Title Of Paper Software Piracy A Worldwide Problem Essays

Title of Paper : Software Piracy : A Worldwide Problem Grade Received on Report : 98 Software Piracy: A Worldwide Problem Software piracy is defined as the illegal copying of software for commercial or personal gain. Software companies have tried many methods to prevent piracy, with varying degrees of success. Several agencies like the Software Publishers Association and the Business Software Alliance have been formed to combat both worldwide and domestic piracy. Software piracy is an unresolved, worldwide problem, costing millions of dollars in lost revenue. Software companies have used many different copy protection schemes. The most annoying form of copy protection is the use of a key disk. This type of copy protection requires the user to insert the original disk every time the program is run. It can be quite difficult to keep up with disks that are years old. The most common technique of copy protection requires the user to look up a word or phrase in the program's manual. This method is less annoying than other forms of copy protection, but it can be a nusance having to locate the manual everytime. Software pirates usually have no trouble "cracking" the program, which permanently removes the copy protection. After the invention of CD-ROM, which until lately was uncopyable, most software companies stopped placing copy protection in their programs. Instead, the companies are trying new methods of disc impression. 3M recently developed a new technology of disc impression which allows companies to imprint an image on the read side of a CD-ROM. This technology would not prevent pirates from copying the CD, but it would make a "bootleg" copy differ from the original and make the copy traceable by law enforcement officials (Estes 89). Sometimes, when a person uses a pirated program, there is a "virus" attached to the program. Viruses are self-replicating programs that, when activated, can damage a computer. These viruses are most commonly found on pirated computer games, placed there by some malignant computer programmer. In his January 1993 article, Chris O' Malley points out that if piracy was wiped out viruses would eventually disappear (O' Malley 60). There are ways that a thrifty consumer can save money on software without resorting to piracy. Computer companies often offer discounts on new software if a person has previously purchased an earlier version of the software. Competition between companies also drives prices low and keeps the number of pirated copies down (Morgan 45). People eventually tire or outgrow their software and decide to sell it. Usually, there is no problem transferring the program from one person to another unless the original owner had been bound by a license agreement. In order for the new owner to legally own the software, the old owner must tell the company, in writing, that he would like to transfer the license to the new owner. Most people fail to notify the company when selling software, thus making the unsuspecting new owner a software pirate (Morgan 46). Consumers must be careful when dealing with used software. United States copyright law allows consumers to place a copy of a program on their computer and also make another copy for backup purposes, in case the original disk fails or is destroyed. Some software companies use licensing agreements to restrict people from making more than one copy of a program. Such use of agreements can make an average consumer into a software pirate, in his effort to make sure his expensive software is safe (Murdoch 2). Before 1990 movie rental stores could rent computer software. People who rented the software would copy the software before returning it. In defense, Congress passed the Software Rental Act, outlawing the rental of software. Even though illegal, many stores and even some software companies still rent software. Since retail space in stores is extremely limited, companies could rent older software that did not have a good showing in retail stores (Champion 128). Software companies could take an idea from the home video industry. The larger video makers found that if they sold videos in foreign countries through their own dealerships, the amount of piracy decreased (Weisband 33). A rather unique strategy used by American software manufactures helps raise local intrest in stopping software piracy. Companies invest

Essay Sample on Physical Security and Its Importance

Essay Sample on Physical Security and Its Importance Free sample essay on The Importance of Physical Security: The importance of physical security cannot be understated because it ranges from issues of outright theft of a system or key storage component to intervention with the boot drive during startup. Physical security is the basis of computer security. The two main topics of physical security are protection against natural risks and malicious attacks. Natural risks are the most common threats to computer physical security. Power interruption may be hard to recover from. Sometimes it may result in permanent system damage, since electronic components are not designed to absorb sudden power fluctuations. UPS (uninterrupted power supply), surge protectors, alternative power generators are possible security measures although many times their effectiveness goes untested. Use of chemical fire suppressants such as halon or smoke detectors and sprinklers are possible security measures. Chemical fire suppressants like halon can be tricky to use because we want to be able to evacuate people easily, but we also want to seal the room to keep the halon contained. When using water sprinklers to put out fires we have to make sure that the water from the sprinklers will not wet the systems, as this may cause electrical damage or water damage. Lightning during storms can be very damaging. Using surge protectors alone may not protect against surges of these magnitudes. The increase of waterfall during storms can critically overload pipes and cause them to rupture. There are two distinctions to be made between raising waters and falling waters. The first can happen in case of flood for example. Systems should be placed in high stands and possibly in higher floors of buildings, not in the basement. Falling waters may happen because of leakage during heavy storms or because of fire alarm sprinklers. The easiest form of protection in this case is lot of plastic sheets. The use of foam fire extinguishers instead of water ones would be safer as well. People or animals may create communications interruption. To protect against accidental severance of communication lines, duplicate lines at different sites are needed. Operator errors such as coffee or coke spills and accidental file deletion are very common. Errors such as mounting the wrong tapes or accidentally hitting the wrong key can also occur. The previous security measures together with a backup system kept offsite would be ideal. In order to quickly restart the computer system first of all we need up to date backups. The backups should be kept in a separate place possibly miles away. In some cases a cold site may be needed. A cold site is a facility with power, cooling and network connections available to install a computer system. For more critical task hot sites may be required. A hot site is a facility with a computer system ready to run and be used. The cost of maintaining a hot site is high. Many types of backups are possible- daily, weekly, and monthly, as well as full, incremental, and differential. Backups can be used either for quick restart or restoration of damaged systems, as well as for record keeping and tracking purposes. Backups should be separately stored in a secure place away from the system. Backups should be regularly tested to make sure that the data on the backups are intact. Also backups may conta in sensitive information so they should be protected since they provide an attacker with a potential entry point to private data other than the computer system itself. Preventing malicious attacks where attackers need to get close to mount the attack. Here are some reasons why someone might want to attack you: Financial gain Disgruntled employee seeking revenge You are the first available target Gain fame As a diversion Physical access control walls and fences define the security perimeter, while guards and locks enforce access control policy. Only authorized users may enter the perimeter. Possible security leaks include: Masquerading: A person disguised as an authorized user. This can be done using forged IDs or pretending to be a repairman. Piggy-backing A person who enters the security perimeter by following an authorized user. Lock-picking: Any locked can be picked. However, many times the easiest way is simply to go through dropped ceilings or removing the hinges from door. Possible solutions to these attacks include: Safes, doors with special locks are useless unless the keys are hard to duplicate and obtain. Motion detectors. These devices should be turned on when no one should be in the area. Backups. Maintaining system and data backups is fundamental. Securing valuable information through regular backups is the best defense against a natural disaster, a runaway virus, or a hack job. Limit physical access to the Boot CD-ROM and Floppy Drives. Physical access to a floppy drive or CD-ROM on a domain controller invites intrusion. It is possible to use boot disks get system access. Turn these features off in the BIOS and password-protect.

