Saturday, August 31, 2019

Stefan’s Diaries: Origins Chapter 34

I watched in satisfaction as Damon lustily drank, his tentative sips becoming gulps as he held his face down to Alice's neck. As Alice's nearly lifeless body grew white, a healthy flush rose in Damon's cheeks. As Damon drank the last drops of Alice's blood, I took a few steps outside the shack. I glanced around in wonder. Just last night, the area had seemed desolate, but now I realized that it teemed with life–the scent of animals in the forest, the flap of birds overhead, the sound of Damon's and my heartbeats. This spot–this whole world–was full of possibility. My ring glimmered in the moonlight, and I brought it to my lips. Katherine had given me eternal life. Father always had told us to find our power, to find our place in the world. And I had, though Father hadn't been able to accept it. I took a deep breath, and the coppery scent of blood filled my nostrils. I turned as Damon stepped out from the shack. He seemed taller and stronger than even a few moments ago. I noticed that he had a matching ring on his middle finger. â€Å"How do you feel?† I asked, waiting for him to see everything I saw. Damon turned away from me and walked toward the water. He knelt down and cupped the liquid to his mouth, washing away the remnants of blood on his lips. I crouched next to him at the edge of the pond. â€Å"Isn't it amazing?† I asked. â€Å"It's a whole new world, and it's ours. Forever!† I said, giddy. Damon and I would never have to grow older. Never have to die. â€Å"Y ou're right,† Damon said slowly, as if he were speaking in an unfamiliar language. â€Å"We'll explore it together. Just think. We can go to Europe, explore the world, get away from Virginia and memories†¦.† I touched his shoulder. Damon turned to face me, his eyes wide. I stepped back, suddenly fearful. There was something different about him, a foreignness in his dark eyes. â€Å"Are you happy now, brother?† Damon snorted derisively. I took a step toward him. â€Å"Y ou'd rather be dead than have this whole world for the taking? Y ou should be thanking me!† Fury flashed in his eyes. â€Å"Thanking you? I never asked you to make my life a hell from which I can't escape,† he said, spitting each word into the pond. Suddenly he pulled me into a hug with such strength that I gasped. â€Å"But hear this, brother,† he hissed in my ear. â€Å"Though we will be together for an eternity, I will make an eternity of misery for you.† With that, he released me from his grip and sprinted into the dark forest. As his form disappeared into the black shadows of the trees, a single crow rose from the woods. It let out a plaintive shriek, and then it was gone. Suddenly, in a world that mere moments ago had teemed with possibility, I was utterly alone. EPILOGUE October 1864 When I try to reconstruct that moment when I succumbed to my Power and destroyed my relationship with Damon, I imagine a split second of silence. In that second, Damon turned around, our eyes connected, and we made peace. But there was no silence, nor would there ever be again. Now I constantly hear the rustling of animals in the forest, the quickening of breath that occurs when any being knows danger is near, the pitter-patter-pause of a heart stopping. I also hear my thoughts, tumbling and colliding against each other like ocean waves. If only I hadn't been weak when Katherine stared into my eyes. If only I hadn't gone back to see Father. If only I hadn't made Damon drink. But I did. The fallout of those choices is a mantle that only grows darker and more nuanced with age. And I must live with the consequences of my misdeeds for eternity. LUSTING AFTER MORE OF STEFAN'S DIARIES? TURN THE PAGE FOR A SNEAK PEEK OF BLOODLUST, COMING JANUARY 2011. 1 It was October. The leaves on the trees in the cemetery had turned a decayed brown, and a cold breeze had whistled in, replacing the stifling heat of Virginia summer. Not that I much felt it. As a vampire, the only temperature my body registered was that of the hot blood from my latest victim coiling through my veins. I stood beneath the limbs of a large oak, a light mist swirling around my ankles, my shirt and hands sticky with the fresh blood of the girl I carried in my arms. My brother, Damon, lay prone at the base of the tree, his black eyes staring blankly up at me. It had been days since I'd last forced him to feed. His body had taken on a chalky texture, blood vessels twisting darkly under his skin like cracks. Even now, as I dropped the nearly dead girl at his feet, I had to drape his right arm across her stomach to keep him from rolling over onto his back. Were it not for the blood that had purpled her dress, they would have looked like two lovers holding each other. â€Å"I hate you with everything I am,† he whispered into her ear, though I knew his words were meant for me. She stirred but didn't open her eyes. â€Å"Y need your strength,† I said. â€Å"Drink.† He breathed in and his shoulders went limp. The metallic scent of her blood hung heavy in the air around us. â€Å"That isn't strength,† he said, his eyes fluttering shut. â€Å"It's weakness.† â€Å"Stefan †¦Ã¢â‚¬  This from the girl, Clementine Haverford, who reached a trembling hand out to me, her own sweet blood glistening like a silk glove around her fingers. Last summer, Clementine and I kissed in the shadows of the Wickery Bridge after one of the games Damon had dreamed up for us. She'd allowed my hand to graze the bodice of her blue muslin dress. I kneeled down and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. A voice somewhere in my mind told me that I should feel regret over taking her life, but I felt nothing. â€Å"You're a monster,† Damon said, keeping his lips as far as possible from the blood that seeped from Clementine's neck. â€Å"Forever is a long time to deny what you are,† I told him. From where we crouched in the hemlock grove, I could see my old neighbors milling around stone grave markers in the very center of the cemetery. My heightened vampire senses allowed me to pick through the crowd of townspeople. Honoria Fells sniffed into a lace handkerchief. Sheriff Forbes kept his hand on his holster. Jonathan Gilbert cleared his throat and flicked open a pocket watch. My head throbbed with every whisper, like the world was breathing secrets directly into my eardrums. Mayor Lockwood stood separate from the others, eulogizing our father, Giuseppe Salvatore –the man who had killed me and Damon, his only family, in cold blood. Father believed vampires to be utterly, unredeemably evil, and so he condemned us to death for trying to save Katherine Pierce, the vampire with whom we'd both fallen in love–the vampire who'd changed us to be like her. Lockwood's voice sliced through the raindrops that had just begun to fall. â€Å"We come together today to say farewell to one of Mystic Falls' greatest sons, Giuseppe Salvatore, a man for whom town and family always came before self.† They stood before a gaping hole in the earth. Father would be wearing the suit he wore to church on Sundays, the black one. With the wide lapels that came together just at the point where I'd accidentally cut him open when he came at me with a stake. I could just make out the winged figure above him, the angel statue that marked my mother's final resting place. Two empty plots lay just beyond, where Damon and I should have been buried. â€Å"It shan't be possible to picture this hero's life,† Lockwood continued, â€Å"but in a portrait in which Giuseppe is flanked by his two fallen sons, heroes of the Battle of Willow Creek.† Damon let out a low, rattling scoff. â€Å"The portrait he paints,† he muttered, â€Å"should contain the muzzle flash of Father's rifle.† He rubbed the place where Father's bullet had ripped through his chest only a week earlier. Mayor Lockwood looked out over his congregation. â€Å"A menace has descended on Mystic Falls, and only a brave few have risen to the challenge of protecting all that we hold dear. Jonathan, Giuseppe, and I stood shoulder to shoulder against the threat. Now we must heed Giuseppe's last words as a call to arms.† Lockwood's voice dragged with it the scent of smoky, blackened wood from the destroyed church on the opposite side of the cemetery. He was talking, ostensibly, about the groups of Union and Confederate soldiers who had been nipping about our part of Virginia for months, but there was no mistaking that he really meant vampires. Vampires like the ones Damon and I had been shot trying to free, like the ones Damon and I had become. â€Å"I could do it,† I told Damon. â€Å"I could run out there and tear out all of their throats before they knew it.† â€Å"What's stopping you, brother?† he hissed. I knew his encouragement came only from the possibility of me dying in the act. I held my breath and listened to Damon's panting, to the droning lies rising from Father's plot, and to some kind of clicking, like a watch or a fingernail tapping against a mausoleum wall. I wasn't used to the rawness of my senses; the world gave me so much more as a vampire than it had as a human. â€Å"Come,† I said, putting an arm around him. â€Å"Let's get one last look at Mystic Falls' finest citizens.† He didn't say anything but leaned into me, allowing me to hold him up as we moved from Clementine's bleeding body toward the grave site. We were just at a mausoleum a hundred yards from Father's grave when Lockwood introduced Gilbert to recite a prayer. Gilbert licked his lips. As he read some prayer or another out loud, I noticed the clicking once more. It picked up in speed as we neared the crowd. The clicking was now a steady, insistent rattle –and it seemed to be coming directly from Jonathan's hand. Then, with my mother's wings stretched wide behind him, Jonathan Gilbert consulted the clicking object in his palm. My blood ran cold. The compass. Jonathan had created a compass that, rather than pointing north, identified vampires. Suddenly, Jonathan looked up. His eyes locked on Damon and me instantly. â€Å"Demon!† He let out an unholy shriek and pointed in our direction. â€Å"I think he means us, brother,† Damon said with a short laugh.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Compare and Contrast the Role of Lay Personell

