Bicameral Legislature free essay sample

Our Founding Father’s created a bicameral legislature for three reasons: First, it was what they knew, their ideologies came from Britain. The British Parliament has two houses; the House of Commons and the House of Lords (Shmoop Editorial Team). Second, was the emphasis on checks and balances. An unicameral legislature might consolidate too much power, and they also knew from Britain, that could cause corruption. Dividing the chambers provides a check against tyranny (Shmoop Editorial Team). The third was â€Å"a matter of practical politics† (Shmoop Editorial Team). Small states wanted all the states to have equal representation in Congress, but the larger (and more populous) states wanted congressional representation to be based on population. A bicameral legislature provided small states with equal representation thru the Senate and House of Representatives gave more populous states proportional representation. As a matter of fact, this solution provided each state with equal representation and is called â€Å"the Great Compromise†. We will write a custom essay sample on Bicameral Legislature or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page On July 16th, 1787, the convention adopted the Great Compromise by a heart-stopping margin of one vote† (History n. d. ). It was said that Thomas Jefferson had criticized the concept of a two chamber legislature and questioned the need for it. â€Å"Why†, asked George Washington â€Å"did you pour that coffee into your saucer? † (That was the custom at the time. ) â€Å"To cool it,† replied Jefferson. â€Å"Even so,† said Washington, â€Å"we pour legislation into the senatorial saucer to cool it. † (Nickels n. d. ) The House of Representatives can be sensitive to popular sentiment and aware of current popular passions, because they know their constituents well. They know their constituents well because they run for re-election every two years. Whereas, the Senate only face their electorate every six years and generally do not know their constituents intimately. This shields Senators of the pressure of quick popular sentiments (Dye 2009). Our Founding Fathers expected Senators to be older, wiser and more deliberative then the House of Representatives, and able to take a longer term view of what makes good public policy (Nickels n. d. ). Is this why the Senate has more power than the House of Representatives? I would contend that the two chambers are equal. Not that they have the same powers, but equal in that neither the Senate nor the House can make a law without the other. Under the U. S. Constitution, the two chambers are equal, however; the Constitution gives certain exclusive powers to each chamber. For an example the Senate has powers to confirm Presidential nominees that they do not share with the House, and the House has powers to originate all tax/spending bills that are not shared with the Senate (Nickels n. d. ). Dye and Zeigler’s Elite Theory claims that representative democracy is not really based on the will of the people, but a small elite class that governs the masses. â€Å"Only one branch of the new government, the House of Representatives, was to be elected by popular vote. The other three controlling bodies-the president, the Senate, and the Supreme Court–were removed from direct voter participation† (2009). According to Dye and Zeigler none of the delegates showed any enthusiasm for mass participation in democracy.

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Free Online Research Papers William Faulkner’s short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† provides clues that the reader can choose to acknowledge or ignore, but nowhere in the story does Faulkner clearly explain why Emily Grierson murdered Homer Barron. Faulkner has discussed the story, and did reveal that it was about how inhumanity toward people can lead to murder. This suggests that the inhumanity that Emily suffered, both at the hands of her father and at those of society, which is rarely kind to women that never marry, may have led to psychological scars that eventually prompted her to murder Homer. Faulkner’s insight into the story is a generalized one, that does not explicitly provide a motive for the murder, only a sense of the pain that might have affected Emily profoundly enough to make her agreeable to the idea of murder. This paper will explore the reasons and motives that led Emily to murder Homer, illustrating the factors that played a part in her actions. One of the most compelling reasons that Emily murdered Homer is that she was from a time when men took care of women. This â€Å"care† included control, and sometimes even dictatorship, as in the case of her father, who sent all of Emily’s suitors packing. Women were taught to be dependent upon men, and Emily was dependent upon her father, but dependence breeds hostility because it becomes a type of bondage. Her father was particularly controlling, and none of his control belied any cognizance of Emily’s needs or what might make her happy. Thus, Emily was in a Catch-22 situation where she needed man but could not have them. Even the man she dated when she lived on her own left her. By murdering Homer, she turned the tables on that particular form of bondage and found a way to â€Å"keep† a man. Homer stayed with her- albeit dead; until she died. Another reason for the murder is that Emily was insane. When her father died, she refused to admit that he was dead for several days. Upon Homer’s death, she kept his body in the bed with his clothes nearby just as he had taken them off and probably slept next to him every night until her death. Menakhem Perry (64) states, â€Å"†¦here is, primarily, a woman who committed a pathological murder†¦perhaps even†¦necrophilia.