employee is graded by his/her line manager, based on the years performance. These scores are tied to salary increments, according to the employees cadre. The primary aim of this is to ensure that no person earns the same salary for more than 1 year. The major advantage is that it motivates employees to remain with the company, as the staff turnover over the years has been at an all time low. However, the challenge of this technique has an implication for developing countries, such as Nigeria, in that the personal style of organization (Hickson Pugh, chapter 9,page 249) bears its ugly head. This translates to performance reviews that are biased (Nigerians value personal relationships with their bosses, and there is a conscious effort by most employees to want to remain in the good books of their bosses, so as to win favours.) The tribal diversity of the country (over 200 ethnic groups) also means that bosses may over rate the performance of subordinates from the same tribe with them. Indeed, this remains a challenge in developing countries like mine. One thing I know for sure is that my colleagues look forward to this salary review and I would say that it is an effective motivational technique. Upfront Allowances This involves taking a certain amount of employees basic salaries and paying them at the beginning of the year in a lump sum. In Cadbury Nigeria, this allowance is 40% of the basic salary and is referred to as the annual housing allowance. Since in Nigeria, rent is paid annually, it is common practice for big firms to advance salary payments to enable their employees pay rent. However a major drawback of this is the fact that an employee could resign at any time during the year, leading to losses incurred by the company. Some companies have stopped the payment of upfront allowances. However, Cadbury Nigeria hasnt. In addition, the leave allowance of 10% of the annual basic salary is paid upfront as well. The application of equity theory here is glaring, as the Nestle group in Nigeria pays its workers 50% of annual basic salary as upfront housing allowance. Staff Capabilities Investment Investing in staff development takes different forms in the organization. The three techniques in use are: * Training Programs: usually held in-house, within the country and sometimes outside the country, if specific training courses are not available in Nigeria. The HR policy of the company states that employees are entitled to 2 courses annually, but this is not adhered to in most cases. In part II of this write-up, I will look out how this has caused dissatisfaction amongst employees. * Young Talents: involving the posting of high potential employees to any Cadbury Schweppes company in the world (for a minimum of 2 years), this program is an instant motivator for staff who have been privileged to experience it. The major objective of this is to increase exposure as well as equip staff with new ways of working. Usually, individuals are promoted on return to their home countries. However, there are issues of inequity here as well, which we will explore in the 2nd part of this analysis. Welfare Packages: Subsidies of various forms. These are; Medical Scheme: This covers a comprehensive medical coverage (treatment, surgery etc) for each employee and his/her spouse and 4 children. The scheme excludes dental care and eyeglass prescriptions. Meal Subsidy: There is a 75% subsidy on lunch for management staff, while meals are provided free to non-management staff. Car loans: Provision of car loans commensurate with basic salary earnings (each employee is entitled to 100% of his/her annual basic salary as car loan.) In addition, 50 % of interest repayments of the loan are borne by the company. Insurance cover: Apart from a comprehensive life assurance scheme undertaken for all employees, the company also provides a 50% subsidy on vehicle insurances for all employees private cars that have been registered with the companys Insurance pool. It is not mandatory for all employees though. Section II Analyzing the application of the Equity Theory to Cadbury Nigeria The average Nigerian worker is motivated, (albeit in low levels) mostly by money. This is similar to Hickson Pughs (management worldwide) analysis on the peculiar characteristics of organizations in developing countries. How the understanding of the Equity Theory can lead to a better-motivated workforce in Cadbury Nigeria. Reading through this course, it occurred to me that if most managements were aware of the Equity Theory, it would enable them to better understand what motivates their workforces. This will assist not only in curtailing employee turnover, but will result in a happier workforce and better performance. The question the management of Cadbury must ask itself is how to reduce inequity in all staff cadres. This has to be a 2-way approach; 1. Interviewing employees; Employees at all levels should be interviewed on what motivates and demotivates them. Organizations with a high power distance have a long way to go in this regard. Management Worldwide (page 22) lists West Africa (Nigeria is one of the West African countries) as having a power distance of 77. Definitely, reducing the power distance will not be an easy task, since it involves cultural change. An example of this is in Cadbury Nigeria, where most subordinates (about 95%, including myself) do not call their bosses by their first names, and the managers decision is final in most cases even though this may not be in the best interest of the organization. If this is the case such subordinates will rather keep mum about what bothers them rather than risk losing a job. 2. Having clear-cut guidelines and policies: A transparent management will definitely run a more equitable organization. The reasons why rewards are given should be clearly stated. In addition, procedures such as training courses and promotion requirements should be clearly documented. An example of this in my organization is the issue of training courses. Employees feel that the process of selection of staff for training courses abroad (and sometimes in the country) is a highly inequitable process. In many instances, the same sets of people go for the same