Whistling Vivaldi

The book gets its title from a story a black New York Times writer, Brent Staples, told Steele about how he ad to whistle Vivaldi anytime he walked on the streets of Hyde Park a suburb of Chicago so he wouldn't look violent to the dominantly white people who lived on that part. Staples who knew he had a social identity because he was black used the whistling to steer through that part of his daily life.Identity contingencies are the things you have to deal with in a situation because you have a given social identity. Stereotype threat in the book, from my understanding can thus be defined as when a person finds himself/herself in situation or circumstance where his or her performance/behavior consciously or unconsciously is affected usually by negative stereotypes.A typical example was the Golf experiment in the book where Jeff stone and his team using typical stereotypes about whites been less naturally athletic than blacks and blacks been less intelligent than whites as the experim ental variables was able to prove how the performance of the white students at Princeton University was reduced when they were told they were been tested or their natural athletic ability and how the same thing happened to the black students when they were told they were been tested for their sports strategic intelligence.The 2nd experiment Steele describes was the experiment in which a third grade teacher Jane Elliot trying to teach her students the importance of the life and works of Dry Martin Luther King identified eye color as the basis Of been smarter, cleaner and been well behaved. This experiment exemplified how an identity and stereotype affects a person's way of thinking and ability.

Festives of Pakistan

Festivals in Pakistan. Shab-e-Barat  :* Religious festival celebrated on 14th of Shaaban, the 8th Islamic month. Prayers, fire works, exchange of sweet dishes and visits. Eid-ul-Fitr*  : Religious festival celebrating end of fasting month on 1st of Shawwal, the 10th month of Islamic   Calendar. Special prayer after sun-rise, exchange of sweet dishes, visits. Sibi Festival:  (Last week of February) At Sibi (Balochistan). Traditional sports, handicrafts exhibition, folk music and dances. Sindh Horse & Cattle Show:  (Last week of February) At Jacobabad (Sindh). Similar activities as in Sibi Festival.Jashan-e-Larkana:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Last week of February)  At Larkana (Sindh). Traditional sports, exhibition of handicrafts, folk music and dances. Bassant With the advent of spring Basant Festival is celebrated with pomp and show in mid February every year in Lahore. In other words this is the spring festival. Alleging that kite flying is a Hindu event is also sheer ignoran ce. The sport originated in China about 5000 years ago, when Hinduism was in non existent. Why single out kite-flying then, especially when it is a source of joy for the old and the young men and women?The simple reason is that Hindu at Basant Festival fly kites for enjoying Basant. With times Muslims who were living together with Hindus in the sub-continent also join them in kite-flying. Since then Muslims are taking participation in just kite-flying at the time of Basant connotating it as Pala Urant. Now a days people of Lahore enjoy it by kite flying competition and by visiting the shrine of saint Madho Lal Hussein, where they assemble to pay their benediction. Lahore is becoming the main focal point for the celebration of this festival in Pakistan. People traditionally fly kites on the roofs of their buildings.It is commonly observed that rest houses, hotels and house of relatives of the participants are fully packed with guests from all over the country. Moreover some five star hotels also arrange this function on their roof top for foreigners and other high class gentry. They also arrange variety of dishes with musical concert. Sometimes Lahorities on this occasion become emotional and in this state create law and order problems for the administration. Some of them use metal thread for kite-flying. Their such a deed oftenly imposes, besides life threat, a serious problem for WAPDA when the thread touches the live wires.In spite of the fact Basant Festival which has no links with the Muslim culture is becoming very popular and being celebrated in Lahore regularly every year with zeal and fervent. Nauroze:  Ã‚  (21-23 March) Celebrated only in Gilgit, Hunza, Skardu and Chitral. Polo, foot-ball, volley-ball and hockey matches, folk dances and music. Pakistan Day *:  Ã‚   (23 March) Commemorating the anniversary of Pakistan Resolution passed on March 23, 1940. Military parade at provincial capitals and Islamabad. Mela Chiraghan (Festival of lamps): (Last week of March) Held for 01 week outside Shalimar Gardens, Lahore.Horse & Cattle Show: (End of March till 1st week of April). At Dera Ismail Khan. Local games, folk dances, music, cattle races and exhibition of local handicrafts. Jashan-e-Shikarpur:  (In April for 01 week) At Shikarpur, Sindh. Cultural activities, local sports and handicrafts exhibition. Eid-ul-Azha *  : Religious festival commemorating the great sacrifice offered by Prophet Abraham. Celebrated on 10 Zilhaj, 12th month of Islamic Calendar. Collective prayers after sun set, sacrifice of   goats, sheep, cows or camels and distribution of meat among relatives, friends and poor. Joshi or Chilimjusht:  Ã‚   (14-15 May)Kalash festival of welcoming spring, held in Kalash Valleys near Chitral. Folk dances, music and exchange of dishes. Shandur Polo Festival Traditional polo tournament between the teams of Chitral and Gilgit is being held on the highest polo ground of the world – The Shandur Pass (Chitral dist rict). Allied activities include fold music, folk dances and other competitions. A tent village along Shandur Lake will be set up in cooperation with the local administration. Utchal:  (15-16 July) A harvest festival, celebrated by Kalash people in Kalash Valleys, Chitral. Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi *:Birth Anniversary of Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (P. B. U. H). on 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal – the 3rd month of Islamic Calendar. Independence Day *:  (14 August) Meeting, processions, rallies, decorations and illustrations all over the country. Defense of Pakistan Day:  Ã‚   (06 September) Parades and exhibitions of military equipment at Rawalpindi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi. Visits to the war memorials. (No national holiday except Armed Forces) Air force Day:  Ã‚  (07 September) Display of latest aircraft of Pakistan Air force and air shows at Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.Phool:  (20 – 25 September) Held in Kalash Valleys near Chitral. Reaping grapes and walnuts, dancing and singing. Lok Mela:  (1st week of October, for one week) Folk Festival held at Islamabad. Folk Music, songs, music contests, folk dances, craftsmen at   work, exhibition and sale of handicrafts. The festival presents a unique opportunity to watch the culture and craft of the whole country at one place. Chowmas:  Ã‚  (18-21 October) Held in Kalash Valleys near Chitral. Welcoming of winter with first snow-fall. Activities restrict to indoor. Karakoram Car Rally:A colorful closing/award giving ceremony was held in Hunza Valley. Prizes, shields, certificates were distributed among the ralliers. SAF-International Karakoram Car Rally was also planned for year 2001, but it was postponed. International Karakoram Car Rally has been proposed to be held during the month of November in 2002 as part of the International Year of Mountains celebrations Birthday of Allama Muhammad Iqbal:  . (09 November) National Poet * . National Industrial Exhibition Islamab ad: Exhibition and sale of Pakistan’s industrial products and handicraft items National Industrial Exhibition Lahore: 3rd week of November for 15 days) Held at Fortress Stadium, Lahore. Exhibition and sale of industrial products and handicrafts of Pakistan. National Horse & Cattle Show Lahore: (3rd week of November for 05 days ) Held at Fortress Stadium, Lahore. Cattle races, cattle dances, tent-pegging, tattoo show, folk music, dances, bands, cultural floats and folk games. The show has been described as an eloquent expression of Pakistan's heritage and an authentic account of its agricultural and industrial achievement's. It is held in Lahore Fortress stadium at the end of February or at First week of March.The fortress stadium, the venue of the show is thronged by active participants, foreign visitors and peoples who watch the festival with great enthusiasm, verve and aplomb. A large number of them are interested in watching and appreciating the best breeds of livestock. M any derive pleasure by watching other activities such as display parade of animals, dances by horses and camels, polo matches, tent pegging, dog shows and their races, vaudeville acts of stuntmen, mass display of military band, rhythmically physical exercise by the children. Tastefully decorated industrial floats and torch light tattoo shows.Additional attractions include a subtle interplay of lights to weave enticing patterns at night and breath taking acts by foreign groups. The show began as a modest exhibition organized by the army to project the cattle wealth of the country in the early fifties. Today it is an international event to which come dignitaries from abroad and visitors and foreign tourists. The organizing committee comprises representatives of a number of agencies including army, rangers, LMC schools, the police, industrialists and the art councils. Christmas and Birth Anniversary   of Quaid-e-Azam  *: (25 DecemberA