Food coloring Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Food coloring - Research Paper Example Food colours can either be obtained naturally or manufactured synthetically. Most colours are obtained from plant pigments. These pigments could either come from vegetable or fruits. Obtaining natural colours is sometimes costly. Chemists make identical colours improve purity. Molecules of these manufactured colours are the same molecules from the natural source. Since most natural colours cannot dissolve in water, they are processed as salts to make them soluble in water. Some of the synthetic colour examples are; blackcurrant jams made from azo dyes quinoline and xanthenes. Aramnath an example of synthetic food colour Carmine used in yoghurts is obtained from insects that produce carmanic acid. Dried insects are boiled in water to extract this acid. The structure of a carminic acid that is extracted from the cochineal insect is shown below. Other chemical formulas of commonly use food colours include; Allura red (C18H14N2Na208S2), Tartrazine (C16H9N4Na309S2) and Brilliant blue (C37H34N2Na209S3). any people relate a food colour to ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).Tartrazine is associated with hypersensitive reactions to children. Chemists turned attention to synthetic colours since natural colour were found to be having traces of mercury toxics. According to America’s research, synthetic food colours have adversely been found to be affecting small children behaviour. Food colours that are deemed synthetic are sometimes mixtures of chemicals from laboratories and combinations of other petro chemicals.

Queer Theory Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Queer Theory Questions - Assignment Example According to Cathy J. Cohen (438), the advent of queer theory in the early 1990s found its most direct confrontation with the real-life politics of gay, bisexual, lesbian, and transgendered activists. Queer activism became perceived as a more confrontational political formation aimed at addressing the invisibility of gay and lesbian members in civil rights political organizations. Queer activism aimed at first recognizing and encouraging the movement and fluidity of people’s sexual lives. Queer activism also aimed at challenging the various practices and power circles that rendered the gay and lesbian community members invisible. What queer activism achieved further in correcting earlier conceptions about the gay and lesbian communities was their readiness to emphasize and exaggerate their own anti-normative characteristics and non-stable behavior (Cohen 438). Queer activism got perceived as a multisite and sustained resistance against the dominant constructions of gender and race. Cohen also admits that queer activism, however, failed in its present form to challenge the systems of oppression and domination. Particularly, queer activism failed to address the normalizing processes that were engrossed in heteronormativity. Heteronormativity had been the main focus of the advent of queer activism. She suggests that queer activism has failed to analyze heterosexuality as it got founded on a simple dichotomy that existed between those who got deemed queer and those deemed as heterosexual (Cohen 440). She suggests that some queer activists have begun to prioritize sexuality as the principal avenue through which they follow their politics. Her disappointment is further engraved in these individuals who continue to pursue their politics by emphasizing on a single characteristic of their identity rather than focus on the multiple diversities that determine our life chances (Cohen 440).  Ã‚  

