Great Gatsby: American Dream

As time flows everlastingly on, the dreams which man builds Its self upon are prone to change. Throughout American history the American dream has changed from being one which inspired and fed the hopes of people all over the country, to the twenties' mangled interpretation of it, where everything revolved around money and status. This theme is expressed in multiple characters and more specifically Gatsby who is a prime example of such corruption.The untimely demise of Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby, signals the unraveling of the American dream. In the beginning of the novel Gatsby dream is pure in its initial form. Starting out his dream is Just like any other's, one with glory and a better life for himself as he believed he deserved. Eventually he gain his dream of riches, this being reflected In his new life In the West Egg with his mansion being brand new apart from the Ivy coating It possesses along with his vast amount of lawn area. Fitzgerald 9) Gatsby pays spec ial attention to his lawn also, cultivating It as he did with his rise to fortune and controlling most details apart from one section allowed to grow wild, which was a Indo to see the inner turmoil of Gatsby. This anxiety within is helped by the fact that one of Gatsby driving notions in the book was to When the realization hits that Gatsby dream is becoming a false sense of its self, the reader is forced to look deeper into the character of Gatsby and who he really is.This leads to the discovery of Gatsby continually living in the past, often times fabricating a story to make himself seem more outgoing and distanced from what he truly is, leaving the reader wondering â€Å"if there wasn't something a little sinister about him after all. (Fitzgerald 69) These tendencies led Gatsby to boast about what materialistic Items he has today and what he can give himself and others. Such as when Gatsby Is feeling anxious about Daisy coming over for tea he mows his own yard for a sense of con trol then extends his control to also â€Å"[send someone] over to cut [Nick's] grass. (Fitzgerald 88) Eventually, Gatsby possessive feelings lead to the corruption of his dream of winning over Daisy because he begins to want to possess her as well. The final turning point In the novel relating to Gatsby distress with his dream is he climaxing fight between Tom and himself over Daisy. Gatsby being so corrupted now, that he yells and forces his supposed true love to tell her husband she never loved him. (Fitzgerald 139) In the end this actually pushes Daisy away more and back into the arms of her husband, Tom.Within Fitzgerald novel the American dream was once seen as a budding new concept but In the end failed to bloom due to the circumstances in which the characters, specifically Gatsby, took to find their route to their believed happiness. Great Gatsby: American Dream By Instrumentalists As time flows everlastingly on, the dreams which man builds its self upon are In the beginnin g of the novel Gatsby dream is pure in its initial form. Starting believed he deserved.Eventually he gain his dream of riches, this being reflected in his new life in the West Egg with his mansion being brand new apart from the coating it possesses along with his vast amount of lawn area. (Fitzgerald 9) Gatsby pays special attention to his lawn also, cultivating it as he did with his rise to fortune hat one of Gatsby driving notions in the book was to materialistic items he has today and what he can give himself and others.Such as when Gatsby is feeling anxious about Daisy coming over for tea he mows his own cut [Nicks] grass. † (Fitzgerald 88) Eventually, Gatsby possessive feelings lead to the The final turning point in the novel relating to Gatsby distress with his dream is the climaxing fight between Tom and himself over Daisy. Gatsby being so corrupted concept but in the end failed to bloom due to the circumstances in which the

