Saturday, August 31, 2019

Violating Social Norms

For this assignment, I decided to violate the social norm of not talking on the phone while watching a movie in a movie theater. Before the movie started, I tested my sister and asked her to call me during the movie. When she did so, I proceeded to have a 2-3 minute conversation with her and spoke loudly so that those around me would notice and be distracted. The people around me In the theater were obviously bothered by my behavior and annoyed. Several people turned around to stare at me or whispered under their breath to their friends.A few Just Just shook their heads or sighed. The social norm of refraining from talking on the phone during In a movie theater was an example of an explicit (In this case), Injunctive norm. The norm was explicit because during the movie previews, there was an advertisement that read â€Å"Please no talking on the phone or testing during the movie. † Through this ad, everyone In the theater was made directly aware of the social norm. Not talking on the phone In a movie is an injunctive norm because it is observed as the socially acceptable and polite thing to do.It is perceived that people approve of this behavior because it shows respect and consideration for those who want to watch the movie free of distractions or disturbances. This social norm is typically enforced through compliance. Even if a person might originally consider talking on the phone in a movie theater, they usually comply with the theater's directly stated request to not do so in the pre-movie â€Å"Please do not talk on the phone or text during the movie† message. My violation of this social norm elicited various mechanisms of social control from those surrounding me.As mentioned above, fellow movie-watchers tried to make me feel guilty for my â€Å"rude† behavior by fidgeting in their seats, loudly sighing, frequently turning around to stare at me, and muttering complaints to their friends. A woman at the end of my row even turned to face me and loudly said â€Å"Really!? Please get off your phone. † During my violation of a social norm, I felt extremely uncomfortable and self- conscious. I felt like all the attention in the theater was focused on me, and that everyone was negatively Judging me. As a result of the hostile responses around me, I let very attacked, anxious and embarrassed.I wanted to remove myself from the awkward situation as soon as possible. I think the people around me In the movie theater would explain my behavior with the assumption that I have a blatant disregard for others. They would probably attribute my violation of the social norm to what they see as self-centeredness, disrespect, and social awkwardness because compliance with the norm of not using your cell phone in a movie theater attempts to show decency and concern for the enjoyment of others. Since I used my phone and did not try to control my volume, people logically assumed that I Just didn't care about those around me.Violat ing Social Norms By calligrapher's would notice and be distracted. The people around me in the theater were obviously The social norm of refraining from talking on the phone during in a movie theater was an example of an explicit (in this case), injunctive norm. The norm was explicit talking on the phone or testing during the movie. † Through this ad, everyone in the theater was made directly aware of the social norm.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Into the Dark

Into the Dark A tunnel of light paraded across the ceiling of the dark room then widened as the painted wooden door creaked open. A pitch-colored shadow briskly swept across the Invading gleam then without a moments hesitation disappeared Into the swallowing blackness of the small room. A small girl asleep In her princess pink canopy bed was awoken by the loud sound of heavy breathing. The dog like pant sent a furious chill down her spine, slowly streaking throughout her bones Like tiny pins and needles. Her heart pounded with the heavy beat of a base drum.As she looked up her dark eyes filled with fear. She slammed her eyes shut convinced that It was her Imagination and burled her face into her fluffy, soft, cased pillow, determined to shut out the constant nagging of a disembodied voice. Harshly whispering,it said, â€Å"Come with me, come with me Elena,† The voice retreated to the back of her mind. â€Å"l mean you no harm. † She slowly opened her dry mouth to say so mething but the words wouldn't come out. â€Å"The clock has almost run out† whispered the snake like voice. â€Å"Just jump off the bed, I'm in your head but I won't hurt you. â€Å"Yeah right! Yelled Elena, â€Å"l should Just Jump off my bed for no reason! † â€Å"Just jump,† said the now soothing voice of someone else. Elena knew it was a trick but before she could resist she closed her eyes shut and Jumped. Instead of hitting the floor she kept falling. She snapped her eyes open and didn't quite process what she saw. Darkness rushed past her then opened into a new scene. Bright rays of glittering light streamed through the air coming from an unknown source. Dark grey rock pillars protruded from thin air in unruly shapes and formations.Elena didn't know whether to be scared or in awe of the beauty. Welcome to my world† whispered the voice In a hushed tone â€Å"Oh goody. † said Elena In her most sarcastic voice,'The snake Is back! † Her voice cracked on the last word for she was still in shock. Frustrated about the embarrassing stutter, she tried to run but found herself moving faster than anyone could sprint. She was flying. A robin's egg blue cloud burst out from behind one of the stone pillars causing Elena to to a double back In shock of TLS brightness and vibrancy.When she looked closer she saw that the cloud was not in fact a weird looking, unusually colored luster of evaporated water, but a giant wave of beautiful blue settlers jays. One bird landed on her. It opened up its mouth. Instead of letting out the beautiful song that she was expecting, it started screeching, â€Å"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP†. The dark room then widened as the painted wooden door creaked open. A pitch- colored shadow briskly swept across the invading gleam then without a moments hesitation disappeared into the swallowing blackness of the small room. The lights flicked on and her mom said â€Å"Get out of bed you're going to miss th e bus! â€Å"

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Business Plan For Candle Business In Nigeria Commerce Essay

Business Plan For Candle Business In Nigeria Commerce Essay Candles have been in existence for many years. At one time, people depended on them to light as well as heat their homes. Archaeologists have found proof of the existence of ancient candles in caves all over the world, most recently in France. The theory is that cavemen used candles as a source of light for etching their stories and charts on the walls of their homes. These candles were most likely created from fat derived from animals that were killed for food and fur. Even the ancient Egyptians created and used candles. Regardless of what material the candle is made of, to burn and provide adequate light and heat it has to have plasma, solids, gasses, and liquids. In today’s modern world, we create candles for our own personal enjoyment, as crafts and hobbies for most people. Some people enjoy making candles so much that they turn their craft into a profitable business. With a little creativity, you can make some truly unique candles, simply by adding your own designs and s kills. It is possible to make candles in every shape and size that you can imagine, and in any colours you can create. You can even add essential oils and fragrances to your candles, so that they not only provide decorative light, but a beautiful scent as well. Most of today’s modern candles are made primarily out of paraffin wax, but some are also made of beeswax as well. Paraffin wax is a wax that is derived from plants, found naturally all over the world. Strict safety precautions should be followed when making your candles. It could be very easy to make a small mistake and suffer serious burns from the wax, not to mention the very real danger of fire, when using or creating candles. There should be separate area in your home or workshop especially for candle making, with fire extinguishers readily available in case of emergency. For a new candle making, it will be best to start with simple candle designs, then increase the difficulty as your skill increases. The basic tec hniques of candle making, have to be learn and setup your work area appropriately. Pay attention to temperatures, and make certain that you are careful to follow safety rules. Candle making is fairly easy once when understanding the basics and perfect techniques. The good news is that the supplies needed in candle making are fairly inexpensive, so no worry about wasting money if ruin along the way. 1.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The broad aim of the study is to introduce candle manufacturing business into Nigeria market in other to improve their standard of living. Along this broad aim emerges the following specific objectives which are: To determine the viability of Candle manufacturing business in Nigeria market. To determine the feasibility of Candle manufacturing business in Nigeria market. To determine the market trends for Candle business. CHAPTER TWO MARKET SURVEY / ANALYSIS 2.1 MARKET The end users of candle are mainly householders. It is their source of lightening during power outage. As earlier mentioned ‘white garment churches’ (the celestial and cherubim and seraphim) are the other end users of candle for making supplication to celestial bodies.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Crimes and Punishments in Saudi Arabia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Crimes and Punishments in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example To the Muslim world, Koran is cleanly a charter of the nation and recommends principles for legitimate verdict. Decision making and law making authority are practiced by the king and the council of ministers. Nonetheless, their ruling is determined by the Shari'a edict. All the other regulations are dependable to the king. In Saudi Arabia, the statutes of edict subscribe to stringent Islamic ideals. Islam as a terminology stands for "submission to God's self-control. The most towering Islamic theory is Shari'a otherwise known as a pathway; the totality of continuation as ordained by God. Every person pledging allegiance to the Islamic faith ought to carry themselves out by observing mores as established by Mohammed, who was conceived as God's prophet. Mohammed lived from 570 - 632 A.D. To most scholars, especially those from the west it's quite intricate for them to comprehend the Muslim surrender to the decrees as exemplified by Koran in their very undertaking. The edict of the land in Saudi Arabia is simply the Koran in connection to mores established by Mohammed. Shari'a is manifested in four major sources. This is documented in thousand religious verses exposed by God via Mohammed the prophet; however, from impeccable sources Sunna which represents the culture of the prophet addressed has not been documented in the Koran. Ijma known as the perceptions of the ulema as well as religious scholars and Qiyas have been channels through which jurists agree upon new authorized ideology. Saudi King is not indispensable from the decrees constructed by the Shari'a. The Saudi court is intricate, although when a verdict is requested, it is envisaged by the courtyard of petitions. The court normally has 3 members, an increase that leads to 5 members' alarms for the imposition of death or disfigurement. The ultimate authority comes from the king, who doles out as a final court of appeal and also as a source of pardon. Felonies are categorized into 3 subcategories: Hudud, Tazir and Qisas. Crimes that are prohibited by the most high god include; Hudud. Reprimanding such felonies is subject to biblical verses from the Koran. Felonies connected to Tazir are offered an appropriate clout to mete out the judgment, whereas felonies involving Qisas grant a culprit the right for retaliation. Hudud Felonies Crimes associated to Hudud include robbery, alcoholism, slander of Islam, fornication, deceitfulness. Fines, incarceration and limb cut off have been a recompense for persons found stilling. Individuals found culpable of consumption, advertising as well as retailing alcohol and inhaling of drugs, are punished by a sentence of eighty strokes of the cane. Tazir felon Felonies of Tazir are analogous to transgression felonies in America. No stipulated, but each persons is judged on a personal level with response to the severity of the crime and the remorse exhibited by the hoodlum. Qisas felony If someone is found culpable of felonies against a culprit or his folks, the hard done by family have the say-so to retaliate. The verdict is decided in clandestine by the family and the authentic chastisement is carried out in hush-hush. In the event where man slaughter has taken place, the aggrieved has the say so to execute the victim analogous to the same approach their loved one was murdered or in any system they prefer. In the event where

