Alternate Dispute Resolution Tools

The ADR processes attempt to reconcile the differences that arise between commercial corporations. The services of a third party, which are in general voluntary, are employed for this purpose. This third party promotes negotiations, assists in resolving differences and formulates agreements that are agreeable to both the disputing parties. Arbitration and mediation constitute the principal tools of ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution Overview ).There are a number of advantages of resorting to the ADR mechanism. Some of these are that the cost is much less in comparison to the judicial system.In addition, ADR brings about a rapprochement between the disputing parties, which generally improves their relations. This is due to the fact that the ADR process concentrates on the requirements of the parties, unlike a formal judicial process that focuses on the legal position of the parties. Moreover, in the mediation process, the agreement is made by the parties themselves, which ensures gre ater commitment than a court order and the agreement is comparatively more accommodative. Further, adoption of the ADR process does not preclude the right to resort to the traditional legal procedures (Alternative Dispute Resolution Overview ).In the mediation process a third party that is neutral and adequately trained helps the parties to resolve their dispute. The aim of this third party is to shift the focus from legal positions to the actual interests, which are affected of the parties. The mediation process is bereft of rules of evidence and lawyers. The atmosphere is informal and conducive to dispute resolution. In addition, this process is absolutely confidential and there are no records of the meetings, moreover any notes taken down by the mediators during the process are destroyed.Furthermore, the process is speedy and inexpensive. This process is ideal if time available with the parties is limited, because resolution, in general, is achieved within a couple of sessions (A lternative Dispute Resolution Overview ). In the world of adjudication, the arbitration rules of London Court of International Arbitration, the London Maritime Arbitrator's Association Terms, the UNCITRAL and the ICC are well known. The alternative dispute resolution or ADR process suffers from the disadvantage that its decisions cannot be made sufficiently binding from the legal perspective.Such international agreements cannot be enforced by the authorities in the absence of a court decision, which would be disproportionate to the amount involved. This promotes repudiation of contracts by unscrupulous parties, because the cost of enforcing the contract would be exorbitant (Redfern & Hunter, 1999. Pp. 3 – 4). Conservative estimates of litigation costs in the US legal system estimate them to be around a hundred billion dollars per annum, whereas others consider this amount to be more than three times this estimated amount.Some of the direct expenses that constitute this huge a mount are legal fees, awards to the jury, expenditure incurred in copying and organizing, fees to be paid to expert witnesses. There are also a number of indirect expenses like loss of reputation that corporations have to endure and loss due to management having to curtail its business activities, in order to concentrate on the litigation. This has made ADR a very attractive alternative for many corporations in the US.If the participants in the process of the ADR approach their differences in a positive and fair manner, then this process can bring about dispute resolution that improves their commercial relations. However, if such an attitude is lacking, then the ADR process can prove to be no less time consuming and expensive in comparison to the usual judicial process for resolving commercial disputes (Netzley, December, 2001). American companies that perform in other countries generally resort to arbitration, in order to settle commercial disputes, because of the uncertainty assoc iated with the legal systems extant in those countries.The best environment for arbitration to succeed transpires when there are only two parties that are absolutely clear about their legal status. Arbitration agreements are enforced in totality by the courts. However, the rules pertaining to evidence are not strictly adhered to in such proceedings (Sido, Dec2005 ). Although, arbitration and litigation are expensive processes, the former is more expeditious, involves less expenditure and has the added advantage of confidentiality. However, arbitration involves charges for filing that are ever on the increase and there is no scope for appealing against an arbitral decision.Mediation on the other hand is extremely flexible and much more attractive in comparison to the arbitration process, because in an arbitration process it not clear as to which party would emerge victorious. There are no losers in a mediation process; there are only parties who have agreed to resolve their differenc es in an amicable manner (Sido, Dec2005 ). Arbitration is akin to the traditional litigation process in many respects, whereas mediation has the advantage of being confidential and informal.Moreover, in mediation there is no compulsion to adhere to a disagreeable decision (Packer, 2004). A number of US corporations have resorted to ADR in respect of disputes, because of the prolonged and expensive procedures of the normal court and international tribunal procedures. However, in the ADR process, arbitration process is not that attractive, because it entails decisions that cannot be appealed against and in addition it is quite similar to the regular court or tribunal process.The most popular process is that of mediation, because it is more of a consultative process and the principal objective is to arrive at an agreement that takes into account, the viewpoints and interests of the parties to the dispute. Moreover, there is no compulsion to implicitly follow the decision arrived at in this process. In addition, the cost involved is also comparatively much less. References Alternative Dispute Resolution Overview . (n. d. ). Retrieved November 8, 2007, from CADR: http://www. dot. gov/ost/ogc/CADR/overview. html Netzley, M. (December, 2001).Alternative Dispute Resolution: A Business (and) Communication Strategy . Business Communication Quarterly , Vol. 64, No. 4, Pp. 83 – 89. Packer, A. J. (2004). An interview with Bill Carter. Retrieved November 8, 2007, from Oregon State Bar. Elder Law Newsletter: http://www. osbar. org/_docs/sections/elder/newsletters/elder_spring04. pdf Redfern, A. , & Hunter, M. (1999. Pp. 3 – 4). Law and Practice of International Commercial Arbitration . London: 3rd ed, Sweet & Maxwell. Sido, K. (Dec2005 ). Avoiding the Courtroom Through Mediation or Arbitration . Consulting-Specifying Engineer , Vol. 38, Iss. 6, Pp. 65-66.

Gifted Children: An Overview

Started in the 1970†³s, America†s Gifted & Talented programs are used to enhance the curriculum of students included in either category in order to challenge and strengthen their unique abilities. These students are usually provided a separate class with specialized lessons in all areas and a teacher with a special degree in gifted education. I feel that it is important that the teacher was a gifted student who would know what the students must face as â€Å"above average† members of their school. The job market for gifted education offers a wide range of opportunity and gifted teachers are needed all over the One of the earliest programs for gifted and talented students was set up in 1974, at The Old Donation Center, in Virginia Beach. Students scoring within the top 3% of students on an assessment test are referred here to be further challenged. These students are considered gifted and have special teachers and classes to promote development of their talents and minds. Programs like this began to pop up around the nation in the 70†³s; however, gifted students were looked down upon by teachers, parents, and peers. Many people considered them to be â€Å"freaks† because they were different. They didn†t understand the implications of the terms â€Å"gifted† and â€Å"talented†. Most people simply expected gifted students to act more mature or to be geniuses, even though gifted students are the same as other children in their needs as human beings. Some gifted students were forced to grow up too fast and some simply ignored the fact that they were smarter than others, thus, they were lost in the shuffle. The irony of it all is that gifted-ness seems to run in families and the children of these repressed gifted students are, themselves, But what exactly is a â€Å"gifted† student? Students (elementary & secondary) are given a repertoire of tests. These tests check IQ, psychomotor ability, specific academic aptitude/talent, creative and productive thinking, leadership ability, and skills in the visual and performing arts. The main requirement, the IQ, is tested by a standardized IQ test (remember, however, that IQ tests are not always perfectly accurate). Ratings are given to each bracket of IQ scores: If a student receives a rating of â€Å"gifted† or higher (130+), he/she is considered to be a gifted student and is introduced into the designated programs. These students are given the opportunity to choose classes that are meant to teach them how to use their minds for critical thinking, reasoning, and artistic pursuits. Students in these classes are also exposed to culture, literature, and other subject areas that are not usually covered in what they term â€Å"normal classes†. The gifted classes are mainly in an open format allowing the student to create the parameters of his/her work and allowing them to be creative in their learning experience. Each class is presided-over by a teacher that has specialized degrees in gifted education. Almost every school in the United States has a need for a gifted class, making job opportunities endless; there are never Gifted teachers must have both a degree in education (secondary or elementary) and a degree in special education (gifted). These teachers are individuals that must have stamina, people skills, and open minds. It is also important (to the students) that the teacher himself/herself was also classified as gifted. It sets a common bond, shows them that the teacher understands the problems they face as so-called â€Å"smart kids†. These students are often ridiculed by heir peers and looked-down upon by their teachers. They are often separated from others their age by a barrier that can only be described as their â€Å"intelligence†. This is why, often, gifted teachers have degrees in administration, counseling, or psychology. All teachers that I interviewed told me that a continually upgraded education is a must (as are additional degrees). In order to keep up with the students one must attend seminars, workshops, special classes, etc. There is no end to the amount of education that could help you to understand gifted students and the role of their teacher†. Also, if a teacher has extra educational qualifications, he/she could be asked to step up to the position of administrator or, more often, counselor. This means pay raises. Though the average salary for teachers is approximately $27,500 per year, it is â€Å"a worthwhile undertaking† according to Jane Mansueto, â€Å"It is incredible to work with gifted students. They are incredible! † She went on to remark that it is fascinating to imagine that they are of the same level of intelligence as the teacher and what they must be feeling inside. She feels that the students are not bothered by what their peers think, but actually tend to understand that other†s opinions mean little compared to their own. Mrs. Mansueto taught at Elm Grove Middle School for 5 years. She commented on her role as a gifted teacher to consist of â€Å"one part mentorship, one part hardship, and one part friendship†. When asked what kind of hours she keeps, she laughed and asked if she was supposed to have time off. According to Mrs. Mansueto, unlike a â€Å"normal† teacher, a gifted teacher has no books to go by or preset material to teach, or, or that matter, a preset subject to teach. They are given a blank page and, using input from students, must draw up lessons from every subject area and constantly challenge the inquisitive minds of the gifted. Jane Mansueto attended Trinity College where she majored in both elementary education and gifted education. Her favorite part of being a gifted teacher is being with the students, working hand in hand with them to plan and carry out projects and trips. Though the pay is average, and there is not much room to be promoted if you wish o remain in the classroom, gifted teaching has its personal rewards. Jeff Simpleton, a gifted teacher as well as a former gifted student, states, â€Å"I really think that by being gifted, I am in touch with what they have to go through. They know that I can understand. † Mr. Simpleton†s class consists of 6 high school students, who have many problems due to the intelligence barrier and a kind of isolation that has built up over the years between themselves and their classmates. They seem to feel that they have a reputation that they must live up to. The students try to please everyone†¦ hey push themselves with sheer motivation and determination and drive. Mr. Simpleton feels that this is â€Å"what makes them so great†. He feels that anyone with a sense of adventure and a need for something new day after day would find teaching a gifted class to be the perfect job for Gifted teachers are important to the development of their students minds. They are understanding individuals who must work hard to make the curriculum interesting and challenging. With the proper education it is possible to go far as a teacher of the gifted.

