Advertising- the seven sins of memory Essay

INTRODUCTION As if effective marketing communication were not hard enough to achieve, even if we succeed in getting our message attended to and processed, and a positive intention formed, the very nature of memory may step in and upset everything. Memory distortion and plain old forgetting are unfortunate facts of life. The important question, however, is: can we do anything about it? As with most things, if we are to have any hope of dealing with memory problems and their impact upon advertising and other marketing communications, we must first understand what is going on. In this paper we will be looking at what Daniel Schacter (2001) has called ‘the seven sins of memory’: transcience, absent-mindedness, blocking, misattribution, suggestibility, bias and persistence. Most of what Schacter is dealing with involves declarative memory and not procedural memory, and as a result is highly dependent upon activity in the hippocampus. Although other brain structures are involved in mediati ng declarative memory, the hippocampus is critical, especially for tasks emphasising the representational as opposed to temporal properties of declarative memory. The hippocampus is always active in encoding new information for declarative memory. Nondeclarative emotional memory is also involved here, especially in the cases of bias and persistence, which means activity in the amygdala as well. There is compelling evidence that the amygdala is critical to emotional learning and memory (cf. Griffiths 1997). Imperfections in memory have obvious implications for the successful processing of advertising. Even if a positive intention is formed as a result of exposure to an advert, if a memory malfunction interferes with that intention, the advertising will be ineffective. The problems associated with these ‘seven sins of memory’, and what advertisers can do about it, are discussed below. THE SIN OF TRANSIENCE Forgetting that naturally occurs over time may be thought of as transcience. While the memory of what one did yesterday may be all but perfect, over time those memories tend to become more a generic description of what one expects to happen under those circumstances rather than what actually did happen. †¢Advertising implication: The sin of transience implies that what people ‘recall’ from advertising is much more likely to reflect a generic description of what is expected about a brand rather than the specific benefits that are part of the message. This has clear implications for interpreting recall measures of advertising messages. But, more importantly, it also suggests that the specific content of marketing communication should be consistent with, or carefully integrated with, prior understandings of the brand. A recent advert for Reynolds Wrap illustrates this can be done with a headline ‘Sticky Foods Won’t Stic’ spelled out in cheese on a pan of lasagne, with a portion cut out of the corner cutting off the last letter of ‘stick’, revealing the aluminium foil, clean, beneath. Transcience increases with age. While older adults those over 50 years of age have the same ability to remember in the short term as younger people, over time, memory of specific detail deteriorates more rapidly. As a result, older adults tend to rely upon a general sense of ‘knowing’ rather than specific recall. The problem of memory transience can be mediated by more elaborative encoding, essentially by stimulating the lower left frontal cortex. One popular way of trying to encourage more elaborate encoding is by using visual imagery mnemonics to facilitate memory. In fact, this idea goes back to the early Greeks. Unfortunately for marketing communication, not only does using visual mnemonics require a great deal of concentration and effort (and there is no easy way to encourage such effort), but for most people there is really very little evidence of general memory improvement using such techniques. †¢Advertising implication: However, one way to encourage more elaborative encoding to help reduce transcience is to relate information the target audience is interested in remembering with something they already know. In advertising, this could be encouraged with questions in the copy to stimulate elaboration: for example, in a recent advert for the Dodge Caravan with the headline ‘What Idiot Coined the Phrase ‘Stay at Home Mom’?’ THE SIN OF ABSENT-MINDEDNESS When one fails to pay proper attention to something and as a result does not encode it properly, or when the information is actually in memory, but overlooked when needed to be retrieved, one experiences the sin of absent-mindedness. Absent-mindedness manifests itself both in failing to  remember past experiences as well as in failing to remember to do something in the future. Both, of course, can prove troublesome for marketing communication. Also, the fact that absentmindedness is more likely for routine experiences that do not in and of themselves require elaborative encoding (e.g. exposure to advertising) adds to the problem. Unfortunately, routine behaviour (which certainly includes such things as reading magazines and watching television) is associated with low levels of prefrontal cortex activity in the left inferior area, which makes it difficult to form vivid memories. Such automatic or superficial levels of encoding can also lead to something known as ‘change blindn ess’ (Simons & Levin 1998), where people fail to detect changes over time, because of an inability to recall details. This has obvious implications for the introduction of new benefits over time in advertising campaigns, or for repositioning. Memories for past experiences may be classified as either recollections or familiarity. Recalling specific details from memory (e.g. remembering specific benefit claims from an advert) is defined as recollection. Familiarity is when one has a sense of simply being aware of something without recalling specific details (e.g. remembering ‘seeing’ an advert, but not particular content). This difference is important, because when there is divided attention during exposure, there is a significant effect upon recollection, but little or no effect upon familiarity (cf. studies by Craik et al. 1996). †¢Advertising implication: Because one is more likely to pay partial attention rather than full attention to advertising, familiarity with advertising is more likely than recollection of specifics from the advertisement. This underscores the importance of maintaining a consistent ‘look and feel’ over time (Percy et al. 2001), encouraging familiarity, and utilising imagery that will elicit a positive benefit (associated with the brand) even at low or even sub-cognitive levels of attention. Additionally, too much exposure, especially massed exposure, could lead to lower levels of specific ‘recollection’ (as we understand from as long ago as Ebbinghaus 1885). Spaced exposures generally result in better memory, a finding demonstrated in Strong’s simulations (1974) of various media schedules based upon Zielske’s work, and more recently in fMRI studies conducted by Wagner et al. (1998). Remembering to do something in the future (e.g. buying an advertised brand the next time you are shopping) is described by psychologists as  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœprospective memory’. Einstein and McDaniel (1990, 1997 with Shaw) have offered a useful way of looking at this idea of prospecti ve memory, distinguishing between what they call ‘event-based’ prospective memory, where we want to remember to do something at a specific event, and ‘time-based’ prospective memory, when one wishes to remember to do something at a specific time in the future. An example of event-based prospective memory would be wanting to buy a new brand the next time you are at the store. An example of time-based prospective memory would be making sure you are home at 3p.m. to meet the delivery man. Why people experience prospective memory failure is that they are usually so preoccupied with other things in their lives that when the event occurs, or the time arrives when it is necessary to remember to do something, the correct associations in memory are not activated. †¢Advertising implication: Prospective memory failure may be minimised in advertising by using distinctive cues that are unlikely to be associated with other long-term memories (especially for competitive brands). It is important to establish links in memory with the appropriate category need in such a way that when a purchase or usage occasion occurs, it will trigger a memory of the intention to act. This is especially true for recognition-driven brand awareness, which means for most package goods products. In the store point-of-purchase material as well as packaging must be both sufficiently informative to trigger the stored memory of an intention to buy, and be distinctive enough to minimise confusion with other brand memories. Shoppers are almost always in a hurry and preoccupied with other things when they are in a store, and this may get in the way of attending to the appropriate prospective memory cue. This is just the sort of thing that goes on when a salesman creates a distraction, hoping you will forget all about your initial good intentions not to be influenced by his pitch, as we know from the literature on compliant behaviour (cf. Cialdini 2001). THE SIN OF BLOCKING We are all familiar with the sin of blocking, that all-too-familiar experience of recognising someone but not being able to remember their name. According to Schacter (2001), blocking is not the same thing as absent-mindedness or transience. In the case of blocking, the memory has been encoded and stored, unlike absent-mindedness. In fact, an appropriate  retrieval cue could be in place, but the association is just not made. Unlike transience, with blocking, the information is still in memory, but remains just out of reach when required. Because blocking generally occurs when trying to remember names, it potentially can be a problem for brand names. Blocking seems to originate in the left temporal pole, where there is a breakdown in the link made between the characteristics associated with something and the name by which it is known. The reason people often have trouble remembering someone’s name is that a person’s name tends to be isolated in memory from any conceptual knowledge about that person and, as a result, difficult to retrieve. Most models of name retrieval hold that activation of phonological representations in memory occur only after activation of conceptual and visual representations. This is why it is easier to recall something about a person than to recall their name. It is also what can lead to remembering something about a product without being able to recall the brand name. Interestingly, names that are most likely to be blocked are familiar ones which have not recently been encountered (Burke et al. 1991. †¢Advertising implication: Brand names that are not well integrated or related to obvious associations with category need will be highly susceptible to blocking. If there are no logical and immediate links in memory between a brand name and the category need, there is the ri sk of occasional blocking. Arbitrary or more abstract brand names will be blocked more often than descriptive brand names, even when those names are equally familiar to people (cf. Brdant & Valentine 1998). Brand names such as Vitalegs (a herbal gel that relieves tired legs) and Soft Scrub (a cleanser that enables you to clean without harsh scratching) illustrate good descriptive brand names that are less likely to be susceptible to blocking. To minimise blocking, it is necessary to suppress the retrieval of recently encountered information that is related to a recall cue so that the mind is not cluttered with irrelevancies that could interfere with the desired memory. †¢Advertising implication: When a brand possesses identical or similar benefits as the leading brand in its category, it will be that much harder to build an association for those benefits with the brand because of learned interference from advertising for the leading brand. This again suggests the need to have copy (and packaging as well as other marketing communication) unique to a brand in order to avoid multiple connections in  memory that could minimise or override the desired brand-related memory. Certain retrieval inhibitions that lead to blocking can be ‘released’ if we encounter a sufficiently powerful cue (e.g. nondeclarative emotional memories) that helps us re-experience something in the same way in which it was initially experienced. Appropriate triggers in advertising or other marketing communication that elicit the correct emotional memories may help overcome retrieval inhibitions, and release positive memories for a brand. A wonderful advert for Nestl’s Toll House chocolate chips showing a mother with a pan of chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven with a little girl looking on in anticipation perfectly illustrates this point. THE SIN OF MISATTRIBUTION If one correctly remembers something learned, but attributes it to the wrong source, this is misattribution. Often referred to as ‘unconscioustransference’, it causes real problems with eyewitness identification. The problem stems from a strong sense of general familiarity, coupled with an absence of specific recollection. While the consequences of misattribution in advertising are obviously not as serious as they are with eyewitness identification, it can nevertheless cause marketers real problems. †¢Advertising implication: Avoiding misattribution requires more than simply retrieving appropriate benefits from memory. The benefit must be linked together in memory in such a way that you make the correct association of the brand with its benefit claim. This linking process is known as ‘memory binding’. All of the important brandbenefit associations in advertising must be bound together by the receiver into a unifying whole at the time of encoding. When advertising for different brands is visually or verbally similar, this memory binding is unlikely to occur, leading to memory conjunction error. Memory conjunction errors occur because people misattribute strong familiarity with similar (even if not identical) things from more than one source as coming from a single source; brand advertising in our case. Interestingly, a strong visualverbal congruence can help minimise misattribution (cf. Schacter et al. 1999). A recent series of adverts for Good Humor-Breyers uses the exact format and headline (‘Less fat, fewer calories, no guilt’) for three brands: Popsicle, Breyers and Klondike. This would seem to almost encourage misattribution. THE SIN OF SUGGESTIBILITY Suggestibility in memory occurs because one tends to include information that has been learned from an outside source as something personally experienced. This information may come from any external source, including advertising or other marketing communication. While suggestibility is similar to the sin of misattribution, misattribution does not require suggestions from outside sources. But when the two combine, it is quite possible for us to develop memories of something which in fact never occurred. †¢Advertising implication: Interestingly, while suggestibility may be a ‘sin’ of memory, in the world of marketing communication this sin may often become a blessing. For example, suggestive questions may produce memory distortions by creating source memory problems. As a result, advertising that utilises questions that remind people of a favourable brand association could occasion a ‘memory’ for that positive experience, even if it never occurred, e.g.: ‘Remember how easy it is to remove those nasty stains when you use our brand?’ Schacter has suggested that if you embellish a fake memory with vivid mental images it should make it look and feel like a true memory. This is based upon work done by Hyman and Pentland (1996) in successfully creating false childhood memories via suggestion, simply by asking subjects about things that never occurred. One of the important conclusions they drew from their work is that these false memories produce vivid visual images. †¢Advertising implication: The application to advertising is obvious. If a suggested favourable experience with a brand is reinforced with a strong visual image of such an experience, it should help seed a memory of a positive experience. In an extension of th ese ideas, we know that one of the best ways to elicit early childhood memories is to ask someone to ‘visualise’ themselves as children. While there is no evidence that anyone can remember anything much earlier than about two years of age, because the areas of the brain needed for episodic memory are not fully mature until that age, with suggestive visualisation techniques one can create false ‘memories’ for events going back almost to birth (cf. Spanos et al. 1999). The key here, as in all suggestibility, is expectancy. If one is instructed to expect something, and it seems plausible, it is possible to create rather strong false memories. †¢Advertising implication: It is very difficult to  suggest a false memory for something that runs counter to a recent or strong existing memory. If you don’t like a brand, advertising is not likely to create a false memory that you do; nor should you try. But if a brand is one of a set of brands used by the receiver, it is certainly possible to suggest more positive experiences with that brand. And if it is a brand they have not used, if the advertising c an relate it to a positive experience from childhood, it is quite possible to suggest positive memories for the benefit, and then link it to the brand. THE SIN OF BIAS The sin of bias reflects how current understandings, beliefs and feelings have the ability to distort how one interprets new experiences and the memory of them. Biases that are associated with memory of past experiences will greatly influence how one perceives and understands new information or situations. Schacter talks about five major types of bias: consistency, change, hindsight, egocentric and stereotypical biases. Gazzaniga (1998) has identified something in the left brain that he calls an ‘interpreter’ that continuously draws upon people’s experiences and understanding of things in order to provide some stability to their psychological world. This would seem to be the neurological source of biases, and utilises such things as inferences, rationalisations and generalisations in relating the past with the present, enabling people to justify their present attitudes with past experiences and feelings. The left brain interpreter, however, is mediated by systems in the right brain that are more attuned to actual representations of what is going on in the world around us. Consistency and change bias Consistency bias reflects a tendency to behave (or believe) today in a fashion consistent with how one remembers similar previous experiences. When this happens, current experiences and feelings are filtered through and made to match memories of those past experiences and feelings. Because memories are not ‘exact’, people tend to infer their past beliefs, attitudes and feelings from what they are experiencing today. †¢Advertising implication: This suggests that for people who hold current positive attitudes toward a brand, advertising could imply they are of long standing. For brand switchers who include a particular brand in their purchase set, advertising  could imply a long standing preference for that brand: ‘You know you have always liked this brand, why not buy more?’ Something similar occurs with change bias, where one remembers something being worse than it actually was, making what they feel now an improvement by comparison. Both consistency and change bias can occur because they help reduce cognitive dissonance, even when someone is not really aware of the source of the inconsistency they are trying to manage (Lieberman et al. 2000). Hindsight bias Hindsight bias is that familiar feeling that one has always known something would happen after becoming aware of the outcome. One is reconstructing the past to make it consistent with the present. The key here seems to be an activation of general knowledge. The new information is integrated with other general knowledge in semantic memory, and is not distinguished as such in making judgements. There is evidence that this selective recall is a function of the general knowledge that influences perception and comprehension, and a vulnerability to misattribution. †¢Advertising implication: Hindsight bias would seem to indicate that when exposed to advertising or other marketing communication one will ‘recall’ benefit claims that are not actually made, but which would have been expected to be there because of the claims that actually were made. Work by Carli (1999) tends to support this idea. Recent adverts for Infusium 23 set up a ‘beforeafter’ case, but lea ve out the ‘before’ picture, with the headline ‘You really think I would let them publish the before picture?’ This clever execution encourages hindsight bias as you imagine the ‘before’ hair problem. Egocentric bias The ‘self ‘ plays an important role in one’s ongoing mental life, and is at the root of egocentric bias. When encoding new information by relating it to the self, memory for that information will be better than other types of encoding. This is because people are more likely to value their own understanding of things, among other reasons because the self-concept plays a key role in regulating mental activity. As Taylor (1989) and her colleagues have pointed out, individuals do not see themselves objectively. †¢Advertising implication: The implication is obvious: include personal references in advertising and other marketing communication. Moreover, given  our tendency to see ourselves in a positive light, it follows that memories related to ourselves will be seen in a self-enhancing light. This suggests that copy asking people to remember a situation in a positive light should encourage an egocentric memory bias, e.g.: ‘remember when you ‘. In the same way, egocentric bias can result from exaggerating the difficulty of past experiences: ‘remember how hard it was to ‘. This idea is well illustrated in a campaign for National Rail’s Senior Railcard, where a dated-looking picture of a young child is featured, with headlines like ‘Remember what it was like to go somewhere for the first time’ and ‘Remember how it felt just to let yourself go’. THE SIN OF PERSISTENCE Research has shown that emotionally charged experiences are better remembered than less emotional occasions. The sin of persistence involves remembering things you wish you would forget, and it is strongly associated with one’s emotional experiences. †¢Advertising implication: Emotionally-charged information automatically attracts attention; and even in the briefest exposure, the emotional significance of it will be retrieved from nondeclarative emotional memory, and evaluated as to how that information will be encoded. Understanding the emotional associations generated by specific advertising is critical. Because people are more likely to remember the central focus of emotionally arousing information rather than peripheral details, it is essential to tie the brand in marketing communication to the appropriate emotion. Otherwise, it will become peripheral to the information conveyed (a problem with a lot of highly entertaining advertising). There is evidence that persiste nce thrives in negative emotional situations such as disappointment, sadness and regret. One’s memory of traumatic experiences is persistent, and while these unwanted memories may occur in any of the senses, visual memories are by far the most common. Research reported by Ochsner (2000) supports this idea. He found that when people recognise a positive visual image they tend to just say it is familiar to them. But when they recognise negative visual images, people relate detailed, specific memories of what they thought and felt when they were originally exposed to the picture. †¢Advertising implication: All of this underscores the importance of the visual images in advertising and other forms of marketing communication. Because persistence thrives in a negative emotional climate,  if advertising illustrates disappointment or problems dealing with a situation, which is resolved by using the brand, this should tap into any persistent memories of product dissatisfaction (always assuming such dissatisfaction). It also suggests that for appropriate product categories (especially those reflecting high-involvement informational decisions such as medical or other insurance, financial planning, and so forth) visual ‘reminders’ of past problems which could be avoided with a b rand should be an effective strategy. Such a strategy should also be equally effective in situations where there is strong psychological risk involved, e.g. reminding young people of a social ‘disaster’ which would never occur if they used our brand. The root of much of this kind of activity is centred within the amygdala, the source of nondeclarative emotional memory. It is the amygdala that regulates memory storage, and can release hormones that can ‘force’ us to remember an experience vividly (LeDoux 1996). And as we have already noted, this response by the amygdala is much more likely to occur for negative than positive experience. †¢Advertising implication: For appropriate product categories, it could make sense to create situations in advertising that suggest possible threats to the receiver’s wellbeing. This ‘threat’ may then well intrude upon active memory when thinking about the category, with our brand linked to avoiding the trouble. This is well illustrated in a recent advert for Imitrex, an ethical drug for migraine, that uses the headline ‘I can’t let a migraine call the shots that’s why I use Imitrex’. SUMMARY Schacter has provided us with an extremely useful framework for looking at memory problems: his seven sins of memory. Each of these ‘imperfections’ (in his words) has the potential for interfering with the successful processing of advertising and other marketing communication. Recent work in neurobiology, utilising the recent technology of fMRIs (functional magnetic resonance imaging) and PET scans (positron emission tomography), has shown us that our earlier understanding of memories as ‘snapshots’ stored away in the mind ready to be recalled is not how the brain works. Memories for objects and experiences are decomposed into a number of different parts and those parts are stored in various areas of the brain, waiting to be reassembled and ‘remembered’. This underscores why memories are rarely  perfect, and why they can be potentially unreliable. As this discussion makes clear, effective communication faces a number of formidable hurdles in m emory. However, forewarned with this knowledge, we are in a better position to avoid or at least minimise some of these potential problems. To help advertising communication overcome the seven sins of memory, advertisers should: †¢ensure the message is carefully integrated with how a brand is understood (transcience) †¢encourage elaboration of points the target is interested in remembering (transcience) †¢use personal references, especially to positive memories (bias) †¢imply current positive brand attitudes are of long standing (bias) †¢tie brands to appropriate emotions (blocking, persistence) †¢use distinctive cues not likely to be associated with other longterm memories (absent-mindedness) †¢create a unique brandbenefit claim link (misattribution) †¢establish links in memory to appropriate category need (absentmindedness) †¢make sure those links are well integrated with obvious associations to the category need (blocking) †¢ensure a consistent ‘look and feel’ over time to encourage familiarity (absent-mindedness) †¢use strong visual images to create or reinforce positive memories associated with the brand (suggestibility) †¢utilise reminders of past problems that could be avoided or solved by the brand (persistence). If these points are considered in the creation of advertising executions, one is well on the way to avoiding, or at least minimising, problems inherent in how memory works. REFERENCES Brdant, S. & Valentine, T. (1998) Descriptiveness and proper name retrieval. Memory, 6, pp. 199206. Burke, A., Mackay, D.G., Worthley, J.S. & E. Wade (1991) On the tip of the tongue: what causes word failure in young and older adults? Journal of Memory and Language, 30, pp. 237246. Carli, I.L.L. (1999) Cognitive reconstruction, hindsight, and reactions to victims and perpetrators. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, pp. 966979. Cialdini, R. (2001) Influence: Science and Practice (4th edn). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Craik, F.I.M., Govoni, R., Naveh-Benjamin, M. & Anderson, N.D. (1996) The effects of divided attention on encoding and retrieval processes in human memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 125, pp. 159180. Ebbinghaus, H. (1885/1964) Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology. New York: Dover. Einstein, G.O. & McDaniel, M.A. (1990) Normal  aging and prospective memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 16, p p. 717726. Einstein, G.O., McDaniel, M.A. & Shaw, P. (1997) Aging and prospective memory: the influence of increased task demands at encoding and retrieval. Psychology and Aging, 12, pp. 479488. Gazzaniga, M.S. (1998) The split brain revisited. Scientific American, 279, pp. 5055. Griffiths, R.E. (1997) What Emotions Really Are. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Hyman, I.E. Jr. & Pentland, J. (1996) The role of mental imagery in the creation of false childhood memories. Journal of Memory and Language, 35, pp. 101117. LeDoux, J.E. (1996) The Emotional Brain. New York: Simon and Schuster. Lieberman, M.D., Ochsner, K.N., Gilbert, D.T. & Schacter, D.L. (2000) Do amnesiacs exhibit cognitive dissonance reduction? The role of explicit memory and attention in attitude change. Psychological Science. Ochsner, K.N. (2000) Are affective events richly recalled or simply familiar? The experience and process of recognizing feelings past. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 124, pp. 242261. Percy, L., Rossiter, J.R. & Elliott R. (2001) Strategic Advertising Management. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Schacter, D.L. (2001) The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Schacter, D.L., Israel, L. & Racine, C. (1999) Suppressing false recognition: the distinctiveness heuristic. Journal of Memory and Language, 40, pp. 124. Simons, D.J. & Levin, D.T. (1998) Failure to detect changes to people during realworld interactions. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 4, pp. 501506. Spanos, N.P., Burgess, C.A., Burgess, M.F., Samuels, C. & Blois, W.O. (1999) Creating false memories of infancy with hypnotic and non-hypnotic procedures. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 13, pp. 201218. Strong, E.C. (1974) The use of field experi mental observations in estimating advertising recall. Journal of Marketing Research, 11, pp. 369378. Taylor, S.E. (1989) Positive Illusions. New York: Basic Books. Wagner, A.D., Schacter, D.L., Rolfe, M., Koutstaal, W., Maril, A., Dale, A.M., Rosen, B.R. & Buckner, R.L. (1998) Building memories: remembering and forgetting of verbal experiences as predicted by brain activity. Science, 281, pp. 11881191.