Compare and contrast the role of and function of judges, lawyers and lay people within the English courts Lay people are individuals with no legal training from a variety of backgrounds which is said to be used to promote an equal society. The role of Magistrates and Jurors are similar in ways of characteristics needed; for example both must be aged 18-70 and those who are in the police or have previous criminal convictions are ruled out.The selection process is however very different, the Lord Chancellor will appoint lay magistrates on behalf of the queen whereas jurors are selected by an electoral register for the area in which the court is situated and is done by a computer at the Central Summoning Bureau. Lay Magistrates are unpaid, part time volunteers whereas jurors are also unpaid but may be unwilling however failure to attend can result in prosecution or a fine.Magistrates can claim a small allowance and compensation for lost earnings. Both parties make their decision based o n facts, such as guilt or innocence in trials whereby the difference is that Magistrates can sentence the defendant whereas jurors cannot. Both are used in the right for a †trial by our peers†, ordinary people with experience of real life situations. Jurors will serve for a period of usually two weeks as apposed to Magistrates who will serve part time for different periods of time.Although lay magistrates and district judges do a very similar job there are many differences between how they work, their qualifications and employment. Lay magistrates, otherwise known as Justice of the Peace sit in magistrate's courts, generally in groups of three, whereas judges usually sit alone. 1999 there were 90, of whom about 20% were women, whereas there are an almost equal number of men and women magistrates, showing that judges are not a mirror image of trial by ones peers such as lay people.Judges are members of the professional judiciary who are legally qualified and salaried, wor king full time whereas the lay magistrate and jury are not paid and work part time/ a period of two weeks. Judges have practised for at least 7 years as a barrister or a solicitor. One way to become a solicitor is have ‘A' levels and go onto a Law degree then do 1 year on a legal practice course, then do a 2 year training period. One way to be a barrister is to do a Law degree then become a member of an Inn court and dine at the Inn or attend weekend courses, then do a 1 year ocational training course before being called to the bar. No formal qualifications are required for a lay magistrate or jury, but they do need intelligence, common sense, integrity and the capacity to act fairly. Lay magistrates are appointed by the Lord Chancellor (on behalf of the Queen) on the recommendation of the 100 local advisory committee, judges are also appointed by the Lord Chancellor and are appointed from those who have held advocacy qualifications for seven years.Soliciters play a totally di fferent role all together, they tend to work alongside a Legal executive with the Legal executive being the Solicitors assistants, they will deal with the more straight forward cases themselves such as preparing wills or leases and also have limited rights of audience in court, mainly making applications in the County court where cases are not defended. Barristers are the specialists of the court room. However once a barrister receives his/her certificate to practice they undertake a completely different life style.This life requires them to dress in dark black gowns and white woolen wigs whilst they advocate in courts such as the crown court. They also wear this â€Å"uniform† whilst they are in their chamber and when they are giving out legal advice on their specialist subject of higher law unlike lay people who do not require a uniform and soliciters must wear a smart suit. Soliciters will instruct a Barrister for their client, and unlike barristers will establish a compel ling defence for the barrister to then stand up in court and argue it for the client.However both parties must have a comprehesive understanding of law and soliciters can also give Barristers law advice on cases of law. E. g. negligence, wills, conveyancing etc. Unlike lay people and soliciters practicing Barristers are usually self-employed but usually work from sets of chambers with approximately 20 members in order to share administration costs and a clerk. More recent access to Justice act gives solicitors the right to do advocacy so they can also appear in court as advocates but need to gain an advocacy certificate before they can do so, unlike barristers.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Review Questions Essay

Answer the following questions (you may use MS Project Help): 1) What are the three base calendars included in MS Project and what are the default values of each? Standard – Default base calendar, Monday to Friday, 8 to 5, lunch noon to 1. This is the default base calendar used for the project, for tasks and for resources. Night Shift – Usually for graveyard shift, 11 PM to 8 AM, five days a week, lunch 3 AM to 4AM. 24 Hours – Work never stops here. Typically used for projects in a manufacturing situation, midnight until midnight 7 days a week. 2) What is the difference between a base calendar and a resource calendar? Resource Calendars apply to only specific resources. 3) Why schedule one project meeting after completion of the last task, Test System? We should – as a final meeting to discuss how the project went as a whole. 4) Give an example of when you would assign a 24-hour calendar to a resource. 24-Hour calendars would be used in situations where a consultant is being used to complete a fixed-cost task 5) If you were doing a senior project, what would be the base calendar you would use for students working on the project and what adjustments would you make to it? The base calendar I would use would probably be the 24-hour calendar because there would not be a set time each task will be worked on. Turn in this sheet with your MS Project file to the Weekly iLab Dropbox.

Julia and Julia, 2009 Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Julia and Julia, 2009 - Movie Review Example Struggling to find a meaning to her life and how to spend her time in the new country she is in, she tries out several activities but eventually finds interest in French cooking which she begins to learn. She eventually co-writes and publishes a book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which becomes a renowned bestseller. The other woman’s character, Julie Powell, is set in 2002. Julie has an unpleasant ordinary job answering phone calls for 9/11 victims and their families at a call center in Manhatten, New York. She is an aspiring writer but cannot complete or publish any of her work. To fill her time, she tries cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s book and decides to blog about it. The film connects the daily lives, difficulties and joys in the separate lives of these two women, their husbands and friends, as they traverse through this inter-twined tale of finding their ambition, passion, goals, and love through daily doses of cooking. Interestingly, even though Streep’s performance stands out visibly, there is no central human character in the film. The stories are skillfully weaved together to maintain the centrality of the idea that food can be more than something one cooks or just a source of nutrition and can, instead, be treated as a source of joy and an appetizer to happiness in life. For both Julie and Julia, food becomes a starting point for confident social interaction, parties, relationships and a binding force in their respective marriages as well. Both their husbands are supportive and, barring a few occasions of frustration, loving to their wives. This also supports maintaining of focus on the plot where the women are not seeking men but already have a loyal, caring and accommodating family. Julie Powell’s husband, Eric Powell, played ably by Chris Messina encourages his wife to write a blog to overcome her writer’s block giving her the impetus to start writing about her cooking adventures. Despite odd, and sometimes funny,

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Flim log Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Flim log - Essay Example The first time the viewer notices his sex appeal is the scene in the driveway where a woman calls him, apparently mistaking him for someone else (Lewis 2008). His costar. Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond acts as a faded movie star who is very attractive. She draws Gillis into her fantasy world. The movie proves to be a film noir from the point we get a view of the beautiful Gloria at the Sunset Boulevard mansion (Culbertson 2006). Most of the people at the time cared about seeing an appealing character on screen rather than the quality of the film thus casting Swanson. The screen goddess Swanson had â€Å"a lot of Norma in her† according to the director of the movie. She was sophisticated and as beautiful as a goddess. It is the main reason the director decided on the character. The movie â€Å"Samson and Delilah† has received numerous awards, including Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The award, which is an extremely prestigious award, was for a best first feature film (Davis 2009). The movie received critical acclaim because of its interesting storyline. It is a love story between two teenagers that live in a remote community in Central Australia. The characters fit in well in the film as Samson, Rowan McNamara, gives voice to the boys who are like him. Samson, however, has a weird character that is not straight forward. He only speaks once throughout the entire film. The writer of the movie, Thornton says the movie has its basis in the Aboriginal community in Central Australia because the children in the region are written off (Gearing 2010). The two teenagers that fall in love have fought all their lives to be great. Delilah has to take care of her grandmother single-handedly (Redwood 2009). Viewers get to experience a different si de of Australia that they did not know. The success of the movie is in the setting and the film’s intimate mode of storytelling. The film also has a powerful sense of truthfulness (Davis 2009).

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Ethnic Diversity at Workplace Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ethnic Diversity at Workplace - Research Paper Example Notably, the term ‘relational demography’ is often defined as the individual’s demographic similarity or dissimilarity observable in comparison to other members of the organization. It is in this context that the distribution of co-ethnic workers could have implications for the well-being of African American or Latino individuals. As stated by Kanter (1977), on the lower extreme of this distribution, one finds tokenism, a segregated work environment in which the minority group comprises less than 15% of the working group. These minority members would represent a â€Å"critical mass,† possibly reaching equal representation relative to the culturally dominant group (Henderson, 1998). The recent phenomenon depicts that the growing attention towards diverse population research has been increasing constantly and rapidly since the past few decades. However, guided by a philosophical and social point of view, insignificant number of diversity research focuses on t he impacts of workplace racial as well as ethnic diversity at workplace. With the passing time, diversity concerns have deepened instead of fading away as intended with the implementation of anti-discriminatory policies and various other equal opportunity initiatives. Simultaneously, complexities have also increased by a significant extent in relation to diversity, especially within an enclosed and structured workplace setting. It is in this context that there are a few significant factors relating to ethnic diversity such as the biological sex concept, which is the only defining characteristic between a male and a female populace within the modern day workplace setting. Some feminist researchers recognized the essence of evaluating the distinction as well as historical and cultural features within women populaces in workplace setting categorizing them as a proportion of diverse population (Shore, Chung-Herrera, Dean, Ehrhart, Jung, Randel & Singh, 2009). Personal reflection There a re many reasons behind choosing the diverse population at work place for performing this particular study. The underpinned philosophical context behind this study depicts that for the purpose of developing the public policy it is essential to recognize that workplace diversity is a critical variable to develop a stable, sound as well as progressive society. The significance of managing diverse workforce has been rapidly increasing since past few years owing to the diversification as well as the international expansion of the organizational boundaries. It is fundamentally due to this reason that a large variety of populace who differ in terms of gender, ethnicity, color and even race tends to be employed in a specific workplace setting. Simultaneously, with the increasing influence of globalization, customers groups are also emerging as widely diverse, which further increases the necessity of studying the issue of workplace diversity, especially in terms of ethnicity (Gandz, 2001). I t is in this context that diversity at workplace is increasingly being considered as an essential factor which can assist to interpret into product as well as services which are effectively and efficiently provided by the organization. Consequently, many organizations have been realizing the need of providing better services to diverse customers

