Business strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 3

Business strategy - Essay Example has conceded to the popular consensus that there is room for the larger iPhone in the world. This case study features iPhone 6/6+ product of the Apple Inc. and takes deeper analysis its business unit about the company’s external environment, its competitive position, and the value-addition proponents. Porter (1985) asserts that there are three major categories of the generic strategies; cost leadership, differentiation, and focus. As for Apple Inc., the focused differentiation and cost leadership strategy are the best for the company in adapting to the competitive environment while implementing the value adding activities. The cost leadership strategy has been strongly pursued by the Apple Inc. in its continued efforts to ensuring successful competitiveness. The cost leadership strategy has enabled the company to be cost efficiency while ensuring sustainable development of the company. By pursuing cost the leadership strategy, the company has been able to determine the prices of its products and services at competitive prices. Nilsson and Rapp (2005) on the other hand states that when a company can sustain the profits above its expected income then the company can be termed as having gained the competitive advantage over its rivals. Apple Inc. Introduced the iPads to act as the more portable version of their range of the personal computers; an intermediate between the Smartphones and laptops. The introduction of the iPhone 6/6+ by Apple Inc. creates the impression of the company’s continued adoption of the differentiation strategy. Capon (2008) asserts that differentiation strategy is the clever way for the business in the establishment of the large market share owing to the fact that buyers perceive the quality of the services or products in regard to the price. Apple Inc. has made sure that its iPhone possess its line of the applications that can be bought directly installed on the phone. The company has ensured that the iPhone