Harmony and Dream

David Brooks essays his role as the NY Times premiere conservative columnist in a very unique way: he disregards conservatism. Now, regardless of where one’s opinions may rest when it comes to political ideologies, neither a liberal, moderate, or conservative would recognize Brooks’ writings as being conservative in any form. Actually, most of his writing is often self-centered and incoherent. This is most evident in the extremely obtuse article â€Å"Harmony and the Dream† which supposedly promotes the qualities of modern China and urges the United States to follow in its footsteps.The reason the word â€Å"supposedly† is used here is because Brooks’ writings display a complete lack of understanding of both modern China and its history. Actually, it also displays a fundamental understanding of what makes America’s infrastructure work. Consider the following excerpt, â€Å"If you ask a Chinese person to describe a fish tank, the Chinese will usually describe the context in which the fish swim. † What type of silliness is this assessment? Ask a Chinese person? Does this mean every single person who lives in China will share the same opinion?Such an assessment infers that â€Å"China† consists of a homogenous entity of like minded people. This is an absurd notion and indicative of a fundamental lack of understanding of Chinese history and culture. The notion of collective thought may be â€Å"line† of the rulers of the Chinese Communist Party, but it is not the philosophy that the totality of China’s population prescribes. Also, Brooks infers that the collectivism of communist China somehow has a noble trait to it. It would seem Brooks points out that collectivism leads to some eternal group salvation.He even faults the common American tradition of liberty. This is evidenced in his statement â€Å"The individualistic countries tend to put rights and privacy first. People in these societies ten d to overvalue their own skills and overestimate their own importance to any group effort. † Such a statement ignores the fact that Chinese communist rule is little more than totalitarianism by committee. Really, China embodies many of the qualities of a police state. Even by collectivist standards, China is extreme.In fact, if you were to examine other nations that promote strong centralized government control you will not see the repression found in China. Venezuela, for example, prescribes to Marxist ideologies but it does not use the state to sponsor murdering prisoners to sell their organs on the world market. China’s government has engaged in this type of activity – and other insane human rights violations – for years. To hint that the United States (or any nation) should look to China as an example of how to model their society is absurd.Yes, China possesses an exploding economy many nation envy. But, how did China arrive at such an expanded economy ? Largely though paying laborers extremely low wages with no worker protections. This is certainly not the type of society to emulate even though Brooks suggests as much. The main problem with Brooks is assertion is that he does not examine the flaws present in China’s infrastructure. For example, he praises China’s economy but fails to mention the extreme pollution caused by China’s industry.The pollution poured in the air by many factories is so voluminous that it surely will have a serious, negative effect on the population’s health. This brings about an important question: what is the value of a booming economy if it ultimately reduces the quality of people’s lives. This is one of the many questions Brooks does not address. This (among other reasons) is why â€Å"Harmony and the Dream† remains an incredibly flawed article. Bibliography Brooks, D. (2008, August 11) â€Å"Harmony and the Dream. † NY TIMES. 11 August 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2008 from http://www. nytimes. com/2008/08/12/opinion/ 12brooks. html