Journals for as I Lay Dying Essay

Most authors give small details throughout the novel of where and when a story takes place, and the reader must piece the bits together. As I lay dying is no exception and like any other book gives many examples of setting. First off you can tell that the story takes place many years ago through simple statements given throughout the novel. For example, when it says that all of the women inside of the house had to use fans to cool themselves it suggests that air conditioning was not around yet, therefore it was an earlier time. (Page 81) Also throughout the entire beginning of the novel Cash’s only tools for building Addie’s coffin are a saw and hammer, there is no mention of any newer power tools. Then when Anse is talking to some of the other men about transporting Addie’s coffin a character mentions that the bridge was built back when his first child was born in 1988. (83) Also on page 83 when the flooding of said bridge is noted someone comments on how they h ad to float their horses across the water to get to Anse’s house. This shows that the novel took place many years ago in the late 1800’s when people relied on horses to get around. Also whenever anyone mentions transportation they talk about their wagons aka: They travel in wagons because cars do not exist yet. The final piece of evidence which shows the story took place some time back is when Cash is finally finishing Addie’s coffin at night in the pouring rain and he has to use a lantern to see in the dark. (Page 57) It shows that this novel took place before flashlights were around because Cash had to give up his raincoat to keep the lantern dry and lit whereas if this had taken place at a more current time he would have used a flashlight and kept himself dry. The time frame which this story takes place stays consist but the place changes as the novel progresses. In the beginning we learn that the Bundruns house sits alone right in front of a road (page 35) Then later when doctor Peabody comes to visit we learn that they live atop a mountain (page 41) Another thing noted is that the Bundruns own a good amount of property for their limited funds and th ey own their own barn house as well. (Page 38). Later the story takes place on the road as the Bundruns make their way towards Jefferson. One of the many examples of this is on page 156 when Anse mentions the slippery dirt road and the difficulties it might pose for the remainder of their travel. Journal 2 and 3: mother is a fish tools=cash Addie=coffin Anse unable to smooth blankets page 51 jewl’s mother is a horse and is what was 95 The fish plays a symbolic role in helping Vardaman understand death. â€Å"It was not her because it was laying right yonder in the dirt. And now it’s all chopped up. I chopped it up. It’s laying in the kitchen in the bleeding pan, waiting to be cooked and ate. Then it wasn’t and she was, and now it is and she wasn’t† (66-67). This was Vardaman’s childlike explanation for his mother’s death. This quote conveys how the fish was a fish lying in the dirt, now it is no longer a fish because it no longer has a body. Similarly when Addie is laid to rest in her coffin her body will be no more. By his mother dying if â€Å"Cash nails the box up†, his mother will no longer be his mother (66).Addie â€Å"was† a fish rather than â€Å"is† a fish. The fish symbolizes Addie’s death to Vardaman in a sense that physical being conveys existence. Throughout the beginning sections of the novel, Cash has always been described as sawing or hammering. The tools eventually start to represent Cash himself. In fact before anyone even see’s Cash the sawing and the hammering of his tools are heard first. Cash is very stable and persistent just like his tools. While Cash was constructing the coffin with his tools even when it began to rain, Cash continued to work. â€Å"Cash works on†¦dynamic immobility above his tireless elbow†¦It begins to rain†¦in an instant Cash is wet to the skin. Yet the motion of the saw has not faltered, as though it and the arm functioned in tranquil conviction that the rain was an illusion of the mind† (77). By having the saw not falter, Cash’s steady, stable character is portrayed He is the level headed and most sane of all of the Bundruns. The tools themselves represented Cash’s true identity. If the tools were lost or not beside him he felt lost. When he’s not safely with his tools he loses his sanity. New teeth symbolize Anse’s selfishness. Even while everyone is gathered around his wife’s death bed, he can only think about getting ahold of new teeth.† God’s will be done,† he says, â€Å"Now I can get them teeth† (52). Anse displays selfishness by his bluntness. He simply states what’s done is done and then focuses on himself. He is constantly putting the needs, and desires of his children aside and focusing on his own wants. Even Dewy Dells abortion is second to him. Anse’s only life goal/motive throughout the novel is to get a pair of new teeth, even his goal to bury his own wife where he promised comes in s econd to getting his new teeth. He only wishes to bury Addie in Jefferson out of his own selfish reasons. The teeth represent his selfishness because at any time when everyone else is worried about Addie, he is not; he is off thinking about new teeth. He does not even come across remotely upset at losing his wife instead he fantasizes about teeth. Jewel’s relationship with his horse represents his relationship with his mother. Darl makes fun of Jewel and says his mother is a horse, suggesting that what Jewel feels for the horse is what he feels for his mother.(page 51) Jewel does act violently toward his horse, but it should be noted that Jewl’s character is one of violence. Jewel was born as the result of violence because of what Addie wanted from preacher Whitfield. Jewel’s monologues show the violent images in his mind. He has a stronger personality than any of the other Bundruns and people seem to fear him. He even expresses his love for Addie through Violence when He stands on high hill and throws rocks at people down below. It is also important to remember that it is Jewel who violently and single-handedly saves Addie from the river and the fire.(page 203) These acts show his love for his mother. Even though at times it is hard to believe he ever had love for his mother, like when he refuses to say goodbye to her when he knows it is the last time her will ever see her. He simply can’t express his emotions except in symbols of violence, and the intense loving; violent relationship with the horse is what provides insight into his character. Therefore his horse symbolizes the love he has for his mother and suggests the violent circumstances of his birth. Addie’s coffin comes to represent the family’s dysfunction. Cash is obsessed with getting the measurements right, yet the coffin remains unbalanced. Likewise all of the Bundruns themselves are unbalanced. Addie wants a coffin sturdy enough to insure her body gets to Jefferson, the city she has demanded she be buried in. Addie’s demand is selfish and she does not care for how much trouble it will cause her family. Cash breaks his leg when he goes after the coffin in the river and suffers untold pain. The youngest child Vardaman drills holes into the coffin accidentally drilling two holes into his mother’s face because he thinks she can’t breathe. (page 71) After eight days, the odor emanating from the coffin is putrid. It is almost as if the coffin is a jinx.(page 239) The coffin begins to symbolize the family’s dysfunction because all of the unlucky and tragic things that occur to the Bundruns surround the coffin. Burying the coffin symbolizes the return to normalcy. Although the Bundruns version normalcy is sending Darl off to a mental institution and finding a new Mrs. Bundren. One important and symbolic event is when Addie was nearing her death and Anse is unable to smooth the blankets over her on page 51. This shows just how much their marriage had collapsed and how little they cared for each other. Anse has no true love for his wife in his heart, therefore caring acts such as smoothing her blankets while she is on her deathbed do not come naturally to him. Addie has no love for Anse either and she only glares at Anse as he attempts to smooth her blankets. She does not want his touch or him in the room even. Also in this scene when Addie finally passes Dewey Dell reacts emotionally and throws herself on her mother and Vardiman and Cash both react with some sadness as well. While Anse’s thoughts still seem to be stuck on teeth, he does not even comment further on his wife’s death he only tells Dewey Dell to go along and make supper and goes to once again awkwardly cover Addie with a blanket and try to smooth it. Journal 4: figurative language William Faulkner has a different writing style than most other authors, even his use of figurative language is one of his own. Something that stands out about his use of figurative language is that nine times out of ten he uses it to describe nature. For example, Faulkner uses a simile to show that an entire day has passed in only 1  ½ pages. He uses the position of the sun to show that it is already evening. â€Å"The sun, an hour above the horizon, is poised like a bloody egg upon a crest of thunderheads.† (page 39) Another thing one might notice about Faulkner’s technique is that he tends to compare people, objects, or characteristics with animals. One example of this is when Faulkner compares Anse to a rooster. â€Å"His hair was pushed back and matted up on his head like a dipped rooster†. (pg. 43) This was when Addie was very near to death and many neighbors were visiting her on her deathbed. Anse is outside on the porch standing alone, and zoned out in his own world. Faulkner uses this simile to show just how much Addie’s sickness/almost death has affected Anse. The reader gets the image of just how much stress Anse has been put under. (Although his anxiousness probably has a little more to do with getting new teeth than Addie) Another simile in As I Lay Dying is when the women’s chatting coming from inside the house is compared to the buzzing of bees. â€Å"The women’s talking was buzzing like bees in a bucket from inside the house.† (pg. 81) The author is comparing the women’s talking to bee’s to show how much more frantically and quickly they are chatting and gossiping as opposed to the men’s calmer, slower, and more series conversation. Journal 8: In its broadest terms, the structure of As I Lay Dying revolves around the preparations for and the actual journey from the Bundren farm to a town forty miles away in order t o bury Addie Bundren. Also, like most novels during the journey, several conflicts arise and the Bundruns must solve through them. So, in one sense, the novel has a linear structure based upon their traveling 40 miles from their mountain home to Jefferson to fulfill Addie’s dying wish, but the novel is also structured in such a way that the author has virtually removed himself from the story and it is the characters telling the story. There are exactly fifty-nine chapters in the novel and each is narrated by a character Faulkner accomplishes many things through his unique use of structure. For one thing he forces the reader to submerge themselves in the story. Because he has removed himself as a narrator there is no one straight point of view to explain events or ideas and the reader has to compare the different opinions and differing viewpoints from all of the characters and determine for themselves the significance of a particular event. Another thing different about his technique is that it allows us to see the inner thoughts of ALL the characters rather than just one main characters. We see into the mind of each character directly and must analyze what we find there. He does not give any background information on any of his characters; instead the reader must examine characters inner thoughts and on their own determine what type of characters they are. Along with this we are able to see each event from many different perspectives. With multiple narrations the reader can see each event from all of the differing viewpoints and observe how each character saw it and their own opinion on it. Because of this ,we learn more about the character. His unique style lets the reader become a part of the novel by drawing them in more and forcing them to piece together their own idea of what each characters personality is like. Another interesting thing about Faulkner’s style is that he is careful to include outside narrators to remind the reader that the Bundruns are not typical people. For example, all of the other characters find it absurd that Anse is going to drag his wife’s dead body such a long distance and they find it disrespectful to her spirit for him not to bury her as soon and as conveniently as possible. If the story were confined to only the Bundruns points of view, the reader would not realize that this dead body stinks so badly and that the Bundruns are violating basic morals by transporting the body such a long distance. The outside narrators give the novel a sense of the real world. In conclusion the book does have a central problem involving Addie’s request to be buried and her family determination to fulfill it, and then the structure of the novel forces the reader to solve these problems for themselves by analyzing each character. Journal 9 and 10: key passages â€Å"He did not know that he was dead.† (P. 173) After Addie gave birth to Cash, she closed herself off to Anse. To Addie, her husband Anse was dead. This is apparent even in the beginning of the novel because one can sense the barrier between Addie and Anse. Addie has no interest in anything Anse says and does not even wish to see him in her final hours. Anse on the other hand does not even care about his wife’s death because he is preoccupied with getting new teeth. After Addie gave birth to Cash she starts to feel like Anse has taken her identity away from her, and that now she cannot be her own person because she is forced to be part of a family. She resents Anse for this. She also resents the attachment of being part of a family. This is why she feels like her â€Å"aloneness has been violated.† This is also the reason for Addie’s affair with Whitfield – to rebel against her role in the family. It is her own personal revenge against Anse. The product was Jewel. She then begins to share a special connection with Jewl. Darl and Cash belonged to Anse and she never really wanted them. Having them in the first place was really just about her duty as a wife. But Anse isn’t Jewel’s father; therefore, Jewel is Addie’s and only Addie’s. To her, Jewl is living proof that she was able to break out of her position as the wife and act as an independent person. Sometimes I think it aint none of us pure crazy and aint none of us pure sane until the balance of us talks him that-a-way. It’s like it aint so much what a fellow does, but it’s the way the majority of folks is looking at him when he does it. Page 248 This is said from Cash’s point of view, and is his opinion on whether or not Darl is Insane. Cash starts to contemplate what IS sanity exactly? Who is to determine what is and isn’t sane, what if what others might consider insanity is really just Darl’s refusal to conform to the social norms? When you consider all of the misery the Bundruns mission to bury Addie has created from beginning to end you may start to think that maybe Darl is not insane. The entire bunch of the Bundruns were crazy, abnormal and could in someone else’s opinion be considered insane. Jewl is unnecessarily violent, Dewy Dell is a whore, Anse is incredibly selfish, and even little Vardamin is out of sorts. Cash notes that maybe Darl is the only one declared insane because the rest of his family’s opinions outnumber his. This goes all the way back to the very beginning of the family’s dysfunctions starting with when Anse’s marriage with Addie fell apart and then Addie’s health failed. Throughout the entire book the Bundruns seem to have trouble getting along until finally the coffin is buried and they seem to return to their version of normal. Journals 5 and 6 One of the most obvious rhetoric techniques Faulkner uses is his writing style. It is written as a stream of consciousness, and it is so skillfully done that it adds depth to the novel. As I lay dying is told from multiple perspectives, and each chapter is narrated by a different character. Faulkner’s virtuosity is seen by the way he adjusts his style to fit the mind of each individual narrator. The reader is given more detail for each event because they are able to view the event from multiple perspectives. Faulkner has very skillfully imitated the way the human brain processes images and puts them into words. The reader is really placed inside the various characters’ heads. This rhetoric technique lets the reader experience the book as if they are omnisciently viewing the events themselves. Faulkner uses a lot of repetition in As I Lay dying to get certain points across.