Industrial Espionage Intelligence

Industrial Espionage Intelligence The information revolution and the advances in technology during the past decades has brought to fore many challenges and issues to both governments and businesses, the age-old crime of espionage or the practice of spying to gather secret information is one the most potential issues facing information-based societies such as the United States, today. Although, much has been documented as fact and fiction concerning the traditional foreign agents and spies, in todays world of multi-national, multi-billion dollar corporations, and industrial espionage is a growing danger. Furthermore, this is aggravated by the fact that many large businesses are physically disseminated which has distributed management and administration, and more job specialization. High technology offers the ability to collect and use information for competitive edge over others in meeting business and government objectives, it also makes modern information and technology-based nations and businesses vulnerable as information can be stolen from electronic storage media and transmitted in seconds without even physically removing the data. The paper attempts to examine and understand the challenge of espionage to industries and businesses in America. However, in doing so, it shall also look at the historical development of espionage and examines how the advances in technology in the recent years have facilitated the act of espionage, and also the measures that may prove useful in controlling Industrial Espionage. As a prelude to the research, it may be worthwhile to understand how industrial espionage is defined, its nature and implications. Industrial Espionage Definition and Nature The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines industrial espionage as â€Å"an individual or private business entity sponsorship or coordination of intelligence activity conducted for the purpose of enhancing their advantage in the marketplace.† [Cited Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 48] While this definition may imply Industrial Espionage to be more or less the same as business or competitive intelligence, John F Quinn explains the essential difference between the two while business intelligence is generally under private sponsorship using an â€Å"open† methodology, espionage may be either government or privately sponsored and clandestine. [Cited Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 47] My definition of Industrial Espionage is it is the process of collecting information and data for the purpose of generating revenue. Generating revenue is very important aspect for these people. They are not thrill seeker, if the compensation does not justify the reward they will not bother attempting to collect the required information. Individuals who commit Industrial Espionage are not looking for information for information sake, but for information that will produce a big payday when acquired by a second party or when the information is viewed by unauthorized personnel the value of the information is no longer valuable. Money and power are motivators and the stakes in todays billion dollar business environment the rewards far exceeds risks. In the highly competitive and globalized business environment, proprietary intellectual property and economic information is considered the most valuable commodity by all nations, particularly the advanced ones. Businesses and/or governments involve in espionage activities for the purpose of unlawfully or clandestinely obtaining sensitive financial, trade or economic policy information, proprietary/sensitive economic information; or critical technologies including but not limited to data, plans, tools, mechanisms, compounds, designs, formulae, processes, procedures, programs, codes or commercial strategies, whether tangible or intangible, for competitive business advantage. The proprietary information so stolen may have been stored, compiled or memorialised physically, electronically, graphically, photographically or in writing and may be reasonably protected by the owner and not available to the general public. [Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 48] Proprietary information may be stolen by employees accessing the business and company databases, hackers breaking into the company server, or sponsored teams of burglars. While companies may lose vital business information through employees leaving the job, espionage occurs when the employee willfully looks for the data, steals it, copies it and sells it for money, or for his own unit, when he intends to produce a similar item. Espionage by competitors involve spying the activities of other businesses and unlawfully gathering of secret information, so that they can steer their businesses by adopting appropriate strategies and stay at par with, if not ahead of, competition in the marketplace. Interested outsiders and competitors adopt many methods including bribery, detective spying through shady agencies, searching through garbage, also referred to as ‘dumpster diving, scams to trick workers through ‘social engineering, or even expose loopholes and weak points in the live s of workers and blackmail them for gathering information. The theft or unlawful receipt of intellectual property and economic information, particularly by competitors and foreign governments threatens the development and production of goods derived from such information and also results in loss of profits, market share and perhaps the business itself and may thereby result in the weakening of the economic power of ones country. [Boni and Kovacich, 2000] In the present information-driven business environment, businesses tend to address the threat seriously, and in their quest to gain power, maintain control, increase market share and beat competition, nations and businesses espouse espionage, treating it casually and engaging themselves in espionage, using information and technology as armaments of business and economic warfare. [Jones, Kovacich and Luzwick, 2002] The Process The process of Industrial Espionage can be divided into four categories: requirements, collection, analysis, and evaluation. First, the requirements have to be established. This is when the individual is targeted and approached to provide specific information concerning a specific job or task within a company or organization. Most often a third party will inquire to protect the inquiring person, organization, or corporation from liability. Most companies focus their espionage efforts only on certain task or functions. The second phase allows the collector to focus their efforts. Collection is the key component of Industrial Espionage. This is the key element for payment and has the most risk involved. These individuals must evaluate the risk of obtaining the needed information or data with the value of the fee that they will be paid and the risks of being caught. The individual collecting/obtaining the information may use any of the following to obtain the required information/data: physical attacks, electronic attacks, or even attacks against the employees to gain the necessary information. If the rewards are so great (finically), they will go to whatever lengths necessary to obtain the information, even murder if necessary. If the request is for a working copy of a companys product the Collector might simply have to go out and by one, then send away for the technical information any customer is entitled to. While this might see strange use of a Collector, remember some of the companies collecting information exist in embargoed nations such as Cuba or Iraq where state of the art US product are not readily available. If the request is for the complete production data for a complex computer chip the job might entail illegal, and therefore more risky, methods such as bribery or burglary. Analysis follows. Now that a Collector has accumulated a mass of data and information they must take time to see what they have. This entails everything from reading the contents of documents, both physical and electronic, processing raw data, and in some cases looking at the flow of employees and information to see what might be happening and where it is occurring. Once the data has been analyzed the Collector refers to the original Requirement to see if he has meet his goals. This is the Evaluation phase. If the clients Requirements have been met the information is package, transmitted, and the Collector paid. Extra information collected is evaluated for value to the current of future clients and recorded for future transactions. In those cases where the Requirements have not been met, the Collector uses the information to return to the Collection Phase, thus beginning the process anew. Espionage A Brief History The technological advances and the global Internet have drastically reformed the art of espionage. The practice of espionage has transformed revolutionarily over the years, as any aspect of life and civilization, from the old manual and human intensive profession to the sophisticated, hi-tech pursuit of stealing electronic information in networked societies. Toffler and Heidi provide a Three Wave Evolution model to explain the technological evolution, as well as the evolution of espionage. [Toffler, 1980; Toffler Heidi, 1994] Accordingly, during the First Wave period, extending from the beginning of human race to about mid 1700s and characterized by the agricultural revolution, information was passed by word of mouth or in written correspondence. The theft of information was minimal as most of the people could not read or write and espionage was manual, relying mostly on personal observation and one-to-one contact. The Second Wave or the ‘rise of the industrialized civilization, which followed and last until a few years after World War II, experienced exponential growth in communications and the sharing of information, made possible by such inventions as telegraph, telephone and computers. The later years of this period saw the development and use of cryptography as communication protection and anti-espionage tool, though essentially by governments. While businesses had also begun to use computers, most of the systems were stand-alone and hence the threat of espionage was limited. Espionage was thou ght of primarily as a government and/or military problem and anti-espionage measures during the period essentially consisted of some form of physical security of physical documents and equipment, such as combination of locks, guards, alarms and fences. Emphasis was also placed on personnel security hiring honest and ethical employees in computer field was deemed to limit espionage threats. As only few people operated computers, the threat to electronically stored information was limited. [Toffler, 1980; Toffler and Heidi, 1994] The Third Wave or the age of technology and information, sweeping the world today has seen more advances in communication and information sharing, and paradoxically more threats, than the First and Second Wave periods combined. While the Internet and the globally linked communication systems serve as a mainstream business medium, objectionable reports on how high-tech criminals in businesses and government intelligence agencies of all advanced nations are exploiting the possibilities of the cyber world to meet their various ends, continue to be appal the world conscience. Today, a large number of organizational actors and individual information-brokers sponsored by government and otherwise, are using the Internet to commit the old crime of espionage in a revolutionary new way what Boni and Kovacich terms the ‘netspionage or network enabled espionage. According to them, in the present information-driven globalized society, the distinction between espionage motivated wholly by m ilitary advantage and the quest for market domination is blurred of not completely eliminated. The researchers claim that the 21st century, envisaged as ‘the â€Å"Information Age† or the â€Å"Age of Technology† to be may instead come to be known as the â€Å"Age of Netspionage Agent and Techno-Spy.† [Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 5] Before attempting to understand the occurrence of industrial espionage in America, it may be vital to understand the techniques used by the modern espionage Netspionage agents and techno-spies so that adequate and effective measures could be adopted to prevent the threat of espionage. Some of the common methods used by Netspionage agents include: Data Diddling changing data before or during entry into the computer Scavenging Obtaining information left around a computer system and in trash cans Data Leakage Removing information by smuggling it out as part of the printed document Piggybacking/ Impersonation Physical access to electronic data using anothers User ID and password to gain computer access and protected information. Simulation and Modelling Using the computer as a tool to plan and/or control a criminal act Wire Tapping Tapping into a computers communication links to be able to read the information being transmitted between systems and networks [Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 58] Apart from the above, the use of software application programs, which are standardized over the years enable the use of a variety of hacker tools including Trojan Horse enabling covert placement of instructions in the program for unauthorized functions; Trap Doors for inserting debugging aids that provide breaks in the instructions for insertion of additional code and intermediate output capabilities; Logic Bombsor programs executed at a specific time period; and the common Computer Virus which are malicious codes that cause damage to the system information. [Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 59] The Cyber Threat With the advent of the cyber age where information roams free along the electronic corridors of the Internet at the speed of light, another arena has been opened up to the Collector. The tools used are those developed by Hackers and Crackers over the years coupled with the good old social engineering of days past. The potential for gathering information is unlimited. The arena, of course, is the World Wide Web and the target sits on your disk as you view this HTML document. In 1997 it was estimated there were fewer than 1000 people that qualified as Professional Hackers. That is, people who are capable of creating tools or developing original methods for Hacking. [11] Therefore it is safe to assume there are very few Collectors who are true computer geniuses. Collectors are just individuals adept at turning existing tools toward collecting information. An excellent Hackers Toolkit (a software package which contains scripts, programs, or autonomous agents that exploit vulnerabilities [6]) can be downloaded from the internet with just a few hours of searching. Converting computer tools to information collection is relatively easy, because with computers everything is information and everything created for a computer collects and/or transmits information to one degree or another. Corporate web sites hold increasingly detailed information regarding a companys structure, products, employees, and the physical layout of its facilities. Some sites boast fly thr ough tours of their facilities, pictures and bios of their executive officers, telephone numbers, and of course email addresses of key employees. The sole purpose of these web sites is to transmit the information to anyone who asks. Web browsers collect this information and provide it to the requestor who can view and store the information, as they desire. This type of information is invaluable to individuals who choose to exploit it as a means to collect further information. With the wealth of information freely available in todays on-line environment Collectors can do much of their preliminary research without leaving the comfort of their own home or breaking a single law. Armed with the freely available information Collectors are now prepared use the net to gather even more information. With the bios and names of executives and key employees they can search the net for their favorite electronic haunts. Spoofing can then be used. Spoofing is defined as masquerade by assuming the appearance of a different entity in network communications. [6] Emails or ICQ addresses can be spoofed, sent with the Collector poising as an investor, potential customer, a reporter, or even a student researching the rising stars of the corporate world. After receiving replies, Email spoofing can be further used to appear as someone in authority within the corporation who can direct mailing of information, the establishment of computer access accounts, and even grant greater access for established accounts. All of these gives the collector access to just a little bit more of the corporation and its secrets, all with minimal exposure of the collector and sets the stage for furt her attacks. These can range from accessing an unsecured port for downloading files, to exploiting any one of a number of known security holes to gain root access to a system. A good example of the potential for Cyber Industrial Espionage comes from a New York Times report that claimed Reuters Analytics, Inc. hired a Collector to steal the underlying software and codes for their rivals, Bloomberg, L.P, data terminals. Though Reuters had a head start in the industry, Bloombergs product was considered superior. Yearly sales of these data terminals exceeds $6.5 Billion. [11] By mixing Mundane and Cyber techniques collectors can multiply the effects of their collection efforts. The routine of the office, gathered by watching, can enable the collector to plan physical break-ins of the building. While roaming the halls of the corporation they can steal trade secrets, clone drives of key employees, and even set in place login captures, all acts that could go totally undetected because it does no involve the removal of a single piece of property. Well planned daytime entries over lunch the lunch hour can allow the informed collector time clone disks, copy key files, or even send emails from key employees desks to set into motion chains of events to leak information or disrupt company performance. Collectors can make use of internal networks to transmit the documents outside the building to avoid security. Industrial Espionage in America The United States being the most dominant economic power in the world today is also a major target of espionage. In 1988, the FBI accused a former Amgen Inc. researcher of peddling secret documents concerning the wonder drug Epogen. In 1989, U.S. agents tracked down three moles working at an IBM affiliate in France after they supposedly botched a sale of confidential documents. [Cited Crock, 1997] The massive information technology infrastructure enables businesses and industries to tap proprietary and secret information of competitors to gain control of the global market place. Research suggests that the threat of espionage and the loss of proprietary/sensitive information have hit the manufacturing industries particularly hard. As the R D expenses for manufacturing companies are costly, some companies, foreign or domestic, are tempted to catch up even if through unlawful means. [Naef, 2003] Industrial espionage is rampant in the United States according to the FBI, of the 173 world nations, 57 were actively running operations targeting the U.S. companies; about 100 countries spent some portion of their funds targeting U.S. technologies. [Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 50] A survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the American Society for Industrial Security revealed that Fortune 1000 companies lost more than $45 billion in 1999 due to theft of their proprietary information alone. The study finds that â€Å"although manufacturing reported only 96 incidents, the acknowledged losses of manufacturing companies accounted for the majority of losses reported in the survey, and averaged almost $50 million per incident.† [Cited Naef, 2003] While current and former employees, suppliers and customers are considered to be responsible for 70 to 80% of proprietary/sensitive information losses, an unidentified survey suggests that 21 percent of attempted or actual thefts of proprietary/sensitive information occurred in overseas locations. [Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 50] It is significant to note that the U.S is not only a target of espionage, but also actively indulge in espionage activities themselves. The US government has admitted using commercial espionage phone calls were illegally tapped to determine that a French competitor of a US firm was bribing Brazilian officials to obtain an air traffic control radar contract; it was later revealed that the US firm was also bribing officials. It is generally believed that large intelligence agencies of developed nations are involved in the practice of espionage. A commission of the European Parliament suspects that ECHELON, a communications espionage system operated by the U.S. National Security Agency and agencies of the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, is used for political espionage and occasionally to help American companies against European competitors. [Vest, 1998] Economic Espionage Act of 1996 Economic and industrial espionage present many challenges to many American companies as rampant information breaches are costing companies substantial sums of money. While corporations and businesses often do not report espionage incidents to law enforcement, the Federal government today recognizes industrial and economic espionage as a crime; the Congress has legislated the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 in an attempt to aid companies to protect themselves from espionage. Section 19831 punishes the theft, misappropriation, wrongful alteration and delivery of trade secrets when accused parties intended to, or knew that their misconduct would benefit a foreign government, instrumentality or agent. The Act allows for legal action regarding â€Å"financial, business, scientific, engineering, technical and economic information,† if a company can demonstrate it has attempted to keep this information classified and protected. The prescribed maximum punishment for an individual offen der is 15 years imprisonment, $ 500,000 fine or both; for an organization the fine is $10 million. [Kelley, 1997] It is understood that many companies dont take advantage of the Act; companies safely exploit the law in full knowledge when news of the breach is known publicly. However, as Naef observes, if the trade secret theft is not publicly known, a company may have to meticulously assess the advantages and disadvantages of suing another company and thereby going public as news of the theft may damage the companys reputation. [Naef, 2003] Yet, cases of industrial and economic espionage have been reported since the enactment of the Act, though scantily. In September 2003 one man was pled guilty of copying trade secrets as defined under the Economic Espionage Act of 1996; the case was the first of its kind in Northern California. The US Attorneys office later publicized that Say Lye Ow, a 31 year old originally from Malaysia, copied sensitive information on Intels first 64-bit processor when he left the company in 1998. [Naef, 2003] Industrial Espionage and Corporate Vulnerability It is often the failure of corporations to adequately protect their information resources that makes them vulnerable to espionage. The vulnerability and the nonchalant attitude of companies are by no means excusable, given the economic implications of the threat of espionage as well as the weakening of the economic power of the subject nation. It may be worthwhile, perhaps vital, to understand the reasons for the vulnerability of corporations in order to prevent espionage and the resulting economic losses to businesses. Businesses make themselves vulnerable to espionage for a variety of reasons, including: Proprietary/sensitive business information not identified Proprietary information not adequately protected Computer and telecommunication systems not adequately protected Lack of or inadequate policies and procedures Employees not aware of their responsibilities Management attitude of â€Å" We dont have proprietary or sensitive information† and/or â€Å"It cant happen to us† [Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 50] These factors along with such other threats as increasing miscreants trying to steal information for money and the vulnerabilities of systems on the Internet facilitating information theft on a global scale present pervasive threat to information worth protecting as well as challenge managers, security personnel and law enforcement officials responsible for safety and security of information. Employees, a Threat or Defence Whether called Social Engineering, as in most Hacker manuals, or HUMINT (Human Intelligence), as the Department of Defense refers to it, your employees are targets of Collectors. People are a two-edged weapon in securing your corporate secrets being both the best protection, and the biggest risk. Proper training, education, and motivation can give people the tools and desire to keep your corporate secrets safe. Conversely, appealing to the vanity, greed, or vengeful nature of disenchanted or bored people has always been a tool of the traditional spy. Now these appeals can be made with protection of the electronic web. After gathering sufficient information on employees the Collector can choose his target. If the individual bites, a face to face meeting can be scheduled, if not the only thing that can be turned over the security is an email address or ICQ number, all easily disposed of with no trace to the Collector. Another method used to attack through your employees is to take the information gathered by Mundane and Cyber means and impersonate another individual or spoof them electronically. Calls are placed over the phone, or messages sent via email pretending to be someone with the authority to make decisions. A good choice would be one of those executive officers with the picture and bio on the corporate web page. Regardless of the role many bored or uncaring individuals will give out information to include IP addresses, system setup, and even passwords and userids over to phone when intimidated. Recruiting Insiders is another common practice among Collectors. Many publications on computer security identify the most common source of intentional disruption as authorized individuals performing unauthorized activity. [13] Again, much of the information on the individuals that you would like to recruit can be found in publicly accessible databases and web sites. From this, some casual research can yield those candidates who are most susceptible to bribes or extortion. Often after proper research the Collector can make his presence know to the Insider and have them make the first overtures. This allows the Collector to have some modicum of confidence the individual will no go running straight to corporate security. Insiders are the most valuable assets a Collector can have. They have the time and freedom to search peoples desks, read private memos, copy documents, and abuse coworker friendships. [3] The threat does not end when the Insider leaves the corporation either. In 1992 se veral General Motors employees were accused of taking over 10,000 documents and disks containing GM trade secrets when they defected to Volkswagen. GM sued and in 1997 received a payment of $100 million from Volkswagen. [11] Inserting Agents is one of the least risky forms of Industrial Espionage. The Collector handpicks the individual who they intend to insert. They provide the training, background story, and decide at which level to attempt to insert the individual. Once hired, even in a position of limited access, the individual becomes a trusted Insider for the Collector, able to provide increasing levels of access and perform some of the Mundane and Cyber attacks from within the corporation with minimum threat of being caught. Preventing Industrial Espionage While legal measures and legislations that send strong messages against espionage can be effective in preventing its occurrence, the role and responsibility of corporations is crucial. Even as companies take a non-serious approach to espionage, there is little debate that companies should guard themselves effectively against the ‘info-thieves, both insiders and those unleashed by outsiders, who try to get secrets by all possible means. Measures that may help companies to prevent espionage include: Conducting a survey of risk assessment, and identifying potential risk areas, Developing a security policy without much of safety risks. Frequently evaluating the security policy and procedures and modify if necessary Classifying and marking sensitive and valuable information Isolating information that should never fall into the hands of a competitor Detecting the vulnerable areas that could be exploited by a competitor Controlled storage of sensitive information Controlled destruction of materials Executing Nondisclosure Agreements for employees, vendors and contractors Securing computer systems and networks by installing appropriate information system security products Monitoring email and Internet use [Winkler, 1997; Boni and Kovacich, 2000] While the above methods may be useful in protecting against espionage, central to controlling the industrial espionage is security awareness and training of employees as one of the major points of vulnerability is spying activities by people belonging to the same organization. â€Å"Security awareness and training programs can serve to inform employees about their organizations information security policy, to sensitize them to risks and potential losses, and to train them in the use of security practices and technologies† [Denning, 1998, p.382]. By investing in security procedures and training, corporations may train employees in the areas of personnel, cyberspace and physical security; they can also be made aware of their responsibilities regarding information security of the organization. Conclusion The increasing value of trade secret information in the global and domestic marketplace and the possibilities of the information technology revolution have resulted in a significant rise in espionage activities in the recent years, particularly against the U.S. being the most dominant economic power in the world. While legislations may be useful in preventing the crime of industrial and economic espionage, the onus is largely on corporations to implement adequate security policies and measures to protect themselves from business losses as well as prevent the weakening of the economic power of their country. References 1. Boni W. Kovacich G.L. (2000) Netspionage: The Global Threat to Information MA: Butterworth- Heinemann 2. Crock, S. (1997) â€Å"Business Spies: The New Enemy Within?† Book Review: War By Other Means† Economic Espionage in America By John J. Fialka Business Week Available at: http://www.businessweek.com/1997/06/b351325.htm Accessed 02/26/06 3. Denning, D. E. (1998) Information Warfare and Security MA: Addison-Wesley 4. Jones A. Kovacich G.L. Luzvick P.G. (2002) Global Information Warfare: How Businesses, Governments and Others Achieve Objectives and At