Oxford City Council Research Proposal Essay

Oxford City Council (OCC) provides a range of recycling services, including kerbside collection services and recycling sites where residents can deposit items for recycling. Such schemes enable OCC to recycle approaching 40% of Oxford household waste currently. However, the UK government want to establish a recycling culture and continue to set increasing targets for household recycling, with an aim of reaching 50% by 2020. Following a recent (DEFRA) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs initiative to allow the use of financial incentives for household waste minimisation and recycling, OCC is considering the introduction of a pilot scheme in selected postcodes areas. This would involve the introduction of bins fitted with microchips to monitor how much recycling and other waste a household produces, leading to refunds from local taxation bills for a good recycling performance or additional charges for a poor recycling performance. OCC is keen to understand likely reactions of residents to such a scheme and the overall impact that this might have on household recycling rates. OCC has invited the marketing research agency, Research Solutions to provide a proposal for marketing research to inform decision making. What is the research objective? A research objective is basically the main objective of the research i. e. the purpose of carrying out the research forms the research objective. The research objective is basically formed on the basis of the background of the research that is being conducted. (Creswell 2008). In this case, the main issue is recycling. This is due to the increasing population in the UK due to which the wastes have been increasing with a higher percentage. However, it is not a wise idea to leave the wastes just like that and it would be a very good option to recycle the waste so that it can be utilized again as the resources we own in the world today are limited but the demands of the people are unlimited. Therefore, it is always a good idea to save as much as possible so that we can save our future generations from suffering. The research objective of this research is that the UK government wants to establish a recycling culture and continue to set increasing targets for household recycling, with an aim of reaching 50% by 2020 in order to improve the previous targets. Previously, Oxford City Council provided a range of recycling services, including kerbside collection services and recycling sites where residents could deposit items for recycling and this enabled Oxford City Council to reduce the household waste by 40%. The idea now is to increase this percentage by 10% and to make it 50%. Problem Statement Before the research team assigned to solve the problem starts their job, a problem statement needs to be defined and to be presented to them and the problem statement should answer three main questions i. e. to define the problem and the reason why the team is required to solve this problem, the client who needs a solution to the problem and the scope as well as the limitations of the problem in terms of various issues such as time, money and other resources. Moreover, it is also important for the problem statement to address all the W’s i. e. to answer what, how, where, when, why, and who. (Denzin & Lincoln 2005). Referring to this case, due to the increasing need of recycling, the government of UK plans to increase recycling of the household wastes to 50% by 2020 i. e. an increase by 10% from today. This aim has been defined basically to serve the households and to meet their demand of recycling household wastes; however there are certain limitations that are coming in the way to meet this requirement of the government of UK. In order to solve this problem, we, a research team from a marketing research agency, Research Solutions has been assigned to work out and to know the likely reactions of residents to such a scheme and the overall impact that this might have on household recycling rates. For this purpose, What methods will be used? Following a recent (DEFRA) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs initiative to allow the use of financial incentives for household waste minimisation and recycling, OCC is considering the introduction of a pilot scheme in selected postcodes areas. This would involve the introduction of bins fitted with microchips to monitor how much recycling and other waste a household produces, however this will involve a certain cost as Oxford City Council will have to make refunds from local taxation bills for a good recycling performance or to pay additional charges for a poor recycling performance. (Patton 2002). We will use both primary as well as secondary data to conduct our research as well as both qualitative and quantitative data. Once we have gathered the secondary data, we will then seek for primary data for which we will prepare a set of 200 questionnaires. The questionnaire, we have planed will consist of around 20 open and close ended questions. We will get these questionnaires filled and will also interview people in Oxford from different age groups especially the women as the issue is basically related to household recycling so the housewives would be the best option to interview. Data analysis The process of gathering, modeling and transforming data aiming to make the important information prominent, to suggest conclusions as well as to support the decision making is called data analysis. There are various approaches and techniques that can be used for this purpose under different domains. (Spatz & Kardas 2007). As Oxford City Council has been asked to increase recycling of household wastes by 10%, they now have to plan everything to achieve this goal but for this it is essential for the Oxford City Council to collect all the important information and to transform it. Therefore, to understand the likely reactions of residents to such a scheme and the overall impact that this might have on household recycling rates. A time schedule The government of UK wants the goal of an increase in the recycling of household wastes to be achieved by an increase of 10% by 2020 and this gives Oxford City Council more than a decade to achieve this aim. The Oxford City Council should plan out seriously and work on the aim that is to be met but before finally starting the work, it is always essential to conduct research in order to know whether the plans they have made will be successful of not and also to know the reaction of the people in the UK after the introduction of the pilot scheme in selected postcodes areas and before the plan can be executed, marketing research will be conducted whose timing is mentioned below. (Pan 2004). The time schedule will not just provide a timeframe but it will also help us meet the deadlines. As we have been assigned one month to conduct this research, we have accordingly divided the time to meet our goals in an efficient manner. In the first week, we plan to conduct desk research followed by qualitative fieldwork in the second week as well as to prepare a qualitative desk research report. On the first day of the third week, we aim to prepare questionnaires that will follow the quantitative stage, coding and data preparation. In the fourth week, that is also the last week, we will do the analysis, prepare a presentation and on the last day we will present a final report. Bibliography: Creswell, J. W. (2008). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 3rd edn. Sage Publications. Denzin, N. K. , & Lincoln, Y. S. (2005). The Sage handbook of qualitative research. 3rd edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Pan, M. L. (2004). Preparing literature reviews: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. 2nd edn. Los Angeles: Pyrezak. Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Spatz,C. & Kardas,E. P. (2007). Research Methods in Psychology: Ideas, Techniques, and Reports. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, Hardcover.

Political significance of the Second Amendment Term Paper

Political significance of the Second Amendment - Term Paper Example When the issues are conflicting with each other, the highest court remained silent. The Supreme Court keeps silent about the issues and interpretation of the Second Amendment. It diverts itself to other issues such as adjustments in constitutional rules of criminal procedure and doctrines affecting obscenity, libel and time, place, and manner restrictions on speech, the Second Amendment are simply ignored (Lund, 1987). This paper will review the true meaning of the Second Amendment and the cases of the Supreme Court which illustrate the controversy of the topic. The Real Meaning The Second Amendment states that â€Å"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.† The controversy arise from the phrase â€Å"a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State† where one group of commentators treats the phrase simply as statement of purpose and maintain s that the Second Amendment individual rights to keep and bear arms (Lund, 1987). ... ) stated that the right to bear arms is a political right.  The time the Bill of Rights was proposed, British tyranny was fresh in everyone’s mind; hence, it was to fight tyranny that the second amendment was adopted (Noga, 2011). The Second Amendment was all about protecting liberty and countering the threat from a standing army (Noga, 2011). But still, in the pre ratification debate, both Federalists and Anti-Federalists agreed the federal government should not have any authority at all to disarm the citizenry (Noga, 2011). There are conflicting understandings of the phrase stated above. The laypersons or ordinary prudent men favour or understand the â€Å"individual right† interpretation of the Second Amendment. On the other hand, those who belong in the academe and court, the â€Å"collective right† interpretation is more dominant. The reason why this â€Å"collective right† interpretation is more dominant than the â€Å"individual right† is b ecause the leaders or those in the legal profession believe and favour the restrictive regulations on the ownership and use of firearms as a matter of social policy (Lund, 1987). According to Lund (1987), the advocates of the â€Å"collective right† interpretation focus almost exclusively on the text â€Å"well regulated Militia† which they argue that it implies the right to keep and bear arms is strictly restricted to officially organized military units. However, the term Militia was used. This is why until now there is no clear meaning of the Second Amendment because there is no clear and agreed meaning of the term â€Å"Militia." But there were arguments on what the term â€Å"Militia† protects. Some argued that the Second Amendment did not mention the right of state to regulate the militia (Lund, 1987). It is argued if the state

Strategic Management and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 12

Strategic Management and Leadership - Essay Example To acquire more customers and retain them the company has broaden its marketing strategies. The company has put huge effort to enhance the value of the company. John Lewis partnership firm has also implemented many ways to measure the success of the company. There are many factors which help the company to achieve its goal and objectives. John Lewis did partnership with Waitrose which facilitated the company to generate more revenue. John Lewis Partnership has expanded its business to Philippines. This helped the company to acquire more international customers and make its strong position in international market. The organization maintains good relationship with its customers. By this process the company is able to enhance its customer base. The innovative culture of this firm helps it’s to motivate and satisfy its employees. Advanced technologies are used by this organization to perform its business functions. The leadership style of this company motivates the employees to de liver their work efficiently. John Lewis Partnership has developed many new strategies to improve and update their business process. The employee ownership is considered as the key to success of John Lewis partnership. John Lewis partnership have the ability to adapt according to the change in the technology and due to its fast adaptability it is being considered as the most renowned The concerned company uses various key performance indicator for monitoring and measuring the performance of the company . The sales growth is considered as the key factor for determining the performance of the market. The return on capital employed of the company has increased more than 8%. Gross sales of the company has enhanced in 2014 as compared to the previous year. Gross sales measure the density of sales of the company. It is considered as the key indicator for determining the profitability of the company. John Lewis partnership has experienced a growth in its operating margin in the