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Sport And Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sport And Society - Essay Example The functionalist theory focuses attention on how sports assists keep the society operating easily and influences individuals to contribute to the social system. From the Governments perspective it is easy to see that access and participation are intertwined; by providing more opportunities for people at all levels in sport, a number of participants will rise. From a functionalist approach, the Governments perspective is not sufficiently discriminatory, it overlooks certain problems such as age and gender issues that do not support the equilibrium in society. A functionalist approach leads to exaggerated statements about positive effects of sport, believing that anything that lasts is good and it fails to consider that sport could distort values. Functionalist theory is based on the assumption that the needs of the individuals in society reflect the needs of the social system, it assumes homogeneity of interests and the desire to maintain harmony which is not the case, not everyone i n a society may want to play a certain sport, and functionalism cannot distinguish whether people actually want to play sport at all. The way the Government wants to promote sport is typically from a functionalist perspective and is the best sociological theory to use when promoting the sport. Different sociological theories help identify issues and problems and Coakley believe the best theories are the ones that make sense, so from the Governments point of view, a functionalist approach is ideal because it believes sport is an inspiration.... The Government aims to improve health and they identify how sport is a means of this, the approach to achieving this is predominantly a functionalist approach in that they believe sport is an inspiration and a precious contributor to health. The Government believes that if they increase opportunities and improve access to facilities for all people, then their goal of improved health will be attained. Government's use of sport From a functionalist perspective this would encourage participation from all areas of society regardless of sex, age, race, gender or class as the perspective does not discriminate against individuals. From a functionalist point of view the policy over-exaggerates the benefits of playing sport, and Coakley (2003, p.40) believes it doesn't address "the emphasis on physical power" which may show prejudice towards certain groups in society, and this is one of the reasons why women's sport has failed to be as big as men's, and one of the reasons why the Paralympic Games is not as big as the Olympics. Development of sport in the UK Although until relatively in recent times sport might have been described as a neglected subject in social analysis, the worth of sport in modern societies seems irrefutable. In financial terms sport is estimated to symbolize 3 per cent of GDP in the OECD countries. In cultural terms extra than two-thirds of the world's population saw a few part of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games via television. In supporting terms sport has been engaged as a policy tool by country states, as for instance in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, and in the Olympic Games' boycotts of the 1980s, or more lately in promoting the new or reviving patriotism of the post-communist Central along with Eastern

Monday, August 26, 2019

Service Operations Management for Aviation Essay

Service Operations Management for Aviation - Essay Example Virgin Atlantic services desing is based around mass customization of customer service where the needs of customer and expectation are meet. This is achieved through having different services for different customers so that the customer can choose the kind of service they intent to have. In this case, the customers can choose to fly in one of the three classes which include the business, economy and the upper class. The service design in virgin is also created around the standardisation of the service. This is achieved through the training of staff in order to have a standard of service as they face the customers. This attitude towards service design is both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is the fact that the members of staff are more likely to make any mistakes as they relate the customers (Woods, Hebron & Bradley, 2001). However, as Khosrowpour (2006) argues, when the service is standardised, the staff know exactly what to do and when to do it and this helps in ma king sure that the staff are not likely to do something that may harm the brand of the firm. At the same time, it helps the customers to know what to expect and this reduces the number of inconveniences. There are negatives however, and these include the fact that such a service may seem to be too robotic for the customers (Barlow, 2003). In fact, customers in many cases have complained due to this kind of service where the service members of staff are not able to act spontaneously when dealing with the customers but instead follow too strict procedures. This affects the quality of service especially for customers who would prefer to have a less formal and less robotized customer service. Virgin Atlantic operates in some of the markets where customers demand the best service. One of these markets is he American and European market where customer service quality is highly demanded. Apart from the fact that customers from these two markets demand he best customer service, the market i s also a high competition market, with so many airlines operating in the market (Heracleous, 2008). This competition means that the firms in the market have to be innovative in order to give the customers the best quality service while at the same time reducing costs (Truxal, 2013). This is a challenge for businesses like Virgin Atlantic because there delivering high quality leads to higher costs. Other issues of irregular demand are also important in affecting the way the firm is able to delver high quality services. Like many airlines, the firm has found a way to increase its customer base by increasing customer experience. This is done across the three flight classes. Virgin Atlantic has a department for service design that is dedicated to designing service models which will help the firm in giving the customer the best service. The department is given the mandate to design customer service experience with regard to the cabin crew and other staff who meet the customer face to fac e. It is also mandated with helping the firm to design internal systems in order to give the customer the best feel while flying. This department, in particular is mandated to achieve the following; Pre-flight customer experience design This includes the booking systems, check in systems, and customer service at the airport. Like many airlines, Virgin Atlantic has tied as much as possible to make flight booking easy and to make the check in process easy. This has also been aided by the fact that