Journal entry #9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal entry #9 - Essay Example It was disclosed that the paramount model for language acquisition would be epitomized from native English speakers (NES). There were apparent manifested differences in behavior from NES and NNES, categorized into four major divisions, to wit: individual use of English; general attitudes toward teaching; attitudes toward teaching the language; and attitudes toward teaching culture (Butler, 2007, p. 736). The study was thereby conducted utilizing 312 Korean students from Grade 6, who were enrolled in two public schools. Through a comprehension test and completion of attitudinal and background questionnaires, the findings revealed that Korean students expressed preferences for teachers who manifest the following qualities, regardless of accents: pronunciation, confidence, empathy, and ability to explain the differences between English and Korean (Butler, 2007, p. 749). One strongly believes that the information and results revealed from the article are highly beneficial for teachers within the ESL learning environment. Inasmuch as accent was the main focus for the study and the students’ attitudes towards NNES and NES, the findings the give credence to the teachers’ qualities provided crucial details on the important role of teaching style and the ability to discern the needs of the students, as a whole, particularly in identifying the role of accents in the general listening comprehension of students with diverse cultural

Business (Decision Making) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business (Decision Making) - Essay Example This implies that the sum of all the cells will be equal to the sum of subjects. Another assumption is that chi square is applied to a large sample of data. Usage of small sample is expected to mislead the user to come up with wrong results. Every observation of chi square is expected to have the same distribution. The assumption regarding cell sizes is that in a 2 by 2 table there should be five or more cells. The observations must be properly grouped. The different categories should be based on the nature of the distribution. The hypotheses between the relationships of two values are studied by using chi square. Since the distribution is already planned by the hypothesis, the distributions that are to be made in the cell can be expressed even without doing any calculation. Chi square test is actually used to compare different data which are considered useful for various purposes. The comparison is made between the data that are already available with the one that will be gathered on the basis of the hypothesis. Chi square tests whether a collected sample of data belong to a population with specific distribution. Degrees of freedom or 'df' is one of the most important parameters of Chi square distribution. Chi square distribution tends to approach a normal distribution with an increase in the degrees of freedom. "As the df increase, the chi square distribution approaches a normal distribution." (Hyperstat online contents). There are three possible tests in chi square. They are test for independence, goodness of fit and test for homogeneity. In the first case, that is the test for independence, it is examined whether the value of a particular variable can be assessed with the help of any other variable. Under goodness of fit analysis the efficiency of a statistical expression to fit to a given situation or observation is examined. In the third case, that is the test for homogeneity, it is examined as to whether there are similar observations for common population in a given data. Though the formula in both the cases is the same, the values are differently interpreted for arriving at a conclusion in a given scenario. F-ratio is another statistical tool used in the interpretation of data. F-ratio is mainly used to test variances. This tests whether the variances are equal for the given independent variables. "The F-ratio is used to determine whether the variances in two independent samples are equal." (Applied statistics handbook, 2007). Therefore, f-ratio calculates the existence of any difference between the variables. It does not analyze the difference to know the reasons. That is in order to know the reason for the existence of difference certain other methods are to be applied. In the given situation the company W sells its new software products through the sales force they assigned for different regions. Usually the demand for different regions varies due to different factors. But without considering this variation the sales persons are expected to achieve same sales target. In the present situation the sales that have been achieved by the sales persons must be compared with those of the exp ected sales figures. Thus, the company will be able to make a clear forecast of the sales that it can possibly achieve and the sales persons can be given that as their target. When the employees are aware of the expected

Macroeconomics HW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Macroeconomics HW - Essay Example Government loses revenue, there is consumer surplus as the market becomes more attractive for foreign imports (goods made overseas and shipped to the U.S.). Because domestic supply increases when a tariff is in place, lowering the tariff would be less financially beneficial to the domestic producers. Yes, the economy has been made better off by trade. Understanding that tariffs increase government revenues and also increase domestic supply, it prevents many foreign-made products from flooding the U.S. market. When the government is in a better financial position, these investments can be made in stimulus or other beneficial financial programs to spark growth. The government maintains even more control with the import quota, which further stimulates growth in domestic sales, but also gives consumers more product options. Losses in manufacturing are offset by growth in other industries, which still provide workers with quality jobs just with less focus on production facilities. Trade can stimulate a need for better training to consumers for jobs such as technology, thus providing a competitive advantage with other nations despite the trade situation. The first argument about national security is not justified as it relates to agriculture. The United States maintains very high agricultural output and thus foreign agriculture would not be considered critical to sustaining the well-being and health of Americans. Except for items like coffee that have no substitutes, shifts in supply of foreign produced agriculture are not a security risk. The second argument about job creation, however, is justified by the argument for trade protection. If too many agricultural products are imported into the U.S., it could affect domestic production and thus create job losses for farmers, canners, or other jobs related to food supply. The last argument, about infant industries, is not really relevant to the U.S. This

Economics Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economics Assignment - Essay Example Other ways to alter money supply in the economy may include altering discount rates, quantitative easing and Funding; however, the main emphasis of monetary policy is the â€Å"Open Market Operations† through which the government alters money supply in the economy. It is first important to understand how banks operate; banks lend out money to open public, this money when lend out in the economy is bound to come back to the banks as deposits by other people. Thus, the bank has more and more money to lend out. However, the bank keeps certain amount of money as a safety measure to cater to demand of withdrawal of money by customers. The percentage of deposit kept safe by the bank is determined by the â€Å"Liquidity Ratio†. Example, if the liquidity ratio is 10%, and Mr. X comes and invests $100 in a bank, the bank would keep $10 as a reserve and would lend out the remaining $90 to customers. This increases money supply; the more money that flows in the bank, the more cred it creation takes place. Open Market operations refer to buying and selling of bonds that happens between the Central bank and the commercial banks. Commercial banks are very powerful when it comes to money creation or contractions. Thus, in case the government wants an expansionary monetary policy, the Central bank would ask the commercial banks to print fancy stamped papers with net amounts written (known as BONDS) and sell them to Central Bank. The central bank would buy the bond and pay the commercial bank money for the bond. Thus, this money is used by the commercial banks to make more credit as they give out this money to buyers. These people spend, Example, Mr. X borrowed $90 and bought a Dell Computer, now Dell would deposit the $90 back in the bank and thus the bank would make a further loan of $81 (90% of $90) and this cycle goes on. This leads to money being multiplied and as a result, because of the Money Multiplier effect, $100 becomes approximately $1000 in the economy at a 10% liquidity ratio rate. This is an expansionary monetary policy that is used in times of recession to bring the economy back or close to the full employment level of output. Money Multiplier = 1 / Liquidity Ratio Similarly, if the government wishes to contract the money supply, it does the opposite; the central bank prints and sells bonds to the commercial banks (taking out its reserves) thus the commercial banks have lesser funds to give out as loans in the economy and the overall economy contracts. This contracts the money supply and is used in times of inflation. This concept also has another vital aspect to it, the impact of interest rates as a result of money supply. Money supply is directly linked to the interest rates, as shown below: Increases in money supply (via expansionary monetary policy) decreases interest rates (as shown above, from i1 to i2), this means people would be less willing to save and hence have a greater marginal propensity to consume*. Consumption will likely to go up as people would tend to spend more than they save, owing to low interest rates. Credit card purchases would be encouraged and investments would be made more attractive at lower interest rates. Also, owing to the wealth effect, the people would be willing to spend

The Debate about Quasi-Military Style Policing Essay

The Debate about Quasi-Military Style Policing - Essay Example As such, this effective red-tape that hinders the proper working of the police force is a common problem across the world. In this context, it is also important to note that most police departments operate as quasi military entities. Police personnel wear uniforms, carry weapons for self defense and are organized along the hierarchical structure described above according to their rank. As such, an officer within this chain functions under a authority in which the orders flow in a single direction i.e., top to bottom. Like the case with the military, the police have often abused their powers and have resorted to various crimes apart from being riddled with corruption in various forms. As such, the military model of this quasi structured organization has created problems. By deeming that anything against crime is genuine, police can often embrace the belief that anything in justified in a war like situation. This not only leads to violence as a result of the abuse of power by police officers, but can also create serious rifts between them and the general population. However, despite these negative traits, a police force performs several important duties that are important for the maintenance of law and order and to keep crime under check if not do away with it completely. The police department, through its ranks, operates in an organized fashion and maintains control during occasions where a large number of people come out to interact with one another. Likewise, the police department maintains an intelligence arm much like its military counterpart and gathers information about the events and trends in the local area, allowing its decision makers to make the proper and timely choices necessary to keep illegal elements within check. Further, it is this very quasi static structure that provides the necessary structure that allows several

Write the difintion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Write the difintion - Essay Example It involves a close participation of diverse stakeholders who works as a team, hence simplification of the complex task. The team may encompass teachers, students, specialists from different subjects and syllabus coordinators. The team contributes to improvement of technical expertise and know how to achieve the curriculum goals and objectives. Primarily, it is a coherent and sustainable method of curriculum development. Formative evaluation takes place during the delivery of a certain course content. Teachers carry out a formative evaluation in order to determine how much students know and be able to modify the instructional methods. Formative evaluation highlights the aspects that need emphasis, as well as the weaknesses and the strengths of students. Furthermore, the curriculum formative evaluation does monitor and evaluate the deficiencies present in any current curriculum for the sake of future improvement. Summative evaluation occurs at the end of a course. Teachers use summative assessment in determining whether the course objectives have been achieved. They focus on the learning outcomes exhibited by students. Summative evaluation may be in the form of the final project or end of semester exams. The approach is also useful in curriculum development, via use of questionnaires, testing or observations to test the usefulness of the

Profitability Analysis for Coca-Cola Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Profitability Analysis for Coca-Cola - Essay Example Coca-Cola has been established for a long time and has a strong value and internal performance management system. This study focuses on the financial values of the company by carrying out a ratio analysis for the company and comparing the results with industry averages. Financial ratio analysis provides an instant way to evaluate the performance of a company by comparing its financial ratios with its own past performance and the industry average in the domain in which the company operates. Hence, it is necessary to perform a comprehensive financial analysis of Coca-Cola for us to make an opinion about the company’s value and performance management systems. A brief analysis of Coca-Cola with regard to its performance in terms of financial ratios is provided below. The financial conditions ratios are used to develop an understanding of the company’s financial health. These include ratios to analyze the liquidity position of the company which represents the ease with which a company can change its current assets into cash to meet its short-term liabilities. In addition, the liquidity ratios can be used to find out if the company is vulnerable to short-term insolvency which might lead to the company getting bankrupted in the long run. Many ratios can be calculated to find out the liquidity position of the company and hence its financial conditions, but some important ones have been discussed below to provide an insight about Coca Cola’s financial conditions since the last ten years or so. Coca Cola’s quick ratio for the year 1996 remained at 0.67 which is much smaller than industry’s average of 0.9. This shows that the company was not able to meet its short-term obligations using its liquid assets. As per the recent results, the company has improved its performance with its quick ratio now being 0.8 exactly equal to the industry average. This shows a healthier sign than what the company used to be 10 years ago.

You have to read the article and follow the uplode this question Assignment

You have to read the article and follow the uplode this question - Assignment Example The reference to the book Prototype of Japanese Architecture, provides fair mean of support to Reynolds’s view of legitimate claim of hierarchy by Japanese modernist. Thus, the association of Shinto shrine in Ise as a symbolic representation of imperial religious place turned into an architectural beauty for meditation; provides relevance when one observes the prevailing atheist culture of Japan. The inaccessibility to sight Shinto Shrine, made it more valuable in the political and cultural circle. Therefore, the exposure of its interior revolutionized its radiance in the political and social context and thus, it became more of a community service institute rather than a spiritual place of sanctuary. The captivating cohesive information engages the reader to read further to unravel the truth behind the change in status of the shrine. The description of modernist claims of discourse and author’s view on them regarding the significance of Japanese architectural standardization, in accord to the emerging traditions is a little confusing to comprehend ( Reynolds, p 316). Visualizing the shrines in terms of historical legacy made the article more interesting and profound. If one reads the article by keeping the past alive in their minds, it’s easy to process the change in prominence of the shrines. These historical monuments embark their significance one way or the other. Some remember them as the place where only elite class was allowed to worship and people were valued on the bases of cast and wealth. And yet, for some it has established foundation of prevailing traditions. Absorbing the details of this meticulous piece of document helped me grasp the true essence of the

Effective Training †Expectancy Theory Essay Example for Free

Effective Training – Expectancy Theory Essay Expectancy theory maintains that people will make an effort to achieve a standard of performance if they perceive that it will be rewarded by a desirable outcome (Wilson, 1999), giving more effort will result in better performance, these probable organizational rewards are valued by the employee, and better job performance will result to organizational rewards which includes an increase in benefits or salary. Desirable outcome is essentially a product of individual circumstances and perceptions and is therefore a subject to change. According to Wilson, at one time, lifelong employment and security of tenure at an equitable level of remuneration may have been the driving force for many employees. Those who have suffered the effect s of downsizing and redundancy are now likely to view the world in different manner, where jobs offering short term and reasonably remunerated employment prospects are more attractive than no job at all, and similarly, those in employment and those seeking employment are likely to have a positive view of work offering the prospect of development of differentiated and transferrable skills, as an investment in their future employability (Wilson, 1999). If one of the managers will say that he doesn’t have time for this theory stuff and he wants real-world training that will help him in his job, I will tell him first that, outsourcing, downsizing, delayering, and casualisation of jobs are all fashionable but these trends affect employees’ explicit or implicit relationships with their employer, and similarly, reduced career oppurtunities, shorter tenure, the need for transferrable skills to assist employability, and increased used of fixed term contracts weaken the traditional ties of loyalty to their company’s destiny psychologically as well as formally (Wilson, 1999). I will tell him that he should do anything which will encourage his employees to trust their organization or company because it is important to earn employees’ trust and loyalty to the company to achieve better productivity.