† He also points out that Emily refused to recognize the death of Colonel Sartoris, contending that Emily’s â€Å"contact with reality [was] deficient† and that for her, â€Å"the borderline between reality and fantasy [was] blurred† (Perry 64). It is even possible that Emily was not consciously aware that Homer was dead, as she may have continued to see him as living; this could explain why she slept with him every night even though the flesh has long been gone from his bones, and he could not have looked like a l iving man. Another explanation for the murder is revenge, either against her father or against Homer. Out of the two men in her life, Emily’s father was the one that mistreated her the most. She felt that she needed her father, though, so she could not murder him. Murdering Homer was a way of stopping Homer from becoming to her what her father was and of taking revenge indirectly on her father. On the other hand, it is clear that Homer would have left her had he not been murdered, so Emily may have murdered him in anger that he too was deserting her. Robert Crosman (208) points out that Emily is actually in control in the story. When she goes to the pharmacist to get the arsenic, for example, the druggist tries to find out what she wants it for, but she does not answer yet, he gives it to her anyway (Crosman 208). Likewise, when the aldermen write and call to collect her taxes, she refuses to acknowledge that she owes them and at the end they are never paid. From this perspective, Emily’s reason for killing Homer might have been merely to control a situation that had he lived would have been under his control. Helen Nebeker (8) compares Emily to the â€Å"indomitable but dying Old South in all its decadence, pride, [and] refusal to admit the changing order.† She symbolizes the South’s ability to stand firm while the winds of change circulate all around her, and although she evokes pity, she remains standing in triumph until the very end, when her own death hands a victory to the New South waiting in the wings (Nebeker 9). Nebeker (11) states that â€Å"Emily’s South, though dead and buried and forgiven, has left its horror imprinted forever on the structure and in the persons of the present.† As a symbol of the Old South, Emily’s murder of Homer represents the South’s resistance to change, even though that resistance means clinging to something that is already old, dead, and stinking. From this perspective, Emily’s motivation for murdering Homer is to keep the status quo alive. Cleanth Brooks (13) argues that â€Å"there is an element of the heroic† about Emily’s murder of Homer, as well, even though the crime is also â€Å"monstrous.† Brooks notes that Emily never â€Å"strive[s] to keep up with the Joneses† but remains the one that everyone else keeps up with (Brooks 13). Certainly, as she maintains control, it is also clear that Emily does not grovel to anyone. She does what she pleases and refuses to do what she does not want to do, in a splendid reversal of the bondage she grew up in under her father. Finally, Emily believes that love can and will end if not frozen in time by death, a gruesome but understandable idea considering that she had never yet experienced a love that did not end. However, a love that is frozen in death is not the love that most women want; they want companionship, tenderness, and a listening ear- not the mere presence of a body that can afford none of these things. Why precisely did Emily kill Homer? Faulkner leaves it to the reader to decide, but elements of all of these reasons and motivations would likely have played a part in her actions had Emily been a real woman instead of a character. Real people are complex, and there is often not a sole clear-cut reason for their actions but rather a dynamic push and pull among many reasons that causes each of them to have an influence on the final decision. In the last analysis, whatever reasons Emily had for killing Homer, no one can argue that she did it quite deliberately and with planning, so she made a choice that could never be reversed and then lived with that choice for the rest of her life. Brooks, Cleanth. William Faulkner: First Encounters. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1985. Web. 20 Feb, 2010 Crosman, Robert. â€Å"How Readers Make Meaning.† College Literature, 9.3, The Newest Criticisms (Fall 1982), 207-215. JSTOR. Web. 26 Feb, 2010 Nebeker, Helen. â€Å"Emily’s Rose of Love: Thematic Implications of Point of View in Faulkner’s ‘A Rose for Emily.’† The Bulletin of the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association, 24.1, (Mar 1970), 3-13. JSTOR. Web. 26 Feb, 2010. Perry, Menakhem. â€Å"Literary Dynamics: How the Order of a Text Creates its Meanings [With an Analysis of Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily†]. Poetics Today, 1.1/2, Special Issue: Literature, Interpretation, Communication, (Autumn 1979), 35-361. JSTOR. Web. 1 Mar, 2010 Research Papers on "A Rose for Emily" by William FaulknerThe Fifth HorsemanCapital PunishmentBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XMind TravelArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Personal Experience with Teen PregnancyThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionTrailblazing by Eric Anderson

Management Functions of (whatever company you desire that makes it Essay

Management Functions of (whatever company you desire that makes it easier for you) - Essay Example cruiting, developing and rewarding individuals which comes under the function of Staffing while Directing is taken to be the process of influencing employees’ behavior through communication, motivation, leadership and discipline. The purpose of Controlling is setting the performance bar for not only the employees but also the company’s objectives and actual accomplishments. Even a successful conglomerate such as General Electric (GE) with more than 300,000 employees engaged in 11 technology, services and financial businesses across 160 countries has been focusing and improving on these basic management functions for almost 130 years and continues till date (GE, 2006). It is these very functions that have brought them the success and appreciation which is seen today (Colvin, 2006). For all aspects of management and the basic principles which a company follows as it conducts its business, a mission statement is quite important (Hellriegel, 2004). GE does not have a stereotypical vision/mission statement to consider as part of their planning function. They appear to believe very strongly in what they call ‘company values’ which is a combined vision-mission statement stated as imagine, solve, build and lead (GE, 2006). These four values interconnect with each other and help build products/services which are winners (Welch, 2005). A vision cannot be complete if it does not have leadership and the management functions of GE emphasize good leadership very strongly. GE Commercial Finance, Infrastructure, Healthcare, Industrial, Consumer Finance and NBC Universal make up the six broad-based industry segments to put together their combined 11 organizations. To name just a few, the GE divisions offer several consumer and commercial financing programs, water, aviation, medical information technologies, television channels and other entertainment to meet an array of human needs worldwide (GE, 2006). The organization of these business areas would not have been