Survey of Research Literature – Identity Theft

Research Analysis Survey of Research Literature in Information Technology Management Infrastructure Abstract: Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. There are many definitions of identity theft, however this type of crime typically involves illegally utilizing somebody else’s personal information for both personal and or financial gain. Thieves acquire personal information through different methods ranging from stealing physical documents all the way to hacking into corporate databases.The field of Information Technology is one of the fastest growing fields in the world. Daily innovations and discoveries are flooding our lives. The continual strive for speed and efficiency make the world move faster into the new era of digital information.In addition to advances in computing, many other fields are forced to innovate and comply with the demands of the new 21st century consumer. However with all the convenience and access to this digital inform ation the world faces those who use the technology to destroy information and control others for their own benefit. The two most evident industries that face such challenges are the health industry and the financial industry. Both consists of billions of dollars in revenue each year and pose a lucrative target for the digital underground.The finance industry is a more interesting topic when it comes to identity theft since it involves the financial system for businesses, financial institutions and consumers. By looking at this industry directly we can see how these affects influence each other and what can be done to protect the consumer and the business sector. This paper will be separated into consumer and business parts and then further divided into sub parts where the focus would be on specific sections on what is closely related to or can result in identity theft.Once such threats and security issues are identified and thoroughly described, the paper will also cover some of the existing solutions that are currently being implemented by, businesses, financial institutions and even consumers themselves. Looking at all sides of the problem, identity theft touches upon a variety of issues such as tools that are used to identify ones credentials, information that is stored on computers of thousands or retailers, financial institutions as well as taking into account the technology that makes authentication and financial transactions possible.The spectrum of this is so large that only a small part of it can be analyzed and covered in this paper. What is Identity Theft? According to numerous sources, identity theft is a way to take someone else’s identity and utilize it for either financial or gains of being accountable for certain actions or consequences. The term identity theft has actually came from the word impersonation or cloning which describes a process of making an exact copy of something or in this case assuming an identity of another person.In t his paper there is only one side to the identity theft and it is the financial loss or gain that occurs during the process. Looking at the identity theft from several prospective and analyzing how it affects the consumer, business, or financial institution is what this analysis is attempting to identify. â€Å"Each year, millions of consumers are victimized by identity theft—the practice of using the identity of another to obtain credit. After the identity thief defaults, lenders and credit bureaus attribute the default to the impersonated consumer. Sovern 2004)† According to Sovern 2004, the default that occurs between the lender and the pretend consumer, in the end falls upon the innocent consumer whose information has been stolen in one way or another and misused for financial gain. Typically there are numerous parts to what results in identity theft. First of all identity thieves typically obtain personal information that is used to identify an individual, as well as credentials that can be used to authenticate themselves.Then, they would utilize the credentials to impersonate other individuals and proceed to gain access to financial documents and finally actual monetary assets. â€Å"Identity theft—the appropriation of someone else’s identity to commit fraud or theft (Milne 2003)—is a serious consumer problem (Sovern 2004)†. Identity theft is a commission of fraud that not only poses a serious threat to consumers but is a very serious crime that has unlimited consequences for everyone involved in the process.Although it is a serious crime and a wide spread problem there are many different ways that thieves can approach this type of method. The initial process of acquiring personal information that is needed to impersonate another individual can consist anywhere from finding the information in public records at the library, all the way to stealing financial documents like credit cards, checks, and digital informati on by hacking computer networks. The spectrum of this problem is endless and continues to grow on the daily basis, while financial information becomes ore widespread with the innovation of technology. Before looking at the specific areas of theft and their origins, identifying the meaning behind identity as being part of identity theft would be beneficial to the true understanding behind impersonating someone else. â€Å"Identity is a means of denoting an entity in a particular namespace and is the basis of security and privacy -regardless if the context is digital identification or non-digital identification ( Katzan 2010 )†.Unlike theft, identity is much harder to describe especially when looking at how it can be stolen and utilized for personal and financial gain. Katzan 2010 illustrates how an identity can also be referred to as a subject, which have several identities and belong to more than just one namespace. Identity is part of the management system which can establis h a process to another system and therefore result in a trust that is facilitated by a third party and acknowledges the basis for the digital identity in the computer-based information systems.Another side is the information that’s provided by a third party that claims the identity of a person but can be biased based on how that information came about, and therefore might require additional information to provide clear evidence and confirmation. † Identity is primarily used to establish a relationship between an attribute or set of attributes and a person, object, event, concept, or theory. The relationship can be direct, based on physical evidence, and in other cases, the relationship is indirect and based on a reference to other entities ( Katzan 2010)†.Thieves acquire such attributes of the identity through resource such as customer service representatives, Trojan horse computer programs, dumpster diving, corporate databases, and physically stealing computers. To prevent such occurrences the author suggests implementing reponsibilized and individualized forms of risk management where individuals are encouraged to incorporate informational security practices into their daily lives and care for their virtual self in the digital world. Phishing Attacks Moving forward beyond what both identity and theft really mean, identifying he most popular ways of gaining access to individual identity data is the first step to preventing consumers from being the victims of such thefts. The first most common approach to gathering the necessary information to impersonate an individual is a Phishing Attack. A Phishing Attack is a way to deceive a consumer into revealing personal information to the attacker through digital communication. â€Å"Phishing has been a major problem for information systems managers and users for several years now. In 2008, it was estimated that phishing resulted in close to $50 billion in damages to U. S. onsumers and businesses ( Wright, Marett, 2010). This obfuscation method of both email and Web sites is how thieves are able to convince users into fulfilling requests for personal information. Once that information is obtained it can be used to stage theft of either company or personal intellectual property. â€Å"In the most common phishing scam, the â€Å"phisher† sends an e-mail disguised to look like it is from a financial institution or e-commerce site. To appear credible and to attract the recipient's attention, the e-mail uses the company's logos and trademarks and employs â€Å"scare tactics† such as threats of account closure (Lynch 2005)†This method of obtaining identity information carries a relatively low risk in both legality and cost. The phisher who is carrying out the crime usually resides in an international location to avoid authorities which makes the apprehension and prosecuting of the fraud that is committed to be far more difficult. One of the studies that utilized analytical approach to find the reasoning behind the success of such a technique concluded that there are four phases in studying behavioral factors, which influence the replies coming from the consumer in regard to answering emails that request them to provide sensitive information.The study covered 299 subjects and analyzed the percentage of those who responded to different methods within the study of phishing. The final factor to the study is the awareness level that the communicator posses in regard to the security threats that are currently present in the digital world. Security awareness training is important in teaching Web users how to appropriately utilize both network and system resources. Complete review of security policies and their congruency with current threats is crucial in identifying noncompliance of both users and systems.Once systems are updated and users are aware of the different tactics that can be used against them and the different ways they can protect th emselves from becoming victims the world can move closer to eliminating phishing as an urgent threat. Driver’s License Moving past the phishing technique on the consumer side, taking an in-depth look at how identification has become an essential part of identity theft and what are the different tools that we use as consumers to present that trust between our identity and the business entity from which we want to acquire services.The first and probably the most widespread tool of identification in United States of America is a driver’s license. A driver’s license is an identification document that corresponds to a Department of Motor Vehicles database record, therefore is considered to be a legitimate identification document. It is very valuable and the most circulated picture credential that gives one the ability to operate a vehicle as well. One of the reasons behind counterfeiting driver’s licenses is due to the broad spectrum of different types of lice nses that exist in the USA.These counterfeits vary from simple laminates that are created on matrix printers, all the way to sophisticated and authentic, 45 degree hologram based laminates utilizing the same materials and even printing equipment that is used by the DMV. â€Å" The typical criminal would use fungible credentials as an instrument to defraud because it offers reduced risk, minimal effort, and increased effectiveness. Financial frauds, money laundering, and identity theft are three common exploits that typically rely on fungible credentials.Fungible credentials are useful precisely because they simultaneously obscure the criminal’s real identity and facilitate any authentication that may be required. (Berghel 2006) This type of credentials is a way to shield the thief’s real identity while still utilizing the facial identification with different credentials. Typically financial transactions are the most common way to utilize fungible credentials to gain a ccess to the victim’s assets. Since the process involves getting several versions of identification based on the verification process, in the end the original counterfeit documents are disposable.This means that the final identifiers that are obtained, such as the drivers license are legitimate due to its issuance from the government agency. This type of a scheme makes the detection of the final credentials impossible to detect since it was acquired from a legitimate source. The only way to really prevent this from happening is by having all government agencies and law enforcement to authenticate all documents no matter where they came from. However currently due to the extreme overhead for such process, this is currently not possible to achieve. A threat analysis of RFID PassportsThe second and most widespread tool in the world is the passport. A passport is a document that is issued by a national government for the sole purpose of traveling between countries and having the ability to identify the nationality of the traveler as well as the identity of the holder. Since 2007 all passports that have been issued in USA, contain an imbedded RFID chip, which is valid for a time period of ten years. The reason behind such change in passport policy is to provide a safer way to store critical identification data on the chip as well as encrypt such data and keep it safe.However in the last few years there have been approaches that defy the design and the security of the chip and permit the identification information to be stolen. â€Å"this individual used a small antenna connected to a computer in his backpack to eavesdrop on the radio communication between the security agent’s reader, which has the capacity to decrypt the highly sensitive and secured data on the passport, and the RFID-enabled passport itself(RAMOS, A. , SCOTT, W. , SCOTT, W. , LLOYD, D. , O'LEARY, K. , ; WALDO, J. 2009)†The process that is described above creates a way to find a nd obtain the information that is contained on the RFID chip, however in order to do so the proximity of the listening device and the timing of the transition are critical to its success. In addition to acquiring the data, the ability to decrypt the information before it can be utilized is a process in itself. â€Å"Six pieces of information can be stolen from the RFID chip on a U. S. passport: your name, nationality, gender, date of birth, place of birth, and a digitized photograph. Numerous problems of identity theft could arise from someone taking that information, but this article focuses on the financial risk. (RAMOS, A. , SCOTT, W. , SCOTT, W. , LLOYD, D. , O'LEARY, K. , & WALDO, J. 2009)† The information that is acquired during the intercept process is sufficient enough to create a duplicate passport and utilize it for financial gain. However due to the difficulty of this attack, cost of the equipment involved and the limited financial return as opposed to the high cos t of blank passports, this type of scenario is not very likely.As a solution to this possible downside of RFID chips, integrating basic access-control and encryption using the secret key that is integrated right into the passport help mitigate the risk of data interception. Another approach would be to control the RF signals that occur between the reader and the passport during the verification process. This would help minimize the chances for eavesdropping on the RF signals and interception of all identity information. Identity CardsIn order to go beyond the complications of the passport and the specialization of the driver’s license there is another way to identify a person and verify their credentials. This tool is called an Identity Card and is utilized on the government basis in several different countries. The idea behind the identity card is very similar to what a driver’s license does, however it only focuses on proving that the person who presents the card mat ches the credentials that the identity cards holds, without granting driving privileges as does the driver’s license.This new concept of identity card consists of two components, one is the database identity and the other is token identity. Database identity is the gathering of all information about a certain individual and recorded into databases, which is then accessible by the government. Token identity on the other hand only comprises of very specific information about the individual. This information consists of name, gender, date and place of birth, date of death, signature, photograph and biometrics.In addition biometrics consists of a face scan, two iris scans and ten fingerprints. In the context of identity theft, token identity is considered to be more than just information about an individual. â€Å"Unlike the individual pieces of information that comprise it, token identity has the essential characteristics of intangible property. Its misuse by another person not only infringes the individual’s personal right to identity, it infringes the individual’s proprietary rights in his/her registered identity, particularly in token identity. Sullivan 2009)† Utilization of token identity for transactional purposes constitutes an individuals’ identity which is all the information that the token holds. This is the information that is most useful for an identity thief since it is all that is required to enable a transaction. Not all of the information in the token is used for every transaction and therefore depends on the nature of the transaction, therefore the required information is automatically chosen from the token to match the transactional requirements. The phrase ‘identity theft’ is a misnomer, as identity theft does not actually deprive a person of their identity. The offence of theft or larceny traditionally involves an appropriation of the personal property of another with the intention to deprive him or her of that property permanently. Wrongfully accessing and using a person’s personal information or forging proof of identity documents, without taking any physical document or thing, would not deprive the person of the ability to use that information. (Sullivan 2009)Although wrongfully accessing or forging of the documents does not deprive the person of access to such information, it does however fundamentally damage the integrity of the individual token identity by denying exclusive use of the identity. Personally Identifiable Information Utilizing tools that identify oneself are needed to acquire, obtain and steal financial information, however in addition to that and the rapid innovation of the digital world, all the information that identifies us is freely available on the internet.In the last several years the internet progressed so rapidly that it is being used for social interaction, product purchases and financial transactions. In addition to that many companies a re continuously collect personal information utilizing social networks, service providers, and retail sites. These companies claim that under the customer license agreements information provided will be safe guarded and released in a non identifiable form. This means that the information will be de-identified by changing the fixed set of attributes that it currently resides in.Once it is de-identified it will become safe enough to release to the public and will prevent others from using it for marketing or advertising purposes. â€Å"The emergence of powerful re-identification algorithms demonstrates not just a flaw in a specific anonymization technique(s), but the fundamental inadequacy of the entire privacy protection paradigm based on â€Å"de-identifying† the data. De-identification provides only a weak form of privacy. (Narayanan, A. , & Shmatikov, V. 2010)†This type of technique is only part of the solution when it comes to privacy protection. The ability to deve lop effective technologies to protect private information is being developed on continuous basis and there is still no definite answer as to what the best approach really is. Utilizing the de-identifying approach is a step in the right direction but it only patches the problem instead of solving it. Currently there are limitation to the way privacy is preserved and protected, therefore a better method of protection needs to be build and implemented.Security through Technology Now that we covered the outstanding issues with the identity tools and even ways of how to protect the personal identifiable information, next step is to identify technology flaws that jeopardize the security of the process. The technology plays a crucial role in how secure the data is both inside and outside the primary location. When it comes to computer systems and security, the weakest components are the end users, especially when they are accessing corporate information from their home location.With progre ssion of wireless based network technology, the adaptation rate has been enormous and is justified by the convenience that wireless technology provides for both basic and business consumer. Numerous applications have been developed to utilize the convenience of working from home for employee and to have them access databases of their