Database security and encryption

Database security and encryption Introduction Organisations are increasingly relying on the distributed information systems to gain productivity and efficiency advantages, but at the same time are becoming more vulnerable to security threats. Database systems are an integral component of this distributed information system and hold all the data which enables the whole system to work. A database can be defined as a shared collection of logically related data and a description of this data, designed to meet the information needs of an organization. A database system is considered as a collection of related data, database management system (DBMS) a software that manages (define, create and maintain) and controls the access to the database, and a collection of database application(s) a program that interacts with the database at some point in its execution (typical example is a SQL statement) along with the DBMS and the database itself [1]. Organisations have adopted database systems as the key data management technology for decision-making and day-to-day operations. Databases are designed to hold large amounts of data and management of data involves both defining structures for storage of information and providing mechanisms for manipulation of information. As the data is to be shared among several users the system must avoid anomalous results and ensure the safety of the information stored despite system crashes and attempts at unauthorized access. The data involved here can be highly sensitive or confidential, thus making the security of the data managed by these systems even more crucial as any security breach does not affect only a single application or user but can have disastrous consequences on the entire organisation. A number of security techniques have been suggested over the period of time to tackle the security issues. These can be classified as access control, inference control, flow control, and encryptio n. 1.1 A Short History Starting from the day one when database applications were build using hierarchical and network systems to todays date when we have so many different database systems like relational databases (RDBMS), object-oriented databases (OODBMS), object-relational databases (ORDBMS), eXtended Query (XQUERY); one factor which was, is, and will be of the utmost importance is the security of the data involved. Data always has been a valuable asset for companies and must be protected. Organizations spend millions these days in order to achieve the best security standards for the DBMS. Most of an organizations sensitive and proprietary data resides in a DBMS, thus the security of the DBMS is a primary concern. When we talk of securing a DBMS, this is with respect to both the internal and the external users. The internal users are the organization employees like database administrators, application developers, and end users who just use the application interface, which fetch its data from one of the databases and the external users can be the employees who do not have access to the database or an outsider who has nothing to do with the organization. The other factors which has made data security more crucial is the recent rapid growth of the web based information systems and applications and the concept of mobile databases. Any intentional or accidental event that can adversely affect a database system is considered as a threat to database and database security can be defined as a mechanism that protects the database against such intentional or accidental threats. Security breaches can be classified as unauthorized data observation, incorrect data modification, and data unavailability, which can lead to loss of confidentiality, availability, integrity, privacy, and theft and fraud. Unauthorized data observation results in disclosure of information to users who might not be entitled to have access to such kind of information. Incorrect data modification intentional or unintentional leaves the database in an incorrect state. Data can hamper the functionality of an entire organization in a proper way if not available when needed. Thus the security in terms of databases can be broadly classified into access security and internal security. Access security refers to the mechanisms implemented to restrict any sort of unauthorized access to the database; examples can be authorization methods such as every user has a unique username and password to establish him as a legitimate user when trying to connect to the database. When the user tries to connect to the database the login credentials will be checked against a set of usernames and password combinations setup under a security rule by a security administrator. Internal security can be referred to as an extra level of security, which comes into picture if someone has already breached the access security such as getting hold of a valid username and password, which can help getting access to the database. So the security mechanism implemented within the database such as encrypting the data inside the database can be classed as internal security, which prevents the data to be compromised even if someone has got unauthorized access to the database. Every organization needs to identify the threats they might be subjected to and the subsequently appropriate security plans and countermeasures should be taken, taking into consideration their implementation costs and effects on performance. Addressing these threats helps the enterprise to meet the compliance and risk mitigation requirements of the most regulated industries in the world. 1.2 How Databases are Vulnerable According to David Knox [2], Securing the Database may be the single biggest action an organization can take, to protect its assets. Most commonly used database in an enterprise organization is relational database. Data is a valuable resource in an enterprise organization. Therefore they have a very strong need of strictly controlling and managing it. As discussed earlier it is the responsibility of the DBMS to make sure that the data is kept secure and confidential as it the element which controls the access to the database. Enterprise database infrastructure is subject to an overwhelming range of threats most of the times. The most common threats which an Enterprise Database is exposed to are: Excessive Privilege Abuse when a user or an application has been granted database access privileges which exceeds the requirements of their job functions. For example an academic institute employee whose job only requires only the ability to change the contact information for a student can also change the grades for the student. Legitimate Privilege Abuse legitimate database access privileges can also be abused for malicious purposes. We have two risks to consider in this situation. The first one is confidential/sensitive information can be copied using the legitimate database access privilege and then sold for money. The second one and perhaps the more common is retrieving and storing large amounts of information on client machine for no malicious reason, but when the data is available on an endpoint machine rather than the database itself, it is more susceptible to Trojans, laptop theft, etc. Privilege Elevation software vulnerabilities which can be found in stored procedures, built-in functions, protocol implementations or even SQL statements. For example, a software developer can gain the database administrative privileges by exploiting the vulnerabilities in a built-in function. Database Platform Vulnerabilities any additional services or the operating system installed on the database server can lead to an authorized access, data corruption, or denial of service. For example the Blaster Worm which took advantage of vulnerability in Windows 2000 to create denial of service. SQL Injection the most common attack technique. In a SQL injection attack, the attacker typically inserts unauthorized queries into the database using the vulnerable web application input forms and they get executed with the privileges of the application. This can be done in the internal applications or the stored procedures by internal users. Access to entire database can be gained using SQL injection Weak Audit a strong database audit is essential in an enterprise organization as it helps them to fulfill the government regulatory requirements, provides investigators with forensics link intruders to a crime deterring the attackers. Database Audit is considered as the last line of database defense. Audit data can identify the existence of a violation after the fact and can be used to link it to a particular user and repair the system in case corruption or a denial of service attack has occurred. The main reasons for a weak audit are: it degrades the performance by consuming the CPU and disk resources, administrators can turn off audit to hide an attack, organizations with mixed database environments cannot have a uniform, scalable audit process over the enterprise as the audit processes are unique to database server platform Denial of Service access to network applications or data is denied to the intended users. A simple example can be crashing a database server by exploiting vulnerability in the database platform. Other common denial of service techniques are data corruption, network flooding, server resource overload (common in database environments). Database Protocol Vulnerabilities SQL Slammer worm took advantage of a flaw in the Microsoft SQL Server protocol to force denial of service conditions. It affected 75,000 victims just over 30 minutes dramatically slowing down general internet traffic. [Analysis of BGP Update Surge during Slammer Worm Attack] Weak Authentication obtaining legitimate login credentials by improper way contributes to weak authentication schemes. The attackers can gain access to a legitimate users login details by various ways: by repeatedly entering the username/password combination until he finds the one which works (common or weak passwords can be guessed easily), by convincing someone to share their login credentials, by stealing the login credentials by copying the password files or notes. Backup Data Exposure there are several cases of security breaches involving theft of database backup tapes and hard disks as this media is thought of as least prone to attack and is often completely unprotected form attack [3]. All these security threats can be accounted for unauthorized data observation, incorrect data modification and data unavailability. A complete data security solution must take into consideration the secrecy/confidentiality, integrity and availability of data. Secrecy or confidentiality refers to the protection of data against unauthorized disclosure, integrity refers to prevention of incorrect data modification and availability refers to prevention of hardware/software errors and malicious data access denials making the database unavailable. 1.3 Security Techniques As organizations increase their adoption of database systems as the key data management technology for day-to-day operations and decision-making, the security of data managed by these systems has become crucial. Damage and misuse of data affect not only a single user or application, but may have disastrous consequences on the entire organization. There are four main control measures which can be used to provide security of data in databases. These are: Access Control Inference Control Flow Control Data Encryption Chapter 2 Literature Review Secure and secret means of communication has been always desired for in the field of database systems. There is always a possibility of interception by a party outside of the sender-receiver domain when data is transmitted. Modern digital-based encryption methods form the basis of todays world database security. Encryption in its earlier days was used by military and government organizations to facilitate secret information but in present times it is used for protecting information within many kinds of civilian systems. In 2007 the U.S. government reported that 71% of companies surveyed utilized encryption or some of their data in transit [4]. 2.1 Encryption Encryption is defined as the process of transforming information (plaintext) using an encryption algorithm (cipher) into unreadable form (encrypted information called as ciphertext) making it inaccessible to anyone without possessing special knowledge to decrypt the information. The encoding of the data by a special algorithm that renders the data unreadable by any program without the decryption key, is called encryption [1]. The code and cipher are the two methods of encrypting data. The encryption of data or a message is accomplished by one, or both, of the methods of encoding or enciphering. Each involves distinct methodologies and the two are differentiated by the level at which they are carried out. Encoding is performed at the word or block level and deals with the manipulation of groups of characters. Enciphering works at the character level. This includes scrambling individual characters in a message, referred to as transposition, and substitution, or replacing characters with others. Codes generally are designed to replace entire words or blocks of data in a message with other words or blocks of data. Languages can be considered codes, since words and phrases represent ideas, objects, and actions. There are codes that substitute entire phrases or groups of numbers or symbols with others. A single system may employ both levels of encoding. For example, consider a code encryption scheme as follows: the = jam, man = barn, is = fly, dangerous = rest. Then the message, the man is dangerous, would read in encrypted form, jam barn fly rest. Although overly-simplistic, this example illustrates the basis of codes. With the advent of electrical-based communications, codes became more sophisticated in answer to the needs of the systems. For example, the inventions of Morse code and the telegraph dictated a need for secure transmission that was more sophisticated. Codes are very susceptible to breaking and possess a large exposure surface with regard to interception and decryption via analysis. Also, there are no easily-implemented means by which to detect breaches in the system. The other method of encryption is the cipher. Instead of replacing words or blocks of numbers or symbols with others, as does the code, the cipher replaces individual or smaller sets of letters, numbers, or characters with others, based on a certain algorithm and key. Digital data and information, including vi deo, audio, and text, can be separated into groups, or blocks, of bits, and then manipulated for encryption by such methods as XOR (exclusive OR), encoding-decoding, and rotation. As an example, let us examine the basics of the XOR method. Here, a group of bits (e.g., a byte) of the data is compared to a digital key, and the exclusive-or operation is performed on the two to produce an encrypted result. Figure 2 illustrates the process. Figure 2: The XOR process for Encryption When the exclusive-or operation is performed on the plaintext and key, the ciphertext emerges and is sent. The receiver performs the exclusive-or operation on the ciphertext and the same key, and the original plaintext is reproduced [5]. Encryption can be reversible and irreversible. Irreversible techniques do not allow the encrypted data to be decrypted, but at the same time the encrypted data can be used to obtain valid statistical information. Irreversible techniques are rarely used as compared to the reversible ones. The whole process of transmitting data securely over an insecure network system is called as cryptosystem that includes à » An encryption key to encrypt the data (plaintext) à » An encryption algorithm that transforms the plaintext into encrypted information (ciphertext) with the encryption key à » A decryption key to decrypt the ciphertext à » A decryption algorithm that transforms the ciphertext back into plaintext using the decryption key [1]. 