Maintaining Computer Systems Essay

Polices are something that are needed in the work place because they make sure that all the information that is collected is both safe and secure but also making sure that the information isn’t leaked outside the company. The information that can be leaked from a company is ranged from personal information of the employees that work there or something that will allow the company to lose many millions of pounds, if this happens, the company could be forced into legal proceedings to protect its own interests. As well as attempting to steal the leaked information, the information could also be used for reasons such as discriminating, harassing against or earning a profit against them and the information. All the different examples can be related back to the Data Protection Act (1998), Computer Misuse Act (1990) and the Copyright Design and Patents Act (1988) this is the protection of any material created meaning that it can‘t be copied by anyone without permission, this act also gives the creator the freedom to take someone to court if they feel their product has been used in a way they have no permission too. Without certain acts being put into place someone could easily take the information from one person and pretend to be them in a different place, either on the internet or within the work place. Repercussions could mean the user loses their job or money because it would look like they would be doing things they shouldn’t be. Issues There are many different issues that organisations will have to deal with somewhere down the line such as data going missing or the theft or breakages of systems, the company will have different procedures that would need to be put into the place before the problems arise so they can be prepared and can act quickly, this would be to avoid losing hours of work. Health and Safety As everything else that is put into the workplace, a fully working and up-to-date health and safety legislation is needed to be put into place. This is to allow the workers to feel completely safe within the work environment and examples include CCTV cameras and fire alarms and equipment, these are checked regularly to make sure they are fully operational. The health and safety policy is put in place to also protect the business because if a worker is found to have hurt themselves but the company would be seem to not be at fault because of the policy being put in place. There are other forms of health and safety that workers would need to be aware of when working such as electrocution when using the system, trapping parts of themselves within the computer system (for example, trapping a finger within a part of the computer such as the fan,) fire and static shocks. Some of these can be stopped by the user such as waiting for the computer to be off before attempting to change or fix any parts and therefore reducing the chance of being electrocuted and leaving no chance of being a finger trapped within the computer system, but sometimes there are things that would be out of the individual’s control such as fires but when this type of problem arises, that’s when it would be up to the company to fix and sort out, rather than the individual. The precautions that can be taken by the individual can include taking fire safety training courses; this allows the user to be ready for any emergency that could come up and would save the company vast amounts of money. Other precautions that can be completed by the individual can include wearing a band that stops electrics shocks to the user, these can help to company not lose any hours that could be spent working but it can also make a worker seem highly needed and important to the team, therefore these small changes can be good on both scales.

Popular Approaches to Educational Planning in Developing Countries Essay

Educational planning is a worldwide practice found in both developing and developed countries. The developing countries and indeed all countries have placed a premium on education because of the persistent belief that formal education holds the key to national development and economic growth. In the light of this, the modern conception of educational planning has attracted specialists from many disciplines with each of them tending to see educational planning differently. In view of this attraction, the traditional approach to educational planning could no longer hold sway. In an attempt to find a most suitable approach to educational planning, different models have been developed by scholars. These include the social demand approach, the manpower approach, the cost-benefit approach and other remerging models. The choice of model to adopt is usually predicated on the peculiarities and other prevailing factors in a country. Generally however, scholars have tried to classify approaches to educational planning based on the level of development of a country. And this probably explains why some are called developing countries and others are developed countries. A thorough understanding of these approaches however requires some background information or knowledge. In doing, this we shall adopt the definition of the concept of educational planning as provided by Coombs (1970), identify key planning questions, trace the history of modern approaches to educational planning, and bring out most important planning issues in developing countries with example and illustrations. Educational Planning Because of the ubiquitous nature of education and educational planning, several scholars have offered different definitions. For example, Coombs (1970) in a UNESCO Publication titled â€Å"What is Educational Planning â€Å". says that: â€Å"Educational Planning, in its broadest generic sense, is the application of rational systematic analysis to the process of educational development with the aim of making education more effective and efficient in responding to the needs and goals of its students and society â€Å". Arising from this concept of educational planning are a succession of interdependent actions namely: i. Clarification of educational objectives  ii. Diagnosis of present conditions and recent trends iii. Identification and assessment of alternatives iv. Translation of plans into action and v. Evaluation and adjustment. This analytical process to educational planning entails preparing and subsequently evaluating a set of decisions or future actions aimed at achieving specific set of goals. Educational planning therefore is a fundamentally technical activity related to decision making process. Its purpose in the context of national educational programme and overall developmental objectives is to assess the implications of alternative sets of policy and thereby help decision makers choose that set which is most appropriate to the specified objectives. Events in the recent years have witnessed an increasing emphasis on the need to design educational policy in relation to overall set of objectives for economic and social development. Thus in addition to being a fundamental end in itself, education is now also viewed as an important means or instrument for increasing a nation’s economic and social welfare. This relationship makes it necessary to consider a variety of factors that previously may ha ve appeared irrelevant. The most important of this is to evaluate whether the size of structure of the educational system is appropriate from the perspective of national development objectives – or conversely to determine the educational capacity that will be required to permit a nation to reach its development targets. The second important characteristic of a new interest in educational planning is that it has focused attention on the structural interdependence and efficiency of the educational system. History of Modern Educational Planning A background history of the modern educational planning will greatly enhance our understanding of the emergence of the different approaches to educational planning in the developed and the developing countries. Prior to the Second World War (1939 – 1945), educational system everywhere was simple, less complex in structure and content, smaller in size and less intricately tied to the total life of nations. The only exception is probably the Soviet Union which in 1923 made an attempt to use educational planning to help realise a ‘new society’ through what is commonly referred to as the First Five Year Plan of the young Soviet Union. Before the war, the typical kind of educational planning had the following features a. It was short range in outlook (i.e. plan period was short, usually a year, rarely spreading beyond) b. It was fragmentary in its coverage of the educational system, the parts of the system were planned independently of one another. c. It was non-integrated in the sense that educational institutions were planned autonomously without explicit ties to the evolving needs and trends of the society and the economy at large; and d. It was non-dynamic kind of plannin g which assumed an essentially static educational model that would retain its main features intact year in and year out. However shortly after the world war (especially from 1945 to 1970), educational system and their environment all over the world were subjected to a barrage of scientific and technological, economical, demographic, political and cultural changes that shook everything in sight. The next twenty five years subsequently took Europe (industrialised nations) through four phases of development namely: i. The reconstruction phase  ii. The manpower shortage phase iii. Rampant expansion phase and iv. The innovation phase. Europe and indeed the entire world including the developing countries emerged from the Second World War with their educational system seriously disrupted and facing a heavy backlog of educational needs. Nations everywhere quickly settled for reconstruction and in the process it soon became evident that the conventional pre-war educational planning would not suffice for these reconstruction tasks. This arose because the recovery process was fast (partly on account of Marshall Plan assistance from the United States) and by the early 1950s these rebuilt economies had fully absorbed the available supply of skilled human resources; hence, manpower bottlenecks began to loom as the major obstacle to further growth. This led western economies to become more power minded and to look at educational planning through new eyes. No longer was education seen merely as a non-productive sector of the economy which absorbed consumption expenditure. It was now viewed as an essential ‘investment expenditure’ for economic growth. But as obviously important as manpower needs were finally conceded to be, they paled before another force that soon began to dominate the educational scene and gives sleepless nights to the political authorities and educational planners throughout Europe and North America. This other force was the explosive increase in popular demand for education which led to the rampant expansion phase. Virtually everywhere, the dominant thrust of strategy was to expand the pre-war educational needs as rapidly as possible – curriculum, methods, examinations and all with a view to accommodating a larger number and proportion of the youth population. These eruptions forced the educational system of industrialised nations into yet a fourth post-war phase called the innovation phase. This phase prompted the formulation and adoption of new planning concepts and tools which are now in use and taking shape. Educational Planning in Developing Countries Much of what was said above applies with even greater force to developing countries shortly after the European experience. There educational needs were even larger and more urgent but their educational systems unfortunately were less relevant and less adequate to their needs. It will be recalled that most of the developing nations of Africa were colonies during this period and were gradually fighting for political independence. During this period, the missionaries that introduced western type of education were not focused on rapid expansion of education. The colonial masters too had other pre-occupation. Formal western education was therefore at low ebb. At the same time, the armies and the soldiers including a few educated nationals of these countries have had exposure to Europe and North America and were therefore fairly acquainted with educational system in Europe and North America. Given this background, and starting from the 1950s, the developing countries responded similarly to their new circumstances with an educational strategy of linear expansion. Support was also received from global organisations like United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), International Institute of Educational Planning in this direction. At a series of UNESCO conferences early in the 1960s education ministers of Asia, Africa and Latin America set ambitious regional targets for educational expansion in their respective regions. These targets were widely adopted by individual nations. They called for 100% percent participation in primary education by the end of the target period and sharply increase participation in secondary and higher education. This expansion strategy manifests the adoption of the social demand approach to educational planning in some of the developing countries. A good example of this is the free education policy adopted by the Western and Eastern regions of Nigeria in the 1950s. Same goes for Nkrumah’s Ghana which introduced education for all policy in 1952. We shall examine this in greater detail later. In the view of Coombs (1970) the case for a manpower approach was particularly strong in developing nations because their overall development was conspicuously handicapped by shortages of all kinds of specialised or skilled manpower. Thus, it made sense to give initial priority to educating the most needed types of manpower for economic growth, for without such growth the desired long run expansion in education and other major social objectives would simply not be possible. Unfortunately, the developing countries were not equipped to do the kind of educational and manpower planning that the situation required and worse still, the rest of the world could not do much for them because the global supply of basic knowledge and experts for this kind of planning was acutely scarce. It is noteworthy however that UNESCO and other agencies played active and supportive role to assist.