organization using just the Internet browser. This scenario also works for those who are continuously traveling and therefore use wireless services at the hotels or other lodge places.Many of such systems only rely on passwords to authenticate users and pose a real threat when it comes to accessing corporate information. In such a case a hacker can intercept such credential information and utilize it to access the corporate databases and therefore conduct an intrusion which will go undetected since it relies on real user account information. â€Å"Hackers do not require specific hacking tools, as operating systems can find nearby routers and connect to them almost automatically.Hackers can then perform illegal operations such as hacking other computers, spreading viruses, organizing terrorist activities, and so on. (Loo 2008)† As the technology progresses and innovation takes place it would still be close to impossible to solve all security problems no matter what technology is in place. Security depends on several different factors including coordination between employers, end user and manufactures of the technology that is being used.It is up to the employees to be aware of security risks and protect the technology they are using no matter where they are. Investing time into learning about countermeasures is a worthy investment which can eventually prevent unrecoverable events such as an intrusion. Employers and providers of technology should focus on the usability and simplicity of the technology as well as establishing the necessary guidelines for usability and finding the right tools to address it. Protect Government I nformationIdentity theft has an enormous impact on both time and finance of a consumer who becomes the target of it; however it’s not only consumers that see the consequences of such thefts. Businesses are being impacted by this occurrence as well. Organizations need to protect their assets from cyber crime, web attacks, data breaches and fraud. Criminals utilize such attacks to harvest data through these means for financial, political and personal gain. Such actions are becoming firm motivators for adaptation of information system security approach to protect assets of companies.The ISS approach utilizes an accreditation process that mandates that all government agencies are complying with such standard. A unified security approach would have been ideal in the case of government agencies however even with proper accreditation and mandated requirements, more than half the agencies demonstrated resistance by their management to implement such rules. One of the reasons for such resistance was the norms and culture with the organizations which could not be unified by one system covering all the agencies.Secondly the management of the government branches that lacked the accreditation pointed out that it was due to the lack of resources that was being committed by Treasury to pay for the needed changes that were part of the compliance process. â€Å"The key lesson learned from this study was that a large-scale IS/IT project conducted across multiple government agencies and sites of varying sizes requires that the implementation be staggered and suited to agency size, thus breaking down the complexity of the tasks enabling resources (people and budgets) to be put in place and allocated to future project phases. Smith, S. , Winchester, D. , Bunker, D. , & Jamieson, R. 2010)† The authors point out that the failure of implementation was mostly due to the long term financial backing of the project and that adequate resources and senior management commitmen t is crucial to the success of ISS. Data Breaches and Identity Theft Data security is an ongoing process and affects both consumers and businesses, however retailers and financial institutions are responsible for storing and processing consumer financial data, and they are solely responsible for the security of it.One of the leading causes of identity theft is data breaches which are a process of loosing data due to a security or network flaw. This is why a proportionate combination of security vs. amount of data collected needs to be found. If there is too much data and not enough security than the potential cost of a data breach is very high. â€Å"Dollar estimates of the cost of identity theft do not by themselves indicate that too much identity theft is occurring.However, press accounts of data breaches suggest that personal identifying data (PID) is being stolen too frequently, and that the data thefts are unduly facilitating various kinds of identity theft. 2 (Roberds, W. , & Schreft, S. 2008)† Establishing policies that can ensure that the balance between data collection and security is properly maintained will be crucial in preventing data breaches. Data network can help prevent theft by securing its databases better as well as increasing the amount of PID compiled in order to identify possible fraudulent attempts on the network.The downside of over collecting is the spillover effect where the data can be stolen and used on another network, therefore breaching the other network. â€Å"†¦the approach here allows for explicit calculation of the efficient levels of data accumulation and data security, and for straightforward evaluation of policies meant to attain efficiency. More generally, it offers an illustration of how any such calculation should balance the costs associated with data misuse against the substantial gains afforded by the relaxation of anonymity. (Roberds, W. , & Schreft, S. 2008)†There are specific variables that nee d to be adjusted in order to achieve the highest possible degree of security and consider the costs that are associated with implementing this specific formula. Formal Identity Theft Prevention Programs As was already discussed previously, identity theft is a serious problem, and can take a very long time to even notice that it is taking place in our lives. Due to the amount of damage that is caused to the consumer’s life and financial situation, the government has taken steps to combat identity theft at federal, state and local levels therefore attempting to assist victims of this crime.There are several steps that have been taken in legislation, however there are still no laws in place that can regulate the general use of personally identifiable information in regard to government branches and both public and private sector. The key piece of information that is considered to be most valuable to the identity thieves is the Social Security Number (SSN), therefore one of the p revention initiatives is in regard to displaying and using Social Security Numbers in easily accessible laces. Other initiatives include securing the availability of personal information though information resellers, security weaknesses in the federal agency information systems, and breaches in data security. â€Å".. federal systems and sensitive information are at increased risk of unauthorized access and disclosure, modification, or destruction, as well as inadvertent or deliberate disruption of system operations and services. ( Bertoni, D. 2009)†.According to the GAO study it has been reported that federal agencies still experience a large number of security related incidents and that provides access to large amounts of personally identifiable information that reside in the federal records that could be utilized for identity theft purposes. Protecting personally identifiable information that is stored in the federal system is critical since its loss and unauthorized discl osure could result in devastating consequences for the individuals.The consequences could range from fraud, theft, embarrassment and even inconvenience in the cases of identity and financial related transactions. Results of identity theft have direct impact on the credit records of individuals and can also carry substantial costs related to this activity; in addition denial of loans and even convictions for crimes that an individual did not commit is a possible outcome of identity theft on the federal level. Solutions:Identifying all the sub categories of identity theft is outside the scope of this paper, however with a general understanding of how it affects consumers and business, as well as the severity of the issue; the next step is to see what can really be done to minimize the damage. One approach to combating identity theft is the implementation of smart cards into the financial system. These cards are designed to incorporate embedded computer chips that rely on encryption al gorithms to safe guard the information and aid in authorization of transactions and identity verifications.If the technology is properly implemented it can really aid consumers, merchants, banks and others in securing transaction and combating identity theft. In addition it will help lower the costs of fraud prevention and provide benefits in the form of creating a more efficient payment system. Such technology has already seen implementation internationally and have proven to be a much more secure and efficient method of payments. â€Å"Payment smart cards hold the promise to improve the security of payment authorization and help reduce the costs of identity theft and payments fraud.Smart cards allow a range of security options and some issuers have implemented the strongest upgrades, while others have not. (Sullivan 2008) The reduced infrastructure costs are yet another benefit that financial institutions can use in favor of implementing the system in United States. However there are some significant challenges moving forward with this system in regard to adaptation of smart cards by issuers, as well as having the whole industry agree on specific security protocols that will be used in the new smart cards.Identifying the true cost and both hardware and software limitation of the new product is also crucial in preventing adoption limitations. There is also the problem of having criminals shift efforts towards areas of weakness in the security of payments, however due to the lack of competitive advantage in the security standard there is a lack of willingness from the provider’s side in investing time and money. The complex network structure that is required to support the new standards is also a roadblock for implementation and development.Smart cards have the potential to become the new payment authorization standard but at this time they are facing a number of adaptation and development challenges that are discouraging financial institutions from mo ving towards them. Enforcement of physical identification cards to improve security is viable way; however a bigger issue of security and lack of it still takes places in many businesses. In the case of ID cards the outcome of implementing such a system would result in large databases of information that will utilize the technology for identification purposes.The problem here is what goes on behind the closed doors of the organization that houses such large amount of personal data. Part of it has to do with proper disposal of sensitive documents which most consumers don’t shred and even businesses that don’t properly take care of them. Once the information is housed in a database and is protected by firewalls and encryption routines, there is no clear process of how to prevent it from leaving the organization through unauthorized parties, computer theft, loss of physical media or records. †¦there is a significant need to widely implement measures for tracking and tracing identity thieves and fraudsters once a breach has occurred. There are various means of doing so, whether electronic or physical (Gregory, A. 2008). These undercover tracking and tracing agents can log all the activity that is taking place by phone or email and then can be used for verification purposes and zero out any anomalies or breach attacks. This type of tracking can help companies stay on top of the activities that are taking place and even intervene in the process in order to minimize the outcome of the breach or fraudulent transactions.It will also help prevent the amount of complains, loss of reputation and damage to the company and its brand. The database of personal data can become quite large and is continuously exposed to security threats and data corruption, that’s why companies hire consultants to investigate risk and exposures of the database information. Consultants check for compliance with Data Protection Act as well as other required transactional practices. In some cases the database can be subjected to quality assessment and data hygiene as to keep the information up to date and as accurate as possible.The results of the analysis can then be used to create an actionable strategy to manage the databases and maintain integrity and efficiency for both short and long term. An increasing amount of identity theft incidents have also provoked major changes in the financial industry, especially with banking applications and the way that they protect data and ensure legitimate transactions. To insure such security and integrity, financial institutions have integrated biometric technologies such as fingerprint and facial recognition that are mandatory for customers and ensure higher level of security. Biometric methods are based on physiological or behavioral characteristics. Since they take advantage of mostly unchangeable characteristics, they are more reliable than traditional methods of authorization (Koltzsch, G. 2006)† T he usage of such technology that can be so closely bound to a physical attribute of a person is very promising, especially in the financial sector and has been looked at it for the last 10 years. However due to the cost and the complexity on the implementation part as well as inconvenience to the consumer, it has not been as widespread as originally planned.Today this technology is mostly used for standalone applications, such as guarding vaults, high security areas and employee authentication. Customer oriented solutions are still in early development stages and are not fully implemented due to the fear of alienating customers and pushing them away from what they are used to. Another reason for the lack of implementation is the difficulty in standardizing this technology on the international scale. The fear of investing in technology that will not be supported by others is what is slowing the adaptation process down.However due to the rise in identity theft and phishing cases there has been a new movement towards the development of this technology to prevent loss of information and financial resources. Protecting the payment system depends on the adoption of industry standards for data security and implementation of the new digitally aware way to personally identify an individual. Currently the identification process depends on the Social Security Number as we discussed previously, which is one of the main reasons that identity theft still occurs.To be affective in protecting the payment system there needs to be a way to properly monitor the compliance of the system and enforce proper penalties in the case of its absence. Payment system participants can also hold each other accountable for the damage in the incompliance of contractual agreements in place. Due to high litigation costs in the event of identity theft, merchants are now implementing new policies that allow them to discard transactional information much faster in order to prevent its exposure to t heft. Another fairly recent step taken by the private sector is the development of insurance products to cover losses from identity theft. Coverage for consumers is available from several sources, at a cost of approximately $120 per year, and appears to provide minimal coverage against lost wages, legal fees for defending against lawsuits brought by creditors or collection agencies, and select out-of-pocket expenses (Schreft, S. 2007)†. The down fall of this type of coverage is its limitations. Neither type of uch insurances or proposed coverage will really protect against identity theft risk because the financial sector cannot ensure against systematic risk. This results in the loss of confidence in the system all together therefore creating the possibility of users accessing such services less frequently. Imperfections in the ability to protect the consumer against crime, results in having the government oversee the failures and driving it towards protecting the integrity an d efficiency of the financial system. Shortcomings of the SystemTo combat identity theft is an enormous task that even the government is struggling to achieve. The reason for this is time, money and consistency between financial providers and government levels. Several different attempts have been made to provide tools for consumers to identify theft and report it to the institutions. However even though such systems are in place, many consumers complain that even when such theft occurs and notices are placed on accounts, thieves are still able to steal money under fraudulent identities. They are even able to successfully apply for loans when there are errors in the information provided.In addition to that the Credit Bureaus have made it close to impossible for an everyday consumer to reach an actual human customer support representative due to the automated telephone systems that have been implemented. Another reason why the system just does not work the way it was proposed, is the cost that the credit bureaus are enduring with the escalation of identity theft cases. The actual costs of thefts are not reflected on the bureaus since they only provide credit reports and credit monitoring services which consumers buy in most cases even if they have been a victim of theft.The bureaus have no real incentive in helping consumers prevent identity fraud, which is in this case is a conflict of interest for one of the parties involved. This conflict of interests entails in the amount of early revenues that are generates from products such as credit reports and credit monitoring services. The latest offering from the bureaus is an email notification service that notifies the consumers if any changes in the credit records occur and charges a fee for it. One observer has estimated that credit bureaus received $600 million in 2003 from sales of credit reports, credit scores, and credit monitoring services (Hendricks 2003). In such a case the credit bureaus are profiting fr om the sales of preventive service that prevent the client from the theft that the bureau makes possible. Overestimation of losses is also a shortcoming of the system that is geared toward protecting the consumer in the business of financial transaction and identity information. A claim that identity theft is the fastest growing crime in U. S. is what the consumers are being told on the continuous basis.Lately the press coverage of this topic has grown significantly and provided a number of related events that claims an affected population of 4. 6% and losses of more than $60 billion dollars a year. What consumers need to take into account is the $50 maximum liability that is provided by the financial institutions, as well as the fact the media is taking into account information theft that did not result in financial losses to the institutions. Such overestimation are leading many consumers away from doing business on the internet and providing erroneous information, while forcing t hem to implement monitoring services that cost them money.As was covered before, smart cards is viable solution to the new identifiable information problem, however its shortcoming is the same problem as it exists with current financial tools. The exchange of personal information between the consumer and merchant can still result in letting an impersonator utilize the information to initiate a payment therefore making the smart card inefficient at securing the customer. Conclusion Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in United States, and the real reason behind that is the fact technology innovated at a much greater speed than businesses and consumers have been able to adapt to it.Because of that the tools that we use to identify ourselves are no longer safe and need to be updated. On the consumer side a variety of tools are available to protect oneself from identity theft. However the cost of such tools can be a draw back in their implementation. On the business side s tools such as high level encryption, RFID chips and transition standards are in development stages and are planned to be implemented in the near future. Identity cards and centralized databases can be the key to solving security epidemic but are not versatile enough and carry overhead cost during the implementation process.There are many viable solutions to protect both the consumer and the business; the path really depends on cost and time available to either one. Awareness is the best approach to keeping you data safe and secure.