Mobile Phone Usage Among College Students Essay

1. Introduction A mobile phone or mobile (also called cellphone and handphone) is an electronic device used for mobile telecommunications (mobile telephone, text messaging or data transmission) over a cellular network of specialized base stations known as cell sites. Most current cell phones connect to a cellular network consisting of switching points and base stations (cell sites) owned by a mobile network operator. In addition to the standard voice function, current mobile phones may support many additional services, and accessories, such as SMS for text messaging, email, packet switching for access to the Internet, gaming, Bluetooth, infrared, camera with video recorder and MMS for sending and receiving photos and video, MP3 player, radio and GPS. The International Telecommunication Union estimated that mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide would reach approximately 4.6 billion by the end of 2009. Mobile phones have gained increased importance in the sector of information and communication tech nologies for development in the 2000s and have effectively started to reach the bottom of the economic pyramid. The Indian telecommunication industry, with about 506.04 million mobile phone connections (Nov 2009)[update], is the third largest telecommunication network in the world and the second largest in terms of number of wireless connections (after China). India has become one of the fastest-growing mobile markets in the world. The mobile services were commercially launched in August 1995 in India. In the initial 5–6 years the average monthly subscribers additions were around 0.05 to 0.1 million only and the total mobile subscribers base in December 2002 stood at 10.5 millions. However, after the number of proactive initiatives taken by regulator and licensor, the monthly mobile subscriber additions increased to around 2 million per month in the year 2003-04 and 2004-05. Read more:  Essay About Harmful Effects of Mobile Phones on Students Kerala is the state with highest teledensity and the number of subscribers in the state has crossed 1.7 million. The increase in mobile phone usage in Kerala had been led by the growth in the state’s non-resident population and the fall in call rates. In its backward Malappuram district with a huge expat population, already there are more phones than people. It is with this understanding and regard that the mobile phone market has been burgeoning in India that we proceed to conduct this survey as an attempt to understand the mobile phone use pattern among the specific group – youth, by narrowing down the study in the campus of Sacred Heart College, Thevara. Over the years the bad side of technology has also been brought to forefront placing the onus of bad behaviour as always on the youth. It is an accepted fact that mobile technology has corroded the lives of many young people and has reduced their productivity within the college campus. This study, then, while being a trend analysis survey, is also relevant in the context that it attempts to bring out solutions to this problem of â€Å"mob menace-on-campus† on the basis of the responses of the students (purported victims) in question. 2. Objectives The objectives of this survey may be drawn out as follows; a. To identify the average number of students using mobile phones within the campus b. To identify the income versus consumption pattern with respect to purchase and further spending on mobile phones by students who use mobile phones c. Sketch the current trends in mobile phone usage among students d. Understand whether a majority have the propensity to get into trouble using mobile phones e. Come up with possible solutions to reducing mobile phone menace within the campus 3. Methodology In keeping with the above stated objectives, we adopted the methodology of simple random sampling to attain a sample of 77 students in the ratio of 1:2:4 for 1st years, 2nd years and 3rd years respectively, accounting for a total of 11 departments offering undergraduate courses within the college. Therefore we have a total of 11 first years, 22 second years and 44 third years. The third years who have been acclimatized with the college  surroundings provide the most reliable and consistent data, first years stand on unsure ground and 2nd years show rebellious tendencies. Of these, a majority of trends were analysed on the basis of responses of only 64 (out of 77) students who possessed mobiles within the campus. The survey was conducted with the help of a written questionnaire consisting of a variety of questions numbering a total of 31 (see Appendix I). 4. Findings and Conclusions Before moving to the major conclusions derived from the survey, it would be worthwhile to understand the basic characteristics of the sample of 77 students surveyed. 4.1 Basic Characteristics[1] Among those surveyed:  a. 58% are females, with relatively more male samples (55%) coming only among second years b. 56% fall under the age group 18-20, the remaining in 20-22 group c. Arts and Science groups together contribute more to the total sample strength, in keeping with the relatively greater number of departments that they have in the college. d. 75% of the respondents are day-scholars e. A small percentage of 31% of respondents are engaged in any form of part-time or other income earning activities along with their studies, with the greatest contribution coming from 3rd year students of upto 34%. f. Overall 52% of the respondents claim monthly incomes of over Rs. 5000, but internal vagaries can be noted with about 36% of II year students putting their monthly income at only Rs. 1500-3000. g. Among those surveyed, a majority i.e. 83% confess to bringing and using mobile phones within the campus. The highest usage may be seen among the III years (91%) and lowest among II years (68%). From this we can deduce that on an average between 65 to 80% of all students in the college are using mobile phones within the campus. 4.2 Income-Spending Patterns in Mobile Use As against popular belief, mobiles are mostly seen as utilities rather than prestige goods by the students in that while 52% claimed incomes above Rs.5000 only 31% of the respondents actually possessed mobile phones ranging above Rs.5000. The entire 5% of respondents, who possess mobile costing over Rs.10, 000 not surprisingly, consists of male respondents reflecting male fondness for gadgets. A. Ownership of Mobile We also see that parents consider it a matter of great necessity that their wards possess mobile phones as even though 31% of the respondents worked, only 28% had purchased the mobile out of their own income. A big majority, 72% students, possessed mobiles with the complete knowledge and acceptance of parents. B. Monthly Spending on Mobile It is interesting to note that females are considerably frugal when it comes to spending money on mobile phones in lieu of recharges or normal bill payments, never going beyond an average of Rs.500/month. Males still have a tendency to cross Rs.500 with 24% of then doing so and a very small percentage (4%) dare to cross Rs.1000 a month. On an average, however, a good majority of 67% are able to limit their monthly expenses to less than Rs.300. This may be attributed primarily to the fact they use pre-paid mobile connections offering minimal top-up recharge cards aplenty in the market. 4.3 Trends in Mobile Usage To identify the current trends among mobile users in college we use the responses of 83% of respondents who confirm that they bring and use mobiles within the campus. The following are the major trends noticed. A. The most used mobile handsets: Nokia B. The most used type of mobile connection: Pre-paid 56 of the 64 respondents prefer to use pre-paid and not post-paid connections. The reasons may be that it allows cheap and easy recharge and prevents too much interference from the parents regarding usage and convoluted processes of bill payments. Further it also prevents over-the-budget use of mobiles by restricting the number of calls, messages etc that one can make during a given recharge period. C. Preferred Mobile Network: Airtel The top three mobile service providers among the students surveyed are Airtel, BSNL, and Vodafone. While Airtel being the leading provider was not a surprise result, BSNL emerging the second most popular service provider was quite against the expectations, given the recurrent troubles in connectivity and overall poor performance. However the attractively priced student plans must provide the incentive to purchase the connection. D. Most Communications go to Friends/Classmates While overall we see that friends/classmates surpass family in receiving communications from students, this marginal overtaking occurred in case of the III years alone. Among I years and II years family comes first in terms of maximum communications. Again, the 11% of people who agree to communicating most with their boyfriend/girlfriend may also seem as too small a percentage. Here again the III years (almost 9%, especially boys) were more given to accepting that they had relationships and frequently communicated with them. E. Primary time of use: Evening F. Service Most Used: SMS The top two services for which the mobile is used are to send SMSes and to enjoy music. Calls (ironically, the primary purpose of mobiles) come only third. The fact that GPRS facility is least used points to the fact that a  good majority of students are still not much acquainted with mobiles having higher end facilities. While analyzing the use of important mobile services, it would also help to separately present the behaviour of males and females in this regard. Even though females form a greater number of respondents, only 5% actually use the GPRS facility against 24% of males. A similar trend is seen in case of Camera/Video usage and also FM/music player. G. Most Popular form of communications: Forwards A whopping 42% of all respondents prefer to communicate via forwarded messages alone. This is primarily because of the numerous â€Å"free SMS† plans provided by the pre-paid connections. While they could make use of this facility to send personalized messages, a lack of sufficient personal thoughts to send to one’s friends and classmates (whom one meets everyday) and a relatively larger store of forwards traveling through the mobile networks, it affords a cheap and easy way to stay in touch. The second most preferred method of staying in touch is found to be missed calls. H. Main reason for bringing mobiles to college: Family While this may seem quite contradictory to the earlier result, note that earlier it was mentioned that only III years gave friends/classmates precedence to family. The trend is similar in this case as well. But over all keeping in touch with family is believed to be the main reason to bring mobiles to college. Our earlier conjecture that mobiles are no longer luxuries or prestige goods is revalidated here with only 4% of boys affirming that they bring mobiles in order to impress others. We can also safely state that the entertainment value of mobiles is of great importance to the students with an overall of 27% agreeing that they bring the mobiles to college only in order to listen to music or play games during free hours. 4.4 Mobiles: Danger or Saviour? Now, it is necessary to tackle the issue of propensity of the youth to entangle themselves in serious problems by using/misusing the services of  mobiles. The survey shows interesting results. A. Mobile as a tool for social networking? No! A majority of students seem to be aware of the dangers of making friends through the mobile and hence have successfully avoided any attempts to network using mobiles. But among the 13% of those who have been adventurous, it is quite disturbing to note that 75% are male students. B. Trends of Disturbing Calls/Messages? While a majority claim that they have definitely at various times received disturbing calls/messages from random unknown persons, only 22% admit to having sent such calls or messages. Again, the propensity to do so is higher in males (40% in males as against 10% in females). C. Knowledge of troubles related to Mobiles in college: Very Less D. Mobile as a Saviour? 4.4 Possible Solutions to Mobile Menace In order to postulate solutions to mobile phone menace on campus, we must first find out whether the students feel that mobile phones are actually a menace on campus. From the above section what we understand is that a good majority of students using mobiles are rational and mature preferring to stay away from troubles, known or unknown. And they have most often felt that mobiles are more helpful in contacting their close ones in times of difficulty. In this line, the result is that 44% don’t think mobiles are a menace (including those who don’t possess mobiles in campus). But at the same time 30% are also undecided between the advantages and disadvantages of having a mobile in college. Hence these results cannot be taken at face value. We need to probe further with regard to two specific problems namely, camera phones and loss of attentiveness in class. A. Yes to a Camera Ban Females, naturally being concerned about their safety, over the 3 years of college, uniformly support a ban on camera phones in college campuses. The trend among males is quite peculiar. A majority of first years and third years are in support whereas the number drastically falls in the case of second years. This can only be attributed to the fact that a majority of second years often go through a phase of rebellion within the college, where rational thinking becomes faint. The result is purposeful disregard of all bans and regulations, which is very evident throughout the survey. B. Yes to Mobile Jammer In case of the possible use of mobile jammer too we see that I years in all eagerness to please and learn are willing to comply with its use during class hours. The II year students are more prone to bunking, disregard and involvement in extra-curricular activities and hence both males and females are quite against the idea of mobile jamming during class hours (as that is when they would require the mobile most!). Again, once students enter III year being more conscientious and exam-oriented, they are more willing to comply with such a possible jam. Therefore the compliance behaviour of students varies greatly with their mental makeup, objectives and peer behaviour which changes from year to year. Universally it was felt that I year and III year responses were more grounded, rational and in keeping with objective decision-making process. C. Provision of Mobile Phones by College: A Possible Solution While camera ban may be partially effective, recurrent programmes and festivals prevent it from becoming fully functional. Mobile jammers (especially of partial formats) can involve huge technological costs and also real costs in terms of time lost in communicating between departments not only for students but also for faculty and other staff. Then what can be done? What we did with laptops/computers; make it available to students. It is obvious that even after successive bans mobiles are being used in the campus. The main reason as we have found is the need to stay in touch with family and friends, due to odd timings, blocks and other transportation  problems, and also as a source of entertainment. So what would be the response of students to a possible offer from the college to provide low end basic phones (all of which nowadays come with FM/Music player) to be used during the period of graduation? The only condition we put was an extra payment of Rs.500 (which can be seen as a refundable caution deposit) at the beginning of the course. And quite surprisingly, without any other incentive, 40% responded in affirmative; they are willing to use this facility. The most promising response came from III years where 50% said yes, and among I years 36%, but it was least in II years at 23%. While 40% may seem as a small number, it is also important to understand that the remaining 60% doesn’t completely disown this scheme. Instead there is a very important group; the ‘Can’t Say’ group. It has always been seen that these are the people who make or break plans. As much as 17% are undecided regarding the adoption of the scheme. They represent the group of people who carefully weigh incentives and take decisions. Since they have not received all information they desist from committing to the programme. On the other hand a string of incentives such as – free connections, group calling cards, self-payment (without interference, atleast at superficial levels, from college), pre-fed numbers for emergencies etc. would considerably shift the 17% towards yes. In case of indecision also we see that the II years are ahead, whereas III years who have confidence in the system, and understanding of the utility of mobiles have least indecision. One can ponder over the cost elements of making such a provision available, but doing that would not fall under the purview of this study. But a general note should be made that most companies would be willing to provide such facilities within the campus at low cost (in case of bulk supply). It is also interesting to note that among the 17% of students who don’t possess mobile phones, 38% (comprising of 60% girls) said yes, an equal number were undecided and only 24% said a strict no. They perhaps represent those students who are totally averse to use of mobile technology itself. Recent reports in newspapers surrounding this debate have also shown that parents are willing to accept such a provision (some parents themselves put  forward this idea). Our survey shows that, if it is implemented when students enter first year itself, there is a high chance of gaining uniformity in mobile usage (preventing any possible demonstration effects), almost completely eliminating camera phones (with the agreement of students), and a knowledge that ultimately it is the property of the college and must be returned with the trust that authorities have reposed in them would decrease chances of misuse. The idea is to come up with an incentivised plan to encourage students to make use of the facility if put into effect. It would also encourage teachers and students to reduce barriers and open all channels of communications at all times. In Conclusion: The mobile technology has undoubtedly spread through the college, but mostly as a utility rather than a luxury. But the fact that it provides outlet for entertainment makes it more endearing for the students. Male students are more likely to venture into the technological sides of the mobile while girls keep it basic. The spending is kept generally within limits of Rs.300/month. Other trends include a majority use of Nokia handsets with pre-paid connections, to communicate with family/friends. A good majority treats mobiles with safety and stay away from dangerous use. But the boys have a greater tendency to take risks in this regard. Generally mobiles are perceived more as a saviour than a danger. There is no possibility hence that they will stop using mobile phones, thereby making a ban ineffective. But logical sense prevails in that they are aware that camera bans are meant for their safety and security. Overall 44% are also tending toward a possible partial (during class hours only) use of mobile jammers as well. But it seems that if the college is willing to invest in low-end mobile phones for students, while it may not ensure 100% compliance and riddance to technology related problems, it can go a long way in ensuring uniformity, constant communications and closer links between authorities and students on the basis of trust and confidence.