Write your opinion about northern ontario Assignment

Write your opinion about northern ontario - Assignment Example This place the region in the north although the region is not very northerly compared to other Canadian provinces. The only distinct region in Ontario is the north and south. Over the years, the region that can be referred to as North Ontario registered a population decline. At the same time, southern Ontario gained population. In addition, the northern part is sparsely population but the southern regions have more people per square kilometer by more than 100 times. This population difference has not always been like that. According to statistics, northern Ontario has lost people due to emigration. The difference between the northern regions and the southern regions was probably not as large in the past. Economy in the north has been characterized by boom and bush. This probably explains wild population changes. Migrations must have been dictated by this boom and bust cycles. This kind of boom/bust cycles are common with economies that rely heavily in resource extraction. As long as the resource has huge demand, the boom attracts people and bust pushes people into other regions. Population in the north could have been more stable if the region’s economy was more diverse. There is little manufacturing that can give people stable jobs. The north trails other regions in terms of employment. The further north you move, the worse the problem of unemployment. When Ontario is compared to other regions in the county, the region as a whole fares poorly. Politically, the region feels isolated from the rest of Ontario. The problems of employment and exclusion are worse in the north and this creates disaffection. As a result, Northern Ontario Heritage Party want a separate province for the north so that the region’s problems can be better articulated without submersing them in those of the more prosperous southern region and other parts of Ontario. Northern also consider the southern ignorant of the problems that are present in the north. To make

Cyber Crime In The 21st Century

Cyber Crime In The 21st Century As the world has moved into the 21st century and technologies presence in our lives have increased, so has the amount of crime that is committed using the Internet and computers. Cybercrime is a form of crime where the Internet or computers are used as a medium to commit crime. Issues surrounding this type of crime have become high-profile, particularly those surrounding hacking, copyright infringement, child pornography, and child grooming. There are also problems of privacy when confidential information is lost or intercepted, lawfully or otherwise. In recent years the U.S. has invested money and effort towards protecting vital systems in the U.S. from following prey to cybercrime and cyber terrorism. However, various studies and recent incidents in the news show that the U.S. lags behind other nations such as China in efforts to combat cyber crime and cyber terrorism. This problem is one that the public often overlooks, yet it is a very serious matter nonetheless. HACKERS What comes to mind when you hear the word computer crimes? A common response is hackers. Although many may not know of a fully fledged hacking case, they often fall under federal jurisdiction. Hacking is nothing new and has been around for many years. It actually can be dated back to 1870 when a male teenager was first hired as a switchboard operator and was able to disconnect and redirect calls and use the line for personal usage. The advent of the computer age brought about the traditional hacker, who was first thought of as a harmless user with a curiosity about how things worked. The best way to figure how things work was to take things apart or view the internal configuration and learn what makes them function, and hackers did just that with electronic devices and systems. Over the years, hacking has taken on a completely different meaning and is often identical with the activity of a computer criminal. Hackers, both good and bad are here to stay and have a role in our society. There are three types of hackers and each is different from the other. For example, a white hat hacker is a person who identifies weakness in a computer system or network but instead of taking advantage of it, expose the weakness to the system owner and recommends a fix before the flaw can be taken advantage of by others (Michael Knetzger, 2008). They usually work with major law enforcement agencies and big industrial corporate offices to help reduce hacking. In contrast with white hat hackers, black hat hackers break into system with malicious intent to steal damage or deface them, (usually a computer, phone system or network) for vandalism, credit card fraud, identity theft, piracy, or other types of illegal activity( (Michael Knetzger, 2008)). Grey hat hackers are those who are on both side of the hacking fence. A gray hat hacker discovers and supplies information about network security issues and weakness to the network administrator and also to black hat hackers to exploit the s ystem. Hacking in general continues to have a negative association and implies any illicit activity against a computer system or other digital device. Hackers can be defined or categorized, there is not a one size fits all hacker profile, but