Social Media in the Workplace

Tony Green Comp II Essay 3 Social Media in the Workplace A growing hot topic, and cause for concern is the increasing use of social media in the workplace. The landscape for communication has changed, and the line between personal and professional communications has been blurred. How will your employer manage the risks associated with the use of social media and at the same time, gain the benefits that this media form provides? While many employers were initially concerned that employees would use company time and equipment for socializing with friends, they are quickly learning that many social networks can also be used directly for work purposes. In today's competitive workplace, emerging professionals should spend as much time using online tools for professional knowledge and development, as they do developing their social life and personal interests. Supervisors are learning that social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Skype, blogs, wikis, text messaging or discussion groups can be used to engage other employees in discussions, and cultivate conversations between teams across geographic, and other boundaries. Speaking to business partners ashore and abound has never been easier, and can be accomplished today with the click of a button. Social media can also be a profitable sales and marketing tool. Through social media, business professionals now have the ability to advertise, promote, and publicize their products and services without ever having to leave their homes. There is no other low-cost promotional method out there that will easily give you large numbers of visitors, some of whom may come back to your website again and again. In fact, the benefits in most cases exceed the cost. It would take you thousands of dollars to buy several links; social media has the ability to give you that for free. Social Media doesn’t, â€Å"Guarantee† that you will make money. Every site or business that wants to expand and become profitable, needs a core group of supporters who will be willing to make purchases or recommend the site to others. Your site needs to perpetuate itself. The more supporters you have, the faster word spreads about your site. Social media marketing is an excellent way to get people to come into your site to take a look at what you have to offer. You will grow when there are a group of loyal visitors ready to always act upon what you have to offer. Accompanying all actions, there are equal, and opposite reactions. Just as there are many benefits of social media in the workplace, there are many not-so-beneficial attributes associated with allowing social networking in your workplace. Time management is obviously the most important issue for all of us with always-on technologies of communication. Today we can record conversations, take pictures, check email, and visit networking sites through our own telephones. Extended smoke breaks are no longer in the picture when compared to the amount of time employees are using during work to reconnect with friends and family. When that technology is used to view, collect or disseminate inappropriate content, again employers have cause for concern. Use of workplace computers to access and distribute pornography, for example, frequently results in discipline and workplace harassment complaints. In some cases it can even result in serious criminal investigations. Social Media is growing upward, fast! If you can’t keep up with it, at the very least keep track of it. Most importantly, usage of social media in the workplace must be regulated. Guidelines must be set, and signed verifications must be documented. This media frenzy can be your best business partner, or your worst piece of evidence against you. Which side do you want to be on? Social Media in the Workplace Tony Green Comp II Essay 3 Social Media in the Workplace A growing hot topic, and cause for concern is the increasing use of social media in the workplace. The landscape for communication has changed, and the line between personal and professional communications has been blurred. How will your employer manage the risks associated with the use of social media and at the same time, gain the benefits that this media form provides? While many employers were initially concerned that employees would use company time and equipment for socializing with friends, they are quickly learning that many social networks can also be used directly for work purposes. In today's competitive workplace, emerging professionals should spend as much time using online tools for professional knowledge and development, as they do developing their social life and personal interests. Supervisors are learning that social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Skype, blogs, wikis, text messaging or discussion groups can be used to engage other employees in discussions, and cultivate conversations between teams across geographic, and other boundaries. Speaking to business partners ashore and abound has never been easier, and can be accomplished today with the click of a button. Social media can also be a profitable sales and marketing tool. Through social media, business professionals now have the ability to advertise, promote, and publicize their products and services without ever having to leave their homes. There is no other low-cost promotional method out there that will easily give you large numbers of visitors, some of whom may come back to your website again and again. In fact, the benefits in most cases exceed the cost. It would take you thousands of dollars to buy several links; social media has the ability to give you that for free. Social Media doesn’t, â€Å"Guarantee† that you will make money. Every site or business that wants to expand and become profitable, needs a core group of supporters who will be willing to make purchases or recommend the site to others. Your site needs to perpetuate itself. The more supporters you have, the faster word spreads about your site. Social media marketing is an excellent way to get people to come into your site to take a look at what you have to offer. You will grow when there are a group of loyal visitors ready to always act upon what you have to offer. Accompanying all actions, there are equal, and opposite reactions. Just as there are many benefits of social media in the workplace, there are many not-so-beneficial attributes associated with allowing social networking in your workplace. Time management is obviously the most important issue for all of us with always-on technologies of communication. Today we can record conversations, take pictures, check email, and visit networking sites through our own telephones. Extended smoke breaks are no longer in the picture when compared to the amount of time employees are using during work to reconnect with friends and family. When that technology is used to view, collect or disseminate inappropriate content, again employers have cause for concern. Use of workplace computers to access and distribute pornography, for example, frequently results in discipline and workplace harassment complaints. In some cases it can even result in serious criminal investigations. Social Media is growing upward, fast! If you can’t keep up with it, at the very least keep track of it. Most importantly, usage of social media in the workplace must be regulated. Guidelines must be set, and signed verifications must be documented. This media frenzy can be your best business partner, or your worst piece of evidence against you. Which side do you want to be on?

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 67

Marketing - Essay Example e prices are also a little higher than normal to compensate for the experience that the average customer gets from spending time drinking coffee it one of Beano’s cafà ©s. Beano’s Cafà © has decided to offer better quality coffee than local varieties so as to attract domestic customers. Because local tea, Kahwa, and shisha are the preferred beverage of choice among the locals, Beano’s Cafà © has to offer products that appeal to Egyptian tastes. Also, customer service is something that sets Beano’s Cafà © apart from its competitors because customers prefer to go to Beano’s Cafà © even though the quality of coffee may not be as great as its rivals. To combat international chains entering the Egyptian market, Beano’s Cafà © is offering new, modern European flavors to retain its competitive advantage over these new market entrants. Beano’s Cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s primary focus is on coffee, but it also focuses on other products that are compliments of coffee, such as sandwiches, hot meals, and desserts. It is very rare for a customer just to purchase a coffee and not have anything else with it. Because the purpose is for customers to spend time in store, they will need to eat something also. Also when managers decides what product to introduce to market they need to consider (Product attributes, Branding, Product Packaging and product support) From the case describe each of the above with some examples? A manager needs to choose a product that has attributes that appeal to the target market. If the target consumer is an old person, then the product needs to appeal to those elderly people. For branding and product packaging, this needs to attract new customers, preferably young people. Product support can be done through Facebook and Twitter because most teenagers and young adults use these sites every day. One segment of the market that Beano’s Cafà © has yet to really capture is young families with children. Many of Beano’s Cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s competitors already realize how

What is the connection between Renaissance Humanism and the Protestant Essay

What is the connection between Renaissance Humanism and the Protestant Reformation - Essay Example Martin Luther, who was a staunch reformist, was certainly for this belief, but for him and other reformists, these ideals gave rise to political considerations. As a result of this, the aspects of renaissance humanism that had been incorporated in the protestant reformation, were fossilized with time. Then later Renaissance humanism, led to new advances in thought, but protestant reformation, was static to a large extent. This was in a clear reason to maintain a strong opposition to the Catholics in Rome. (McGrath, 1987. Pg 107) A good example of a protestant belief that is taken from the Renaissance humanism and later was fossilized is the protestant rejection of the deuterocanonical books that is; Sirach, Baruch, wisdom, Judith, etc. this are the extra books in the catholic bible. (McGrath, 1985. Pg 81) Again the Renaissance humanism had started in the early 100 hundred years. This was before the protestant reformation. The renaissance humanism had influenced churchmen and the whole society at large. When Reformation began, there were many members of the Cardinals College who had already been in the Renaissance humanism and were pushing for change in the Catholic Church in Rome. These were the likes of Cardinal Cajetan, who had opposed Martin Luther at the Diet of Augsburg. Therefore, when reformation started, it was quickly absorbed by the European rulers. These Rulers cynically endorsed reformation for political purposes. (Lucas 1986. Pg

Role of the Media in American Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Role of the Media in American Politics - Essay Example The media plays a pivotal role in America’s political system. Since the creation of the constitution, the media has exercised freedoms of speech and rights of association extensively. This practice lured domestic and foreign interests because of the immense influence it held on the people. Industrialists and corporate heads made use of early modes of communication to advertise their products and services. This trend continued for two centuries as technologies used by the media spread and became easier for the people to own and equally easy for media heads to control. The democratic aspect of the media began changing radically during the twentieth century as the role of the media during both World Wars and the Cold War revealed its almost omnipotent characteristic. Today, political figures can openly alter the content a media house broadcasts in their own favor. Likewise for corporations that own the same media houses. This trend has led scholars and investigative researchers t o question the democratic nature of the media in United States’ political system. The following paper explores and critically analyzes these academics’ works to provide a deeper insight into the democratic deficit or anti-democratic nature of the media in modern American politics. Since 2000, transnational media groups have surfaced and developed together with other global corporations. While there have been media houses essentially prior to the 1990s, a worldwide commercial media market surfaced during the early 2000s (Engesser 274).