Middle east Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Middle east - Essay Example Middle East is a desert region and thus it receives less than 250 mm of rainfall annually. Israel is characterized by Mediterranean climate with hot summers and short winter. The region receives short rains during winter and day temperatures reaches to a maximum of 39 degrees Celsius. The high temperatures and low rainfall indicates that the region depend on underground water for its domestic and industrial water requirements. The state of Israel is approximately 20,700 kilometer square and its inland water constitutes about 445 km2. Inland water include river Jordan, which has its source in mount Harmon. River Jordan is the main source of fresh water in the region. Other water sources such as Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea and Hula marshes have salty water. The region also has major well where villagers in both the Israel and Palestinian sides obtain water for domestic and agricultural use. Agriculture is significant in the region despite its short rains. Farming in this region is based on irrigation. Thus, water is a factor of national interest to both societies. Israel has attained food stability due to its control of water resources in the region (Eisenzweig, 2000). Water for irrigation constitutes about 70% of water requirements in the region. Israel is also an industrialized country and therefore the country requires water for its industry. The available water is below the water that is required to sustain the region’s water requirements. Due to water scarcity, Israel needed to secure its water resources from the Palestinian people. In addition, Israel needed to secure its water resources from population. Israel occupation of disputed areas such as West Bank and Gaza strip was a way of protecting the water resources. The occupied territories are the main source of conflicts between the Israelis and the Palestinians. However, the conflict has often been associated with other historical factors. Water from

How to implement Customer Relationship Management(CRM) to engage and Essay

How to implement Customer Relationship Management(CRM) to engage and improve customer loyalty in hotel industry in UK; Case study of Marriott, Hilton, Novotel as international chain hotels in UK - Essay Example Focusing on the customers in particular is perceived to be a sure way of keeping the firm afloat the market and provides the company a competitive edge in the market (Berry 2006). This theory is called Customer Relationship Management (CRM). This paper will discuss this relatively new model and examine its effects on the operations of a company. Specifically, the paper will investigate the integration of CRM in Marriott, Hilton and Novotel hotel chains. With the purpose of providing a clear discussion on the subject, the definition of Customer Relations Management has been provided. Afterwards, the integration of CRM has been taken into consideration including the overall implications of customer loyalty to the organisation. The observations and arguments have been backed up by past and existing literature on CRM. CRM is the short form for Customer Relationship Management. It is the efficient communication between customers and a company at every contact point. Whether this communication is done by phone, website or e-mail, the important thing is that the customer counts on getting an experience from doing business with the company (Berry 2006). CRM systems are what attempt to ensure a good experience. It is a vast system of information or a database of customers and their buying habits, e-mail address, residential address, personal information such as birthday and so on. This information is then retrievable by any department whose need it to better the company. For example, the sales force can use this information to gain customer’s trust and loyalty. The system provides sales reps with the software tools and company data sources they need to support and manage their sales activities and optimize cross-selling and up-selling. It also gives them access to their customer’s profil e, describing the customer’s history with the company before they place the call. Let’s

Democracy and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Democracy and Development - Essay Example This paper approves that U.S emerged as the winner of the war that was killing so many people and causing global disruptions. While Germany and Russia were causing havoc to other nations, the U.S went against its isolation policy to involve in the war. The incident marked a fundamental political development of the U.S at a time when it needed it most. Second, the decision enhanced the U.S economic development both locally and overseas. It could influence world affairs and partner with many countries for economic development. At times, leaders need to exercise non-democratic decisions to achieve development either economically or politically. This report makes a conclusion that democracy is a significant political tool that determine nature of governance. Critically, justice advocates for the participation of subjects in matters of political rule and decisions. Most democratic nations indicate a high level of development, but still evidence shows that strict adherence to democratic principles is not suitable for development. Some of the challenges that democratic societies face are the dominance of majority because even minority deserve fair representation. Without democratic leadership, societies witness tyranny of the majority. Some of the non-democratic nations that exhibited good developments include Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Egypt, and Libya. Democracy is necessary for development but only through a critical framework that manages conflicting interest of society members. Otherwise, focused autocratic governments can promote developments better than traditional ones due to the speed of decision-making process.