statistics have shown that hackers share similar traits. Hackers tend to be between the age group of 14-25 years, insecure, white males who are intelligent social outcasts or loners who have had previous problems in school and lack positive outlets for their talents. They are also the technical superiors to criminal offenders and are most difficult for law enforcement to track. The actual number of hacking attacks against private and public industry is unknown. Statistics show that only 17% of companies whose computers were hacked report them to law enforcement due to fear of negative publicity. In addition, business owners feel that they may lose hundreds of millions of dollars. According to the New York Times, 90% of Fortune 500 networks have been hacked. In Canada Internet hacking has doubled to 8% in 1998 over a period of just one year (Parker, 1983). If this trend continues then it must now be around 32%. This only includes reported computer hacking trends; therefore it certainly would be much higher. Not only is business having trouble with hacking but also Homeland Security and Department of Defense. There have been approximately 250,000 attempts to break into the Government systems in 1995, 65% of which were successful (Michael Knetzger, 2008). According to research in 1998 the Financial Cost to computer security breaches was reported for the 163 co mpanies at $123.7 Million (1999 CSI/FBI Report). Copyright infringement Hacking continues to be one of the major issues of cyber crime. At another level copyright infringement is the appropriation of new forms of intellectual property that have been created or popularized within cybercrime. Copyright infringement (or copyright violation) is the unconstitutional or prohibited use of works covered by copyright law, in a way that violates one of the copyright owners restricted rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work or to make derivative works (Parker, 1983). There are many ways that copyrights infringement are being used; the most common ones from the 21st century are musical works, TV, films, and text. It is a continuous thing that continues to grow. For example, replication of a CD or other recorded media containing copyright material without authorization of the copyright holder may be a form of copyright infringement, depending on local laws. Unauthorized downloading of copyrighted material and sharing of recorded music o ver the Internet, often in the appearance of MP3 files, is another form of infringement; even after the termination of Napster and a series of infringement suits brought by the RIAA. Bootleg recordings are musical recordings that have not been formally released by the artist or their associated administration or production companies. They may consist of demos, outtakes or other studio material, or of dishonest recordings of live performances. Music enthusiasts may use the term bootleg to differentiate these otherwise unavailable recordings from pirated copies of commercially released material, however these recordings are still covered by copyright regardless of their lack of formal release, and their distribution is still against the law (Parker, 1983). Sampling of copyrighted music for use in other works without authorization is also a form of copyright infringement. Some companies exploit this fact by attempting to sue the creators of the new work for copyright violation. Promoti onal screening DVDs distributed by motion picture studios (often for consideration for awards) are a frequent source of unauthorized copying when movies are still in theatrical release, and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has attempted to restrict their use. Movies are also still copied by someone sneaking a camcorder into a motion picture theater and secretly taping the projection (also known as camming), although such copies are often of lesser quality than DVDs. Some copyright owners have responded to breaches by displaying warning notices on commercially sold DVDs; these warnings do not always give a fair picture of the purchasers legal rights, which in the US generally include the rights to sell, exchange, rent or loan a purchased DVD. According the Straits Times, a copy of the most recent James Bond movie the World is not Enough was available for free on the Internet before its official release. (Wall, 2001) This and similar other incidents have caused conside rable concern to owners. When a creator is unable to profit from their making of a movie, it causes a massive financial loss. Child pornography Child pornography generally includes sexual images connecting both prepubescent and post-pubescent adolescent minors and computer-generated images with the intention of appearing to involve them. The majority possessors of child pornography who are arrested are found to possess images of prepubescent children; possessors of pornographic images of post-pubescent minors are less likely to be prosecuted, even though those images also reduce inside the statutes. Child pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry; one of the fastest increasing criminal segments taking place in the internet. Philip Jenkins notes that there is overwhelming evidence that [child pornography] is all but impossible to obtain through non electronic means. (Parker, 1983). The Internet has drastically changed how child pornography is reproduced and disseminated, and, according to the United States Department of Justice, resulted in a substantial increase in the availability, accessibility, and volume of child po rnography. (Michael Knetzger, 2008). The production of child pornography has become very profitable and is no longer restricted to pedophiles. Digital cameras and Internet distribution facilitated by the use of credit cards and the ease of transferring images across national borders has made it easier than ever before for users of child pornography to obtain the photographs and videos. The NCMEC estimated in 2003 that 20% of all pornography traded over the Internet was child pornography, and that since 1997 the number of child pornography images available on the Internet had increased by 1500%. In 2007, the British-based