Monday, August 26, 2019

Unilever's participation in the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil Essay

Unilever's participation in the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil - Essay Example For the past years usage of palm oil has significantly increased and continues to grow. Today consumption of palm oil became 10 times more than it was in 1980. The World Wide Fund for Nature predicts that in 5 years the consumption of palm oil will double, thus making this industry very profitable and beneficial (What is palm oil? n.d.). Palm oil industry, being a profitable business and contributing to the economy of the producers' countries, makes negative impact on environment. The main results of such impact are deforestation (the forests are cut to increase the number of palm oil plantations), climate change (as a result of deforestation), air and water pollution, soil erosion (as fire is usually a mean of deforestation, and palm oil mills produce significant amounts of effluents), species extinction (as a result of climate change and environmental pollution), human health worsening (as a result of climate change and pollution) (What is palm oil? n.d., Sustainable and responsibl e palm oil n.d., Palm oil n.d., Basiron 2014). Because of the negative impact of palm oil industry, the world community started to talk about the necessity to attract attention of this business to the problems, make it sustainable and encourage the corporations, which deal with palm oil industry, to be responsible for their actions. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be viewed as a concept, according to which enterprises take into account interests of society, where they operate, and take responsibility for the influence of their activity on environment, society, workers and other stakeholders.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Pandemic Flu plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pandemic Flu plan - Case Study Example that has seen heath experts and governments come together to formulate policies and plans on how to curb and mange influenza so as to reduce loss of life through such pandemic. Communities at their local levels have come up with ways to handle influenza so to protect the community members from suffering and deaths. This paper indicates a community plan outlines strategies to curb influenza in Glen Falls in New York. To enhance influenza review in Glen Falls, the plan shall initiate measures to protect community members from attacks and loss of lives as a result of flu. They include; This shall be meant to promote and boost the immunity of villagers through anti viral drugs and vaccine. Parents shall be advised to take their children fro vaccine so as to enable them withstand the effects of influenza. Immunization awareness shall be carried out to educate the people on the need to consider immunization as the possible solution for this challenge. Expectant mothers shall be advised to attend prenatal and antenatal care program in which vaccination and immunization for the unborn baby and the mother shall be done to offer remedy for this problem. To educate the community, seminars and workshops shall be carried out in the community to enlighten the people. Cultural dances and performances where by communal artists shall be used to perform and make skits more so in the evenings which shall bring together members of the community to learn on the need to take on immunization program to remedy influenza. Influenza pandemic requires proper planning that involves partie s of every level such as communities and families and individuals so as to slow and respond so as to recover from this disaster. This is because influenza has been identified to cause loss of life through illness making it a public threat. The plan will involve health care providers in advocating the control of influenza in the community. Hospitals shall print leaflets which shall have the information

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Prevention of Financial Frauds Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Prevention of Financial Frauds - Assignment Example Various strategic practice models for financial fraud prevention have been proposed in the recent years and some of them are discussed in this proposal. Financial frauds are widely perceived to be various deliberately made criminal acts seriously violating civil law while based on financial transactions and meant to attain myriad personal benefits. For the past many years, research reports have been illuminating that the need to combat financial frauds has become increasingly important and inevitable concerning its widespread proliferation and the immense threat it poses to the older citizens especially, though this criminal issue largely involves people of all ages as well. From frauds planned on a large-scale and committed to weaken the roots of national economy to small-scale financial frauds like fake lotteries and work at home plots, this criminal issue has largely succeeded in building many holes in the net the f financial security which was once strong and meant to preserve the public protective. A layered security approach and effective tools are required to handle this dramatic emergency of felonious financial frauds and by controlling who first receives sensitive documents like bank statements, small organizations can prevent financial fraud occurrence (CBIA News, 2007). Expert policy-makers and researchers at (Research Centre on the Prevention of Financial Fraud, 2009) proposed a three-fold strategy to prevent the financial fraud proliferation around the globe. Consolidating information in an attempt to compile the fraud research for providing a disciplinary support to the policy-makers can help in preventing huge losses based on billions of dollars and occurring every year as a result of financial frauds.  

Friday, August 23, 2019

WK3_Performance Management Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

WK3_Performance Management Paper - Essay Example At the same time, the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) is perceived to be extremely crucial for attaining the increased performance of an organization (Huselid, Jackson and Schuler 171-188). In order to ascertain comprehensive understanding about the performance management, this paper will critically review the selected article â€Å"Technical and Strategic Human Resource Management Effectiveness as Determinants of Firm Performance†. Furthermore, the article will apply the derived understanding from the article in the context of Ford Motor Company (Huselid, Jackson and Schuler 171-188). SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE The article is primarily based on the learning relating to the performance management system of different firms in the United States. The article also explains the effective Human Resource Practices that can be utilized for delivering effective performance management practices. It predominately propagates the combination of various strategic HR practices that can p rovide great aid in determining and achievement of the broad objectives of a business. Furthermore, this article highlights the importance and broad functions of technical along with strategic HRM effectiveness. This article critically reveals the relation between effectiveness of HRM and a firm’s performance. ... COMPARISION OF THE COMPONENTS IDENTIFIED WITH FORD MOTOR COMPANY’S PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM The critical review of the selected article broadly propagated the role of strategic HRM in enhancing the performance of an organization. Additionally, it has been ascertained that the strategic HRM within an organization facilitates in embedding the organizational strategies and policies with HR strategies which ultimately contributes towards increasing the overall performance of the organization. The comparison of the performance management processes as identified in the selected article with Ford Motor Company reveal that there persists certain differences within the Ford Motor Company in their current practice. Essentially, Ford Motor Company believes in maintaining all round transparency regarding the expectations of the company from its employees and further seeks to attain reliable commitment of employees towards the accomplishment of the organizational goals and objectives. On the contrary, the selected article firmly emphasized that the US organizations largely relies upon creating broad strategic HRM practices so as to ensure proper performance management of the employees as well as the organization. Ford Motor Company is also working upon various plans to incorporate new and improved performance management strategies in the future. In contrast the selected article showed that the US organizations primarily believed on statistical analysis and processes as well as on various feedback collection methods on order to measure outcome generated from performance management activities. Nonetheless, it can be argued that the performance management techniques followed by Ford Motor

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Church Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Church Growth - Essay Example It not only tells about the principles but also tells us that why we want to grow It tells us about the core motivations behind church growth. It tells us about the relationship between leadership and church growth. It gives description about larger and smaller churches. Chapters seventeen, eighteen and nineteen speak about the basic principles of the Church Growth movement. This movement is based upon the use of sociological devices in order to attract new converts. The next idea that the author tells the reader in chapter twenty is that of laity and ministry. This section states that for both pastors and the other laity there are different things that must take place, which are not always pleasing and difficult to do. One of the most thrilling principles of church growth is to set free laity to do the work of ministry1. Chapters twenty one till twenty six chronicle the various strategies that have been used by the Church Growth movement in order to improve its clout and influence. Numerical strength will always help Christianity while every effort should be conducted in order to capture the heart of potential converts. The remaining chapters focus on the organization, planning, and preparation of the Church Growth movement. Church planting is the next idea of this book.

