One of My Worst Days

I received unbelievable news that changed my life forever. While sitting at â€Å"Designing U† hair salon with my mother Lashed all morning, boredom soon kicked in. I logged onto Backbone and started reading many deviating posts that all mentioned a guy named Drew. As time went by, I started to wonder was everyone talking about my church friend Dander Johnson. Once realization set in, my biggest fear became true.While continuing to read the Backbone posts, I came across Dress cousin Davison Johnson status. Davison explained how he couldn't believe something this tragic appended, â€Å"Drew was the light of everyone eyes, he was always caring and helping anyone with anything†, says Davison. Not only was Drew his cousin they were like two peas in a pod. From going to the same school all their lives , to becoming stars on Bilabial High School football team. As minutes passed by my father Charles contacted my mother lashed and l.He informed us that Drew had been out all mor ning with two of his friends. The two other teenagers were a boy and a girl, whom I don't know personally till this day. The young lady was known to be the driver, according to her, while driving down highway 78, he swerved to dodge another vehicle and lost control of the car. With the vehicle flipping and neither of the teens wearing seat-belts it didn't make the situation better. The two teens were rushed to the RE and My church friend Drew was pronounced dead at the scene.I had many unanswered questions to why this occurred. For instance, â€Å"Why did Drew have to be the only one? † â€Å"Why couldn't he leave this world a peaceful way† and â€Å"Why couldn't his family and I see him walk across the stage this year? â€Å". Drew would've been a senior this year and would've had the chance to shine on the football like he Ovid doing. His football number, #52, was spray painted onto BBS football field as the team played in the playoffs last November.Their school al so recognized his family and framed his Jersey. This incident brought everyone closer. Till this day everyone still remembers him as the kid who dreamed to make it to the NFG one day and as the loving and caring person he was. I have realized that people's leave sooner than expected and no longer question God because I know he makes no mistakes. I always tell myself that Drew and I will reunite one day. One of My Worst Days By Closures

Econometrics

People management at the Seafood Restaurant, Potato's. Background From a humble beginning, Rick and Jill Stein established a small seafood restaurant on the harbor side in Potato's in 1975. The business has expanded to include a number of different food establishments at different price points which appeal to a wide client group, with all but one of the sites based in Potato's.The reputation of the business for quality of food and service, coupled with Rick's high profile TV appearances, have ensured Patriots place on the map in respect of ‘destination inning. Culture Rick and Jill remain at the head of the business and, with no external shareholders, retain a strong, personal position in terms of the culture and development of the business. More recently, their son Jack who is only 33 has been appointed as Executive Chef.As with many owner-led organizations, the culture of the organization continues to reflect the tolerant, generous, family-spirited ethos of the initial, much smaller business. With expansion and increasing headcount, this culture can however become tested and more challenging to maintain. There is a deed to develop some policies in order to ensure a degree of consistency in how people are managed and set out the behaviors that are expected from employees of all levels in the course of their work. This needs to be achieved in such a way that the culture of the business is retained.Staffing needs and employee constituent Staffing needs reflect the seasonal peaks and troughs of the restaurant business: in the busy season, weekly takings will be six times takings in the quieter season. Headcount needs to rise and fall accordingly. The seasonal maximum headcount is just under 400 employees, with a requirement around 100 less employees out of season. This reduction is achieved through ‘natural wastage' as many of the seasonal employees are either students or non-students who return year on year to the business also specifically to work i n the busy season.Therefore, whilst 1 50 leavers per annum appears at first to be very high level of staff turnover, this is typical for the hospitality industry and very much fits the needs of those workers who Join, leave, and often return the following year. Reflecting the high numbers of students who ark seasonally, the age profile of the business is young: 40% of employees are under 24 years of age. The growth of the business has meant that, for those who Join initially as seasonal workers and then express an interest in a longer-term role with the business, this is often possible.The business is able to recruit new employees as required without the use of recruitment agencies thereby avoiding costly agency fees. The business remained highly profitable through the recession however a number of cost factors led to a reduced profit forecast for 2012: these included capital investment, a programmer of upgrading premises and food and fuel inflation. Additionally, the payroll of the business had increased over time to reflect the growth of the business. In effect, it appears there was no development plan per SE.Rick Stein is quoted as saying: Little did Jill and I know when we opened a small seafood bistro on the harbor side in Potato's in 1975 with red checked tablecloths and candles in verdict bottles that the business would grow into four restaurants, 40 bedrooms, 3 shops, a cookery school and a pub. We did not have a Master plan. It Just happened†¦ E Just wanted people to stay here for a little while knowing they could eat differently everyday†¦ Despite the unstructured approach to business development plans, turnover among permanent staff is low, and the owners are keen to reward employees with a yearly increment.As passing on the increased costs to customers would have been counterproductive, the logical approach was to consider operational costs and to rethink staffing. In many organizations, this would involve potential redundancies. Rick and Jill did not want to make any employee redundant, and so the HRS function et about considering other approaches to making reductions in payroll expenditure. Location and community Relations with the local, close-knit community are very important to the business which is a major employer in the area.Further expansion could include opening restaurants in other locations: this would bring a fresh set of challenges to the business, not least in respect of people management. Additional information: 1 . Organizational structure 2. Map of Potato's showing names and locations of Rick and Jill Stein's businesses Task; For each question below, you should show that you have considered theoretical respective, legal requirements, commercial needs and potential responses from the workforce to come up with balanced solutions and demonstrate that you are aware of any associated risks. Assignment questions: 1 .Identify the current strategic approach to managing people in this organization taking in to account advantages and disadvantages. Your answer should include a discussion of how this strategic approach is likely to impact on operational people management issues (for example, recruitment, performance management, staff benefits, absence management, discipline and grievance). If any changes are squired, which approach would you recommend? 2. With the expansion of the business, it has been prudent to consider the development of some policies in order to ensure a degree of consistency in how 2. Which people management policy would you recommend is implemented as the highest priority in the business? 2. 2 Justify your recommendation. 2. 3 Outline the aims and key elements of the policy. 2. 4 Discuss how you would implement this policy: consider how you would ensure managers and employees ‘buy in' to the policy and identify any potential resistance. 3. At the Seafood Restaurant, Rick and Jill did not want to make any employee attendant, and so the HRS function set about c onsidering other approaches to making reductions in payroll expenditure. . 1 Discuss the benefits to the business of avoiding redundancies. 3. 2 Discuss the possible approaches to reducing payroll expenditure; consider the merits and drawbacks of each approach and identify which you would recommend. 4. Potato's has been home to the Seafood Restaurant for a considerable length of time and expansion has occurred within the locality. If the business were to expand to another location, what would be the people management considerations in respect of: 4. Recruitment 4. 2 Employee communication 4. Consistency of culture across the business Assignment 1: Assessment Criteria Criteria Excellent Very good Could be better Marks available Theoretical knowledge and critical understanding 30 Evidence of a critical understanding of relevant theories, models and frameworks that inform the situation described by the case study Demonstrates clear understanding of key arguments, debates and contempora ry issues/ideas relating to people management Work is informed by clear reference to appropriate literature Application of theoretical knowledge/research to practicePerspectives, arguments, models and frameworks from the literature are clearly applied to the case study scenario Issues of practical and, where relevant, strategic importance for the organization are clearly identified and addressed Practices described in the case study are critically analyses and evaluated through the use and application of relevant academic literature Written Communication and Presentation Referencing/citations follow Harvard protocol Work is written clearly, using appropriate style and language Spelling, grammar and layout are to a professional standardMaterial is clearly and effectively organized to provide a highly structured, logical and coherent set of arguments Conclusions and recommendations follow logically and are realistic in the context of the scenario Format requirements Please see below A SSIGNMENT 2: REFLECTIVE JOURNAL Individual reflective Journal (30%): You must also produce an individual personal and reflective Journal, which demonstrates that you understand the role and value of reflection for individual development. You should also consider what you have learned on the module, and how it builds on your previous knowledge and experience.You must demonstrate through your reflections how and what you are learning on the module, and reflect on how your skills, ideas and attitudes to people management are developing. This will include identifying any gaps in your existing knowledge or skills and how you plan to work to develop them. You will be encouraged to reflect on a weekly basis and to produce regular entries in your journal enabling you to build this assignment as the module progresses. Your completed Journal is likely to be approximately 1500 words in length.Task You are required to reflect on the learning on this module and produce a Journal. This should be written in report format critically reflecting on what you have learnt and identifying areas of development. Details Final report- word Count: 1 500 words (minus daily logs). The deadlines- see above: This is an individual assignment. Your work should contain: 1 . A clear introduction, introducing the report and your ideas about people management, with a brief comment on your knowledge and skills in relation to this. 2. A brief discussion of your skills at the beginning of the module to include: a.Your views of your own strengths and weaknesses as a potential manager working with people. B. How you will use your opportunities to minimize/overcome weaknesses and potential threats c. Remember to identify development areas. 3. You need to have a section on what you learnt from the module in terms of skills/ knowledge and perhaps how yourself concept has been challenged as a result of participating in activities on the module. A. In addition, you will need to identify consequences of yo ur learning for the future. B. What does this learning mean for your career development? Has it got any relevance? . Evidence of action planning for future development. An indication of short/ tedium/long-term development plan is essential. It is important that you also comment on how you will work on your weaknesses and your measures of success. 5. Regular entries reflecting on your learning on the module. You should aim to reflect on each day/ on a daily basis, either on the Lecture content or seminar activities, and need to have at least 8 in addition to your introduction and conclusion (Weekly Reflective logs must be put in the appendices as evidence to support contents of your report). 6.A complete list of references used Assignment 2: Assessment Criteria Assessment Criteria: DOD Missing Demonstration of your ability to use reflective writing to: 1. Create a focus for your learning 2. Describe and evaluate your learning 3. Make sense of your learning experiences 4. Demonstrate an understanding of the value of reflection Applying your learning 1 . Identify consequences of your learning for the future 2. Application of learning experiences to your personal/professional development 3. Evidence of action planning for future development Structure and presentation 20 1 .