Is the use of placebos as a control ethical when an effective standard Essay

Is the use of placebos as a control ethical when an effective standard of care medication is available (YES or No) - Essay Example This does not exclude the use of placebo, or no treatment, in studies where no proven prophylactic, diagnostic or therapeutic method exists.1i The revision does not ban placebo but allows it only when there is unanimous agreement among members of medical community that no effective treatment is available. In the absence of effective preferred treatment, placebo controlled trials are permissible. In all other cases, its use has been restricted on ethical grounds. Critics have raised objections to the absolutism of the revised version. The basic ethical concern is grounded in one complex question: Are the rights of the subject more important than potential for greater good of the society If it is felt that inefficacy of drugs can be tested through placebos and new drugs can be developed, should the researchers proceed with the trial or should they be concerned about welfare of the subjects to the extent that they abandon the research This is a question which definitely is not easy to answer. Proponents of the revised version support the declaration that: "In research on man, the interest of science and society should never take precedence over considerations related to the well being of the subject."ii Supporters of placebo controlled trial are of the view that use of an inactive agent is preferable to an active one because it provides an important static reference pointiii. Another major argument in favor of placebo use is connected with Food and Drug Administration in the US that does not approve any drug that has not been tested with placeboiv. While it is true that many resent the imperialistic stance of FDA, the fact remains that in most cases, clinical trials with placebo might appear to be the only option. It is true that welfare of the subjects is an important concern but equally important is the development of a better and more effective treatment. In case an effective treatment exists and the patient is suffering from a life threatening disease, it is better not to proceed with the placebo control method. But where a slight delay might not significant affect a patient and a clearly effective treatment is unavailable, use of placebo should be allowed unhindered. FDA on one occasion for example "argued that the low risk to subjects justifies the use of placebo arms in clinical trials when effective treatments are available and equipoise is therefore impossible."v It is possible to reach a consensus on the issue if we study the placebo control method carefully and delineate some clear rules as to when it can be applied. Emanuel, Miller offer a sound solution when they say, "A placebo-controlled trial has a sound scientific rationale if the following criteria are met: there is a high placebo-response rate; the condition is typically characterized by a waxing-and-waning course, frequent spontaneous remissions, or both; and existing therapies are only partly effective or have very serious side effects; or