Tesco is the most successful supermarket chain in UK Essay Example for Free

Tesco is the most successful supermarket chain in UK Essay Tesco is the most successful supermarket chain in UK because of its well-known good services and product quality. To maintain this loyalty, they go greater lengths to improve and sustain quality. Tesco define quality assurance and quality control as an ongoing approach to providing 100% customer satisfaction by providing error free, waste free and accident free products and services. To establish this quality process, each functions management staff attends meetings every day on total quality management and on leadership of quality between functions to achieve objectives. Within the company, a quality improvement team meets weekly to lead and monitor the quality process. The organisation as a whole has principles that it operates on to ensure quality mainly: * A must to meet customer requirements and satisfaction all the time * Prevention of defects and errors of any kind * Measurements to verify the processes are meeting requirements as intended Improving quality in products is done in many ways. Starting with products produced by Tesco itself to meet their customer needs, products are inspected and tested at various points during production. Staff are highly trained to maintain quality and also keep personal hygiene so that they dont contaminate the products with germs. The products also have expiry dates which also monitored so that the expired ones are quickly removed. Most fresh products are not sold after 24 hours but instead removed and replaced with new ones. The place is regularly cleaned to maintain hygiene. The quality control assurance management is concerned with detecting and cutting out the products that fall below set standards. This process takes place after these products have been produced. Quality control is carried out by Tesco employing quality control inspectors. Inspection and testing are the most common methods Tesco uses to carry out quality control. Quality assurance occurs both during and after the event, and is concerned with trying to stop faults from happening. Quality assurance is concerned with making sure products are produced to satisfactory standards. Quality assurance is the responsibility of the workforce working in teams. Quality standards should be maintained by following steps set out in Tesco quality assurance system. Tesco produce their very own basic household products to satisfy the needs of various consumers. There are various processes involved in adding value in the process of their products. Tesco add value to their products by adding more information on the products. Even when a product remains the same, packaging information may have to be altered because of a change in legal requirements, changes in nutritional concepts, or advances in food preservation and cooking. For example, a product might have its packaging altered to indicate that it could be suitable for microwave cooking. It will therefore be necessary to test the product in their laboratory. Here they insert fibre optic probes into the product. This allows Tesco to monitor the temperature of the product whilst it is cooking, in order to ensure that it reaches a high enough temperature for it to be consumed with safety and this is how Tesco adds value to its goods so that customers are tempted and attracted to buy them. Quality Systems Tesco products are continually monitored and tested for their quality and customer acceptability; this is their product evaluation. Tesco staff and management procedures are also monitored to ensure that they maintain the highest standards; this is quality assurance. Below are the quality systems which Tesco use in their production process to add value. Total Quality Management (TQM) this is the most complete and complicated form of operations management. It is concerned with encouraging everyone in the workplace to think about quality in the business and use different management techniques within each department. Tesco does not prescribe any particular system of standards such as BS5750 or ISO9000. This is because they set their own standards through product specifications, detailed analytical specifications and codes of practice like preventing diseases from entering the food chain. Within the product process, they also expect their suppliers to have identified the critical points in the production process controls and premises by one of their technologists. However, if a supplier chooses to use BS5750 or ISO9000 as part of its discipline, they have no objection whatsoever. So therefore Tesco uses its very own quality standards to produce and sell its products. In terms of services, Tesco staff are well trained to deal with customers even in the most difficult moments when they are angry. They are always expected to be polite, smile when serving customers and also say bye after serving them. To enforce this, they are regularly monitored by managers and supervisors and anybody not obeying the regulations faces disciplinary action. Tesco not only has well trained staff but also a whole lot of other things including free car parks with easy access for shoppers who have cars, free wide trolleys with special seats for babies and young children, special tills for the disabled people which also decreases long queues, the supermarkets are well organised that a shopper can easily find what they are looking for and also the chances of getting lost around the places are very minimal, they have got staff always standing by to help, tight security with guards and CCTV cameras to maintain customer safety, some stores have free busses that customers can use, childrens play areas so that they dont get so bored, it has got online orders where customers make their orders and get free delivery to their door steps, shops are always open to make it more reliable for customers to shop, some stores are open twenty four hours a day and many are adopting this idea, chairs around the place which customers can sit on when tired, free l oyalty cards for customers who wish to sign up therefore saving on their shopping, Tesco not only provides western food but also ethnic foods to cater for the ethnic minorities, free scanners that shorten queues, special offers like buy one get one free, there is a variety of product s in the stores, more facilities including: -cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s -photo processing -phone services -electric, books, music video stores -petrol stations C Tesco is definitely meeting its quality objectives. They have been awarded quality prices and granted as the best supermarket chain in the country. Their sales are always growing and the only time they fall is when the whole economy is not doing well which means people are in recessions. Because the business is able to deliver good quality services and products, it is increasingly expanding with stores all over Europe and also being the first UK supermarket chain to expand into Asia.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Importance of Credit Risk Management in Banking

The Importance of Credit Risk Management in Banking Credit risk implies a potential risk that the counterparty of a loan agreement is likely to fail to meet its obligations as per the original loan agreement, and may eventually default on the obligation. Credit risks can be classified into many forms such as options , equities , mutual funds , bonds , loans and other financial issues as well , which in extensions of guarantees and the settlement of these transactions. (International Auditing Practice Statement 1006 Audits of the Financial Statements of Banks) IS IT Important For the Banks To manage Their Credit Risks ? Risk is always associated with the banking activities, and taking risk is the important part of any banking operation, there is hardly any banking operation without the risk. Most of the bankers are said to be sound when they have a clear overview of what is the amount of risk involved in the current transaction and they make sure that some of the partly earnings are therefore kept for these risks. The granting of any form of credit is the common form for any bank and this risk is very common and this is the source of risks the banks are always exposed to. (Anderson et al, 2001). By being exposed to credit risk banks have been faced with a lot of problems. The banks couple of years ago realised that credit risk is important and the banks need to monitor, identify, control and measure it is very significant. Due to this the effective management of credit risk has become a critical component of approaching risk management. This approach will be especially important in terms of the long term success of any bank. Banks now ensure that they have large amount of capital against any form of credit risks so that they can be in a position to adequately tackle any risks which will be incurred. (Bank for International Settlement, 1999) The credit risk is in the entire portfolio of any bank and also the risk which is associated in individual credits or any other transactions have to be managed adequately. It is always a ascertained that the relationship between the credit risk and other forms of risks need be to considered very seriously in to account, in order to Increase shareholder value through value creation, value preservation and value optimization Increase confidence in the market place Alleviate regulatory constraints and distortions (Amitabh Bhargava ICICI, 2000) The Basel II Accord specifies that banks must have new procedures for measuring against credit risks. Advantages and Disadvantages of Credit Risk Management The advantages of Credit risk management include: Credit risk management allows predicting and forecasting and also measuring the potential risk factor in any transaction. The banks management can also make use of certain credit models which can act as a valuable tool which can be used to determine the level of lending measuring the risk. It is always better to have some alternative techniques and strategies for transferring credit, pricing and hedging options. The disadvantages of Credit risk management include: Deciding on how good a risk you are cannot be entirely scientific, so the bank must also use judgments. Cost and Control associated with operating a credit scoring system. With the existence of different models, it?s hard to decide which to use, more often than not, companies will take a one model fits all approach to credit risk, which can result in wrong decisions. How Banks Measure Credit Risk The level of credit risk faced by a bank is provided by the structure of a bank?s credit portfolio. If the portfolio consists of large amount of loans in a certain asset class then this might be an indication of an increased risk. Similarly the presence of complex financial transactions such as lending may also indicate a larger risk. In general a risk always comprises of two kinds: One is risk exposure and the other one is the uncertainty element, and for the credit risk and the credit quality represents the uncertainty element and credit exposure represents risk exposure. Therefore a bank can assess its credit risk by analysing the credit quality of an obligation and its credit exposure. While assessing credit quality and exposure a bank must consider three issues: Probability of default or any sort of possibility whether the other party which is the counter party will default on the obligation either over the life of the obligation over a specific period of time. The exposure of credit or the amount of the outstanding obligation which again depends on the size if there is any case of default. Rate of recovery this is the extent towards which the credit can be recovered through some banking processes like bankruptcy and other proceedings of settlements. In the last decade or so many banks have started to make use of models in order to assess the risks for their credit which they lend. The credit risk models are very complex and include algorithm based methods of assessing credit risk. The aim of such model is to help banks in quantifying, aggregating and managing credit risk. Despite the method the focus of credit risk assessment stays credit quality and risk exposure. Analysis of the Quality of Credit (Credit Quality) Credit quality is a measure of the that counterparties?s ability to perform on that obligation?. (Contingency Analysis, 2003) A bank adopts different approaches for assessing credit quality of considering loans to individuals or businesses. If it is for small businesses then the credit quality will be assessed through a process of credit scoring. This is based on information obtained by the bank about the party who want the loan. The information which is gathered tends to be about annual income, existing debts etc. Credit score is generally calculated by a formula which is applied to the information which is obtained which gives a number based on it the score is generated. The credit score is a highly accurate prediction of how likely the party is to pay bills, the higher the score the better it looks to the bank. (Curry, 2007) However, assessing a large party is based on credit analysis of the loan done by specially designated credit analysts. This just like mention above is base on credit scoring but it involves human judgement. It involves an in depth analysis of various aspect of the party in question including balance sheet, income statement etc. Also assessing the nature of the obligation is taken into account as well. On basis of credit analysis the analyst assigns that party a credit rating. This allows the bank to make decisions regarding credit. A bank can also use credit ratings to measure the share of the borrowers with creditworthiness in its portfolio and get a clear indication of default risk. Measuring Credit Exposure Credit exposure also needs to be taken into account when assessing credit risk or risk exposure. If for example a bank has loaned money to a business, the bank may calculate the credit exposure rate as the outstanding balance on the loan amount. However, in case if the bank by any chance has increased or extended the line of credit but none of the line have been drawn down then the approach will be different. In this case the risk exposure may seem to be nil, but it does not reflect any sort of right by itself to draw down the line of credit. If the firm gets into any financial difficulty it can be expected to draw on the credit line before any bankruptcy. Therefore in this case the bank may consider its credit exposure to be equal to the line of the credit. Credit exposure as a fraction can also be used sometimes to calculate the credit exposure for the total line of credit. (Duffie Singleton, 2003) How Banks Mange Their Credit Risk Credit risk management practices differ from bank to bank. Generally these type of practices are dependent on the type and complexity of the credit activities which are taken by the banks. In recent years banks have been using models for credit risk management. Bank Credit Risk Management Practices: Yesterday and Today The traditional approach to managing credit risk has been based on establishing a limit of credit at various levels for the individual borrowers an sometimes also based on geographical are and industry type. Also collateral and relationship exiting hardly seem adequate to cope with the declining economics of loan markets. (Gontarek, 1999) These limits specify the maximum exposures a bank is willing to take. Until the early 1990?s , credit risk analysis was limited only based on the reviews of the loans of individuals and most of the banks kept the loans on their books for maturity. (Bernanke, 2006) In recent years banking industry has made strides in managing credit risk. Managing the credit risks is the main focus of any banking operation these days and many banking?s are looking now from transaction management to portfolio management. And have slowly changed from monitoring to practising and also predicting their performance. Banks are still holding onto traditional credit risk management tools but these are becoming more and more sophisticated. Various forms of tools and models have been generated to measure and predict the performance and management of portfolio risks which in turn build competitive advantage. Despite the differences in the credit risk management practices the credit risk management in any bank rest on four pillar of: appropriate credit risk environment Sound credit-granting process or criteria that includes a clear indication of the bank?s target market Appropriate credit administration, measurement and monitoring process Adequate controls over credit risk. (Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, 2000) Therefore whether traditional or modern, credit risk management in banks involves reviewing creditworthiness of counterparties, setting credit limits for counterparties, evaluation of credit risk and reporting credit limits and exposures to management. (Caouette et al, 1998) Recent Trends in Credit Risk Management by Banks The credit risk management is undergoing an important change in the banking industry. Banks have clearly indicated that centralization, standardization, consolidation, timeliness, active portfolio management and efficient tools for exposures are the key best practice in credit risk management. (SAS, 2004) A bank in America is considering having efficient tools for ?what if? analysis and tools. Also another bank is focusing on stress testing, concentration risk, macro-hedges and capital market risk management. (SAS, 2004) The majority of the world?s large banks agree that integrating environmental and broader social issues into their core credit risk management process is essential to managing credit risk in the 21stcentury. (Huppman, 2005) Leading banks including Barclays now view that these non traditional issues as real credit risk variables that potentially affect their client?s bottom lines as well as their own. Quantitative models are being used by banks to measure and manage credit risk. Most of the Commercial bankers have started to opt for making use of the credit risk models for their credit options especially with relation to consumer lending and mortgage. These models are known as credit scoring models and were developed for consumer lending. On the other hand it has been a few years ago where the use of these credit risks models have been implemented successfully and are integrated these days with almost every bank to manage their risk. (Bluhm et al , 2003) In 2001, the UK?s biggest mortgage bank, Halifax, developed a forward looking credit risk management strategy which made use of quantitative models for risk management. (Algorithmics Incoporate, 2001) Similarly HSBC serves over 125 million customers worldwide and is the one of the world?s largest banking and financial services organizations. The world largest provider of quantitative credit risk solutions to lenders (Moody?s KMV) have decide to provide HSBC with this, which will provides HSBC a methodology for rapid, accurate measurement and benchmarking of credit risk portfolio. (Vyse, 2006) Role Of Management in Managing Credit Risk The board of directors of a bank approve and review the credit risk strategy and significant credit risk policies of the bank. The bank?s strategy reflects the bank?s tolerance for risk and the level of profitability the bank expects to achieve for incurring credit risks. These days banks establish and enforce internal controls and other practices to ensure that exceptions to policies, procedures and limits are reported in a timely manner to the management. Due to this credit risk is constantly monitored by the management. Innovations in Technology and Credit Risk Management Credit risk management in banks is also getting affected by innovations in technology. Innovations in technology have made significant improvements in bank information systems. This has also been encouraged by Basel II. The improvements in bank information systems has certainly increased the abilities of many banks and their management process to measure and identify and also control the characteristics of any kind of risk. For example ICBC (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China) the credit management computer system was further perfected with risk alert and conversion functions and it performed effective real-time monitoring on the quality and operations of the credit assets. (ICBC, 2001)