Understanding Marketing Objectives Questions

Marketing objectives must be based around the corporate objectives. 3. In Chapter 1 the concept of SMART objectives was introduced. Give six examples of SMART marketing objectives. (6 marks) Increase market share by 10% within 2 years Achieve sales revenue of E 10 million within 2 years. Introduce 5 new products by 2016. Increase consumer awareness of the business by in 2016. Improve overall added value on product X by E per unit this year. Increase repeat sales to 60% within 3 years. 4. What problem might arise if a firm's marketing department ignored its corporate objectives? (4 marks)A problem that may arise if a firms marketing department ignored its corporate objectives is that a lack of coordination within the business is likely. This is because the marketing department's targets may not be clear to the other departments and when they are achieved, they may serve no use to the rest of the business as they will not correspond to the corporate objectives. 5. Analyses two reasons why a printing company would set marketing objectives. (6 marks) Two reasons why a printing company would set marketing objectives is because it allows the printing company to measure their success.This can be done by comparing their targeted figure to their actual figure. Also, a printing company would set marketing objectives to motivate employees of the marketing department. These employees can then be rewarded for their ability to achieve their targets by financial or non-financial rewards. 6. Identify and explain three internal factors that might influence a fashion retailers marketing objectives. An internal factor that might influence fashion retailers marketing objectives could be the corporate objectives. This is because the marketing objectives would aim to help achieve the corporate objectives.Due to this, the corporate objectives will influence on the targets that the marketing department can make. For example, if the corporate objectives were to raise the quality of the ir product, then the marketing department could not have the objective of lowering costs as tit would be inconsistent with the corporate objectives. Another internal factor that might influence a fashion retailers marketing objectives could be the staff available. This is because the marketing objectives will not be able to be met unless the staffs have the capability to achieve them.For example, if the marketing objectives were to improve their products quality, the staff available may not have the necessary training or skills In order to actually achieve this objective. Finally, the last internal factor that might influence a fashion retailer's marketing objectives could be the departments finances. This is because the marketing department will be limited to the objectives that they can make based on whether they can actually afford to achieve their objective. If they do not have the necessary finances to achieve their objective then the objective was not SMART as it wasn't realis tic. . Identify and explain three external factors that might influence a fashion retailer's marketing objectives. An external factor that might influence a fashion retailer's marketing objectives might be the needs or wants Of the consumers. This is because, especially with fashion, the wants of the consumer are always changing. Therefore, the department must always be dynamic with their decisions to make sure that they meet these needs and wants of the consumers. When setting objectives, the marketing department must also be dynamic with their sections.This is because when consumer wants change, the marketing objectives will be influenced. For example, if the wants of the consumer change to lower quality and lower priced clothing, then if the marketing department had the objective of raising quality, then they would have a reduction in demand as the demand is moving elsewhere in an always changing market. Another external factor that might influence a fashion retailers marketing o bjectives could be changes in the economy. This is because the economy will decide on how much money people have to spend.If people have less to Penn then the customer numbers for a fashion retailer would fall because expensive fashion is not necessarily a need. Finally, the last External factor that might influence a fashion retailer's marketing objectives could be the actions of competitors. This is because their actions will have an impact on a company's sales and customers. As fashion is a very competitive market, the actions of more competitors are likely to have a larger impact on sales and customers. [f the fashion retailer's objectives are based around these, they can be heavily influenced by competition.

Picasso's Influence on Gertrude Stein's Tender Buttons Essay

Picasso's Influence on Gertrude Stein's Tender Buttons - Essay Example The essay "Picasso's Influence on Gertrude Stein's Tender Buttons" analyzes Pablo Picasso, cubism and how they influenced on Gertrude Stein's "Tender Buttons". A painting may be a true art but a chair to sit on is an artistic element. Art which has less functional values is called fine arts while the objects which serve the functional purpose are called craft. At one time period art has been considered to primarily depict the ideas of truth and beauty. Art when used to convey beauty has also helped in creating awareness in people, has helped them to fight for their right, has shown them where the world is heading and how to make it a better place for our next generation. Hence art has been used to convey meaning and is not just used for pleasure. Awareness and enthusiasm has been created in people through various forms of art. It could be poetry, painting, a novel, a song, a sculpture, an act of drama; art can be of any form and can convey meaning in anyway though its should be under stood, then only it has its worth and serves its purpose. Picasso and Gertrude are one of those who has served the people through their work. Both these artists had interest in cubism; Picasso used it in his paintings while Stein had used it in her writings. During 1909 and 1919 Picasso along with Braque developed Analytic Cubism and Synthetic Cubism. Analytic Cubism is a style of painting using monochrome brownish colors while Synthetic Cubism is a development of Cubism in which pieces of newspaper are pasted into the composition.... severe poverty where he had to burn of his work to provide warmth to himself and he had also seen high times when his work had become famous after he had started signing his work with only 'Picasso' rather than 'Pablo Ruiz y Picasso'. During the time he was famous he had attend dinners and parties with rich and elite class people and have had many women in his life. During 1909 and 1919 Picasso along with Braque developed Analytic Cubism and Synthetic Cubism. Analytic Cubism is a style of painting using monochrome brownish colors while Synthetic Cubism is a development of Cubism in which pieces of newspaper or wallpaper are pasted into the composition making use of collage in fine art. During the First and Second World War and Spanish Civil War Picasso remained neutral but he supported the idea through his paintings. During the Spanish Civil War, Picasso living abroad had voluntarily participated by expressing his anger and condemnation of Franco and Fascists through his work. He supported the Catalan independence movement and became a member of the Communist Party. Picasso became a loyal member of French Communist Party in 1944 and attended an international peace conference in Poland. In 1950 he received a Stalin Peace Prize from the government and the Stalin portrait depicted that his interest in the communist politics had become low though he remained a faithful member of the communist party until his death. [2] Cubism Cubism is a twentieth century art movement that has changed the European painting; it was very significant in France during 1907 and 1914. It has been founded by both Picasso and Braque. The artist depicts the subject from many sides and shows a greater context while cubist artworks include broken up objects which are analyzed and re-arranged.

Current Problems With Migrant Workers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Current Problems With Migrant Workers - Essay Example In simple terms, migration can be defined as the process of the movement of people from one place to another occurs for better living prospects or job opportunities. Migration usually occurs internally and externally. In other words, migration cane takes place within the boundaries of the country and also between different countries. Globalization, liberalization and privatization like modern economic principles gave momentum to the migration activities. Countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc have excessive labor forces and lesser job opportunities whereas countries or regions such as America, Europe, Middle East have excessive job opportunities and lesser manpower. In order to keep a balance between the number of labor force and the number of opportunities, countries often encourage migration activities. Even though migration is a kind of fortune exploration, it is not necessary that all the migrants may get better fortunes because of migration. In fact migrant workers are fa cing lot of personal, social and family problems in their workplace which is situated in locations other than their native places. In most of the cases, workers are usually comfortable in working near their native places because of their better awareness about the local culture and working environment. However, migrant workers forced to work in entirely new places which could be extremely different; socially, linguistically, legally, politically and economically from their native places. All these parameters can create huge problems to the migrant workers and their families. This paper analyses the current problems facing by migrant workers and the possible solutions for this problem. Current problems with migrant workers The latest changes in the UK government's managed migration policy with the introduction of a new Points-Based System have been recognized as privileging White European economic migrant workers - including those from Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries - a t the expense of low-skilled (non-White) workers from outside of the European Union (Pemberton & Stevens, 2010, p.1289). Europe is a region which is facing severe manpower shortage virtually in all the critical areas of employment. People from all over the world are currently working at different parts of Europe. For example, in majority of the European hospitals, a substantial portion of the working nurses are from Asian countries. Since the integration of European countries is currently taking place though European Union, many European countries have implemented different labour laws for different people. In other words, labour laws for White European economic migrant workers are entirely different from the labour laws for black people. In other words, racial discrimination in the form of labour discrimination is still prevailing in many of the European countries. The case of America is also not much different. Violence against the migrant workers are growing everywhere in the wor ld. It should be noted that people from developed countries are reluctant in accepting professions which requires hard labour. On the other hand workers from poor countries are ready to accept hard labour. Thus skilled labour shortage is one of the major problems facing by the developed countries. In America, Europe and Middle East, most of the workers working in the construction industry are from India and Pakistan. Because of the shortage of domestically available constructions workers and the huge demands for construction works, developed countries are recruiting bulk volumes of skilled workers from underdeveloped countries. Migration of workers in large volumes is causing demographic