Discriminate Between Intrapreneurship and Entrepreneurship Assignment

Discriminate Between Intrapreneurship and Entrepreneurship - Assignment Example This discussion highlights that intrapreneurs act inside the organization, fighting for changing and renewing the system. They are considered to be the revolutionaries present with the systems of the company. This may even initiate some kind of conflict with the company and therefore factors such as respect must be used for channeling these conflicts and transforming them into some kind of positive aspect for the company. The resources of the company are used by the intrapreneurs for implementation of opportunities; however there are several objectives highlighting the fact why intrapreneurship is considered to be so difficult to be implemented within an existing company. From the report it is clear that both entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship involves defining and recognizing opportunities. Both of these concepts take into account unique business ideas which take the form of a product, service or process by the end. Entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship are driven by one or two i ndividuals who then work with the team of people for bringing the concept into practical life. These concepts also require the balance between vision and management skills, reactiveness with patience and passion with pragmatism. Entrepreneurship as well as intrapreneurship involves concepts that are considered vulnerable in formative stages and therefore requires adaption with time. Both these concepts are known for entailing a window of opportunity for the firm within which the entrepreneur is successfully capitalizing upon.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Strategic Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Strategic Managment - Essay Example Lack of a specific strategy is a "surefire ticket for organizational drift, competitive mediocrity, internal wheel-spinning, and lackluster results (Thomson 2002)." Second, Thomson argues that business entities need to devise and implement strategies, as the efforts of all the functional areas in the company should be molded into a "coordinated, compatible whole." A comprehensive strategy takes all the business units into account making each action mutually supportive. Without a well-laid out strategic plan, there will be no basis for uniting the efforts of all the functional areas, no clear direction on the business decisions and plans that the business takes, and no conscious business model for profit generation. Strategic management is therefore one of the most crucial areas in management. Coming up with a specific strategy, which will be the basis of company's actions, processes and decisions is a must. A well-crafted strategy is indispensable to the company's long-term success. It is therefore important that a business entity comes up with a unique strategy tailored for the achievement of its goals and objectives. Devising a purposeful and efficient strategy is a tedious task and managers should be armed with different techniques in diagnosing the company in order to prescribe the "right" strategy. Different models are employed to aid managers in this strategy making process. This paper will look at the two models, which are typically employed by managers in order to ascertain the needed strategy for the company namely, value chain and SWOT analysis. In order to fully look at the strengths and limitations of these models, they will be utilized to assess the performance of Dell Incorporated, one of the leading computer manufacturers and distributors. I. COMPANY PROFILE: DELL, INCORPORATED Michael Dell, who is also regarded as the computer industry's longest tenured chief executive officer, founded Dell Computer Corporation in 1984. Later in 2003, the company changed its name to Dell, Incorporated. The company is one of the most famous manufacturers of computer worldwide, which caters to the needs of individual and corporate clients with a very unique business concept (About Dell 2004). Dell Incorporated is headquartered in Rock Round, Texas. Dell, Inc. and its subsidiaries are actively involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, sale, and support of a range of computer systems and services worldwide. The main business activity of Dell is in the provision of products and services to customers, which enables them to establish their information technology and Internet infrastructures. Dell offers a wide array of products and services to its clients. The company's broad product line incorporates enterprise systems which includes servers, storage, workstations, and networking products; client systems, such as notebook and desktop computer systems; printing and imaging systems; and software and peripherals, including titles, monitors, plasma and LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) televisions, MP3 players, handhelds, and notebook accessories (Dell Inc. 2005). Aside from these products, Dell also offers a wide range of services, including information techn

Saturday, August 24, 2019

How Should Organizational Information Systems Be Audited for Security Essay

How Should Organizational Information Systems Be Audited for Security - Essay Example S. General Accounting Office; Mandol and Verma; Cert-In; Stanford University; Davis). At the present, businesses should take a number of steps in an attempt to formulate or improve an IS security audit facility. For instance, organizations must clearly outline their business goals and aims. After that, the business should evaluate its own information security audit readiness. However, this kind of evaluation requires from organizations to recognize a variety of matter such as reporting limitations, legal problems, the audit situation, security and safety vulnerabilities, abilities automated tools and associated costs. Additionally, it is essential for the organizations to plan how to decide what information systems security audit projects should be performed for instance both stand-alone information system security audit projects and those projects which require support from the information systems security audit potential. Thus, when the planning stage is successfully completed, bus inesses should be able to connect the aims and objectives selected in the initial phase to the tasks required for their completion. On the other hand, all through the process, businesses should not ignore the resources exist on the Web intended for research and training (U. S. General Accounting Office; Mandol and Verma; Cert-In; Stanford University; Davis). Moreover, making a decision regarding organization’s aims and objectives for developing or improving an information system’s security audit capability will support them in determining and understanding the varieties of skills, tools and training required to carry out this process. In this scenario, it is essential for the organizations to define objectives and aims earlier without initial recognition like that how and by whom the business aims and objectives would be convened (for instance, whether organization resources would be contractor, in-house, shared staff or a number of combinations). In addition, establis hment of temporary milestones will facilitate in attaining a staged accomplishment of organization’s desired policy. Additionally, while constructing an information system security audit potential, administration should review the organization’s information systems security audit willingness by keeping in mind the applicable issues. In this scenario, the implementation of a baseline by recognizing powers and faults will facilitate an organization to choose a most excellent system to proceed (U. S. General Accounting Office; Mandol and Verma; Cert-In; Stanford University; Davis). Moreover, the process of tackling information security risks varies and depends on the nature of the processing carried out by the business and sensitivity of the data and information which is being processed. However, to completely judge these issues and risks, the auditor should completely understand information about the business’s computer operations and major applications. In this s cenario, a most important part of planning to produce or improve a successful information systems security audit potential can encompass activities such as assessing the present staff’s skills, knowledge and capabilities to decide what the audit capability is at the present and what knowledge

Friday, August 23, 2019

Film Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film Analysis - Essay Example He joined a Neo- Kazi movement where he befriended the leaders of that group, and started his mission with rage. When in the movement he killed two black men who were members of the gang. Before he killed them he found them trying to break into the truck that his father had left for him. Later he was imprisoned for three years as a result of manslaughter. As the film starts, there is a flashback, where Danny is trying to get some sleep but he cannot sleep because he was disturbed by the noise coming out from his brothers’ room. The brother was having sex with his girlfriend. He then hears another voice from outside, when he peeped through the window he saw a black man who was trying to break into his brothers’ truck. Danny ran into his brothers’ room to inform him about what he had seen. Derrick ran out with his pistol and started firing at the black men, and he managed to kill all of them. After that incidence Derrick is sentenced for three years imprisonment. I n prison, he was raped by the fellow skinheads but later was befriended by a black man whom he had to work for, just for his security in prison. The experience that Derrick went through, when in prison changed him forever. On his return home he realized that his younger brother Danny had started to involve himself with the group of white supremacy. Danny was spitting the racial slurs right and left, the same way that Derrick used to do before he was imprisoned (Smith, 2007). Derrick was in dismay when he realized that his family was torn apart, due to his violent action. Immediately after his release he goes to try and see if he can bring the family together. He wanted to reconcile with his sisters and mother, and also to change Danny from his behaviors that were disturbing. Towards the end of the film, it was clear that Derrick was able to change Danny to be the boy that he ones. To distance themselves from the white supremacy the boys had to tear down the pro-Nazi and racist propa ganda that were on the walls in Danny’s bedroom. After he stripped off the hate that was in his room Danny embarked working on his schoolwork paper. The initial intention of that paper was to share about hi Derrick’s lifestyle when in the Neo-Kazi movement (Christopher, 2008). But when he saw how his brother had transformed, his paper took another direction. He wrote a paper full of hope, telling how he and his brother were freed from bondage of rage and bigotry. Towards the end of the film Derrick escorts his brother to school and he bid him bye. After a short while when he went Derrick heard gun shots when he ran to the site he saw his brother lying on the floor with the essay next to him. The film American history X shows some incivility. The emotions of incivility are created in the film because there is a group in the film that is known as the white supremacy. Derrick was in the group and his rage to the blacks is shown when he kills the three black men. He murder ed them brutally because he considered the blacks, an inferior race. Another emotion of incivility is by that instance in the film American history, where Danny was shot by a black (Parfit, 2008). This boy killed him because he was filled with hatred against the whites. The other incidence that shows incivility is when Derricks’ father was murdered by a black man who was a drug dealer. When Danny died Derrick ran to him and started mourning as he asked himself what he had done that led to his

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Basketball and football Essay Example for Free