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

McDonalds vs. Burger King :: Business Management Studies Essays

McDonald's vs. Burger King In diagnosing the McDonald's organization, the first issue we will examine is their company goals. McDonald's has a goal of one hundred percent total customer satisfaction. However, they do realize that this goal is not always attainable. Therefore, if for any reason they do not meet that goal, they will do whatever it takes to correct their mistake. McDonald's has a second company goal that sets them apart from most of their competitors. McDonald's was founded on the principle of giving back to the community, and that remains one of their primary goals today. Through their charities, Ronald McDonald's House and Ronald McDonald's Children's Charities, McDonald's has pumped millions of dollars back into the community over the years. McDonald's customer service policy is laid out in the McDonald's Guarantee. The McDonald's Guarantee states, Your food will be hot. Your service will be fast and friendly. ! And your drive-thru orders will be double-checked right. If you're not satisfied, we'll make it right. Or your next meal is on us. Guaranteed. The customer service procedures of McDonald's are centered on focusing on one customer at a time. They are more concerned with the quality of the service tha the speed of the service. Employees usually take only one order at a time. They then prepare that order while the customers wait. After the present customer is satisfied, they move on to the next customer. This procedure allows great accuracy and quality, but lacks speed. McDonald's climate was not very appealing. Everything appeared to be focused around the business instead of the customers. Employees were working at a rapid pace, but it seemed like they had no time for customers. They acted as if it was a burden for them to stop and answer a simple question or refill a drink. The atmosphere was also very noisy. There was constant beeping, banging, and yelling coming from the ! service area. They did not provide a pleasant ambiance for cus! tomers to dine in. McDonald's communication and leadership were also lacking. The only communication between employees and customers was the placement of orders. The employees provided no feedback in terms of double-checking orders or communicating any delays that might occur. Communication between employees consisted of loud yelling throughout the kitchen. In terms of leadership, we did not see a manager present during our entire visit. Diagnosing Burger King was a little more difficult because they do not provide customers with literature (pamphlets) communicating goals and policies, as McDonald's does. However, Burger King's goals seemed quite clear.

Monday, August 19, 2019

classroom management Essay -- essays research papers

There are many different ways to run a successful and effective classroom. Numerous people have tried to give me the best advice for making things work, but ultimately it will be my choice to decide what works best for me. By assessing the students' needs, I will be able to provide a curriculum and classroom environment that will hopefully motivate their learning. In assessing my own needs, I can make the proper actions necessary to make sure that those needs are met. Rules and consequences fall under both the needs of the student and the teacher, so those are essential as well. In the following, I will discuss what I find to be the needs of the student, the needs of the teacher, and how my philosophy on rules, consequences, and discipline play into these needs. According to several educational psychologists and theorists, there are many different needs of a student. I agree particularly with Glasser, who states that students have a need for belonging, "fun", freedom, and a warm environment with a meaningful and engaging curriculum. Linda Albert contributes more by theorizing that the student needs to feel accepted (by being who they are, without judgment), and that student needs attention and affection (Devito, 2004). These, in my own opinion, are some of the most important needs that a teacher might face, especially when teaching adolescents. While all students have different needs, these are a few that are shared by most. Often times, as a teacher you are the most influential adult figure in a child's life. By creating a warm environment where the student not only feels comfortable, but is eager to come to, you have created the beginning of a successful learning environment. Once you have the student in class, who is ready to learn, the need for an interesting and stimulating curriculum is a must. One cannot teach a student who is disengaged and bored, so as a teacher it is necessary to understand the need for exploring topics of interest. Not only do students have the needs as listed above, but according to Kohn, they also have the need to be treated as individuals (Devito, Spring 2004). Democratically speaking, Glasser says they also need a sense of power in addition to their need to be treated as individuals (Devito, Spring... ...tor, not an acquaintance. Disciplining a student isn’t the highlight of my career path, but it is essential to maintaining the organized classroom I need and it will be done. In order to learn, students need discipline with dignity. They need to know that misbehavior is not okay, and that there are rules and standards to live by in the classroom, just like there is in the â€Å"real world†. Students, when given a routine and are treated with structure, generally perform better. By instilling discipline in the classroom, I hope to provide a more stable and more effective learning environment for all. Above all, my educational philosophy in discipline focuses on consistency. I have learned through all theorists, Ms. Devito, all my other professors, and by my own experience that this is a must in the classroom. It is important to be impeccable with our word as teachers because often times, it is the only leverage that we have over the students. As humans alone, it is the most powerful tool that we possess. If a teacher makes false promises and empty threats, then inevitably, their word becomes worthless and their credibility is ruined. This is somewhere no teacher wants to go.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

English Essay -- English Literature

English The Crucible Essay The Crucible, a tale of superstition and tyrannical oppression set to shake our complacency and make us think. Arthur Miller, the author of this compelling play, deals with controversial issues and subjects which could be classed as taboo such as infidelity and witchcraft. He has a rare talent when it comes to writing and conveying human emotions to his audience. Act 2 opens in the ‘common room’ of Proctor’s house. John Proctor arrives later than usual after a hard days work. Carrying his gun he enters the â€Å"low, dark and rather long living-room†. The stage directions not only suggest he is displeased with his food upon tasting it - he meddles with the pot situated on the fire: â€Å"Then he lifts out the ladle and tastes. He is not quite pleased†¦Ã¢â‚¬  - but also suggest that the setting in which this takes place is depressing and lifeless, symbolising the feelings that are conjured up in John when entering his ‘home’. The first words spoken between husband and wife are Elizabeth questioning his whereabouts in a very accusational way ‘What keeps you so late? It’s dark.’. There is no reaction from John just an honest reply as if Elizabeth had no double meaning to her inquiry, no Hi or Hello in sight. From then onwards basic chit-chat such as the farm and the weather ‘Pray now for a fair summer’ fill their conversation. The little conversation that they manage to force feels stunted and false as both John and Elizabeth are being too polite - not as man and wife should behave. John manages to eat a whole meal but they only speak six or more times leaving much of the time to be filled by uncomfortable silence. Elizabeth watches the reaction of her husband when he tastes her .. ... utter despair. The confession of John’s left her feeling vulnerable and alone. Her suspicion of her husband is so strong because of her low self-esteem and insecurities. Abigail threatens her. What is she to do? Everyday she is faced with the reminder that she wasn’t enough for the love of her life but she has no choice - she cannot leave. Society had not yet accepted even the concept of divorce, especially Practising Catholics like themselves. People judged their neighbours and it mattered about keeping up appearances. There would be no way Elizabeth could have confided in a ‘friend’ about her husband’s infidelity and there was absolutely no way she could walk out on her marriage - divorce was out of the question. Though it may be all dead and buried and laid to rest in John’s mind, for Elizabeth the wounds are just as deep as the day they were made.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Process Of Globalization Has Led To Changes In Crime