Environmental Ethics Essay -- Ecology Environment Nature Essays

Environmental Ethics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is a strong belief of mine that the responsibility of protecting the environment is much greater on today’s generation than is was for past generations. The reason that I feel the way that I do is because at this point a substantial amount of damage has already been done and in order to prevent any further environmental destruction intervention on our part is necessary. After all, we (humans) are the main cause of the problems; shouldn’t we also be a part of the cure. If we had always taken the environment into consideration prior to our actions we would not be faced with some of the environmental issues we are facing today. The problem started with the past generations but the solution now has to start with us. We have to be overly conscious of our actions and what affect they will have on future generations. Since we enjoy the rights to breathe fresh air, play in the sun, live among a vast variety of plant and wildlife, then shouldn’t our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and their grandchildren, also have the chance to enjoy those same rights? My answer to that question is yes they do! We owe that to them so we all have to take a stand for our values, morals, ethics and actions regarding the preservation of a healthy and rich natural environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The responsibilities for past generation regarding the environment was no less than ours today however, the differences are that we are now stuck with the job of correcting the mistakes of past generations, then the population was much smaller than it is today and will be in the future and more people equals potentially more pollution. I can compare this situation to one of a student who starts a class with all A’s and all he needs is to get a passing grade on the final and he will end up with a least a B for the class, verses a student who starts off the class with low B’s and C’s on his tests who will need to get a high B low A to just pass the class with a C. We are the B, C, student who needs an A just to pass the class with a C. It would be easier for us and less of an emergency if only our past generations would have taken us into the same consideration that we are now trying to for our future generations. It is my assumption that It wil l be easier for the future generations to maintain a healthy natural environment than to have to repair a damaged one. ... ...e else who may be going the same place I try to ride the bus to work or into town when ever I can. I am much more conscious of when and where I drive my car. I feel that I am at an advantage since I live in a big city where I don’t necessarily need to drive in order to get where I need to go I have plenty of options and I have started to use them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion I understand how important it is to preserve and protect the natural environment. I feel that we owe it to future generations to take measures so that they can potentially live somewhat happy healthy lives. The measures that we take today to protect the environment will affect us tomorrow and them a lot further down the line. I am willing to take responsibility for my actions today so that tomorrows generations both human and non human can thrive. I am grateful for the organizations like the Earth Day Organization that work to bring environmental issues awareness to everyone. If everyone would simply try to take the smallest measures to preserve and protect our environment I believe it will result in large results. References: Joseph R. Des Jardins, Wadsworth / Thomson Learning. Environmental Ethics 2001.