Basketball and football Essay In countries throughout the United States, most people enjoy high scoring sports with a great deal of physical contact. In my opinion, both Basketball and American Football are the two most popular sports here that fall under that category. In which as fans we can all appreciate and participate with our own friends and family members. Furthermore, not only can we watch these games at home, but we can be play them back at as well as a healthy alternative. There are a variety of differences and similarities between these two sports. Basketball and American Football can be broken down into three parts that will enable you to know visualize the major points: players, equipment and game style. First of all, there are noticeable differences between these two sports that hold different qualification for each player. In basketball it is necessary for players to use their lower body quickness in order to run down back and forth the basketball court as quickly as possible. In contrast, football players are required to use their upper body strength so that there able to make and take some hard hits during the game as a method of defense against the other team. Also both of these sports hold different physical qualities that are required in order to play the game efficiently. For example, basketball players who play the center position on average weigh roughly around 265 pounds with the physical stature being strong and a bigger player who can clog up the basket area. While in football, the wide receiver position is held by a player averaging in at 200 pounds. They too are built with a strong physique yet can run down the field rapidly as needed. Secondly, both of these sports have different equipment needs. As we know both basketball and football use different kind of balls. Basketball is played with orange shaped ball, as were in football they use a prolate spheroid shape ball. In addition, they both use completely different shoe gear. Seeing that basketball is played indoor on a wooden floor it requires players to use sneakers that come up a bit higher in order to protect the ankles. The sneakers are also designed differently as they are meant to allow them to have a good bounce in them, since that too is an important factor in basketball. On the other hand, football players use cleats since they play outdoors in the grass. They need have a good and secure grip on the ground beneath them in order for effective and optimum playing. The safety gear that both sports’ wear differ as well, in order to better protect and suit their needs. In both sports, they wear mouth guards. But in American Football, they also use helmets and shoulder pads. Finally, it comes down to the differing style of play. Basketball and football have decidedly different styles of play based on the rules. Basketball is viewed as a non-contact sport, in which by the rules that if any physical contact is made by a player it is a violation, resulting in a personal foul. Conversely, football is well known for its physical contact playing style. Knowingly that every play within the game will consist of some sort of tackling, aggressive play and head on collisions. Also basketball is more of a high scoring game than football. Simply because in basketball teams are given 2 or 3 points (depending where you’re shooting from) each time they make the ball in the basket. In contrast, football teams are only granted 6 points for a touchdown and 3 points for a kicked field goal, much more difficult than basketball because of the physical playing style. In conclusion, although their game styles are completely different, both receive numerous amounts truly dedicated fans. Not only just for the love of the sport, but toward particular teams as well as players in the league and coaches. In addition, their equipment provides protection that benefits each player. This protective gear prevents them from most devastating hits that may otherwise end their career with a nasty injury. Athletic players are seen in the eyes of each fan, whether in the stands or back at home, as role models and encouragement to engage in sports. Let face it, every fan wishes to live the life of an athletic player and be able to play its sport under the spotlight that is viewed by millions.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Pearl Essay Example for Free

The Pearl Essay The Pearl is John Steinbeck famous novel. Being a Nobel Prize winner, he is a keen observer of life. Steinbeck novels normally portray struggling people, who have been disadvantaged by the society. His characters normally draw stories from real life or historical conditions prevalent in the 20th century. The Pearl is story of an Indian pearl diver Kino, who is content with his life; however this peace is shattered by temptation of a new found pearl; which accelerates his agreed. Its not only his greed, but its also about the greed of people around him including doctor, priest friends, and the shopkeeper; all of which wish to partake Kino’s new found wealth. Some want to by cheating; other want by force and it this drama which unfolds throughout the novel. When Kino finds pearl; he realizes that all the people surrounding him want to snatch way his fate by one way or other. Rich and poor, all becomes his enemies. Even the priest tries to find something out of Kino’s pearl for his church. The priest pretext is â€Å"thanking Lord† but in reality it is his share (greed) that he wants out of Kino’s wealth. When he goes to the doctor, even the mean doctor suddenly becomes nice (because he also wants Kino’s pearl). When he goes to market even the buyers are greedy and they want to rip off Kino by offering him peanuts for the pearl of the world. Conclusion The writer has portrayed a very beautiful story about human greed and how it can shatter peace in life. The setting chosen by the author is very calm in the beginning; which becomes violent at later stage. The story of pearl begins with discovery of pearl and its effects on Kino and the whole village. The novels opens with a new day (dawn) with the events taking place in the later part of the day; while the tragic part including the chase and death of the Kino’s son takes place in the darkness. When Kino returns to village its day; thus we can say that Kino is portrayed as traveling from light to darkness; led astray in the darkness and comes back to light.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Examples of Literary Text Analysis