courses from year to year. This has led to dissatisfied employees who have concluded that they have to belong to the right click in order to be trained. While this is not entirely true, I personally experienced a situation in which a course came up that was relevant to my job description, and my boss insisted on going for the course. The HR manager in charge of training told me there was nothing she could do about it, because my boss had the final say about who should go for a particular course. Had my organization been more sensitive to inequity, they would have seen from my job description, that the course was more suited to my role. Limitations of the Equity Theory to the Nigerian Context The organizational culture in Nigeria tends to be very similar to that of the Indians. As outlined in Chapter 9, page 264 of management worldwide, India is not Africa, but India is very similar to Africa. Indeed reading through the chapter on developing countries was like the typical Nigerian organizational style. In developing countries like Nigeria, belonging to the same tribe as your boss or a senior influential employee could earn you a promotion. So also can boot-licking (in this context being extremely non-resisting with your boss and even subtly praising him) which is common with the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria. Hence I would infer that the Anglo context of the equity theory may not be fully applicable to the certain developing countries such as Nigeria. The tendency is high, for individuals in developing countries to rationalize inequity. This, I believe is due to the unfavourable economic climate, poverty levels and high unemployment levels, which makes people cherish their jobs. Also, tribal diversity (in the case of Nigerias 250 ethnic groups) has led to the display of power, infringement on fundamental human rights and injustices of different sorts being perpetuated in the workplace. It is common practice to get short listed for a job interview in Nigeria solely because you know a person connected with the organization. The above considerations have contributed to the toleration of inequity by a good number of Nigerians. In any case, it is difficult for any developing country employee to adopt any of the strategies outlined in the text book for this course(organizational behaviour by Buchanan and Huczynski). This is as a result of the generally lackadaisical attitude of Nigerians as well as the element of fear; which results in increased inequity in some cases. Insights gained by this analysis Despite the limitations of the application of the equity theory to the company as outlined above, there is much to be gained from it. In particular, this can be applied to the HR strategy of the organization. A thorough appreciation of inequity will translate to higher motivational levels and by inference to higher performance, and profit margins. A demotivated workforce is a dangerous workforce. My suggestions as to the practical application of this to the organizational structure of Cadbury Nigeria is as follows: 1. The current situation of the workforce is one of a fair proportion of inequity. There is a need for the organizations management to draw up a clear-cut plan as to how rewards are earned. Incorporating clear guidelines of the companys policies in the employee handbook is one method by which this can be achieved. This should also be backed up by seminars aimed at given detailed explanations of these policies. In developing countries, communication is key. 2. The need for to understand how inequity translates to high staff turnover lower performance and consequently, reduced profits from disgruntled employees. In some cases, management plays the part of the cruel employer. As a result of the relatively cheaper labour available in developing countries, it is easy to recruit new staff should disgruntled employees resign. 3. An attempt to reduce inequity amongst employees by discouraging rumuors and hearsay talk. This can be done by operating a corporate communications system whereby staffs are encouraged to contribute ideas on how to achieve harmony within the work force. On its part, management should be seen to operate in a transparent fashion. In Cadbury Nigeria, e directors organize monthly town hall meetings, where staff are encouraged to voice their complaints. However, there is a noticeable reluctance on the part of the employees to talk about their grudges. In a few cases, certain bold employees who have been very vocal at these meetings, ended up being t by their bosses to desist from such openness. Clearly, negative cultural traits could be a hindrance to the value added from the application of equity theory in some modern organizations. 4. Conducting periodic surveys to monitor the impact of company decisions that affect employee welfare and human resource issues. In the Nigerian context, these surveys should be done anonymously and past attempts in Cadbury Nigeria, reveal that people are usually too scared to open up in a corporate environment. Again, this is clearly an organizational culture issue peculiar to developing countries. Conclusion This assignment has afforded me the opportunity to gain knowledge about what motivates individuals and how employers can encourage put in their best in for the benefit of the organizations in which they work. Perhaps, someday I will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained from this module to the organization where I am employed. It has also exposed me to the fact that, management is often ignorant about vital issues that motivate or demotivate work forces. However, until corporate organizations understand the implications of what leads to personal job satisfaction, they may be saddled with the high cost of replacing dissatisfied staff. In addition, I think that it is a bit of out of sync applying the theories and social techniques of the developed world to the developing world. Developing countries on their part, should invest in studies and researches with at view to arriving at their own conclusive analysis and observations.. Until this can be done, I think that managers will continue to experience inequity in their work environments.