COPD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

COPD - Essay Example Smoking is the most responsible for the COPD in human beings. 15 percent of smokers have been found to suffer from COPD, along with associated respiratory problems. Passive smoking has also been found to affect small children with respiratory problems, and infections. Lung diseases are often caused by air pollution that in many cases develops into COPD. Occupational pollutants like cadmium and silica create the risks of COPD, particularly in individuals who have the chances of intake of these pollutants. Deficiency of alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) is another major cause of COPD that reflects a hereditary problem in many individuals (Schiffman & Shiel, 2013). The process of the disease of COPD consists of three conditions within an individual. These are chronic bronchitis, chronic asthma, and emphysema. The flow of air gets obstructed and hence unable to pass through the airflows often making such obstruction permanent. If patients suffering from asthma are not treated, then such patients tend to have a rigid element of obstruction of the airways leading to COPD. In COPD the limitation in the flow of air is progressive in nature. Moreover it leads to irregular inflammatory reaction of the lungs to lethal particles or harmful gases. The abnormal responses of the inflammations occur â€Å"throughout the proximal and peripheral airways, lung parenchyma, and pulmonary vasculature† (O’Connell Smeltzer et al, 2010, p.602). Since the inflammation is chronic in nature and there is a tendency of the body to repair the process, hence the airways reflect alterations and narrowing in their features. As a result of this disease, there a re changes in the components of the lungs as well (O’Connell Smeltzer et al, 2010, p.602). Certain common treatments are available for COPD patients. With intentions to avert further worsening of the conditions of the lungs, to lessen the symptoms and their effects, and to improve the conditions

Why Offenders Abuse Children Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Why Offenders Abuse Children - Assignment Example Incest abuse should be punished more severely than stranger abuse. This is in part because of the effects of incest on the victim and the biological facts behind incest. Since the offender is usually close to the victim, the victim might experience frequent and greater trauma since the reminder is always close. Incest also leads to lack of trust on family members causing a rift in the family. Incestuous abuse usually last for a long period causing more stress and damage than a stranger case would have done. In most cases, the perpetrators use threats to prevent the victims from disclosing the abuse. This usually adds to the trauma since the victim keeps the traumatic experiences to themselves, which according to therapists does not help a traumatic situation but makes it worse.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Child sexual abuse is a complex issue especially when attempting to determine why adults engage in sexual activities with young children. Although there does not exist a clear or a distinct answer to this question, such acts may be committed under two major grounds that include psychological forces and social structure. With regard to psychological forces, the attacker may be motivated by emotional congruence, blockage or sexual arousal. Emotional congruence incorporates satisfying an emotional need by relating sexually to the child. Sexual arousal takes place when the subject child becomes the source of sexual satisfaction. Additionally, blockage may take place when other alternative sources of sexual gratification are unavailable.

Earthcare PKG Final Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Earthcare PKG Final - Research Paper Example Eventually, people started using ways that were more elaborate when dealing with their trash. Although recycling has numerous benefits on the environment, it is not always a good thing. This paper will first discuss the positive effects that recycling has before discussing some of the negative effects that the process has (McKinney, 2007). Recycling involves processing waste material so that they can become reusable. This is important in energy conservation and reduction of natural resources consumption. When it comes to saving the environment, recycling used products is considered one of the best ways. In order to avoid environmental harm, recycling is very important. Used newspapers, glass and plastic bottles can be recycled effectively to make items that are useful (Ohlman, 2009). First, recycling protects the environment. For example, it is common knowledge that paper comes from trees. When the demand for paper goes up, it would be necessary for more trees to be cut so that more paper can be produced. Recycling paper, therefore, means that destruction of more trees can be prevented (Warner, 2011). Currently, many forests are being cleared so that the demand of paper, which is ever increasing, can be met. By recycling those products that are made from raw materials, natural resources can be saved. When a ton of newspaper or mixed paper is recycled, that translates to saving around 12 trees. A lot of raw material is saved when people recycle things. It reduces the necessity for raw materials like oil, forests and metals, and this reduces the impact of humans on the environment. Recycling also reduces the impact of humans on climate change. Although energy is used in the process of recycling, it greatly reduces climate emissions (Watson, 2009). Recycling also creates jobs. From reprocessing of recyclables, sorting, kerbside collection and composting, recycling

The Age of Innocence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Age of Innocence - Essay Example The underlying issue that the film revolves around is the issue of freedom or individuality against societal dictates. The film’s setting is New York in the late 19th Century. Edith Wharton wrote the book, which the movie was based upon and she was born in such a setting. She admitted that on the time she wrote the book, such age of innocence was long gone. Despite that, the main dilemma of the book (and consequently the film) is timeless as it is still affecting societies at the present time. Social mores are dictated upon an individual in order to be accepted and for order in the community to be maintained. On the other hand, the individual struggles against such restrictions, as she/he perceives it to be a hindrance to her/his own personal living. This tension is dramatically emphasized in the movie and the development of events within the movie show the moral dilemma that people go through when encountering the crossroad of choosing between your passion and the dictates of society. The plot revolves around the Newland Archer, a young affluent lawyer, who is about to marry May Welland, also coming from a rich and influential family. Marriage then was not decided by love but by the intention of keeping the wealth of the rich families intact and even gain more wealth. They lived in a society where the aristocracy reigned and where their movement was dictated by an invisible code common to all. The aristocrats were more than willing to live under such rules just to maintain the status quo. Selfish desires were set aside for the good of the class. Most, if not all, were fine with the set-up in fear of staining their reputation. Newland Archer is one of those who were content with the status quo of repressed emotions for the "good" of everybody and for the preservation of their culture and lifestyle. He had thoughts of his own and even observed the absurdity of this faade his society puts up with yet he accepts it for his own perceived good. In this society, people had to hide their individuality under their masks of blind compliance to their norms. This charade of theirs is even more emphasized by the shots Scorsese makes throughout the film. His usually fast-paced camera movement is tempered here to focus on the background. The grandeur of the drawing rooms, the flowers, and the painting-like backdrop of the scenes are emphasized by the scenes in the movie as if the director wants to convey to his audience that the focus is on the appearance or form and not the substance. It parallels the mind-set of the society portrayed in the film. Then, the movie proceeds with introducing the conflict in the form of May's cousin Ellen Olenska. Considered to be an outcast by the New York aristocracy for marrying against the society rules and living in "scandalous" European circles, here is a woman who thinks on her own and lives on her own rules. She seeks a divorce from her Polish husband and the family pushes Archer to dissuade her from doing so. This leads Archer to be enthralled by Ellen's disposition. He is captivated by her way of thinking and her bravura to face up against the same rules they share to be absurd. He gets a taste of freedom and he yearns for more. In a society that seems to be like an iron glove, it is all the more relevant that the most explosive scene in the movie involves gloves. In a movie that portrays repressed desire tasted and ends