The globalization of crime has become a renowned problem for the law worldwide; as societies become more interconnected, an act in one country can have repercussions in another which is across another continent. This is primarily down to technological developments, as nowadays communication between countries is simple compared to decades ago. Alongside this transport is also a major problem, as it means that illegal activities can take place in more than one country as goods are transferred between the two, allowing the criminal world to reach all corners of the world.The idea that globalization has produced new opportunities for crime is supported by Held et al (1999), who suggest that it has also led to new means of committing crime as well as there being new offences to commit. On the surface we may deem this to be due to knowledge of certain crimes and processes being shared between associates in each country, introducing the new ways and means to try and gain the upper hand on t he out of touch police, however we must look at the situation in more business like terms: supply and demand.Held et al found that the western civilizations generally had more demand for certain aspects of crime, such as drugs and illegal sexual encounters. Not being able to produce enough within their own civilizations, other parts of the world (notably South America for drugs) come into play. Due to them having the raw materials, whether it be drug ingredients or ability to kidnap etc. they are able to supply the west with the products they need, thus building greater connections between the continents worldwide.Globalization has not only had an effect of physical crime, but also a substantial impact on cybercrimes. As we have become ever more reliant on computer based technology in our lives, computer hackers are continuously given new opportunities to hack servers and reek havoc with our lives through activities such as hacking a bank account, or even as extreme as invading secr et service servers to gain information causing a national risk. As technology is used worldwide, it is in no way hard to get your hands on, or learn how to use computers etc.One of the most significant problems with cybercrime is it’s secretive nature; many protection devices which can be cracked will not pick up that they have been, therefore the majority of cybercrime will go unnoticed for a substantial amount of time. Combined with the world wide web, hackers can use the computers to gain information from any organisation around the world, penetrating even the most impenetrable organisations to get what they want, highlighting how technology has led to the process of globalization within the criminal world.Looking away from technology, globalization has also been affected by human nature, as they explore the world and discover new things. Ever since the slave trade, human trafficking has been a highly significant problem, as people are transported across continents for oth er peoples’ benefit. Nowadays, the purposes of these people may have changed from the days of agriculture and manual labour into more modern work such as prostitution and organ removal, but the methodology behind it is still similar.This highlights that the process of globalization is not something that is new, but that instead some aspects of it were created centuries ago. Some people may argue that the increased connections between countries has helped prevent or limit crimes committed compared to if there was no globalization. War crimes such as genocide and nuclear alms amongst others are dealt with by organisations such as the United Nations and NATO, where after and event is known to have occurred/be occurring they will convene and attempt to prevent any further crimes being committed.This is evident in the NATO strikes on Syria in 2012, where they used force in an attempt to stop Dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s tyrannical reign affecting more people. Sociologists dis pute whether this in fact is the case as one of the most significant reasons for the interconnectedness of crime between societies can be put down to each individual police force having different standards. Without any universal guidelines, they are each able to focus on certain aspects and neglect others.Alongside this, stereotypes highlight how some police officers, and even forces, are corrupted by organised crime gangs and therefore allow the criminal activity to take place, which in turn allows for more crime to be committed. This is evident in activities such as drug trafficking, where in the Middle East and South America criminals are able to bribe police to allow shipments and containers to travel abroad. Taylor (1997), a socialist, looked at the impact of global capitalism on crime. He stated that it allows multinational corporations to move from country to country in search for profitability, regardless of the expense.This is reinforced by the fact many companies outsource their factories and products to be created in LEDC’s such as India and Bangladesh, using the workforce for cheap labour, reducing the costs of the goods. Vastly debated whether or not it is officially criminal, it still highlights how a multinational company can abuse individuals via globalization. Globalization’s impact on the media has also had a knock-on effect on corporate crime in terms of capitalism. As the media becomes accessible worldwide, the consumerist lifestyle is continuously portrayed to people to make them desire more, something which Taylor dislikes.Not only does this keep the corporate crimes reaping the rewards and collecting more profit, but it also leads to them losing substantial amounts every year through stealing and shoplifting. Estimated to be at a cost of  £4. 4 billion in UK stores alone, the personal desire for products which a person can not afford leads them to take such risks to gain what they want. With this, global capitalism essent ially leads to global crime in terms of theft. Hobbs and Dunningham observed two key patterns within the globalisation of crime, the first being the ‘Glocal Organization’.This refers to the fact that whilst crime often operates internationally, they are also still rooted in a local context. It operates as a ‘ghlocal’ system, where it is locally based but has international connections. This in turn also means that more crime would be committed on a whole, as there would be opportunities for international associates to engage in crime also. McMafia is the second pattern they observed in organised crime. Glenny refers to the introduction of organized crime gangs emerging from the fall as communism, taking advantage in the new environment that is capitalism.Criminal organizations are vital to capitalism within the criminal, as it is material wealth that motivates them to take such high risks to gain more. All in all, in my view, which I feel is substantially su pported by the evidence in this essay, is that globalization has led to new types and opportunities for crime. Ultimately I feel the main reason for this is down to technological developments, whether it be in communications or manufacturing, almost every aspect of crime is benefitted by technological advances.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Chinese Business Essay