Fast food †Hamburger Essay

The living standard of people in the modern time is improving. They are altering their life styles. With the pace speeding up, people demand more and more in efficiency. Foreign fast food has entered Chinese life since 1980s, particularly in McDonald’s and KFC, they made a big success in Chinese market. They are affecting our living habits, converting our understanding of traditional beliefs on diet. To a great extent, it has become a powerful rival to Chinese traditional food culture. At the same time, foreign fast food has endangered people’ health but it has made great contributions to Chinese marketing strategies. There are three consequences that the fast food impact Chinese food culture. Firstly, the decline of Chinese local foods industry, however, that relates to an aspect of globalization that also is the cause of many negative effects on a society. This is the growth of the western fast-food economy, especially in China. The spread of these fast-food chains is having an adverse impact on the Chinese economy and the health of the Chinese population. The number and diversity of fast-food restaurants across China has expanded at an increasingly fast rate, and if it continues then the negative trends we are seeing now will only get worse. (Pillai, 2010) Secondly, Chinese people get used to eat fast food and even somebody adores them. KFC, McDonalds, and Burger King have become well-known brands and fashionable things that Chinese people think they should follow. Carrying a big package of KFC food as a gift to visit other people in China is extremely liked. Talking with classmates of having tried the Western fast food may invite envy sometimes. Therefore, although they do realize that Western fast food is pricier compared with local Chinese food, and that it is less healthy than other Chinese food, they still prefer to pay. (Vicky D. Liu, 2010) McDonald’s and KFC have launched many local products. They aim at cultural diversity then change their monotonous diet. For instance, KFC has launched a series of soup, porridge and rice. KFC have differentiated their products from other competitors by having their own brand images, paying attention to the quality control and promotion strategies, providing high quality products and services to the customers, etc. Foods and beverage that suit the tastes of the customers are particularly designed in the China market. Although KFC uses an international standardized marketing strategic system, when facing such a huge market in China, adaptation is important to its success. That is why the fast food is so popular in China. Third, Fast food has broken the Chinese traditional healthy eating habit. The escalating western fast-food industry in China is linked to changing aspects of the Chinese society, including shifting eating habits, large impacts on the Chinese economy, as well as how Chinese engage with the globalization of the western fast-food industry shaping China into a more modernized country. Chinese people are already eating less vegetables and more meat in their diet. The China National Nutrition and Health Survey compared data between 1982 and 2002 to show that the intake of fruits and vegetables in China has decreased drastically from 276. 2g to 45g. In that same time frame, the intake of meat and dairy has more than doubled. (China National Nutrition and Health Survey, n. d). In conclusion, foreign fast food has impacted Chinese traditional food culture, whereas it is also the inevitability of globalization. With the development of times and diversification of diet, Chinese food is not the only choice for Chinese people, but we can’t abandon and ignore the thousands of years of traditional culture. That is to say, we should absorb the good methods of foreigner fast food market and get rid of the bad ones, in order to enrich our traditional food and let the culture go abroad, go to the world.

Employment Agency Essay

Founding a particular organization requires a definite goal and utilities in order to achieve that objective. And since organizations need to have reliable staff and people who will function as the primary facilitator to execute the goals, then employing a group of credible individuals will benefit the organization. An agency can easily find the right people to fill different job positions of companies (Wikipedia, 2007). Apparently, one of the most common ways for an organization or office to recruit personnel for its different department operations is by coordinating with employment agencies. It really does not matter whether the agency is a non-profit, public or private type. As long as an employment outfit is able to render its services to an organization by sustaining its needs, then most probably a bureau will tend to request for assistance from an employment agency of choice. A person may ask, why would an organization utilize employment agencies instead of using its assets to hire laborers? The first possible reason may come from the aspect of cost efficiency. Primarily, organizations seek the help of these labor agencies because of the relative convenience the process can provide. Since agencies have a complete database of applicants for different fields, the organization will never undergo the process of coming up with an advertisement operation to gather qualified individuals. This will save the company a huge amount of money in terms of logistics. One more reason in using an employment agency is that an organization will be relieved from the responsibility of sustaining the needs of an employee in terms of labor welfare and rights. The agency can conduct all the necessary processes in order to help the organization provide the important aspects of employing people for its operations. Matters such as insurance benefits, social security membership and other labor related remunerations can be shouldered by the agency with minimal fees. Using the functions of an employment agency can greatly speed up the process of hiring for a company’s needs. Basically, the compatibility of the organization’s demands and the agency’s service will prove to be of great advantage for both parties.

US government grants are meant to help churches as well Essay Example

US government grants are meant to help churches as well Essay Example US government grants are meant to help churches as well Essay US government grants are meant to help churches as well Essay Amongst the many forms of assistance meted out by the US government, grants happen to be one of the most essential constituents. However, the unfortunate bit remains the fact that most aren’t aware of the actual concept of government grants in the first place and only tend to think of it when they’re in a financial fix and need to opt for  debt settlement  to save the day. Essentially a government grant happens to be a financial award given by the federal, state or perhaps local government to the eligible grantee. Generally government grants aren’t expected to be repaid by the recipient and neither do they include any technical assistance or other forms of financial assistance like say a loan guarantee or interest rate subsidy and likewise. The free government grants for churches Now, there’s a prevalent impression that government grants are only for individuals and businesses. However, that’s not the case really for many others can benefit from US government grants and that includes churches as well. In fact, there are very few churches which actually consider the idea of free government grants when it comes to funding their ministry. There are certain churches which consider it a problem to accept money from the government as they wish to have a free reign without any strings attached. However, it’s still a very good idea and churches should consider it. The application bit: Churches when applying for free government grants should start on it as soon as possible. This is essentially because the application process involved is rather lengthy and tedious. In fact, there are certain churches which might require as long as 6 weeks only to gather all necessary documentations and fill out the necessary paperwork. Now once a church receives a government grant, then renewing it shouldn’t entail as much paperwork as before. The purpose behind it: Now, the free government grants available for churches can’t really be used for everyday church operations. This means the churches wouldn’t really be able to use it for paying their electricity bill or even their mortgage. Actually free grants are available to churches only when they’ve got a specific need for it. The faith based grants: The faith based grants were initiated by none other than former President George Bush during his tenure in office. He had come up with the proposal of offering federal grants to the religious and charitable social service groups. This was done through the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives. The controversies around: Now, it’s also a fact that free government grants for churches have raised some controversies amongst people, especially those who don’t agree to federal dollars going into religious organizations. Basically this thought stems from the knowledge that churches operate tax free and hence they shouldn’t get any further assistance. Actually free government grants for churches can be a real blessing when handled correctly. The unfortunate bit remains that church workers and volunteers might just be feeling a sense of entitlement when it comes to working with an empty bank account and that too for so long. This is where comes in the risk of wanting to take advantage of free money. Hence, when applying for grants be absolutely sure of the fact that your church has a system of accountability in place so that the grant money is spent right and not misused.

Summary Classrooms, With and Without Computers essays

Summary Classrooms, With and Without Computers essays Over the past couple of decades computers have grown to play a very important part in our everyday lives. One important area where computers are beginning to take control is in education. The article, On Classrooms, With and Without Computers, by Stoll C. (1995), comments on how the increasing use of computers and similar technologies, like the internet, in schools around the world is actually changing education for worse, not for better. The article discusses disadvantages associated with introducing computers into education systems and also examines how traditional teaching methods have a far greater and more positive effect on a students learning. The article notes the extremely high costs associated with installing, maintaining and upgrading computers which, as a result, drain funds from solving other problems such as overcrowded classrooms and unqualified teachers. The author also examines how increasing the usage of computers in schools results in many students losing motivation and becoming uncommitted since there isnt an authoritative figure, such as a teacher, to punish them when they veer off from the task at hand. The article also comments on the way computers teach students. It examines how computers provide students with solutions rather than teaching them how to devise their own solutions and how computers act as a barrier to the one on one teaching experience which can only be offered by teachers. Using computers, students cant discuss problems they have with certain topics. Furthermore computers cant identify a students weaknesses and cant explain in further detail concepts which the student cant grasp. Other disadvantages using computer based teaching methods according to the article include the lack of control in accessing undesirable material such as pornographic websites, the fact that computers usually only supply basic simplistic answers and the idea that ...

Criminal Harassment Definition, Conditions, Examples

Criminal Harassment Definition, Conditions, Examples The crime of harassment is any kind of behavior that is unwanted and is intended to annoy, disturb, alarm, torment, upset or terrorize an individual or group. States have specific laws governing different types of harassment including, but not limited to, stalking, hate crimes, cyberstalking and cyberbullying. In most jurisdictions, for criminal harassment to occur the behavior must present a credible threat to the victims safety or their familys safety. Each state has statutes covering specific harassment offenses that are often charged as misdemeanors and can result in fines, jail time, probation, and community service. Internet Harassment There are three categories of internet harassment: Cyberstalking, Cyberharassment, and Cyberbullying. Cyberstalking Cyberstalking is the use of electronic technology such as computers, cell phones and tablets that can access the internet and send emails to repeatedly stalk or threaten physical harm to a person or group. This can include posting threats on social web pages, chat rooms, website bulletin boards, through instant messaging and through emails. Example of Cyberstalking In January 2009, Shawn D. Memarian, 29, of Kansas City, Missouri pleaded guilty to cyberstalking by using the Internet - including e-mails and website postings - to cause substantial emotional distress and fear of death or serious bodily injury. His victim was a woman he met online and dated for about four weeks. Memarian also posed as the victim and posted fake personal ads on social media sites and in the profile described her as sex freak looking for sexual encounters. The posts included her phone number and home address. As a  result, she received numerous phone calls from men answering the ad and around 30 men showed up at her home, often late at night.He was sentenced to 24 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $3,550 in restitution. Cyberharassment Cyberharassment is similar to cyberstalking, but it does not involve any physical threat  but uses the same methods to harass, humiliate, slander, control or torment a person. Example of Cyberharassment In 2004, 38-year-old James Robert Murphy of South Carolina was sentenced to $12,000 in restitution, 5 years probation and 500 hours of community service in the first federal prosecution of cyberharassment. Murphy was guilty of harassing an ex-girlfriend by sending multiple threatening emails and fax messages to her and to her co-workers. He then began sending pornography to her co-workers and made it appear as if she was sending it. Cyberbullying Cyberbullying is when the internet or interactive electronic technology such as mobile phones is used to harass, insult, embarrass, humiliate, torment or threaten another person. This can include posting embarrassing pictures and videos, sending insulting and threatening text messages, making derogatory public remarks on social media sites, name-calling, and other offensive behavior. Cyberbullying usually refers to minors bullying other minors. Example of Cyberbullying In June 2015 Colorado passed the Kiana Arellano Law that addresses cyberbullying. Under the law cyberbullying is considered harassment which is a misdemeanor and punishable by fines up to $750 and six months in jail. The law was named after 14-year-old Kiana Arellano who was Douglas County high school cheerleader and who was being bullied online with anonymous hateful text messages stating that no one at her school liked her, that she needed to die and offering to help, and other vulgar demeaning messages. Kiana, like many young teenagers, dealt with depression. One day the depression mixed with the non-stop cyberbullying was too much for her to cope with an attempted suicide by hanging herself in the garage of her home. Her father found her, applied CPR until the medical team arrived, but due to the lack of oxygen to Kianas brain, she suffered severe brain damage. Today she is paraplegic and unable to talk. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 49 states have enacted legislation aimed at protecting students from cyberbullying. Example of State Harassment Statues In Alaska, a person can be charged with harassment if they: Insult, taunt, or challenge another person in a manner likely to provoke an immediate violent response;​Telephone another and fail to terminate the connection with intent to impair the ability of that person to place or receive telephone calls;​Make repeated telephone calls at extremely inconvenient hours;​Make an anonymous or obscene telephone call, an obscene electronic communication, or a telephone call or electronic communication that threatens physical injury or sexual contact;​Subject another person to offensive physical contact;​Publish or distribute electronic or printed photographs, pictures, or films that show the genitals, anus, or female breast of the other person or show that the person engaged in a sexual act; orRepeatedly send or publish an electronic communication that insults, taunts, challenges, or intimidates a person under 18 years of age in a manner that places the person in reasonable fear of physical injury. In some states, it is not only the person making the offensive phone calls or emails that can be charged with harassment  but also the person who owns the equipment. When Harassment Is a Felony Factors that can change a harassment charge from a misdemeanor to a serious felony include: If the person is a repeat offenderIf the person is under a restraining orderIf the harassment is a hate crime