Corporate Governance for Lebanese SMEs Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Corporate Governance for Lebanese SMEs - Thesis Example In the dialog box, I clicked Coding Criteria and defined my search using the Simple button. Using Query Options, I described the storage methodology for my query results (Stanford University 2012). Another feature that was vital during data analysis using Nvivo9 software was the selection of hierarchical nodes (codes) to help in furthering the classification of vital information. This procedure is very crucial since it involves the processes of merging, deleting, and adding relevant categories to the analysis. With the emergence of new and refined themes, the analysis narrows down to fields that can be interpreted by the reader of the information. Further filtering of the data involved the use of Matrix Query. This option allowed me to balance and show the emerging results in the matrix table. Each matrix cell has a newly created node for easy grouping of the needed information. Opening the newly created node explores all the elements stored in there (Stanford University 2012). Using different categories in the Matrix and Coding Query I developed my data interpretation ideas as per the emerging patterns, meanings and categories. I believe that I used the Nvivo9 software correctly in coming up with the stated

Operations Management Case Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Operations Management Case Analysis - Term Paper Example The revised approach as devised by Master Tag is beneficial, since it will entail supplying the labels directly to the plant growers. The labels will be supplied in two batches, with one batch supplied earlier, and the second batch supplied later, depending on the amount of produce that the plant growers will have obtained during any particular season (Foster, 697). This being the case, the revised plan will ensure that Master Tag does not produce labels beyond the requirements of the plants growers at any particular season, since the production will be based on the quantity of produce that the plants growers have produced in that season. The plan is also beneficial because, the production of the labels will be occurring in two batches, ensuring that the plant growers will not experience any shortages of the labels, since they will already be having the first batch, as they wait for the second batch to be delivered (Foster, 697). This improves the system of communication between the company and the users of the labels, ensuring that the company produces the exact amount of labels, which the plant growers will need to use. This way, the revised plan will have guarded against over or under production of the labels, ensuring that the customers are fully satisfied. 2. Mster Tag has not yet decided to implement this plan. List the pros and cons you think should be considered. The pros that should be considered while introducing the plan include: Direct produce to consumer interaction This is the first benefit that this revised plan will introduce, since it will pave way for the producer, in this case Master Tag, to interact directly with the consumers, who in this case are the plant growers. The improved producer to consumer relationship is a vital concept of business, since it establishes an avenue through which the producer and the consumer will address all the issue involving their business, thus improve their understanding, while also fostering loyalty and goodw ill (Sharp, 43). Direct producer to consumer relationships also fosters the process of innovation, since the producer will understand better the needs of the consumers, and therefore tailor made their products towards directly satisfying the unique needs of the consumers (Sharp, 45). This is contrary to the earlier plan, where the labels were first supplied to the seed companies, who in turn supplied them to the consumers. This is because, the producer would only depend on the information from the seed companies, thus may fail to meet the unique needs of each and every of the consumers, owing to the fact that the seed companies would order universal labels, while different plant growers would want the labels specifically made for them. Reduced price possibilities Secondly, the revised plan is advantageous to the company and to the plant growers, since it would enable a reduction in the price of the labels, now that they are delivered directly from the producer to the consumer, witho ut being added the costs of the intermediary, in this case, the seed companies (Foster, 698). This plan is a double gain, since it allows the producer to sell directly to the consumer without the inconveniencies of

Assessing Economic Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assessing Economic Performance - Essay Example This comparison will utilize resources provided by the Central Intelligence Agency websites (CIA). America has the greatest GDP globally. The American GDP is about twelve trillion dollars. America’s economy is highly diversified, and it relies on technological advancements to generate such a massive output. For a nation to generate such a GDP, it must add value to its products. A skilled labour force complements America’s enormous resources, which ensures efficient production. Similarly, India has massive resources such iron and rubber. Such natural resources have made manufacturing a key driver of this country’s economy. The enormous demography has provided ready consumption and cheap workforce. The GDP of India is about 3 trillion. The technological advancements in America have altered communication in a phenomenal manner. The advancements have transformed the manner in which the world conducts business culminating in the emergence of E-commerce. India’s technological advancement is average since most of its economy depends on manufacturing and expor tation of raw materials. However, the nation is integrating the recent advancements in technology rapidly to ensure that it increases value addition in its production (Central Intelligence Agency, 2012). America’s economy is stagnating owing to the current recession. Thus, the economy is experiencing negative growth despite the concerted efforts to stimulate it. The efforts have included stimulus packages and deficit budgets that ought to boost spending among the citizenry. The recession resulted from malpractices in the banking and insurance sector that culminated in failure of numerous firms. Conversely, India’s economy is performing strongly despite the receding global economy. This owes to local consumption and adoption of appropriate policies. The astute policies have provided an appropriate platform for the

Paraphrasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 37

Paraphrasing - Essay Example Almost all organizations engage in this type of operation in a bid to refine their processes. Task-focussed approach involves consultation that is always accompanied with directives. A case in point is in the universities where the senate, after consulting various stakeholders, may reach a decision and then communicate it to the university fraternity through memos, instructions, or emails. The third approach is charismatic transformation and is commonly applied in organizations such as banks. It is characterised by directed business process and re-engineering as its success is anchored on its functionality that often a times calls for the restructuring of processes. Multinational enterprises on the other hand find themselves operating in environments that are constantly changing. This means that they have to be flexible enough to alter their operations in a frequency which marches the level of their dynamic environment. In such a situation, facilitated and directed approaches may var y to also include aspects of fine tuning and corporate transformation. This in turn gives rise to turnaround transformation that is characterised by both directive style and a bit of coercion. The best case to illustrate this is Toyota’s lean Just-In-Time manufacturing technique which seeks to eliminate waste during the production process. Different factors account to organizational failure during change management. Among the prime factors is the absence of effective communication. Communication of the change process to the stakeholders is a critical ingredient in winning their commitment to a cause. The leader thus has the responsibility to let every interested party understand why the change is important, how they will benefit from it, and what will remain unaltered to take care of anxieties and resistances that are likely to crop up. It is

Nursing Report according to the Australian Health System Essay

Nursing Report according to the Australian Health System - Essay Example Due to the enormity of the issue of chronic illness, this report will focus on children between the ages of 5 and 19 years of age. This report will conclude by identifying recommendations that nurses can implement in their role as primary health practitioners. Definitions Chronic Disease: A chronic disease is characterized by having a duration â€Å"that has lasted or is expected to last at least six months. Has a pattern for recurrence, or deterioration. Has a poor prognosis and produce consequences, or sequaelae that impact the individual’s quality of life.† (Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership, 2004) Diabetes (diabetes mellitus): This is a chronic condition in which â€Å"the body makes too little of the hormone insulin or cannot use it properly. This raises the blood level of the body’s major energy source, the sugar glucose, and causes other widespread disturbance of the body’s energy processes.† (Child and Youth Health Intergo vernmental Partnership, 2004) Type 1 diabetes: This is a chronic condition, which generally arises in childhood or youth and is known as ‘juvenile onset’ diabetes â€Å"marked by a complete lack of insulin and needing insulin replacement for survival.† (Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership, 2004) Type 2 diabetes: The most common form of diabetes, â€Å"occurring mostly in people aged 40 years and over and marked by reduced or less effective insulin.† (Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership, 2004) Cancer: This includes a â€Å"range of diseases where some of the body’s cells begin to multiply out of control, can invade, and damage the area around them, and can also spread to other parts of the body to cause further damage.† (Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership, 2004) Cystic fibrosis – This is a â€Å"life threatening genetic disorder that primarily affects the respiratory system (lungs), t he digestive system (pancreas and sometimes liver) and the reproductive system. The mucus glands of people with cystic fibrosis secrete very thick sticky mucus.† (Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership, 2004) Cerebral palsy: This includes a â€Å"range of disabilities associated with movement and posture. ‘ Cerebral’ refers to the brain and ‘palsy’ means weakness or lack of muscle control. The disorder is caused by a permanent, nonprogressive brain defect or lesion present at birth.† (Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership, 2004) Epilepsy: This disease involves a â€Å"disturbance of brain function marked by recurrent fits and loss of consciousness.† (Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership, 2004) Background Asthma is reported to be the most common of all chronic diseases among children in Australia and is cited as well as being the most common of all reasons that children in Australia are hospita lized. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes is reported to be on the rise among children in Australia. (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2005, p.2) Other chronic diseases affecting children in Australia include those of Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. Discussion There have been a great many possible risk factors linked to the development of chronic disease in childhood however, it is reported that of these risk factors that only a