Network Monitoring And Management System Information Technology Essay

Network Monitoring And Management System Information Technology Essay A  literature review  is a body of text that aims to review the critical points of current knowledge including substantive findings as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to a particular topic. Literature reviews are  secondary sources, and as such, do not report any new or original experimental work. Most often associated with academic-oriented literature, such as  theses, a literature review usually precedes a research proposal and results section. Its ultimate goal is to bring the reader up to date with current literature on a topic and forms the basis for another goal, such as future research that may be needed in the area. A well-structured literature review is characterized by a  logical  flow of ideas; current and relevant references with consistent, appropriate  referencing style; proper use of  terminology; and an unbiased and comprehensive view of the previous research on the topic. 4.1 Domain Research 4.1.1 Network Monitoring and Management system 4.1.1.1 Introduction to the use of Network Monitoring and Management system Whenever there is vital information in an organization there has to be some agent who has to provide security measures to that information. This is because this vital information can be some sort of business plans, customer details or any kind of confidential tenders that is very important to organizational benefit. Any rival company can gain profit if it has accessed to those information by any means. Thus here arise the need and usage of network monitoring system that will be able to monitor the activities of its client. Secondly in every company one can expect there will be one network administrator. But when the number of machine increases it is difficult to manage those machines manually. Suppose one need to install some kind of programs in the client PC, the administrator has to go to that PC and then install. It is literally time consuming to go to each and every PC for initiation and finishing a set up process. Another way to solve this problem is to hire more employees for maintenance of the machines. Now this will be costly affair. So the use of Network Monitoring and Management together forms an important part of organizational computer network in day to life. 4.1.1.2 Network Monitoring and Management System The term  network monitoring  describes the use of a system that constantly monitors a  computer network  for slow or failing components and that notifies the  network administrator  (via email, pager or other alarms) in case of outages. It is a subset of the functions involved in  network management. While an  intrusion detection system  monitors a network for threats from the outside, a network monitoring system monitors the network for problems caused by overloaded and/or crashed servers, network connections or other devices. Effective planning for a network management system requires that a number of network management tasks be performed. The network management system should discover the network inventory, monitor the health and status of devices and provide alerts to conditions that impact system performance. An  intrusion detection system  (IDS) is a device or  software application  that monitors network and/or system activities for malicious activities or policy violations and produces reports to a Management Station. Intrusion prevention is the process of performing intrusion detection and attempting to stop detected possible incidents.  Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) are primarily focused on identifying possible incidents, logging information about them, attempting to stop them, and reporting them to security administrators.   IDPSs have become a necessary addition to the security infrastructure of nearly every organization. Network management  refers to the activities, methods, procedures, and tools that pertain to: Operation deals with keeping the network (and the services that the network provides) up and running smoothly. It includes monitoring the network to spot problems as soon as possible, ideally before users are affected. Administration deals with keeping track of resources in the network and how they are assigned. It includes all the housekeeping that is necessary to keep the network under control. Maintenance is concerned with performing repairs and upgrades-for example, when equipment must be replaced, when a router needs a patch for an operating system image, when a new switch is added to a network. Maintenance also involves corrective and preventive measures to make the managed network run better, such as adjusting device configuration parameters. Provisioning is concerned with configuring resources in the network to support a given service. For example, this might include setting up the network so that a new customer can receive voice service. 4.1.1.2.1 Types of intrusion detection systems [B5][B6] For the purpose of dealing with IT, there are three main types of IDS: Fig: Showing type of intrusion Detection system Network intrusion detection system  (NIDS) It is an independent platform that identifies intrusions by examining network traffic and monitors multiple hosts. Network intrusion detection systems gain access to network traffic by connecting to a  network hub,  network switch  configured for  port mirroring, or  network tap. In a NIDS, sensors are located at choke points in the network to be monitored, often in the demilitarized zone  (DMZ) or at network borders. Sensors capture all network traffic and analyze the content of individual packets for malicious traffic. An example of a NIDS is Snort. Host-based intrusion detection system  (HIDS) It consists of an agent on a host that identifies intrusions by analyzing system calls, application logs, file-system modifications (binaries, password files, capability databases, Access control lists, etc.) and other host activities and state. In a HIDS, sensors usually consist of a  software agent. Some application-based IDS are also part of this category. An example of a HIDS is  OSSEC. Perimeter Intrusion Detection System  (PIDS) Detects and pinpoints the location of intrusion attempts on perimeter fences of critical infrastructures. Using either electronics or more advanced  fiber optic  cable technology fitted to the perimeter fence, the PIDS detects disturbances on the fence, and this signal is monitored and if an intrusion is detected and deemed by the system as an intrusion attempt, an alarm is triggered. 