The Great War What were the war aims OR military strategies of the Essay

The Great War What were the war aims OR military strategies of the various belligerents in World War I How was the Great War the first truly global conflict - Essay Example Reflecting on what happened during the Russo-Japanese War, Block felt that this new, technological sort of war would destroy Europe. 1 A new belief circulated amongst European General Staffs that contingency plans needed to be made allowing them to win any future war they might come upon. The main problem that followed from this, however, was the fact that they did not understand the concept of modern war, and thus the plans they put together actually resulted in a catastrophic war of attrition. Four reasons actually caused this catastrophe. The first issue was the fact that industrialization resulted in weapons and equipment being made on a large scale. Next, there was a huge population growth which allowed for the manpower necessary to create the large armies necessary to fight the war. Third, reserves became a popular concept, and this allowed the armies to grow quickly. Last, the creation of large railroad networks allowed for armies to be supplied in the trenches. The combination of these four concepts would alter the face of war forever, and this resulted in a near death struggle by the end of 1914 that neith er country wanted nor expected. Furthermore, none of the European rulers could discover a way to end the terrible war or justify the large amount of men lost to it during the first months of war. Most of them, instead, focused on the next campaign, believing that it would finally win the war-and of course, it never did.2 Each side involved in the war had several issues it needed to face. These issues included figuring out how to mobilize the necessary items in order to actually but together a successful industrial war without completely destroying society as a whole. History indicated that a short, decisive war would be best (the only recent war standing out that stood out in contrast to this at the time was the American Civil War, which at this time was largely ignored as a usual war). The most recent wars, which has included the Russo-Japanese War and the Italian Unification Wars made many believe that modern wars could be quick, fast business forcibly decided by a few short battles. So, there was an overall feeling present in Europe that the European military establishments could win quickly. 3 However, they would be wrong, and they could not have necessarily guessed or understood that they would be. Obviously, they were searching for an answer and looking at things from optimistic perspectives, although they did not necessarily realize this at the time. They are not to blame, because even today, modern historians have problems understanding this war. If one, for example, decides to take a close look at memoirs and study each campaign, the picture simply becomes more and more complex. The only way one can truly understand this war is by taking a close look at military demography, economic systems, labor controls, and transportation theory. One can only understand the Great War by taking a close look via a material assessment in order to lift away obscurity. Therefore, one needs to conclude that three material factors led to the outcome of the war, and these two items include economic mobilization, human and resource mobilization. With this concept in mind, one can understa nd how each coalition developed its strategies to win the Great War. The outcomes of the Great War were serious indeed; the excessive force of economic

Critically assess the relevance of Marxist theory to the study of Essay

Critically assess the relevance of Marxist theory to the study of media texts - Essay Example Moore looks into the presidency of George W. Bush and analyzes the future of the country in the light of his policies and actions. Moore alleges that Bush family had long-term business relationship with the Saudi royalty and the family of bin Ladens. Bush and his inner circle avoided pursuing the Saudi connection to 9/11, despite the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis and Saudi money had allegedly funded Al Qaeda (Fahrenheit 9/11). Fahrenheit 9/11 shows how a nation is kept in constant fear by FBI alerts and ultimately lulled into accepting the USA Patriot Act, that according to the film infringes on basic civil rights further adding that it is in this atmosphere of "confusion, suspicion and dread" that the Bush Administration "invades" Iraq. Fahrenheit 9/11 shows clips of the war to highlight the US casualties and the human cost to individual soldiers and their families thus invoking anti-state feelings within the armed forces. The core narrative of Fahrenheit 9/11 paraphrased from various reviews on the film: the Bush administration seize... ure the world's second largest reservoir of oil-all on the dubious grounds that Saddam Hussein was behind Al Qaeda's attack on World Trade Centre and his regime which possessed weapons of mass destruction posed a serious threat to the security of the United States and its Western allies. Fahrenheit 9/11 has been one of the most controversial and provocative documentary films since 2004 when it was released in the United States and worldwide. It seems to have borrowed the title and inspiration from Ray Bradbury's fiction novel "Fehrenheir 451" published in 1953. The thrust of the novel is towards highlighting the major concerns of the 1950s such as McCarthyite witch-hunt against communists , burning of books in Nazi Germany; Soviet leader Stalin's suppression of writers and books and the horrifying consequences of a nuclear weapon on the fictional town of Phoenix. Fahrenheit 451 belongs to George Orwell's "Big Brother" genre which is not exactly a Marxist comment on the society but a reflection of Western liberal thought. One may argue that Bush comes out in the film as the main protagonist, however, in its over all impact the film, wittingly or unwittingly, shuns narrative structure of story-telling that is the hallmark of the Hollywood style of film-making. Vertov and his colleagues believed both in the absolute ability of the cinema apparatus to reproduce reality as it actually appears and in the necessity of editing to arrange this reality into an expressive and persuasive whole. This doctrine, called by Vertov kino-glaz ("cinema-eye"), contributed significantly to the montage aesthetics which came to dominate the Soviet cinema after 1924. (Cook, 1996 p.134) Fahrenheit 911 does not use a protagonist or a narrative and uses a format which is more associated with the

Can the writer help me decide the topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Can the writer help me decide the topic - Essay Example During the early stages of the American nation, the Church tended to deplore sports and sports related activities as it was believed that sports led to diversion from goal oriented activities (Putney 224). However, with the satiation of the nation with the Victorian values and the commensurate physical decline ushered in by sedentary activities, the nation vigorously turned towards sports as a source of rejuvenation and vibrancy (Putney 224). It goes without saying that sports movies not only necessarily embody the essential American civic and religious values, but, also veritably stand to be the vital source of religious motivation and faith. To understand the link between the sports movies and religion, it is imperative to pragmatically trace the similarities and affinities between religion and sports. Sports movies happen to be religious in the sense that sports like religion tends to be a very organized activity, which requires as much effort, faith and practice as any religious achievement (Jay 226). Words like sacred, love, devotion, immortality, ritual and faith that could be traced to the religious sources and literature are also amply mentioned and delved upon in the sports movies (Guttmann 25). The religious practices and the events and themes in the sports movies tend to overlap in multiple ways. Like religion, sports movies also tend to have their saints, those departed souls that in that in their very life represented and embodied the glory of sports (Tietalbaum 4). Like religious achievers, sports movies also tend to have such personalities and characters that could aptly be said to be seekers, believers and converts (Tietalbaum 4). Like religious institutions, the sports movies also happen to present patriarchs, who are primarily the motivating coaches and managers who organize, manage and sometimes emphatically influence the national sporting