Examples of Literary Text Analysis The written word can spark so much in a person. It can bring a person to have a great imagination, transform a person into a hero, villain, anything that person wants to be. The written word can take a person to any part of the world without even leaving the comfort of your home. The written word breaks through cultural barriers, gives a person other perspectives. The written word can also be used to terry down those bridges people try to climb over to get to the other side. The written word is like an artist without an actual painting. The writer takes a person into the future as well as into the past and back into the present. William Blake, put the art of imagination into eloquent words, This world is a world of imagination and vision. But to eyes of the man of Imagination, Nature is Imagination itself. As a man is, So he sees. (DiYanni, 2007 page 2200) Emotions transpire throughout each piece of work an author has written. Repeated elements in action, gesture, dialogue, descripti on, as well as shifts in direction, focus, time, place. The journey begins with a well known author Cathy Song and her poem Lost Sister. Lost Sister by Cathy Song and the Bible the Prodigal Son This story starts in a culture and identity-envisioning narrative. In China, even peasants named their first daughters Jade-the stone that in the far fields could moisten the dry season. (Cathy Song, (DiYanni, 2007 pp 1188) in the beginning of this story, a father in China, has a daughter and is proud to name her Jade. This is setting the tone from the attitude toward the daughter with love and admiration from a father that is poor and works for a living. The story gives the illusion of maybe the timeframe is placed in an ancient town where there could be different social groups. Known is when the writer says, even the peasants. The narrator goes on to explain the setting metaphor (could make men move mountains for the healing green of the inner hills glistening like slices of winter melon) Figurative Language, metaphorically the narrator is speaking of the stone jade and what it means to men, and how they will attain this precious stone. Structuralism and Social Criticism is applie d when the narrator goes into what was expected of a daughter given the historical period. (And the daughters were grateful: They never left home. To move freely was a luxury stolen from them at birth. Pp 1189) Feminist Criticism In this line the interpretation is that the women are restricted to what they are allowed to do and not allowed to do. The narrator changes the daughters attitude from being grateful into feeling trapped and helpless for being a young girl that is born into this life. (Instead, they gather patience; learning to walk in shoes the size of teacups, without breaking-the arc of their movements as dormant as rooted willow, as redundant as the farmyard hens. Pp 1189) Lost Sister by Cathy Song and the Bible the Prodigal Son This gives the reader the since that the daughter does not look forward to what she does day in and day out. In these lines, she is wishing she could go away somewhere better. The poem goes on mentioning a sister; however, this sister is on the other side of the ocean. (There is a sister across the ocean, who relinquished her name, diluting jade green with the blue of the Pacific. Pp 1189) this sister apparently did not like the restrictions put on her way of life so she did something about her situation and left China. In comparison the in Acts the New Testament, the author Luke, The Prodigal son, did not like where he lived and so took upon himself to go to another country. (DiYanni, 2007, Pp 27). This poem uses Flashback and Symbols (You find you need China: your one fragile identification, a jade link handcuffed to your wrist. You remember your mother who walked for centuries, footlessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ and like her, you have left no footprints, but only because there is an ocean in between, the unremitting space of your rebellion.) (DiYanni, 2007, Pp 1190). Both sisters have a conscience of an inner conflict one sister desires to please her family by staying in China, Acts the New Testament, the author Luke, Just like the oldest son in The Prodigal Son, Now the elder son was in the field, and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. In addition, the son said to the father; Lo, these many years do I serve, neither transgressed also obeyed what you have command. (DiYanni, 2007, Pp 27). The sister in America flashing back and is regretting leaving her life in China, she is finding out freedom is not so free and this life is not what she probably had imagined. Girl by Jamaica Kincaid and Alice Walker in Everyday Use The similarities of these stories are the relationships that mothers and daughters have with each other. In the Girl by Jamaica Kincaid, it starts with a mother giving instructions on how the wash is supposed to be done. (Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry.) (DiYanni, 2007, Pp 397) There is no introduction of the characters, no action, and no traditional plotline. In the story of Everyday Use by Alice Walker, this story has a similar theme, a mother with two daughters narrates this story and how she interacts with each daughter. In similarities both stories are Anthropological each story gives a history behind the story. In Everyday Use Mrs. Johnson, starts out describing how her relationship is with her eldest daughter. Then the mother goes on telling about the day when Dee, the daughter came home from college. (DiYanni, 2007, Pp 743) Both stories give an allusion to where the sett ing takes place. Girl, by Kincaid, the setting took place in their house, during the instruction on how to keep the house clean. (This is how you sweep a corner; this is how sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard; (DiYanni, 2007, Pp 398)In Walkers story Everyday Use The daughters have different view points on how they see their identities and on how they view their heritage. The conflict is over some heirloom quilts. The story Girl by Jamaica Kincaid continues with other instructions on how to become a Young woman should act like. (dont walk barhead in the hot sun; cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil; soak your little clothes right after you take them off.) (DiYanni, 2007, Pp 397) These values are passed on to their daughters which are frequently heard by mothers throughout the story especially in Jamaica Kincaids story of Girl by Jamaica Kincaid and Alice Walker in Everyday Use Girl commands to help prevent her daughter from becoming a slut. the slut that she is so bent on becoming.(DiYann, 2007, Pp 397) There is not much difference in a cultural relationship between mothers and daughters in the past to the present day. The mother wants to pass on the necessary cultural and moral practices and values that she was taught by her mother. In both points of view, the narrator is speaking in the first person. In Girl by Jamaica Kincaid, the mother is referring to herself as I for example; the slut I know you are so bent on becoming and the slut I have warned you against becoming. (DiYanni, 2007, Pp 397) Mrs. Johnson, an uneducated woman, tells the story herself. Mrs. Johnson said, I never had an education myself. (DiYanni, 2007, Pp 745) The church raised money to help send Dee to school in Augusta, GA. (DiYanni, 2007, Pp 744). The stories both depict a social and economic view on how life was. Girl by Jamaica Kincaid showed the economy by how she brought to atten tion in pp 397; dont sing benna in Sunday school; you mustnt speak to wharf-rat boys, not even to give directions. Critics appreciate the quality of how Kincaid and Walker represented the image of how mother and daughters bond and how powerful one person can effect ones life. The reader learns a particularly relationship operates in a colonial culture and in the deep south of Georgia. Both writers use the observation of life to validate their experiences in their own life. Both writers used this technique to authenticate oppressed group of people: lower class, black women. This is point of view is also shared with the oppressing of a group of people by the poem by Langston Hughes; Dream Deferred and Woody Guthries poem This Land Is Your Land. This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie and Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes This land is your land, this land is my land, From California to the New York island; from the redwood forest, to the Gulf Stream waters This land was made for you and me. (DiYanni, 2007, Pp 897) Woody Guthrie, started his poem out with a patriotic song that sets the tone for being proud of ones country. Compared to Hughes poem Dream Deferred, he starts questioning the American dream. What happens to a dream deferred? (DiYanni, 2007, Pp 896) Gathrie, goes on in his poem stating; As I walking the ribbon of highway I saw above me the endless skyway: I saw below me that golden valley: This land was made for you and me. This stanza is pointing out that dreams and possiblities are possible. Nevertheless, in Hughes poem the question is not having the dream but points out that the narrator has the dream but because of cirumstances that is not knowing to the reader he goes on asking, Does it dry up like a rasien in the sun? (DiYanni, 2007, Pp 897) Or fester like a sore-and then run? This par t of the poem in oness opioin is asking if he should put the dream aside for awhile but then it becomes to strong of a desire to make this dream come true it may just come out despite the obscales in the way. On the contrary, in Guthries poem Ive roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts; And all around me a voice was sounding: This land was made for you and me. When the sun came shining, and I was strolling, And the wheat fields waving and dust clouds rolling, As fog was lifting voice was chanting: This land was made for you and me. As I went walking, I saw a sign there, And on the sign it said No Trespassing. Here the narrator roams the United States however there are parts in the This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie and Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes United States those are not free to roam. Guthrie, a radical, was inspired to write the song as an answer to Irving Berlins popular God Bless America, which he thought failed to recognize that it was the people to whom America belonged. The words to This Land Is Your Land reflect Guthries assumption that patriotism, support for the underdog, and class struggle were all of a piece. In this song, Guthrie celebrates Americas natural beauty and bounty, but criticizes the country for its failure to share its riches. Reflected in the poem least-known verse: In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people, By the relief office I seen my people; As they stood hungry, I stood there asking Is this land made for you and me. (DiYanni, 2007, Pp 898) Woody Guthrie, This was material deliberately created to promote the war effort, expressing the passionate fervor of left-wing resistance to fascism. The poem Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes and the poem This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie, is clea rly a supporter of the American culture to have change in how America views freedom for all. Langston Hughes poem Dream Deferred is expressing the same theme as Woody Guthrie has pointed out that words can transform a person into a hero, capture a persons since of what is right and what is wrong. The imagery that is vividly written on paper touches a persons emotions to make things right or at least reflect on how the future can be changed. Both poems have a way of being a window through the construction of the poem so one can see the reality of what message they want to get across. Using irony and figurative speech help strength each line to understand what the message was. Conclusion Even during the 1960s, American progressives continued to seek ways to fuse their love of country with their opposition to the governments policies. The March on Washington in 1963 gathered at the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King Jr. famously quoted the words to My Country Tis of Thee, repeating the phrase Let freedom ring 11 times. (Dreier and Flacks, 2005) This tone is set through out Hughesand Guthrie poems and short stories and songs, seting the stage to get this message out that all men should be free to choose where they want to live and all men and women should be free to pursue their dreams without another telling them what dream they should have. Along with woody guthries songs that freedom should be granted not just to the people that have money. But to all that do an honesty days work and get paid equally. In all the short stories and poems that have been represented in this essay, the one thing that all of the authors have in common is their basic values, and ec onomic and social equality to mass parcipation in politices. The desire to have free speech and civil liberties an eleminate the second-class citizenship and racial minorities. William Blake, put the art of imagination into such eloquent words, This world is a world of imagination and vision. But to eyes of the man of Imagination, Nature is Imagination itself. As a man is, So he sees. (DiYanni, 2007 page 2200) John Kotter wrote, The single biggest challenge in manging change is not strategy, structure, or culture, but just getting people to change their behavior. Kotter goes on to say that People change their behaviors only when they are motivated to do so, and that happens when you speak to their feelings. These authors speak to ones feelings to motivate a person to make things right.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Failures of Capital Punishment Essay -- essays papers

Failures of Capital Punishment Is the death penalty a just way of punishing those who commit a horrible crime? The answer to that depends on the standpoint of an individual. Fox Butterfield of the New York Times notices that â€Å"In the view of some, the failure to enforce the death penalty reflects and enduring ambivalence about the capital punishment. Others say that the death penalty opponents have found ways to triumph over the public will to carry out executions.† In a capitalistic standpoint, there is the notion that it simply costs too much. There is another and more simple standpoint and that is that the death penalty is not working. This is where I personally stand on the issue. The death penalty is a just punishment for a convicted individual, but the system in the United States is not functioning properly for it to be a means of punishment. As far as deterrence goes, Amnesty international states that â€Å"studies have consistently failed to find convincing evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than other punishments.† Roger Hood, an author that wrote The Death Penalty: A World-wide Perspective, Notes the UN’s research on the subject and states that â€Å" ‘Research has failed to provide scientific proof that executions have greater deterrent effect than life imprisonment and such proof is unlikely forthcoming. The evidence as a whole still gives no positive support to the deterrent hypothesis†¦.† Hood is strongly for the abolition of the death penalty. He explains that â€Å"abolition has harmful effects. In Canada, the homicide rate per 100,000 population fell from a peak of 3.09 in 1975, the year before the abolition of the death penalty for murder, to 2.41 in 1980, and since then it has remained relat... ...bolish the death penalty.† The cost issue is another standpoint opposing capital punishment. The fact that the capital punishment process has some major flaws is a good reason to think about whether or not America should incorporate it as a punishment. Sure, many people are for the idea if it, but there are too many legal issues and problems that are defeating the purpose if the death penalty. Richard Dieter, director of the Death Penalty Information Center, an anti-death penalty group, claims â€Å"that the zeal for capital punishment will eventually wane.† Once Americans realize that the capital punishment system is not perfectly functional, then change will occur. The bottleneck in the courts and jails across the country will be cleared, and the United States of America will be added to Amnesty International’s list of countries that have abolished the death penalty.