Inflation and Government Economic Policies Essay

Inflation and Government Economic Policies - Essay Example Economists tend to view moderate inflation favorably as it enables an economy to withstand a recession and empowers monetary policies to stabilize the economy. Additionally, inflation serves as a benchmark for a growing economy. Inflation may be regulated through monetary and fiscal policies by the monetary authorities. The Consumer Price Index is a measure of variations in the cost of a basket of commodities bought by households in a given period. Inflation can be quantified as the annual positive change in the Index. As shown in Table 1, since 2000 the C.P.I. has maintained a steady rise, except for 2009 when it fell (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics., 2015). Such an increase in the Consumer Price Index has been due to increased buying by the consumer. The desire to have the latest electronic gadget has primarily contributed to the increased purchasing, resulting in a positive change in the C.P.I. Additionally, C.P.I has been affected by the amount of disposable income and the relative prices of competing commodities. On the other hand, Producer Price Index (P.P.I) is an average measure of the change in the retailing prices paid to internal producers for their output. While the P.P.I has always been in constant flux, the change in the prices has always been a positive change. The increases in producer prices are due to the increasing cost of raw materials and sources of energy. Due to the constantly fluctuating prices of oil, which is a major raw material or source of energy, the P.P.I has always reflected the flux experienced in the global oil prices. In 2009, PPI experienced a negative change due to falling prices of raw materials during the financial crisis as shown in Table 2 (U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics., 2015). Consumer Expenditure Survey (C.E) is a federal survey that tracks the purchasing behavior of American consumers through the Quarterly Interview Survey and the Diary Survey. Since

Identity Theft Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Identity Theft - Research Paper Example In this regard, the paper will also assess how these bodies handle such cases. Identity theft Introduction Identity theft is argued to be a form of stealing someone’s identity whereby the thief pretends to be the victim, characteristically in order to have access to resources in the victim’s name and identity (Vacca, 2003). This form of theft can cause and lead to adverse consequences to the victim in the event of being held accountable for crimes committed by the thief. According to Hammond, (2003), identity theft takes place when someone uses other person’s personal identification documents or information. Some of the common identification documents or information prone to such effects includes social security number or credit card number, which are used by identity thieves to commit fraud or other related crimes (Hammond, 2003). Different methods of how someone’s identity can be compromised and what identity thieves do with stolen identity Stealing is o ne and most common method used by identity thieves to obtain victims personal information. This mostly happens in the streets whereby thieves snatches or steals a purse or wallet (Social engineering framework, 2011). This can also come in the form of identity victims kidnapping victims and asking them to disclose their personal information. Using this method, identity thieves can go further to commit various crimes using the victim’s personal identification documents or information. Dumpster diving is a method used by identity thieves by a way of rummaging through the other person’s trash for them to look for some personal information that can aid them launch an attack (Social engineering framework, 2011). In some cases, people dump vital personal information documents without being aware of the danger they pose. However, some documents are dumped after being considered irrelevant or after being used. Identity thieves can use such information obtained from peopleâ€⠄¢s trash to commit a crime. Skimming is a situation where the thief uses a special device to store victim’s personal information. Skimming is a form of high-tech technique whereby thieves scan or swipe victim’s credit or bank card in order to get off the magnetic strip (Social engineering framework, 2011). This is common in areas where victims use their personal documents to purchase items or services. Phishing is another method used to by identity thieves to obtain personal information of their victims. They pretend to be a financial institution or other organizations that people presume to be genuine. They send a malicious email in the effort to encourage their victims to enter specific information (Vacca, 2003). Unknowingly, victims provide all their personal information, which is used by the impersonators. Changing of address is also used by identity thieves whereby they change victims address mostly in situations where victims have to fill out a â€Å"change of address† form. They can transfer victim’s bills after ordering high ticket items. Pretexting is also another method used by identity thieves by a way of using false pretense to obtain the victim’s personal information for them to use it to carryout various crimes (Vacca, 2003). Thombstone theft is another method used to steel personal information. It involves stealing dead person’

Topics Discussed in Class - My Participation in Class Assignment - 3

Topics Discussed in Class - My Participation in Class - Assignment Example In their view, physical forces, such as technological restraints may make it demanding or even not possible to develop a significant international market. For instance, a number of developing nations contain such primitive storage and transportation systems that make global distributions inadequate or at times, impossible. The presenters made this claims when they were explaining the scenario using food as an example. This is because food is frequently damaged by the time it reaches the destination of business in particular nations (Jensen & Hansen 2006, p. 443). In addition, according to them, this fact can be compounded with lack of adequate sewer systems and unclean water. I made a contribution to this topic by asserting that exporters in the United States should be informed that particular technological disparities have an impact on the nature of exportable products. For instance, internet and computer utilization in a number of developing nations may be nonexistent or extremely thin. ... In addition, the physical global marketing environment has an impact on the economic and political activities, models cultural components, for example, religion and language, and determines transportation, usage of land, and commercial flows. Domestic Consumer Predispositions: Ethnocentrism and Disidentification The presenters argued that clients’ local bias is a significant determinant of behaviour of domestic product purchase. In their view, consumer ethnocentrism explains customers’ leaning to prefer local commodities and stay away from foreign commodities. They also argued that marketing managers and researchers examine degrees of consumer ethnocentrism to determine the degree of local biases in the business environment. They also argued that consumer disidentification has a tremendous effect on purchasing choices beyond and above the effect of consumer ethnocentrism. In my argument, I highlighted that components, for example, ethnic identification and acculturation are significant indicators of both consumer disidentification and consumer ethnocentrism. In addition, I explained that businesses could evaluate the degree of consumer disidentification as part of their continuous tracking studies to determine the degree of consumer disidentification in their local market to attain specified insights into regional disparities in consumer disidentification levels. Such details could be employed to signify whether the national origin of the commodity should be marketed in the respective areas (Shankarmahesh 2006, p. 153). The external resource emphasizes that consumer disidentification may be traced by domestic organizations that attempt to understand consumer disidentification and want to safeguard their markets against escalating global competition. Also,

Population Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Population - Essay Example e recommended the change of the language since the consideration used in MDI was too broad for them to comprehend what the term â€Å"considered† actually  meant. According to Sharon Nelson, the only way to help patients and physicians is to eradicate or reverse the confusing language that make many users to thing that they are doing the right thing, yet they are not following the rules (Hall, 2003). C: Compared to MDI, patients and physicians find the use of nebulizers friendly as it can be easily manipulated. However, according to Letson, the MDI is affordable. The use nebulizers contain (R)- isomers has the only active drug making it more suitable for patients after it was discovered that most patients have developed resistance to albuterol. O: Some physician and inhaler providers say that MDI will only be effective if levalbuterol is added to it. The implementation of these developments will also increase the efficiency  thereby  reducing side effects of MDI that include the effects to the lung (â€Å"Aerosol technology†¦Ã¢â‚¬  2004). Aerosol technology from TTP set for wider use in inhaled liquid and dense suspension medication delivery. (2004, Nov 22).Business Wire. Retrieved from

Dissent from Puritanism Essay Example for Free

Dissent from Puritanism Essay During the early part of English colonization of the Americas the main group of people that were sent to the Americas was religious and political outcasts. This included Puritans, Quakers many other religions, debtors and political dissidents. The Puritans and Quakers came to the Americas in search of political freedom. The Puritans settled in the northeast region of the United States mainly in modern day Massachusetts. During their long nearly 4 month Journey across the Atlantic Ocean the boat goers grew close to each other because of the treacherous voyage. This caused theses people to group together and form towns with government based on their religion, Puritanism. Puritanism was one of the driving forces behind the formation of early successful northeastern towns and colonies in America. Many people who immigrated to the northeastern English colonies of the Americas had a strong dislike for Puritanism. Many believed the religion was too archaic in its beliefs and ways of life. Because of the animosity of non-puritans towards puritans and vice versa this caused the two peoples to form separate ettlements and very distinct cultures. Due to the differences in the cultures and the increase of immigration to New England the new settlers had to find new geographically suitable locations to start new settlements, therefore fully populating the entire New England colony. This gave New England a wide variety of culture, goods, natural resources and the capability to export large amounts of goods to the mother country for a profit. The non-puritans had settlements more based on economic ethics and systems that would financially help the settlement. Puritans had ettlements with more theocratic governments and more devotion to their religion. Although the governments of the two cultures were somewhat different they were also similar in many ways as well. Both governments were democratic. The puritans had a direct form of democracy where only white male land owners could vote. The problem with this is that once the colony started to fill it became harder and harder for young white men to find a piece of land suitable to settle on and start their families. With no land they had no say in their government as well. This drove many young Puritan Men to leave their theocratic settlements to seek other settlements where land owning was not necessary to have a say in government. This allowed puritans and non-puritans to culturally diffuse and further enrich the culture of New England. The non-puritan settlements had a representative or indirect form of democracy. These settlements followed a more English form of government. They also were mostly follows of the Anglican Church (the most common religion in England at the time). Because of the religious diversity in early New England and the abundance of natural resources (mostly large amounts of lumber) the colony was able to thrive. The religious acrimony between the puritans and non-puritans actually helped the English colony of New England reach its full economic potential by spreading out the population of the settlers. Many factors contributed to the formation of New England, but The objection of Puritanism and Puritanism itself was the paramount reason that New England did as well as it did and as early as it did. Dissent from Puritanism By halpin19