Internet Watch Foundation reported that child pornography on the Internet is becoming more brutal and graphic, and the number of images depicting violent abuse has risen fourfold since 2003. The CEO stated The worrying issue is the severity and the gravity of the images is increasing. Were talking about prepubescent children being raped. (Parker, 1983) About 80 percent of the children in the abusive images are female, and 91 percent appear to be children under the age of 12. Prosecution is difficult because multiple international servers are used, sometimes to transmit the images in fragments to evade the law. Some child pornographers also circumvent detection by using viruses to illegally gain control of computers on which they remotely store child pornography. In one case, a Massachusetts man was charged with possession of child pornography when hackers used his computer to access pornographic sites and store pornographic pictures without his knowledge. T he U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has ruled that if a user downloads child pornography from a file sharing network and possesses it in his shared folder without configuring the software to not share that content; he can be charged with distributing child pornography (Wall, 2001). Regarding internet proliferation, the U.S. Department of Justice states that At any one time there are estimated to be more than one million pornographic images of children on the Internet, with 200 new images posted daily. (Parker, 1983). They also note that a single offender arrested in the U.K. possessed 450,000 child pornography images, and that a single child pornography site received a million hits in a month. Further, that much of the trade in child pornography takes place at hidden levels of the Internet, and that it has been estimated that there are between 50,000 and 100,000 pedophiles involved in organized pornography rings around the world, and that one third of these operate from the United States. (Wall, 2001). In 2008 the Google search engine adapted a software program in order to faster track child pornography accessible through their site. The software is based in a pattern recognition engine and is helping to track down people who try to access child pornography sit es. Child grooming The deliberate actions taken by an adult to form a trusting relationship with a child, with the intent of later having sexual contact, are known as child grooming (Michael Knetzger, 2008). This involves psychological manipulation in the form of positive reinforcement, activities that are typically legal but later lead to sexual contact. This is done to gain the childs trust as well as the trust of those responsible for the childs well-being. Additionally, a trusting connection with the relatives means the childs parents are less expected to believe possible accusations. Child pornography images are frequently shown to the child as part of the child grooming process. To establish an excellent connection with the child and the childs family, a child groomer might do quite a few things. For example, they might take an undue attention in someone elses child, to be the childs special friend to gain the childs trust. They might give offerings or money to the child for no apparent reason (toys, dolls, etc.). They may show pornography-videos or pictures-to the child, hoping to make it easy for the child to accept such acts, thus normalizing the behavior. People are very sick they may simply talk about sexual topics to interest the kid. These are just some of the methods a child groomer might use to gain a childs trust and affection in order to allow them to do what they want. Hugging and kissing or other physical contact, even when the child doesnt want it, can happen. To the groomer, this is a way to get close. They might talk about problems normally discu ssed between adults, or at least people of the same age. Topics might include marital problems and other conflicts. They may try to gain the childs parents trust by befriending them, with the goal of easy access to the child. The child groomer might look for opportunities to have time alone with the child. This can be done by offering to babysit. The groomer may invite the child for sleepovers. This gives them the opportunity to sleep in the same room or even the same bed with the child. Sexual grooming of children also occurs on the Internet. Some abusers will pose as children online and make arrangements to meet with them in person. According to a 2003 New Zealand study, 23% of 7-10 year olds and 37% of those 16 or older reported meeting someone face to face that they met over the Internet. In 2003, MSN implemented restrictions in their chat rooms to help protect children from adults seeking sexual conversations with them. In 2005, Yahoo! chat rooms were investigated by the New York State attorney Generals office for allowing users to create rooms whose names suggested that they were being used for this purpose. That October, Yahoo! agreed to implement policies and procedures designed to ensure that such rooms would not be allowed. An organization called Perverted-Justice (known as PJ) specializes in capturing persons who solicit PJ operatives posing as underage teens. To catch a predator is a television show based on such activities. An organization called Crisp Thinking specializes in anti-grooming activities by studying chat room and other Instant messaging logs with a special software that can identify when adults are trying to groom children. Cyberterrorism Cyberterrorism is the convergence of terrorism and cyberspace. It is generally understood to mean unlawful attacks and threats of attack against computers, networks, and the information stored therein when done to intimidate or coerce a government or its people in furtherance of political or social objectives (Michael Knetzger, 2008). Further, to qualify as cyberterrorism, an attack should result in violence against persons or property, or at least cause enough harm to generate fear. Attacks that lead to death or bodily injury, explosions, plane crashes, water contamination, or severe economic loss would be examples. Serious attacks against