The role of gold and the gold commander

The role of gold and the gold commander This chapter will examine the role of Gold, attempt to identify what makes an effective Gold Commander, and seek to establish the extent to which the interaction between Gold and Silver requires technical knowledge and understanding. The chapter will also explore the cultural component of Gold Command, and whether organisational culture places informal barriers in the path of direct entrants being accepted to undertake the role within the Fire Rescue Service. The author intends to define and explain the research question in the context of contemporary ideas and thinking, and to develop a good understanding and insight into relevant previous research and the trends that have emerged (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2003) The Gold Commander is expected to exercise leadership, which traditionally would have been developed whilst operating at the operational and tactical level (following the normal career progression path). However, the recent appointment of senior managers within the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) who have joined as direct entrants since the introduction of new appointment and promotion regulations, which has allowed multi-tier entry (ODPM, 2004) will have evidenced leadership skills, which will generally have been developed as a result of working in other occupations. As has been mentioned in a previous chapter, Adam Crozier is an example of a businessman who has demonstrated an ability to adapt and excel in different occupations, and exercise effective leadership with support from subject matter experts. With jobs as diverse as the Football Association and Royal Mail, is it possible that given an appropriate level of support, and a nominal amount of training, Crozier could also demonstrate effective leadership as a Gold Commander? A business leader may lead a team and make difficult decisions through an economic crisis, in the same way that the Gold Commander is responsible for leading their team, albeit remotely from the personnel who will be working at Bronze and Silver level. As it is recognised that effective leadership processes represent a critical factor in the success of teams in organisations (Zaccharo et al., 2001, quoted in Flin et al., 2008: 132), it is clear that the role of the Gold Commander in leading the team is vitally important to a successful outcome. The leader needs to be effective in order to play a positive role in the resolution of an incident, and it is therefore necessary to define what effective actually means, Oxford Dictionaries online simply states its meaning as successful in producing a desired or intended result (http://oxforddictionaries.com accessed 24/11/10). However the measure of that success, and therefore effectiveness, is very subjective, indeed in the case of a tragi c incident involving loss of life, the quality of the leadership may be subject to scrutiny by judicial review or public enquiry. The Role of the Gold Commander During an emergency it may be appropriate to implement strategic or Gold command, however the FRS will rarely instigate a Gold Commander solely for an FRS operation, which has minimal impact on other organisations. However, whilst a Principal Officer1 may be the Incident Commander at a large, complex, or high profile incident, they will be operating at the tactical level when in command. In this situation Gold command is not applicable, although some co-ordination at Silver level is likely to be required. If the same incident required a higher degree of interoperability and a Strategic Coordinating Group (SCG) were formed (HMG, 2009), it will require the attendance of a commander, who may be a lower ranking officer, but who nevertheless should have an appropriate level of experience and authority to act. This individual, formally known as the Fire Gold Commander, will set tactical parameters for Silver to operate within, and will not be expected to direct or take charge of operations on the actual incident ground. As soon as circumstances permit the Principal Officer should assume command, indicating that the positions are role related (ICS, 2008, p.21-24). However, the Police will routinely designate Gold Commanders, who will assume overall command and have ultimate responsibility and accountability for the response to an incident. The Police Gold will have a secondary role to establish and chair the SCG in order to coordinate the emergency or major incident (ACPO, 2009 p.26). This would suggest a different expectation of the role of the respective Gold Commanders, with the levels of culpability/accountability appearing to contrast somewhat. If the Police Gold Commander is required to ratify and review the progress of Silver Commanders tactical plans (ACPO, 2009 p.25) and the Fire Gold Commander is required to set tactical parameters for Silver to operate within, and prioritise the personnel and resource demands (ICS, 2008), the latter suggests a more hands-off approach. This may explain why Police Gold Commanders appear to be more reluctant to accept direct entrants at the senior level. 1 Chief, Deputy or Assistant Officer 2 Gold Silver Bronze Experiential Decision Making The definition of an appropriate level of experience as stated above is subjective, and clearly open to debate. It raises the question of whether the skills required for effective command at the operational and tactical level, are identical to those required for strategic command? Since 1985, researchers have been trying to establish how decisions are made during stressful non-routine situations, with Fire Commanders being of particular interest (Klein et al, 1993). The study of Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM) is concerned with how experienced people, working as individuals or groups in dynamic, uncertain and often fast paced environments, identify and assess their situation, make decisions and take actions whose consequences are meaningful to them and to the larger organisation in which they operate Zsambok and Klein (1997) (cited in Flin and Arbuthnot, 2002. p. 207). It has been stated that decisions made under stress do not follow traditional decision-making processes, and inst ead fireground commanders rely on their well developed sense of intuition (Gasaway, 2007). The amount of information required to make a decision will depend on the experience and intuition of the commander, and this has been referred to as thin slicing by Gladwell (2005) which means making very quick decisions with small amounts of information, or the concept of thinking without thinking, or the ability of our unconscious to find patterns in situations and behaviour based on very narrow slices of experience. Gladwell contends that thin-slicing can have its uses or can be a mistake. If one takes a small amount of information to generalise or make decisions in whole then decisions may be made that really are incorrect. However, sometimes a small amount of relevant information is all that is required to make decisions and act. Gladwell hints that ultimately we should only rely on thin-slicing when our intuition has been honed by experience and training as truly successful decision making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking. Clearly, the ability to thin slice derives from experience of the situation or similar environment, where the commander has successfully or unsuccessfully dealt with an incident and can anticipate the next problem that may arise, which links to recognition primed decision making (RPD). The question of whether thin slicing has its place in the SCG environment is debatable, as RPD is not usually associated with Gold level decision making, for strategic commanders may need to be discouraged from making decisions based on intuition, if a more analytical approach is more appropriate (Fredholm 1997, cited HMG 2008). Flin and Arbuthnot (2002, p. 214) considered the fields of aviation, military and the