Environmental issues Essay Example for Free

Environmental issues Essay It was not yet realized by the public the seriousness of the environmental problems we face if not for the issue on global warming. Dozens of organizations, many of them with international memberships, are now working on everything from saving wildlife to developing new sources of energy. But pollution, energy consumption and economic growth are independent problems. Effective programs for dealing with one of them often aggravate the others. For example, devices that clean automobile exhaust and reduce air pollution also decreases fuel economy, thereby using up our limited reserves more rapidly. Similarly, banning the burning of household trash reduces air pollution but increases environmental pollution, as land, animals and scenery are sacrificed for strip mines and oil wells, and the wastes produced by the fuel are dumped into the environment. On the other hand, ignoring the need for more energy retards the economy, thereby increasing unemployment and possibly reducing food production. Nature is fighting back against the abuses we have inflicted upon it! Due to human carelessness that damaged the environment, many communities are now suffering from environmental crises. The air that you breathe contains gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide in certain amounts. But many people live in areas where the air contains pollutants that are harmful to their health. Air pollution is a common problem in congested and urban areas (The Washington Times 2006, p.26). Food, air and water needed for life’s processes which the environment provides unfortunately contain harmful substances called pollutants. The presence of air, water and soil in the environment is of waste materials or pollutants which the environment cannot handle, degrade, disperse or diffuse so that it becomes unclean and unhealthy is called pollution (Colla 2002, p.125). Â  There are four general types of pollution, namely: 1. Air Pollution – It is an undesirable change in the physical and chemical characteristics of air. Industrial plants, motor vehicles, indiscriminate throwing and burning of refuse everywhere make the air polluted. Cigarette smoking contributes to air pollution, most especially in enclosed places. Foul smell from waste and methane gas emitted through the combustion of refuse contributes to the problem of air pollution (Kemp1994, p.23). Prolonged exposure to air pollution may cause/aggravate respiratory and other diseases as well as irritation of the eyes, nose and throat. 2. Water Pollution – this results when water contains more harmful substances such as harmful bacteria and poisonous chemicals, than it can naturally get rid of. The dumping of domestic and industrial wastes into the rivers, canals, and other water bodies causes pollutants to be introduced into waterways. Frequent flooding which carry topsoil and sewage into the water supplies pollute the water, too. Sugar mills, distillers and mining firms without proper waste disposal systems are among the principal polluters of the nation’s waterways. Soap and water detergents produce enormous persistent layers of suds on the surface of receding waters. Substances such as harmful bacteria and poisonous chemicals are likely to cause gastro-intestinal diseases, cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, infectious hepatitis, food poisoning and even death. Mercury in sea water is absorbed by tiny plants that provide food for small fish, which is eaten by a larger fish. When they are eaten by men, mercury is deposited in the kidneys and brain which may cause death when accumulated (Kemp 1994, p.23). 3. Land Pollution – This takes place when harmful substances are introduced into the soil making it unable to sustain plant life. Dumping areas are breeding places of disease carriers such as flies, rodents, mosquitoes and cockroaches. Uses of excessive amounts of fertilizer, pesticides and other toxic chemicals can destroy the ability of the soil to self-generate. They deplete the nutrients, harden the texture, and increase toxicity, making the soil less productive. Other causes of land pollution are atomic fallouts and mine tailings which poison agricultural lands. Toxic residues from the accumulation of chemicals in the land can cause cancer and other diseases (Kemp 1994, p.24). 4. Noise Pollution (Persistent noise) – This refers to the presence of too loud, too sudden or very unpleasant sound that becomes an assault to the body causing mental or physical harm. The roaring of motor vehicles, grating sound of jackhammer, squeaking of tires, screeching brakes, blaring television sets, radios and stereos and even loud shouting are some types of dangerous noises when one is continuously exposed to them. Noise pollution affects not only the ears but also directly or indirectly impairs the mind and the whole body. Directly, it can cause deafness; indirectly, it may lead to increased heart beat and high blood pressure that eventually cause cardiovascular disease (Kemp 1994, p.24). Most pollution is caused by man, pollutants will increase as population grows, and hence, minimizing the production of pollutants and managing its proper disposal must be the goal of every human being. But the air pollution must be given extra attention by the government, society and each individual to protect people from this environmental danger, not only for ourselves but for future generations. Air Pollution, Environmental Hazard There are five basic pollutants of air are carbon monoxide, sulfur oxide, hydrocarbons (organic compounds made up of hydrogen and carbon) and small particles that float in the air (Jordan 2005, p.12-20). Sources of Air Pollution 1. Automobile exhausts The poisonous carbon monoxide in the air comes from automobiles. Nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons are also produced as by-products of engine combustion. The more vehicles there are on the road, the greater is the possibility of pollution. Unleaded gasoline and some anti-pollution automobile parts cut down the amount of pollutants in the air. But transportation vehicles are still a major cause of air pollution. 2. Industry Industries are responsible for the second largest amount of pollution in the air, next only to vehicles. Fuels that are used in some industries may give off large amounts of sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide and harmful particles of dust and ash. Sulfur oxide is made when fuels containing sulfur like coal are burned. Certain industrial processes may give off more of one pollutant than another. This depends on the kind of fuel used and the product that is being made. 3. Individuals People pollute the air in many ways. Each time a person smokes a cigar/cigarette, the air is being polluted when he burns trash, air pollution is increased. More pollution is added when he uses wood for cooking or to keep warm during the cold months or cool during the hot months. Effects of Air Pollution 1. Respiratory disorders If you have breathed polluted air, the eyes may water, the nose may run and a cough may develop. Serious illnesses are likely to happen to people long exposed to polluted air. Chronic bronchitis, emphysema and lung cancer are common in air polluted areas. Cigarette smoking is closely related to the development of long cancer. Heart diseases, especially heart attacks occur more in places where there is a high level of carbon monoxide in the air. 1. Accidents Vehicle accidents happen more often in places where air is polluted. These accidents may be caused by poor visibility in the polluted air. Or they may be caused by increased exposure to carbon monoxide. People with watery eyes, headaches and breathing problems often find it hard to drive in air polluted areas. 2. High economic cost The government may spend billions of pesos per year to control air pollution. However, little has been done by the government to control air pollution due to the struggling economy and the low economic growth. The United States spends around 4o billion dollars a year to control air pollution. The cost of air pollution is about 200 dollars per year for each person. Air pollution can also add to the rusting and corrosion of vehicles and machinery. Even farm crops may be harmed or stunted in growth by air pollution. There is a way out of this trap. In a word, it is sacrifice. The fact that there is no way both to clean up the environment and conserve natural resources without changing the life-style of people in the industrialized nations. The challenge is that of motivating people to make the necessary changes now, before a worldwide disaster forces much more difficult adjustments upon us. Preventing of Air Pollution Everyone needs to care more about the problem of air pollution. Car exhausts and air conditioning systems can be checked at regular times and kept in good working condition. Air conditioners, if not working properly, may give off harmful hydrocarbons. Vehicles should not be allowed to idle for more than a few minutes because idling lets carbon monoxide escape in the sir. Use of public transportation would also lower the number of vehicles on the road and in return would also lower air pollution. Strict laws on transportation and industry must be enforced. Instead of burning trash, it should be allowed to decompose in pits. The decomposed materials can be utilized as fertilizer for plants and at the same time minimizes smoke in the air. Stricter laws on cigarette smoking should also be enforced. The end result of this is lesser lung and heart ailments and cleaner atmosphere (Cline 1992, p.35-37). Political Action The real problem comes from the wealth the power of the opponents of environmental protection. On the local level, environmentalist face rich land developers who can make large campaign contributions to the politicians who decide what land may or may not be developed. At higher levels of government, environmentalists face even more powerful foes: multinational corporations that stand to make big profits from despoiling the environment. Included here are some of the most powerful corporations in the world, such as petroleum and mineral companies that want to sink wells and mines in fragile wilderness areas, the manufacturers that spew pollutants into the air and water, and the firms that sell products such as polluting automobiles and unsafe pesticides. Such corporations have spent hundreds of million dollars to persuade the government not to outlaw their destructive activities (Diehl, p.20-21). The environmentalists and the concerned public simply do not have that kind of money. If we are to preserve the natural environment for ourselves and the generations to come, two things must be done. First, a stronger educational campaign must be launched to make more people aware of environmental problems. Second, more ordinary citizens must join together and become involved in the political action necessary to strengthen anti-pollution laws, increase the enforcement effort, and protect our natural resources. Conserving Resources There is no doubt that our existing resources can be used far more efficiently. It is possible for a large-scale, multiple-stage recycling program to be introduced in imitation of natural ecosystems. To take a simple example, garbage could be used as fuel to run the mills to make recycled paper, the wastes from which could be burned as fuel. Similarly, it is possible that community water districts will some day become closed systems, meaning that the water would be used again and again, never being discharged into an ocean or river. Some factories already have such closed systems (Sarewitz 2000, p.55). It is possible to envision larger closed systems designed so that no industrial material would ever be discarded as either waste or pollution. Energy conservation can also stretch our natural resources. Insulating homes, driving smaller cars at slower speeds, riding trains and buses instead of driving cars, recycling the heat used in factories, and restricting the manufacture of energy-wasting gadgets are obvious ways of eliminating waste. The immediate task is not to develop technologies that are more energy sufficient; the challenge is to find ways or persuading people to use the conservation measures that are already available. Better Technology A growing number of scientists and concerned citizens are coming to see solar system as the best answer to the world’s energy problems. Solar power units use the endless supply of energy from the sun, are nonpolluting, and pose no threat of radiation or explosion. Other promising approaches use specially prepared ponds of water to trap solar energy or mirrors to concentrate it on a single location, where it can be used to generate electrical power (Tennesen 2004, p.85). Limiting Growth Technological solutions are attractive, but it is doubtful that they alone can resolve the environmental crisis. It is often argued that industrial growth is necessary to create new jobs for a growing population. The argument that economic growth is necessary to eliminate poverty and create a more egalitarian society is also misleading. Despite decades of rapid economic growth, the industrialized nations continue to show enormous inequalities of wealth and power (1991, p.12). Conclusion The environmental crisis does not mean everyone should return to hunting and gathering; the world’s current population is too large to even consider such an idea. Keeping a clean environment is the responsibility of the government, society and each individual. Today, air pollution must be given extra attention to protect people from this environmental danger. All of us must have aknowledge of this environmental menace. The young generations today, like us, crave for the total preservation of our natural resources, earnestly begging to put an end to wastage and preserve the natural wealth intended by our Mother Earth for the future. Yes, there is still gleaming hope to save our Mother Earth from total destruction. There is still a chance to regain the lost paradise we unscrupulously abused. We must do our part to make this world a safer place to live in, not just for ourselves and our neighbors but our future generations. The will to dynamic implementation to this urgent call lies in your strong and sustainable support, giving once more Mother Earth a chance to care for our lives now and in the future generations.