Introduction It is often argued that when business persons of different cultures negotiate commercial deals, there is bound to be a culture clash. I disagree with this view. It is true that cultural differences influence business negotiations but with the appropriate approach to deal with the differences, culture clash is to be least expected in any business negotiations, especially with the Chinese. As Sun Tzu would advised in his book The Art of War â€Å"Know your enemy and know yourself and you will win all battles† (Sun Tzu 1913). According to Newstrom and Davis (2002) there are many striking differences across countries, just as there are some surprising similarities. Clearly, residents of each country have their own preferences for clothes, food, recreation, and housing. In his research about national cultures of sixty countries, Hofstede (1993) revealed that cultures differ in five key factors namely, individualism/collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity/femininity, and time orientation. Among these factors, the Chinese have the culture that value clarity and have the kind of orientation that accent values such as necessity of preparing for the future, the value of thrift and savings, and the merits of persistence. Literatures on different cultures also classify China as high-context culture which tends to emphasize personal relations, place value on trust, focus on non-verbal cues, and accent the need to attend to social needs before business matters (Newstrom and Davis 2002). Culture is very important in certain country such as China. Huntinghon (2000) as cited by Fellner (2008) defined culture as the values, attitudes, beliefs, and underlying assumptions prevalent among people in a society. He stressed that culture is dynamic, interactive, and synergistic, and intermixes with all the elements of the society such as business and economic development (Huntinghon 2000; Fellner 2008). Huiping (2009) stated in her article entitled Understanding Chinese culture leads to business success with China’s growing significance as an economic superpower  understanding the Chinese psyche becomes very helpful and useful in business negotiations management of supplier relations and many other business situations. As emphasized by Uthaisangchai (n. d. ), Chinese history and culture has impact on the way they do business and each of the many elements of the Chinese culture has a role to play in today Chinese business world. In Hofstede’s (1980) theory of individualism-collectivism as cited by Jones (2009), the individualism and collectivism dimensions differs on the degree a culture is committed to an in-group such as extended family, company or village. In the individualistic society, people are less attached to an in-group (that is, people are more self-centered and in pursuit of their own self-interests). Meanwhile in the collectivist society, people are more attached to an in-group, that is the interests of the in-group come first. Jones (2009) also noted from Hofstede and Bond (1988) that such value of collectivism likely stems from a deep rooted, ingrained culture based on the traditional philosophy of Confucianism. Uthaisangchai (n.d,) gave emphasis of the teachings of Confucius in the development of the culture of Chinese. In the article entitled Connecting Confucianism, Communism and the Chinese Culture of Commerce, Keller and Kronstedt (2005) explained that Confucianism is a very important component of the Chinese culture. â€Å"In a Confucian society, everyone has a role to play, and the key relationship is built around the family†¦ Chinese cultures value family connections and protecting relationships (saving face). Developing ‘family-like’ relationships takes time and patience, not merely a contractual deal based solely on money. If one has to do business in a Chinese culture, it is critical to understand and respect Confucian values† (Keller and Kronstedt 2005). Keller and Kronstedt (2005) further emphasized the significance of connections-Guanxi. In Confusian-based society like China, guanxi or proper connections are more crucial than price, product, place, etc. According to Jones (2009), China is known for being loyal to their in-group’ and favoring them in business related decision. As given emphasis by Li (2008) as cited by Jones (2009), understanding the guanxi is critical for conducting business in China and it involves cultivating trust, credibility and reciprocity. One way to understand cultural differences is through the concepts of high-context culture and low-context culture. The notion of ‘context’ can be understood as the social environment in which a business transaction takes place. Edward T. Hall’s theory of high- and low-context culture explains the powerful effect culture has on communication. The countries classified as high-context cultures include China, Korea, Japan, Middle East, Africa, Italy and South America in which people are characterized as collectivists, relational, contemplative and intuitive. This implies that the people in these societies put emphasis on good relationship between members of the society. In relation to business transactions, the development of trust is a very important step. Hall (1976) argued that the people in high-context cultures prefer harmony in group and agreement for the achievement of individual members; also individuals make decisions based on their feelings or intuition. The theory further emphasized that individuals focus on non-verbal cues, that is, words are not so significant in communication as compared to context; rather, more is given emphasis on context which include facial expression, tone of voice of the speaker, posture, gestures, and family history and status of the individual. The communication in the high-context culture is depicted as formal and indirect, which suggests that flowery humility, flowery language, and apologies that are often too elaborated are common. Also, communicators in this type of culture do not depend on language precision and legal documents. Meanwhile, the countries classified as having low-context culture include Germany, North America, Finland, Canada, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden are linear, logical, action-oriented, and individualistic. Individuals in the low-context countries value facts, logic and they prefer directness. Finding solutions to problems involves identifying and enumerating all the facts and evaluating each of the options. Also, each decision is based on facts; more often each discussion ends with an action. Communicators in this type of culture are anticipated to be concise, straightforward, and efficient in conveying the action that is expected. According to Hall (1976), communicators have to be precise in the words used in communicating to be absolutely understood. All negotiations are always concluded with definite contracts. Summing up the differences, on the one hand, high-context cultures tend to emphasize personal relations, place high value on trust, focus on nonverbal cues, and accent the need to attend to social needs before business matters. On the other hand, low-context cultures tend to interpret cues more literally. Individuals tend to rely on written rules and legal documents, conduct business first, and value expertise and performance. With these classifications of cultures, it is apparent that when Americans negotiate with Chinese, a failure in negotiation if not a culture is more likely if the former group is not familiar with the latter. As noted by Minor and Lamberton (2010) from an interview with intercultural communication expert ray Ruiz: â€Å"Countries in Latin American and Asia value the building of relationships, but each in their own unique way. Before traveling to another country, I would recommend reading appropriate materials and speaking with foreign nationals residing in the U. S. in regards to the customs and business practices in their country of origin. I would also suggest that, once in a foreign country, it is important to observe your host’s mannerisms and responses and respectfully respond in a like manner. Be well versed on acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. For example, when in Asia, do compliment and share your impressions of their country. Do not decline any food or drink because this is viewed as an insult. In Latin America, do begin all meetings with friendly conversation regarding family or other social topics. Do not begin a meeting delving directly into the business objective. The lesson many American business people fail to learn is that â€Å"it is all in the relationships† (Minor & Lamberton 2010). In his article Doing Business In and With China: The risks are great, but so are the rewards, Atkinson (2004) noted from Stephen Nelson, the partner and co-head of the China practice group for the Hong Kong-based law firm Baker & McKenzie, that when acquiring businesses in China, it is important to realize that there are perceived cultural differences. One of the important lessons in making business in China is that foreigners simply cannot enter a venture in China with only a cursory understanding of its terms and conditions. Atkinson (2004) cited an example of a US company that recently decided to make an investment in China by setting up a joint company through its Hong Kong manufacturing agent. The US company sent over $3 million worth of equipment, then came to us with documentation written in Chinese and asked ‘Can you look at this and tell us whether we really own 50 percent of this company? ’ Akgunes et al (2012) identified several points to consider for successful negotiations. According to Zhao (2000) as cited by Akgunes et al (2012), negotiations become successful when the participating parties are cooperative with one another; this can be done by applying the cooperative Confucian tactics. Also, for a western company like a US company, such company has to show that they have government support which is an indication that they are reliable, stable and credible to do business with. According to Fang (2006) as noted by Akgunes (2012), trust will lead to much better performance and being patient will be more beneficial to you than any other attribute you might possess. Bredin (1998) as cited by Akgunes (2012) also suggested that a foreign business negotiator should not give in to pressure from superiors to hurry up and complete the deal because can cause problems because the Chinese are not greatly concerned with the time dimension. There are companies that also failed to successfully negotiate business deals with the Chinese. According to Fang (2006) as cited by Akgunes (2012), the most common reason for failure is that the Chinese firm lacks the funds to go through with a deal. Also, sending a low-ranking employee to make the negotiation will be viewed as very impolite and the Chinese may find it insulting and insincere, in this case failure is also almost certain. Moreover, it is important to note from Sebenius (2002) as cited by Akgunes (2012) that Chinese law says that one cannot leave a contract unless both sides approve dissolution. Fang (2006) as cited by Akgunes et al (2012) also emphasized that Failure to say no to a Chinese negotiator who is using a Sun Tzu-like strategy could be detrimental to the deal, but on the other hand, saying â€Å"no† to a Confucian gentleman could cause a loss of face. This also will be very harmful, if not fatal, to a successful deal. The Chinese have regional areas just like the United States and there are very different cultures, traditions and sometimes languages in these regions. Not acknowledging these regions can cause you to have limited success in one area and a complete failure in another (Fang 2006; Akgunes 2012). Conclusion In conclusion, like what Sun Tzu have said in his book The Art of War â€Å"Know your enemy and know yourself and you will win all battles† (Sun Tzu 1913). This means that for companies to be successful in making business deals, having the capital is not enough to close a business deal. Knowledge and understanding of the culture of the prospect business partner is very important. Other than this, Sebenius (2002) emphasized that culturl allegiances are often not as simple as they appear. Designing the right strategy and tactics in reaching the right people, with the right arguments, will result to a sustainable deal. References Fellner, Amira 2008, ‘Role of Culture in Economic Development: Case Study of China and Latin America’, Graduate School Theses, University of South Florisa Schoalr Commons, viewed from http://scholarcommons. usf. edu/cgi/viewcontent. cgi? article=1235&context=etd Hall, Edward 1976, Beyond Culture. Hofstede, Geert 1993, ‘Cultural Constraints in Management Theories’, Academy of Management Executive, pp. 81-94. Jones, Gwen 2009, ‘Differences in the Perceptions of Unethical Workplace Behaviors among Chinese and American Business Professionals, Competition Forum, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 473-480. Keller, G. & Kronstedt C. 2005, ‘Connecting Confucianism, Communicsm, and the Chinese Culture of Commerce’. Journal of Language for International Business, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 60-75. Minor, Leslie & Lamberton, Lowell 2010, ‘High-Context & Low-Context Cultures’, viewed from http://www.cascadebusnews. com/business-tips/networking/154-high-context-a-low-context-cultures. Newstrom, JW. & Davis, K. 2002, Organizational Behavior: Human Behavior at Work, McGraw-Hill Sun Tzu 1913, The Art of War. Uthaisangchai, Prasong (n. d. ), ‘The Importance of Understanding Chinese Culture’, viewed form http://www. bangkokbank. com/download/Week%2012%20Culture%20intro. pdf Huiping, Iler 2009, ‘Understanding Chinese Culture Leads to Business Success, Canadian HR Report, vol. 22, no. 12, pp. 18.