Project Guideline Essay Example for Free

Project Guideline Essay If you not able to submit/resubmit your synopsis as per the timeline given above than you can submit in the next session ( Ist week of July to 15th September, 2013 without any fine) Student can submit their project report with a copy of approved synopsis, Guide Resume, Acknowledgement Letter from Project Guide at (IMT-CDL Ghaziabad, Hyderabad, Kolkata Mumbai) PROJECT SYNOPSIS GUIDELINE Project synopsis provides an outline of the project work to be undertaken by the candidate. Once you have selected a suitable topic, defined the problems and outlined the manner in which the project study is to be conducted, the next step is to prepare the project synopsis. This synopsis has to be submit online at our website www.imtcdl.ac.in for approval before you begin working on project work. The synopsis will be scrutinized by the faculty in IMT-CDL, Ghaziabad to ensure that it follows the guidelines. In case you propose to collect the data through a questionnaire then the questionnaire should also accompany the synopsis. The Project Synopsis should cover the following: Title of the Project : You can select any topic related to your Major Specialization. For more information please visit website www.imtcdl.ac.in and download the â€Å"Project Guideline† Company Profile: You have to choose an organisation for your project work. This should preferably be your own or any other organisation in the vicinity. In any case, it would be one where you have access to information and opportunity to discuss your ideas and views with the executives working there. The project outline and its formulation must be freely discussed with those who are responsible for similar activities in the organisation you have selected for your project work. Statement about the problem Having taken your first step it is important that you define the problem correctly. Problem definition has to be clear in terms of nature, size and scope of the project. These have to be stated in terms which are quite tangible and specific. Objectives and scope of the study Reasons for selecting the topic have to be explained along with the applicability or usefulness of the project idea. What contribution the project can make in the selected organization or in similar situations should be identified and stated. Methodology – It is necessary to explain the criteria for selection of sample size if survey is to be undertaken. Statistical methods that would be used for the same should be mentioned. Questionnaire that would be used to undertake the project work should be prepared and sent along with the synopsis. Methods that would be used for classification and interpretation of the data should be identified and mentioned. Questionnaire :- In case you propose to collect the data through a questionnaire then the questionnaire should also accompany the synopsis. Questionnaire should be scale of four/five level. Chapterization Scheme – A brief outline of the chapters to be included in the project report should be formulated and stated sequentially. Project Guide – Project Guide selected by the student should be an expert preferably a post graduate in the relevant discipline with a minimum of five years of work experience. It is necessary to send a brief resume of the project guide signed by the guide. If the resume of project guide is not attached, your synopsis can be rejected summarily.

Factors to consider when designing a web site Essay Example for Free

Factors to consider when designing a web site Essay Due to the high rate of competition and technology advance, any website creating company aims at giving its costumers a product they will enjoy using. Lafleur trading company a website developing company is not left behind i doing so. In their quest to satisfy their customers they needed to upgrade their way of developing website. To enable them do this lafleur reflected on factors to consider when designing a website. To start with, the company realised they need to find out if they are designing a particular website who was their immediate users, what they would expect to find in that particular web site and the easiness of getting what they want. This will be determined by the interphase of the website that is what colours to use, how easy is it to navigate between lafleur website and any related website that might contain contact information about a product advertised in their website (Vu Proctor, 2011). Designing a unique product is an important point to consider. In order to get attention of many audience give them a different product than what they are used to but one that serves the purpose better than the previous one. This can be achieved by use of different colours but attractive ones ( a page should not contain more than three colours) use of graphics and relevant pictures of what you are advertising also will make the web site more user friendly The most important point to put inconsideration is to test your website for errors. Website should be consistent to use and error prone. Contact information pertaining the website should provided so that customers are able to access online information when they so require. Lastly feedback methods to get customers views should be put in place to get customers potion about websites designed by Lafleur Company. Reference Vu, K.-P. L., Proctor, R. W. (2011). Handbook of human factors in Web design. Boca Raton: CRC Press Source document

Information Systems Acquisition Development And Maintenance Information Technology Essay