4.1.1.2.2 Comparison with firewalls Though they both relate to network security, an intrusion detection system (IDS) differs from a firewall in that a firewall looks outwardly for intrusions in order to stop them from happening. Firewalls limit access between networks to prevent intrusion and do not signal an attack from inside the network. An IDS evaluates a suspected intrusion once it has taken place and signals an alarm. An IDS also watches for attacks that originate from within a system. This is traditionally achieved by examining network communications, identifying heuristics and patterns (often known as signatures) of common computer attacks, and taking action to alert operators. A system that terminates connections is called an  intrusion prevention system, and is another form of an  application layer firewall 4.1.1.3 Components of Network Monitoring and Management System The network monitoring system basically contains different modules with the help of which proper functioning is carried out. The following are the list of modules and processes: Initial Set-Up: This is the first step while setting up a network monitoring tool. The machines must be physically connected. IP addressing should be properly carried out. Network Mapping: The system sends out a command across the network along with usage of various components to get the minimum knowledge on the model in which the network is functioning network. This model is useful for documenting the network configuration. Machine Pooling: Now the map is prepared, and the system sends the current status request to the components that are in the network. With this process the system would able to get the knowledge of any potential failures that exist in the network. Alarms Notification: The application can detect the potential failures in the existing network. Like if any system has gone out of LAN due to any cable fault or any type of other failures it will send notification to the administrator. Information about errors can be displayed centrally or even sent as an SMS message to a mobile phone Notification can be through e-Mail, SMS or Pager. Reporting: The log-sheet with the help of the command can be very useful for the system administrator to generate the idea of the type of error that has been frequently occurring. By undergoing a thorough research the developer has found out that certain processes like filtering of client, listing of process, managing clients and their processes are the basic functionalities that must be present in a network monitoring system. 4.1.1.4 Network based Application Architecture Network based application architecture can be described as the software architecture of the network based application. It provides an abstract view and the model for comparison of the architecture that is going to be used to build the system. It explains how system components are allocated and identified and how these components interact with the system. Also provides information on the amount and granularity of communication needed for interact. Along with it also gives idea on the interface protocols. 4.1.1.4.1 Client/Server Architecture [W2][W3] The client-server model distinguishes between applications as well as devices. Network clients make requests to a server by sending messages, and servers respond to their clients by acting on each request and returning results. One server generally supports numerous clients, and multiple servers can be networked together in a pool to handle the increased processing load as the number of clients grows. C:UsersJAYESHPicturesfeatures-client-server.jpgC:UsersJAYESHPicturesclient_server_architecture.jpg Fig- A Client-Server Network The  client-server model  of computing is a  distributed application  structure that partitions tasks or workloads between the providers of a resource or service, called  servers, and service requesters, called  clients.  Often clients and servers communicate over a  computer network  on separate hardware, but both client and server may reside in the same system. A server machine is a host that is running one or more server programs which share their resources with clients. In most cases, client-server architecture enables the roles and responsibilities of a computing system to be distributed among several independent computers that are known to each other only through a network. This creates an additional advantage to this architecture: greater ease of maintenance. For example, it is possible to replace, repair, upgrade, or even relocate a server while its clients remain both unaware and unaffected by that change. Client/Server architecture with respect to domain research 4.1.1.4.2 Network monitoring protocols [W12] Website monitoring service can check   HTTP   pages,   HTTPS,   SNMP,   FTP,   SMTP,   POP3,   IMAP,   DNS, SSH,  TELNET,  SSL,  TCP,  ping,  SIP,  UDP, Media Streaming and a range of other ports with a variety of check intervals ranging from every four hours to every one minute. Typically, most network monitoring services test your server anywhere between once-per-hour and per-minute. SNMP is the most well known protocol used to manage networked devices. It was to facilitate the exchange of management information between networked devices operating at the application layer of the ISO/OSI model. A collection of network management stations and network elements are implicit in the SNMP architectural model. Network management stations monitor and control network elements by executing management applications for Network devices such as hosts, gateways, terminal and servers which have management agents responsible for performing the network management functions requested by the network management stations. The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is used to communicate management information between the network management stations and the agents in the network elements. SNMP is most commonly used for remote management of network devices. SNMP is moreover known for its flexibility. Adding network-management functions to the existing system is very easy. An SNMP-managed network typically consists of three components: Managed devices Agents Network management systems A managed device can be any piece of equipment that sits on your data network and is SNMP compliant. Routers, switches, hubs, workstations, and printers are all examples of managed devices. An agent is typically software that resides on a managed device. The agent collects data from the managed device and translates that information into a format that can be passed over the network using SNMP. A network-management system monitors and controls managed devices. The network management system issues requests and devices return responses. 