U.S. and Russian Relations After the Defeat of the USSR Essay -- essay

US and Russia relations after the defeat of the USSR: The end of Cold War brought new challenges to Russian life, economy and politics. Actually, the post-Cold War period opened the new opportunities for Russia. Democracy made its first steps in the country. After seventy years of communism Russian people finally got a chance to live how the want, to say what they want and to do what they want. People got a chance to choose their own leader, to vote for the Congress members. And it was very confusing for the country. Russia needed somebody to come out and help in this critical situation. Probably, the first country to do that was the United States. Russians "needed and wanted effective advise and technical help from the United States" (Pickering 102). And the most amazing thing was that the United States didn't mind and, actually, wanted to help Russia. But why? Why the United States wanted to help Russians? And I think the answer to that is very simple: the United States realized that America and Russia must not think of each other as natural enemies, but must work together to make more peaceful world, even if they were ready to destroy each other not that long ago. United States needed Russia as a strong partner in the twenty first century. Russia went through many changes in its economy since the Russian Federation took over the Soviet Union. "An economy devoted almost entirely to the production of military goods was forced to begin to provide what its citizens demanded, not what its rulers ordered" (Pickering 100). But it wasn't that easy. Russian government appeared to be unexperienced in modernizing the economy. Most of the people in government came from the school of the Soviet Union, so they were unable to do anything without somebody's help. "... the United States provided Russia with massive augments of experience, delivered through government and private sector advisors as well as by bringing Russians in large numbers to the US for training and exchanges" (Pickering 102). But the help of the US wasn't just a gift; America had something they got out of the help they were providing in building the Russian economy. All big American companies went to the Russian market. "American firms are convinced of Russia's extraordinary potential as the market for US trade and as a host for investments" (Pickering 102). ... ...ometimes media writes about the United States as the country that wants to ruin Russia. "Americans who operate exchange programs and conduct research in Russia are concerned about a report attributed to a government agency there that characterized such US-sponsored activities as espionage" (Desruisseaux A44). I don't think that this is what Russians think. That is the opinion of those who had a good life during Communism. "Many Russians realize that the efforts represented by this supposed report are efforts to weaken and cripple Russia, and cut it off from the rest of the world" (Desruisseaux, A44). And this is exactly what Russians think. And I don't believe all those rumors about the next Cold War in the next century. Russia and United States have to work together to make the next century more peaceful then this one. Works Cited Desruisseaux, Paul "Report in Russia accuses US-backed programs of espionage." Chronicle of Higher Education 24 Januay 1995: A44 Pickering, Thomas A. "US - Russia relations." Vital Speeches of the Day 1 December 1994: 100-103 Zorpette, Glenn "Down the drain." Scientific American December 1996: 20, 24

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Understanding Computer Networks Essay -- Research Papers

Understanding Computer Networks Each day, students and faculty at State University sit down in front of a PC or UNIX workstation and eagerly check their electronic mail, surf the World Wide Web, or run applications such as word processors and analysis packages. To most users, the magical wire which carries all of this information is nothing more than an electrical construct; two pair of wires twisted together and crimped at the end with phone connectors. Our world today is built on networking in every field from cable television to telephone systems, yet many engineers, old and young alike, have no idea what constructs enable them to communicate seamlessly across the globe. Computer technology is constantly evolving. Fifteen years ago, computers were connected via simple serial interfaces communicating at 9600 bits per second. Today, workstations pump out data at rates in excess of 100,000,000 bits per second, and the road to improvement seems endless. The networking industry is filled with jargon which make it difficult to understand. While the concept of networking is not difficult to grasp, it is often difficult to fully explain. This text will enable the reader to understand the basic hardware that allows a computer network to function. Computer networks consist of five major components. Two of these components are probably familiar to you: the workstation and the network server. When you sit down at a networked computer, the first thing you do is type in your name and a password. This process allows the computer to recognize you, and verify you are who you say you are by means of a password. When the login process is complete, you are connected to a network server; a device that simultaneously manages the disk space and... ...until it finds its final destination. And of course, traffic on the same floor wonÕt be forwarded by the router, since it was already sent to every port on that floor by the switch or repeater. Repeaters, switches, and routers form the basis of computer networks as we know them today. These devices provide connectivity which spans from the desktop to the global internet and back again. The networking industry is growing at an exponential rate, and there are constant challenges to make these devices faster, cheaper, and better. The knowledge presented here is just the tip of a gigantic iceberg with many opportunities for those interested, including opportunities in circuit design, network administration, systems consulting, and more. As networking grows to encompass every aspect of our lives, so will the value of people who know what networking is and how it works. Understanding Computer Networks Essay -- Research Papers Understanding Computer Networks Each day, students and faculty at State University sit down in front of a PC or UNIX workstation and eagerly check their electronic mail, surf the World Wide Web, or run applications such as word processors and analysis packages. To most users, the magical wire which carries all of this information is nothing more than an electrical construct; two pair of wires twisted together and crimped at the end with phone connectors. Our world today is built on networking in every field from cable television to telephone systems, yet many engineers, old and young alike, have no idea what constructs enable them to communicate seamlessly across the globe. Computer technology is constantly evolving. Fifteen years ago, computers were connected via simple serial interfaces communicating at 9600 bits per second. Today, workstations pump out data at rates in excess of 100,000,000 bits per second, and the road to improvement seems endless. The networking industry is filled with jargon which make it difficult to understand. While the concept of networking is not difficult to grasp, it is often difficult to fully explain. This text will enable the reader to understand the basic hardware that allows a computer network to function. Computer networks consist of five major components. Two of these components are probably familiar to you: the workstation and the network server. When you sit down at a networked computer, the first thing you do is type in your name and a password. This process allows the computer to recognize you, and verify you are who you say you are by means of a password. When the login process is complete, you are connected to a network server; a device that simultaneously manages the disk space and... ...until it finds its final destination. And of course, traffic on the same floor wonÕt be forwarded by the router, since it was already sent to every port on that floor by the switch or repeater. Repeaters, switches, and routers form the basis of computer networks as we know them today. These devices provide connectivity which spans from the desktop to the global internet and back again. The networking industry is growing at an exponential rate, and there are constant challenges to make these devices faster, cheaper, and better. The knowledge presented here is just the tip of a gigantic iceberg with many opportunities for those interested, including opportunities in circuit design, network administration, systems consulting, and more. As networking grows to encompass every aspect of our lives, so will the value of people who know what networking is and how it works.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Alfred Marshall