Art and Craft Essay

Art has had a great number of different functions throughout its history, making its purpose difficult to abstract or quantify to any single concept. This does not imply that the purpose of Art is â€Å"vague†, but that it has had many unique, different reasons for being created. Some of these functions of Art are provided in the following outline. The different purposes of art may be grouped according to those that are non-motivated, and those that are motivated (Levi-Strauss). Non-motivated functions of art The non-motivated purposes of art are those that are integral to being human, transcend the individual, or do not fulfill a specific external purpose. Aristotle said, â€Å"Imitation, then, is one instinct of our nature. † [16] In this sense, Art, as creativity, is something humans must do by their very nature (i. e. , no other species creates art), and is therefore beyond utility. Basic human instinct for harmony, balance, rhythm. Art at this level is not an action or an object, but an internal appreciation of balance and harmony (beauty), and therefore an aspect of being human beyond utility. â€Å"Imitation, then, is one instinct of our nature. Next, there is the instinct for ‘harmony’ and rhythm, meters being manifestly sections of rhythm. Persons, therefore, starting with this natural gift developed by degrees their special aptitudes, till their rude improvisations gave birth to Poetry. † -Aristotle [17] Experience of the mysterious. Art provides a way to experience one’s self in relation to the universe. This experience may often come unmotivated, as one appreciates art, music or poetry. â€Å"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. † -Albert Einstein [18] Expression of the imagination. Art provide a means to express the imagination in non-grammatic ways that are not tied to the formality of spoken or written language. Unlike words, which come in sequences and each of which have a definite meaning, art provides a range of forms, symbols and ideas with meanings that are maleable. â€Å"Jupiter’s eagle [as an example of art] is not, like logical (aesthetic) attributes of an object, the concept of the sublimity and majesty of creation, but rather something else – something that gives the imagination an incentive to spread its flight over a whole host of kindred representations that provoke more thought than admits of expression in a concept determined by words. They furnish an aesthetic idea, which serves the above rational idea as a substitute for logical presentation, but with the proper function, however, of animating the mind by opening out for it a prospect into a field of kindred representations stretching beyond its ken. † -Immanuel Kant[19] Universal communication. Art allows the individual to express things toward the world as a whole. [according to whom? ] Earth artists often create art in remote locations that will never be experienced by another person. The practice of placing a cairn, or pile of stones at the top of a mountain, is an example. (Note: This need not suggest a particular view of God, or religion. ) Art created in this way is a form of communication between the individual and the world as a whole. [citation needed] Ritualistic and symbolic functions. In many cultures, art is used in rituals, performances and dances as a decoration or symbol. While these often have no specific utilitarian (motivated) purpose, anthropologists know that they often serve a purpose at the level of meaning within a particular culture. This meaning is not furnished by any one individual, but is often the result of many generations of change, and of a cosmological relationship within the culture. â€Å"Most scholars who deal with rock paintings or objects recovered from prehistoric contexts that cannot be explained in utilitarian terms and are thus categorized as decorative, ritual or symbolic, are aware of the trap posed by the term ‘art’. † -Silva Tomaskova[20] Motivated functions of art Motivated purposes of art refer to intentional, conscious actions on the part of the artists or creator. These may be to bring about political change, to comment on an aspect of society, to convey a specific emotion or mood, to address personal psychology, to illustrate another discipline, to (with commercial arts) to sell a product, or simply as a form of communication. Communication. Art, at its simplest, is a form of communication. As most forms of communication have an intent or goal directed toward another individual, this is a motivated purpose. Illustrative arts, such as scientific illustration, are a form of art as communication. Maps are another example. However, the content need not be scientific. Emotions, moods and feelings are also communicated through art. â€Å"[Art is a set of] artefacts or images with symbolic meanings as a means of communication. † -Steve Mithen[21] Art as entertainment. Art may seek to bring about a particular emotion or mood, for the purpose of relaxing or entertaining the viewer. This is often the function of the art industries of Motion Pictures and Video Games. The Avante-Garde. Art for political change. One of the defining functions of early twentieth century art has been to use visual images to bring about political change. Art movements that had this goal—Dadaism, Surrealism, Russian Constructivism, and Abstract Expressionism, among others—are collectively referred to as the avante-garde arts. â€Å"By contrast, the realistic attitude, inspired by positivism, from Saint Thomas Aquinas to Anatole France, clearly seems to me to be hostile to any intellectual or moral advancement. I loathe it, for it is made up of mediocrity, hate, and dull conceit. It is this attitude which today gives birth to these ridiculous books, these insulting plays. It constantly feeds on and derives strength from the newspapers and stultifies both science and art by assiduously flattering the lowest of tastes; clarity bordering on stupidity, a dog’s life. † -Andre Breton (Surrealism)[22] Art for psychological and healing purposes. Art is also used by art therapists, psychotherapists and clinical psychologists as art therapy. The Diagnostic Drawing Series, for example, is used to determine the personality and emotional functioning of a patient. The end product is not the principal goal in this case, but rather a process of healing, through creative acts, is sought. The resultant piece of artwork may also offer insight into the troubles experienced by the subject and may suggest suitable approaches to be used in more conventional forms of psychiatric therapy. Art for social inquiry, subversion and/or anarchy. While similar to art for political change, subversive or deconstructivist art may seek to question aspects of society without any specific political goal. In this case, the function of art may be simply to criticize some aspect of society.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

How media violence contributes to the violence at home Essay

People have always believed that the various movies and violent dramas that are shown on TV are just but entertainment. In fact, some adults who feel that since they watched television when they were young and it had no negative effects on them tend to think that television violence cannot be a contributor to home violence. However this could not be the case in the present world. This is because the type of programs that were shown in the TVs in the early years did not contain many violent scenes as it is now. Many television programs are characterized with violent acts like abuse and rape, criminal acts and diminished trust. Indeed many researches that have been conducted clearly show that the increases in violence in the television are having a significant contribution to the violence experienced at home. Furthermore, the media portrays that problems both family and social are to be confronted with force or threats of force The effects of the violent scenes on television vary in the adults and children. Children are the ones who are highly affected since they are not able to discern what reality is and what fiction is. This makes them believe almost everything they see as being what the real world is. The present lifestyle has lead to most children spending many hours glued to the television something which itself can affect their behavior. In fact many researchers have shown that both the adults and children who spend most of their time watching television may develop the following perception. First is that there is an increase in crime even if it is not the case (Media Issues). Secondly that they can overestimate the risk of being victimized by crime and lastly they develop fear of crime which in itself sees crime as something that is all around. Some get mislead that violence rarely has negative consequences. In these programs a very high percentage of the violence acts go unpunished. In fact in some, those portrayed as heroes never get punished despite their violent acts. Furthermore, too much violence in the television leads to over aggression among children and in some adults. This has lead to an increase in violent behaviors in the world majorly due to imitation. People who see those being violent on TV try to copy them as models. This character is common among children. Studies have as well shown that children who watch violent shows and even identify with the violent characters are about twice as likely to be violent as young adults. The studies have as well indicated that men are more likely to embrace the violent acts as compared to their female counterparts. Other indicators of contribution of television violence to the home violence include increased desensitization and heartlessness (Christian answers). People tend to be more callous towards those who may have become victims of violence. In this they tend to ignore or just take easy incidences of violence claiming that they are common occurrences in television. This normalizes violence making it to look like part of daily life. Furthermore, in this way it dulls the emotion response to violence’s and its victims. In conclusion the influence of the media content on people has been openly quite evident. Anyone would agree with this. The advertisers use the media to sway consumer’s perception towards given products. This is equally the same to violence in the media which can as well sway peoples’ perceptions towards violence. Due to the above points it is clearly necessary for parents to take action against the viewing of television programs. Parents ought to talk to the children about what programs are good for them and which are harmful. Children should get encouraged to spend most of their time in sports and hobbies or friends other than watching television. Furthermore special banns ought to be put on some programs that have too much violence References Christian answers, Violence in the media – How it affects families? Accessed on August 16, 2010 from http://www. christiananswers. net/q-eden/edn-f012. html Media Issues, Research on the effects of media violence, Accessed on August 16, 2010 from http://www. media-awareness. ca/english/issues/violence/effects_media_violence. cfm

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Internet Personal Security Is Not Absolute Essay

Internet is the most trending and most widely used in today’s generation, either it is used for communication, used for sharing files and documents, for making new acquaintances, or just for own enjoyment. People can also use the internet when they want to socialize with others, when they want to share what’s on their mind and the on goings of their lives, when they want to know what the trending topics like news and scandals, or when they want to post some pranks or scum other people. Internet usability can either be a great help to everyone or it can impose a threat to someone or somebody. People think that when they post something online, whether it is good, bad, privately, or publicly, that information is safely sealed and secured. But the truth is, it can be freely access or easily steal from them. Hacking, viruses, trojans, and especially own self are some of the reasons that threaten internet security. Among all of these examples, hacking is on the top list. Even though there are some laws against hacking like the Republic Act No. 10175, also known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, it is not enough assurance to protect the people against hackers and it doesn’t improve the internet security. Changes need to be made in the law to increase internet security, and find and punish cyber criminals. Additional laws to stop cybercriminals and necessary, unenforceable, and could infringe upon interest users rights to privacy and the growth of the internet. The issue here is that the internet security is not that secured for users or for people to rely upon. People can hide their files thoroughly or limit the number of people who can access his or her private account but sooner or later that information will be publish and revealed publicly with or without his or her approval. There are different explanations on why this information once hidden and now visible seen by many people, but the most common reason is that â€Å"your file/ information is being hacked†, it can be an expert hacker or you have been chosen for someone’s prank or hobby. In strict definition of â€Å"hacker†, according to Rouse, M. (October, 2006): â€Å"Hacker is a term for â€Å"a clever programmer† who wanted to break into someone’s computer systems. These are people who enjoy learning details of programming language or system. They want to further their knowledge and skills in a particular computer language. Typically, the hacker is either proficient programmer or engineer with technical knowledge on the weakness and vulnerability of the computer system. (Rouse, M. (October, 2006). Definition: hacker. Search Security. Retrieved on January 23, 2013 from http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/hacker).† Like the given definition, because of the hacker’s hobby of exploring and gaining more knowledge on his preferred programming language, he will not give a care on whose account he is butchering, as long as he increases his understanding and skills on his chosen subject. He will not consider if it is personally- owned or government-owned accounts, as long as it interests him, he will do anything on his power to hack that website. Like for example the issue of hacking some government and civil society websites in the Philippines. According to Kabiling, G. D. (October 2, 2012): â€Å"The Anonymous Philippines (as what the hackers describe theirselves) hacked different government and civil society websites, namely: Police Community Relations Group (PCRG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), Intellectual Property Office (IPO), and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The reason for their attacked is to voice out their pr otest and opinions on implementing the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. (Kabiling, G. D. (October 2, 2012). More Gov’t Websites Hacked: Cybercrime law in effect starting Wednesday. Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. Retrieved on January 24, 2013 from http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/375681/more-gov-t-websites-hacked#.UQGDCScUuBw).† There is also a hacking issue on American banks, which according to Staff, R. (September 20, 2012): â€Å"The hacking of websites and corporate networks at Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase & Co and Citigroup began in late 2011 and escalated this year. According to one of their sources, the attacks were in response to U.S. sanctions on Iranian banks.† The two issues are both similar and different. It is similar because they reported about different hacker’s interfere someone’s computer system. Different because on the first issue, hacking the government websites, the hackers introduced their group and post the reason why they block the websites and on the second issue, the hacker denied their involvement even though many evidences are pointing towards them. Hacking is the most dangerous hobby. Even though the Philippine government implemented the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, it cannot give assurance on protecting the people. The Philippine government must change this law and focus more on the most problematic cybercrime issues. Government must strengthen the internet security in order to lessen the attacks of the hackers to the innocent people who freely use the internet. And in order to accomplish the changes they must first know why the internet security is absolute? Who are the people affected and can use the internet security? How someone knows if the internet security they use can either be helpful or can trigger harm to them?