police, and suggested that Incident Commanders (IC) may adopt one of four decision strategies, depending on their assessment of the available time and level of risk: Recognition primed (intuition, gut feel) (If X then Y- little conscious effort need to retrieve Y) Procedures (written or memorised) (If X then Y conscious search) Analytical comparison of the different courses of action available (If X, which Y?) Creative (designing a novel course of action) (If X, have no Y, design new Y). The decision strategies are based on increasing levels of mental concentration, not just to retrieve information from the memory stores (long term memory), but to consciously operate on or think about the information retrieved (working memory) (Flin and Arbuthnot, 2002). Most of the studies involving NDM have related to decision making in dynamic environments where there is little time for the luxury of creative or analytical problem solving (HMG 2008). So how are prior operational and tactical experiences of a Gold Commander utilised, when faced with never before experienced occurrences such as the Buncefield Fire, the largest fire in Europe since 1945 which relied on creativity rather than prior experience to resolve successfully? (Wilsher, 2006) If decision making is dependent on the experiences of the decision maker, it must also rely on the ability of the Gold Commander to be self reflective. If an individual is unable to effectively reflect and learn from their experiences, they will be unable to apply the learning to future events. Considering Kolbs experiential learning cycle (as shown in figure 1), it could be that they have twenty years experience, or one years experience, twenty times. So time alone is not a pre-cursor to being an effective Gold Commander, its what has been learnt from the experiences during that time. Figure 1 Kolbs Learning Cycle (University of Leeds 2010) Leadership One of the key responsibilities of the Gold Commander is to work with partner agencies (ICS, 2008 p24). This will require a positive working relationship both before an incident occurs, as true interoperability is built on mutual understanding, familiarity and trust (ACPO, 2009). According to Goleman (2002: 51-52) relationship management relies on the most visible tools of leadership including persuasion, conflict management and collaboration. More recently, this was confirmed by Bradberry and Greaves (2005), and of course collaboration, and to a lesser extent persuasion, are components of leadership which will often be tested in the Integrated Emergency Management (IEM) environment. Much research has been conducted to quantify the desirable attributes required for effective leadership (Kets de Vries 1993; Higgs 2002, Parry and Meindl 2002). Although there are many different types of leaders, people will often prefer to work with a leader who has outstanding soft skills. Evidence in creasingly shows that the higher one goes in an organization, the more important EI can be (Kemper, 1999, p. 16). The Gold Commander should have developed self awareness, as the leadership of an organisation or team, can influence the work environment and affect everything from morale, to effective performance. The selection and development of leaders is amongst the oldest of personnel functions (Fiedler 2001), but much of early leadership selection was conducted by birthright (Northouse 2007). Throughout the past century considerable research has been conducted into leadership which can largely be placed into three primary categories; leadership traits, leadership behaviours and the situational context of leadership (Sashkin and Sashkin 2003). Northouse (2007) states that Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal (Northouse. 2007: 3). Flin et al (2008: 129) suggest that leadership relates to the personal qualities, behaviours, styles and strategies adopted by the team leader. They further suggest that leaders come in various forms, with some being task specialists, and others good with people. Trait theories of leadership were popular during the early to mid 1900s, and worked on the assumption that great leaders are born great (Sashkin and Sashkin 2003) and that by defining the necessary traits of effective leaders the secrets of leadership could be unlocked (Densten 2003). If leadership was a result of definable traits then it would be reasonable to expect that a defined list of those traits would have been found after over 100 years of research. This has not been found. The main criticisms of the trait theories are that they fail to take account of the situational and contextual aspects of leadership, and many of the definitions of various traits are highly subjective (Northouse 2007). The debate continues as to whether an individual must possess a definite set of characteristics in order to be a leader in any given situation. Some authors have suggested that the traits necessary for battlefield leadership would be effective in a school environment, dismissing the impact of the situation (Sadler 1997). Research indicates that there are varying opinions on the level of requirement of these very different qualities. Annotating these qualities into a list form results in a comprehensive summation but does the Gold Commander have to possess all, or just some of them? Conversely, if the list is not exhaustive and it is possible that someone might have other leadership qualities. How does that equate? Emotional Intelligence Commanding an emergency clearly requires effective leadership, and by its very nature a dynamic incident will sometimes require an autocratic style, but is this always necessary? Is it the case that in the Gold environment, the application of softer skills is more advantageous, with Emotional Intelligence (EI) becoming a more important component? EI was first mentioned in an unpublished thesis in 1986, and was the subject of a US article published in 1990, where it is described as the ability to monitor ones own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide ones thinking and actions (Mayer and Salovey, 1990). Since that time there has been a vast amount of research and published information on the subject of EI, evidenced when the author searched for books titled Emotional Intelligence on the website of an online bookseller, returning a total of 9507 results (Amazon UK November 2010). Golemans original work is open to some debate as he seems to contradict his theory by suggesting that emotion is a biological reaction on the one hand, whereas EI can be learnt and developed. Whatever the case, it is clearly more art than science, as the interpretation of EI is subjective. It would appear that the wide interest in the subject is due to the emerging recognition of the power of EI, both in terms of personal development, with the suggested opportunity to transform an individuals life experience, health and happiness, and for transforming the effectiveness of work organisations. The developing argument is that levels of emotional intelligence are inextricably linked to levels of performance, particularly in senior positions within an organisation, a viewpoint which is often repeated (Sparrow and Knight 2006). Some organisations have embraced the principles of EI, including the Royal Air Force, which in 2002 completed a comprehensive review of leadership development, leading to the establishment of the RAF Leadership Centre. The centres website informs that the RAF seeks a particular contribution from its leaders and lists nine attributes required for effective leadership. The second attribute listed, is concerned with the possession of EI, described thus; Emotionally Intelligent Self-awareness is one of the key foundations of effective leadership. Leaders who know themselves will be able to develop self-control and subsequently understand the needs of others. This will enable them to manage relationships at all levels better and remain calm under pressure. Thus individuals will be able to function as part of a wider