The sweetest dreams inn Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The sweetest dreams inn - Coursework Example With the objective of accomplish its mission and vision of getting superior; its services offered a well enhancing capability of its services. The industry needs a most accurate strategic plan on the basis of day to day examination of the threats faced in the business. Well-organized and efficient strategic plan requires significant declaration from the trade by way of the expenses and time. Mai Phan is attempting to make a decision to build some minor alterations in the usual method of operation in the Sweetest Dreams Inn motel. It is mainly because the current process of the Sweetest Dreams Inn motel leads to money loss. But, joining any of the novel chains will require a comprising novel capital asset that will also lead to the significant change in the motel. One of the major advent is that, it does not necessitate chief capital assets by Phan. Mai Phan, after his good career as production manager in a large industrial machinery firm, bought the 60-room motel Sweetest Dreams Inn in a tourist area. There are several types of motels in that resort area. There was heavy traffic in the interstate highway which will block the proper site of his Inn and that place is not fully developed. Mai Phan wished to promote his Sweetest Dream Inn into a very big firm. But, he knows that the strategy with him is not enough to maintain a large resort motel. He is having different ideas by visiting different motels. He found that the people are more fond of simple modern rooms with standard bath facilities, comfortable bed and free cable TVs for their recreation. Even though he felt a restaurant is difficult to manage in a motel, he was ready to give free breakfast services for his customers. After two years, Mai Phan found his occupancy rate is less compa red to the other motels. Mai Phan tried to attract the visitors by offering the motel at modest prices by avoiding the unnecessary expenses. Then also he found some

Fog in Tucson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fog in Tucson - Essay Example Radiation fog can be formed easily in Tucson by adding moisture to the air. During the night, the ground will cool down emitting heat to the air above making it dry. The thin layer of air above the ground remains moist, as the temperature on the ground is cold. Thus, in between the cool and the warm air, radiation fog is formed. The radiation fog formed around valleys is referred to as the valley fog. When forming the valley fog, the condensed cool air would move down into the valley and accumulate. After several layers pile up, fog is formed. The sun cannot heat up the moisture because fog reflects sunlight. Steam fog usually forms in the morning after a cold night. There should a surface of a small pool of water to provide moisture. After evaporation begins, moisture would rise from the surface forming a fog. The physical difference between the radiation and steam form is that latter rises from the ground while the former appears to cover a region while moving

Hinduism Chapter 15 of Bhagavad Gita with reference to Upanishads Essay

Hinduism Chapter 15 of Bhagavad Gita with reference to Upanishads - Essay Example Schweig. Graham M. Schweig’s â€Å"Bhagavad Gita: The Beloved Lord's Secret Love Song† encompasses the metaphysical concepts such as the distinction between body and soul (matter/spirit), the principle of nonattached action, the virtues of disciplines†¦ and the respective places of knowledge and devotion in spiritual life† (Rosen 108). In addition, Lord Krishna shares wisdom about the true nature of God, World and Beings and the underlying oneness of God and Being. In â€Å"The Ultimate Person† chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, the conversation between the Lord Krishna, the teacher and the student Arjuna was presented. Lord Krishna imparts his knowledge through his teachings comprising the whole Veda. The central point of his philosophy is on how to accomplish and acknowledge the Supreme Being. Through his teachings, the essence of various disciplines such as Meditation, Karma Yoga, Values, Devotion, are relayed to his followers. In this chapter, Lord Kris hna exposed the transcendental characteristics of God, his glories and virtues, and his being omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. The realization of the Ultimate Truth was revealed as the purpose and value of recognizing God was established through the teachings (Radhakrishnan 48). The composition of the universe and its association with man was discussed as personified by the sacred Ashwattha tree. The relationship of the eternal immortality of the soul of humans with the idea of the Supreme Being was described through the limitless character of the tree, also called as banyan or fig tree. Lord Krishna metaphorically described that the everlasting tree was upside-down, where the roots are located above and the branches below. The leaves of the tree represent the Vedic scriptures, and whoever understands this is well-informed of such (Bhagavad-Gita Trust), With its roots upward, and its branches downward they speak of the everlasting Ashwattha tree, Whose leaves are the Vedic hy mns one who knows this is the knower of the Vedas (Schweig 193). A sacred banyan tree is limitless, dispersed everywhere in space. The root of the tree represents the sacred being, its leaves as its written wisdom, and its shoots as the substance of the mind. According to a commentary of Sridhara Swami quoted by Bhagavad-Gita Trust, †¦the compassionate Supreme Lord first expounds the nature of this mundane material existence by the metaphor of asvattha or banyan tree with its roots upwards and its branches downwards and its leaves the Vedic aphorisms. The roots above refers to the root of all the eternal Supreme Lord and the imperishable atma or immortal soul. The branches downward refers to transitory living entities consisting of the demigods headed by Brahma, who all have a finite span of life in material existence even if they live for millions and billions of years. The banyan tree also symbolizes the temporary nature of the material world. Even the followers of the Lord K rishna may not last until tomorrow, for everything in this world is transitory. The Vedas, as exemplified by the leaves,

Week 3 Discussion Questions and Participation Questions Essay - 1

Week 3 Discussion Questions and Participation Questions - Essay Example When a firm uses product differentiation the market structure of the firm is monopolistic competition. Examples of firms that use product differentiation are fast food companies such as McDonalds and Burger King. I believe that my firm could not benefit from product differentiation due to its integration to a perfect competition marketplace. Product differentiation would be an added cost that would not provide the firm with any added benefits. I agree that competition in price and services can be as effective as price strategies. Proving a top customer service can improve the customer retention rate of the company. Quality products that last a long time help companies built a good reputation which increases sales in the long run. Since they are not able to achieve economic profits in the long run corporations prefer to use non price competition. There are dangers associated with price competition such as price wars. The use of non price factors such as marketing campaigns can improve the demand for the product without having to reduce the price. A way to maintain the ability to be the sole participation in the marketplace companies can the legal protection that comes from obtaining a patent. A patent protects a company’s product for 17 years. Patents are utilized a lot in the pharmaceutical industry. Due to the massive amounts of money these firms invest in R&D they need patent protection to be able to get a return on their investment. A patent is the best way to achieve legal protection that allows a firm to participate in a monopoly marketplace. Despite the fact monopolist can charge any price they want due to the lack of competition the monopolist structure is still subject to the law of supply and demand. I do not agree with the statement that monopolist raise price until customers are not willing to pay more. A lot of monopolists exist to serve a social purpose. For example the utilities companies often have regional

Christians should take more interest in ethics Assignment

Christians should take more interest in ethics - Assignment Example According to Brit Hume, the recent financial crisis was a result of unethical behavior that was conducted with regard to the functioning of the financial markets, government, lending banks and lastly the public. It becomes imperative to be stated in this regard that the proper pursuance of the commandments in bible by the Christians would have checked such an occurrence. It has been stated by Exodus 20:15 under the eighth commandment that one should not steal. This implies that one should not earn by stealing from others or in an unethical way (Long, â€Å"Christian Ethics: A Very Short Introduction†). According to the laws stated under the deuteronomic code, 25:13-16 laid down the need of ordering just weights as well as measures. This implies that there needs to exist an honest and ethical relationship between the trader and the customers focusing on a fair policy of pricing (Hall, â€Å"Deuteronomy†). It has also been stated by Luke 19:1 in this regard that salvation is deserved by all the individuals even in case of unethical conducts as all individuals are considered to be equal in the eyes of god (Alexander, â€Å"Christianity and Ethics†). The above teachings as stated in the bible evidently focus on the aspect of ethics and the way it should guide and direct the behavior of the individuals. Therefore, the practice of the teachings of Jesus or the Christian ethics is believed to ensure the practice of ethics even in case of economic activities which would further prevent the occurrences of such financial crises in the