Alfred Marshall became one of the most influential economists of his time. His book, Principles of Political Economy (1890) brought together the theories of supply and demand, of marginal utility and of the costs of production into a coherent whole. It became the dominant economic textbook in England for a long period . Born in London, and educated at St John’s College, Cambridge, Marshall took the mathematics tripos.By 1868 he was college lecturer in moral sciences at St John’s College, with particular responsibility for teaching political economy. In 1885 he became professor at Cambridge University, retiring in 1908. Marshall was regarded as one of the founders of the neoclassical school in economics and the most influential figure in the marginalist tradition of British economics. He dominated economics at Cambridge University almost to his death with many disciples, including A. C. Pigou, the young J. M. Keynes, and D. H. Robertson.His major contributions related to the economics of the stationary state, welfare economics, and partial equilibrium analysis; although claims could be made on his behalf for much that became part of economics textbooks over generations, including innovations relating to utility theory, economies of scale, and supply curves. Marshall saw economics as concerned with those aspects of human behavior open to pecuniary influences and sufficiently regular and ubiquitous to permit statements of broad scope and some persistence.While maintaining that some heeded moral imperatives might be impervious to pecuniary considerations, he conceded that most behaviors lay within the ambit of the measuring rod of money. On the other hand, he emphasized that motivation was not merely a matter of pursuing pecuniary self interest, even broadly conceived to include interests of family and friends. He stressed the human desire for social approbation or distinction, and the pleasures of skilful activity. Marshall developed a number of econ omic theories that main of which are the following:Demand Theory Marshall’s treatment of the theory of demand is sketchy, concentrating on the demand for a single commodity, or commodity group, against a loosely defined background. One of the outcomes of his Demand Theory is that demand price and consumer surplus are proportional to the marginal utility and the utility benefit, respectively, the proportionality factor being the reciprocal of the individual's marginal utility of money. This result is fundamental for Marshall’s welfare analysis.The now-familiar concept of demand elasticity – propor ¬tional quantity change divided by proportional price change -was first defined by Marshall. Production and Long-Period Competitive Supply In deriving the long-period supply curve of a commodity, Marshall envisages production as organized by firms, typically family businesses. Each firm strives to minimize its production costs, substituting one productive factor or pr oduction method for another according to the Principle of Substitution.In its simpler forms this involves marginalist adjustment to bring relative marginal value products into line with relative marginal costs. But more generally, the Principle of Substitution is akin to a natural selection process, being â€Å"a special and limited application of the law of survival of the fittest† . Marshall’s firms do not have costless access to a common production function, but must grope and experiment their way to cost-reducing modifications. The long period supply curve is defined for a given state of general scientific and technical knowledge. But each firm must explore this to some extent anew.The conception of competition in Marshall’s manufacturing case is much closer to later ideas of imperfect or monopolistic competition than to modern notions of perfect competition. Products are differentiated and firms are not price takers. Even if the difficulties of rapidly buil ding up a firm’s internal organization can be overcome, the resulting enlarged output can not be sold at a price covering cost – even granted substantial scale economies in production – without going through the slow process of building up a clientele and shifting the firm's particular demand curve.The time this takes is assumed to be considerable relative to the duration of the firm's initial vitality. But in some cases the difficulties of rapid expansion may be overcome. They may not have been very severe, as when different firms' products are highly substitut ¬able, or the firm's founder may have unusual genius. In such cases the industry will pass into a monopoly or be dominated by a few, strategically-interacting firms, or ‘conditional monopolies’ as Marshall termed them . Price Determination and Period AnalysisThe long-period supply curve for any good indicates for each market quantity the least price at which that quantity will continue ind efinitely to be supplied. The equilibrium price and quantity (long period) are determined by the intersection of this supply curve with the negatively sloped market demand curve, indicating the highest uniform price at which any total quantity can be sold. In an agricultural case, equilibrium will be unique as the supply curve slopes positively. But in a manufacturing case, the supply curve, as well as the demand curve, will have negative slope, so that multiple equilibrium can occur.Equilibrium is adjudged locally stable if demand price is above (below) supply price at a quantity just below (above) the equilibrium quantity. The intuitive justification for this is that the actual price of any available quantity is determined by the demand price, while quantity produced tends to increase whenever an excess of market price over supply price promises high profits, while it tends to decrease in the opposite case. Period analysis is Marshall’s most explicit and self-conscious appl ication of the comparative-static, partial-equilibrium method with which his name will always be associated.As he observed, the most important among the many uses of this method is to classify forces with reference to the time which they require for their work; and to impound in Ceteris Paribus those forces which are of minor importance relatively to the particular time we have in view Normal Value and Normal Profit Normal value is defined as the value which would result â€Å"if the economic conditions under view had time to work out undisturbed their full effect† . It is contrasted with market value, which is â€Å"the actual value at any time† .Normal value is hypothetical, its role being to indicate underlying tendencies. The normal value of a commodity may approximate its average value over periods sufficiently long for the â€Å"fitful and irregular causes† , which dominate market value to cancel out, but this should not be presupposed automatically outsid e a hypothetical stationary state. Profit was viewed by Marshall as the residual income accruing to a firm’s owner, a return to the investment of his own capital and to the pains he suffers in exercising his â€Å"business power† in planning, supervision and control.Normal profit is essentially an opportunity cost, the minimum return necessary to secure the owner’s inputs to their current use, or rather to accomplish this for an owner of normal ability. Marshall presumes that there is a large and elastic supply of versatile actual or potential owner managers of normal ability. In long-period equilibrium each of these must just receive the same normal rates of return on his investment and exercise of business power whatever his line of business. The brief survey of economic theories constructed by Alfred Marshall provides the grounds to maintain that the main field of his activity was macroeconomics.His theories include most of Ten Principles of Economics. Specif ically such principles as ‘People face tradeoffs’ and ‘The cost of something is what you give up to get it’ and ‘Rational people think at the margin’ are considered in his Demand Theory, while principles ‘Markets are usually a good way to organize economic activity’ and ‘Governments can sometimes improve market outcomes’ are considered in interrelated markets and distribution theory; and finally the principle ‘Prices rise when the government prints too much money’ is included in his monetary theory.BibliographyMarshall, A. (1893) On Rent. In C. W. Guillebaud, A. Marshall (1961), Principles of Economics. Vol. II , 492 -512.Marshall, A. (1890) The Principles of Economics, Retrieved on Feb. 19, 2007 from http://www. ecn. bris. ac. uk/het/marshall/prin/.Medema, Steven G. , Samuels, Warren J. (Eds. ). (2003) The History of Economic Thought: A Reader. New York: Routledge.O’Brien, D. P. (1981) A. Marshall. In D. P. O’Brien and J. R. Presley (Eds. ), Pioneers of Modern Economics in Britain (36-71). London: Macmillan.Robertson, H. M. (1970) Alfred Marshall’s aims and methods illus ¬trated from his treatment of distribution. History of Political Economy, 2 (1), 1-65.Whitaker, J. K. (1986) The continuing relevance of Alfred Marshall. In R. D. C. Black (Ed. ) Ideas in Economies, London: Macmillan.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Log Mgmt