critical infrastructures could be acts of cyberterrorism, depending on their impact. Attacks that disrupt nonessential services or that are mainly a costly nuisance would not. Cyberspace is constantly under assault. Cyber spies, thieves, saboteurs, and thrill seekers break into computer systems, steal personal data and trade secrets, vandalize Web sites, disrupt service, sabotage data and systems, launch computer viruses and worms, conduct fraudulent transactions, and harass individuals and companies. (Furnell, 2002) These attacks are facilitated with increasingly powerful and easy-to-use software tools, which are readily available for free from thousands of Web sites on the Internet. Many of the attacks are serious and costly. The recent ILOVEYOU virus and variants, for example, was estimated to have hit tens of millions of users and cost billions of dollars in damage. The February denial-of-service attacks against Yahoo, CNN, eBay, and other e-commerce Web sites was estimated to have caused over a billion in losses. It also shook the confidence of business and individuals in e-commerce. To understand the potential threat of cyberterrorism, two factors must be considered: first, whether there are targets that are vulnerable to attack that could lead to violence or severe harm, and second, whether there are actors with the capability and motivation to carry them out. Looking first at vulnerabilities, several studies have shown that critical infrastructures are potentially vulnerable to cyberterrorist attack. Eligible Receiver, a no notice exercise conducted by the Department of Defense in 1997 with support from NSA red teams, found the power grid and emergency 911 systems had weaknesses that could be exploited by an adversary using only publicly available tools on the Internet (Wall, 2001). Although neither of these systems was actually attacked, study members concluded that service on these systems could be disrupted. Also in 1997, the Presidents Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection issued its report warning that through mutual dependencies and interconnectedness, critical infrastructures could be vulnerable in new ways, and that vulnerabilities were steadily increasing, while the costs of attack were decreasing. Although many of the weaknesses in computerized systems can be corrected, it is effectively impossible to eliminate all of them. Even if the technology itself offers good security, it is frequently configured or used in ways that make it open to attack. In addition, there is always the possibility of insiders, acting alone or in concert with other terrorists, misusing their access capabilities. According to Russias Interior Ministry Col. Konstantin Machabeli, the state-run gas monopoly, Gazprom, was hit by hackers who collaborated with a Gazprom insider. The hackers were said to have used a Trojan horse to gain control of the central switchboard which controls gas flows in pipelines, although Gazprom, the worlds largest natural gas producer and the largest gas supplier to Western Europe, refuted the report In conclusion, the violent pursuit of political goals using exclusively electronic methods is likely to be at least a few years into the future. However, the more general threat of cybercrime is very much a part of the digital landscape today. In addition to cyberattacks against digital data and systems, many people are being terrorized on the Internet today with threats of physical violence. On-line stalking, death threats, and hate messages are abundant. The Florida teen who threatened violence at Columbine High School in an electronic chat room is but one example. These crimes are serious and must be addressed. In so doing, we will be in a better position to prevent and respond to cyberterrorism if and when the threat becomes more serious. In a matter of years, cybercrime has permeated many aspects of our society. Financial information and other personal information are susceptible to cyber criminals and their actions. Children, nowadays, need constant supervision on the Internet as these criminals seek to hunt and abuse innocent children. Each of these challenges presents the imperative for law enforcement to increase their ability to protect citizens against cyber crime. Perhaps, programs supported by law enforcement to train intelligent individuals with superior technological skills will not only provide law enforcement with skilled individuals to combat cybercrime but it may also prevent many of those people from becoming hackers in the first place.

Microenvironmental Factors Affecting Toyota Essay

Microenvironmental factors are â€Å"The factors close to the company that affect its ability to serve its customers† [principles of marketing]. The microenvironmental factors that affected the introduction and sale of the Toyota Prius were it customers, competitors and publics. Customers are anyone who buys or rents from the company. Customer are the most important microenvironmental factor that affect company as they survive on meeting the wants and needs of the customer and failure to do so will result in the company failing. Toyota study their customers and saw that they wanted a car with better fuel consumption and as a result Toyota decided to make the Prius, their first hybrid car. Toyota dealt with their customers by setting up website to educate the customers about the Toyota Prius. They took advantage of Earth Day to send out green seed cards shaped like Toyota’s logo to prospective buyers and they also gave away some green Prius at Earth Day events. However, Toyota did not recognise that consumers normally don’t buy cars for the saving in the long-run so â€Å"fuel savings are not going to be the key it convincing people to purchase the Prius† [principles of marketing]. As a result of this Toyota have asked governments to give tax cuts to cars with better fuel consumption. Competitors are any company in the same market place as your company. In order of a company to be successful in the market place a competitors most grain a competitive advantage over its competitors. Toyota has been successful in maintaining its competitive advantage although competitors