Hercules in the Classical and Post Classical Depiction

In the classical depiction of Hercules, key themes of Redemption and suffering go hand in hand and are present throughout. When Hera (Zeus’s wife) drives Hercules to madness she sends him to brutally murder his own wife and sons. Hercules is overwhelmed with a sense of ‘blood guilt’ and suffering and condemns himself to exile. He then seeks the Delphic Oracle’s help, she tells him that he is to complete 10 labours for King Eurystheus in order to redeem and rid himself of the blood guilt and suffering and become an immortal (APOLLODORUS, LIBRARY 22. . 12. ) The idea of suffering makes heroes like Hercules relatable to the mortal audience and whilst Hercules is a demi god making him faster, stronger and more agile than any other hero- he remains human in character. No task of Hercules is an easy one but he is willing to go through these taxing adventures in order to redeem himself and set things right. In the post classical depiction- Disney’s 1997 mov ie Hercules- those themes of redemption and suffering are not so present instead themes of selflessness and true heroism are strong.Hercules is presented as Zeus AND Hera’s son and is a full god- until Hades poisons him, taking all but his strength. He is deemed mortal and lives with his adopted family in Thebes. Hercules begins the 10 labours in order to regain his immortality and live on Mt Olympus with the other gods. As Hercules begins attempting and completing the labours he becomes somewhat of a celebrity with the mortals and they begin to worship him.But the labours alone are not enough to make him immortal, he needs to show true selflessness and be willing to sacrifice himself in order to save another. When Hercules dives into the pool of spirits in Hades’ underworld to bring Megara back to life he risks dying to do so and only this is enough to be a true hero and regain him his immortality. Aspects of Hercules’ story have been modified to suit the viewe rs and be age appropriate but the theme of heroism has been dominant in both depictions and that is because Hercules himself was a true hero.

Personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Personal Statement Example Nevertheless, according to the constitution, the most important right that Kurdistan region had was the right to exploit its own natural resources. This right led to Kurdistan region being a place where major energy companies wanted to explore and invest in the region’s natural resources such as oil and gas. The energy business became large and had high demand therefore there arose the need for professionals such as lawyers to help with the formulation of contracts and for setting out various laws regarding energy. In my work experience at a law firm, I realized that I have to improve certain skills. These skills include acquiring knowledge on English as a language, legal writing skills, ability to do legal research based on international standards and communication skills with international lawyers and managers. I can only acquire these skills academically. This is mainly the chief reason why I desire an LL.M. degree in a country that uses English as its national language. I chose to do law because I have a passion for this profession. According to me, it as a method to lend a hand to people in their legal matters and become a legal adviser to many people as well. In my country, there is lack of adequate information and legal knowledge regarding energy. An LL.M. in energy degree will equip me with the right information that I can use to help my country with when it comes to legal matters concerning energy. I will have the ability to assist my nation expand its international market by formulating the correct legal contracts required, advising the government on legal matters concerning energy, and ensuring that my country is not exploited by other countries that want to invest in the energy business. In a this realm, I will be able to help the country understand the Iraqi people due to my acquired communication skills. I look forward to to acquiring skills that will aid me improve my ability as a professional. These

The Growth of Anti-Communist Belief In the 20th century Essay

The Growth of Anti-Communist Belief In the 20th century - Essay Example The ideas of communism later grew rapidly spreading the political and social structures in countries all over the eastern bloc and causing an intense rivalry between the east and countries in the Western bloc that were mainly capitalist. During the cold war, the feelings against anticommunism began spreading in the eastern countries thereby resulting in the disintegration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The cold war created an enabling environment for the spread of propaganda about other countries and economic regimes. The cold war period preceded the Second World War, a period in which countries in the different economic blocs never shared any business transaction and they each lived in fear of the operations of each bloc. Each region therefore feared that the other was progressively becoming stronger and accruing military assets thereby gaining military power. This culminated into fear which no bloc could break by opening war against the other. However, the fear and sus picion that the East had against the economy of the West slowly began countering the effect of communism in the East resulting in the abolition of the economic regime. The West led by the United States of America and countries in Europe had the capitalist economic structure. Capitalism enabled rapid economic growth since it permitted private enterprises thereby enabling the government to collect taxes from the population thereby gaining more revenue. The ideas of capitalism promised rapid economic growth through private investment. The western countries therefore looked economically stronger than the Eastern bloc did since they had enough money to purchase any military artillery they would require. This was unlike the situation in the Eastern bloc where the countries communally owned the economy and therefore the military assets. The regime looked weak and threatened the growth of the entire Asian continent and their affiliates. The precarious times of the cold war therefore created an enabling environment for the spread of propaganda and hate messages among each region. The East progressively became suspicious of the activities of the western bloc, which had active economic activity. The fear and propaganda led to fighting among the different regions in the eastern bloc resulting in the split within the socialist world. The West feared that the growth of the communist ideologies in the East would eventually affect their economies since they targeted foreign markets after the war. The cold war therefore created an enabling environment for the spread of propaganda which the west appropriately created and used their advanced telecommunication mechanisms to spread to east and other neutral countries. The infiltration of the propaganda resulted in fear, which compelled the socialist countries to split their political ideologies a feature in the history of communism that resulted in the creation of left wing anticommunism. The creation of the left wing anti-communi sm preceded the split of the communist parties from the previously predominant socialist second international to create three different political ideologies including the democratic socialist, the third international and the social democrats2. Communism had an elaborate political system referred to as the socialist. The regimes had

The Top 3 management principle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Top 3 management principle - Essay Example The top three management principles that can make superior healthcare managers are strategic and operational planning and decision-making, performance management, and change management because they make managers aware of and responsive to both internal and external management and leadership needs. The first important management principle is strategic and operational planning and decision-making because they merge the functions of managers as â€Å"managers† and â€Å"leaders.† Management is differentiated from leadership because managers are concerned of planning and managing daily operations, while leaders are concerned of leading critical organizational and/or environmental changes. A superior healthcare manager must be both: a leader who can produce strategic plans that deal with changes in and outside the organization and a manager who can turn these plans to workable operation plans and who can monitor, evaluate, and direct their daily applications (Liebler and McConnell 92). An example is creating the strategic plan of automating the information system of the hospital that uses traditional paper formats, while an operational plan is having a comprehensive financial operational management plan that will deal with upcoming budget cuts. These plans, in additi on, are different in their scope, timeframe, and repetitiveness levels. Strategic plans are broad, made for long-term goals, and single-standing, while operational plans are specific, short-term objectives that are repeated, unless strategic changes are made. These plans, moreover, require making strategic and operational decisions (Liebler and McConnell 116-117). A strategic decision is choosing what road to take, while an operational decision is choosing how best to take the journey on that specific road. In the absence of middle and lower level managers who cannot make operational decisions or when upper management is called to help decide

Strategic thought and its practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic thought and its practice - Essay Example Examples of this include a shift from retail trading into chain store, from single product into diversification or from supplier to manufacturer. A new strategic thought could also be a response to the changes or expansion in the market of the given business. Where there is change or expansion of market, the business should ensure that its new strategy that will enable it respond to the demands, needs and preferences of this market. Changes within an organization not only revolve around its business strategies but also its governance. Changes taking place within the leadership or governance of an organization either make it more or less effective in achieving its business goals and implementing its business strategies. Young (2010, p154) concurs with this by stating that the emergent patterns of governance affect the effectiveness of a business regime and this is important for solving problems in its business environment. This implies that if the changes in the organization are makin g its more effective in implementing business strategies, the leaders of the organization are in a position to develop complex business strategies meant to achieve a higher competitive advantage for the business. For example, such a business could formulate a strategy for penetrating into international markets, expanding the product base for its local markets or formulate new and more productive work strategies. Industry conditions Industry conditions describe the nature of the business environment an organization operates in. It includes the characteristics of its customers, number of competitors and power of the organization verses that of its competitors. Ohmae (1982, pp 47)... The researcher states that the success of an organization depends on the level upon which it achieves its main goal and various sub-goals. This requires that an organization formulate strategies for attaining its goal and sub-goals. Strategy simply put, refers to an action plan specifically designed to achieve a certain goal. Petraf explains that a strategy provides a comprehensive way of pursuing economic ends by providing a long-term scope and direction through which an organization configures its scarce resources in the challenging environment. This is to say that a strategy sets a direction for focusing efforts. This way, a strategy enables an organization to achieve a business advantage by meeting the needs of its market or various markets and to fulfil the expectations of stakeholders. It should be noted that an organisation cannot depend on one strategy all its lifetime. Rather, there are conditions that stimulate or necessitate change in strategic thought over time and the ne ed for strategy implementation in order to achieve the new goals of the business, and to facilitate the realisation of the organization’s mission. This means that conditions of strategic thought and practice are of great interest to the management of every organization, state, and group of workers. Strategic thought and its practice is of great importance for any business that is aiming to thrive and profit from it its current and diverse socio, economic and political environments.

Personal finance proposal Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal finance - Research Proposal Example Should the product by any chance meet or exceed client expectations, a repeat is likely as the stimulus is reinforced. On the contrary, failure of the product to meet customer expectations it has dropped and in the end, only beneficial products purchased which goes a long way in generating profits for the company. Although behavioral principles are looked at with a modest look into marketing practices, positive feedbacks are likely to be reinforced unlike negative ones (Michael & William, 1981) For our study purposes, we shall focus on long distance learning whereby a student is forced to access virtual libraries upon payment of a fee. Research indicates that most consumers tend to lack personal awareness on what product and services they need, it is, therefore, imperative for an organization to help discover what they need. This is where the Happy comes in hand by profiling the expenditure of consumers and look forward on how they can meet and exceed consumer need and wants (Lynch, Zimmer & Mccloskey, and N.D) Thaler H.R & Sunstein R.C (2011)Â  where is behavioural economics headed in the world of marketing?