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

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Ethics and Governance Essay

With reference to the Oxford English Dictionary (2012), ethics is described as the science of morals. It is also the agency of study with regards to the values of moral obligations of what is right or wrong. It also covers human behaviour. A company makes many decisions in a course of one day. It may include, launching new products, doing Public Relations, making sales, rewriting company policies and the recruitment or retrenchment of people, just to name a few. All business aims to do so ethically. To conduct business ethically, a business must first commit to adhering to laws and regulation (Timms, 2009). These are clearly defined, as they are in black and white. However, once the definition of what is ethical becomes contested, ethical dilemmas will arise. An ethical dilemma occurs when there is a situation which all alternate choices and behaviours have been deemed undesirable, and that there may be potential ethical consequences when one is unable to identify the right from the wrong. An example of an ethical dilemma is of follows, where one faces a conflict between his ethical code and his business aims. Cadbury, the chocolate producer, was offered a contract by Queen Victoria to send decorative tins of chocolates to every single one of her soldiers in the Anglo-Boer war in South Africa (Andrews, 1989). However, since he was against the war, which resulted in him deciding to resolve this conflict by completing the order without profit. According to Sir Adrian Cadbury (1987), his grandfather â€Å"made no profit out of what he saw as an unjust war. The additional work benefitted his employees, the royal presents consisting of tins of chocolates were sent to the soldiers, and it was a win-win situation. In a business, there are 3 levels of ethics: the ethics of the governing body, workplace ethics and individual ethics (Trevina & Nelson, 2011). A governing body usually is made up of a board of directors, whose aim in the company is to make good corporate practices easier and more available for employees. They too must drive and motivate employees to strive for good performance, conformance and results. Workplace ethics are important, as it ensures a conducive and supportive environment to work in. There must be equal treatment among and within subgroups, open communication between levels, and information must be transparent and readily available. Individual ethics is affected by four complementary elements. Individuals must be able to identify ethical issues; recognise the values and priorities through their grasping of principles, rules, norms and theories; developing their individual sets of reasoning and perception; and improving the strength of one to act upon such decisions (Trevina & Nelson, 2011). Before a difficult decision is made, the shareholder or the manager has to think a problem though. One way to do so is using Kidder’s Ethical Checkpoints (2006). He has 9 checkpoints which he feels will lead to an ethical decision being made. First, the manager needs to recognise that there is a moral issue. After determining the actor, he has to gather the relevant facts. Next, he tests for right-versus-wrong issues as well as paradigms. After applying resolution principles, he has to look for a third way before making the decision. After the decision is made, he has to revisit and reflect on the decision. After much research, I feel that Utilitarian approach is the most useful in guiding company decisions. I will explain why below. A decision is only ethical, according to the utilitarian principle, if it has the greatest net utility as compared to any other alternatives. As a decision maker, he must evaluate and weigh every option present to him. He must determine if there any positive or negative utilities arising from the option, before selecting the option that has the greatest net utility (Fuitzsche, 2005). It is very similar to the cost-benefit analysis used by stakeholders to consider the costs and benefits of a potential business decision. According to someone applying the utilitarian principle, a decision is only ethical if it has the greatest net utility and benefits the most people. An example of the utilitarian approach is when, during office hours, a company monitors their employee’s habits like tobacco consumption, as one man’s actions can affect the entire workplace. A prominent example is in Singapore, where there is the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act. This act aims to protect the public from the hazardous effects of second-hand smoke. (Smoking Prohibitions, 2012) By making sure that employees do not smoke around the office, there would potentially be less health problems, so lesser sick employees which mean improved productivity and greater yields. There are two types of utilitarianism, act and rule. Act utilitarianism targets problems in the short run while rule utilitarianism targets problems in the long run. While act utilitarianism looks at the total aftermath of a single act, rule utilitarianism looks at the repercussion over a series of acts (Fuitzsche, 2005). For example, bribing is frowned upon. An example of bribing occurred in NES China in 1998. NES’s government affairs co-ordinator proposed giving gifts to government officials to establish a working relationship to help get its application approved. The other members were horrified, as this was considered bribery and a criminal offence in their country (Joerg & Xin, 2009). Under act utilitarianism, if bribing means that the company will get the business contract, thus allowing the employees to keep their jobs, it is ethical. However, under rule utilitarianism, this is not the case. Bribing, thou it will work in the short run by generating business, however, in the long run, potential customers will question if you got the job through bribing or because of your superior products you are selling. Therefore bribing does not provide the greatest utility (Fuitzsche, 2005). However, the utilitarian approach does have several limitations. Therefore other ethical theories have to be used together with the utilitarian approach in making company decisions. Firstly, there will be some people who will be at a disadvantage. A decision, according to the utilitarian principle, is only ethical if it has the greatest net utility. However, increasing net utility sometimes causes serious issues and affects people negatively. One notable historic example was the construction of the Great Wall of China (Construction of the Great Wall of China, 2006). Three hundred thousand prisoners and peasants were reportedly conscripted to help construct the great wall. It is said that ‘for every block laid down, one labourer lost his life.’ In terms of utilitarianism, a significant positive net utility was creates, as the great wall restricted the nomads and protected China. The Chinese citizens were safe for many years to come, at the expense of these three hundred thousand prisoners. Secondly, it is challenging estimating the results or effects of a business decision made. Also, a unit of currency gives more benefits to a poor person than to a rich person (Fuitzsche, 2005). In April 2012, all national servicemen in Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Civil Defence Force and Singapore Police Force received a $60 p ay raise (Chua, 2012). A Recruit, who once earned $420, now earns $480, while a Lieutenant, who once earned $1120, now earns $1180. This increment would mean more to a recruit, who had a 12% pay increment, as compared to the Lieutenant, who had a 5% pay increment. It shows that it provides more utility to the poorer recruit. Therefore calculating if a decision maximises utility is difficult. Thirdly, not only are the consequences of a decision made hard to foresee, some decisions have consequences which are not easily or unable to be measured. In August, Apple manufacturer Foxconn improved on the working condition of its factory in China, such as introducing more breaks, lowering overtime, doubling wages and having better maintenance of safety equipment. (Rushe, 2012) Louis Woo, special assistant to the chief executive of Foxconn also released a statement, lamenting that reduction of overtime meant that they ‘needed to hire more people and implement more automation, more investment on robotic enginee ring’ (Yip, 2012). These costs to the company are easy to determine. However, the gains in utility from these implementations are difficult to tell. Would productivity increase? Will employees be more loyal? Will turnover rate be significantly lesser? Consequences like these are hard to measure. Lastly, utility gained from these business transactions mean different things to different people (Fuitzsche, 2005). Some managers gain utility from maximising their employee’s happiness. Some managers calculate utility as one which will increase their material wealth. Below I will compare utilitarian ethical theory with egoism and moral rights approach, to show that while utilitarianism has it flaws, it is still the more useful ethical theory. The utilitarian and egoism ethical theories are rather similar. Decisions made using egoism ethical theory will often provide the most favourable outcome to oneself, no matter how others around are affected (Fuitzsche, 2005). The other parties may not be harmed or disadvantages, but to the decision maker, it is of no concern. The decision maker using egoism thinks about how the proposition would involve him (Collins, 2009). If the proposition adds onto his interest, it is right. If it does not, it is wrong. However, the decision maker using utilitarianism thinks about how the preposition involves everyone affected by it. If the preposition done is advantageous to the most number of people, it is right. If it is harmful to the most number, it is wrong. Egoism is very similar to the philosophy of Adam Smith (1790). Egoism according to Smith is an excellent market allocating tool, which benefits society if one cares for their interests in the long run. Egoism usually views things in the short run, which is similar to act utilitarianism, which evaluates what happens in that one incident. However, while utilitarian considerers the total positive net utility, egoism only considers the decision maker’s se lf-interest. Thus decisions made using egoism would be deemed as unethical. The rights a principle gives you assured moral or human rights because you are a human being. The moral rights approach stresses that human beings have essential rights and power of choice that cannot be taken away by an individual’s action. Gerald Cavanagh (1990) explains six rights that he affirms are basic to business work. They include life & safety, honesty, privacy, freedom of conscience, freedom of speech and lastly private property. One example is regarding Firestone and their tires. In America, 1978, the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) began investigating the relation between Firestone’s Wilderness AT tires on Ford’s explore sport utility vehicle. The problem of Firestone’s tire separation was known internally at Firestone and by the automobile manufacturers; however, instead of recalling the tires, they kept it in the market, resulting in 150 preventable deaths and 500 injuries (Henn, 2009). As facts leaked out that were damaging to both companies, they became more aggressive in its defence. Firestone appeared to have violated several human rights. The firm knew that the tyres would create a hazard to humans. And by refusing to recall its products, it violated the right to truthfulness when the truth was extremely important. Even after the whole incident was resolved, public trust in Ford wavered. According to Henn (2009), a position of trust with the public that took many years and millions of dollars to build was severely damaged. According to the utilitarianism theory, an ethical decision is one that produces the most amounts of advantages to the majority of people (Trevina & Nelson, 2011). However, according to the moral rights approach, an ethical decision is one that does not breach on the rights of another. The utilitarian approach is best for countries with high collectivism while moral rights approach is best for countries with high individualism. According to Hofstede (2007), most Asian countries scored below average on Individualism. Singapore is no different, so the utilitarian approach is more applicable in companies here. According to Johnson (2007), there is the five ‘I’ format with regards to making decisions. A problem must first be ‘identified’, before it can be ‘investigated’. Next, one has to be ‘innovative’ in coming out with many solutions. After this, a solution has to be ‘isolated’ and then ‘implemented’. Making an ethical decision is easier when one applies an ethical theory. A decision made using the utilitarian theory is ethical if it provides the greatest net utility, and produces the greatest benefit for the largest amount of people. Rules developed under utilitarianism can become a moral code to be used throughout the company. Thou it has its limitations, as it is difficult to measure utility, or figure out the consequences of a decision, and that it might not benefit everyone, but it is still better as compared to egoism or moral rights approach. Utilitarian is the most useful theory in guiding company decisions, and when used together with moral rights and egoism, it shows what it means to be ethical.