team, invariably multidisciplinary, increasingly joint and often multinational, in the delivery of military capability http://www.raf.mod.uk/pmdair/rafcms/mediafiles/1E8488F4_5056_A318_A8AB0AC2CFC4589A.doc. (accessed 29/11/10). In 2006 the Centre for Leadership was established at the Fire Service College. The strategy for the development of tomorrows FRS leaders is enshrined within the leadership model Aspire (HMG 2008) which has been developed in response to the identification of the importance of excellence in leadership. The model is underpinned by the FRS core values, linking transformational models of leadership, and guiding behaviours to influence leadership actions and results. The Aspire model contains some elements which can be linked to EI, including; Openness to Change Situational Awareness Confidence Resilience Effective Communication The author finds it somewhat surprising that, whilst it is obvious that the RAF has recognised the connection between emotional intelligence and effective leadership, there is no direct mention of EI within the Aspire Leadership Model and Framework for the FRS. This is somewhat disappointing Notwithstanding the above, the FRS has recognised the value of people management competences, in addition to task competencies, and that both competency sets need to be included in assessing, training and evaluating effective incident commanders. The non-technical skills of an organisations emergency response personnel are as important as their technical expertise and knowledge and application of emergency operating procedures (Crichton and Flin, 2001). Competence A dictionary definition (www.dictionary.reference.com) of competence is: the quality of being competent; adequacy; possession of required skill, knowledge, qualification or capacity. Whereas Harvey (2004) describes it as the acquisition of knowledge, skills and abilities at a level of expertise sufficient to be able to perform in an appropriate work setting However acquiring skills are only part of the equation, for it is necessary to effectively perform a role as defined by Boyatzis: Effective performance of a job is the attainment of specific results (i.e. outcomes) required by the job through specific actions while maintaining or being consistent with policies, procedures conditions of the organisational environment. (Boyatzis, 1982:12) He further contends that maximum performance occurs when an individuals capability is consistent with the job demands and the organisational environment. (Boyatzis, 2007:2). Figure 2 Boyatziss model for competencies and effective performance Boyatzis model illustrates how an individuals personal values, knowledge, competencies and abilities contribute to performance in terms of the overlap with the job demands and the organisational environment. In simple terms this means that the bigger the overlap the better the performance. For the purpose of this research paper, Flins (1996) definition will be followed, which is the ability to perform consistently within an occupation to the standards expected in employment. The National Occupational Standard for a Fire Gold Commander working at the Strategic Level is EFSM 1 (www.skillsforjustice-ipds.com/nos/en/EFSM1.doc accessed 7/12/12). This standard details the technical skills and understanding which are required at this level. However, there is no mention of non-technical skills, as these are contained within the National Strategic Manager Personal Qualities and Attributes (CLG, 2009). In the emergency services, competency requirements for key decision makers are still very much based on rank rather than proven skill or ability though there is a move to change this. In the FRS, there is a shift from rank to role, where there is a role map of competences under the Integrated Personal Development System (IPDS) designed to be relevant to each level in the service. However, as with any cultural shift, it will take some time for this reality to assert itself through all ranks within the FRS (Devitt, 2009). The author finds it interesting to note that whilst there is a role map for Brigade Manager, strategic uniformed mangers within the FRS still prefer to title themselves, Chief Fire Officer. Does this perhaps suggest that the senior leadership of the FRS are not culturally ready to embrace modernisation in its truest sense? Culture Organisational culture is a system of shared values, and beliefs about what is important, what behaviours are appropriate and about feelings and relationships internally and externally. Values and cultures need to be unique to the organisation, widely shared and reflected in daily practice and relevant to the company purpose and strategy. (CIPD, 2011). In simple terms it can be referred as the way we do things around here. The leader will be affected by the culture in which they operate, and its values, structure, hierarchy and rules will dictate how they are likely to command an incident, and ultimately whether they will be judged to be effective or ineffective (Devitt, 2009 p.37). Devitt refers to the work of Reiner (1991) who studied senior police officers and identified four different types of Chief Constable, the barons, bobbies, bosses and bureaucrats. Reiner contended that their different leadership styles will be reflected in the culture of the organisation which may influence the Chair of an SCG, and thus the style and approach with which a strategic multi-agency response is operated. If the Chair of an SCG adopts the style of a boss, who controls mainly through authority not power, dont suffer criticism gladly, and see community policing as idealistic in the face of an overwhelming tide of crime, this will clearly affect the dynamics of the group Devitt (2009). Chan (1996) undertook a study of police culture, and refers to Bourdieus relational theory, which explains cultural practice as the result of interaction between cultural dispositions (habitus) and structural positions (field), situating culture in the social and political context of police work. Sackmann goes on to describe the essence of culture as the collective construction of social reality. Her cognitive model encompasses all forms of shared organised knowledge: the form of things that people have in their minds; their models for perceiving, integrating, and interpreting them; the ideas or theories that they use collectively to make sense of their social and physical reality (Sackmann 1991: 21). She classifies cultural knowledge within an organisation into four dimensions: dictionary knowledge, which provides definitions and labels of things and events within an organization; directory knowledge, which contains descriptions about how things are done generally in the organization; recipe knowledge, which prescribes what should or should not be done in specific situations; and axiomatic knowledge, which represents the fundamental assumptions about why things are done the way they are in an organisation. Axiomatic knowledge, often held by top management, constitutes the foundation for the shape and future of the organisation. These may be adjusted or revised from time to time as a result of critical evaluations or growing experience. Sackmann sees cultural cognitions as being held by groups rather than individuals. These cognitions are socially constructed, and may be changed or perpetuated by organisational processes through repeated applications. In time, these cognitions are imbued with emotions and acquire degrees of importance; they also become habits of thoughts that translate into habitual actions. With the FRS implementation of the modernisation agenda under the National Framework (although this has recently changed with the election of the coalition government), some senior fire officers are reluctant to readily accept that direct entrants or non-operational staff may be effective at undertaking a Gold Command role, whilst a number of Police Gold Commanders have expressed th eir opposition to the idea, as evidenced by the authors research..