Contribution of Budgets to Planning, Control and Motivation

Contribution of Budgets to Planning, Control and Motivation Explain how budgets contribute to planning, control and motivation in an organization Budgeting is a way in which businesses plan for the future. They show how policies are to be carried out during that time period in order to meet the business objectives. Budgets not only help the business plan for the future they also motivate their employees and help manage the business. Jae K Shim and Joel G Sigel define budgeting as a financial plan to control future operations and results. It is expressed in numbers, such as pounds, hours and so on. Budgeting when used effectively is a technique resulting in systematic production management. Budgeting facilitates control, communication and also provides motivation to employees. Budgeting helps businesses decide where it wants to be at a future date and what policies they feel they should introduce to make sure they meet their objectives. Planning also helps the business anticipate any Planning is another purpose of budgeting, and is arguably its primary purpose. Budgeting allows a business to take stock of revenue and expenses from the previous period, and judge where the business will be in future periods. It also allows the organization to add and remove products and services from its plan for the future period. In larger organizations, the budgeting process may be completed by individual business units and compiled to form a master budget for the organization. This allows top management to get a picture of the entire business so they are able to better plan accordingly Planning is highly essential for the successful functioning of any organization, big or small. And there are many different kinds of planning involved Planning, in simple terms, involves drawing up a scheduled list of activities required to achieve a particular goal. In a company or even at home, a certain amount of planning helps you finish tasks successfully. But in an organization with a huge workforce and many hierarchical levels, planning is quintessential to meeting the organizations objectives and targets. Types of Planning in an Organization Strategic Planning Operational Planning Financial Planning Marketing Planning Proactive Planning Strategic Planning Strategic planning is the kind of planning that provides direction for the organization on how to proceed in the long run. The organization makes clear the strategy it intends on pursuing to achieve all of its targets, and allocates resources and takes action accordingly. In order to be able to devise the organizations strategy, it is necessary that the organization knows where it stands in terms of its capital availability, its strengths and its weaknesses. Before devising a strategy, the organization also needs to be aware of the economic conditions, and other environmental factors, which can pose a threat, or provide opportunity for growth. The team at the head of the organization most often does strategic planning. After considering all factors, they devise the strategy that would best help the company meet its goals Operational Planning While strategic planning looks at the organizations growth in the long run, operational planning is more about tactical and short-term planning. This planning is essential to ensure that the organization is consistent in terms of its production and distribution of goods and services to the market. As operational planning is for short-term periods, it further helps in devising budgets for the organization. It provides a plan for the allocation of resources; and at the same time, it sheds light on the policy decisions of the organization. Financial Planning Money matters. For the continued sustenance of anything, from a household to an organization, money is important. But things dont end with just having enough money. Budgeting appropriately and planning on how to use the finance available are signs of a good organization. Financial planning in an organization deals with the preparation of a budget. A budget is a list of all the planned expenditures and revenues of an organization. In certain organizations, the budget is also sometimes referred to as the financial plan, which comprises of the balance sheet, the income statement and the cash flow statement. Financial planning implies estimating the expenses the organization will incur, and the revenues it hopes to earn. Marketing Planning Marketing is the way, by which companies promote themselves, their company, products and services, to gain the attention of the people. Marketing is done to make the organization visible in the eyes of the common man so as to garner interest in their business. Market planning is needed to achieve all the marketing targets and objectives. Marketing can be done for any aspect of the organization their products, range of services, or even a brand they are launching. Most often, organizations have a separate marketing department, which is exclusively in-charge of carrying out marketing activities on behalf of the company. Proactive Planning Some organizations plan proactively. Proactive planning means to plan, in advance, for something that has not happened yet. By planning ahead of any event, the organization has more leverage and is armed better to deal with the situation whenever, and if, it arises. The event can be anything, from floods and earthquakes, to riots or strike by employees. Proactive planning follows the motto of, Its better to be safe than sorry. There are a number of other planning processes too that are used by organizations. Some of the others include long term planning, short term planning, reactive planning, formal and informal planning. However, the above-mentioned ones are most commonly followed by organizations. No matter what it is named, any kind of planning is absolutely essential for the growth and success of any organization. Tips How to Prepare an Effective Budget An understanding of basic requirements is necessary to prepare for an effective budget, whether its personal or business budgeting. These requirements involve the need to quantify income and to track expenses regularly. Financial planning tools are available to facilitate tracking and planning. Others avail of a budgeting tool, financial planning software or the more traditional way of hiring a financial adviser or counselor. Whatever financial tool is used, basic factors to achieve an effective budget remain the same. They include the following: Outline Patterns of Income and Expenses To be able to outline the pattern of preparing a budget, there are two basic elements in any simple or complex budget planning: income and expenses. Whatever the basic necessities of an individual, a family or a business entity, income and expenses affect the design and preparation of budgeting. Income A person who has a full-time job is certainly different from a self-employed business owner. It may be more than a struggle for the self-employed to wait for that contractual check to come in rather than an employee who is sure to receive a weekly, fortnightly or a monthly pay. They are all income but have different effect on budgeting. The total income is identified and written down. Expenses There are three basic types of expenses: monthly, quarterly and yearly. They are identified and written down. Other relevant records should be delved into and located, from desk drawers, account statements, and other receipts lying around. Identify and Define Financial Goals Financial goals may be short-term and/or long-term, often larger expenditures. Personal or family financial goals are identified. For the singles, they dont have to worry about family finances. There are many kinds of goals in life. For this purpose the focus is financial goals. Examples of these are paying off a mortgage in 10 years, paying off a huge amount of credit card or big personal loan, starting a business, or a dream plan of holiday to favorite places. For those with families, goals may include college education for children. Whatever they are, financial goals include planned purchases and expenditures. Short- term goals often vary from six months to one year, while long-term goals are plans from five to ten years, perhaps even 20 years. Establish a Financial Strategy An approach or strategy for a successful goal setting is one that is realistic and active and not in the back burner. Financial goals need to be reviewed periodically, for changes, if necessary. If family is involved, the goals can be posted for the family to keep an eye on. Whatever strategy is used, a review of the goal should be done on a regular basis, monthly or fortnightly, to gear up proper handling of finances. Change a Strategy that Doesnt Work By all means, a financial goal that is deemed unworkable after some time, or due to a change in circumstance can either by abandoned or modified. A lot of effort and thought are spent in setting up financial goals to effectively work and therefore should not be taken lightly Given the increasing levels of competition and ever changing occurrences in the marketplace, any business corporate or entrepreneurial cant afford simply to work hard and make it a success. A business plan is a basic necessity in project management. Some business owners who agree that business planning is important also protest the lack of time to plan in view of overburdening tasks. Another excuse given for not planning is that it limits options. Some business owners feel that a plan locks them into a set pattern of activities constricting their freedom to respond to opportunities. A good plan maps the best course of action to achieve predetermined objectives. Business Plan A business plan shows the purpose of the business and what it intends to accomplish. The more defined it is, the better equipped a business will be able to meet the opportunities and risks that lie ahead. Business plans must be used in the following instances Starting up the business Making management decisions Developing new products Expanding the business Obtaining financing Maintaining and keeping control Allowing other significant milestones in the business Business Plan Outline Although every business plan may vary depending on the business, certain components or sections are common to all business plans. Whats important is that it should be organized to provide essential information in a concise and logical format. Title Page Table of Contents Executive Summary Business or Industry Description Product or Services Description Organization Data Financial Information Marketing Strategy Competitive Analysis Operations Plan Successful Business Planning Guidelines The following guidelines are provided to assist entrepreneurs in the planning process and to make them become more proficient in using business plans to their advantage. Set aside time for planning Allocate time to do it. For your business to succeed, you must spend sufficient time on planning. Determine the needs to be accomplished what exactly needs to be done? By identifying specific goal, attention can be focused on the key issues that have to be addressed Ensure availability and access to necessary data to plan effectively, information should be relevant, accurate and timely. Coordinate planning efforts with that of others make sure that people involved in the planning process are aware of what everyone else is doing. This is the only way to ensure that the various goals set for the business are consistent. Review the business plan periodically this is to ensure that the business objectives are clearly aligned to the business goals or objectives. Update the business plan Business experts normally recommend updating a business plan every six months. It is important to re-visit the business plan periodically to ensure it continuously meets the business needs. Make the business plan accessible. It must be ensured that the business plan is accessible to the employees who need it, for them to fully contribute their skills and expertise. Use the business plan this is the most important of all. The business plan, as the blueprint for business to succeed, must be put to full use. If unforeseen opportunities arise, the business plan can be changed to fit the circumstance Communication and Motivation Other goals that an organization may use its budget to achieve that are less obvious include communication and motivation. Budgets allow management to communicate goals and to promote goal congruence so resources can be coordinated and focused in key areas. Budgets also allow a company to motivate its employees by involving them in the budget. While top-down budgeting does not accomplish this goal very effectively, participative budgeting can be motivating. When an employee is involved in creating his or her departments budget, that person will be more likely to strive to achieve that budget. Although business budgeting is a procedure that most businesses go through, it can be a greater tool than many people (and businesses) realize. The budgeting process can allow companies to communicate and achieve their goals, and allow them to monitor those achievements as well. It is also an important step in overall business strategic planning