Radon Indoor Air pollution Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Radon Indoor Air pollution - Term Paper Example Is it really possible to develop a fatal disease, such as cancer, just by inhaling air indoors? It is sad to say, but this is in fact true. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), low indoor air quality within buildings and houses is especially dangerous to an individual’s health, with radon being determined as the leading pollutant that can cause lung cancer (Neira, et al., 2009, p. ix). Although the radioactive nature of radon and its harmful effects to people have drawn attention since 1979 and it has been formally labeled as a human carcinogen in 1988, â€Å"a unified approach to controlling radon exposures† to manage health risks was enacted just in the year 1993 (Neira, et al., 2009, p. ix). Radon research has taken thirteen years to be quantified and be made official for the WHO to establish the International Radon Project, which, based on solid and indisputable data, aims to create and increase public and political awareness against the destructive effects of continued radon exposure indoors (Neira, et al., 2009, p. ix). This year, the International Radon Project has gained much ground in raising awareness of the seriousness of the issue and radon testing has slowly evolved into a necessity for many American businesses and homeowners. Indeed, creating and maintaining high indoor air quality has become a requirement for many states in the U.S. But what really is radon; how is it radioactive; and how can it cause cancer? These are just some of the questions that this paper will answer in the hopes of providing an understandable and clear discussion of radon indoor air pollution. Radon (222Rn) is formed when the element radium (226Ra) decays (Otton, Gundersen and Schumann, 1995). Radium is produced when uranium (238U), a naturally radioactive element, decomposes (Otton, Gundersen and Schumann, 1995; Neira, et al., 2009, p. 1). Both radium and

Christians should take more interest in ethics Assignment

Christians should take more interest in ethics - Assignment Example According to Brit Hume, the recent financial crisis was a result of unethical behavior that was conducted with regard to the functioning of the financial markets, government, lending banks and lastly the public. It becomes imperative to be stated in this regard that the proper pursuance of the commandments in bible by the Christians would have checked such an occurrence. It has been stated by Exodus 20:15 under the eighth commandment that one should not steal. This implies that one should not earn by stealing from others or in an unethical way (Long, â€Å"Christian Ethics: A Very Short Introduction†). According to the laws stated under the deuteronomic code, 25:13-16 laid down the need of ordering just weights as well as measures. This implies that there needs to exist an honest and ethical relationship between the trader and the customers focusing on a fair policy of pricing (Hall, â€Å"Deuteronomy†). It has also been stated by Luke 19:1 in this regard that salvation is deserved by all the individuals even in case of unethical conducts as all individuals are considered to be equal in the eyes of god (Alexander, â€Å"Christianity and Ethics†). The above teachings as stated in the bible evidently focus on the aspect of ethics and the way it should guide and direct the behavior of the individuals. Therefore, the practice of the teachings of Jesus or the Christian ethics is believed to ensure the practice of ethics even in case of economic activities which would further prevent the occurrences of such financial crises in the

Knowledge Management & Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Knowledge Management & Business - Assignment Example From this paper it is clear that the most common characteristics that indicate a firm has suffered a severe knowledge loss especially in a firm that manufactures musical instruments are the loss of people or customers especially if deadlines were not met loss of assets, loss of projects and loss of key work functions. Knowledge loss takes place in situations such as staff mobility, career moves and through retirement. Assets are also lost through transfer of assets and the lack of asset memory or historical data. Projects on the other hand are lost through insufficient experiences. To avoid knowledge loss certain tools are used that are able to effectively capture knowledge, transfer the knowledge and produce useful and accessible results.As the paper highlights  there are numerous challenges and barriers that affect the knowledge retaining and transfer process they include; lack of time, lack of knowledge retention tools, lack of funding, lack of time. For the managing director of Global Wannabe to solve the issue of knowledge loss systematically, he must understand that in this optimized and lean business world, time factor is the most valuable asset.  The managing director also has the task of ensuring that the staff is made aware of the advantages of retaining and transferring knowledge and the impact it has on the success of a business.  The implementation of the KRT or the Knowledge retention and transfer program would be the most effective strategy in reducing risks and knowledge loss.