The catcher in the rye and the stranger Essay -- essays research paper

Holden Caulfield and Mersault have both been alienated in their worlds as the authors have so clearly portrayed in both books. But as much as both have been alienated, one is an essentialist while the other remains an existentialist. Holden Caulfield being the essentialist that he is, has psychological motivation for every action he takes. He is a teenager that is struggling with the fact that everyone has to grow up, which to him means that you have to become â€Å"phony or corrupt†. While on the other hand Mersault, the existentialist, does things for no reason whatsoever. He is a completely aloof, unattached , unemotional person. He doesn’t think much about events or their consequences, nor does he express much feeling in relationships or during emotional times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The similarities between Holden and Mersault are the way they are both in a sense alienated from the worlds in which they live in. Holden Caulfield believes that all adults are phony so he doesn’t want to become one and so he distances himself from the adult world. He feels that when you’re a child you view the world without any bias, you see everything for what it is. So to stay a child he constantly flunks out of schools back and forth. When you graduate from highschool you are going to the next level whether it be college or whatever else you want to do, everyone around you will view you as an adult and you yourself will become one. After highschool, most people tend to grow up but Caul...

Characteristics of Developing Countries Essay

Characteristics of Developing Countries BY Hafeez260 The theme of this essay is: the importance of a study of other semi-developed countries as they struggle for economic growth, the elimination of mass poverty and, at the political level, for democratisation and the reduction of reliance on coercion. New countries are finding their voices in all sorts of ways and are managing to interest an international audience. South Africa is not least among them; contemporary international consciousness of the travail of our particular path towards modernity testifies at least to a considerable national talent for dramatic ommunication and (for those who care to look more deeply) a far from extinct tradition of moral conscientiousness. One aspect of this flowering is a rapidly growing crop of social scientific studies of semi-developed countries of which this university is fortunate to have a substantial collection, contained mainly in the library of Jan Smuts House. From this literature, one can extract five themes of particular interest. The first is the problem of uneven development and effective national unification, especially in deeply divided societies. Capitalist development has mpinged on semi-developed countries from outside rather than transforming slowly from within, incorporating different groups in different ways. Particular problems arise when differential incorporation coincides in substantial measure with boundaries between ethnic groups. If Donald Horowitz’s remarkable study of ethnic groups in conflict is right, more energy goes into attempting to maximise differences in the welfare of in groups and out groups than into maximising their Joint welfare, with adverse consequences for the possibilities of building the national political and economic institutions required for development. Gordon Tullock has argued that this is an additional reason for preferring market-based rather than state-led economic growth in deeply divided societies. In itself it is, but the secondary effects of different paths on distribution have to be taken into account. In so far as they lead to worsening differentials between groups, the possibility of heightened conflict is created. The only long-term hope is to make ethnic boundaries less salient; the happiest outcome would seem to be when ethnicity becomes decorative in a high income economic environment. This is likely to be the work of decades, perhaps of enturies; even so, appalling retrogressions always seem to remain possible. The consequence of deep divisions is that there is likely to exist an unusually large number of prisoner’s dilemma situations. The prisoner’s dilemma arises when partners in crime are apprehended and held separately. The prisoners will be Jointly better off if they do not inform on each other, but each prisoner will be better off if he informs on the other, while the other does not inform on him. Attempts at individual maximisation may lead to both prisoners informing on each other which leads to the orst Joint outcome. The dilemma arises because of the absence of the opportunity for co-operation. ) Under such conditions, negotiation skills are at a premium. There are also advantages in the acceptance of a deontological liberal philosophy which (in the shorthand of political philosophers) places the right over the good. This involves seeking to regulate social relations by Just procedures while leaving individuals as free as possible to pursue their own, diverse conceptions of the good life. Such an attention should be paid simultaneously to the reduction of poverty. The analytical Marxist, Adam Przeworski has analysed analogous problems which arise in the case of severe class conflict. In his view, social democratic compromises are held together by virtue of the propensity of capitalists to reinvest part of their profits with the effect of increasing worker incomes in the future. Class compromise is made possible by two simultaneous expectations: workers expect that their incomes will rise over time, while capitalists expect to be able to devote some of their profits to consumption. In conditions of severe class conflict, these expectations about the future become ncertain, time horizons shorten, workers become militant, capitalists disinvest and political instability results. Three forms of resolution are available: stabilising external intervention, negotiation or renegotiation of a social contract or the strengthening of the position of one or other class by a shift towards conservatism or revolution. Przeworski’s sternest warnings are to Marxists who assume that revolution and the introduction of socialism is the inevitable outcome of a crisis. The second theme in the literature on semi-developed countries has to do with their position within the world economy. Three related sub-themes can be identified. Firstly, there has been a debate about the forms and limits of the diffusion of industrialisation. Dependency theory – now somewhat out of fashion, since its predictions of severe limitations on industrialisation in developing countries have been falsified – asserted that relationships between developing and developed countries are such as to keep the latter in perpetual economic subordination. The contrary thesis – that advanced industrial countries have had to deal with increased competition arising from quite widespread diffusion – now seems more plausible.

Lies and Deceit Paper

Lies and Deceit on Animal Farm/ the Real World: Speech There have been many examples of dictatorship across the world. Some examples of these are Hitler of Germany, Castro of Cuba, and Mussolini of Italy; they all have been corrupted by power. Joseph Stalin of communist Russia is the most accurate example because he is like Napoleon. People, especially leaders, use lies and deceit to maintain power; Napoleon is like Stalin because they are both corrupted by power.People often tell lies when it is convenient; the pigs told the other animals many lies some of which include, when the pigs took the milk and apples, when they lied about Boxer’s death, and when they said that the farm would be so much better off without Jones, but everything was just as bad if not worse. People tell lies as simple as trying to protect others’ feelings or something really complicated to try and get out of trouble either way the bottom line is people lie.The first lie of many that the Napoleon and the other pigs told is when Major is saying that Jones the farmer is treating the animals poorly and is trying to convince them to rebel against him. He tells them, â€Å"The life of an animal is misery and slavery; that is just the plain truth† The animals didn’t know that the pigs were just planning to take over and be just as bad as Jones was, or even worse. People tend to lie and deceive others when it is convenient for them, to make it easier on themselves.I’m pretty sure that all of us, at one point or another lied to our parents because it was what seemed easier at the time; For example, a child may lie because they broke something on accident, or a teenager stayed out past curfew and are lying to get out of it. After Old Major’s speech to the animals, Snowball tries to convince Mollie that Jones was bad; she was one of the rare few who liked him. Snowball was being corrupted by power, and he is a very convicing liar which is why Mollie believe s him. Then once the pigs got rid of Jones, they were taking all of the good apples and milk and saying it was for the health of their brains.Humans in the real world lie in their favor if we want something bad enough we will lie to get it. Boxer starts to work himself to death when they build the mill and he works day and night for weeks straight. Napoleon then names the mill after himself even though Boxer and the other animals did all of the work. People also lie or stretch the truth when we want to take credit for an achievement that we may not have even done ourselves. Then Napoleon sold wood to a human without consulting the group which made everyone a little angry.Humans do things without asking first. Squealer lied to the others after that by telling them Boxer was going to the vet instead of the knackers. â€Å"The van had been previously owned by the knackers and then bought by a vet and they have not yet re-painted the van† He said. When it was all said and done an d the transformation was complete one dictator was switched for another the animals were in the same place they had previously been. Napoleon would stand on his hind legs and even carry around a whip with him to keep the others in line.Then he tried to lie and say that the humans aren’t so bad after all. Nothing could have been further from the truth. In chapter three, the pigs’ deceit the other animals into thinking everything was okay when in fact it most definitely was not. The pigs were so clever that they could think of a way out of any and every difficulty. To recapitulate, people lie all the time and it is similar to the book because the pigs told the others the milk and apples were just a sacrifice, that Boxer’s death was an unfortunate accident, and that the pigs didn’t help anything.As a consequence the farm was worse then before, Boxer and many of the animals were killed, the mill was torn down and the pigs took over and made everything worse. Telling the truth may be worse at first, but in the long run it is the better decision. ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- Top of Form Powered by Bottom of Form