4.1.1.5 HCI (Human Computer Interaction) Human-computer interaction is a discipline concerned with the design, evaluation and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them. Association for Computing Machinery As Smart Whistle Blower- a network management and monitoring tool completely functions according to the user. That is why developer tried to implement peoples interaction with computers and to develop the computers for successful interaction with human by the concept of HCI (Human- Computer Interaction). The developer used following main parts of HCI: User Computer Interaction The developer implemented HCI with the aim of improving the interactions between humans and computers by making computers more usable and receptive to the users needs. Usability can be defined as the extent to which the system can be learnt and used by the users. So the developer measures the usability of the system by analyzing the following points: Easy to learn Effective to use Efficient to use While developing a system using HCI principles the following factors must be considered by the developer: Organizational Factors Environmental Factors Health and Safety Factors Comfort Factors People System/Network Administrator Supervisor Advisor HCI now is being used in a wide range of fields which are shown in the diagram below: Fig: Showing related modules to HCIU Source: http://images.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://www.deepamehta.de/docs/images/talk/39-middle.png 4.1.1.6 Market Research 4.1.1.6.1 Similar software available in market There are numerous monitoring tools available in the market, some of which are listed below: Application Monitoring Performance Monitoring Database Monitoring Security Monitoring Environment Monitoring Network Traffic Monitoring PC Monitoring Protocol Analyzing 4.1.1.6.2 Comparison Chart [W13] [W14] [W15][W16][W17][W18][W19][W20] Fig: Showing Comparison Chart between ten software and Smart Whistle Blower A Brief Analysis On a comparison with 10 network monitoring system it has been found that the proposed software i.e. Smart Whistle is providing many such facilities that the current network monitoring system do not have. The comparison has been done on nine different features that network monitoring and management software must have. The features commonly are as follows: [Æ’Â  ] Logical Grouping [Æ’Â  ] Distributed Monitoring [Æ’Â  ] Hardware Intrusion Detection [Æ’Â  ] WebApp [Æ’Â  ] Auto discovery [Æ’Â  ] Triggers/alerts [Æ’Â  ] Live Screening [Æ’Â  ] Chat enabled [Æ’Â  ] Support Network Management System 4.1.2 Security management recommendation Security Management for networks is different for all kinds of situations. A small home or an office would only require basic security while large businesses will require high maintenance and advanced software and hardware to prevent malicious attacks from  hacking  and  spamming. Small homes A basic  firewall  like COMODO Internet Security or a  unified threat management  system. For Windows users, basic  Antivirus software  like  AVG Antivirus,  ESET NOD32 Antivirus,  Kaspersky,  McAfee,  Avast!,  Zone Alarm Security Suite  or  Norton Antivirus. An anti-spyware program such as  Windows Defender  or  Spybot Search Destroy  would also be a good idea. There are many other types of antivirus or anti-spyware programs out there to be considered. When using a wireless connection, use a robust password. Also try to use the strongest security supported by your wireless devices, such as WPA2 with AES encryption. Enable MAC Address filtering to keep track of all home network MAC devices connecting to your router. Assign STATIC IP addresses to network devices. Disable ICMP ping on router. Review router or firewall logs to help identify abnormal network connections or traffic to the Internet. Use passwords for all accounts. Have multiple accounts per family member, using non-administrative accounts for day-to-day activities. Disable the guest account (Control Panel> Administrative Tools> Computer Management> Users). Raise awareness about information security to children. Medium businesses A fairly strong  firewall  or  Unified Threat Management  System Strong  Antivirus software  and Internet Security Software. For  authentication, use strong passwords and change it on a bi-weekly/monthly basis. When using a wireless connection, use a robust password. Raise awareness about  physical security  to employees. Use an optional  network analyzer  or network monitor. An enlightened administrator or manager. Large businesses A strong  firewall  and  proxy  to keep unwanted people out. A strong  Antivirus software  package and Internet Security Software package. For  authentication, use strong passwords and change it on a weekly/bi-weekly basis. When using a wireless connection, use a robust password. Exercise  physical security  precautions to employees. Prepare a  network analyzer  or network monitor and use it when needed. Implement  physical security  management like  closed circuit television  for entry areas and restricted zones. Security fencing  to mark the companys perimeter. Fire extinguishers  for fire-sensitive areas like server rooms and security rooms. Security guards  can help to maximize security. School An adjustable  firewall  and  proxy  to allow authorized users access from the outside/inside. Strong  Antivirus software  and Internet Security Software packages. Wireless connections that lead to  firewalls. Childrens Internet Protection Act  compliance. Supervision of network to guarantee updates and changes based on popular site usage. Constant supervision by teachers, librarians, and administrators to guarantee protection against attacks by both  internet  and  sneaker net  sources. security via firewall Large government A strong  firewall  and  proxy  to keep unwanted people out. Strong  Antivirus software  and Internet Security Software suites. Strong  encryption. White list authorized wireless connection, block all else. All network hardware is in secure zones. All hosts should be on a private network that is invisible from the outside. Put web servers in a  DMZ, or a firewall from the outside and from the inside. Security fencing  to mark perimeter and set wireless range to this. 4.1.3 Service and Technology Growth in India As