Security Metrics Maturity Model for Operational Security

Security Metrics Maturity Model for Operational Security CHAPTER ONE: Introduction In this chapter, the key concepts and definitions by well known security authorities on security metrics is introduced and discussed. Then the issues and motivation that brings about this research topic is explained. Thereafter, the end result which is the objectives is put forth. To achieve these objectives, the goals are briefly outlined. There is also a section that explains the scope of the research and limitations for this work. Finally, the research flow on the chapters is explained. 1.1 Introduction Information Technology (IT) is continuously evolving at faster rate and enterprises are always trying to keep pace with the changes. So does the threats. As the complexity of IT increase, the unprecedented threat environment and security challenges also have increased multi fold over the years. Security Managers and CSOs with the blessings of top management keep investing and on security solutions to protect from ever increasing adversaries. But getting the blessings is not always an easy task for them as management normally does not see the direct benefit. Convincing on security investment is also part of challenges for Security Managers and CSOs. As part of the convincing process, the Security Metrics (SM) plays a vital role in any organization. It helps the management to have a close to comprehensive view of their organizational security posture. SM provides some measurement on how secure the organization is. However, how accurate is the information provided by the SM? Can the management take the SM as a final view of their respective organizational security posture? Can SM ensure the investment made for security is worth? A good SM should be able to answer accurately or provide some qualified response for the questions that management have. SM receiving many attention lately as IT Security is no more an option. With multitude of attacks from adversaries and many regulatory requirements, organizations are spending on security investment to ensure they are protected and stay competitive in markets. The greatest push factors for the metrics awareness are the recent amplified regulatory requirement, greater demand for transparency and accountability. Additionally there are many internal factors that driving organization to justify security investments, security and business objectives alignment and finally to fine-tune effectiveness and efficiency of organizational security programs. Much has been written and researched on SM on various aspects from data collection, analysis to measurement method etc. A considerable number of research efforts have been emerging in best practices, methodologies, framework, tool and techniques are being recommended and adopted to mature the security metrics. However, relatively little has been reported and proven on quality and matured metrics one has to follow and put in practice. Moreover security cannot be measured as a universal concept due to the complexity, uncertainty, non-stationary, limited observability of operational systems, and malice of attackers [VERENDEL V, 2010]. More has to be researched in the area of security metrics. Many interpretations and meanings of Security Metrics have been found on the Internet. Some examples taken from well know publications and researchers are as follows: According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), â€Å"Metrics are tools designed to facilitate decision-making and improve performance and accountability through collection, analysis and reporting of relevant performance-related data† [NIST-SP, 2001]. Whereas SANS in its â€Å"A Guide to Security Metrics, SANS Security Essentials GSEC Practical Assignment†, Shirley C. Payne says that â€Å"Measurements provide single point-in-time views of specific, discrete factors, while metrics are derived by comparing to a predetermined baseline two or more measurements taken over time. Measurements are generated by counting: metrics are generated from analysis. In other words, measurements are objective raw data and metrics are either objective or subjective human interpretations of those data†. [SHIRLEY C. PAYNE, 2006] She also further describes what would be considered a â€Å"useful† metric: â€Å"Truly useful metrics indicate the degree to which security goals, such as data confidentiality, are being met and they drive actions taken to improve an organization’s overall security program.† Yet another one practical definition by Andrew Jaquith, states that â€Å"Metrics is a term used to denote a measure based on a reference and involves at least two points, the measure and the reference. Security in its most basic meaning is the protection from or absences of danger. Literally, security metrics should tell us about the state or degree of safety relative to a reference point and what to do to avoid danger†. [JAQUITH (1), 2007] [M. SWANSON, 2003] highlights some of the key uses of security metrics in an organization. They are (not limited to):- Enabling organizations to verify compliance level against internal and external institutions. (e.g. laws, regulations, standards, contractual obligations) and internal ones (e.g. organizational policies and procedures Provide visibility and increasing transparency on accountability with regards to specific security controls and facilitating detection. Provide effectiveness and efficiency of security management by providing better visibility on security posture at high and granular level, helping in security strategies and display trends. Helping management to decide better on security investments in terms of allocating resources, product and services. Having a right security metrics is a paramount in gauging a security posture of an organization. Most of the SM concerns coins from the correctness and effectiveness. Correctness denotes assurance that the security-enforcing mechanisms have been rightly implemented (i.e. they do exactly what they intended to do, such as performing some calculation). Effectiveness denotes assurance that the security-enforcing mechanisms of the systems meet the stated security objectives (i.e. they do not do anything other than what is intended for them to do, while satisfying expectation or resiliency).[BARABANOV et al, 2011] Organizations faced with many security metrics options to be used. The security managers and CSOs bombarded with large set of related, unrelated, heterogeneous security metrics by different source or assets within the organization. How will they make these metrics to be more meaningful and eventually reduce risks and support strategic security decisions? Therefore, the decision makers should be furnished a proper security metrics guidelines that encompass the right type of measurement / data to choose, correct way of analyzing and interpreting and any other recommendations. This research, therefore will explore further on the existing security metrics recommendations currently in practice. In order to improve the current security metrics, more research efforts are needed and focused in the area of good estimators, human element reduction, obtaining more systematic and speedy means to obtain meaningful measurements and better understanding of composition of security mechanisms. [LUNDHOLM et al, 2011] Therefore, this research will explore the identification of quality security elements to determine matured security metrics as there are many areas within IT security that contributes to an organizational security posture. This mainly involves providing weight-age for each and every element. Thereafter the elements are then prioritized and finally sum up to provide a final security posture of an organization. Some of the key domains within security are cryptography, operational security, physical security, application security, telecommunication security and many more. The research will identify elements within these domains that play a vital role in an organization to produce a security metrics report for management. These elements are further scrutinized and qualified to be part of the security metrics. The scrutinization and qualification is done through various researches done by previous researchers. The systematic techniques will provide a guided recommendation for near optimal security metrics for an organization. The key questions for this research will be what is acceptable security metrics element or measurement for a domain? How accurately these parameters are obtained? How effective are they? As a whole how matured are the metrics? How these various elements and parameters can be used to provide an accurate and convincing security posture report for an organization in a practical manner? To go further explaining this research, imagine this scenario: A key security personnel of an organization presenting a finding of the company’s security posture. She/he talking about how good the security in place, how good is the security fortress, how impenetrable the security perimeter and so on. To support his claims he throws some PowerPoint slides with security metrics. The management was like awed and feeling comfortable with the presentation and they felt secure doing their business. But then there are few questions from the floor on the accuracy, quality, completeness and maturity of the metrics. How confidence is the security metrics presented? Hence a proper model that supports the claim is needed. The model will substantiate the claims of the security personnel on her/ his findings. Therefore this research will look into the ways of substantiating by proposing a maturity model. The end result of this research will be guiding principles that leads Security Managers to produce a convincing and close to accurate report for C Level management of an organization. This research will look into various studies done on existing measurements and security elements for Security Metrics and produce a method that will portray the maturity of security metrics used in an organization. 1.2 Problem Statement The lack of clear guidance on security measurements that represent a security posture of an organization has been always a problem despite many researches done in the area. Despite many methods and definition in the area of security metrics were introduced, nothing is strikingly clear that enable organization to adopt and implement in their respective organization particularly in operational security. There are many theoretical and more to academia texts available in this area [JAQUITH, 2007, M. SWANSON, 2003, CIS-SECMET, 2012]. Organizations still lack of precise knowledge of practicable and effective security metrics in the operational security settings. 1.3 Motivation There is an obvious need in guiding organization to the right direction in implementing their respective organizational security program. There is paucity exist in the mode of guiding process for organization to implement security program with the right metrics to monitor their operational activities. The main incentive behind proposing a matured security metrics for operational security is a workable solution and guide for matured security metrics for any organization. Organizations need a model to look into the type of metrics used in their security program and a model to chart their metrics improvement program. Hence the solution will be an asset for organizations in implementing reliable and practical security metrics. This paper will answer question like â€Å"Are incidents declining and improving security over time? If yes or no, how reliable are the answers?† Is my metrics are correct and reliable if not how can I improve it? Further, the paper will provide some practic al top down approach in approaching security metrics in an operational environment. Another motivation for this paper is the findings from the [PONEMON, 2010], who claims many researches lack of guidance, impractical in operational environment and purely formal treatment as no empirical support as a whole. In the end, through some findings of this paper, organizations will be able to gauge the return on investment on security investments. They should be able to measure successes and failures of past and current security investments and well informed on future investments. 1.4 Objectives The problem statement and motivations bring the objective for this work. The objectives for this project will be: a. To provide security metric quality taxonomy for operational security b. To devise methods for matured security metrics for operational security To achieve these objectives, the methodology and goals used for this work would be: Conduct a literature review on existing research works and state of the art Identify the key operational areas based industry expert inputs Develop a taxonomy based on the key operational areas Identify the key criteria or parameters that make a good quality metrics Identify on how to categorize or rank the metrics to represent the maturity of a metric Develop a method to guide for a quality security metrics Develop a metric score card to represent maturity level Develop a Security Metrics Maturity Index (SM-Mi) 1.5 Scope of Work For the purpose of this research only a certain area of operational security is identified. Also to be more focused, to give a better view and example, we will choose few important and popular metrics among security practitioners. The research is aim to provide a very practical approach in operational security metrics for an organization, but is not meant to be treated as an exhaustive guide or resource. Metrics prioritization is out of the scope of this research as organizations have various different business objectives and goals. These decide and dictate the type of metrics to be used and emphasized as such metrics will not be discussed [BARABANOV, 2011]. 1.7 Thesis Layout The research consists of 6 chapters; the first chapter will describe some security concepts and motivation for this topic. The second chapter will delve into the related works done in this area. This chapter will identify some key research findings and what is lacking in them and how some of the information will help for this thesis. As for the research methodology and proposed framework, chapter 3 will explain this. Chapter 4 will identify and explain in detail the formulation of proposed metrics and taxonomy for operational security in the form of techniques. Meanwhile Chapter 5 will discuss a case study based on the solution proposed. Chapter 6 will be a brief chapter that summarize the research and will discuss on future direction of this research.

The Stereotypical Old-West Hero :: American Culture Essays

The Stereotypical Old-West Hero Gunsmoke is a 1950's western series played on CBS radio station during the Vietnam war. It is about a U.S. Marshall named Matt Dillon who is in charge of keeping the law and respect in a town called Dodge City. Each episode has Matt Dillon dealing with problems such as murders, brawls, and gunfights that occur in the Wild West. Matt Dillon is personified as being inquisitive, independent, and not very emotional as a U.S. Marshall. He gives a view of the stereotypical old-west hero. In the series Gunsmoke, Matt Dillon had a very inquisitive nature. Everything that was talked about or anyone that he talked with always was confronted with questions to find out exactly what was going on. He questioned a lot concerning people he did not like. It seemed like when ever a problem or situation came to his attention, or if someone seemed suspicious he would start inquiring more. For example, in the first episode, Matt Dillon is confronted with a person he does not like called Web. He asks his sidekick, Chester, to gather more information about him concerning his past history. As the episode progresses listeners find out that another man wanted to kill Web. On the next story Dillon has to look for an ex-killer in another town. Before he goes on the mission he asks a lot of question such as, "What does this man look like", "When is the last time he was seen", etc. Questioning seems very typical of lawmen back than, and even today. Weather the questions were to start a figh t, or solve a dilemma questioning was a lawmen's best friend. Another point that was noticeable in Gunsmoke was the independence of Dillon. As the listeners hear the stories they cannot help but notice how Mat Dillon only has one partner named Chester. It also seems like Chester is more like Dillon's conscience, bringing up points or making suggestion depending on the circumstances. Near the end of the first story Matt Dillon suggest that Web leave town for a few days. As Chester and Dillon enter the saloon called Long Horn, Dillon turns and tells Chester to wait at the door as he goes after Web. Near the end of the second story Dillon leaves Chester to go tell a woman about her dead husband. In the third story Dillon leaves Chester, and goes after a man called, Pat, to arrest him.