Information Systems Acquisition Development And Maintenance Information Technology Essay The ISO 27002 standard is the new name of the ISO 17799 standard. It is code of practice for information security. It basically outlines hundreds of potential controls and control mechanisms, which may be implemented. The standard which is to be established guidelines and general principles for initiating, implementing, maintaining, and improving information security management inside an organization. The actual controls listed in the standard are proposed to address the specific requirements identified via a formal risk assessment. The standard is also intended to provide a guide for the development of organizational security standards and effective security management practices and it is also helpful in building confidence in inter-organizational activities ISOs future plans for this standard are focused largely around the development and publication of industry specific versions. One of the content of the ISO 27002 is information system acquisition, development, and maintenance, the details of which are as follows:- Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Maintenance (ISO 27002) Table of Contents Overview Standards Security Requirements of the information systems Correct processing of the information Cryptographic control Security of the system files Security in development and support processes Technical vulnerability Management Overview Information security must be taken into account in the Systems Development Lifecycle (SDLC) processes for specifying, building/acquiring, testing, implementing and maintaining IT systems. Automated and manual security control requirements should be analyzed and fully identified during the requirements stage of the systems development or acquisition process, and incorporated into business cases.   Purchased software should be formally tested for security, and any issues risk-assessed. The  Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC), or  Software Development Life Cycle  in systems  and  software engineering, is the process of creating or altering systems, and the models and  methodologies  that people use to develop these systems. The concept generally refers to  computer  or  information systems. Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a process used by a  systems analyst  to develop an  information system, including  requirements, validation,  training, and user (stakeholder) ownership. Any SDLC should result in a high quality system that meets or exceeds customer expectations, reaches completion within time and cost estimates, works effectively and efficiently in the current and planned  Information Technology  infrastructure, and is inexpensive to maintain and cost-effective to enhance Standards ISO 27002: Information Security Management   Clause 12: Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Maintenance Security Requirements of the information systems Security can be integrated into information systems acquisition, development and maintenance by implementing effective security practices in the following areas. Security requirements for information systems Correct processing in applications Cryptographic controls Security of system files Security in development and support processes Technical vulnerability management Information systems security begins with incorporating security into the  requirements  process for any new application or system enhancement. Security should be designed into the system from the beginning. Security requirements are presented to the vendor during the requirements phase of a product purchase. Formal testing should be done to determine whether the product meets the required security specifications prior to purchasing the product   Security requirements are established to ensure as an integral part of the development or performance of an information systems. The acquisition of a system or application often includes a Request for Proposals (RFP), which is a formal procurement process. During this process, security requirements need to be identified. Indiana University includes both  a security review and a security questionnaire as part of the RFP process. Learn more about this effective practice. The main objective of this category is to ensure that security is an integral part of the organizations information systems, and of the business processes associated with those systems. Correct processing of the information This category aims to prevent errors, loss, unauthorized modification or misuse of information in applications. Application design includes controls such as those to validate input/output data, internal processing,  and message integrity, in order to prevent erros and preserve data integrity. Input data validation  Data input in applications should be validated to ensure that the data is correct and appropriate.   Control includes use of both automatic and manual methods of data verification and cross-checking, as appropriate and defined responsibilities and processes for responding to detected errors. Control of internal processing Validation checks should be incorporated into applications to detect the corruption of information through processing errors or deliberate acts.  Ã‚   Control includes use of both automatic and manual methods of data verification and cross-checking, as appropriate and defined responsibilities and processes for responding to detected errors. Message integrity  Requirements for ensuring authenticity and protecting message integrity in applications should be identified, and appropriate controls identified and implemented. Output data validation  Data output from applications should be validated to ensure that the processing of stored information is correct and appropriate to the circumstances.   Control includes use of both automatic and manual methods of data verification and cross-checking, as appropriate and defined responsibilities and processes for responding to detected errors. Cryptographic control Objective of cryptographic is to  describe considerations for an encryption policy in order to protect information confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. A cryptography policy should be defined, covering roles and responsibilities, digital signatures, non-repudiation, management of keys and digital certificates  etc. Certain data, by their nature, require particular confidentiality protection. Additionally, there may be contractual or other legal penalties for failure to maintain proper confidentiality when Social Security Numbers are involved, for example. Parties who may acquire unauthorized access to the data but who do not have access to the encryption key the password that encrypted the data cannot feasibly decipher the data. Data exist in one of three states: at rest in transit or undergoing processing. Data are particularly vulnerable to unauthorized access when in transit or at rest. Portable computers (holding data at rest) are a common target for physical theft, and data in transit over a network may be intercepted. Unauthorized access may also occur while data are being processed, but here the security system may rely on the processing application to control, and report on, such access attempts. This category aims to protect the confidentiality, integrity and authenticity of information by cryptographic means. Policy on the use of cryptographic controls. Policies on the use of cryptographic controls for protection of information should be developed and implemented.   Control includes Statement of general principles and management approach to the use of cryptographic controls Specifications based on a thorough risk assessment,  that considers appropriate  algorithm selections, key management and other core features of cryptographic implementations. Consideration of legal restrictions on technology deployments. Application, as appropriate, to data at rest and fixed-location devices, data transported by mobile/removable media and embedded in mobile devices, and data transmitted over communications links and specification of roles and responsibilities for implementation of and the monitoring of compliance with the policy key management.  Key management policies and processes should be implemented to support an organizations use of cryptographic techniques.   Control includes procedures for distributing, storing, archiving and changing/updating  keys recovering, revoking/destroying and dealing with compromised keys; and logging all transactions associated with keys. Security of the system files The main objective is to ensure the security of system files. Security requirements should be identified and agreed prior to the development or acquisition of information systems. Security requirements analysis and specification An analysis of the requirements for security controls should be carried out at the requirements analysis stage of each project. Control of operational  software. Procedures should be implemented  to control the installation of software on operational systems, to minimize the risk of interruptions in or corruption of information services.   Control includes: updating performed only with appropriate management authorization; updating performed only by appropriately trained personnel; only appropriately tested and certified software deployed to operational systems; appropriate change management and configuration control processes for all stages of updating; appropriate documentation of the nature of the change and the processes used to implement it; a rollback strategy in place, including retention of prior versions as a contingency measure; and Appropriate audit logs maintained to track changes. Access to system files (both executable programs and source code) and test data should be controlled. To ensure that system files  and sensitive data in testing environments  are protected against unauthorized access, and that  secure code management systems and processes are in place for configurations, software, and source code. Documented procedures and revision control systems should be utilized to control software implementation for both applications and operating systems. New York University described their approach in the presentation. Protection of system test data  Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Test data should be selected carefully and appropriately logged, protected and controlled. Access control  for program source  code  Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Access to program source code should be restricted.   Control includes: appropriate physical and technical safeguards for program source libraries, documentation, designs, specifications, verification and validation plans; and maintenance and copying of these materials subject to strict change management and other controls. Security in development and support processes This category aims to maintain the security of application system software and information. Change control procedures  The implementation of changes should be controlled by the use of formal change control procedures.   Control includes: a formal process of documentation, specification, testing, quality control and managed implementation; a risk assessment, analysis of actual and potential impacts of changes, and specification of any security controls required; a budgetary or other financial analysis to assess adequacy of resources; formal agreement to and approval of changes by appropriate management; and appropriate notification of all affected parties prior to implementation, on the nature, timing and likely impacts of the changes; Scheduling of changes to minimize the adverse impact on business processes. Information leakage Opportunities for information leakage should be appropriately minimized or prevented.   Control includes: risk assessment of the probable and possible mechanisms for information leakage, and consideration of appropriate countermeasures; regular monitoring of likely information leak mechanisms and sources; and End-user awareness and training on preventive strategies (e.g., to remove meta-data in transferred files). Application system managers should be responsible for controlling access to [development] project and support environments.   Formal change control processes should be applied, including technical reviews.   Packaged applications should ideally not be modified. Checks should be made for information leakage for example  via  covert channels and Trojans if these are a concern. A number of supervisory and monitoring controls are outlined for outsourced development. One of the security layers that can expose serious vulnerabilities is the application layer. Inventorying and securing all applications, software interfaces, or integration points that touch sensitive data is crucial in any organization that handles personal identity data, HIPAA, PCI, or any data that can lead to identifying confidential information. Unfortunately, this layer is subject to extensive variations and stretches across many technologies, human competencies, and organizational controls, practices, and standards. As such, it is difficult to secure and sustain, usually requiring departments to re-evaluate much of their software development, acquisition, and production control organization, staffing, and practices. Moreover, since applications are enhanced to adapt to changing business needs relatively often, even while the technology they depend on may also be changing, a consistent and routinized approach to maintaining their security must be adopted. Fortunately, there are many excellent resources to help organizations get started. a formal process of documentation, specification, testing, quality control and managed implementation; a risk assessment, analysis of actual and potential impacts of changes, and specification of any security controls required; a budgetary or other financial analysis to assess adequacy of resources; formal agreement to and approval of changes by appropriate management; and appropriate notification of all affected parties prior to implementation, on the nature, timing and likely impacts of the changes; scheduling of changes to minimize the adverse impact on business processes Technical vulnerablility Management Technical vulnerabilities in systems and applications should be controlled by monitoring for the announcement of relevant security vulnerabilities, and risk-assessing and applying relevant security patches promptly. To ensure that procedures are implemented to mitigate and/or patch technical vulnerabilities in systems and applications. Control of internal processing  Validation checks should be incorporated into applications to detect the corruption of of information through processing errors or deliberate acts.  Ã‚   Control includes: use of both automatic and manual methods of data verification and cross-checking, as appropriate; and defined responsibilities and processes for responding to detected errors. This category aims to reduce risks resulting from exploitation of published technical vulnerabilities. Control of technical vulnerabilities  Timely information about technical vulnerabilities of information systems used by the organization should be obtained, evaluated in terms of organizational exposure and risk, and appropriate countermeasures taken.   Control includes: A complete inventory of information assets sufficient to identify systems put at risk by a particular technical vulnerability; Procedures to allow timely response to identification of technical vulnerabilities that present a risk to any of the organizations information assets, including a timeline based on the level of risk; Defined roles and responsibilities for implementation of countermeasures and other mitigation procedures. Conclusion Sadly it is not a perfect world and when breaches of security do occur, for whatever reason, it is important to contain the result by reporting the incident and responding to it as quickly as possible. To whom should an incident be reported? What information will that person need to know? What precautions should one take to limit the organizations exposure to the security breach? It is essential that all staff know what comprises an information security incident and also a security weakness and to whom they report it. At the same time it is essential that all management know how to respond if they are on the escalation process for information security incident management reporting or escalation. It may be that there will be little or no time to organise a response to the incident, in which case the more thinking which has gone into the response procedure the better placed the organisation will be to deal with it. Documented and practices information security incident management procedures should be developed and practiced. Whilst information security incidents are not a desired outcome for any organisation, they must learn, and their staff must learn, from them to prevent them occurring again. A process of learning from such incidents by use of induction training, ongoing awareness training or other means should be undertaken and all staff, contractors and third parties should be undertaken. Remember that if the response is likely to include formal disciplinary action then the full process should be formally described and approved by the organisational management to remove the possibility of dispute after the event. If evidence is to be collected it should be done by competent staff and with due regard for rules of evidence for the jurisdiction.

The Contrariety Of Two Friends Essay -- Compare Contrast Friends Frien

The Contrariety Of Two Friends Everyone has friends. Some are so alike that it is shocking. They seem to walk, talk and even eat the same. But others are so very different that it is an absolute wonder that they can even stand each other, let alone be friends. That is how it is in the friendship of Sandra and Nancy. They differ in everything from their views on cleaning, their views on fun and even in their views on religion. The two girls are the best of friends but they are very different, even in the views on how they clean. Sandra is very neat and tidy. Everything must be in its place at all times. Nancy on the other hand is extremely messy. Wherever things happen to land is where they should belong. Sandra cleans her room at least once a day. While Nancy's room is lucky to be cleaned once a month. When Sandra cleans, it is a lengthy procedure. Sometimes she will spend hours just cleaning her room. When Nancy cleans, it is done as quickly as humanly possible. If she can get everything shoved under her bed in five minutes then she is happy. The thought of even sleeping in a messy room makes Sandra extremely uncomfortable. Though Nancy can't stand to be in a spotless room, with out the urge to mess something up. Since the two girls can hardly stand to be in each other's rooms, they frequently go out. But even in their choices of a good time, they have severe differences. Sandra is very quiet and shy. She doesn't like to be around a lot of people that she doesn'...

no sugar :: essays research papers

Throughout Australian history a racist attitude towards Aboriginals has been a significant issue. From the moment the early settlers arrived on our shores and colonised, the Aboriginals have been fighting for the survival of their culture. The Aboriginals haven been take in and dominated to bring them in line with an idealistic European society. These themes have been put forward by Jack Davis in his stage play, No Sugar, the story of an Aboriginal family’s fight for survival during the Great Depression years. Admittedly Davis utilises his characters to confront the audience and take them out of their comfort zone, showing them the reality of Aboriginal treatment. This is an element of the marginalisation that Jack Davis uses through out the play this starts from the beginning where he discomforts the audience by using an open stage. One character that Davis uses through out the play is A.O. Neville, Davis uses him to portray the issue of power, this is a very important issue that is carried through out the play. Through out the play aboriginals are marginalised they are told where to go what to do and how to go about life. The play was staged on a perambulate model, meaning that the action of the play shifts between many locations. There is the town of Northam with the Police Station and two Cells, the Main Street and the Government Well Aboriginal Reserve. Then there is The Moore River Native Settlement with the Superintendent’s office, the Millimurra family’s tent and the Aboriginal camp at Long Pool. There is also the Chief Protectors Office and the Western Australian Historical Society in Perth and an area by the railway line. This allows for marginalisation between the audience and the play. This can be perceived as some what payback by Jack Davis for the marginalisation that the Europeans forced upon the aboriginals. Contrasting dialogue is also found within the play’s Aboriginal cast. It is not uncommon for a character to begin a sentence in English, only to lead in to Nyoongah words as they proceed: GRAN: I’m warrah, gnuny tjenna minditj, and I got no gnummarri. (Act Two Scene Two) This provokes a reaction from white audiences where we rely on hand gesture to comprehend the play, while also begging the question as to why they speak in such a way. Language is used as a symbol for their culture, a culture that is split between white and blacks; this is just one more tactics that Jack Davis uses to marginalise.