Is Recess Necessary in Schools essays

Is Recess Necessary in Schools essays There is a common misconception in our society that recess does not serve any real purpose. The Board of Directors of the American Association for the Childs Right to Play believes that recess is vital to a childs overall healthy development. Recess periods, which are regularly scheduled periods within the elementary school day for unstructured physical activity and play, give students a chance to discover their interests and passions, to develop ingenuity and inventiveness and serves as a vehicle that helps children establish self-esteem and strive for achievable personal goals. It also allows children to practice life skills such as conflict resolution, cooperation, respect for rules, taking turns, sharing, using language to communicate and problem solving in real situations that are real. There is a common misconception in our society that recess does not serve any real purpose. The Board of Directors of the American Association for the Childs Right to Play (IPA/USA) believe that recess is vital to a childs overall healthy development. (IPA/USA ) Recess periods, which are regularly scheduled periods within the elementary school day for unstructured physical activity and play, (Wechsler, Devereaux, Davis, It also allows children to practice life skills such as conflict resolution, cooperation, respect for rules, taking turns, sharing, using language to communicate and problem solving in real situations that are real. (Council on Physical Education for Children-COPEC, 2001) In a 1989 survey by the National Association of Elementary School Principals, 90% of the reporting school districts had some form of recess. Since that ...

Polyprotic acid Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Polyprotic acid - Lab Report Example An acid is defined, according to Brà ¸nsted and Lowry, as a compound which donates one or more protons [hydrogen ions, (H+)] (Chemistry - Dictionary.Com). The acid that donates one proton (e.g., acetic acid) is called a monoprotic acid while that which donates more than one proton is termed polyprotic. Phosphoric acid (H3PO4, also known as orthophosphoric acid) is a polyprotic acid whose three hydrogen atoms dissociate at different pH values. Therefore, H3PO4 has three pKa values (Give Ref of the text book you follow). H3PO4 forms an important functional group in biomolecules because of its ability to donate H+ under physiological conditions (www.sciencedaily.com). H3PO4 undergoes 3 ionization steps in aqueous condition as follows: An acid can be neutralized by the addition of an appropriate amount of a base by the technique known as titration, widely used in chemistry. When H3PO4 is titrated against a base such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution, the pH of H3PO4 solution will stay fairly constant until the moles of NaOH i.e., the titrant added equal the moles of H3PO4 present. At this stage, further additions of titrant will cause an abrupt change in pH before it eventually stabilizes. A graph of pH versus added titrant is called a titration curve, and the point at which the pH changes significantly is called the equivalence point. The titration curve of H3PO4 will have more than one equivalence point as it is a polyprotic acid. The successive ionization steps taking place can be observed by constantly monitoring the pH during the titration, and plotting a graph of the pH versus volume of NaOH added. (i) 0.1M phosphoric acid solution: Using an autopipet, 3.38mL of concentrated H3PO4 solution (molarity = 14.8) were pipeted out into a clean and dry 500-mL volumetric flask. The acid was diluted up to the mark with distilled water, the flask was stoppered and the solution was mixed well. The dropping buret was filled to just above the top mark

Corporate Finance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Corporate Finance - Research Paper Example Total numbers of shares are taken as follows: = Year end $ value / $10 of face value Working: = Total Earnings/ No. of shares = 441,000 / 31,800 = 13.86 approximately $14 Earnings per share = $ 14 Considering a 50% payout ratio, the dividend would be $7 The reasonable estimate of the 50% of the shares therefore would be: = 31800 x 50% = 15900 Estimate = 15900 x 86.95 Total Best Estimate = $ 1,382,505 Q#2 Market Structure and trading conditions The total market of the Polishing and other allied products are over $4.5Billion. The market is largely fragmented with many small to medium players serving different niches of their target market. Essentially, the market is distributed into three distinct categories based on product classification. Carlton falls under the category of Chemical suppliers supplying chemicals to independent distributors who then sell to the end users. The fragmentation of the market is also due to low barriers to entry due to low cost of production involved. Since, the market is typically divided into two broader classes of chemical supplies and cleaning machinery therefore the overall cost of producing is low. This is also reflected from the fact that the gross margin of Carlton is 44% suggesting that the cost of producing the finished goods is relatively low. However, net margin within this industry is relatively low mainly due to high marketing costs involved. It has been the industry practice that distributors once acquired are hard to replaced therefore it require higher resources and persuasion to list a distributor serving the competitors. Most of the costs, therefore, are incurred in marketing overheads therefore the overall net margins are low in industry as most... The fragmentation of the market is also due to low barriers to entry due to low cost of production involved. Since, the market is typically divided into two broader classes of chemical supplies and cleaning machinery therefore the overall cost of producing is low. This is also reflected from the fact that the gross margin of Carlton is 44% suggesting that the cost of producing the finished goods is relatively low. However, net margin within this industry is relatively low mainly due to high marketing costs involved. It has been the industry practice that distributors once acquired are hard to replaced therefore it require higher resources and persuasion to list a distributor serving the competitors. Most of the costs, therefore, are incurred in marketing overheads therefore the overall net margins are low in industry as most of the key players have negative growth rates in terms of their net income. Overall the market is competitive with no clear market leadership however; different players serve their target markets with moderate success due to long established business and consumer relationships strengthened due to delivering high end services. Historically, Co has profitable with consistent growth rates achieved in both revenue as well as profitability.