2.2 Encryption Techniques The goals in digital encryption are no different than those of historical encryption schemes. The difference is found in the methods, not the objectives. Secrecy of the message and keys are of paramount importance in any system, whether they are on parchment paper or in an electronic or optical format [5]. Various encryption techniques are available and broadly can be classified into two categories; asymmetric and symmetric encryption. In symmetric encryption the sender and receiver share the same algorithm and key for encryption and decryption and depends on safe communication network for encryption key exchange whereas in asymmetric encryption uses different keys for encryption and decryption. Asymmetric encryption gave birth to the concept of public and private keys and is preferred to symmetric encryption being more secure [1], [5]. 2.2.1 Symmetric Encryption Symmetric encryption also known as single-key encryption or conventional encryption was the only encryption and by far the most widely used of the two types before the concept of public-key encryption came into picture. The figure below illustrates the symmetric encryption process. The original message (plaintext) is converted into apparently random information (ciphertext) using an algorithm and a key. The key is a value independent of the plaintext. The algorithm produces different outputs for specific keys used at the time i.e. the output of the algorithm changes if the key is changed. The ciphertext produced is then transmitted and is transformed back to the original plaintext by using a decryption algorithm and the same key that was used for encryption. Figure: Simplified Model of Conventional Encryption [7 page 22] The model can be better understood by the following example. A source produces a message X = [X1, X2, X3 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦XM] in plaintext. The M elements of X are letters in some finite alphabet. The alphabet usually consisted of 26 capital letters traditionally but nowadays; binary alphabet {0,1} is used. An encryption key K = [K1, K2, K3 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.KJ] is generated and is shared between the sender and the receiver using a secure channel. Also a third party can generate the encryption key and securely deliver it to both the sender and the receiver. Using the plaintext X and the encryption key K as input, the encryption algorithm produces the ciphertext Y = [Y1, Y2, Y3 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.YN] as Y = EK(X) where E is the encryption algorithm and the ciphertext Y is produced as the function of the plaintext X using E. At the receivers end the ciphertext is converted back to the plaintext as X = DK(Y) where D is the decryption algorithm. Figure: Model of Conventional Cryptosystem [7 page 23] The common symmetric block ciphers are Data Encryption Standard (DES), Triple DES, and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 2.2.1.1 The Data Encryption Standard Data Encryption Standard has been used in the most widely used encryption schemes including Kerberos 4.0. The National Bureau of Standards adopted it as a standard in 1977 [7]. DES operates on 64-bit blocks using a 56-bit key. Like other encryption schemes, in DES there are two inputs to the encryption function, the plaintext to be encrypted and the key. The plaintext should be of 64 bits in length and the key length is 56 bits obtained by stripping off the 8 parity bits, ignoring every eighth bit from the given 64-bit key. The output from the algorithm after 16 rounds of identical operations is the 64-bit block of ciphertext. A suitable combination of permutations and combinations (16 times) on the plaintext is the basic building block of the DES. Same algorithm is used for both encryption and decryption except for processing the key schedule in the reverse order [6], [7]. The 64-bit plaintext is passed through an initial permutation (IP) that produces a permuted input by rearranging the bits. This is followed by16 rounds of the same function, which involves both permutation and substitution functions. The last round results in the output consisting of 64-bits that are a function of the input plaintext and the key. The left and the right halves of the output are swapped to produce the preoutput. The preoutput is passed through a final permutation (IP-1), an inverse of the initial permutation function to achieve the 64-bit ciphertext. The overall process for DES is explained in the diagram below Figure: General Depiction of DES Encryption Algorithm [7 page 67] The right hand side of the diagram explains how the 56-bit key is used during the process. The key is passed through a permutation function initially and then for each of the 16 rounds a subkey (Ki) is generated, by combining left circular shift and a permutation. For every round the permutation function is same, but the subkey is different because of the repeated iteration of the key bits. Since the adoption of DES as a standard, there have always been concerns about the level of security provided by it. The two areas of concern in DES are the key length and that the design criteria for the internal structure of the DES, the S-boxes, were classified. The issue with the key length was, it was reduced to 56 bits from 128 bits as in the LUCIFER algorithm [add a new reference], which was the base for DES and everyone suspected that this is an enormous decrease making it too short to withstand brute-force attacks. Also the user could not be made sure of any weak points in the internal structure of DES that would allow NSA to decipher the messages without the benefit of the key. The recent work on differential cryptanalysis and subsequent events indicated that the internal structure of DES is very strong. 2.2.1.2 Triple DES Triple DES was developed as an alternative to the potential vulnerability of the standard DES to a brute-force attack. It became very popular in Internet-based applications. Triple DES uses multiple encryptions with DES and multiple keys as shown in the figure [below]. Triple DES with two keys is relatively preferred to DES but Triple DES with three keys is preferred overall. The plaintext P is encrypted with the first key K1, then decrypted with the second key K2 and then finally encrypted again with the third key K3.According to the figure the ciphertext C is produced as C = EK3[DK2[EK1[P]]] These keys need to be applied in the reverse order while decrypting. The ciphertext c is decrypted with the third key K3 first, then encrypted with the second key K2, and then finally decrypted again with the first key K1; also called as Encrypt-Decrypt-Encrypt (EDE) mode, producing the plaintext P as P = DK1[EK2[DK3[C]]] Figure: Triple DES encryption/decryption [6 page 72] 2.2.1.3 Advanced Encryption Standard 2.3 Encryption in Database Security Organizations are increasingly relying on, possibly distributed, information systems for daily business; hence they become more vulnerable to security breaches even as they gain productivity and efficiency advantages. Database security has gained a substantial importance over the period of time. Database security has always been about protecting the data data in the form of customer information, intellectual property, financial assets, commercial transactions, and any number of other records that are retained, managed and used on the systems. The confidentiality and integrity of this data needs to be protected as it is converted into information and knowledge within the enterprise. Core enterprise data is stored in relational databases and then offered up via applications to users. These databases typically store the most valuable information assets of an enterprise and are under constant threat, not only from the external users but also from the legitimate users such as trusted ins iders, super users, consultants and partners or perhaps their unprotected user accounts that compromise the system and take or modify the data for some inappropriate purpose. To begin with, classifying the types of information in the database and the security needs associated with them is the first and important step. As databases are used in a multitude of ways, it is useful to have some of the primary functions characterized in order to understand the different security requirements. A number of security techniques have been developed and are being developed for database security, encryption being one of them. Encryption is defined as the process of transforming information (plaintext) using an encryption algorithm (cipher) into unreadable form (encrypted information called as ciphertext) making it inaccessible to anyone without possessing special knowledge to decrypt the information. The encoding of the data by a special algorithm that renders the data unreadable by any program without the decryption key, is called encryption [1]. 2.3.1 Access Encryption There are multiple reasons for access control to confidential information in enterprise computing environments being challenging. Few of them are: First, the number of information services in an enterprise computing environment is huge which makes the management of access rights essential. Second, a client might not know which access rights are necessary in order to be granted access to the requested information before requesting access. Third, flexible access rights including context-sensitive constraints must be supported by access control Access control schemes can be broadly classified in two types: proof-based and encryption-based access control schemes. In a proof-based scheme, a client needs to assemble some access rights in a proof of access, which demonstrates to a service that the client is authorized to access the requested information. Proof-based access control is preferred to be used for scenarios where client specific access rights required are flexible. It becomes easy to include support for constraints if the access rights are flexible. However, it is not the same case for covert access requirements. According to the existing designs, it is assumed that a service can inform a client of the nature of the required proof of access. The service does not need to locate the required access rights, which can be an expensive task, in proof-based access control scheme. [9] In an encryption-based access-control scheme, confidential information is provided to any client in an encrypted form by the service. Clients who are authorized to access the information have the corresponding decryption key. Encryption-based access-control scheme is attractive for scenarios where there are lots of queries to a service shielding the service from having to run client-specific access control. As compared to proof-based access control it is straightforward to add support for covert access requirements to existing encryption-based architectures. In particular, all the information is encrypted by the service as usual, but the client is not told about the corresponding decryption key to use. The client has a set of decryption keys, the client now needs to search this set for a matching key. On the other hand, considering that key management should remain simple, it is less straightforward to add support for constraints on access rights to the proposed architectures. [10] 2.3.1.1 Encryption-Based Access Control Encryption-based access control is attractive, in case there are lots of requests for the same information, as it is independent of the individual clients issuing these requests. For example, an information item can be encrypted once and the service can use the ciphertext for answering multiple requests. However, dealing with constraints on access rights and with granularity aware access rights becomes difficult with the uniform treatment of requests. Further challenges are presented in cases of covert access requirements and service-independent access rights. The main requirements for encryption based access control are: à » Any knowledge about the used encryption key or the required decryption key must not be revealed by the encrypted information. à » For decrypting encrypted information, each value of a constraint must require a separate key that should be accessible only under the given constraint/value combination and we want a scheme that supports hierarchical constraints to make key management simple. à » The decryption key for coarse-grained information should be derivable from the key for fine-grained information to further simplify key management. à » A single decryption key will be used to decrypt the same information offered by multiple services as implied by the service-independent access rights. Because of this, same information can be accessed by a service encrypting information offered by other services in a symmetric cryptosystem. This problem can be avoided by using asymmetric cryptosystem. [8] 2.3.1.2 Encryption-Based Access Control Techniques An access-control architecture will be an ideal one if the access rights are simple to manage; the system is constrainable and is aware of granularity. The architecture also has to be asymmetric, provide indistinguishability, and be personalizable in the case of proof-based access control. Some common encryption-based access control techniques are: Identity Based Encryption An identity-based encryption scheme is specified by four randomized algorithms: à » Setup: takes a security parameter k and returns system parameters and master-key. The system parameters include a description of a finite message space m and a description of a finite ciphertext space c. Intuitively, the system parameters will be publicly known, while the master-key will be known only to the Private Key Generator (PKG). à » Extract: takes as input system parameters, master-key, and an arbitrary ID à Ã‚ µ {0,1}*, and returns a private key d. ID is an arbitrary string which is then used as a public key, and d is the corresponding private decryption key. The Extract algorithm extracts a private key from the given public key. à » Encrypt: takes as input system parameters, ID, and M à Ã‚ µ m. It returns a ciphertext C à Ã‚ µ c. à » Decrypt: takes as input system parameters, C à Ã‚ µ c, and a private key d. It returns M à Ã‚ µ m. Standard consistency constraint must be satisfied by these algorithms, especially when d is the private key generated by algorithm Extract when it is given ID as the public key, then à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€š ¬ M à Ã‚ µ m: Decrypt (params, d) = M where C = Encrypt (params, ID, M) [11] Hierarchical Identity-Based Encryption One of the first practical IBE schemes was presented by Boneh and Franklin. Gentry and Silverberg [7] introduced Hierarchical Identity-Based Encryption scheme based on Boneh and Franklins work. In HIBE, private keys are given out by a root PKG to the sub PKGs, which then in turn distribute private keys to individuals (sub PKGs) in their domains. There are IDs associated with the root PKG and the public key of an individual corresponds to these IDs, any sub PKGs on the path from the root PKG to the individual, and the individual. Public parameters are required only from the root PKG for encrypting messages. It has the advantage of reducing the amount o