You are free to choice the topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

You are free to choice the topic - Assignment Example In this regard, I can regard myself as one who has had adequate exposure to reproductive health matters through the youth programs available. Remarkably, the programs equip young adults with the relevant skills in the reproductive health field that allows them make decisions based on the knowledge acquired. Further, the internet is another platform that may offer learning solutions an unlimited access to information surrounding this topic. In essence, the internet contains up to date information on the strides made by researches in ensuring the upholding of reproductive. However, the credibility and accuracy provided on the internet sources is of question because many of the writers of these sites may be anonymous hence unreachable if one may want further clarification. On the other hand, information provided by internationally known organizations on their websites may be accurate because of their ability to commission researches in order to acquire the relevant and substantial information regarding this matter. Finally, information acquired on reproductive health is accurate because I have always applied it in my daily life hence assuring me of good reproductive health. Therefore, the application of this information is practical and is achievable if applied in the required

Victorias Secret and Womens Sexuality In-store Essay

Victorias Secret and Womens Sexuality In-store - Essay Example While essentialism states that men and women are inherently different and that women’s different physical form make them suitable for certain functions, constructivism counters this by claiming that sexuality arises out of the beliefs and attitudes governing religion and culture (Houston). Although the biological differences between the genders are present, social constructivism has a great role to play in how women are ‘perceived’ as sex objects as suggested by Victoria’s Secret’s use of space. This perception is reflected in the company’s store design and layout. The design team’s rejection of the conventional candy box color scheme of pink and gold colors was based on the premise that the company’s dominant color (pink) was being overused. The use of the ‘pink’ theme across its store is dominant which reasserts the stereotypical association of this color with women. Nevertheless, the need to tone down the pink col or is apparent by the use of black and cream colors with the use of flashing pink lighting in-store displays. Therefore, the overwhelming use of the pink color has been made subtle by the use of black and cream colors. This is not because the company attempts to divulge from its primary market of women. The color scheme has been altered to include black and cream to make the already pink merchandise â€Å"pop out†. GENDER SOCIALIZATION suggests how humans learn appropriate behavior with respect to their gender (Shaw and Lee). This follows that women are expected to maintain their physical beauty to remain acceptable in society. Women’s worth in society is often reflected in how ‘beautiful’ they are perceived by society, unlike men whose worth does not depend on their beauty (Shaw and Lee). This is often referred to as DOUBLE STANDARDS. This concept has been used by Victoria’s Secret which uses glamorous images of women throughout its store so that w omen feel they will look like those idealized images after wearing those products. A small fraction of women who are physically attractive are used throughout in-store photography which reflects the stereotypical belief that a woman’s worth is through her body and attractiveness. This is linked to the OBJECTIFICATION of women whereby their bodies are considered separate from the context (Shaw and Lee). This, in turn, is closely tied to the fragmentation of women when their bodies are separated from their personalities and are thought to represent the woman. The way in which specific body parts are highlighted in the photography reflects how the woman as a whole is discarded and how women are considered as objects that can be touched, â€Å"ogled† or even bought. The focus on specific parts such as breasts and other genital organs in these ads is reflective of the SURGERIES including VAGINAL SURGERIES that women undergo in the name of beauty. Only younger models are use d in stores which suggest that as women grow old they lose their sexuality and beauty and can, therefore, be discarded.

Learning Organisation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Learning Organisation - Case Study Example In addition to other initiatives, each employee was given '100 towards any (approved) learning of their own choice - inside or outside the organization. Such learning could incorporate ballroom dancing, driving lessons, flower arranging or whatever. This was viewed as being proof of commitment but also as a means of generating "the learning habit". All learning is registered (on a central database) and rewarded (not in financial terms). Employees are given some time within working time to use the open learning centres - but more learning occurs in the employees' own time. Employees are reinvigorated both in terms of evaluating their own learning and in terms of their work -employees on the production line have a "right" to stop the line - at large cost - if they feel something is wrong. Evidence suggests that whenever, as in this case, employees feel cherished they respond accordingly. There is no headstrong stopping of the line. Clearly, this all sounds very simple and naive. Change is never easy - and cultural and attitudinal change is the toughest of all. In the Rover case, the main people were a small number of "change agents" -people with the skills of interviewing, counselling, coaching and convincing - whose role was not to establish the nature of change but to make it happen. They are required at various levels to act as catalysts, sounding boards, motivators, and sources of feedback, monitoring and control. If you can recognize suitable change agents, you are half way to success. They don't have to be people in the line structure - it is possible to ascertain practises which allow them to work outside of the line structure using the "authority" of an overall, senior co-ordinator. Critiques of the Learning Organisation Concept In spite of the extensive interest in the notion of the "learning organisation" as is shown by the proliferation of research literature as well as popular books, it is a difficult concept and, indeed, a contested one (see, in particular, the critiques of Brown and Keep (2003) and Fischer (2003), who provided source material for the Cedra learning organisation project). There is censure among many sociologists and researchers in adult and community education but also in the occupational education and training (VET) community, for example in Germany (Fischer, 2003). They see the idea of the learning organisation as being seated in a normative or prescriptive business-school management concept that is founded on pitiless American/Anglo-Saxon economic principles of organisational effectiveness. They disapprove of the use of sophisticated cultural and psychological theories by modern management to maximise benefits for the company without paying a big deal of attention to ensuring personal learning benefits for employees or workers. This analysis is reinvigorated by a feeling of being disappointed by the non-fulfilment of the hopeful forecasts in the 1980s regarding the emergence of more human-centred workplaces in the post-Tayloristic period that would improve the quality of working life for everybody (see

Tears Idle Tears Essay Example for Free

Tears Idle Tears Essay Tears, Idle Tears is from the The Princess published in 1847. The poem was set in a fairy tale realm discussing women’s rights in education. The poem has interludes of songs or lyrics that were so acclaimed that they were seen as independent from the original Princess. Tears is one of those songs. The song begins with someone crying but not knowing ‘what they mean’ by crying. The person is crying from somewhere deep inside, a ‘divine despair. ’ Emotionally charged tears that are yet to have a cause. Throughout the song Tennyson speaks of ‘days that are no more’ speaking of a time that was happy and now all that is left is a depressed reflection. He begins with ‘happy Autumn fields’ reminiscing on the memories that were once of spring and growth and now all that is left in the field is emptiness. The song was written while Tennyson was in Titern Abbey in autumn, where the area held the burial place of his friend, Hallem. So perhaps the tears are from some underlying emotion for the death of his friend. This can be proven in the next line â€Å"Fresh as the first beam glittering on a sail, that brings our friends up from the underworld,† the line referring to the underworld in which the boatman ferries the dead to Hades. The third stanza refers to a man dying in the ‘earliest pipe of half-awaken’d birds. ’ It is an interesting contrast that as a new day dawns an old life ends, even more so that the last thing the man hears is the soft hymn of the morning birds. A gentle way to approach death as Tennyson would have wanted for his friends. In the final stanza Tennyson continues his somber teary remarks as in the first stanza where he now mentions: Dear as remember’d kisses after death And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feign’d On lips that are for other; deep as love, Deep as first love, and wild with all regret; O Death in Life, that days that are no more. The speaker is wild with regret in concern for the days lost with his friends that were the ‘Death in Life’ as he experienced loved ones dying and coping with the emotions that come and go as in the first stanza when ‘idle tears’ form. He does not know why he cries but subconsciously he is aware that it is because of death. The final line eclipses the subjective meaning in each stanza that the memories and happiness he had once felt are in ‘the days that are no more. ’