Superstitions in India Essay Example for Free

Superstitions in India Essay Superstitions are based on ignorance and there is no place for superstitions but in the darkness. The best way to remove superstitions is to educate the people and given them light of reason. A true knowledge of Nature and God will take the place of blind beliefs and false traditions and this only can should the death-knell of superstitions. —Samuel Smiles. Superstitions are unreasoned and irrational beliefs of the people living in the past or in the present age. When certain happenings cannot be rationally explained, people assign mysterious and inexplicable reasons for their operation. This faith of the people in irrational things takes the form of superstitions. Superstitions are, therefore, unreasoned beliefs which have a chronic kind of intensity in their evil. In old primitive times, superstitions governed the majority of people. Those days were such that it favored the growth of superstitions. Superstitions enjoyed their hey-day of glory when the civilization and science had not lighted the darkness of the ignorance of the primitive people. Lack of scientific advancement is another cause of the growth of superstitions. They find a rich soil for germination at a time and in a country where science and philosophy have not had their hold on the masses. Unenlightened people always tend to be superstitions. Undue reverence for traditions and customs prevailing in a particular society also make people superstitions in their ideas. This belief in the sacredness of time and old traditions of ancestors, keep people in the pale of superstitious thought. The tricks of the priests also exercise their unhealthy effect and people with a religious orthodoxy are prove to fall an easy prey to these superstitious agencies. Superstitions have continued to exercise their sway on all classes of people all over the world. There are certain common superstitions which are shared by all the people in the world. Belief in spirits, ghosts, and witches is a common superstition among all the people of the world. Even today belief in witches is present in India, Scotland, England, France and many other countries. People, especially in India and other countries of the East, still believe in ghosts. The cries of certain birds like owl and ravenes and mewing of cats are regarded with superstitions all over the globe. There is a very common belief that when comets are seen, they portend the death of kings or great men. When beggars die there are no comets seen. The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes. In India, every activity of life is associated with some sort of superstition. It is supposed to be bad if somebody sneezes behind or calls back a man who is leaving his home for a journey. He must stop for a while to let the ill-luck pass. It is again ominous if he sees an empty vessel or a broom right in front of the house. The story of Ram Chandra, coming across a snake on the left hand side and a jackal on the right hand side while he was coming back to his hut in the jungle is widely known. He at once guessed that some misfortune had befallen Sita. The sight of a dead body or a cow feeding her calf or a full pitcher is considered as auspicious while one is on a journey. Stories of ghosts and evil spirits are very common in all the countries of the world and especially in India. After death, a person changes into a ghost. Sometimes, a ghost molests the other members of the family generally, a pipal tree is supposed to be the haunt of ghosts. The fear of ghosts is so great that some people worship them in their homes without giving them any shape and form. The ghosts are offered sweets, cakes, clothes and many such Other articles to please them and bribe them against doing any kind of harm to the people. Generally, the illiterate and ignorant people believe in superstitions. In villages, the people believe that small-pox, cholera and some fevers all are caused by the displeasure of he-ghosts and she-ghosts. The small pox, whenever it spreads in the form of epidemic, is supposed to be the result of the wrath of the Goddess Shitaladevi. Numerous beliefs of this type are prevalent in villages. Sometimes, such miracles take place in the cure of such diseases that one is surprised at and compelled to believe in these superstitions. Indians have a blind belief in, Sadhus though the cases of cheating by the Sadhus are generally heard. The ashes given by the Sadhus to their devotees are considered as something extraordinarily holy. The tradition of observing Terahvi in Indian families is another superstition. Hindus believe that souls of the dead persons exist in some form or the other for about eleven days in the family. The family becomes free form the impurity of death on the twelfth day. On this day Brahmins are fed and given charities to give peace to departed soul. These acts of giving charities to the Brahmins and feeding them or repeated every year in the month of Kwar. This observance is called Shradha. People have a great faith in palmistry, astrology and horoscope. There may be some experts in them here and there but generally, we come across, cheats, who exploit innocent persons and befool them. Superstitions differ from place to place and caste to caste. In South India, the sight of a black cat, crossing the way in front of one is considered to be very inauspicious. In Punjab, the sight of a Brahmin right in the morning is supposed to bring one misfortune for the whole day. But a Brahmin is not looked upon as inauspicious elsewhere. The sight of a cobbler, oilmen or washer man bring ill-lack to one in U. P. ut not in Punjab, It should not be surprising that some of English superstitions are very similar to certain superstitions prevalent in India. But in England and India the following of a dog at night without any apparent cause is supposed to indicate the presence of a spirit nearby. As in Indian villages, people believe in witches, so do the people of England and Wales who live in remote villages. The only panacea for all the social evils like superstitions is education. To make the backward and superstition minded Indians enlightened, education should be spread widely. Education cultivates reasoning and thinking in a human being and as soon as a person comes under the shelter of reason and scientific outlook, he or she, becomes free from blind beliefs. Indians by nature are fatalists and they do not apply their energy to work for the betterment of their lot. This is the greatest superstition which has undermined and is still undermining the real prosperity of India. People should be properly educated and should be inspired to be hard working and honest. Then, we should judge everything by the strong light of reason, having firm faith in God.

Urban poverty: Causes and solutions

Urban poverty: Causes and solutions Urban Poverty I. Introduction Historically, poverty belonged to rural areas, but nowadays it is the same in mega cities and it is estimated that a quarter of the worlds urban population is currently living in a poverty situation (Perlman, 1998). In last several years, by the population growth explosion and more and more people choose to living from countryside to city, this phenomenon was becoming more and more serious. At same time, it made social problems stand out. Deepening of urban poverty has becoming an unsafe factor in social and economic. The new problems mix with old problems lead to a variety of complex social effects. In this report will present the problems which urban poverty, and try to find the solutions to solve it. The reason for urban poverty is complicated, such as population, employment and social service. This report will state as follow. II. Methodology III. Discussion 1. Causes of poverty 1.1 Population Since the 20th century 50years, along with the accelerated process of urbanization and urban population density increased, the population of world from 30% to about 50% now, is approach to 60% by 2030. Because of this, the urban poor and slums have become increasingly prominent. Todays megacities are reaching the limits of their carrying capacity to sustain human life, as urbanites increasingly face lack of access to safe water and sanitation, inadequate waste management, poor drainage, air pollution, excessive noise levels, and ineffective and inadequate service provision(Perlman, J., Hopkins, E. Perez, R. 2008). 1.2 Employment It is means that people who living in the urban poverty, it will easily lacking to employment. According to Perlman(1998) said that women who is worked in poverty areas is overstrain, without the safety property. What is more, less working opportunities contribute to low-income household struggling for survival (Baker and Schuler, 1997), and therefore, the gap between rich and poor is widening (Perlman, 1998). 1.3 The social base installation and social service Due to the problems of urban poverty is more seriously, it is effect the social base installation and social service. According to the research from Practical Action(2008),there are 2.2billion people around world scarcity access to proper sanitation, the sewers are created by rubbish and human defecations, and more than 420 million do not have access to the simplest latrines (Perlman, 1998) and lack of solid waste disposal services (Masika, 1997). On the other hand, they lack of access to community services and low-income communities have no control over new facilities (Perlman, 1998). 2. Effects of poverty 2.1 Personal Firstly, due to the urban poor and their families, the reality of poverty has a certain degree of damage on their health, education, employment, housing, family life and other aspects. In the commercial city, poor people have low purchasing power. It is not only leading urban poor to difficulties on their material life, but also refusing them to have equal access to urban education, health care and other services. The urban poor in these areas will lag behind their culture and physiological quality than the non-poor, thus indirectly leading to decline in their social class status, so that their children may still face the dilemma of poverty. 2.2 Societal When the situation of urban poverty become aggravate and rules break down, as Power, A. and Houghton, j. said â€Å"defensive anti- social behavior takes root, people carry knives, young people from gangs, people dump their bulk rubbish where it has already accumulated and outsiders abandon cars in run-down streets where fines are not enforced†. 2.3 Criminal Civil Unrest in the French is a typical example. Every country has objective issue of Urban wealthy polarization, developed countries are no exception. The poverty and The interests of the division lead to social conflict, the French phenomenon of urban poverty and social conflict have some representation. In November 2007, the French railway strike broke out in succession and social unrest. However, in the suburbs of Paris in 2005, two boys were accidentally dead, had a similar outbreak of unrest. The riots in 2005 and 2007, most people in group were living in poor conditions, unemployment and poverty population. The content of the performance reflected were migration, unemployment, and poverty. It was widening gap between rich and the poor led to the split of the deep social contradictions, reflecting the rich-poor divide is real resentment. 3. Solutions to poverty 3.1 Government The government has duty to concern about the poverty problem, to take extremely care about their children to school, and basic health. Make sure urban poor can get special price about urban water, electricity, gas price and so on, so that their living condition do not deteriorate. And the government is have to design a income mechanism to mitigate distribution gap, such as controlling taxes and social welfare system to make the strong revenue transfer to the weak. 3.2 Societal Fairness in economic activities there are two concepts, one is income equally, all participants in economic activities more consistent revenue; second is a fair chance, that mean economic agents have a fair competition and fair opportunity to participate. Income may be unfair, but everyone should have the right to compete fairly.