symbolism in bless the beast and children Essay -- essays research pap

Throughout the novel Bless the Beasts and Children, by Glendon Swarthout, symbolism is used frequently to show a weakness in a character or to fulfill a purpose in the novel. The most apparent weaknesses in the bedwetters was their need for radios to help them sleep. The hats portrayed each characters personality and background in some cases. Also, The Box Canyon Boys Camp is in itself a symbol representing American society in general. The radios are the first case of symbolism shown in the novel. They are used by each and every one of the bedwetters at night to help them go to sleep. To them it helps to imagine someone is right there with them when the radios are going. On some nights, like the one at the start of the novel each of them have their radios going full blast, this shows the fear each of them have at the beginning of the novel. The children aren’t afraid of being so far from home or from their parents because each of them are plenty used to that. All of their parents go on trips away from home for long periods of time or when they are home just simply neglect them. The radios help represent something being there for them when they are afraid because their parents never are. Towards the end of the novel when the boys are herding the buffalo out of the cages it is very easy for them to throw the radios at the buffalo without missing them. This was put into the novel to show to the readers that the boys no longer need the radios in order to sleep at night and that ...

Memories of Sorrow :: essays papers

Somehow, it always seems that the most important memories are always hidden by some unknown force. I am almost certain to forget facial features or marking traits of someone special to me. If I try to remember, it is lost. Memories are not always an accurate recollection of the truth; sometimes they are not real at all. For whatever reason, people always seem to remember what they would like to believe the truth is. With all this in mind, I will share a personal recollection of my first romance. It was on a Friday during the winter months of my 8th grade year. If I recall correctly, which I always do, her name was Nicole. Her name, Greek for "Victory of the People", always embedded such awe and mystery into my mind. The angelic Nicole stepped into my life on a cold day, as I sat there in my school bus after another long day. I was sleepy, like always, because I had gone to bed late the night before. Then as unexpected as snow in Brownsville, I saw her. She was a vision, her golden hair streaming down to her neck. Her eyes sparkled like a thousand stars. She was tall and lusciously curvy. She was so curvy that it was a danger to all of heaven’s minions. I still have never been as anxious to meet any one as I was meeting her. God, with his merciful divinity, had shined his light upon the earth and sprinkled the world with one true miracle, Nicole. What luck I had, she sat next to me! What was I going to do? I was always very uncertain with women. Sure they said they liked me, but I had never really had a girlfriend before. Due to some strange outwardly liar paradox, I remained quiet. How could I make a fool out of myself? As time passed, so did my fear. I slowly began to get more and more comfortable with her vast beauty so close to me. As time passed I gained more confidence due to our assigned seating, I gradually worked my way up the ranks from "Hi", to "Hello", and ultimately to the benchmark: "Hi, how was your weekend?" Nicole and I soon became very good friends on the bus, but my greed asked for more; I needed to have unlimited access.

Lifetime - Television for Women :: Televisaion Media TV

Lifetime - Television for Women Launched on February 1, 1984, Lifetime was created by the merger of Daytime and Cable Health Network. Lifetime was crowned â€Å"Television for women† in 1994 and began an ambitious expansion of original programming and public service initiatives targeted to women. Lifetime is dedicated to providing contemporary, innovative entertainment and information on-air and online that is of particular interest to women. Lifetime shows its commitment to the expansion of women within three main contributors, which are the Lifetime original movies, Lifetime television series, and Lifetime channels. These three categories bring out the point of the Lifetime network and shows exactly what Lifetime strives to achieve, women and making connections. Lifetime television shows feature women in many different aspects of everyday life and how women try to achieve success by overcoming the many obstacles put in their way in their fight to the top. Two of the top television shows on Lifetime include, â€Å"Any day Now,† which is about two women with two different lives trying to get through all of life hardships and are bonded by their incredible lifelong friendship. Another top show is â€Å"Strong Medicine,† which is about two women doctors with very different backgrounds and working styles who come together to take on the world of medicine. These television show are perfect examples of the wonderful types of entertainment Lifetime has to offer. Lifetime movies are one of the many unique features of the network. Each month there is a original movie broadcast. All of the movies are stories of courage, triumph, and success. They give all viewers a look at reality and how women can rise above any challenge. There are two Lifetime channels besides the basic cable network. There is the Lifetime Movie Network and Lifetime Real Women. The Lifetime Movie channel has movies from a women’s perspective and distinctive point of view, movies for and about women that connect with who they are and their experiences. The Lifetime Real Women channel is a place where honest, true-to-life stories important to women are told in a heartfelt meaningful way. Lifetime entertainment has proven to be phenomenally successful with strong ratings and high consumer demand. The networks commitment to its viewers has been recognized over and over again by leading women’s groups and nonprofit organizations.

Database Design

5. 1:DEFINITION OF DATABASE A database is a shared collection of interrelated data designed to meet the varied information needs an organization. A database has two important properties that it is integrated that it is shared. 5. 2: IMPORTANCE OF DATABASE The data resources of organization and its management are very important. The recognition by management that data or information is indeed a resource is a recent development. Information, which in essence is analysis and synthesis of data, will unquestionably be one of the most vital of corporate resources. It will be structured into models for planning and decision-making.It will integrate into product design and marketing methods. In other words information will be recognized and treated as an assets. By integrated mean that previously distinct data files have been logically organized to eliminate redundancy and the facilitate data access. By shared mean that all authorized users in the organization have access to the same data to use for variety of other activities. 5. 3: BENEFITS OF THE DATABASE APPROACH The database approach offers number of important advantages. 5. 3. 1:Minimal Data Redundancy There is not as much storing of multiple copies of the data as in manual system.Database Management System and DataIt is designed into the system improve performance and the system is aware of the redundancy. 5. 3. 2:Consistency of Data By eliminating or controlling redundancy in the database approach, it greatly reduce the approach, it greatly reduce the opportunities for inconsistency. When controlled redundancy is permitted in the database, the database system itself should enforce consistency by updating each occurrence of data item when change occurs. 5. 3. 3:Integration of Data Database data are organized into a single logical structure with logical relationship defined between associated data entities.In this way user can easily relate one item of data to another related item. 5. 3. 4:Sharing of Data A datab ase in intended to be share by authorized users in the organization. Most database system today permits multiple users to share a database co-currently; each functional department can access this data by using their own views of that database. 5. 3. 5:Enforcement of Standard Establishing the data administration function is an important role in the database approach. This organizational function has authority for defining and enforcing data standards.The database administrator will approve all data names, formats and data usage throughout the organization. 5. 3. 6:Data Accessibility & Data Responsiveness A database system provides multiple retrieval paths to each item of data giving a much greater flexibility in locating and retrieving data to user. 5. 3. 7:Reduced Program Maintenance A database system data are independent of the application programs that use them within limits. Either the data or the application programs that use the data can be hanged without necessitating a change in other factor. As a result program maintenance can be significantly reduced in a database environment.

Han and Greek Dbq Essay

The ancient societies of Greece and China each produced a civilization remarkable for its time. Although these civilizations emerged nearly one thousand years apart, their philosophies were completely different, had various forms of governance, and had unique economic classes. First, the thoughts of the numerous Greek philosophers were absolutely different from those of the Chinese philosophers. Chinese philosophers believed that the individual was not as important as the kingdom was as a whole, whereas Greek philosophers consider the individuals as a crucial part of society. As shown in Document 12, the human is miniscule to the landscape around him, showing that the human is only a tiny piece in the civilization. The Greek Discus Thrower portrayed in Document 11, is depicting the view that the individual is the main focus of the society in which one resides. These two documents display how Han China and Classical Greece are different in their philosophies. Classical Greece looks at an individual as a key component in their daily life. Han China however does not look at an individual like the Greeks, but instead as a small piece in the vast kingdom. Confucius believes that by being a good person you are taking part in the government because one does not have take part in the government to be part of society, one must simply do what is right (Document 10). Confucius believes this because he has his own ideals that are separate from the government and as long as people are doing the right thing they are a part of the government. There is no document that portrays the take of a Greek philosopher simply on where an individual stands in the Greek state. This would allow one to know exactly the thoughts of a Greek philosopher and not only a Chinese philosopher. Second, the form of governance displayed by the Chinese civilization varied from that of the Greek civilization. The Greek civilization had developed a new form of government; democracy that contrasted from the bureaucracy in Han China. As shown in Document 7, the Han dynasty stresses a strong central government with many appointed governors to each district its dynasty possesses. However, the Athenian government was based on the people, so they basically governed themselves (Document 5). Also displayed in Document 8, they way the government is set up, anyone who has his own business has business in the government. That way if that person does not have any affairs at all is not involved in the government. Although in Document 6, the way anyone is in government is chosen by the heavens. This directly relates to how these civilization’s forms of governance are completely different. Pericles believes that democracy is the best government system because he displays an array of ways in which the government is of the people, such as â€Å"in settling of private disputes, everyone is equal before law† (Document 4). The Ancient Greece map in Document 1 displays an inaccurate proportion of size to the Han empire map that makes it seem that the Athenians controlled as much territory as the Han, where in reality they only controlled about a twelfth of the land that the Han did. There is no document that portrays a Chinese philosopher that may have his life in danger for the ideas he has. This would allow the reader to know what a Chinese philosopher would think about his place in society if he was questioned in what he believes in (Document 9). Third, the Han and Greek civilizations displayed numerous and unique economic classes that were different from each other. The Chinese economic classes consisted of six divisions whereas the Athenian economic classes consisted of four divisions. As shown in Document 2, there were as many free male citizens as free male non-citizens and about as many free females as slaves. The population distribution of Han China portrayed in Document 3 shows that there were only a few appointed officials along with the emperor, around thirteen times more educated bureaucrats, ten times as many aristocracies as bureaucrats, around 58,500,000 farmers, only 50,000 merchants, and 5,000,000 mean people. This shows how opposite the social classes of Classical Greece and Han Chin are. Aristotle believes that the class and job that a person has must keep that and try to learn that of another because there will be no more distinction between the master and the slave. Aristotle believes this because he is a high class citizen and he does not want to change his class. There is no document that accurately portrays the feelings of a slave on class distinctions. This would allow one to know the desires that a slave would have and why it would be better if he were able to move up in society. In conclusion, the ancient civilizations of Han China and Greece each created a society influential to the time period it flourished in. Although these civilizations emerged nearly one thousand years apart, they had unique economic classes, had various forms of governance, and their philosophies were completely different.