A Professional Development Plan

A Professional Development Plan In reflecting on my professional development, I consider that my skills and competencies have developed significantly and that my level of responsibility has developed to reflect this. Leading the production of the Neighbourhood Plan is a challenging task that has drawn on my skills across a very broad range of areas. It has also however been a very rewarding area of work and one that I feel has significantly developed my core spatial planning skills and will provide a robust basis to further my professional development. I also believe that my experience at RDA and (name removed) City Council has enabled me to start to develop the wider generic skill set required of built environment professionals, particularly in terms of multidisciplinary working, negotiation and mediation, and leadership. This will provide a strong basis from which to develop my future career within the sector and effectively respond to change. STRENGTHS Well developed analytical and research skills Strong report writing/policy skills Breadth of experience in spatial planning and regeneration through roles at Development Agency Council Strong interpersonal skills Wide range of professional contacts and networks through involvement in Regional Activities Committee and Young Planners Events WEAKNESSES Limited knowledge of development control and the mechanics of planning inquiries, compulsory purchase powers etc. No direct line-management experience Need to develop skills in terms of managing conflict/difficult situations OPPORTUNITIES Urban renaissance and current public policy commitment to building skills amongst built environment professionals e.g. Academy for Sustainable Communities, Regional Centres of Excellence, CABE Emergence of City Regions and development of associated organisations and bodies Widening range of public sector special delivery bodies and regeneration agencies e.g. URCs, UDCs, RDAs Missing generation of planners could provide opportunities for more rapid career progression THREATS Impact of Comprehensive Spending Review on regeneration spending and growth within the sector Impact of review of land use planning/potential change of political direction under new Labour leadership Competition from recent increase in number of high calibre graduates completing accelerated RTPI-accredited Masters degrees. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN Period: September 2006 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ September 2008 Date of next review: March 2007 WHERE AM I NOW? Current job title and employer details Since 3 April 2006 I have been employed as Planning Officer (Planning Regeneration) at (name removed) City Council. Current job / role My key area of work is the project management of the production of a Neighbourhood Plan as a nonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœstatutory area planning document. The core tasks which the production of the Neighbourhood Plan involves are: Preparation and agreement of the scope and approach to the production of the Neighbourhood Plan; Preparation of a Baseline and Issues report; Commissioning and management of consultants to facilitate stakeholder and community engagement workshops; Coà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœordination of both Officer Group and Advisory Group meetings; Principal point of contact for community and stakeholder enquiries; Preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan document and associated Sustainability Assessment and Consultation Statement; Liaison with Elected Members; and Preparation of formal reports to Planning Lead Member, Cabinet, and Council. Outside the project management of the production of the Neighbourhood Plan, my role also involves: preparing development briefs for key sites, and associated community and stakeholder engagement; providing policy advice in relevant preà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœapplication discussions with developers relating to significant development sites; working with partners to secure the implementation of plans and urban regeneration schemes; preparing reports to Lead Member, Cabinet and Council to seek political endorsement where appropriate; and providing planning advice to colleagues and stakeholders across a range of disciplines including housing, property, neighbourhood management, education services, and landscape design. Current strengths Policy / report writing skills à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ these were significantly developed through my work at RDA and will provide a strong basis to inform my production of policy documents and development briefs. See log book entry, p.x Analytical and research skills à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ these were also significantly developed through my work at RDA and have been critical in supporting my preparation of a Baseline and Issues report for the Neighbourhood Plan area. See log book entry, p.y Project management and collaborative working à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ my project management of the Historic Towns and Cities study at RDA developed my project management skills in terms of managing the consultants and financial management. My skills in collaborative and multidisciplinary working were developed through liaising with the steering group and engaging key partners and stakeholders. See log book entry, p.z Current areas for developmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Engaging and working with the local community à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ due to the nature of my role at RDA this is not an area in which I had experience prior to working at (current employer). It will be important that I continue to develop skills in this area in order to effectively carry out the duties of my role. Taking forward the Neighbourhood Plan process will be a key means of developing my skills in this area. See log book pages a, b and c. Knowledge of the development control / implementation side of planning à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ this relates to developing my detailed knowledge across a range of key areas which could be termed the mechanics of planning. These include planning applications, appeals and inquiries, callà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœins, development control and enforcement, and compulsory purchase powers. These are not areas in which I previously had experience given the nature of my role at RDA. They will however be important areas for development given the more local l implementation based nature of my role at (location removed). Developing skills in understanding and mediating political situations à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœdeveloping skills in political awareness and mediation will be important given the political nature of planning, and partnership working more generally. In terms of my role at (location removed), the areas which I will seek to strengthen include managing relationships with key partners and stakeholders, colleagues from other sections within the Council, and Elected Members. WHERE AM I GOING? Long term goals My long term goal is to develop my career in the public sector. There are a wide range of reasons which underpin this commitment. These include the range of opportunities available, the breadth of work and the ability to make a difference and see tangible results from your work, together with the supportive organisational culture and commitment to staff development and maintaining a positive workà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœlife balance. My goal would be to work within planning/regeneration within a special delivery body as I believe this would offer the greatest potential for creativity and innovation. Within the existing organisational landscape, this could for example be within an Urban Regeneration Company. There are however likely to be other similar bodies emerging in the future as the organisational landscape changes. I believe that my experience to date within the RDA working on a strategic / policy based level, together with the more local level, implementationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœfocused experience I will get in my present role at (location removed) will put me in a good position to realise my goal by giving me a broad range of experience in planning and regeneration. Short term goals I will develop my skills in terms of working with the local community and securing effective engagement in the planà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœmaking process. I will develop my knowledge of the mechanics of planning, including planning applications, appeals and inquiries, callà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœins, development control and enforcement, and compulsory purchase powers. I will develop my skills of political awareness through managing relationships with key partners, stakeholders, colleagues from other sections within the Council and Elected Members. (continued on next page to allow for space for comments, right) HOW WILL I GET THERE? Objective 1: Develop skills of community working and engagement. How will I get there? Liaise with the Consultation and Commissioning group and other colleagues to develop a best practice approach to community engagement as part of the production of the Neighbourhood Plan. First meeting December 06. Learn best practice techniques of facilitation from specialist consultants commissioned to facilitate the Neighbourhood Plan workshops. Initial meeting set up for March 07. Continue to assist in the facilitation of relevant community engagement workshops and events at the Council. Workshops approaching in November and December 06. Continue to attend community facilitation workshops through my volunteer role with regional Planning Aid (see examples in log book, pages d, e and f). Workshop event July 07. Attend relevant training events on community engagement techniques organised by the RTPI, Planning Aid, or the (location removed) Planners Training Group. Specifically, event on Engaging with Young People in February 07. Objective 2: Develop detailed knowledge of the mechanics of planning. How will I get there? Involvement with development control colleagues at (development regeneration services consultancy) in pre- ­application discussions with developers for scheme proposals for key sites. Meeting scheduled for October 06. Developing my working knowledge of the key development control principles, through familiarisation with the GDPO and planning legislation, and familiarisation with the Councils relevant draft and adopted Supplementary Planning Documents, including the Planning Obligations SPD, Housing SPD, Greenspace SPD, Design and Crime SPD, and the Nature Conservation Biodiversity SPD. Have read and understood all documents by January 08. Relevant web-based research via Localaw and the DCLG and HMSO websites to develop my knowledge of relevant documents relating to the statutory procedures and legislative context. Involvement with colleagues from the Plans Group in relation to assisting in the preparation of case for appeals and call-ins. One-to-one arranged with (colleague) for November 06. Attendance at relevant planning inquiries to observe and learn from proceedings. Inquiry examining (details removed) due for January 07. Keep updated of amendments to the statutory procedures through reading relevant articles in Planning, the Planning Matters website, and attending Planning Law update events. Ongoing review amendments/learning outcomes in April 07. Objective 3: Develop skills in terms of political awareness and relationship management. How will I get there? Co-ordination of the Neighbourhood Plan Officer Group and Advisory Group, which will develop my skills in relationship building with officers from across the Councils Directorates, in addition to Elected Members and community representatives. Meeting scheduled December 06. Actively engage key external stakeholders in the production of the Neighbourhood Plan, including the (location removed) URC, the PCT and NHS Trust, (local area) Police, and key Registered Social Landlords. Continue to build my network of professional contacts through my role on the RTPI Regional Activities Committee and my involvement in the (regional) Young Planners Group and Planning Aid. Comments Summary Overall this is a clear and comprehensive Professional Development Plan. The candidate has thought deeply about where he sees his career progressing, so while his short term goals are focused on improvements relating to his current role, this is part of a wider vision for the future. There is clear ownership of the PDP on reading it you understand the candidates strengths and weaknesses through the same themes being picked up and addressed in the SWOT, the strengths/weaknesses of the PDP, and future objectives. So while the short term goals might not directly and explicitly work towards the long term goals, it is easy to see how these goals/objectives have been arrived at. Although the rest of the APC submission is not shown here, the PDP is also clearly identifiable as belonging to this candidate, and it is therefore clear that it is a very personal account. References are made to sections of the log book, which help with this. The actions that are identified are a little vague th e comments show how this has/could be improved by identifying more structured/specific activities, and by introducing target time frames. The candidate does not rely solely on general activities in the workplace, but identifies some firm CPD activities that will very likely have to take place outside of the day-to-day employment e.g. structured reading/research with particular topics/documents in mind. Candidates should avoid relying solely on activities that will take place during day-to-day work to meet objectives undertaking an activity at work doesnt necessarily mean you will learn from it, and opportunities to take on certain work activities are often outside of your control.