Underage Drinking Essay Example for Free

Underage Drinking Essay There are several problems caused by underage drinking; furthermore, this is a serious disease. Most teenagers have a greater record of underage drinking compared to young people 20 years ago. There are more accidents and deaths now as a result of underage alcohol consumption. Subsequently, we are for the banning of underage drinking. First of all, alcohol causes many problems for society nowadays. Alcohol has been used throughout history for various reasons. According to the medical Encyclopedia, alcoholism is an illness marked by drinking alcoholic beverages to excess. As long as alcohol consumption is not at a level that interferes with physical health, it is not a problem. There are two types of alcoholism: dependence and abuse; however, both of them could cause many problems in society. Alcoholism has a large effect in youth; there are more than 10. 4 million young people between ages 12 and 20 who suffer from it. Second, the difference between social drinking and alcohol has changed a lot over time. Now alcohol abuse has become teenagers’ focus. In addition, they don’t have control over how much they drink. They might want to attend social events that only involve alcohol, or they can’t enjoy themselves. Going to a bar or making a drink after coming home from work becomes more important than connecting with friends or family. These days, alcohol might be the way to avoid painful feelings or troubled relationships. As a result, teenagers might resort to dangerous behavior, like driving while drunk, or they may even exhibit violent behavior. Third, there are more accidents and deaths as a result of underage alcohol consumption. When people ask teenagers how easy it is to get alcohol, they mostly say it is very easy. As alcohol is easier to obtain, it produces more problems. Around 4,300 deaths are caused by teenagers who drink alcohol because they are more likely to have car accidents or fights. For example, according to the daily mail online, †Joseph Salah, 19, lost control of his car while he was driving drunk, crashing and killing David Powel, 20 years old, instantly and injuring two other passengers. Imagine a teen driving drunk without thinking about consequences, or messing around with someone who cannot control his or her behavior; it often results in a catastrophe. Finally, we disagree with underage alcohol consumption. Nevertheless, this issue causes a lot of arguments around the world. Society is affected by alcohol, but governments still allow it to be sold while banning other drugs. Alcohol companies produce millions of dollars annually in revenues and taxes; that’s why governments won’t do more to prevent underage alcohol consumption.

Analysis of Social and Political Contexts in Plays

Analysis of Social and Political Contexts in Plays With reference to at least two plays of your choice by different authors from different periods of theatre history analyze in what ways they reflect the social and political context in which they were written. â€Å"In the theatre, every form once born is mortal; every form must be reconceived, and its new conception will bear the marks of all the influences that surround it.†(Peter Brook) William Shakespeare takes the story of Julius Caesar and expresses his ideas about Queen Elizabeth, and the political atmosphere of Elizabethan England, using Julius Caesar himself as a metaphor for the growing Elizabethan empire, and the fears concerning the death of an heir-less Queen. Arthur Miller infuses the story of the Salem Witch Trials with sub textual references to the McCarthyism and Red Scare, which were going on in America in the 1950’s. In 2013, Anne Washburn sets her story, Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, against a nuclear post-apocalyptic backdrop, using a popular television show, The Simpsons, as a catalyst, which in itself is a reflection on her ideas of modern American society, and society in general, as throughout the play, one bears witness to an old civilization unrav eling, and a resorting to story-telling in it’s most basic beginnings. This essay is a discussion on in what ways Julius Caesar, The Crucible, and Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play reflects the social and political context in which they were written. Julius Caesar was first performed in 1599, the first show to be performed at the Globe Theater in London. Though the text was not released until 1623, it is Shakespeare’s shortest play. Shakespeare is thought to have been heavily influenced in reference to the historical context by Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans, which was written by Plutarch in the first century. In the play, Julius Caesar has just overthrown Pompey, who was threatening the republic. In the opening scenes, the people of Rome are seen celebrating Caesar, and try to crown him multiple times. This troubles many people in the shadows, who begin to whisper about the integrity of Caesar, and whether he will take the throne for his own, or honor the democratic republic, which Rome was in 440 B.C. These whisperings concern his peers, such as Cassius, who convinces Brutus that Caesar must be taken down before he becomes more powerful than the Republic. Ultimately, Caesar is assassinated, which results in mass chaos, as the entire country breaks out in civil war. In the end, almost everyone dies. Queen Elizabeth became Queen in 1558, forty years before Julius Caesar was first performed. â€Å"The Virgin Queen†, as she was commonly known, was the daughter of Henry VIII, and the last in the line of the Tudor monarchy. Queen Elizabeth ruled very strictly, and was extremely paranoid, therefore many people were imprisoned and questioned all the time for treasonous activity. â€Å"This was a meticulously recorded Police State, comparable with Hitlers Germany, Pinochets Chile, the former Soviet Bloc or Saddam Hussains Iraq. Almost all the major players in Shakespeares life including the poet himself would find themselves on the wrong side of the law at some point during their life†¦ And so England was a land of clear divisions: between the old faith and the new, between the cities and the rural communities, between the known and that which was unknown and therefore frightening.†(pbs.org) It was urgently necessary that if Shakespeare had a political view to share , he must share it very subtly. â€Å"Early modern writers frequently compared the English Parliament to the Roman republic’s Senate and popular tribunate. The English were also mindful of Rome’s role in their early history: Julius Caesar successfully invaded Britain in 54 BCE and the Roman Empire, which succeeded the republic, controlled Britain from 77 to 407 CE. At the broader level of political culture, English people strongly identified themselves as â€Å"free† in ways that (they believed) citizens of the Roman republic had been and others in Europe were not.†(newberry.org) In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare remarks on the political unrest of Elizabethan England in his portrayal of the rebellion and assassination of Julius Caesar. Throughout her reign, Elizabeth I thwarted many assassination attempts, as well as attempts at overthrowing her strongly Protestant rule by the Catholics. Shakespeare also comments on the impending future of England, as Elizabeth was very much like Caesar in a ge, and had no heirs to carry on her rule. He uses the Roman civil wars as a vehicle to perhaps predict a post-Elizabethan England, one that did not bode well for the English mass, as the eco-system that was Elizabethan English politics disintegrated into mass chaos. Hundreds of years later, Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible, in 1953. The Crucible is about The Salem Witch Trials, which happened in 1692 in Puritan Salem, Massachusetts. In the actual trials, young girls began accusing people of witchcraft, which led to mass hysteria, the persecution of over 200 people, and the execution of 20 people. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller adds dimension to a historic event, by adding his own ideas as to why and how the whole thing came about. He created answers as to why the girls began the dangerous faà §ade. He also combined historical figures as characters to create a clear and concise storyline. He took many artistic liberties. â€Å"For example, many of the accusations of witchcraft in the play are driven by the affair between farmer, husband, and father John Proctor, and the Ministers teenage niece Abigail Williams: however, in real life Williams was probably about eleven at the time of the accusations and Proctor was over sixty, which makes it most unlikely that there was ever any such relationship. Miller himself said, The play is not reportage of any kind . [n]obody can start to write a tragedy and hope to make it reportage . what I was doing was writing a fictional story about an important theme.â€Å"(ukmc.edu) In the 1950’s, the United States of America was going through a similar mass hysteria as during the Salem Witch Trials. After World War II, there was a huge anti-communist movement, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, who famously brought in many people in the artistic and intellectual community and interrogated them about being communists. Americans were afraid of communism, or radical leftism, because of the belief that communism was in direct opposition to American values. This was the second time in the 20th century, that America had a Red Scare, the first being in the 1920’s. However, in the 1920’s the suspicions revolved a social movement, and in the 1950’s the fears stemmed from fears because of the conflict in Korea and China, and espionage based upon confessions by government officials of spying for the Soviet Union, the most famous being the trials of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed for passing on secret information to the Soviet Union about the atomic bomb. Senator McCarthy headed the Congresss House Un-American Activities Committee, which â€Å"launched an investigation into purported Communist influence in the movie business. HUAC subpoenaed writers, directors, actors and studio executives and inquired whether they were now or had ever been a member of the Communist Party.†(collin.edu) Although there is much speculation as to the exact mirroring of The Salem Witch Trials in The Crucible to the McCarthyism Red Scare hysteria of the 1950’s, â€Å"Miller writes, â€Å"These plays, in one sense, are my response to what was ‘in the air,’ they are one man’s way of saying to his fellow men, ‘This is what you see every day, or think or feel; now I will show you what you really know but have not had the time, or the disinterestedness, or the insight, or the information to understand consciously.†Ã¢â‚¬ (Steppenwolf.org) Arthur Miller himself had been brought in for questioning about being a communist, and among many others in the Hollywood and theatre scene. He was actually blacklisted at one point. The mass hysteria spread throughout the country, just like in Salem in The Crucible, and people became suspicious of everyone. â€Å"One group collected and published the names of people in the world of the arts and entertainment thought to be un-American in their politics. The most famous were able to successfully fight off such attacks butRed Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television, ruined or harmed many peoples careers.†(Collins.edu) Anne Washburn wrote Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, which was performed at The Playwrights Horizon studio in New York City in Fall 2013. In the play, which is three acts, the show opens with a group of people sitting around a fire, in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust, trying to recall an episode from the popular TV series, â€Å"The Simpsons†. Throughout the whole first act, the audience watches what was an actually word for word transcription of the cast during one of the first workshops try and remember word for word the episode, â€Å"Cape Feare†. In the second act, time has moved forward ten years and the audience learns that this new world has evolved into a place where people barter with memories of Simpsons episodes, with different troupes going around performing them, along with commercial breaks. It is as if any fragment of the ‘old’ world is cherished, if not quite misunderstood by this new civilization. People are willing to trade food and shelter for missing pieces of the stories, and there is somewhat of a rivalry between the different troupes, a competition for how many stories each has collected. The second act ends in bloodshed, as people become violent in trying to attain as many recalling of Simpsons episodes. In the third act, it is hundreds of years later, and the audience watches a bizarre performance of what was being rehearsed in the second act, except it is now revered, almost religious in the manner it is being performed. The whole act is culmination of years of retelling and evolution into a masked performance that at the same time is almost an exact retelling and something completely different. Anne Washburn’s use of the post-apocalyptic theme is smart, as the idea of post-apocalyptic society has taken America’s imagination by storm. â€Å"We use fictional narratives not only to emotionally cope with the possibility of impending doom, but even more importantly perhaps to work through the ethical and philosophical frameworks that were in many ways left shattered in the wake of WWII.†(livescience.com) In a post 9/11 society, after two wars and a financial recession, America needs the catharsis that comes with an imagined world after the end of the world. â€Å"The image of New Yorkers fleeing the crashing towers and the toxic clouds of the death was broadcast over and over until the image was emblazoned in indelibly in nation’s collective psychic. America’s exalted sense of invincibility came crashing down with the WTC, our feeling of security forever buried underneath metric tons rubble.†(ipharoah.thoughts) With Mr. Burns, Anne Washb urn has also commented on the influence of pop culture in America, and the trend towards escapism in American society. Television especially is embedded into the American culture, and many Americans use television as a way to block out the impending bills, and declining health, and general disarray of their lives. â€Å"That single â€Å"Simpsons† episode becomes a treasure-laden bridge, both to the past and into the future. And in tracing a story’s hold on the imaginations of different generations, the play is likely to make you think back — way back — to narratives that survive today from millenniums ago. Every age, it seems, has its Homers.†(nytimes.com) Throughout history, playwrights have continued to give us a snapshot of the world from which they are writing. Whether it is about a specific person, a movement, or the society as whole, Julius Caesar, The Crucible, and Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play are three examples. All three plays reflect the social and political context in which they were written with the use of metaphor and symbolism, and sometimes just a straight up comparison. The interesting thing about these three plays, is that not only are they allegories for the time in which they were written, but they can also be related to on contemporary terms. In turn, the three plays not only comment on a social and political context, but on the human condition, which never changes. Bibliography Arnold, Oliver O. â€Å"Chronology† and â€Å"Republicanism, Popular Politics, and the Rhetoric of Liberty in 1599.† InJulius Caesar,by William Shakespeare. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2010. Blumberg, J. (2007).A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. Available: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/. Last accessed 14 Jan 2014. Brantley, B. (2013).Stand Up, Survivors; Homer Is With You.Available:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/theater/reviews/mr-burns-a-post-electric-play-at-playwrights-horizons.html?_r=0. Last accessed 19 Jan 2014. Brook, P (1968).The Empty Space. New York, NY: Touchstone. Ipharoah. (2012).Apocalypse: As American as Apple Pie.Available: http://ipharaoh.thoughts.com/posts/apocalypse-as-american-as-apple-pie. Last accessed 14 Jan 2014. Layson, H and Zurcher, A. (2012).Shakespeares Romans: Politics and Ethics in Julius Caesar and Coriolanus.Available: http://dcc.newberry.org/collections/shakespeare-rome. Last accessed 14 Jan 2014. Linder, D. (2013).The Witchcraft Trials in Salem: A Commentary.Available:http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_ACCT.HTM. Last accessed 15 Jan 2014. Love, M. (2003).Shakespeares England.Available: http://www.pbs.org/shakespeare/locations/location153.html. Last accessed 10 Jan 2014. Miller, A (1953).The Crucible. USA: Penguin Books. Pappas, S. (2013).Why Were Obsessed with the Zombie Apocalypse.Available: http://www.livescience.com/27287-zombie-apocalypse-world-war-ii.html. Last accessed 18 Jan 2014. Shakespeare, W (1603).Julius Caesar. London: N/A. Washburn, A (2010).Mr Burns: A Post-Electric Play. New York: Smith Kraus. Wilkison, K. (2013).The Second Red Scare: Fear and Loathing in High Places, 1947-1954.Available: http://iws.collin.edu/kwilkison/Resources for Students/redscare.html. Last accessed 19 Jan 2014.