like Citroen have cars which are just as efficient as the Toyota Prius, â€Å"Toyota is still the market leader in this segment† [principles of marketing]. They have done this by capturing people imagination by being the first Hybrid car on the market and through the effective use of advertisement. Publics are any group that has an actual or potential interest in an organisation’s ability to achieve its objectives. Good relations with the public help to enhance the company’s reputation so helping to increase in sales. The biggest factors of the Toyota Prius’ microenvironment are media and the government. Toyota has worked with Government bodies and has asked for tax incentives encourage people to buy more environmentally friendly cars to increase the amount of hybrids sold. Toyota also has spent 15m of its 200m annual marketing budget on the Prius. It has introduction ads that appealed more to peoples’ emotion to get them to buy the Prius. Overall, Toyota has analysed its icroenvironment extremely well as it has maintaining its competitive advantage over it competitors and has sold over 1m Prius with the waiting list of the Prius waiting list being over 18 month and becoming a status symbol among Hollywood stars. Question 2: The macro environment consists of six forces that affect the whole microenvironment, demographic, economic, natural, technological, political and cultural forces. The Toyota Prius is such a highly technologically advanced vehicle with its four cylinder petrol engine and 33-kilowatt electric motor. This could be one of the demographic factors that prompted the introduction of the Prius for Toyota. The Prius appeals to Generation Y also known as the â€Å"echo boomers† who were born between 1977 and 1994. Their comfort with computers, digital technology and overall technical advances prove they are and attractive target for marketers wanting to create a device at the high end of new, innovative devices on the market today e. g. iPad , Toyota Prius. The economic environment consists of the factors that affect consumer buying power and spending patterns. With many countries experiencing economic recession, consumer purchasing power is reduced. People have less money and now have to spend more carefully. The recent high petrol prices are causing a rising demand for greener, more fuel efficient cars that are cheaper to run. Several governments are providing incentives to people to buy these hybrid cars. In the UK, the government is offering reduced car tax on initial purchase. Electric car drivers can also avoid the ? 8 per day Congestion Charge in London. Toyota must be aware of and keep up with the technological environment which includes the forces that create new technologies, creating new product and market opportunities. This is the most rapidly changing environment. By introducing the Toyota Prius, the company has gained a technological initiative in the hybrid market. Toyota knew that their target market for this product would include technology enthusiasts, or ‘techies’ as they are known, and included reference to the cars leading technology in their advertisements. Natural forces also affected Toyotas decision to manufacture a hybrid car. Consumers are becoming more concerned about the environment and about how the products they purchase have an effect on it. Petrol and diesel are both non-renewable fossil fuels which release carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. Therefore there is a demand in the market for alternatives to petrol-powered vehicles, such as electric cars. Hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius offer improved gas mileage and emissions standards. Toyota have used this opportunity to position themselves in the market as an ‘environmentally concerned company’ Toyota needs however, to be aware of the political environment which may pose restrictions on its business activity. The political environment includes laws, government agencies and pressure groups that influence and limit various organisations and individuals in a given society. Recently, the EU commission announced new legislation which will be brought in that requires all manufacturers selling cars in the European Union to lower average CO2 emissions of new cars. The governments of some countries have intervened and offered tax incentives to stimulate the purchase of clean-fuel and high-mileage hybrid cars. Cultural values have an effect on the products people choose to buy. Although core values and beliefs held by society are quite persistent, secondary cultural values are more open to change. Recent changes in cultural values include a greater appreciation for nature. People are starting to realise that nature is finite and fragile. They are beginning to seek out more environmentally-friendly products, one of these being fuel-efficient cars. Toyota has responded to this by introducing the Toyota Prius onto the market. Even in Hollywood it seems that it is now cool to be environmentally responsible as a range of A-listers are now owners this hybrid car. Question 3:  Toyota has ran a masterful marketing campaign so far. It has become the â€Å"environmentally concerned† car manufacturer and the technology leader in the hybrid car market. It has targeted â€Å"techies† and early adopters by educating consumers about the new car. Toyota have used the power of the internet to promote the Prius. The first thing they did was educate consumers about the prius. They launched a website to distribute the information and sent 40000 e-brochures to likely buyers. It worked. The Prius â€Å"flew out of dealer’s showrooms† and they even had difficulty â€Å"keeping up with demand†. They also ran print ads with tag lines such as â€Å"when it sees red it charges†, an emotional reference, and they ran television ads as well. By using these marketing tools to great effect the company was firmly established as a caring brand in the consumer’s mind. The new â€Å"environmentally concerned† Toyota is clearly a hit with customers as it sold 400000 hybrids in 2006 alone. It has even succeeded in making being green cool as a host of Hollywood celebrities like Cameron Diaz and even Arnold Schwarzenegger