A Case Study On Computer Viruses Information Technology Essay

A Case Study On Computer Viruses Information Technology Essay In this project we have been asked to consider and discuss the different aspects of the above statement. We have asked to create a case study of an organization to help with our case and we have chosen for our case study to look at North Lanarkshire Council. The case study will be a report based on 2 interviews and a short look at the council and its history and what services it offers. There will also be a critical review arguing as to the rights and wrongs of the statement and finally a conclusion in which we will be a brief summary of what we have discovered during the report. Before we can begin to discuss the statement, we should take a quick look at exactly what a computer virus and phishing are and also take a quick look at their history. The computer virus was so named as it has similar properties as a human virus in the way they can pass form computer to computer and in that they need a host to survive. The first viruses were created during the 1980s, although there programs that worked on the same principle created maybe as early as the late 1960s. The first program of this type to appear on a computer other than the one it was written for was called Elk Cloner and was written by Rich Skrenta in 1982 and surprisingly was written to attack the Apple operating system as today viruses are very rarely written with Apple in mind. The most common virus of that period was written to infect PCs and was called the Brain and was written by two brothers Basit and Amjad Farooq Alvi in 1986. Both these virus were spread by floppy disks and since then the virus concept has grown and become more sophisticated. (antiviruswear.com, 2010) There are 3 main types of common virus today Worms Trojan Horse Email Virus A worm uses security flaws and computer networks to replicate itself. They can be very complex programs and once on an infected machine, will search for other flows to exploit. A Trojan Horse, named after the famous wooden horse in Homers Iliad. The virus disguises as itself as another file, e.g. a sound file with a .wav extension and once on the host computer does not reproduce but will make the host computer susceptible to attack by third parties by opening ports and can be a major threat to the users personal data. Am email virus once opened on an infected machine will send copies of itself to everyone on the email clients contacts list. They payload can also include Worms and Trojan Horses. (spamlaws.com, 2009)The term Phishing appears to have been first coined in 1996 and was applied to hackers who were stealing AOL passwords. It is now a broader term applied to a form of social engineering where the angler (phisher) throws a hook by maybe sending an spam email pretending to be from the recipients bank stating there has been a breach of security and asking for the customer to enter their password and user name on a website that is linked to on the email. This website may look like the persons online banking website but is a fake set up to steal the user names and passwords and allow the phishers to then gain access to the persons bank account details and transfer monies to other accounts. (allspammedup) Review For-end user protection Software-every user should have security software installed on their computer the software will help protect your computer from viruses, worms and other harmful programs. You should scan your computer on a regular basis and also update your operating system. anti virus anti spyware anti malware firewall botnet Antivirus you must update regularly to benefit for the latest threats. A computer virus is a computer program with the intent of copying itself and contaminating a computer. Viruses can boost their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a group of networks or a file structure that is accessed by another computer. You need antivirus software to prevent, detect and remove viruses from your computer. There are quite a lot of different types of viruses like worms and Trojan horse.Millions of computer users suffered billion of dollars in losses from real attack experienced over the internet. Most of the damages were caused by fast moving computer viruses and worms that travelled by email (Simson, 2002) Antispyware- Spyware is a sort of malware that can be setup on computers and gather small pieces of information over time and the users has no awareness that it is there. The existence of spyware is usually concealed from the consumer, and it can be hard to notice. Normally, spyware is secretly installed on the consumers own computer. Now and then spywares is like a key logger and is installed by the vendor of a joint, company, or public computer with the intention to secretly watch other users. Anti malware- A computer worm is a self reproducing malware computer program. It makes a computer network send duplicates of itself to computers that are on the same network and it will do it with no user intervention. This is due to weak security on the computer. Firewall-A firewall is to prevent unauthorized access to or from a network. Firewalls can also be implemented in both hardware and software they prevent unauthorized internet users from accessing a private network. All messages leaving the intranet pass through the firewall. Botnet- Once a solitary machine inside a network has become part of the botnet it will put other computers on the same network at risk. The infected computer is able to read emails and email addresses and copying files and also able to record keystrokes and send spam as well as capturing screen shots. Phishing- You could be sent an e-mail wrongly claiming to be a recognized genuine company in an attempt to scam the user into giving away their private information that will then be used for identity theft. The email will guide the user to visit a web site where they are asked to input their personal information, like your credit card details, passwords and bank account numbers. The website is a phony website and is only set up to steal the users information. Access- Its up to the end user if they want people accessing data so their privacy is in their hands, it is up to the user who they allow access to their computer. They should only allow people they trust to protect their computer with any personal information that is received or collected. Your personal information is under your control your privacy is your property so be aware of what information you store on your computer. Naivety is not an excuse, attackers will take advantage of a computers vulnerability. Legitimate companies will not ask for personal information in an email. Hardware like your router use password protection to constantly secure your wireless connection and will only allow named computers that you know access to the network. Awareness-Every user should be aware of the threats that is out there and what they can do. They should be aware of the different types of viruses and spyware and of what phishing is and what the stakes are. There is your privacy, time, money and your computer. Credit card fraud is on the increase and identity theft also. Your children are exposed to pornographic material and can be targeted by pedophiles. You also need to be aware of shopping when using your credit card most magstripe cards conform to ISO standard that the card contains three tracks of data referred to as track 1,2,3 the majority of magstripe cards contains no security measures to protect the data stored on the card (Stuart, 2009) Education-Most people are not aware of installing software to stop viruses, they have never been taught that your computer needs to be maintained and that there are viruses and worms they dont know of and the damage they can cause. You would not leave your home without locking your door so why leave a personal computer without protecting it. New users and children should be educated before being allowed access to a computer. Naivety is a weapon used by malware and phishers and children and teens are targeted, parents should take steps as well, there is a parental control that will help block websites and file downloads. Computer virus traps over 2,000 tourists on Russia-chinese border Over 2,000 Russian tourists were stranded in the Chinese town of Heihe on the Russian-Chinese border after a computer virus paralyzed the borders electronic pass entry system (Alexey, 2010) Internet service providers are facing an ever increasing amount of pressure to make sure their networks are virus and phishing free-not only would this be advantageous to their customers, but also very beneficial for the internet in general. Against-end user protection With the escalation of zombie-fed threats like phishing, securing the consumers PCs should no longer be down to the user themselves, the internet service providers should in this day and age be protecting the Internet traffic they are providing. ISPs should be taking more responsibility to monitor what is passing through their networks more closely. A zombie computer is a PC that has been secretly hacked, this then allows an outside person to control the computer with the intentions to infect, copy, corrupt and for erasing the hard drive. The hacker can then install tools that will store everything that is typed into the PC, this includes passwords, usernames and credit card and bank account details. Once this information is in the hands of the hackers it can be used for identity theft, committing fraud or sold on to the highest bidder. Related topics There has been a huge rise in cases that involve malicious code, also referred to as bot code that infects computers turning them into zombies, from April to June this year the number of reported cases have quadrupled to 13000. ISPs have been doing somethings to combat the threats of bot code by providing customers with online help on how to keep their PCs secure and some apply spam and virus filters for email as bot code is quite often spread through instant message worms, email and also through Trojans hidden in spam. The ISPs should however be offering a greater protection against these infestations than by just trying to control the threats from e-mail. Getting filtering to work effectively and properly takes a vast amount of time, patience, resources and money. Because the people writing the malware get better and better on a constant basis, it is a never ending struggle to keep up to pace with them so that filtering works. Some Internet service providers are using a technique called port 25 blocking to halt zombie computers that are connecting through their network sending out junk emails, this allows only emails that comes from its own server to be sent out, and this then helps eliminates spam that originates from another server. But those steps dont appear to be enough to tackle the threat of zombies, according to some experts. To take down zombies, ISPs should monitor their networks closer for traffic generated by the compromised PCs, said Dmitri Alperovitch, research engineer at CipherTrust, a security vendor in Alpharetta, USA.ISPs allow these machines to communicate with the rest of the world. They have the power to do a lot about the zombie threat, and they should be doing a lot about it Alperovitch said.A start for Internet companies would be for them to participate more actively in security groups and to use data on zombies collected by third-party security companies such as CipherTrust, he said. ISPs should monitor their networks more closely for anything suspicious, the ISPs should also be improving customer education and possibly even providing their customers with Anti-virus, Anti-spyware and firewalls for their own machines. If the ISPs were to provide customers with all the necessary software to protect themselves then there should no longer be any problems, as long as the customer uses the protection. Maybe the ISPs should enter in their contracts with customers that they will provide the software and if the customer chooses not to use it or take other preventative measures their internet connection will be cut off. If the ISPs were to do their part in helping to protect their customers then naivety in people using the internet should not be an excuse in this day and age, there has been enough cyber crime and virus and it has also been about long enough now that it is no longer excusable for people not to be protecting themselves while surfing the net. There are danger s in most things we do in life and we are expected to take preventative measures, if we go out for a walk we put shoes on to protect our feet, if we go out for a drive we put our seatbelt on and if we surf the net we should also protect ourselves in advance. We are not allowed to drive a car on the road if it is not roadworthy so maybe we should not be allowed to surf the net if our computer is not properly equipped. Although customers can be encouraged to keep their PCs clean with the threat of disconnection, the pressure should be on the ISPS to take more responsibility to tackle any threats coming through their network. With the amount of threats on the increase, ISPs should be taking a more hands on approach, as the hands-off method has been proven not to work. (1) Dmitri Alperovitch, research engineer at CipherTrust, a security vendor in Alpharetta (news.cnet.com, 2010) Case Study North Lanarkshire Council For our case study we chose North Lanarkshire Council, there were two reasons for this, the first being that they are a large organization with a huge computer infrastructure that would allow us to speak to a qualified IT specialist and also an end user to get both views across and the second reason being one of our team had previously worked there and was confident he would get the interviews arranged with the minimum of fuss. North Lanarkshire Council is the fourth largest local Authority in Scotland employing over 18,000 staff and serving a population of 321,000 people mainly in the following towns Airdrie, Bellshill, Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth, Motherwell, Shotts, Wishaw and their surrounding districts. The council is split into 5 key service areas: Finance and Customer Services incorporating all finance and IT services (including housing benefits and rebates) as well as public access via first stop shops, customer contact centre and website. Corporate Services which includes central support unit, human resources, legal services, design and property services. Environmental Services including planning and development, roads and transportation and protective services amongst others. Housing and Social Work services Learning leisure Services which includes education and community education services. The nature of this case study will dictate we concentrate on Finance and Customer Services, and in particular the government and development division which includes the IT function within the council and we will get a flavour as to how it protects its end users from Virus and Phishing attacks. The finance department has many functions and these include council tax, purchasing and debtors, housing benefits and rebates and as you can see there is much personal and financial data to be protected within even this small selection of councils services. If we add in the data that the social work also has to protect then we can see the security has to be comprehensive. We will now take a look at the interviews. Interviews overview We had chosen to contact North Lanarkshire Council to see if it was possible to interview 2 of their employees for the project. We decided to contact Alex Mitchell, Assistant Service Delivery Manager, as one of our team had already worked quite closely with him in the past when he worked for the North Lanarkshire Council IT Department. Alex agreed in principle and asked we email him 2 sets of questions one aimed at the end user and the other aimed at someone who would be more aware of the security measures in place from the IT section. He duly replied and said that the head of IT Security, Kenny Yates would be happy to meet for an interview and also gave us the name of an end user, namely a Lesley Bone who was happy to answer the end user questions. Due to adverse weather conditions it became very difficult to arrange the interviews and in the end Lesley emailed her answers to us and we carried out a telephone interview with Kenny. Happily, they were both fairly frank and gave a good indication of how the council deals with computer security and how it protects the end user. As was said earlier there were 2 sets of questions as some questions were asked to both people and others didnt make sense to ask the individual concerned so were more tailored as to an end user or the more technical question. The results were as follows. Lesley showed that as an end user she had an awareness of threats and had security in place in the house but was very vague as to what to do if she was affected by one and it seemed to be apparent that when given these questions she realized that maybe security is something she should look into and give more thought to in general. Kenny on the other hand gave us a great insight as to how difficult a job it is to protect an organisation such as NLC. He showed that it was not just down to the councils duty of care to its employees to protect them and the data they hold but there are many legal requirements some of which also get audited that have to be followed and can result in fines and removal from government secure networks if that audit is failed. He also said that awareness training is now taking place and this seemed to tie in as Lesley had said she had received no specific training as such but there had been a responsible use policy available for a long time. The main issues for the council as Kenny sees as the growth of remote and home working and as users have more scope to use unauthorized equipment on council networks and he also said naivety is the main cause of infection in council equipment. Finally when asked what was the main threats he said that spam and email type worm viruses are the main concern and social engineering techniques are getting more sophisticated but the main threat was could be lack of investment due to recent cutbacks and this could leave the council open to attack. The full interviews can be read. See appendices. Conclusion We were asked to comment and discuss the following statement It is up to end-users to protect themselves sufficiently from threats such as viruses and phishing they are responsible, naivety is not an excuse. And here is the conclusion our team has come up with. Firstly the user has a degree of responsibility, a home user especially must at least have the awareness that these threats exist, what they are, what they do and must know and carry out the minimum steps to protect themselves by at least installing a full security suite on all pcs and also making sure that anyone with internet access has the same awareness. Also they should be wary as to who has access and should protect their computers and wireless devices with a secure password. There is also a lot going on in the background that the end user is not aware of and this is also helping to protect them from threats, from working groups, the law and government acts and even their banks and retailers to their Internet service Provider and the security software writers. They are all working hard to minimize the effects of virus and phishing. In an organisation it is much different and the end user has very little to do to protect themselves as we saw in the interviews. That job is taken on by the IT department and it is a very difficult job to protect an organisation. Due to legal obligations there has to be very tight security, especially in organisations like the one we looked at North Lanarkshire Council and surprisingly it turned out that the main source of protection turned out to be the amount of investment made in it and keeping up to date as everything moves so fast in the IT world and if the organisations dont keep up they will get caught out. Finally is naivety an excuse, the answer has to be a resounding no, it appears to be one of the main causes of infection and more so it is also the main tool of the people who write the virus or use their social engineering tools in the phishing attacks. Bibliography Alexey, K. (2010, 04 19). WorldComputer virus traps over 2,000 tourists on Russian-Chinese border. Retrieved from rianovosti: http://en.rian.ru/world/20100419/158646482.html allspammedup. (n.d.). allspammedup. Retrieved from allspammedup: http://www.allspammedup.com/2009/02/history-of-phishing/ antiviruswear.com. (2010). antivirus. Retrieved from antivirus: http://www.antivirusware.com/articles/history-computer-viruses.html news.cnet.com. (2010). news.cnet.com. Retrieved from news.cnet.com: http://news.cnet.com/ISPs-versus-the-zombies/2100-7349_3-5793719.html#ixzz16FkK89Lv Simson, G. (2002). web security,privacy and commerce. cambridge: o,reilly. spamlaws.com. (2009). spamlaws. Retrieved from spamlaws: http://www.spamlaws.com/virus-comtypes.html Stuart, M. (2009). hacking exposed 6. new york: mcgraw.