India emerging as one of the major IT leaders of the world, more and more IT companies are establishing in the present scenario. With the increase in IT companies more competition will arise in the market, as a result there will be increase in business politics and hence everybody will try to win this race of competition in the market. Thus there is high risk of hackers intruding into company database and taking away vital information and selling them to rival company. So here the importance of Network Security arises. As a result more and more number of Network Monitoring and management systems is being developed. On a detailed research it has been found that the number of cases of cyber crime is increasing every year. With practical guidance  delivered by expert speakers  an organization named as e-Crime  India is the premier networking and knowledge initiative for security, IT, fraud, investigations, CERT, audit, forensics, and compliance professionals who are responsible for  protecting against existing attacks and emerging threats.   Major IT companies in India like the Infosys, TCS, and Wipro etc. are having separate department to develop software related to network security. Hence one can say the importance of developing such a system because this type of software is ever- demanding with the increase and development of technology. 4.2 Information and Resources Networks Networking Concepts Computer Networks and Internets with Internet Applications, 4th International Edition, Douglas E Comer, Ralph E. Droms, ISN:013123627X, Publisher: Prentice Hall, Copyright: 2004 Behrouz Forozuan, (2004) Introduction to Data Communication Networking, 3rd Edition, McGraw-Hill Tanenbaum, Andrew S. (2003) Computer Networks, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall Stallings, William (2006) Data and Computer Communications, 7th Edition, Prentice Hall Books Leslie Ann Robertson, 2003, Simple Program Design, 2nd Edition , Boyd and Fraser Shelly, G.B., Cashman, T.J. Rosenblatt, H.J. (2005) System Analysis and Design, 5th or 6th Edition, Course Technology OConnell, F. (2001) How to Run Successful Projects III: The Silver Bullet. Addison Wesley, ISBN: 0201748061 CCTA (2002) Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2. The Stationary Office Books, Cleland, D. (2001) A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge 2000. PMI. ISBN: 0113308914 White Paper and Journal Parnas, David,  A rational design process and how to fake it (PDF)  An influential paper which criticises the idea that software production can occur in perfectly discrete phases. Royce, Winston (1970),  Managing the Development of Large Software Systems,  Proceedings of IEEE WESCON  26  (August): 1-9 Web Site www.onestoptesting.com/sdlc-models/waterfall-model/ http://www.freelancer.com/projects/by-tag/projects-socket-programming-based-multi-client-server-architecture.html

Regional Economic Integration

Regional Economic Integration Regional economic integration becomes a new trend in the world of trading nowadays; there are many World Regions and Trade Organizations such as APEC, EU, NAFTA and ASEAN (Trade, 2010). In this essay, the objective is comparing the European Union (EU) and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which are known as two top regional economic integrations in the world. Before comparing and contrasting these two regional trade associations, this essay will firstly consider giving some background knowledge of EU and NAFTA. It will then go on with comparing the level of regional economic integration with free trade area, custom union, common market, economic union and political union between EU and NAFTA. Making the comparison between the impact of integration in EU and NAFTA will be stated as the third section in this essay. At the end, this essay will give a conclusion in order to summarize the key point in the main body. EU, whose forerunner was the European Economic Community (EEC) that was founded in 1958 and changed its name into EU in 1993, followed the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty (European Union, n.d). The EU includes 27 European countries today, as an economic and political partnership between these countries. In addition, according to Actrav (n.d), the objective of the EU is calling to eliminate the internal trade barriers and create a common external tariff in order to strengthen the economic and social harmonious development and establish finally unified monetary economic monetary union (EMU), promote economic and social between member countries. Moreover, EU can develop the free moverment of goods, services, capital and people. Compare with North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), according to United States Trade Representative (n.d), NAFTA consist of the United States, Canada, and Mexico on 1 January, 1994. Moreover, some restrictions and duties were eliminated in 2008. SICE (2012) expounded that the objective of NAFTA include the following guidelines: Elimination within 10 years of tariffs on 99 percent of the goods traded between member countries. Remove majority of the barriers on the cross-border flow of services. Intellectual property rights are protected. Foreign direct investment between member countries is less restrictions. Members can apply national environmental standards. Commissions are establish to police violations. The next part of this essay shows the information about regional economic integration, which relates the EU and NAFTA. According to Charles (2011, p 688), regional economic integration can be defined as agreements among countries in a geographic region to reduce and ultimately remove tariff and nontariff barriers to the free flow of goods, services, and factors of production between each other. European Union and North American Free Trade Agreement are the most obvious example to show regional economic integration. Charles (2011) stated that there are five levels of economic integration, which are free trade area, customs union, common market, common market, economic union and political union. The table 1 is shown below: The first level of economic integration is free trade agreements (FTAs). Rolf and Nataliya (2001) explained that FTAs can avoid the barriers such as import tariffs and import quotas between signatory countries. Each country can determine its own policies with nonmember. For example, the traffic barriers are very different between member and nonmember (Charles, 2011). In addition, according to WTO (2002), the most popular form of regional economic