A Look at National Missile Defense :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the late 1950s, due to the former Soviet Union successfully launching a satellite into space with the help of a multi-stage missile, the United States then began to address the idea of missile defenses. Soon, both offensive and defensive long-range ballistic missile development would be placed on our government’s agenda. The objective was simple, to develop a system that could track down any missiles launched at the United States, and eliminate them before they reached their designated targets. Nike-Zeus was one of the first U.S. efforts to mount a defense against ballistic missiles. Its concept called for a 400-kiloton nuclear warhead to be detonated when in range with incoming missiles. This design had numerous flaws, and after several decades of improvements, it was updated during Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency. By this time in 1967, the United States realized it could never stop an all-out attach by the Soviets, and therefore shifted its effor ts to protecting major cities from attack. Following the 1969 election of Richard Nixon, the missile defense focus shifted once again, this time to guarding cities with vital military stations. The United States and Soviet Union we now in full-fledged competition to see whose systems would be completed fastest, and with the most efficiency. In 1972, to help curb excessive production of long-range defense systems, the U.S. and Soviet Union signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. This treaty limited both powers to having only two anti-ballistic missile sites. In a 1983 televised nationwide address, President Reagan relayed his thoughts on how the U.S. could take the lead in the missile systems race. He announced the initiation of the Strategic Defense Initiative, also known as Star Wars. This initiative remained intact well into the early 1990s, when after the collapse of the Soviet Union, President George Bush called a review where he changed the focus of the SDI to defending deplo yed American forces from missile threats. When the Clinton Administration came into power in 1993, the SDI became the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. The new organization projected that a defense system would be deployed by 2003, but due to technological defects, a foolproof system has not yet been constructed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The attitudes of competing countries towards our development of a defense system seem to follow a specific pattern of opposition. China, for instance, who has highlighted their national interests as economic development, reunification with Taiwan, and strengthening their power globally, say they would feel compelled to counter any developments the U.

Cultural Research Paper

Final Cultural Research Paper Throughout this course, we have learned that the primary mode of subsistence (how a culture makes a living) impacts many other aspects of cultural behavior and has been an effective way to organize thoughts and studies about culture. In order to demonstrate your understanding of subsistence modes and its impact on a culture and why a culture acts as it does, your Research Paper will require you to: 1. Select a specific culture from the following list: a. Basseri of Iran . The Batek of Malaysia c. Enga d. The Amish e. Huaorani of Ecuador f. Bedouin g. Zulu h. Kurds i. Maori j. Mbuti k. Nayar of India l. Semai m. Navajo n. Tikopia of Melanesia 2. Research this culture using the Ashford University Online Library. Please identify and use a minimum of three scholarly articles from the library in addition to the text your research. Keep in mind that most anthropological research, whether article length or book length, is either an ethnography or an ethnology.Y ou may use any combination of ethnographies or ethnologies in your paper. 3. Write a seven to eight page long research paper that does the following: a. Identifies and classifies the selected culture’s primary mode of subsistence. ( Foragers, Horticulturalists, Pastoralists, Emerging Agriculturalists, Agrarian States, or Industrialists) b. Analyzes and evaluates the impact that the primary mode of subsistence of the selected culture has on at least three of the following aspects of culture: ?Beliefs and values ?Economic organization ?Gender relations ?Kinship ?Political organization ?Sickness and healing ?Social change ?Social organization The Research Paper must be formatted according to APA style and include a title and a reference page (which does not count towards the page length). For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar.In Week Three, you are required to submit an introductory paragraph, thesis statement, an outline, and your properly formatted reference page with the required sources identified. At that point, you should have chosen your culture and identified its primary mode of subsistence. Writing the Research Paper The Research Paper: 1. Must be seven to eight double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. 2. Must include a title page with the following:

A Brief History of Drama Essay

The time period from about 1650 to 1920 was ever changing in the world of drama. Neo-classicism sprung up from Greek and Roman models in Europe during the Enlightenment, Romanticism struck the Globe in the 1800’s based on principles like emotion, intuition and seeking God. During and after the 1800’s naturalism and realism began to play major roles in the area of drama. Naturalists such as August Strindberg and realists such as Henrik Ibsen demonstrate an entirely different view of what drama is all about. During the time period known universally as the Enlightenment, an artistic movement came about in Europe that reflected in many ways the Greek and Roman tradition. Ancient Greeks and Romans focused their art on harmony, symmetry, and balance, while keeping an equal emphasis on logic and aesthetic. During the enlightenment there was a major importance placed upon science, reason and thought. These human, but multifaceted functions are displayed in many neo-classicism plays. Plays such as Racine’s Phaedra clearly demonstrate the notion of common sense and the idea that if you have a problem or cause a problem you will be punished. This play is very typical of the neo-classics because it is based on the ancient Greek play Hippolyths written by Euripidies in ancient Greece. Hippolyths is very closely related to its modern version Phaedra. All neo-classic era plays were in some way based on the French Academy’s rules for drama which involved a concrete moral, no monologues and truth along with few other qualifications. Most plays that possess some or all of these qualities are from the neo-classicism era. After the 1700’s a new way of thinking developed that didn’t involve as much truth or structure. Free flowing emotionally based romanticism paved the way for drama in the 19th century. The 1800’s were a time of innovation and industrial revolution. In America, thousands of people were migrating to cities to find work in large factories powered by new, innovative technologies. New thinking developed through the likes of Charles Darwin and the Origin of the Species, and Karl Marx and the Communist Manifesto. Romanticism deals with three main ideas, emotion, intuition, and seeking God, while grasping the audience with thick plots and  poetic language. All of these qualities are displayed in most romantic plays of the 19th century. Throughout the late 1800’s and early 20th century, naturalist and realist took charge of the drama scene with a new outlook of what could be done on stage. With Naturalism comes plays which display daily life and street language with real settings meant to display a message or cause. With realism comes real language, strong plots, realistic settings and social critique. In realistic plays such as Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House, a very common situation involving an everyday married couple is reviewed and critiqued. In the naturalistic play Miss Julie by Swedish playwright August Strindberg, a naturalistic tragedy develops as the characters find themselves trapped in an odd love triangle. Both Naturalism and Realism were monumental to drama because they explored many social issues very critically while challenging the neo-classicism view of what is allowed on stage. It seems obvious that both naturalism and realism attempted to overstep the boundaries of what was acceptable onstage and it is very apparent that it was a success because many naturalism and realism era plays are still popular today. Unlike the strict ruled neo-classicism or the emotionally based romanticism, naturalism and realism display real events, real people and real stories that can be related to by real people. Television shows today are very realistic. With the new wave of reality T.V. hitting every station, it is obvious that the realist and naturalist took a step in the right direction when they looked beyond restriction and let what is real come to life. It is obvious that very monumental changes occurred in drama from 1650-1920. All over the world new ideas and innovations were being explored and challenged on stage.

Eating and ‘preparing’ foods that require no art whatsoever in making

It is definitely true that our society has become accustomed to eating and ‘preparing' foods that require no art whatsoever in making. Canned goods and microwave products are rampant in today's everyday menu. The reason for this, I believe, lies in the characteristic of this generation of being unwilling to learn anything difficult or time-consuming. Art unquestionably comes from things that take time and require effort: sculptures that take weeks to finish, movies that take months to film and hundreds of people to accomplish, and poems that ask for concentration, time, and effort.People nowadays want to learn things quickly, finish objectives within eight hours, and forget about them in less time. They want their food delivered in less than half an hour. They want massages in under half an hour. In fact most of the services today can be taken out or delivered. Taking time and effort to learn, master, and perfect things are no longer of interest to most of us. To add on to this already non-conducive situation of quick surface learning, poverty fans the flame of the lost tradition of home cooking.Although a long and artful process of preparing food is ideal and very high-culture, most people simply do not have the luxury of cooking such fancy and multi-ingredient meals. Most of the population, classified as low income families, has to make do with meals that are simply fried and not really ‘cooked' as much as they are heated. These over-processed foods are quick to prepare and simple, such that they lower the costs of a family. The effect of this is very bad for our culture.The rich heritage of unique methods and ingredients of cooking are lost due to lack of motivation and lack of financial capability. I agree with this. There can be no doubt as to the reality of the slow dying of the tradition of cooking within a family. Most families share these throughout generations via the practice of cooking meals together and transferring their knowledge. How ever, due to the younger generations' lack of interest in anything artful and effortful such as cooking, this transference is being impeded and ultimately ended.Less and less people inherit their family's unique recipes and family dishes. Also it is clear that poverty does play a role in limiting a family's participation in cooking tradition. Baking for example is a very expensive activity and only those who have the luxury of eating pricey desserts engage in it. However, I believe that time also plays a role in the death of the cooking tradition. Families seem to hold less and less time together (another cultural issue altogether) and one of the first things that suffer from this is the time spent preparing, cooking, and eating dinner together.