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

T.S. Eliot once wrote, "What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." Every landmark in our lives will end but there is always a beginning to an end. As each new path ends a new one begins. Graduation marks the end of a path but as it ends a new path begins. Life is an adventure. We started out by walking on a winding path as we entered the destination of kindergarten. As our lives ventured on down the winding path, we met new friends and new life experiences along the way. As the path widens, we see ourselves on a country road. We started elementary school and we constantly gained new knowledge to help us progress in our journey. As we continued along in our journey we entered a paved path in middle school. As ...

Comparison Between the Play and Movie Versions of Death and the Maiden :: English Literature

Comparison Between the Play and Movie Versions of Death and the Maiden There is a significant difference between the play and movie versions of Death and the Maiden. The movie version emphasizes visual and sound effects, while the play highlights the importance of language. The movie version starts by playing a section from Schubert’s quartet Death and the Maiden. After the melodious music, viewers immediately see and hear lightening outside a small house as well as ocean waves clash against rocks. This contrast not only shocks the viewers, it also prepares them for the upcoming â€Å"action† in the movie. However, the play presents a different perspective. There are only two sentences that cover the above scene, â€Å"Sound of the sea. After midnight.† This simple language will generate imaginations inside readers’ mind and let them create their own movies. The movie version adds more stage directions to create an additional dramatic situation. We first saw Paulina cooking in the kitchen while listening to the radio. She then hears from the radio that Gerardo Escobar has been selected to be the head of the commission. She immediately drops the knife and walks out of the kitchen furiously. However, the above situation does not actually exist in the play Death and the Maiden. The play states that Paulina was sitting in a chair drinking before she heard a car stopped in front of her beach house. The movie version gives viewers evidences that Paulina knew Gerardo Escobar and was not happy about him being the head of the commission. The movie also adds a dialogue between Gerardo Escobar and Roberto Miranda. The main focus in the dialogue is the same as the â€Å"monologue† by Gerardo in the play. However, we can learn from the dialogue that a guy named Roberto Miranda helped Gerardo to get home. We can also tell from Paulina’s facial expression that she was shocked to hear Miranda’s voice. I like the added stage directions in the movie because it made me became very curious about what is going to happen next. The play’s beginning was no as interesting as the movie’s. I also liked the acting in the movie.