Gals vs. Women :: Creative Writing Journalism Essays

Gals vs. Women This article is about gals. It's not an article about women. There are way too many books about women, and most of them are way too serious. Women itself is a serious word, not to mention womanhood and womanly. While being female is a serious activity, there is a lighter side which is rarely examined or written about. But women tend to attach too much significance to womanhood. This results in certain characteristically feminine, by which I mean over exaggerated self-important, behavioral patterns that can produce unfortunate results. These things include, but are not limited to, women being viewed as ruthless bitches who will step on anyone to get the best of a man. These things have given females a bad name. And the "Woman's Movement," which is supposed to give women more rights, seems to be densely populated with masculine looking para-military types. (These "females" require an entirely different category, but I will leave that discussion for a later time. For now I will write about those females which I believe fit into "normal parameters.") So I'm saying that there's another way to look at females: not as aggressive career hungry ego-maniacs; not as sensitive, Suzy Homemaker; but as gals. And what, exactly, do I mean by "gals"? I don't know. I haven't thought that much about it. Females whether women or gals do spend a lot of time pondering about our deepest feelings, but women think a lot about what it means to be a woman, and gals just are. But although I can't define exactly what it means to be a gal, I can describe certain gal characteristics, such as: Gals Do Not Have A Rigid And Well-Defined Code Of What It Takes To Be A Woman This is not the same as saying that gals do not consider themselves women, or do not think about being a woman, but gals do not get hung up thinking about it. Gals have never really grasped the Basic Code Of What It Takes To Be A Woman, such as matching their handbag, shoes, and belt, or only wearing white shoes between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Or is it Labor Day and Memorial Day? (A Woman, would know and have these dates marked and memorized.) Take my two dogs as examples, Blue, a neurotic dog who can only be categorized as a guy, and Katie, a gal dog.

Essay About Family: Waiting for Papaw :: Personal Narrative Family Grandfathers Essays

Waiting for Papaw I am under the belief that the concept of time as we know it, does not exist in hospitals. Upon entering, one loses all sense of what time it is, what day of the week it is, and how long they’ve been there. Hospitals are places of healing, of caring, of great medical advancements and live saving procedures. They are a place of second chances, of last chances, and sometimes very little chance at all. They are also a place for dying. I learned all of this and then some during the eighteen days in December that I spent at my grandfather’s bedside in Holy Spirit Hospital. My grandfather went into the hospital with the symptoms of a stroke on Saturday, December 13, 2003. He spent the first 4 days of his stay in a coma, induced by the doctors’ misdiagnosis of his condition. My grandfather had not had a stroke, in fact he had a condition in which his liver was overloaded with toxins and was shutting down. It was a problem he’d been suffering from for quite some time; however, none of his doctors had diagnosed his symptoms correctly. The sedative they gave him upon arrival in the emergency room only worsened his condition. Upon waking up, he had to be restrained to prevent him from removing his IVs and attempting to get out of bed. He improved steadily over the next few days, and we were expecting to have him home soon. Unfortunately, he was left unrestrained one evening and was able to remove his IV, catheter, and then climb out of bed. The nurses found him on the floor of his bathroom. How long he was there, we’ll never know, becaus e the time the nurses told us he was found, we know is not correct. He was given another dose of a sedative which caused him to be extremely disoriented the following morning, yet his old self was still shining through. â€Å"Papaw,† I asked upon arriving in his room that morning, â€Å"Why are you so tired today?† â€Å"Because I made 300 faustnauhts last night.† He replied without hesitation. Now, I can imagine that anyone would be tired from that, but where my grandfather came up with the word â€Å"faustnauht† instead of â€Å"donut†, I’ll never know. On Christmas Eve, after spending eleven days in the same hospital bed, he lost circulation in his left leg and had to undergo surgery.

Percussion :: essays research papers

Drums are among the oldest musical instruments. The best known of percussion instruments, they are found throughout the world and in a great variety of shapes and sizes. A drum normally consists of a skin or other membrane, called a head, which is stretched over an enclosed space or over one or both ends of a hollow vessel. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums are usually played by the hands or by one or two sticks. In some non-Western cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. They are sometimes used in sending signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Many drums used in Western societies are of African, Arabic, or Turkish origin. The kettledrum was introduced into Europe during the Crusades. The European tabor, derived from an African instrument and sometimes called a tambour, was a small drum played with the right hand, while the left hand fingered a 3-hole flute. Across its center, the tabor often held a snare, which produced a strong vibration and sustained the sound between beats. The modern symphony orchestra employs a variety of drums. Kettledrums are the most common; the bass drum, tenor drum, and snare drum, or side drum, are also sometimes used, along with tambourines and bongo drums on occasion. Among these, only the kettledrums produce sounds of definite pitch, which is adjustable. The tenor drum is a large deep drum with two heads that is played with wooden sticks. The larger bass drum, also with two heads, stands upright on its side and is struck with felt-padded sticks. Bongo drums are small single-headed drums struck with the hands and usually played in sets of two or three.