integration is free trade agreements, which accounts for almost 90 percent of regional agreements. The example of free trade area in the world is the NAFTA that include three countries, are United State, Canada and Mexico. NAFTANOW (2012) explained that NAFTA is the largest FTAs in the world, has abolished most parts of tariff and non-tariff which are barriers for trade and investment in the union systematically. Also, NAFTA has helped create a certain and confident environment for long term investment through the establishment of a successf ul and reliable regulation for the safe investment. EU also eliminated the tariff and non-tariff barriers during trade between member countries, but has a little bit different with NAFTA, which EU focus on the non-tariff barriers than tariff. The next level of economic integration is customs union (CU), which build on a free trade area. Michael Holden (2003) descried that members in a customs union have no trade barriers with goods, as well as services among them. Besides, the CU put forward a common trade policy which shows respect to those nonmembers. It is a typical form for common external tariff that has the same tariff sold to any member countries when the subjects of imports are nonmembers. For example, EU began in this level at the beginning, but now it has moved to the high level of economic integration. In addition, NAFTA also has comment external trade barrier from outside. For example, Andean Community is known as the customs unions around the world, which assured free trade between signatory countries and compelled with a common tariff of 5 to 20 per cent on trading products while importing from countries outside the union. According to Jennifer (2004), every single common market represents a major step to important integration of economy. Except for the involvement of the provision for customs union, a common market (CM) moves all barriers into capital and other resources, peoples mobility within the areas mentioned in the question, as well as removing the non-tariff barriers of trading such as controllable management of the standards for the product. A common markets establishment typically needs the accordance of those significant policies within many areas. As an example, free movement of labor makes the agreements of worker qualification and certification necessary. Besides, a common market is also typically relevant to a comprehensive assemblage of monetary and fiscal policies, whether through design or the result, because of the increasing economic interdependence with the area and the influences that one member state can bring on another or other countries, which gives more rigorous restrictions on the ability of the engagement on the independent economic policies with the necessarily. The first coming benefit of establishing a common market is the gains of economic efficiency under expectation. Within the common market, labor and capital could respond to the economic signals more easily with the unfettered mobility, which lead to a higher allocation efficiency. In EU and NAFTA, both of regional trade associations can be seem as common market, because they can freely move the capital, people and goods without barriers. For example, in EU the people can travel most of the continent without border controls between EU countries and NAFTA also the same as EU (European Union, n.d). Michael Holden (2003), the deepest form of economic integration, also known as an economic union, adds the requirements of the accordance between a numbers of key policy areas to a common market. Apparently, economic unions as a higher level of integration, require formally coordinated monetary and fiscal policies as well as labor market, regional development, transportation and industrial policies. It would have opposite results to operate dispersive policies in those regions since all countries would share economic space basically. An economic union contains the usage of a unified monetary policy and a common currency with frequency. The functions of an economic union would be enhanced with eliminating the uncertainty of exchange rate through permitting trade to follow efficient was economically instead of being unduly influenced by considering exchange rate, which is also suitable for business location choosing. Supranational institutions would be requested to manage the trade wit hin the areas of union in order to ensure consistent applications of the regulations. These laws should still be administered within a national level while countries would renounce the control over this area. In economic union, there are many different between EU and NAFTA. One of the most important differences is the currency. In the EU, it has a single currency of Euro, however, the currency not just one in NAFTA. In addition, the political structure of the EU and NAFTA also different. There are four main institutions in the EU political structure, which are European Commission, the Council of European Union, the European Parliament, and the Court of Justice. Moreover, EU has own fiscal police of Maastricht Treaty. In contrast, NAFTA has not political structure to control the police, because NAFTA is like a law which became in 1994 (Charles, 2011). Therefore, NAFTA can be seem as economic union because no single currency between member countries. The move toward economic union raises the issue of how to make a coordinating bureaucracy accountable to the citizens of member nations. The answer is through political union in which a central political apparatus coordinates the economic, social, and foreign policy of the member states (Charles, 2011, p268). The United State is the good example, which even closer this stage. However, NAFTA and the EU both are not become political union. In the third part of this essay, it will talk about the impact of integration in EU and NAFTA, such as economic grow, increased competition and so on. The EU establishes a single currency which is benefit for the Europeans. There are many reasons; first, handling one currency is better than many, because companies and individuals can save a lot. For example, people going from Germany to French, they do not go to bank in order to change German deutsche into French francs. Second, when the consumers to shop around the Europe, one currency can make them easier to compare prices of goods and service, which will lead to increase competition. For example, if the car sell in France is cheaper than Germany, the people can go to France buy the car and then sell in Germany. This