Free College Essays - Ideal Distraction in Knowles A Separate Peace :: A Separate Peace Essays

A Separate Peace  Ã‚   Ideal Distraction    A Separate Peace  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"It wasn’t the cider which made me surpass myself, it was this liberation we had torn from the gray encroachments of 1943, the escape we had concocted, this afternoon of momentary, illusory, special and a separate peace,† (128) reflects Gene Forrester after his carefree outing at the winter carnival. John Knowles in a Separate Peace uses an unusual plot to give the reader an illusionary sense of peace and security, found only at Devon, during a time of great war, through isolating specific idealistic moments from the sin and evil that encompasses them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author stresses certain events or moments in the story to deepen the illusion of peace and tranquility taking the reader further away from the real truth. Knowles uses Finny’s superior leadership skills to invent a summer game called Blitzball and conduct the winter carnival. Both of which were tools describing ideal moments used to distract the reader from reality that there is a battle being fought.   Another idyllic event Knowles uses to his advantage was when Gene found his rhythm, †Buoyed up, I forgot my usual feeling of routine self-pity when working out, I lost myself, oppresses mind along with aching body; all entanglements were shed, I broke into the clear.† (112) Utilizing this the author was able to divert the reader’s attention to the 1944 Olympic games and fool the audience into a false sense about the war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not only actions mislead the audience but the feelings of the students as well. Mainly because of the inseparable bond between Gene and Finny,† I hope your having a pretty good time here. I know I kind of dragged you away at the point of the gun, but after all you can’t come    2    by yourself, and in this teen-age period in life the proper person is your best pal.† (40) From this Finny formed an idealistic bond between him and Gene.   Using this high to present a low, Knowles hides the evil truth going through Gene’s mind about his friend, thus enabling him to jounce Phineas from the tree without thinking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author illustrated his theme by placing certain words strategically in the novel to convince the reader that there was still peace. For instance Knowles uses the word Eden to give the audience a false picturesque landscape that resembled the watery shores.

Microsoft Office

Office Word 2013 Getting Started with Internet Explorer 10 Getting Started with Microsoft Office Powering 201 3 Creating a Worksheet and Charting Data with Microsoft Office Excel 2013 Content and/or context understanding Development Information and Communication Technologies (Sits) for Development CITED Applications in Core Sectors of Development Ethics, Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights This is a Unions signature module, which is important for your qualification, as it orientates you to societal issues. It is set on NSF level 5 – the first higher education level in your degree, diploma or certificate.This is a 12 credit module, which means that an average student will require about 1 20 hours to complete it. You will be exploring the discipline of Computer and Information Sciences, and more specifically, the field of Data Entry and Microcomputer Applications. This module is presented in English only as this is the predominant language in this field of study. 1. 1 Sig nature Modules were specially developed at UNIONS, are taught fully online and have the support of Teaching Assistants to help the students in small groups. PIPE 501 is the Signature Module for the College of Science,Engineering and Technology and as such is meant to represent a particular discipline and distinct character values that the College believes is relevant and important for their graduating students to study. However, the fact that this module forms part of 99 different qualifications, including many students from other colleges, was taken into account in the selection and presentation of content and learning activities offered in this module. JEEPS 501 is one of the largest modules being offered at UNIONS: There were more than 14 500 students registered in each of the first and second semesters Of 2014 for this module.We know 3 that especially when there are so many students, it might feel like you get lost in this crowd. One of the advantages of the Signature Modules is that they are designed so that you work in much smaller groups. As students register for the Signature Modules, you will be divided into small groups of no more than 30 students each, with a Teaching Assistant (TA) – an ‘electronic' tutor – allocated to facilitate the group. This means that the Teaching Assistant will help to guide you through the module, provide you with assistance on your assignments and also mark most of your assignments. Microsoft Office Appreciate the Issues Impacting upon the future development and use of methods In Industry. AD. Discuss professional and ethical Issues relating to information systems development Plagiarism is presenting somebody else's work as your own. It includes: copying information directly from the Web or books without referencing the material; submitting Joint coursework as an Individual effort; copying another student's coursework; stealing or buying coursework from someone else and submitting It as your own work.Suspected plagiarism will be investigated and if found to have occurred will be dealt with according to the procedures set down by the University. D AID material copied or amended from any source (e. G. Internet, books) must be laced in quotation marks and in italics, with a full reference to the source directly underneath the material. Dour work will be submitted for electronic plagiarism checking. Any attempt to bypass our plagiarism detection systems will be treated as a severe A ssessment offence.Dockworkers submission Requirements An electronic copy of your work for this coursework should be fully uploaded by midnight (local time) on the Deadline Date. The last version you upload will be the one that is marked. For this coursework you must submit a single Acrobat PDF document. In general, any text in the document must not be an image (e must not canned) and would normally be generated from other documents (egg MS Office 2007 using â€Å"Save As Ã'› PDF†). For this coursework you must also upload a single ZIP file containing supporting evidence.There are limits on the file size. Make sure that any files you upload are virus-free and not protected by a password otherwise they will be treated as null submissions. Comments on your work will be available from the Coursework page on the Intranet. The grade will be made available In Bannered. You must NOT submit a paper copy of this coursework. Coursework Regulations weeks late that meets the criteria fo r a pass will be treated as a referral. It will be subject to university regulations for referral work.Coursework submitted late without an Extenuating Circumstances claim will receive a ZERO grade. Elf you have extenuating circumstances you may submit your coursework up to two weeks after the published deadline without penalty but this is subject to acceptance of your claim by the School Extenuating Circumstances Panel. If your claim is rejected then you will receive a zero grade for your work. Coursework submitted more than two weeks late will be given feedback but a grade of non-submission will be awarded regardless of any extenuating circumstances. However, if your ExtenuatingCircumstances claim is accepted then the Extenuating Circumstances Panel will recommend to the Progression and Award Board that you be permitted to retake a different item of assessment at a future assessment point. All coursework must be submitted as above. Detailed Specification You must complete this ass ignment using the given case study – The Children Support Agency (CSS) Case Study. Firstly, read the information given in the case study (which is attached to this coursework specification). Then produce all of the deliverables detailed below. Note that the case study contains a lot of information about CSS – read it carefully.

Advantages and Disadvantages of an Unwritten Constituion

The advantages of an unwritten constitution far outweigh the disadvantages (40) You must make a judgement. A constitution is a set of rules that establish duties and functions of the government and defines the basic principles to which society must conform. In this essay I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of an unwritten constitution and show that I agree with this statement.On one hand, if a written constitution was introduced it would affect the power of government, relationship between judges and politician and individual freedoms and rights. One argument is that a written constitution would make the rules of the country clearer, as constitutional rules would be collected together and put into a single document and therefore more clearly defined than in an unwritten constitution where the laws, rights and rules are spread across many documents.Thus, a written constitution would create less confusion and the meaning about laws and rights may be greater enforced. Howeve r, a written constitution is unnecessary in countries who do not have one as many believe that the unwritten constitutional nature of, for example, UK politics has ensured a long history of democracy, and written constitutions may not be the most effective way of limiting government power. A written constitution may also have an educational value as it highlights the central values and goals in the political system.This may strengthen the populations feeling of belonging to the country as it creates a clearer sense of political identity. Furthermore, if these citizens feel a sense of belonging to a country they are more likely to become involved in, and be interested in what is going on in their country. On the other hand a written constitution can be considered rigid. With written constitutions a higher law is more difficult to change and it is easier and quicker to introduce an Act of Parliament than to alter a constitution.Due to this inflexible nature of a written constitution i t is difficult to ensure the constitution is up to date and relevant to current times as they cannot be changed easily and therefore it is harder for the government to respond to changing social, economic and political circumstances. Unwritten constitutions are flexible as they are not entrenched, and flexibility is extremely important and useful as the modern day is constantly changing. The strongest argument in favour of a written constitution is that it would protect the rights of its citizens and individual liberty would be more securely protected.The rights would become more clearly defined due to a written constitution and perhaps easier to enforce than an unwritten constitution because it is difficult to be completely sure of what your rights are, these rights can be defined through a bill of rights in the written constitution. However, just because there is a written constitution does not ensure the rights of a countries citizens will receive their rights – rather, it could lead to an elective dictatorship which might further restrict rights and may go on to persecute some of its citizens, which happened in Germany and resulted in the Second World War.Another disadvantage of a written constitution is that there may be tyranny within the judiciary. Judges are unelected and socially do not represent the population which could lead to a democratic deficit because of a lack of democratic legitimacy, as the public could be subjected to opinions which they do not agree with but have been implemented due to the preferences of senior judges.On the other hand, another advantage of a written constitution is that it would end elective dictatorship, where, as long as a government is elected, it can effectively do as it wishes because it often maintains a majority over the House of Commons and therefore can pass any laws it wishes to. Also, a written constitution would prevent a government from interfering with any higher laws because there would be a higher law safeguarding the constitution. To conclude, I believe that the advantages of an unwritten constitution far outweighs the disadvantages because it has always worked so changing it would be a waste of time, effort and money.In the UK there has been no constitutional crisis or major confusion over what rights citizens have but it remains stable and a part of the county’s history. Although an unwritten constitution may be considered too flexible which causes government to almost do as they wish, a written constitution would be far too rigid and would cause major difficulties when wanting to change certain laws, and it would also be difficult to agree on what a new constitution would contain.