Mcdonald Fast Food Marketing Essay

Mcdonald Fast Food Marketing Essay McDonald Corporation is among the largest chain of fast food restaurants in the United Kingdom. It primarily sells French fires, chicken, hamburgers, soft drinks and breakfast. This paper draws on the view that McDonalds fast food continue to remain competitive in the fast food market niche by virtue of strategic management which sees it improving the taste of sandwiches as well as introducing a menu lost that is new for its customers. To understand the success of McDonald over the years, it is important to note the strategic management of the fast food corporation in the UK. Part of the strategic drive of McDonalds to increase its competitive edge has been to overhaul the system of food preparation and as evidenced in its recent food preparation system dubbed Made For You, McDonald developed a mutual relationship with its customers since fresher as well as hotter food are delivered to customers; an aspect that leads to more consumption of McDonalds food (Stuart et al, 2007). The ove rall point in the strategic thinking and management of McDonalds rests on the enhanced flexibility on its customer service, business model, reaching and analyzing the strategic edge in light of competitive advantage and business level strategies. This paper seeks to analyze the wider environment in which McDonalds operates competition within the fast food industry, strategic focus, and how to address challenges that occur within the industry. Introduction McDonalds Fast Food Company is among the largest food service retail corporation. Known for its hot and fresh fries, hamburgers, burgers and soft drinks, McDonalds operates about 30,000 restaurants in over 199 countries. In the UK, a majority of the McDonalds operates on the franchise basis. The strategic focus and organizational management has positioned McDonalds to compete effectively in an already competitive industry and thus edge a competitive base in the industrial environment and enjoy a market niche for its business. Customers visit its outlet on the daily basis because of the ability of McDonalds to create a companys image that enhances people to get accustomed to the culture of fats food (McDonalds Corporation, 2010). As such, there is an apt customer base which McDonalds uses as a market entry strategy. Together with advertising companies that leaves the brand image in the consumers mind, McDonalds continue not only to penetrate the market but also expand their market siz e. As a result, there are a number of strategies that McDonald builds on to remain competitive in the industry and achieve t business and organizational objective. McDonalds Company Overview As one of the largest fast food corporation in the UK that concentrates on burgers, French fries, soft foods and breakfast, McDonalds has in the most recent introduced salads, snack wraps, fruits and carrot sticks. McDonald is a business that dates back in 1940. It was an idea that grew and became operational as the two brothers Mac McDonald and Dick opened a restaurant in the United States (Walsh, 2009) .The first McDonalds operated on the principle of modern fast food restaurant which later spread across Europe. The present McDonald is as a result of the successful expansion of the McDonald into a host of fast food markets. The company has become the symbol of globalization and it prominence in the UK is based on the concept of consumer responsibility as well as corporate ethics (McDonalds Corporation, 2010). Essentially, McDonald serves approximately one million customers every day. Business Environment and Analysis of McDonalds The environment in which McDonalds operates is very competitive that managers have been forced to adopt a strategic framework upon which they exercise their ability to identify, cultivate as well as exploit the core competencies that ensures that there is business and market growth. Thompson (2005) asserts that in order to arrive at this strategic threshold, McDonalds as a corporation has been the focus of the strategic policy formulation. In addition, Brown (2002) points out that there is no way in which the organization can exist in the vacuum. In this sense, McDonalds operate within a competitive environment and the foundation of its strategic management rests on its ability to analyze its competitor in the fast food industry. As a result, this not only enables McDonalds to realize its strengths and weakness but also help it to formulate a position on which it identifies the opportunities that are present for the organizations well as the threats it can face from its wider industr ial environment. This strategic analysis best positions McDonalds in its market niche and is thus a strategy that reflects the best march for McDonalds strategic management. The competencies exhibited by McDonalds form yet another aspect of its overall strategic management. Parsa (2002) contends that as one of the largest food chain companies in the UK, it defines its success from its strengths and opportunities. This is the distinctive competitive strategy that enhances the corporations competitive advantage in the market. A case in point is the financial opportunities, market leadership, image of the company to the market as well as the relationship between the company and its customer forms the strengths as well as opportunities than McDonald has achieved on its wider strategic management plan. To achieve an enhanced and more profitable market niche, McDonalds creates a successful image in the customers minds and draws from it mission and vision statement to introduce to widespread customers a culture of fast food. This is evidenced by the fundamental concept that it serves over one million customers in UK per day and continues to add on its menu a new list of fast food items prepared. Furthermore, customer care relations, delivery speed as well as high hygienic conditions make the basic strengths on which McDonalds expands on. Cole (2003) articulates that McDonald has created a corporate symbol that is reinforced by the advertisement campaigns in the UK. Accordingly, it builds on this pedestal to foundationally establish a brand image that has remained in the minds of millions of people living in the UK. As such, the brand image positions McDonalds an edge higher than its major competitor in the food chain industries and its marketing strategies successfully addresses impo rtant business operations factors such as internal resources and the core competencies in relation to the external environment in which it operates (Kendrick, 2008). Moreover, business analysts have maintained that the product value of McDonalds has contributed to the strategic focus of its operations. With regard to this, customers are aware of what to expect from the McDonalds restaurants whenever they visit the McDonalds. This gives emphasis on the fact that human resource draws their satisfaction from satisfying their customers and keeps the employees ready to adopt the innovative strategy of the company where they introduce newer products in the market in a bid to remain on edge with the newer tastes and trends of its customers and market size. The diversity of McDonalds into other related business forms the framework on which economists regard the McDonalds as the successful corporate group within the fast food industry (Enz, 2009). Competitive Environment within the Operations of McDonalds Every fast food restaurant operating whether as an organization or individual business is aimed at creating a new wave in the performance; all aimed towards implementing and sustaining the brand quality and the innovation of the business plan. Many fast food restaurants in the UK continue to analyze the external as well as internal business opportunities and therefore develop marketing plans that see them with a major market shares. These make food chain industry a very competitive industry in the UK. According to Hetrick et al (2006), McDonalds appreciates that competition for market place is stiff and has tasked its management to constantly communicate, compare their services with those of other fast food restaurants and finally improve on their service delivery and incorporate the developments of technology such as the internet to basically motivate their clients and improve on the overall center performance. In addition, many fast food organizations undoubtedly enhance their food production which makes it futile to use the product quality alone as the marketing strategy. As this may create a scenario where you are rated average, McDonalds has gone a notch higher in edging its competitive advantage by modifying every marketing and business strategy to suit its vision statement. As such, Heath and Palacher (2008) argues that bearing in mind the already available resources is one point towards success but making use of all the primary competencies has enabled McDonalds to sustain its place in the competitive market. Accordingly, as the chief executive officer of McDonalds said, the world has extensively changed and so have the customers. This calls for a dire need for any business organization to change in light with the customers change (Walsh, 2009). McDonalds Competitive Position within the Food Chain Industry McDonalds has achieved the title of the leading and largest fast food restaurant in the UK from its overall strategic management concept of sustainable competitive market. With emphasis, this strategic policy has been behind the McDonalds ability to make it difficult for other food chain industries to penetrate its stronghold marketplace. Hill and Jones (2007) explain that McDonalds competitive position is attributed to its dynamic customer care relations, brand imaging, cost structure as well as its patent. With regard to this, the organizational as well as the managerial process has centered on sharing coordination and integration to formulate policies that drives the McDonalds on the pedestal of success. Believing in the customer and product value, McDonalds has created a situation where every employee strives to work for the common goal. Similarly, McDonald, through its strategic management has demonstrated its strength in being able to learn and execute changes according to the needs of the markets. From this conceptualization, it has commanded a competitive position by being flexible to change within the milieu of technological developments and customer trends (Stuart et al, 2007). As such, Kendrick (2008) further postulates that a case in point for McDonalds success and market position falls on the paradigm of its long time organizational culture of concentrating on its advantage such as organizational behaviors as well as expertise to achieve success in every aspect of its objective. In the past, McDonald paid little attention on the concept of competitive advantage and thus even though it opened many outlets across Britain, its revenue did not change to the better. The structural, technological and financial assets are the excellent market position of McDonalds. It therefore follows that McDonalds not only identifies but also implements these assets in the right direction in a bid to improve the services of the company in the market. Bordering the advantage on the vision which guides the company, McDonalds draws its strengths to achieve the competitive position by being committed to the sustainability of its vision. For example, bearing in mind that a brand or product revolves around the companys vision, McDonalds works in lieu with this concept and thus attributes its competitive advantage on its faithfulness to the mission, vision and goals as well as objectives of the organization (Thompson, 2005).In light of this, McDonalds operates on the guideline of serving those people who have little or no time to cook an therefore provides a solution of a proper restaurant. In this case, the vision provides not only quality products but also quick ser vice and desirable satisfaction among its customers. The sustainable competitive advantage has undoubtedly meant well for the McDonalds and implementing these strategies is based on incorporating the best value strategies which make McDonalds unique and hard to be emulated by its competitors. It is evident that competitive advantages has helped and continue to help McDonalds to realize a great investment through an integrated, intelligent and dynamic human resources as well as strategic management (brown, 2003). As a result, McDonald caters for the situation where risk attitudes change and entirely vary the environmental uncertainty and volatility. This based on the product, price, promotion and place has provided a good starting point for the competitive position of McDonalds. Towards implementing the marketing function, the management of McDonalds constantly employs elements of marketing mix to appropriate plan on how to achieve the popularity in the market place (Enz, 2009). McDonalds Marketing Strategy McDonalds is known for its market entry on which it introduces people to the culture of fast food through the employment of emotive and highly persuasive advertisement campaigns. As Hetrick et al (2006) point out, McDonalds uses well structured advertisement campaigns to create a corporate system that penetrates the market as well as expands it. With regard to this, Parsa (2002) notes that McDonalds have put in place strategies that deal with the growing number of fast food customers in the UK. Towards achieving this, McDonalds emphasizes on customer care, speed in the delivery and high hygienic conditions around the McDonald premises. Connected with the concept of market entry strategy, McDonalds equally builds on its brand image; a factor that identifies it as an independent company. Accordingly, the company has taken into account business environment to achieve a competitive edge based on the service delivery, product and price. In addition, McDonalds have used the diversity strategy in its operations. Hill and Jones (2007) contends that McDonalds uses this strategy to venture into other business; a factor that has helped the company to keep in touch with the market trends a mid the rising completion in the food chain industry. Towards this, McDonalds emphasis on health food, introduction of new items such as salads on the menu, changed the overall appearance of the stores among adopting newer strategies. In light of this, McDonalds is able to achieve a competitive position in the marketing environment that is getting more competitive by day s a result of entry of new players in the industry. Heath and Palacher (2008) further assert that a lot of innovations where McDonalds produces new products demonstrate another strategy in use for the McDonalds to catch up with the latest market development. As a result, it is able to respond to the ever changing tastes and concerns of customers. For instance, McDonalds continues to develop new recipes as part of it strategic formulation to cater for the health issues and concerns of the customers in UK. McDonalds continue with the franchising model and employs over 60000 employees in approximately 1200 restaurants. The success behind all theses is typical of the effective marketing strategies that lead to the creation of high demand for fast food (Cole, 2003). The aim of successful marketing rests on making superfluous sales. Understanding the customer as well as the product that fits them has definitely formed the foundation of McDonalds marketing strategy. As opposed to other fast food restaurant whose entry in the market somehow takes the customer for granted and ends at providing quick service, McDonalds exploits the underlying concept of marketing which draws on the notion that customer satisfaction is the primary business priority. Comparatively, many fast food restaurants in the UK are motivated in making profit and although they provide quality services, they miss out on putting their customers satisfaction on the fist priority. McDonalds has created business strategies that aim at fulfilling the creation of customer satisfaction. Fundamentally, McDonalds has invested in understanding the needs of a group or groups of customers in what is called market segmentation (Brown, 2002).As such, McDonalds defines these band of customers in terms of demography such as their age, region and gender such that each band of customers have a successfully and specifically tailored products as well as a marketing mix. Future Developments in the Fast Industry It is important to note that following the market trends of fats food industry, outsourcing of employees may not be effective. It is clear that everything in the present business community outsources but McDonalds should be ready to take care when outsourcing because in future, outsourcing is going to cease in its value following the whole sale idea of outsourcing competencies of the fast food chain store (Hetrick et al, 2006). Towards cushioning the effect of this, McDonald can outsource other business operations but not its core competencies. As such, it will keep abreast with the fact that the benefits of outsourcing which includes knowledge of market offshore, supplier relations and expansion of business operation. In so doing McDonalds will have put in place an order facility to cushion itself against competition, business failure and reduced profit margin. In addition, the question of increased competition will be a future development due to the extensive entry in the fast food industry. As such, McDonalds will have to face an array of market risks as well as other business setbacks. However, what will make it strong and continue to enjoy the status of a leading fast food company is the constant formulation and implementation of strategic policies based on its knowledge of the customer needs. In other words, the taste, preferences and satisfactions of the customer should be their constant priority to face this challenging scenario (Parsa, 2002).With the future market function taking a consumer oriented approach, the marketing decisions are care going to be affected by the careful identification of the needs of the customers. As such McDonalds will need to devise marketing strategies that meet the customers needs as well as a business distribution system that bring the brands closer to the needs of the customer. Recommendation for McDonalds Future Strategy McDonalds should in future design a business plan that addresses the social changes spearheaded by the government and consumer groups which border encouraging a balanced diet and thus prepare types of foods that on the nutrition of the customer as well as their healthy lifestyles. Essentially, it can also develop a joint venture with other organizations such as the supermarkets in that some of its food is sold in the supermarkets. This comes with the marketing database which will help it to more accurately reach out to specific target groups of consumers. The customer identification could be on the basis of modeling and shoppers profiles; a factor which will enhance the prevention of band switching. In addition, McDonalds should focus on the corporate social responsibility and edge closer to those organizations with a value impact on the society (Enz, 2009). Similarly, McDonalds should realize that promotion of its products is not merely an advertising function. It should come up with both advertising campaigns and promotional strategy that is defined by the nature of the market, the size of the market and the tastes as well as preferences of the customers. In so doing, McDonalds should design on the promotional mix that address the element of price, product and market in the way the customer will feel obliged to consume the product. Conclusion From the above discussion, it is evident that the strategic management plan of McDonalds has positioned it as the largest fast food corporation in the UK. This means that its business model is evidently different form other fast food chains. . Part of the strategic drive of McDonalds to increase its competitive edge has been to overhaul the system of food preparation and as evidenced in its recent food preparation system dubbed Made For You McDonalds developed a mutual relationship with its customers since fresher as well as hotter food was delivered to customers; an aspect that led to more consumption of McDonalds food. The overall point in the strategic thinking and management of McDonalds rests on the enhanced flexibility on its customer service, business model and analyzing the strategic edge in light of competitive advantage, business level strategies among others.