Tiananmen Square Incident and the Chinese Government

Tiananmen Square Incident and the Chinese Government Question: Why did the Chinese Government crackdown on Student protestors during the Tiananmen Square Incident? Section 1: Identification and Evaluation of sourcesThis investigation will focus on the research question: Why did the Chinese government crackdown on Student Protestors during the Tiananmen Square Incident? This investigation focuses on the causes of the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989 The two sources I have chosen to analyze are the April 26 editorial from the Chinese Communist Party and the Autobiography of Zhao Ziyang, who was the General Secretary of the CCP, who was ousted due to the Tiananmen Square Massacre. These Sources help to shed the different perspectives within the CCP, which was split into the hardliners and the reformers. These two perspectives will thus show why the Chinese Government had decided to crack down on the Student Protestors during the Tiananmen Square Incident. The first source, the April 26Editorial[1] by the CCP, originated from the Propaganda Department in the Peoples Daily Newspaper, and ordered by Li Peng, a member of the standing committee, in response to the Tiananmen Protests taking place. This source is valuable firstly due to its Origin and Content. Its origin shed light on the CCPs official public position with regards to the Tiananmen Square Protest. By doing so, showed that the government was absolutely not in favor of the protests, and by throwing down the gauntlet, it was valuable as it possibly showed the rationale behind why the Chinese Government would intervene and stop these protestors. In addition to this, they chose to publish it in the Peoples Daily, the largest newspaper agency in China. By openly publicizing their opposition, it tries to possibly warn them about their actions, foreshadowing possible action against these protestors, and thus compelling them to stop their protests immediately. Furthermore, it has used extremely strong vocabulary to describe these protesters by labelling them as people who want to destabilize the entire country and advocating for the government to collapse. This strong wording is intended to stir up the feelings of anger within the General Population to not react to these protestors and to stop any possible potential protestors from joining in at Tiananmen. Furthermore, by putting such a label on them, it gives them a good reason to step in and possible defuse the situation in Tiananmen. However, the limitations of this Source is that as it is a propaganda piece originating from the CCP, it is inherently biased as it attempts to portray the student protestors in an incredibly negative light, by making assertions against them. They also play the victim card by portraying Deng Xiaoping and the CCP as being the victims in this situation. The inherent bias in this editorial as they were trying to put their foot down, makes the editorial to be not good explanation for cracking down on the student protestors as it was simply the CCP posturing against the student protestors, and trying to assert authority on the general public. The second source is an excerpt[2] from Zhao Ziyangs Autobiography. Zhao Ziyang was the Chinese Premier, and was seen as a reformer in the CCP. The origin of the source is valuable as it sheds an alternative view in the government, and it is also a primary source, which would suggest that this view is an unfiltered first person point of view. This source is prescriptive as it tells us what happened, thus making it valuable as he is trying to shed light on the secretive inner workings of the standing committee. In terms of content, he writes that he saw the protests as criticism against the government, in order to compel it to reform. This shows that that he held totally different views from those stated in the article and therefore, did not see a good reason to intervene in the Tiananmen protests, which is valuable as it showed that the entire standing committee did not agree with the characterization by Li Peng. However, the limitations to this source is that because it is a primary source, most of it was of the authors opinion, therefore should not be taken up as facts.   Zhao was also overthrown by the CCP in the power struggle during the Tiananmen massacre which would suggest that he would have a motive to assassinate Li Pengs character by portraying him as a hardliner and as cold blooded. Furthermore, the decision to publish the editorial by the standing committee was made when Zhao was not present as he was in North Korea on a state visit. Therefore his reasoning for why the editorial was published might be entirely based on his own opinions. Section 2: Investigation As seen from the evaluation of the two primary sources, the Standing Committee was split in two camps, the hardliners, who felt that the student protestors were out of hands and needed to be dealt with, or the reformers, believed that criticism in the greater scheme of things was good for the government. However, the Standing Committee had in the end, decided to declare martial law and crackdown on the protestors. This investigation investigates the reasons for the crackdown, and how did each reason impact the decision to crackdown on the protestors. The main reason for the crackdown were the political implications from the protests, with the primary reason being social unrest, with fear that the country was going to collapse. This brings in the main debate of this investigation, in what caused the Chinese government to make the decision to crackdown on Tiananmen. This has to be looked at from the fact that the government was split into the hardliners and the reformers, and thus the supplementary questions in this investigation was, How did the hardliners end up getting their way? And how did they view the protestors at Tiananmen such that it warranted such an approach? A huge reason for the decision to crackdown at Tiananmen was because the moderates in the standing committee had been purged. Prior to Tiananmen, the standing committee had held a vote in which it was stalemated at 2-2, with the hardliners, Li Peng and Yao Yilin voting in favor of Martial law, with Zhao Ziyang and Hu Qili voting against, and Qiao Shi abstaining.[3] This shows the true split nature of the Standing Committee. It was then referred to Deng Xiaoping and the party elders and they then supported Martial Law. However, the most significant part was that Deng Xiaoping supported Martial Law. According to Zhao Ziyangs diaries as well the Tiananmen papers, it was said that the April 26th editorial came out of a visit to Dengs house where he mentioned the turmoil faced by the country as a result of the student protests was a most serious political struggle.[4] Deng was seen as the paramount leader and exerted influence over the entire CCP. With Deng on the side of the hardliners, it set the stage for anyone against the crackdown to be purged. This connects to the reason for the purge, which was due to their split in the way they viewed the protests. The hardliners saw it as an act to disrupt the entire government while the reformers saw it as criticism to help them improve the government. From the hardliners perspective, they felt that it was in the public interest to crack down on the protestors. Public interest is defined by, Welfare of the general public (in contrast to the selfish interest of a person or group) in which the whole society has a stake and which warrants à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ protection by the government[5] These aims were to ensure that the country will not fall into turmoil and result in protests all over the country, leading to anarchy in China. This can be seen from official CCP transcripts and documents, and these include the 26th April editorial as well as the Li Pengs speech to a CCP conference of municipal and army officials declaring mar tial law. Firstly, the April 26th editorial[6] stated that these students wanted to poison peoples minds as well as plunge the country into chaos, and ends of by take positive action and quickly stop the disturbance. This shows that the CCP viewed these students are people trying to bring down the entire state institution and had to be stopped as it threatened everything that China had built such as a growing open economy with the four modernizations. By threatening the status quo, and framing the protestors in such a way, it shows that the CCP did want to ensure that the status quo remain and that the process of modernization could continue, bringing prosperity to the people. Secondly, when the CCP declared martial law in May, Li Peng outlined the reasons in which the Standing Committee had done it. He said that these protestors seek to form an opposition, creating a civil war in the process, which showed that he did it to stabilize the country to stop the historical retrogression[ 7]. Therefore, for the hardliners perspective, they did it in the public interests, which was the maintenance order and the status quo. The other perspective of this would be the reformers. In Zhao Ziyangs diaries, it states that they were absolutely not against the basic foundations of our system. Instead they were merely asking us to correct some of our flaws.[8] This shows that he was greatly opposed to the way that the hardliners saw the protestors, and encouraged greater dialogue between the two sides. This shows the contrast on how each side had already labelled the protestors, with the hardliners referring to them as people who want to throw the entire country into chaos, while the reformers had labelled them as people who want to reform the government not destroy the whole institution. This conflict would therefore require the hardliners to purge them as without that, the crackdown could not have taken place. To further reinforce the fact that the hardliners did not want to compromise on their view that these protestors were troublemakers and needed to be dealt with, a third perspective from the army is used. Former army generals had sent a letter opposing the crackdown, saying the peoples army belongs to the peoples army, they cannot oppose the people, but further cannot kill the people.[9] Despite this letter, the general who sent it got arrested. This further shows that the hardliners in the CCP were steadfast in their belief it was for the good of the people, and therefore needed to crackdown on the protestors, irregardless of the cost. In conclusion, the immediate reason for why the Government crack downed on Tiananmen was due to the fact that the moderates were purged, enabling them to have free reign over how to respond to the protestors. However, the major underlying factor was their desire to maintain public order in China, in order for china to not break out into civil war. There are other reasons however, which led to their concerns of the government collapsing. As Deng Xiaoping remarked, If things continue like this, we could even end up under house arrest.[10] These protests took place in the context of the Eastern European Countries overthrowing their communist governments and the government was afraid that due to that precedent, they might be overthrown and be put under house arrest. Reflection This investigation had given me a number of challenges. Firstly, there is a substantially less resources done on this topic as this topic is still controversial in the minds of many. The Chinese government had censored a lot of information about this. Therefore, to find sources which challenge each other was not easy. Furthermore due to the censorship, this research question was especially difficult considering that any mention of the June 4h incident is prohibited, as a result the method of investigation, especially for this topic was heavily dependent on the secondary data I could find. This would therefore lead to my next challenge. The challenges faced when doing a science investigation for example is vastly different, as you are able to test your science hypothesis through experiments but with history, you need to prove it based on sources and your inferences, thus making it a lot more subjective. Secondly, I was challenged with discerning which evidence was the most relevant an d could best illustrate my arguments. A lot of the evidence centered around what actually had happened, and not the causation for it, as the CCP does not release transcripts. Lastly, I realized that a historian must be able to discern the pre-existing biases due to the different sources having possible ulterior motives, in order to have an argument that is unbiased. However, is it possible to historical events are the truth as due to differing perspectives, it is hard to evaluate what the whole truth is. For example, what the CCP has prescribed as the truth becomes the truth in China. When I asked my Chinese friends about this incident, many of them had never heard of the Tiananmen Massacre, which shows the extent of censorship in China, contributing to the difficulty in obtaining sources. Appendix: April 26th editorial published in the Peoples Daily In their activities to mourn the death of Comrade Hu Yaobang, communists, workers, peasants, intellectuals, cadres, members of the Peoples Liberation Army and young students have expressed their grief in various ways. They have also expressed their determination to turn grief into strength to make contributions in realizing the four modernizations and invigorating the Chinese nation. Some abnormal phenomena have also occurred during the mourning activities. Taking advantage of the situation, an extremely small number of people spread rumors, attacked party and state leaders by name, and instigated the masses to break into the Xinhua Gate at Zhongnanhai, where the party Central Committee and the State Council are located. Some people even shouted such reactionary slogans as, Down with the Communist Party. In Xian and Changsha, there have been serious incidents in which some lawbreakers carried out beating, smashing, looting, and burning. Taking into consideration the feelings of grief suffered by the masses, the party and government have adopted an attitude of tolerance and restraint toward some improper words uttered and actions carried out by the young students when they were emotionally agitated. On April 22, before the memorial meeting was held, some students had already showed up at Tiananmen Square, but they were not asked to leave, as they normally would have been. Instead, they were asked to observe discipline and join in the mourning for Comrade Hu Yaobang. The students on the square were themselves able to consciously maintain order. Owing to the joint efforts by all concerned, it was possible for the memorial meeting to proceed in a solemn and respectful manner. However, after the memorial meeting, an extremely small number of people with ulterior purposes continued to take advantage of the young students feelings of grief for Comrade Hu Yaobang to spread all kinds of rumors to poison and confuse peoples minds. Using both big- and small-character post ers, they vilified, hurled invectives at, and attacked party and state leaders. Blatantly violating the Constitution, they called for opposition to the leadership by the Communist Party and the socialist system. In some of the institutions of higher learning, illegal organizations were formed to seize power from the student unions. In some cases, they even forcibly took over the broadcasting systems on the campuses. In some institutions of higher learning, they instigated the students and teachers to go on strike and even went to the extent of forcibly preventing students from going to classes, usurped the name of the workers organizations to distribute reactionary handbills, and established ties everywhere in an attempt to create even more serious incidents. These facts prove that what this extremely small number of people did was not to join in the activities to mourn Comrade Hu Yaobang or to advance the course of socialist democracy in China. Neither were they out to give vent to their grievances. Flaunting the banner of democracy, they undermined democracy and the legal system. Their purpose was to sow dissension among the people, plunge the whole country into chaos and sabotage the political situation of stability and unity. This is a planned conspiracy and a disturbance. Its essence is to, once and for all, negate the leadership of the CPC and the socialist system. This is a serious political struggle confronting the whole party and the people of all nationalities throughout the country. If we are tolerant of or conniving with this disturbance and let it go unchecked, a seriously chaotic state will appear. Then, the reform and opening up; the improvement of the economic environment and the rectification of the economic order, construction, and development; the control over prices; the improvement of our living standards; the drive to oppose corruption; and the development of democracy and the legal system expected by the people throughout the country, in cluding the young students, will all become empty hopes. Even the tremendous achievements scored in the reform during the past decade may be completely lost, and the great aspiration of the revitalization of China cherished by the whole nation will be hard to realize. A China with very good prospects and a very bright future will become a chaotic and unstable China without any future. The whole party and the people nationwide should fully understand the seriousness of this struggle, unite to take a clear-cut stand to oppose the disturbance, and firmly preserve the hard-earned situation of political stability and unity, the Constitution, socialist democracy, and the legal system. Under no circumstances should the establishment of any illegal organizations be allowed. It is imperative to firmly stop any acts that use any excuse to infringe upon the rights and interests of legitimate organizations of students. Those who have deliberately fabricated rumors and framed others should be in vestigated to determine their criminal liabilities according to law. Bans should be placed on unlawful parades and demonstrations and on such acts as going to factories, rural areas, and schools to establish ties. Beating, smashing, looting, and burning should be punished according to law. It is necessary to protect the just rights of students to study in class. The broad masses of students sincerely hope that corruption will be eliminated and democracy will be promoted. These, too, are the demands of the party and the government. These demands can only be realized by strengthening the efforts for improvement and rectification, vigorously pushing forward the reform, and making perfect our socialist democracy and our legal system under the party leadership. All comrades in the party and the people throughout the country must soberly recognize the fact that our country will have no peaceful days if this disturbance is not checked resolutely. This struggle concerns the success or failu re of the reform and opening up, the program of the four modernizations, and the future of our state and nation. Party organizations of the CPC at all levels, the broad masses of members of the Communist Party and the Communist Youth League, all democratic parties and patriotic democratic personages, and the people around the country should make a clear distinction between right and wrong, take positive action, and struggle to firmly and quickly stop the disturbance. Excerpt from Prisoner of the State, Zhao Ziyangs Autobiography With Li Peng presiding, Li Ximing and Chen Xitong vigorously presented the student demonstrations as a grave situation. They disregarded the fact that the student demonstrations had already calmed down. In fact, student opinions had begun diverging. Some of the students believed that they should resume classes and had already done so, while a minority opposed the return to classes. Internal friction had become apparent in some schools. Some of the students had attempted to resume classes, while other, more extreme students had blocked the entrances to the classrooms to prevent them from entering. This shows that for some students, the activities had not fully satisfied their need to vent their anger. If measures were to be taken to reduce tensions, to have dialogue, and to allow students the chance to propose certain reasonable requests, this was a good time to do so. However, in their report, they [Li Ximing and Chen Xitong] went so far as to state, Nationwide, large-scale demonstra tions including the participation of high school students and workers are being organized and are fomenting. They also reported that university students in Beijing have sent contacts to places around the country and have conducted fund-raising in the streets to prepare for activities on a larger scale. They denounced the extreme opinions of a few students, especially remarks directed specifically at Deng Xiaoping. They presented the demonstrations as opposing the Communist Party and targeting Deng Xiaoping personally. With the onset of reform, students, especially college students, had been exposed to many Western ways. Remarks critical of political leaders were made casually and considered inconsequential; the intense climate [of fear] that existed during the Cultural Revolution* and before no longer existed. Many of these student remarks targeted me, such as those that accused my children of making business deals utilizing official resources or those that claimed that trainloads o f fertilizer had been sent to my hometown. With hundreds of thousands of people involved, its impossible for there to have been no extreme or one-sided comments. Things appear extremely grave if you select only the ten most extreme statements being expressed by all of the people involved. I am not sure what was behind Li Ximing and Chen Xitongs behavior: either their old mentality of class struggle was at work or they had other ulterior motives. The student demonstration was deemed an organized and carefully plotted political struggle, and was documented as such in the minutes of the meeting. Li Peng, Li Ximing, and Chen Xitong were the ones initially responsible for this. On April 25, Li Peng and [President] Yang Shangkun reported to Deng Xiaoping about the Politburo Standing Committee meeting. Deng Xiaoping had always tended to prefer tough measures when dealing with student demonstrations because he believed that demonstrations undermined stability. After listening to their repor t, Deng immediately agreed to label the student demonstrations anti-Party, anti-socialist turmoil and proposed to resolve the situation quickly, in the manner of using a sharp knife to cut through knotted hemp. When I had visited him on April 19, he had agreed with my position. On the 25th, after being briefed by Li Peng and Yang Shangkun, he had changed his mind to agree with their assessment. After all, it coincided more closely with what he had really believed all along. Dengs discussion with Li Peng and others on April 25 was supposed to be an internal affair. However, Li Peng decided to disseminate the contents of Dengs remarks that very evening to Party cadres of all levels, and paraphrased their talk in the editorial that he had the Peoples Daily publish on April 26, publicly designating the student demonstrations as premeditated and organized turmoil with anti-Party and anti-socialist motives. Bibliography April 26 Editorial. April 26 Editorial. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2017. Zhao Ziyang, Bao Pu (Editor), Renee Chiang (Editor), Adi Ignatius (Editor). Prisoner of the State. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2017. Nathan, Andrew J. The Tiananmen Papers. Foreign Affairs, vol. 80, no. 1, 2001, Public interest. BusinessDictionary.com. WebFinance, Inc. March 18, 2017 Li Peng Speech Declares Martial Law. Li Peng Speech Declares Martial Law. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2017. Polumbaum, Judy. Making Sense of June 4, 1989: Analyses of the Tiananmen Tragedy. The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs, no. 26, 1991, pp. 177-186., Abas, Melanie, and Jeremy Broadhead. The Tiananmen Square Massacre. BMJ: British Medical Journal, vol. 299, no. 6693, 1989, pp. 269-270., Ingraham, Catherine. Gate of Heavenly Peace. Assemblage, no. 20, 1993, pp. 44-45. [1] See Appendix 1.1 [2] See Appendix 1.2 [3] Nathan, Andrew J. The Tiananmen Papers. Foreign Affairs, vol. 80, no. 1, 2001, pp 22. [4] Nathan, Andrew J. The Tiananmen Papers. Foreign Affairs, vol. 80, no. 1, 2001, pp. 11, [5] public interest. BusinessDictionary.com. WebFinance, Inc. March 18, 2017 [6] See Appendix 1.1 [7] Li Peng Speech Declares Martial Law. Li Peng Speech Declares Martial Law. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2017. [8] Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2017. [9] (Chinese) Wu Renhua, 89à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ©- ¨Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ §Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ®Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¡5à ¦Ã…“ˆ21à ¦- ¥ à ¦Ã‹Å"Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¦Ã…“Å ¸Ãƒ ¦- ¥ N.p. N.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2017 [10] Nathan, Andrew J. The Tiananmen Papers. Foreign Affairs, vol. 80, no. 1, 2001, pp. 20,

