Monday, September 30, 2019

History of Manila City Jail Essay

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology supervices and controls all district, city and municipal jails. It has been claimed that effective management is based on one’s leadership, management skills and experience at managing critical issues; i. e, public relations, having good policy and procedures. To lead, one must be concerned with ethical and moral development of one’s organization and employees. It is imperative to define and know the agency’s policies in order to do what is right for the right reason. Another factor forming a significant part of tangible programs is sound policies and practices. There is need to focus on agency output in order to measure the target results and its effectiveness. The existing jail conditions in the country neccessitate an honest to goodness assessment to find out if their objectives are met. I need to determine the effectiveness of escorting the inmates in their court hearings and other purposes inside our penal system. There is need to conduct thorough assessment on this variable so as to provide a clear picture of inmate’s safety or problem with the end in view of finding solution for it if there are any. Due to different management of local BJMP and existing condition of penal system in the Philippines. The researcher choose Manila City Jail to be subjected of his researched work as he had his â€Å"on the job training† at Manila City Jail, where pertinent data are easily obtainable. The local BJMP in Manila City Jail managed to create effectiveness of escorting the inmates for their safety and security. This provides direction for their organization to identify their objectives in the performance of their duties. The idea of escorting the inmates is to provide safety and security for their court hearings and other purposes. A program should give all the employee’s an understanding of how their job contributes to the accomplishment of organization’s mission and vision. On January 2, 1991, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology was established under Republic Act 6975 as a line Bureau under the Department of Interior and Local Government. The Jail Bureau is the upgraded version of its forerunner, the Office of Jail management and Penology of the defunct PC/INP. As mandated by law, the BJMP shall operate under the reorganized Department of interior and Local Government. Starting from scratch with 500 personnel in 1991 the BJMP weaned from its mother PC/INP as a mere component, to become a full-pledge bureau, directed to supervise and control all district, city and municipal jails. At present, Director Rosendo Moro Dial, CESO III serves as the Jail Bureau’s Chief.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Causes And Effects Of Childhood Obesity Essay

Childhood obesity is not just an issue in the United States its wide-ranging. The amount of overweight and obese children in the U.S has increased at a rapid speed over the pass years, and there is no chance of it slowing down unless matters are taken. A fast-food craze has swept the nation, consequentially leaving a trail of defective nutrition in its wake. Fast-food corporations seems to be uplifting children to consume regular amounts of unhealthy foods by giving away toys with a purchase of a kids meals. Television, computers, cell phones, and video games are which considered to be technological necessities, have begun to take of the importance of exercise. By these influences can lead up to childhood obesity, which comes along with an overwhelming abundance of negative effects obesity puts children at a every high risk of numerous illnesses not only do children with poor eating habitats have unhealthy weight, but yet they have a high risk of having weak lungs, poor blood quality , and variety of other sicknesses. Despite the obstacles, there are ways to slow the outbreak that’s called childhood obesity. Prevention can be accomplished by following a balanced diet and participating in physical activities. There are a great deal of causes and negative effects of obesity in children, but likely there are ways to hinder or even discontinue the spread of this turning point. In the United States today we have a plague of childhood obesity. When we think about the problem, we began to point fingers at fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s, saying their food and servings sizes are to blame. However, I would debate that our lifestyle are really to blame we are so overly engage that we go to fast food restaurant instead of eating healthy meal at home. Children are considered obese is they have a body mass measure greater than for their age when unhealthy, fatty or sugary foods are consumed along with lacking amounts of exercise, obesity usually the outcome, Eating high-calorie foods usually like fast foods, baked goods, and vending machines snacks raise weight. Research shows that almost about  one-third of U.S. Children between ages four and nineteen consume fast food everyday out coming in a weight gain of about six to nine extra pounds each year, per child (NACHRI). Fast food consumption has increased numerous among children since 1970. Because of the abundance and availability unhealthy foods, children are very prone of becoming over weight. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-461876/Treat-child-obesity-neglect-say-doctors.html In the United States, The average child spends about for hours each day watching television (eMedicineHealth). This is the amount of time that could be spent outdoors participating in activities such as bike, roller-skating, and playing basketball. Emotional matters are another cause of childhood obesity. Obesity can result from a form of low self-esteem, depression, or dramatic life events. Dramatic events in the lives of young children such as deaths in the family, divorce of the parents, or moving from o ne place to another can also lead to overeating. Some children overeat as a way of dealing with problems in their lives or living under emotional stress and boredom and the lack of financial resources can play another part in childhood obesity as well. Children raised in low-income backgrounds have a much greater risk of dealing with obesity. Poverty can also inhibit some parents from being able to provide their children with proper nutritional diets and activities due to the lack of time and money. Childhood obesity is thought to not only result in emotional matters, poor nutrition, or lack of financial resources, but yet also genetics. Genetics are a cause of obesity in children, because metabolic rate disorder can be inherited. If one of a child’s parents are obese, the child has about a 50 percent chance of becoming obese however, it’s more likely to become the lifestyle a child inherits. Children of obese or overweight parents are much more prone to be overweight or obese due to eating the same food and mimic the parents level of activity. Obesity cannot be inherited, but disorders that can be result in obesity can. Hormone imbalances, steroids, and psychological medication can cause childhood obesity, but these events are very rare. Illnesses that prevent children from involvement in physical activity can result in obesity on rare occasions. Two of these illnesses are Prader-Willi syndrome and Chrusing’s syndrome. Prader-Willi syndrome is a congenital (present from birth) disease. It affects many parts of the body. People with this condition are obese.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Does Word Length or Orthographical Neighbourhood Size?