History and Origins of the Service Learning Practice :: Informative

III. Review of Related Literature History of Service-Learning The history and origins of the service-learning practice in the United States is older than its own name (Clearinghouse, Titlebaum, Daprano, Baer, & Brahler, 2004). However, the phrase service-learning was first used in 1966 to describe a joint project between Tennessee college students and professors working on area developmental organizational projects (p. 4). Subsequently, in 1967 Robert Sigmon and William Ramsey, while working at the Southern Regional Education Board, coined the term for the first time (Giles & Eyler, 1994; Sigmon, 1979; Stanton, Giles, & Cruz, 1999). Later in the 1970s, Sigmon published in the Synergist his manifesto entitled, Service-Learning: Three Principles (1979), in which the author framed the foundations of service-learning as a pedagogical method. According to Sigmon, every service-learning practitioner should adhere to the following three principles: 1) Those being served control the service(s) provided. 2) Those being served become better able to serve and be served by their own actions. 3) Those who serve also are learners and have significant control over what is expected to be learned (p. 10). The point at issue here is the conceptualization of service-learning as a dialectical process in which all participants equally evolve as active learners and agents of change. During past decades, particularly the 1980s, much of the service-learning debate revolved around its definition (Crews, 2002). It seems like previous scholars could not establish a consensual agreement on what to call â€Å"service-learning† and what should be included (Plann, 2002). Even though the broad scope of service-learning allows other programs to exist under the same description (Furco, 1996), sometimes such a rubric also tolerates the emerging of â€Å"moniker† programs (Butin, 2010). Kendall’s (1990) review of the service-learning literature illustrates the aforementioned case. The author provides 147 different definitions depending on whether service-learning is seen as an educational or philosophical method. Although such conceptualizations will change to meet the goals and expectations of civic, social, educational, and governmental institutions (Maurrasse, 2004; Shumer & Shumer, 2005), some of them brought a much-needed conceptual clarity to the fi eld. For instance, the National and Community Service Act of (1990) defined service-learning as: A method (A) under which students or participants learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized service that (i) is conducted in and meets the needs of a community; (ii) is coordinated with an elementary school, secondary school, institution of higher education, or community service program,

Spanish Food Essay -- Food Culture Cultural Research Papers

Spain, the third largest country in Europe, has a strong history and diverse culture dating back to when the Iberians first inhabited the land. The country lies between the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean and the land ranges from mountains to meadows. Over hundreds of centuries, many different civilizations have inhabited the land influencing the people there today. From the Visigoths and Celts to the Romans of the Middle Ages, Spain has received a rich history and background. One of the strongest of its cultures is the food. All of these cultures brought a particular type of food and combined and blended with the food that exists there today. Spain is very popular for olives, vineyards, and citrus fruit. Another well-liked food is garlic, including varieties of peppers and spices. Once spice specifically—golden saffron—is essential in many recipes, including the Spanish Paella. There are many distinguished Spanish foods that encompass the daily life and culture of the country. The tapa is a way to sample a variety of Spanish foods. This method of eating is the cornerstone of Spanish cuisine. A tapa is a small dish of food, similar to an appetizer in the United States. Mainly in bars, they are served throughout the day. No single food makes up a tapa; it can be seafood, vegetables, or meat. Tapas normally are eaten primarily at two times of the day. The first is at or around 1:00pm for an early-afternoon snack. Normally, tapas are served prior to a large afternoon ...

Financial Performance and Bank Efficiency: Comparison Between Conventional Banks and Sharia Banks Essay