My special person essay :: essays research papers

MY SPECIAL PERSON â€Å"When I entered the classroom, for the very last time, I looked around at every little detail, many of which I’d probably ignored, for the past four years. Birds were singing in a synchronised melody as they flew past our classroom window. There was the natural aroma of fresh coffee coming from the teacher’s lounge next door. My classmates were sitting at their usual desk waiting for the first lesson to begin. But something was different today, something wasn’t right. And as I entered the classroom it hit me, like an unseen rocket headed to my heart†¦ †¦ The silence. All eyes were on me, some gave a sorry-you’re-leaving-smile, while others looked liked they were about to jump off the nearest window. These were my friends, not just any old friends of course, they felt like family, I grew up with these people and at that moment as I stared into each of their eyes I realized something, something which had always been staring back at me, these people were special. Each and everyone had something that made them unique and as they sat there shining like a thousand stars, one of them shined the brightest. Her long silky hair covered half of her face, but I knew she’d been crying, he chestnut coloured eyes tried to avoid meeting mine but when we did exchange glances, I have her a sympathetic smile and she returned the favour. The rest of that day was full of tears, hugs, a surprise party, games presents and goodbyes. That day will stay with me forever. However I am glad to say that wasn’t the last time I saw my friends and I’m even more glad to say that wasn’t the last time I saw my best friend. Its funny how two people, who are connected, become even closer when they’re apart. Fortunately Ginevra came to visit me in London twice after that, but I went back to see her in my hometown every year. As the years past, and as we grew, our friendship grew stronger, like an ever-growing tree, sending it’s roots deeper and deeper into the ground. Every year she would wait for me with open arms. Some people get worn-out with long distant friendship, but not her, she would always stick by me and never let me down. When I lived in Italy for all those nine years I never had the privilege to have any brothers or sisters so I considered her as my own flesh and blood.

The Global Fund :: Health, Diseases, HIV/AIDS

The threaded discussions have demonstrated that communicable diseases are the leading causes of illness, deaths, and disability in the African continent. In this regard, the economic costs in terms of prevention, treatment, and loss of productivity are undeniably enormous. Most, if not all of the human and financial resources allocated to Africa have focused on disease-specific intervention programs, such as prevention or treatment of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Yellow fever, like malaria, is transmitted by mosquitoes and share similar symptoms. Although both diseases are preventable, there is a vaccine available for yellow fever. The yellow fever vaccine is expensive, and not readily available in poverty-stricken areas (Monath & Cetron, 2002). It is a concern for public health officials in Cote d’Ivoire when an outbreak occurred in January 2011 (Whittett, 2011). Since yellow fever occurs only in some parts of Africa and tropical South America, Staples, Gerschman and Fischer (2010) of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have recommended that travelers to these areas get the vaccine. In African nations besieged by economic instability and political turmoil, the disease has brought untold hardship and indescribable misery to its citizens. It is sad to note that children below the age of fifteen are most often infected with the disease. The United Nations Childen’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Bank have joined together to ensure that 33 African countries add the vaccine to its routine vaccination programs. These organizations have shown studies that the vaccine would be cost-effective (Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunizations, 2005). As pointed out, funding for the vaccine is a major problem and concern for these poverty-stricken economies. The WHO (2010) is launching an appeal to raise $30 million dollars to secure the vaccine stockpile for 2011 to 2015 for all 33 African countries. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) is an international financial organization that is completely funded by the world’s developed nations. The organization invests the world’s money for interventions against AIDS, TB and malaria. To date, it has committed US$ 21.7 billion in 150 countries to support large-scale prevention, treatment and care programs against the three diseases (The Global Fund, 2011). In Southern Africa, the Global fund allocated $2.