Ives True March Structure: Polytonality and Polyrhythm in His Music

Ives structure doesn’t really use the true march structure. It has more of a five part sectional that brings back the opening march. Ives uses polytonality and polyrhythm for his music to make it seem like you are in the picture. This adds more energy and power to his pieces. One of the major achievements of the 20th century. He uses quarter tones that fiddlers play off beat. He is familiar with it and compares it to everyday American Life. He uses other music from other pieces and in his Country Band March is nothing but chaos which is done on purpose. 2. â€Å"Appalachian Spring† brings a quintessential sound. He makes his music very lively and colorful. Even though his music is very live and colorful, it has a soft side to it as well. He paints a beautiful picture with his music and fits with the choreography of the song. 3. The 3 early 20th century musical forms that were American originals were Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Pop. All 3 continued to grow throughout the 20th century. Hip-Hop is black urban art forms that emerged in NYC in the 70s. It encompasses rap, break dancing, and graffiti. Pop music is derived from rock and roll music. And Jazz was created by the African Americans and blended elements drawn from African music with the popular and art traditions of the West. 4. The movie I watched was the Little Mermaid. The music is an integral part of the movie. Since the movie is about an underwater kingdom, the main song in the movie is â€Å"Under the Sea. † There were other songs in the movie that helped make the movie a lot more entertaining to watch. There are parts in the movie where all the creatures dance to songs. I think that Disney movies are like this and that music is a crucial part of all their movies. 5. I think that the practices of sampling is the same as borrowing as long as permission and credit are given. Otherwise it would be considered plagiarism. From my own occurrences, there have been people that I know that borrow samples of songs to use it a remix that they make. If its for a non profit use then permission has to be given. 6. Musique concrete began in France and electronische Musik began in Germany. Musique concrete mainly focused on natural sounds recorded on magnetic tapes. Eletronische Musik created compositions using electronically generated sounds. Digital technology was the evolutions of these approaches in the 1970s with the invention of Fm synthesis.

How Humanitarian Logistics Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Supply Chains

Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics How Humanitarian Logistics Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Supply Chains: A View from the Field Michael Howden Humanitarian Consultant michael. [email  protected] com ABSTRACT Humanitarian logistics represents a broad range of activities taking place within humanitarian organizations, the bulk of these activities are also components of a broader humanitarian supply chain – the network involved with providing physical aid to beneficiaries.Humanitarian logistics information systems improve information flows, which integrates logistics units more efficiently with non-logistics units within the humanitarian supply chains and provides better feedback to donors, ensuring more effective operations. Humanitarian logistics activities occur across the disaster management cycle. Humanitarian logistics information systems not only improve logistics activities in each phase, but can improve the continuity of h umanitarian operations by sharing information throughout the transition of different disaster management cycle phases.Through collaboration between organizations, humanitarian logistics information systems also have the potential to reduce corruption and the market distortion which can occur during humanitarian operations. Keywords Humanitarian Operations, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Information Systems, Disasters, Disaster Management AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY Michael Howden completed a Bachelor of Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Auckland and originally worked as a software engineer in New Zealand.He has worked for International Rescue Committee in Indonesia, Pakistan and Uganda developing and implementing their global logistics database ProLogs and for Save the Children US in Indonesia, developing logistics software and systems which were components of a broader supply chain management system. INTRODUCTION Within humanitarian operations logistics is requ ired to procure, store and distribute supplies for the assistance of beneficiaries. In order to function effectively humanitarian logistics must coordinate with other actors and be considered throughout the lifespan of humanitarian operations.This paper will explore how humanitarian logistics information systems can: 1. Integrate logistics units into the broader humanitarian supply chain throughout the organization. 2. Enhance logistics activities and provide continuous support across the preparedness, response, transition, recovery and mitigation phases of disaster management cycle. 3. Create new possibilities for collaboration between humanitarian organizations. In these ways humanitarian logistics information systems can also improve the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian operations.HUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN THE HUMANIATARIAN SUPPLY CHAIN Humanitarian Logistics Humanitarian organizations can include government agencies such as United States Agency fo r International Development (USAID) and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), multilateral agencies such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Program (WFP), non-government organizations (NGOs) such as Save the Children and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and members of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.Many humanitarian Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds. Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics organizations will engage in long term development activities as well as disaster management activities supporting people affected by disasters. This paper will only discuss humanitarian logistics as it is applied in disaster management. Humanitarian organizations usually include logistic units which can have different functions depending on the organizations or even the disaster and can include: Procurement †¢ Warehousing †¢ Fleet Management †¢ Transportation (of both supplies and people) †¢ Asset Management †¢ Building Management †¢ Security †¢ Information Technology (IT) †¢ Radio Communications Humanitarian operations consist of a diverse range of activities, therefore logistics in this context can have a broader scope than in the commercial sector. Areas such as security and IT may be considered under logistics due to respective military or technical experience of logisticians, either currently or historically within an organization.Humanitarian Supply Chains In this paper a humanitarian supply chain refers to the network created through the flow of supplies, services, finances and information between donors, beneficiaries, suppliers and different units of humanitarian organizations for the purpose of providing physical aid to beneficiaries (Mentzer et al. 2001). Humanitarian supply chains include functionalities whic h do not typically fall into the field of humanitarian logistics.Managing relationships with donors, performing needs assessments, planning for supplies required and monitoring and evaluating the impact of distributed supplies, are usually the responsibility of non-logistics program units. Figure 1 presents a summary of the major flows within both humanitarian supply chains and humanitarian logistics. Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds. Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics Figure 1.Humanitarian Logistics and Humanitarian Supply Chain Flows This paper will focus on the value of information systems for logistic units of NGOs within the humanitarian supply chain. Integrating Logistics into Supply Chain Management With the exception of organizations which specialize in disaster response or distribution, such as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and World Food Program (WFP) res pectively, the core business of humanitarian organizations tend towards health, education, protection and economic development.Logistics units are only considered as a function to support these activities of humanitarian organizations. Logistics units have traditionally been marginalized within organizations (Rickard, 2003) and logisticians have been â€Å"pigeonholed† in the field, making it hard to move into management positions (Chaikin, 2003). This has contributed to a silo mentality in regards to logistics within humanitarian organizations. Better integrating logistics with other units within the organization will form stronger humanitarian supply chains.In order to integrate logistics into broader humanitarian supply chains, a clear distinction is required between the two. In Indonesia, one major NGO moved all logistics functionality into a supply chain management unit. In the terms logistics and supply chain management are used interchangeably (Rickard, 2006) and perso nal discussions with humanitarian professional have revealed the there is not a clear distinction between the terms logistics and supply change management, and some have regarded any differences are semantics.In literature on humanitarian organizations there is a shift from logistics to supply chain management (Thomas and Kopczak, 2005) Humanitarian supply chains include units implementing programs, managing grants with donors, controlling budgets and monitoring activities which must coordinate with logistics units. Humanitarian supply chains cannot be built by solely increasing the capacity or responsibility of individual units, but are formed by Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds. HowdenHow Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics the creation of stronger links between units within the supply chain. Humanitarian logistics information systems can improve the flow of information with other units, in a mutually constructive manner, improving the effectiveness of the humanitarian supply chain. Humanitarian logistics information systems can: †¢ Enhance needs assessments by ensuring that field staff know what supplies are available for beneficiaries, either in local warehouses, pre-positioned emergency stocks or from local and international markets. Share lists of supplies available in both local and international markets, including prices and lead times, logisticians to empower program staff to better plan their procurement activities. †¢ Keep program staff informed of procurement activities will help to develop an understanding of the constraints within logistics and create trust. †¢ Provide budget holder more accurate financial information regarding funds which are committed within the procurement process, to avoid the over or under spending of budgets. †¢Provide warehouse inventory reports to program staff to allow them to take more responsib ility for their supplies, and ensure that they are utilized effectively. †¢ Share information on the distribution of supplies to allow program staff to better monitor and evaluate activities and avoid the need for duplicate record keeping between logistics and programs. †¢ More accurately divide logistics overhead costs such as warehouse rental, transportation and logistic staff wages into program budgets according to the activities logistics is supporting.Information empowers program units to become more engaged consumers of logistic services. In this way information systems can integrate logistics into humanitarian supply chains and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarian operations. The improved information flow from humanitarian logistics information systems will also contribute to the overall effectiveness of the humanitarian operation. The Value of Information in the Humanitarian Supply Chain Information plays a significant role in humanitarian suppl y chains.In humanitarian supply chains is that the end recipient of aid (the beneficiary) is decoupled from the commercial transaction and has no direct influence over what supplies they receive (Gray and Oloruntob, 2006). The key decision makers within the humanitarian supply chain are the donors who are funding the operation and many NGOs regard the donor as the customer in the humanitarian supply chain (Beamon and Balcik, 2006). In commercial supply chains, the end recipient decides what supplies they require, and fulfillment can be easily evaluated by monitoring the receipt of these supplies.In humanitarian operations as supplies are determined by external assessments of the needs of the beneficiary, evaluating fulfillment become more difficult, as additional analysis must be done to determine if these needs have been met by the supplies. Figure 2. Donors, Humanitarian Organizations and Beneficiaries within the Humanitarian Supply Chain Humanitarian logistics information systems can provide accurate and timely information on what supplies are required, what supplies have been delivered to beneficiaries and in which locations.With this information Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds. Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics evaluation units should be able to determine if those supplies have met the needs of the beneficiary. This feedback ensures that donors and humanitarian organizations are engaged and responsive to the beneficiaries, and supporting aid according to the beneficiaries needs.HUMANITARIAN LOGISITCS IN THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT CYCLE Response, Transition, Recovery, Mitigation and Preparedness The operations of humanitarian organizations in disaster management can be separated into four major phases: response, recovery, mitigation and preparedness (Haddow and Bullock, 2004). During humanitarian operations there will be overlap between act ivities from different phases, and a separate transition phase can be considered between the response and recovery phase (Asian Development Bank, 2004).Humanitarian supply chains must provide supplies to beneficiaries in each of these phases (Kovacs and Spens, 2007) and these activities require logistic support (Perry, 2007), although the volume, variety of supplies and urgency will change according to the phase. Humanitarian logistics information systems improve the effectiveness of logistics units throughout the disaster management cycle and can provide continuity throughout the phases. Figure 3. Disaster Management Cycle (Haddow and Bullock, 2004). PreparednessThe preparedness phase involves building the capacity to respond to a disaster, such as working with communities to ensure they know evacuation options, pre-positioning emergency response supplies and building organizational capacity to respond to disasters. These activities are ongoing and are implemented prior to the onse t of a crisis. Pre-positioned emergency response supplies tend to be less varied, as they are specific life supporting items, such as food, medical supplies, water and sanitation equipment, shelter, household kits, etc.The necessities of life are less dependent on the social, cultural or economic context of the disaster, therefore it is easier to standardize the supplies required. Also, because it is not known if these supplies will be available in local markets, or if markets may be disrupted by the disasters, they will need to be procured internationally. Both Medecins Sans Frontieres and the Red Cross have standard catalogues of items for emergency response. These items can be procured internationally, with pre-existing arrangements with vendors, and are also pre-positioned in warehouses globally, ready to be deployed. Chomilier, Samii van Wassenhove, 2003; Coyne, 2006). Organizationally NGOs need to ensure that they not only have staff trained to respond to emergencies, but that they have the systems and process in place to support these staff. 80% of the disaster response phase consists of Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds. Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics logistics activities (Kovacs and Spens, 2007) therefore in the preparedness phase organizations should focus on building the capacity of logistics units. ResponseThe response phase occurs immediately after the disaster, and activities are focused primarily on saving lives and preventing further damage. Humanitarian operations are most reliant on logistics during the response phase as they distribute food, medical supplies and other necessities of life to affected populations, and lives will be dependent on the speed of logistics activities. The response phase may last from days to months, depending on the scale of the disaster. While the humanitarian logistics is most significant durin g the response phase, it is important to consider its role throughout the entire disaster management phase.Transition During the transition phase NGOs begin to look at providing ongoing assistance, such as temporary shelter and revitalizing basic social services (ref ADB). NGOs will also plan strategically to transition from implementing response activities to longer term recovery and mitigation programs. Logistics activities, such as identifying suppliers to in either local or international markets to provide supplies for longer term programs, ensure a smooth transition. Recovery The recovery phase involves aiding communities to return to their conditions prior to the disaster.These activities may include training people and distributing supplies for livelihood building, reconstructing houses, buildings and infrastructure and may be carried out over a period of months to years. Across both the recovery and following mitigation phases the supplies are no longer essential for the liv es of affected population and are therefore no longer required at such a high rate or with such short lead times. The activities across these phases are largely dependent on the social, cultural, economic and geographical conditions of the affected communities. These may vary hugely between different disasters.Humanitarian organizations supported fishermen affected by 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami by distributing new boats and fishing equipment whereas the needs of landlocked communities recovering from 2005 Kashmir Earthquake were quite different. Humanitarian organizations will also attempt to procure supplies locally in order to support local communities and avoid flooding local markets through the influx of external supplies. The recovery phase represents a significant proportion of the duration and funding of a humanitarian operation and may last from 5-10 years (ADB reference).In April 2005 the Government of Indonesia established a 5 year time frame for reconstruction after the In dian Ocean Tsunami, and activities are still ongoing at the start of 2009, indicating the long duration of the recovery phase. Recovery phase activities such as reconstruction and distributing supplies are essential for restoring the lives of affected people and require significant logistic support. Mitigation Mitigation involves increasing the resilience of communities to natural hazards to reduce the impact of disasters they cause. According to the specific vulnerability of the community these activities may include lanting mangroves to protect coastlines against cyclones, constructing dams and reinforcing buildings. Humanitarian organizations implementing these activities will require logistics support, although not typically at as large a scale as in the other phases. Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds. Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics Summary Phase Preparedness Response Transition Recovery Mitigation Period Long Term Continuous Days – Months Months – Years Long Term Continuous Logistics Volume Low High Medium Low SuppliesRequired Specific standard supplies prepositioned for disaster response Specific standard supplies: Food, medical supplies, water and sanitation equipment, shelter, household kits, etc. Varied supplies depending on the context of the disaster: reconstruction material, livelihoods equipment Varied supplies Urgency Low High: Lead times for supplies can make the difference between life and death. Medium: There may be government and donor pressure to complete recovery activities Low Procurement of Supplies Local International Local-International Local Table 1. Humanitarian Logistics Throughout the Disaster Management CycleHumanitarian organizations are required to provide physical aid to beneficiary throughout the disaster management cycle. Although these activities differ in volume, variety of supplies and urge ncy, there is enough commonality that standard processes and systems can be used by logistics units throughout the disaster management cycle. This avoids the overhead of developing multiple standards and implementing new systems when transitioning between phases. It is therefore important to consider humanitarian logistics as operating in each of the phases of the disaster management cycle. Humanitarian Logistics beyond the Response PhaseA large amount of literature on humanitarian logistics and supply chain management focuses on the response phase of a disaster and pre-positioning of supplies done in the preparedness phase (Beamon, 2004; Beamon and Balcik, 2008; Maspero and Ittman, 2008; Oloruntoba, 2007; Rodman, 2004; Thomas, 2003; Thomas et al, 2005). This could be influenced by a number of factors: †¢ This is the phase in which logistics plays the largest role in proportion to the humanitarian operation. †¢ The key focus of the response phase is the preservation of liv es therefore improved logistics can be directly linked to lives saved.During other phases of disaster management, the outputs become more varied, such as providing trainings to teachers and medical professionals. Therefore impacts, such as better education levels and healthcare in communities harder to measure. †¢ The disaster response is the phase that creates the most media coverage, therefore may be the phase which experts outside of the humanitarian domain get the most exposure to and are most familiar with. Media coverage could also create a perception of more status with disaster response. This paper has shown that the field of humanitarian logistics is more broadly focused than just disaster response.More focus needs to be placed on the role of humanitarian logistics in the transition, recovery and mitigation phases of disaster management. It could be argued that humanitarian organizations already have a higher capacity for disaster response than for disaster recovery. I n Indonesia the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR) claimed that in the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami: â€Å"No one died of starvation, there were no deaths due to a lack of medical care or disease, law and order was maintained and major infrastructure—including telecommunications and electricity—was restored within a few weeks time. In contrast during the recovery phase there have been delays, underperformance and corruption. Humanitarian logistics information systems can improve logistics activities in each of the phases of disaster management and also help to provide continuity to logistics operations throughout the disaster management cycle. Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds. Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian LogisticsHumanitarian Logistics Information Systems across the Disaster Management Cycle Humanitarian logistics information sys tems must be able to operate across the entire disaster management cycle. In order to be applicable for all phases, they must be scalable to manage the large volumes of supplies during the response phase, as well as the high diversity of supplies across the recovery and mitigation phases and manage the flow of information from the preparedness phase to the response phase, and during the transition phase.A single humanitarian logistics information system which integrates information from all phases within the disaster management cycle will assist an organization in the complex task of transitioning their activities between the different phases. Preparedness NGOs prepare for disasters by pre-positioning emergency response supplies. It is equally important to implement humanitarian logistics information systems which can be utilized by logisticians responding to disasters.Logisticians must be trained to use these information systems and simulations should be run in preparation for thei r use in disaster response. Humanitarian logistics information systems should also be used to record what emergency response supplies are available at the onset of the disaster. In response to Cyclone Nagris in Myanmar one major NGO was better able to more efficiently send air shipment of emergency prepositioned supplies by having maintained records of the their volume and weight.This allowed the logistician to arrange the optimal charter flights required to transport the supplies. Response Humanitarian logistics information systems can eliminate the need for duplicate data entry and offer more timely and accurate information during the response phase (Lee and Zbinden, 2003). This not only increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the disaster response, but also assists in later phases of the disaster management cycle. After the response to the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake one NGO had a number of emergency response supplies remaining.However, due to a lack of proper information syste ms, it was unknown which donor funded the items, and what the donor’s regulations were regarding their use. As a result, they were unable to be distributed in response to flooding in Pakistan the following year. Where warehouse inventory reports are not maintained, it is common for surplus stock from emergency response not to be utilized and to go to waste. Transition Once the response phase is complete, humanitarian logistics information systems will enable organizations to know what supplies have been distributed, and what supplies are remaining.This will allow them to utilize surplus supplies in recovery activities or return them to pre-positioned stock and know what supplies were required, to better plan for the next disaster response. The transition phase will also typically involve the replacement of short term emergency response teams with longer term staff. If information regarding what supplies are currently stored in warehouses is not recorded, it may be forgotten a s staff leave, and the supplies may remain unutilized.Humanitarian logistics information systems can ensure that new staff are aware of what supplies are currently available, so they are able to utilize them. Recovery The recovery phase takes place over a period of years, which offers enough time for conditions to stabilize, and also the availability of funding, for humanitarian organizations to plan strategically and develop information systems. During disaster response humanitarian logistics operate in a realm of uncertainties and rapidly changing conditions. This is not an appropriate environment to develop, test or implement new systems.There are already enough unknown variables present, without introducing new systems or software, which may contain bugs or functionality which needs refining. Implementing new systems requires the investment of time and resources, and doing this during a disaster response will detract from the primary goal of the humanitarian operation – s aving lives. Developing humanitarian logistics information systems during the recovery phase provides the opportunity to involve the staff of the organization, which is essential, as the solution will be more appropriate to their needs and they will have ownership over it.New systems can be implemented through trainings and simulations, however it is more effective as having systems which have implemented within the operations of the organization and socialized with staff in the field. In this respect the recovery phase can offer a suitable environment to develop and test new information systems for humanitarian logistics which can then be applied to disaster response activities. In 2007 one major NGO developed a warehouse database in Indonesia to support their recovery activities following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.In September 2007, they were able to deploy the same database in Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Land gren and S. Jul, eds. Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics response to an earthquake in Indonesia. A staff member who was already using the database to manage supplies for the tsunami recovery effort was then easily able to use it to manage the distribution of emergency supplies in the area due to their familiarity with the system. MitigationAlthough logistics activities occur at a lower scale during the mitigation phase such as the procurement of supplies to reinforce buildings, it is important to ensure that humanitarian logistics information systems are still utilized by organizations, to ensure that they become standard practice with logistics units. This continuous use will institutionalize the systems within the organization and ensure the sustainability of their use across the disaster management cycle. HUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS INFORMATION SYSTEMS BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONSHumanitarian supply chains could be viewed more widely to include the multiple org anizations providing physical aid to beneficiaries in the same region. Humanitarian logistics information systems have the potential to enable better information sharing between organizations which can enhance the overall humanitarian operation (King, 2005). One area which could be improved by information systems is local procurement. Procurement is vulnerable to corruption through collusion between organization staff and vendors and the payment of bribes to choose specific vendors.Analysis of procurement data is capable of revealing trends and irregularities, indicative of corruption, such as consistently purchasing from specific vendors or certain purchasers always receiving higher than average quotes. This analysis would be more effective using procurement data from different humanitarian organizations in the same region, as comparisons could be made between prices, to monitor if one organization is paying significant more for similar items, which could indicate corruption within that organization.Humanitarian organizations often rely on local markets to provide supplies, however the large amount of purchasing activity following a disaster can often lead to inflation over supply and stock-outs. Complex analysis of purchasing trends from multiple humanitarian organizations, and improved information sharing with local vendors, could mitigate this, by spreading requirements over multiple vendors and informing them of expected demand. This could also allow humanitarian organizations to sustainably support and stimulate local markets.Although there are many challenges in encouraging collaboration between humanitarian organizations, better humanitarian logistics information systems could facilitate collaboration by creating more incentives to do so. CONCLUSION Humanitarian logistics units are actors in a broader humanitarian supply chain and information systems can help to build logistics capacity of while also building better links with other units, better integ rating logistics in the humanitarian supply chain.Humanitarian logistics information systems can improve the effectiveness of humanitarian supply chains by providing timely and accurate information regarding what supplies are required and have been delivered, enabling donors to be more responsive to the needs of beneficiaries. Humanitarian logistics operates across the disaster management cycle. Humanitarian logistics information systems can improve logistics activities in each of the phases and also help to provide continuity to humanitarian operations throughout the entire cycle.Humanitarian logistics information systems could also provide opportunities for better corruption prevention and market control through collaboration between different humanitarian organizations. Humanitarian logistics information systems can strengthen logistics units and integrate them with other units and across to the disaster management cycle to create more efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian supply chains REFERENCES 1. Asian Development Bank (2004) Disaster and Emergency Assistance Policy, At: http://www. adb. rg/Documents/Policies/Disaster_Emergency/Disaster_Emergency. pdf, accessed 20 February 2009 2. Beamon, B. M. (2004), Humanitarian relief chains: issues and challenges, Proceedings of the 34th International Conference on Computers and Industrial Engineering, San Francisco, CA. 3. 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