has one to park, ironically, beside his giant hummer. Another effective strategy was to become the market leader in a new technology. It was risky to jump into the market that soon as it could have cost the company a lot of money if it didn’t work out. Toyota always subtly stresses the technology aspect of the car in its advertising. Surprisingly hybrids aren’t all that efficient. The citroen CZ, C1 and C3 all have better fuel consumption than the Prius, but it doesn’t matter as Toyota â€Å"have captured people’s minds†. It’s marketing campaigns have won over the environmentally conscious companies like IKEA, who are switching their car fleet to hybrids. Toyota’s efforts have left other car makers â€Å"racing to catch up†. Marketing segmentation was used to great effect by Toyota. It set out very early on to target the â€Å"techies† and the â€Å"early adapters† through emails and the online website. â€Å"Many Prius owners are immersed in technology†, they even have their own website called â€Å"Priusenvy. com†. It really has taken off with the â€Å"techies†. They were able to make changes such as â€Å"cruise control† and a â€Å"sniffer† to the car without the help of a qualified mechanic or engineer. This success can be attributed to the narrow targeting of the cars. Toyota could improve its strategy by appealing more to the general market for cars. Today the cost of a Prius is significantly lower than it was when it first came out. Perhaps it’s time to focus on what a great small family car it would make or how it might suit a professional, like a teacher for example. There are many environmentally conscious people among the ranks of the middle class families of Ireland. By honing in on the small family market Toyota could bring an alternative to the Ford Mondeo and the Volkswagon Passet. Overall Toyota has done almost everything right with the Prius. When we think â€Å"Hybrid† we think â€Å"Prius† exactly like â€Å"MP3† and â€Å"iPod†. That is the sign of an extremely efficient marketing campaign.

Owens & Minor Case Study Solution Essay

1. What is the value-added by Owens and Minor? Is this value-addition visible? * They own and manage the inventory for the manufacture * They take on the financial risk associated with the function of managing the inventory flow to the hospitals. * They care for product returns and carry the risk for that. * They carry the receivables (cash flow issues due to long payment terms of customers; actually a 90 days credit) * They carry and manage most of the inventory for the hospitals, which are sometimes even running stockless. * They track and verify customer prices for contracted product purchases and monitor agreements between end-users and manufacturers * The distribution has changed in a way that hospitals required the distributors to carry more of the inventory and making more deliveries in lower units of measure, while keeping the same originally negotiated prices. This has put a stronger burden on the distributors. * Owens & Minor creates a clear value-add for both manufacturers and suppliers. Manufactures usually only want to produce and sell the product before getting it out of the door * Hence Owens and Minor takes the full responsibility for all stressful parts of selling a product. On the other hand customers don’t want to buy and own products before they are ready to use it. * Thus Owens and Minor also enables them to achieving more efficient structures, while reducing additional costs related to managing efficiently. 2. Evaluate the impact cost-plus pricing has on distributors, customers, and suppliers. Distributors: * Services related to inventory management are not included properly, since the percentage they gain is the same for all products. Whether they are cheap and efficiently to handle or rather problematic. Hence costs will skyrocket if customers will ask for additional services (while keeping the same price). * They have the drawback of customers engaging in cherry-picking and only enabling the distributors to manage low-margin, inexpensive products. Customers: * Cost-plus pricing lead to a complicated pricing structures, since distributors and customers negotiated separate product prices from manufacturers, introduced incentives, let prices vary from customer to  customer, covered some products by contract and some don’t etc. * Hence purchasing managers were nearly unable to properly track actual product costs and compare quotes from competing manufacturers and distributors. Suppliers: * Suppliers have no motivation to try to reduce costs and increase efficiencies since profits remain the same. * Market demand is not taken into consideration. If a supplier has a markup, which takes the reseller’s price point beyond current market prices, the reseller’s demand will decrease dramatically. 3. What effect will ABP have on customer behavior? Provide an example to illustrate. ABP connects O&M‘s fee to the level of the service they provide * Customer is motivated to keep its activities down to a minimum level and only order services that he really needs * Customers who want to extend their service-level can get this because there is a way for O&M to price a higher service-level * ABP helps customers to optimize their service-level and hence their costs. 4. What are the obstacles to successful implementation of ABP at Ideal? How would you address these obstacles? * Internal systems at hospitals (e.g. budgeting, compensation) were tied to cost-plus percentages. * Product prices with cost-plus percentages were used to determine transfer pricing between hospital departments * Technological barriers: Customer has to change to an EDI system (electronical data input) * Hospital would have to change its systems and procedures for material handling * For a hospital to benefit it would have to be willing to change and shed personnel, equipment and warehousing space. * Culture of hospitals (e.g. surgeons have different preferences for many operating room supplies) O&M‘s response: * Offered to convert the activity fee to a cost-plus equivalent * O&M‘s logistical services worked closely with customers moving to ABP to help them realign processes and institute cost savings.