Competition in Energy Drinks Essay

1. What are the strategically relevant components of the global and U. S. beverage industry macro-environment? How do the economic characteristics of the alternative beverage segment of the industry differ from that of other beverage categories? Explain. Demographics: The total sale for beverages in 2009 in the US was about 458. 3 billion gallons and it is one of the largest markets with dollar value of 1,581. 7 billion in 2009 and with a forecast of $1,775. 3 billion for 2014. 48. 2 percent of industry sales were from carbonated soft drinks and 29. 2 percent of bottle water industry sales. In 2009, The Alternative beverage industry included sports drinks, flavored or enhanced water and energy drinks made up 4%, 1. 6%, and 1. 2% of industry sales respectively. The global market for alternative beverages in 2009 was $40. 2 billion, while it was $17 billion for alternative beverages in US market. It was $ 12. 7 billion and $9. 1 billion for Asia pacific and European markets respectively. Market growth: The market growth has huge potential with the dollar value of the global market for alternative beverages grew at a 9. 8% annually between 2005 and 2009, but was expected to slow down to 5. 7% annually between 2010 and 2014. US is the country which has strongest growth internationally in term of alternative beverage sales with an annual growth rate of 16. 6% between 2005 and 2009 and a forecasted growth rate of 6. 7% between 2010 and 2014. Europe and Asia-Pacific grew at annual rates of 5. 3% and 5. 6% between 2005 and 2009 and were expected to grow at a rate of 4. 4% and 5. 1% respectively between 2010 and 2014. However poor economic conditions in the US in 2008 and 2009 led to a 12. 3% decline in sports drink sales and a 12. 5% decline in flavored and vitamin waters sales. It was also the reason why energy drinks sales increased only 0. 2% between those years. Rivalry between competitors: Coca Cola, Pepsico and Redbull are the three big players that made the industry rivalry become global. However, there were hundreds of brands like Otsuko which were specialty yet regional brands that did not have a foot print internationally but were doing well in their own terms. Beverage producers had made various attempts at increasing the size of the market for alternative beverages by extending existing product lines and developing altogether new products. Social Forces: * Global beverage companies such as Coca Cola and PepsiCo had relied on such beverages to sustain in volume growth in mature markets where consumers were reducing their consumption of carbonated soft drinks. * Expanding the market for alternatives beverages and increasing sales and market share, beverage producers also were forced to content with criticism from some that energy drinks, energy shots, and relaxation drinks presented health risks for consumers and that some producers’ strategies promoted reckless behavior, the primary concern of most producers of energy drinks, sports drinks, and vitamin-enhanced beverages was how to best improve their competitive standing in the market place. Driving Forces for this industry: * Expanding Market share. * Desire to reach out to Consumer needs and meet the demand * Personalization of the Market Segments * Branding * Market Size * Maximization of Growth Potential General Economic Conditions: * Global growth is projected to grow at 3. 5 percent in 2012, then accelerate somewhat to 3. 6 percent from 2013-2014. In 2012 It is expected that emerging economies will be slow in growth by 0. 7 percentage points on average, going from 6. 3 percent growth in 2011 to 5. 6 percent in 2012, partly as a result of slower export growth and partly because several of them have been growing above trend and the GDP Growth for the world is predicted to be at 3. 6. Things look a little slow but are picking up slowly and there is no recession in sight so far. This could really help the industries like Food, Beverages, Health surge ahead like they already are into the market with more percentage of market share and consumer usage based on the increasing numbers in the trend. Impact of Economic Factors: * Demand on beverages and alternative beverages should remain incremental or stable * Branded alternative beverages with national and international presence should do well * Business opportunities should be encouraged with fair and encouraging interest rates 2. What is competition like in the alternative beverage industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest? Which is weakest? What competitive forces seem to have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness and the potential profitability of new entrants? The Beverage industry is highly competitive and the segments that come into picture when it comes to competition are Distribution, Shelf management, Licenses, Brand name and Image, Pricing, Labeling and Packaging, Marketing and Advertising, Quality and taste, Trade and Consumer promotions and Branding. * Competition with non-alcoholic beverages * Competition with Carbonated beverages * Competition with regional beverage producers and private label soft drink suppliers * Competition in maintenance of distribution network * Competition on quality and pricing * Competition on Branding, Labeling, Marketing, Packaging and Promotions. Bargaining power of Buyers: Strong * Convenience store, grocery store, and wholesale buyers had considerable leverage in negotiating pricing and slotting fees with alternative beverage producers because of their bulk purchases. * New entrants with comparatively lower market shares are most affected with this like how it is mentioned in the case where the shelf space is limited to top brands like Coke, PepsiCo and Red bull for that particular market segment. The larger brands like coke and Pepsi also already have spaces worked out with them for their other products and this makes it easier for the bigger brands to get their newer products in the shelf’s too. * Delis and restaurants have low switching costs to other brands but they have less volumes compared to stores and less space, shelfs etc.and also will not have the same bargaining power that a store enjoys. * Demand is highly dynamic Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Weak * Suppliers for alternative beverages do exist in huge numbers and the competition is high * The producers of alternative beverages are important customers of suppliers and buy in large quantities. * Packaging is readily available Threat of Substitutes: Medium * Many substitutes like tea, bottled water, juices, nutrition water etc. have surfaced but the market is not as big as alternative beverages and this customer preference had weakened the competitive power of substitute beverages. * Many substitutes that can quench the thirst of the consumers * Price point of substitutes is less compared to alternative beverages Threat of New entrants: Weak * Brand leaders already exist in the industry with competitive prices and well established distribution system * Convenience stores and Shelves across the stores are already in partnership with existing big-wigs * Customer loyalty towards branded products is high * Need for large financial resources and funds * High Brand equity for already existing and successful brands Threat of Rivalry: Strong. * Competition centers among major brands based on brand image, appealing taste, packaging, R&D, Marketing and Distribution capabilities * Attempts by all the brands to increase the number and types of products in their product line * Low switching costs for the consumers of the industry * Strong marketing campaigns by each brand to gain customer loyalty The Bargaining power of consumers and rivalry that exists between the competitions in this industry contributes to the attractiveness of the industry. The numbers are promising, the industry is dynamic and increase in demand each year. The factors that affect the potential profitability of the new entrants are the Brand image, Distribution network and Product line breadth. 3) How is the market for energy drinks, sports drinks and vitamin-enhanced beverages changing? What are the underlying drivers of change and how might those forces individually or collectively make the industry more or less attractive? * Driving forces of the alternative beverage industry are dependent on the creating/sustaining market demand, dynamics of the growth rate and product innovation. * Industry leaders established: Segments within the alternative beverage industry have consolidated as markets have matured and leaders have been established. Red Bull GmbH and Hansen Natural Corporation remained independent in 2010, Coca-Cola controlled such brands as Powerade sports drink, Fuze vitamin-enhanced beverages, glaceau vitamin water and NOS. In addition, Coca-Cola distributed Hansen’s Monster energy drink in parts of the United States, Canada, and six European countries. * Changes in Long term Growth Rate: The recession had an impact on sales of sports drinks and flavored or enhanced water and has stalled growth in the market for energy drinks; there was also growing market maturity for most categories of alternative beverages. The annual rate of growth for the dollar value of the global market for alternative beverages was forecasted to decline from the 9. 8 percent annual rate occurring between 2005 and 2009 to an anticipated annual rate of 5. 7 percent for 2010 through 2014. While dollar value growth rates were expected to decline only slightly in Europe and Asia-Pacific, the annual rate of growth in the U. S. was projected to decline from 16. 6 percent during 2005 – 2009 to 6. 7 percent between 2010 and 2014 * Product Innovation: The industry is continuing to evolve with introduction of new products that enable rise of new category of products. The recent introduction of energy shots is an example of how an innovation that has given rise to an altogether new sub-segment in the industry. * The creation of new product segments, the increasing positive trends in growth rate and increasing market share for each product are a good indication and good drivers of change that increase the attractiveness of the market for an emergent industry. 4) What does your strategic group map of the energy drink, sports drink, and vitamin-enhanced beverage industry look like? Which strategic groups do you think are in the best positions? The worst positions? The strategic group maps show the industry participants competing with axes of Geographic foot print and Brand. The Map shows that Industry giants like Coke and Pepsico are positioned strongest in the industry due to already existing contracts, supply chain, distribution network and shelf spaces in retail spaces. * Red Bull is seeing a successful brand in Europe and the U. S. * Hansen’s Monster is also doing good standing up to the other market giants with distribution partnership with coke giving it the required space and opportunity to grab the market and hence can be considered at a favorable position. * Rock star has also been at a favorable position due to the same reason of distribution network partnership with PepsiCo * Companies with a single brand and regional distribution like Otsuko, Vitamin water etc. appeared to be at an unfavorable place with chances of competition gulping the market share of the small players very soon. 5) What key factors determine the success of alternative beverage producers? The Key success factors for Alternative Beverage producers are * Constant Product Innovation: A company must be able to identify what a consumer is looking for and also maintain the ability to adapt with the changing market trends. They must be able to keep up and not lag behind. * Price: Price is always a factors in many cases and in this case consumers with a low brand preference will buy a product based on its competitive pricing * Brand Loyalty: Consumers are particular about what brand they purchase and they stick to it in most of the cases. This stresses for a superior brand image and quality * Distribution system: Probably one of the most important, Effective distribution channels will not only help reduce costs but also helps a company remain competitive. * Size and Scale: Successful alternative beverage producers were required to have sufficient sales volumes to keep marketing expenses at an acceptable cost per unit basis. 6) What recommendations would you make to Coca-Cola to improve its competitiveness in the global alternative beverage industry? To PepsiCo? To Red Bull GmbH? Recommendations to Pepsi. * Pepsico have to launch a major image building campaign for the most promising products it has. * Pepsico also needs to develop its own energy shot brand try to convince Rockstar to add an energy shot to its distribution agreement. * In addition, Pepsi should negotiate for distribution rights to European and Asia-Pacific market with Rockstar or launch its energy drink brands in attractive international markets. * PepsiCo can expand its foot print and focus on other international markets in energy drinks for more international presence and to utilize the demand of a branded and standard product. * Red Bull is currently the number in the energy drinks category and they should really take advantage of that and come up with more product line extensions and more products so people can identify with that brand and try other products too. They should focus more on product innovation and product line extensions. Recommendations to Coca Cola * Coca cola should improve its product by innovating and building up good image to recapture the market share it lost in energy drinks category. * Coca cola should also try to create more rapid growth in vitamin-enhanced beverages and energy shots product. * Coke should focus on products and Branding efforts to gain market and regain lost market share in energy drinks * It should build up its strength in term of alternative beverage sales in by pursuing acquisitions and focus on building its strength of sales in Asia and react quickly to solve the problem of lacking competitiveness in the European market for alternative beverages. * Coca cola can use a combination of new flavors and formulations, brands, line extensions, improved image building, and distribution capabilities to increase sales of alternative beverages internationally. Recommendations to Red Bull GmbH * Redbull should improve the performance of its recently introduced energy shots and continue to expand into rapidly growing country markets for energy drinks. * It is necessary for the company to maintain its lead in the U. S. and European energy drink market with additional product line extensions based upon product innovation. * It should develop sports drinks or vitamin-enhanced beverages that can further exploit the appeal of the Red Bull brand 7. Using the data in Ex. 11, 12, 13 compare Pepsi, Coke, and Hansen. Who has been the most profitable? Who has better managed their expenses? Which business has shown the most growth? Which of the three would you give the strongest grade for their performance? * Using the data from Exhibit 11,12 and 13 for Coke, Pepsi and Hansen, Hansen seems to be the most profitable so far as it became the largest seller of energy drink in the US by leading most of alternative beverage categories. PepsiCo’s global market share in 2009 was 26. 5 percent, overcome by 11. 5 percent to Coca-Cola. The Coca Cola has better managed their expenses it was the third-largest seller of alternative beverage and in the top five best-selling non-alcoholic beverages worldwide in 2009. But they have lot of catching up to do. I would give the strongest grade for performance to Hansen for its market share, range of products, product innovation and distribution strategies. Hansen also managed to have higher revenue growth and higher cash flow growth. Net Revenue| 2007| 2008| 2009| CAGR| Pepsi| 39374| 43251| 43232| 3. 17%| Coca Cola| 28857| 31944| 30990| 3. 40%| Hansen| 904465| 1033780| 1143299| 4. 50%| | | | | | | | | | | Net Income| 2007| 2008| 2009| CAGR| Pepsi| 5674| 5166| 5979| 1. 76%| Coca Cola| 5981| 5807| 6824| 4. 49%| Hansen| 149,406| 108032| 208716| 11. 70%| | | | | | | | | | | Operating profit| 2007| 2008| 2009| CAGR| Pepsi| 7182| 6959| 8044| 3. 85%| Coca Cola| 18451| 20570| 19902| 2. 55%| Hansen| 230986| 163591| 337309| 13. 40%| The company growth rate analysis of the three companies in terms of revenue, income and profit show that Hansen has higher percentage of growth rate well above the industry average. Hansen has greater revenues in the industry segment and higher customer demand and financial success.