will make the German company face a competition with French company. Third, a common currency can increase the highly liquid pan-European capital market. In addition, according to Gabriele (2008), the EU also impact on business because the transaction costs between the members of EU will disappearance, which can make the products produce in lower cost. It will get more competitive advantage with nonmember countries. However, the drawback of Euro is that national authorities will lose control over monetary policy. And the implied of loss of national sovereignty to the European Central Bank (ECB) underlies the decision by Great Britain, Denmark and Sweden to stay out of the euro zone for now (Charles, 2011, p278). Furthermore, another disadvantage of the euro is that may lead to economic growth become lower and inflation will higher in Europe. The impact of integration in NAFTA is increase exports, imports and investment between U.S. in NAFTA countries, which will lead to increase economic grow. According to United States Trade Representative (n.d), the goods exports of U.S. to NAFTA increased 23.4% between 2010 and 2009, and up 149% from 1994. In addition, the import from NAFTA countries also developed 25.6 from 2009, and up 184% from 1994. Moreover, United State foreign directs investment (FDI) in NAFTA also up 8.8% between 2009 and 2008. All of these data show that the integration makes NAFTA countries trade and invest more than before. In addition, Charles (2011) explained that as other influences over NAFTA, companies from US and Canada would move their industries into Mexico for its labor market with low cost. At the meantime, Mexico could get benefits from the inward investment and the improvement with employment with the labor market.It is beneficial for US and Canada because Mexicans could import more goods from U S and Canada with their increasing incomes, therefore increasing demand of Mexicans and the making up for jobs lost in companies that moved production to Mexico, which brings advantages to US and Canada with the lower-price products made in Mexico.In addition, the advantage of lower labor costs in Mexico can increase the international competitiveness of U.S. and Canadian firm to better compete with outside of competitors such as Asian and European rivals. The negative of NAFTA is that loss of U.S. jobs to Mexico, which up to 5.9 millions. Moreover, the Mexicos environment deteriorated is the other problem in NAFTA, because the productions of the United States move into Mexico. The same production will effect more cheaply and more dirtily, which will result in environment deteriorated. Such as globally in terms of resource depletion, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and ecosystem spoilage. Furthermore, there was also opposition in Mexico to NAFTA from those who feared a loss o f national sovereignty. This point of view is similar with the costs of the Euro (Charles, 2011). In conclusion, after compare and contrast of regional economic integration between EU and NAFTA, there are many factors are similar. For example, they both are free trade area, customs union and common market, because they meet the requirements of these three stages. In addition, they have not tariff and non-tariff barriers between member countries. Moreover, both have common external tariff to nonmember countries and free movement of capital, people and goods. However, the big different between EU and NAFTA is, EU has a single currency and fiscal police, but NAFTA without these two elements. In the part of impact of integration, it shows the positives and negatives of EU and NAFTA. The similar points are both can increase their economic growth and foreign direct investment in signatory countries. In addition, they both face some problem of nation will loss of national sovereignty, such as Mexico and Sweden. However, EU also has a problem of lost control over monetary policy but NAFT A will not face this issue, because NAFTA is not single currency in U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Colon Cancer Awareness :: Colorectal Cancer

In Hacienda Heights, California, Elsie Garcia a 67 year old female patient would evade the colonoscopy screening for four years which would screen for colon cancer is alive and healthy today due to a new test called FIT (fecal immunochemical test) which is less invasive than the American Cancer Society â€Å"Gold Standard â€Å"colonoscopy. She would schedule appointments for the procedure but would cancel in fear of the risk related to having colonoscopies. A Colonoscopy is considered the best way of screening for potential cancerous polyps is considered generally safe but the risk of colon perforation during the procedure is 1 in 1000 cases which would lead to serious complications. Garcia agreed to the FIT screening in which her doctors found blood in her stool. They scheduled Garcia for a follow up colonoscopy which four early cancerous polyps that were removed. Garcia was grateful for the FIT screening and is alive and health today (Szabo, 2014). Anatomy Colorectal Cancer is the third leading cancer in men and women and is considered the leading cause of cancer causing death. In the text Physiology 5th edition, the statistics show that the annual incidence of colon and rectal cancer in the United States is estimated to be 148,810 with a mortality rate of 49,960 (Copestead-Kirkhorn, 2013). The colon is a tube shaped organ in which its primary function is water absorption. It is approximately five feet in length starting from the right side of the abdomen and stretches across to the left side of abdomen appearing to like an upside down â€Å"U† shape. The colon is identified as the right colon, transverse colon, the descending colon, sigmoid colon and the rectum. The blood supply to the colon comes from the aorta which branch out into the mesenteric vessels. In the fat of the mesentery house the lymph nodes which aid in immunity and play an important role in cancer of the colon. There colon has four layers; the mucosa, submucos a, muscularis and serosa which are important in diagnosis and staging of cancer. It is within the mucosa that abnormal tissue growth such as polyps occurs (Bub-Rose-Wong, 2008). Cancer is a condition in which some cells do not follow their cell cycle rules. Every cell in the body has a specific function, the normal cell has growth cycles which are regulated and have a limited life span. The normal functioning cell stay within the boundaries of is organ or tissue of which it belongs to.