Are We an Overmedicated Society Essay

Are we an overmedicated society? Have you ever opened your medicine cabinet, and really looked at its contents? Have you ever stopped to wonder exactly what is in those bottles, and what it is doing inside your body? Do we really need all of those drugs? These are the questions I began asking myself a few years ago, and I feel most people should be questioning these things more often. Every time that I see a new commercial or advertisement that highlights a dangerous drug and the resulting lawsuits, I have to wonder how many drugs out there are just as dangerous, but haven’t been documented yet. How many diseases are fabricated so that more drugs can be sold? We have been engineered to believe that every human emotion and condition is a disease and should be medicated. But how much is too much? My first argument is that society today has become much too reliant on prescription medications and it has gotten to be out of control on many grounds. The two groups of individuals I feel are most at risk for this type of over-indulgence are children and the elderly. A third group of concern involves the mentally impaired or depressed segment of society, which I will get to. But first, I will divulge my assessment of children’s psychiatry from my viewpoint. A century ago, parents were free to discipline their children in the way they saw fit. As a result, children grew up to be respectable adults with jobs and accountability for their actions. There were still those who deviated of course, but it seems it was much less prevalent than it is today. Now, we have become a society who is afraid to discipline their children for fear of repercussion from social services and the threat of losing their children. As a result, we now have many children growing up who learn that they are in charge of their parents. These children are not required to respect their parents, and this results in a lack of respect for humans in general. This has consequently led to a rise in sociopathic behavior among teenagers and young adults who have been raised with absolutely no accountability for their actions or respect for human life. For those parents whose children have gotten out of control, they customarily turn to their family physicians for advice. I believe this has led to a rise in the creation of childhood diseases and medications to go along with them. In recent years, there appears to be a huge increase in the number of children diagnosed with ADHD and different levels of the Autism spectrum. These children are being sedated with pills instead of learning how to behave in a socially acceptable manner. They then grow up never learning how to properly integrate into society, and from there we have mentally impaired, depressed, and often sociopathic adults who are told they will require more medication and sedation for their entire lives. On the opposite end of the spectrum, a second segment of society that is suffering from pharmaceutical negligence is the elderly population. You may have noticed the number of medications typically found in your grandmother’s medicine cabinet, and this scenario is not atypical. Seniors are taking medications for things that don’t need to be medicated. As a result, they need additional medications to combat the side effects of the original medications prescribed. It is like a domino effect, each one building on another. One drug might be taken for low glucose levels. This drug may cause high blood pressure and high cholesterol, giving rise to the need for additional medications to counteract those two life-threatening conditions. In turn the secondary medications might have adverse reactions requiring additional medications and so on, creating a dangerous level of chemicals taken daily. Having to take so many medications, and often on a low or fixed income, puts a huge strain on the average elderly patient, and significantly lowers the quality of life experienced in the last phase of life. In addition to young children and senior citizens, my third area of concern is the mental health arena. We are currently diagnosing illnesses and prescribing pills for every range of normal human emotion and behavior. Feelings of anger, elation, sadness, and anxiety are all normal human responses to different stresses issued from the natural environment around us. But we have been manufactured to believe that any one of these can signal the presence of serious illness and disease, and if we are experiencing these we had better hightail it to the nearest doctor and get a pill to erase it all. This is what the pharmaceutical companies want us to believe, and it has been working amazingly well for them so far. The doctor is not programmed to tell you that you are experiencing normal human emotions, instead, they get you very upset and worried that you are actually suffering from a major mental disorder that requires immediate action and medication. Now, I agree that therapy is often needed for excess amounts of any one of these emotions. However, I feel that in most cases medication is simply not needed. Would you apply a Band-Aid to a surgical wound? That is what I feel the value of most of these medications really is. It never solves the root of the issue, so the patient continues to take these medications that their body becomes dependent on, thus supporting the drug companies for the rest of their lives. One of the main issues when it comes to mental health in patients of all ages is the subject of anti-anxiety medications. I recently discovered an article which was penned with regard to the use of anxiety medications in the United States and internationally, and whether or not it is a concern. According to Armstrong, â€Å"their use has increased in America at the rate of 7 million prescriptions a year† (1). This raises the concern that the exponential growth of these drugs will eventually lead to an entire country of sedated citizens. Despite popular belief, however, most of these prescriptions are written by family physicians and not psychiatrists, to deal with patients who believe they have a disease they don’t have and are demanding pills. Despite reassurances of the safety of the use of benzodiazepines, concerns still linger as to how much is too much. The pharmaceutical industry is greatly to blame for fueling this negligent over-use of harmful chemicals. It really is all about money, when it comes down to it. It seems like they are eager to produce any concoction that they can market to the American public that will sell in mass quantities, whether or not it is actually necessary for anyone’s health. It is possible, even, that they go as far as to manufacture their own illnesses so they can capitalize on it any way they can. As a result, there doesn’t seem to be enough research going into many of the drugs that are approved by the FDA and take up space on a pharmacy shelf. They might run it by a group of not-so-randomly selected individuals for a quick test-run. Then, even if adverse reactions are found, they are justified and dismissed and the public never even finds out. If they do, it is usually in small print at the end of a drug advertisement, and the public never even takes notice of it because they are so hyped up about the possible positive outcomes this drug may have in store for them. The marketing is so intense that it convinces many people they have diseases they don’t even have and they rush to the doctor to fill their demands. According to Strand & Wallace, â€Å"†¦fewer than 50% of all of the serious adverse reactions to a new drug the FDA releases are identified prior to its release into the marketplace† (2, pg 46). This is a very alarming statistic that needs to be taken seriously! The doctors, in turn, are often pressured by the drug companies to market these drugs to patients who do not even present with symptoms which would call for such drugs. These doctors are often enticed by incentives and benefits offered by these companies to convince them to dole out these unnecessary medications. Essentially, they are â€Å"wined and dined† by the pharmaceutical companies. The other issue facing doctors is that these patients show up in droves with complaints and expect pills. If they are turned away or refused, the doctor faces possible legal actions, possibly law suits or malpractice claims. So, the easy solution is to give the patient what they want, not what they need. Essentially, the conventional doctor/patient relationship has eroded almost entirely. Patients are now doctoring themselves, deciding which drugs they need, and then going to the doctor with their demands since they cannot fill their scripts without a prescription. The book, â€Å"Death By Prescription†, has an excellent example of this. The author provides a story of a patient named Cynthia who goes in for her annual exam, confirms the presence of menopause, and against her better judgment is prescribed hormone replacement therapy. Everything seems to be going well for a few months, and then she unexpectedly collapses one day, completely at random, from acute cardiac arrest. After she has been put to rest, the husband then discovers that there were concerns about heart related problems for a year before his wife was initially prescribed this medication. (2, pgs 3-7) The doctor who wrote this book speaks of his dismay that potentially life-threatening drug reactions are never brought to the consumer’s attention until it is too late. Since these drugs are hitting the market without adequate research to possible drug reactions or interactions, more and more lawsuits are being filed. Every time I see a new lawsuit for a drug that was heavily marketed, I wonder which one will be next. I take a few prescriptions myself, only because they are necessary to control severe acid reflux which could erode my entire esophagus and to keep allergies in check which have a tendency to cause ear infections with me. I wouldn’t take them if I didn’t absolutely need to. One that I’ve seen recently is a lawsuit for a popular birth control drug, Yasmin, that I clearly remember advertisements for which involved many women in bright yellow bathing suits. Other examples that I can think of just off the top of my head are Avandia, Phen Phen, and Thalidomide. A famous example, though, is the whole Vioxx fiasco. Vioxx was a popular pain reliever that was touted as more effective than ibuprofen and naproxen sodium, but little was known about its potentially fatal side effects, mostly related to heart problems. According to Carey, Barrett, and Cropper, â€Å"†¦society needs to understand that drugs are a double-edged sword. Doctors should do a better job of keeping up with pharmaceutical findings. And patients should know that all medicines are potentially dangerous and should be used cautiously. In the past, â€Å"people accepted that there was no such thing as a totally safe drug,† says McKillop. Today we have become much more risk-averse. † Adds Dr. Mary H. Parks, a top FDA drug-approval official: â€Å"Even in the best case, with full due diligence, we will never know everything about a drug. † That’s why it will always be a struggle to hit just the right balance between help and harm. † (3) This lends credence to my belief that most drugs that have b een on the market less than 10 years should not be trusted. Hopefully, this paper has influenced the general perspective on the pharmaceutical industry itself and how many drugs should be taken by the average consumer on a daily basis. How many times have doctors prescribed brand new â€Å"cures† for diseases that no one has ever heard of? Consumers should be taking note of just how many drugs are being over-marketed and should be aware of the dangers posed by the chemicals ingested on a daily basis. If it is something that is not needed for normal daily functioning, should it even be prescribed? Is it doing more harm than good? How much research has been conducted for this particular drug? Whether the individual is a young child, a middle-aged adult, a psychiatric or geriatric patient, these are the questions that each person should be asking every day.