This study aims to compare the financial performance and bank efficiency between conventional banks and sharia banks in Indonesia in the period of 2008-2011 by using financial ratios to measure the financial performance, as well as SFA (Stochastic Frontier Approach) to the measure bank efficiency. Financial ratios that are used are consisted of CAR, NPL, ROA, ROE, and LDR. Meanwhile variables that are used to measure the efficiency are receivables, placements with Bank Indonesia and other banks, third-party funds, and issued capital and fully paid capital. The samples consist of 11 conventional banks and 11 sharia banks. T-test is conducted to determine whether there is any significant difference in financial performance between sharia Banks and conventional Banks. The results of hypothesis testing and multiple regression analysis indicate that there are significant differences of CAR, ROA, ROE, profit efficiency between conventional banks and sharia banks. Keywords: financial perfor mance, bank efficiency, SFA, conventional banks, sharia bank. ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melakukan perbandingan kinerja keuangan serta efisiensi Bank Umum Konvensional dan Bank Umum Sharia di Indonesia pada periode 2008-2011 dengan menggunakan rasio keuangan untuk mengukur kinerja keuangan, serta SFA (Stochastic Frontier Approach) untuk mengukur efisiensi bank. Rasio keuangan yang digunakan terdiri dari CAR, NPL, ROA, ROE, dan LDR. Sedangkan variable untuk mengukur efisiensi laba diantaranya Pembiayaan yang diberikan, Penempatan pada Bank Indonesia dan bank lainnya, Dana pihak ketiga, dan Modal yang disetor dan dibayar penuh. Sampel yang digunakan adalah 11 Bank Konvensional dan 11 Bank Sharia. Uji t dilakukan untuk mengetahu apakah terdapat perbedaan yang signifikan kinerja keuangan antara Bank Konvensional dan Bank Sharia. Hasil dari uji hipotesis dan regresi berganda tesebut menunjukkan bahwa terdapat perbedaan yang signifikan CAR, ROA, ROE, efisiensi laba diantara Bank Konvensional dan Bank Sharia. Kata kunci: kinerja keuangan, efisiensi bank, SFA, bank konvensional, bank syariah. INTRODUCTION It has been almost a quarter of century since the first sharia bank was established. Sharia banks not only have big expansion in Muslim countries, but also in Non-Muslim countries. Some people choose sharia banks because of the differences between conventional banks and sharia banks. Actually there are not many differences between them but, the main reason why people choose sharia banks is because there is no riba system like in conventional banks. In the discussion of banking in Indonesia, it is important to analyze the performance. Performance represents the condition of the bank, it represents whether the management of the bank can run the operational well or not. It is important for banks to measure their performance in order to be able to improve its service to satisfy the customers. There are several ways to assess bank’s performance. Performance evaluation is an important tool to assess the success of any business including sharia financial institution. In the performance evaluation, setting the bench mark is vital in order to make comparison between the desired and the actual performance. In 1979, the use of the CAMEL factors in evaluating a bank’s financial health has become well known among regulators. Piyu (1992) stated that financial ratios are often used to measure the overall financial sound of a bank and the quality of its management. Bank regulators, for example, use financial ratios to evaluate a bank’s performance as a part of the CAMELS system. CAMELS system consists of Capital adequacy, Asset quality, Management, Earnings, Liquidity, and Sensitivity to market risk. An overall composite CAMELS rating, which is ranging from one to five is then developed from this evaluation. As a whole, the CAMELS rating, which is determined after an on-site examination, provides a means to categorize banks based on their overall health, financial status, and management. Another important aspect in measuring performance and competition in banking industries is efficiency. Efficiency is improved by reducing cost in production process or by increasing revenue. If there is a rapid change of financial structure, we have to identify the fund efficiency and revenue. Banks which is more efficient is hoped to be able to derive maximum profit and give better service quality for costumer. One of the ways to measure the efficiency of a bank is by using parametric approach with Stochastic Frontier Approach (SFA) through alternative profit efficiency. SFA has an advantage, which is it is able to compare other measurement methods that involve disturbance term. Disturbance term is representing disturbances, measurement error and exogenous shocks beyond the control, environment variables which are easily treated, possibility to conduct hypothesis testing by using statistical test, and ease in identifying the outliers. SFA efficiency value range is between 0 and 1. If the value of SFA equals to 1, it means that the bank’s performance is efficient. Meanwhile, if the value of SFA equals to 0, it means that the bank’s performance is inefficient. Banks’ efficiency is also needed as an important indicator to analyze bank’s performance and as a tool to improve the effectiveness of monetary policy. Generally, there are 3 basic concepts of efficiency model in banking sector. They are cost efficiency, standard profit efficiency, and alternative profit efficiency. PREVIOUS RESEARCH Islamic Banks Sole (2007) on his journal entitled Introducing Islamic Banks into Conventional Banking System. From his journal, can be concluded that over the last decade, Islamic banking has experienced global growth rates of 10-15 percent per annum. It has been moving into an increasing number of conventional financial systems at such a rapid pace that Islamic financial institutions are present today in over 51 countries. Despite this consistent growth, many supervisory authorities and finance practitioners remain unfamiliar with the process by which Islamic banks are introduced into a conventional system. Banks Performance Wirnkar (2008) on his journal entitled CAMELs and Banks Performance Evaluation: The Way Forward, said that the findings revealed the inability of each factor in CAMEL to capture the wholistic performance of a bank. Also revealed, was the relative weight of importance of the factors in CAMEL which resulted to a call for a change in the acronym of CAMEL to CLEAM. In addition, the best ratios in each of the factors in CAMEL were identified. For example, the best ratio for Capital Adequacy was found to be the ratio of total shareholders’ fund to total risk weighted assets. The paper concluded that no one factor in CAMEL suffices to depict the overall performance of a bank. Among other recommendations, banks’ regulators are called upon to revert to the best identified ratios in CAMEL when evaluating banks performance. Banks Efficiency Majid (2010) in his journal entitled Efficiency in Islamic and Conventional Banking: An International Comparison, can be concluded that he was with Saal and Battisti investigated the efficiency of a sample of Islamic and conventional banks in 10 countries that operate Islamic banking for the period 1996-2002, using an output distance function approach. They obtain measures of efficiency after allowing for environmental influences such as country macroeconomic conditions, accessibility of banking services and bank type. While these factors are assumed to directly influence the shape of the technology, we assume that country dummies and bank size directly influence technical inefficiency. The parameter estimates highlight that during the sample period, Islamic banking appears to be associated with higher input usage. Correlation between banks performance and banks efficiency Kosmidou (2008) on his journal entitled Measurement of Bank Performance in Greece can be conclu ded that banks have been forced to be more competitive and to implement bank rating systems to evaluate their financial risks. The present study evaluates the performance and efficiency of the commercial and cooperative banks in Greece for the period 2003-2004. The results obtained indicate that commercial banks are tending to increase their accounts, to attract more customers and ameliorate their financial indices, thereby becoming more competitive and maximizing their profits. Concerning the cooperative banks in Greece, the conclusions are not so uniform, since there are banks that are enjoying considerably increased profits and market shares, and others whose financial indices seem to be deteriorating. RESEARCH METHOD Type of Study This research use secondary data which gathered from several sources such as website of Bank Indonesia, website of each banks and contain all information needed. Then, the data analyzed by using SPSS. Population and Sample The populations in this research are conventional banks and sharia banks. Meanwhile, the samples are the banks (11 conventional banks and 11 sharia banks) listed in Bank Indonesia which have been published their financial report from 2008-2011. Research Variables In this study, the dependent variable is SFA (Stochastic Frontier Approach) while the independent variables are CAR, ROA, ROE, NPL, LDR, receivables, third party fund, placement in Bank Indonesia and other banks, and issued capital & fully paid capital. ANALYSIS Classical Assumption Test Multicollinearity Test: The result showed that all of the independent variables used in this research have tolerance value greater than 0.10 and VIF less than 10. Thus, , independent variables are free from multicollinearity symptoms or there is no multicollinearity among the independent variables. Autocorrelation Test: Based on the result of Durbin Watson test, it is known that Durbin Watson value is 1.368 which is between -2 to 2. It means that there is no autocorrelation in the regression model. Heteroscedasticity Test: The graph scatter plot shown that that there is no clear pattern and the points spread above or below the number 0. Then, it can be stated that there is no heterocedasticity. The result of T-Test The independent t-test result obtained for CAR is -2.329, with the probability of 0.022 which less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the first hypothesis in this study which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in CAR between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is supported. The independent t-test results obtained for NPL is 1.494, with the probability of 0.139 which is greater than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the second hypothesis in the study which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in NPL between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is not supported. The independent t-test results obtained for ROA is 2.278 with a probability of 0.025 which is less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the third hypothesis which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in ROA between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is supported. The independent t-test results obtained for ROE is 4.040 with the probability of 0.000 which less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the fourth hypothesis in the study which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in ROE between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is supported. The independent t-test results obtained for LDR is -1.275 with the probability of 0.206 which is greater than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the fifth hypothesis which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in LDR between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is not supported. The independent t-test results obtained for efficiency ratio (SFA) is 4.345 with the probability of 0.000 which is less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the sixth research hypothesis which states that â€Å"There is efficiency difference between conventional banks and sharia banks in Indonesia† is supported. Multiple Regression analysis result The equation is as follows: SFA = 0,368 – 0,001CAR + 0,071NPL + 0,022ROA + 0,008ROE + 0,001LDR + 0,002REC + 0,00018PBI + 0,00004TPF + 0,002ISSUED + ÃŽ µ The the relationship between bank’s performance and bank’s efficiency is indicated by the multiple correlation coefficient (R) which is equal to 0.674. This means that there is a strong relation ship between the bank’s performance and bank’s efficiency. To clarify whether the relationship between the independent variables and dependent variables are significant or not, it can be tested with the F test. The test showed that F value is 7.213 with the probability 0.000 which is less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. This shows that the Sig F is smaller than the 0.05 value thus, the performance of banks as measured by CAR, NPL, ROA, ROE, LDR, receivable, placement with Bank Indonesia and other banks, third parties fund, and issued capital and fully paid capital are simultaneously related to the efficiency of banks. Thus, the seventh hypothesis which stated that â€Å"There is influence between bank’s performance and bank’s efficiency† is supported. CLOSING Conclusion Based on the result of data processing, there are some conclusions: 1. There is significant difference between sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of CAR. This study finds that sharia banks’ CAR is greater than conventional banks. 2. There is no significant difference of financial performance between sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of the NPL ratio. This means that NPL in sharia banks are equal to conventional banks, which all banks have NPLs below 5%. 3. There is significant difference between sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of ROA. The difference that occur shows that the conventional banks’ ROA is higher than sharia banks which means that the ability of conventional banks in earning profit based on the owned asset is higher than sharia banks’. 4. There is significant difference between the profitability performances of sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of ROE. The difference that occurs shows that conventional banks’ ROE is higher than sharia banks. It means tha t the ability of conventional banks in earning profit based on the owned equity is higher than sharia banks. 5. There is no significant difference in the performance of banks on LDR (Loan to Deposit Ratio). This means the liquidity of sharia banks and conventional banks are equal. 6. There is significant difference in bank efficiency between sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of SFA. In this case, conventional banks are more efficient compare to sharia banks because their SFA value is higher compare to sharia banks’. 7. Banks’ performance has influence on banks’ efficiency. This means that the higher performance of the bank, the more efficient the bank in conducting its operations. Among all of the performance ratios, they are NPL and ROE that have significant influence on efficiency. Meanwhile for the CAR, ROA, LDR, Receivable, Placement with Bank Indonesia and other Banks, Third Parties Fund, and Capital Issued does not have significant influence on bank’s efficiency. Research Limitation This research focused on comparing conventional bank and sharia bank on the basis of financial performance by using CAEL only, because the data used is just financial ratio and effectiveness using SFA. The financial performance and effectiveness can be assessed by analyzing the annual report published by Bank Indonesia. This research uses annual reports from 2008 to 2011 and quarterly data, taken from 11 sharia Banks and 11 well known conventional banks. Recommendations Some suggestions for the future research on this topic based on the limitation that researcher found are mentioned as follows: 1. For Sharia Banks, this research found that sharia banks have lower profitability ratio and efficiency compare to conventional banks. Thus, the researcher would like to recommend sharia banks to increase those ratios by minimizing bank’s operational costs, improving the market to get more customer through innovative sharia products. 2. For Conventional Banks, this research found that conventional banks have lower capital aspect compare to sharia banks. Thus, they need to reduce credit risk by improving credit management in order to reduce the value of risk-weighted assets (RWA). 3. For Banks in general, to improve the efficiency of the bank’s performance, banks should improve the overall performance, both from the capital, assets, management, earnings and liquidity 4. For the Future Researchers, this study uses only five ratios in measuring the bank’s financial performance, the future researchers should use more ratios to measure performance. REFERENCES Abustan. (2009). Analisa Perbandingan Kinerja Keuangan Perbankan Sharia dengan Perbankan Konvensional, Retrieved December 24, 2012, from : http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:_eUXttjW3VgJ:www.gunadara.ac.id/librar y/articles/graduate/economy/2009 Alphonsius, W. & Tanko, M. (June 24, 2008). CAMELs and Banks Performance Evaluation: The Way Forward. Social Science Research Network. Retrieved April 15, 2012, from http://ssrn.com/abstract=1150968 Endang Sumachdar and Hariandy Hasbi. (2010). Financial Performance Analysis for Islamic Rural Bank to Third Party Funds and The Comparation with Conventional Rural Bank in Indonesia. International Conference on Business and Economics Research. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from http://www.ipedr.com/vol1/67G00011.pdf Mohd, I., Mazlina, N.,