American Ethnic Literature Essay

What does it mean to be inclusive of â€Å"ethnic† literature in American â€Å"English† classrooms? Educators across the country struggle to comply with industry standards as well as their own sense of what â€Å"globalization in literature† may comprise. The ideology of teaching the British canon is breaking down, particularly in the wake of the post-colonial criticism movement two decades ago, as well as the more immediate and pervasive influence of the World Wide Web, which connects people in different countries with different communication practices at the speed of fingers tapping on a keyboard. Diversifying the standard literary canon to include writers and character of different cultural and racial backgrounds means opening the master list of great works to marginalized text and voices. Ideally, the goal of including â€Å"ethnic† literature into the American education traditional should be to create a more complete view of the American culture as a great cultural melting pot and expose the ways in which all Americans share â€Å"Otherness. † Multicultural literature carries with it certain stereotypes as to what gets included and what gets excluded. Part of this is a response to the reader’s own ignorance or misinformation. Mary Frances Pipino wrote that â€Å"Students often are unaware of their own cultural values and the ways their values can be contradictory or ambivalent.. † For example, a person may consider The House on Mango Street to be â€Å"multicultural† in that the author, Sandra Cisneros, speaks Spanish and her main character, Esperanza, relates the effect cultural machismo has on her life as a young Hispanic woman. The novel Ceremony functions in a similar way. Author Leslie Silko gives the reader a glimpse into the life of a young Native American man, describing his violent experience as a soldier and as a man caught between cultures in a turbulent physical environment. The main character, Tayo, functions as both an entry point for readers unfamiliar with Native American culture, and as the ubiquitous â€Å"Outsider† even in the Native American community. Both of these texts conflate the â€Å"traditional† American experience (that is, the paternal Anglo-Saxon Christian experience) with the experience of the â€Å"outsider† (the disenfranchised racial minority). Silko and Cisneros incorporate ethnicity as a factor that both unites and repels. Esperanza struggles against the expectations of her culture as she dedicates herself to her studies and writing. Tayo is at home neither in the â€Å"white† community where he is physically Other, or in the Native American community, where his â€Å"whiteness† is known regardless of its visibility. Readers and students have an opportunity to read about a culture that is perhaps different from their own , or perhaps novels such as these are an opportunity to see racially similar characters as protagonists rather than antagonists or worse, utterly marginalized if ever present background noise. Traditionally, American students have had to satiate themselves on a steady diet of Caucasian male central characters. Studies in literature often revolve around the icons of English writing, such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, and Dickens. American authors honored as â€Å"canonical† include Irving, Hawthorne, Twain, Emerson and Whitman. To a large extent, these rightly revered poets and novelists fore-grounded characters with similar visages. Hamlet and Romeo seem essentially â€Å"white† and noble, and their exploits are generally understandable to a Western-minded reading audience. Wordsworth’s reflections and Dickens’ soulful hero, Pip, are both embodiments of natural man as a participant in both Nature and the wilderness of the Industrial revolution. Hawthorne, Irving and Twain all convey elements of the American pioneering spirit, as well as the dangers of forging out into unknown and often hostile environs. Again, these American protagonists routinely mimic the author’s face in the mirror. This picture of the traditional English Literature syllabus in its barest of bones unquestionably gives rise to the sort of charges levied against it by New Historicists, Post-Colonialists, and gender studies scholars. Laurie Grobman (2004) wrote, â€Å"In 1990 The Heath Anthology of American Literature was published under the sponsorship of the Reconstructing American Literature project (RAL) of the Feminist Press. † She credited Paul Lauter’s research as she went on to write, â€Å"Inspired by the Civil Rights movements, the RAL project attempted to redress the limited, exclusionary conception of â€Å"American literature† represented in most university curricula, syllabi, and anthologies, and to affirm the literature classroom as a potential site of social and political change† (2004, p. 81). The study of literature has been a limited one in the sense of variety and diversity, but obvious and deliberate steps were being taken. Perhaps on one hand, it can be said that the study of literature is most naturally conducted in one’s primary language, thus negating the study of Spanish, Russian or French tomes (for example). Thus, British and American-born writers should obviously comprise the canon. Grobman wrote that, however, â€Å"†¦certain texts by writers of color have become ‘canonized’ in the sense that they are frequently taught, studied, and even anthologized both as part of a larger canon of American literature and as part of canons within specific racialized ethnic literary and critical communities,† (2004, p. 83). The issue of translation is still a challenging one, as early editions of what is now considered classic literature were poorly and inefficiently translated from their native language into English. Unique linguistic nuances, which both added to the words on the page and also reflected the ideas and values of the particular culture for whom that language is native, were irreparably lost. Unfortunately, those nuances were not as valued as the ability to read the text in English, and such disrespect was costly. Thankfully, more attention is paid today on both the sensitivity of the translation and skill of the translator. The original standard of thinking, surely flawed and wretchedly narrow of scope, ignores how language mimics society at large. That is, the English language is itself in a constant state of growth, adaptation, modulation and reconditioning. Other languages play a unique role in the English language’s evolution, particularly in the United States, where languages are over-lapped, superimposed and threaded through each other to form new expressions. The Oxford English Dictionary, considered one of if not the authentic authority on the English language, regularly updates its immense record of words and their individual biographies. Holly E. Martin (2005) wrote: For multilingual authors, switching between two or more languages is not an arbitrary act, nor is it simply an attempt to mimic the speech of their communities; code-switching results from a conscious decision to create a desired effect and to promote the validity of authors’ heritage languages. Literary code- switching between Spanish and English, English and Chinese, and English and a Native American language†¦creates a multiple perspective and enhances the authors’ ability to express their subjects. Also, by including their ethnic languages, writers lay claim to the languages of their communities and resist the dominance of English by proposing that these languages can accompany English in the creation of works of US literature. (p. 403) If the language fluctuates due to outside influences, should it not be part of the process to examine those languages also, particularly when the reader can see first hand how the languages interact? Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street is an excellent example of the role ethnic literature can and should play: Esperanza’s voice effortlessly glides between English and Spanish, revealing few if any linguistic speed bumps. Her voice is, perhaps, is a representation of the idealized cultural blend—she is the embodiment of a truly integrated person. The reader is offered a glimpse of a seamless blend of both languages, representing both cultures as mutually complimenting each other rather than as existing as binaries. Indeed, the languages are not binaries, as they both come from the same root. Martin went on to suggest: †¦the inclusion of languages other than English in US literature is a natural artistic development for the novel (and for other genres of literature as well). Ethnic minorities and their languages are part of the social stratification of the United States, and therefore, a mixture of languages within literary works—and varieties within those languages— reflects the dialogue that occurs regularly within the US. (2005, p. 404) This sense of fluidity can offer a sense of regeneration, or absolute creation. Martin wrote, â€Å"The mixing of cultures and languages along the Mexican/US border can have a synergistic effect, creating a third mode of expression that leads to a more multidimensional understanding of human life in general, (2005, p. 407). This blending has other, darker consequences, however. In the text, Esperanza’s voice may blend, but her life experience certainly does not. She, like Tayo, feels little sense of acceptance and integration in either of her two â€Å"worlds. † Like Tayo, that disconnectedness manifests in violence and pain. The ethnic literature invites readers to experience the pain of enforced or assumed binary identities. The term â€Å"ethic† takes on the countenance of â€Å"other;† the person termed â€Å"ethnic† the non-white, often female, often non-Christian character. This character’s differences are highlighted as that which makes her â€Å"Other. † Esperanza is not ethnic because she is a writer; she is â€Å"ethnic† because she is born into a Mexican-American family. She is part of the greater immigrant tradition that forms the basis for contemporary American culture. This immigrant status gets revised for Ceremony, in which Tayo is the true Native, being cast in the role of Other by the immigrant Anglo-Saxons. Silko complicates the matter by having Tayo go to war as an American soldier, thus leveling him with the â€Å"violent conqueror† image of Americana as well as marking him as yet another Other/Outsider. Unfortunately, including stories of ethnic otherness can create a challenging set of questions and resistances in a class that has largely been kept free of challenges to the literary status quo. Pipino wrote: If the purpose of the course [that Pipino taught] was to invite moral introspection through imaginative participation in the life of the â€Å"Other,† then students frequently found themselves in the shoes of an â€Å"Other† whose hard work and desire were not guarantees of success which, as we discuss at the beginning of the course, is an essential part of the rhetoric of the American Dream. Thus, students’ resistant responses may reflect not just â€Å"compassion fatigue,† but a real fear that the hard work in which they are engaged as college students may not yield success; the failures of the protagonists of fictional narratives perhaps pose a threat to the optimism with which they regard their own futures, that is, their own narratives. (2005, p. 179). That is, the narrative of the Other may be a little too â€Å"dark† for readers who are (or who imagine themselves to be) part of the majority establishment. This response is certainly not the goal or object of introducing ethnic literature into the study of the American literary experience. Readers who forget that value systems differ across racial and cultural lines, and attempt to impose their own understandings as a steadfast â€Å"norm,† find themselves unable to reconcile the way characters of differing ethnic origin engage in their environments. The level of anger deployed against the white establishment in certain works of fiction and poetry can become overwhelming if not carefully and conscientiously dissected. Reading the Other can and should give the audience an opportunity to either experience being an outsider for the first time, or more likely, remind that person of the experience and engender feeling of sympathy for the character and the situation. The emotional response of being â€Å"tired of feeling bad for people† is a misguided and misplaced one, as it does nothing to enrich one’s life or the lives of others. Ethic literature should function as a safe, secure environment where common humanistic themes such as feeling a part of a greater whole while simultaneously honoring one’s past can be explored using a variety of lenses. Regardless of race, creed, sex or age, all people have had the opportunity to experience some variety of â€Å"otherness† in their lives. Those who choose to ignore or forget the experience are most often the people who perpetuate great cruelty in the world. Literature can and should function as a means to explore other value sets and other cultural identities not to simply shrug and admire the view, but to begin to identify ways in which our differences are actually the themes we share in common. Fiction and poetry offer readers the tools to transcend the often bitter real-life experiences people have that reinforce imaginary (and authentic) boundaries between cultures and people. Division and classification are part of the human psyche’s attempt to deconstruct and â€Å"understand† the world around us. As a fertile landscape owing all to the readers’ mind, literature can meet needs and expectations in a way that reality cannot, and it is the reader’ opportunity to find the connectedness in the midst of the difference. References Cisneros, S. (1984) The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage. Grobman, L. (2005). The Value and Valuable Work of Multi-ethnic Literature. MELUS, 29(3/4), 81-90. Martin, H. (2005). Code-switching in US ethnic literature: multiple perspectives presented through multiple languages. Changing English: Studies in Culture & Education, 12(3), 403-415. Pipino, M. (2005). Resistance and the Pedagogy of Ethnic Literature. MELUS, 30(2), 175- 190. Silko,L. (1977). Ceremony. New York: Penguin.