IT and HR Department Case Study and Analysis

Based on my observation security at Cenartech is high risk. I base this off of the security practices that are in place. What companies fail to realize is you can protect your network technically but you also have to protect the network physical. There are firewalls in place to protect the network from the outside but no policy to protect the network from the inside. â€Å"A security policy is a document that defines the scope of security needed by the organization and discusses the assets that need protection and the extent to which security solution should go to provide the necessary protection.†(Stewart and Chapple and Gibson, 2012, p221)Although the company IT structure is solid, most of it was created by out consultants and the IT department did not have any leadership that was IT smart. The IT department was ran by the Director of Finance. Cenartech has already been establish for a few years before Brian the IT manager came on board. There was no Standard Operating Proce dures. â€Å"Procedures are the final element of the formalized security policy structure.† (Stewart and Chapple and Gibson, 2012, p221)Within a year of being at the company he wrote a draft outlining duties and responsibilities for each staff member. Since his IT department was small he gave each staff member some security responsibilities. His staff members did not have any experience looking at security logs. Any time he had the chance he would train them. He knew the importance of looking at the logs regularly and maintaining Audit Trails. Audit trails are a set of records or events that record activity on a system. (White, 2003)As Brian was viewing the logs he found that there were repeated failed log-in attempts on a few different accounts, but not enough to cause a lockout. But there were too many to failed log-in attempts to just ignore. He also found out someone was attempting to access the accounts from other location within the engineering department. According to policy he had to report this to leadership in Human Recourses. The leadership was not technical and did not understand the issue and how server the problem was. Given what the case has presented the attacker wanted to gain access to the  network.After the presenting his case to HR leadership he decided to work on an IT project at the top of the list. He setup virtual private networks (VPN) for the sale staff to have remote access. A VPN is a communication tunnel that provides point-to-point transmission of both authentication and data traffic over an untrusted network. (Stewart and Chapple and Gibson, 2012, p221) He setup the VPN on the financial network. Once the software was loaded on employee’s systems he started to monitor the security logs. He found more incoming connection then what he installed.â€Å"When he followed up on a few of the originating IP addresses in the security log, He found that a number of the connections originated from a local cable Internet Servi ce Provider (ISP)† (Whitman and Mattord, 2011, p. 27). The attacker was using shared accounts from employee in the company. When someone would leave they would pass the account down. Accounts were not being deleted or disable. Removing or disabling accounts should be a standard best practice for any system. Accounts need to be deleted as soon someone leaves.  (Stewart and Chapple and Gibson, 2012, p231)Some of the things he could have done differently was to review his IT security policies from day one. The events that took place were events that were easy to miss. HR should have had a policy on how to handle terminated employees. There should be a lock out policy since the engineering employee was able to try many attempts on the account before it was locked out. The good lockout policy is three attempts then the user has to go through their IT department to get the account unlocked. A password policy should be implemented as well.At least 8 characters with a combination of lower case, upper case, one number, and one special character, this is DOD standard. If these were in place the attacker would not have been able to attack the network. The IT department needs to be trained to Monitor Security logs once a week. He would face a big challenge trying to recommend these changes to the Leadership. He try to explain this to the HR Director. â€Å"His explanation required substantial effort as Jim had minimal IT experience. † (Whitman and Mattord, 2011, p. 26). It took another incident for the HR Director to take him serious. IT and HR Department Case Study and Analysis Based on my observation security at Cenartech is high risk. I base this off of the security practices that are in place. What companies fail to realize is you can protect your network technically but you also have to protect the network physical. There are firewalls in place to protect the network from the outside but no policy to protect the network from the inside. â€Å"A security policy is a document that defines the scope of security needed by the organization and discusses the assets that need protection and the extent to which security solution should go to provide the necessary protection.†(Stewart and Chapple and Gibson, 2012, p221)Although the company IT structure is solid, most of it was created by out consultants and the IT department did not have any leadership that was IT smart. The IT department was ran by the Director of Finance. Cenartech has already been establish for a few years before Brian the IT manager came on board. There was no Standard Operating Proce dures. â€Å"Procedures are the final element of the formalized security policy structure.† (Stewart and Chapple and Gibson, 2012, p221) Within a year of being at the company he wrote a draft outlining duties and responsibilities for each staff member. Since his IT department was small he gave each staff member some security responsibilities. His staff members did not have any experience looking at security logs. Any time he had the chance he would train them. He knew the importance of looking at the logs regularly and maintaining Audit Trails. Audit trails are a set of records or events that record activity on a system. (White, 2003)As Brian was viewing the logs he found that there were repeated failed log-in attempts on a few different accounts, but not enough to cause a lockout. But there were too many to failed log-in attempts to just ignore. He also found out someone was attempting to access the accounts from other location within the engineering department. According to policy he had to report this to leadership in Human Recourses. The leadership was not technical and did not understand the issue and how server the problem was. Given what the case has presented the attacker wanted to gain access to thenetwork. After the presenting his case to HR leadership he decided to work on an IT project at the top of the list. He setup virtual private networks (VPN) for the sale staff to have remote access. A VPN is a communication tunnel that provides point-to-point transmission of both authentication and data traffic over an untrusted network. (Stewart and Chapple and Gibson, 2012, p221) He setup the VPN on the financial network. Once the software was loaded on employee’s systems he started to monitor the security logs. He found more incoming connection then what he installed.â€Å"When he followed up on a few of the originating IP addresses in the security log, He found that a number of the connections originated from a local cable Internet Service Provider (ISP)† (Whitman and Mattord, 2011, p. 27). The attacker was using shared accounts from employee in the company. When someone would leave they would pass the account down. Accounts were not being deleted or disable. Removing or disabling accounts should be a standard best practice for any system. Accounts need to be deleted as soon someone leaves.(Stewart and Chapple and Gibson, 2012, p231) Some of the things he could have done differently was to review his IT security policies from day one. The events that took place were events that were easy to miss. HR should have had a policy on how to handle terminated employees. There should be a lock out policy since the engineering employee was able to try many attempts on the account before it was locked out. The good lockout policy is three attempts then the user has to go through their IT department to get the account unlocked. A password policy should be implemented as well.At least 8 characters with a combination of lowe r case, upper case, one number, and one special character, this is DOD standard. If these were in place the attacker would not have been able to attack the network. The IT department needs to be trained to Monitor Security logs once a week. He would face a big challenge trying to recommend these changes to the Leadership. He try to explain this to the HR Director. â€Å"His explanation required substantial effort as Jim had minimal IT experience. † (Whitman and Mattord, 2011, p. 26). It took another incident for the HR Director to take him serious.