Does Word Length or Orthographical Neighbourhood Size Effect Working Memory? Abstract Baddeley, Thomson and Buchanan (1975) were the first to systematically examine the effect of word length on memory finding that short words were recalled more easily than long words. This became known as the word length effect (WLE; Baddeley et al. 1975). Since this study WLE was further examined and presented mixed results (e. g. Baddeley, 2000; Cowan et al, 1992; Lewandowsky & Oberauer, 2009; Lovatt, Avons & Masterson, 2000).In 2011 Jalbert, Neath, Bireta, and Surprenant suggested that previous research conducted may have been subject to a confounding variable, orthographical neighbourhood size (ONS). In a study by Jalbert, Neath and Surprenant (2011) it was concluded that neighbourhood size, not length of the word, is important; therefore forgetting in short-term memory may be due to other variables than decay. The present study was further investigating the effect of word length and ONS by using 2Ãâ€"2 within groups ANOVA. The independent variables were word length and ONS.They both had two levels: 1 syllable (short) and 3 syllables (long) for word length and 3-5 neighbours (small) and 7-9 neighbours (large) for neighbourhood size. Words for the ONS were selected using MCWord, an online orthographic database (Medler & Binder, 2005). The dependent variable was the number of words successfully recalled in the correct order. It was hypothesized that short words would be recalled better than long words, and that words with a large ONS would be recalled better than words with a small ONS.There will be no interaction between the two groups. There were eight participants (Leeds Met undergraduates) selected through convenience sampling. The experiment was run with the use of E-prime (Schneider, Eschman, & Zuccolotto, 2002). Participants were presented with six words then words were displayed on the left side of the screen, participants were asked to indicate the order in which th ey had been presented in. The number of correctly recorded words was used as the measure of the accuracy of their memories.Results showed that there was no significant effect on the ease of recall relating to either word length or ONS, therefore not supporting the hypotheses or previous research. This could be due to a small sample size. The different stimuli used may also have been problematic as previous research indicates (Bireta, Neath & Surprenant, 2006). This may imply that there is another reason for why forgetting occurs and it is not specifically related to decay or ONS. Further investigation into this is recommended. References Baddeley, A.D. , Thomson, N. , & Buchanan, M. (1975). Word length and the structure of short-term memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 14, 575–589. Baddeley, A. D. (2000). The episodic buffer: A new component of working memory? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 4, 417–423. Bireta, T. J. , Neath, I. , & Surprenant, A. M. (2006). The syllable-based word length effect and stimulus set specificity. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 13, 434–438. Cowan, N. , Day, L. , Saults, J. S. , Kellar, T. A. , Johnson, T. , & Flores, L. 1992). The role of verbal output time in the effects of word length on immediate memory. Journal of Memory & Language, 31, 1-17. Jalbert, A. , Neath, I. , Bireta, T. J. , & Surprenant, A. M. (2011). When does length cause the word length effect? Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 37, 338–353. Jalbert, A. , Neath, I. & Surprenant, A. M. (2011). Does length or neighbourhood size cause the word length effect? Memory and Cognition, 39, 1198-1210. Lewandowsky, S. , & Oberauer, K. (2009).No evidence for temporal decay in working memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Association Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 35, 1545-1551. Lovatt, P. , Avons, S. E. , & Masterson, J. (2002). Output decay in immediate serial recall: Speech time revisited. Journal of Memory & Language, 46, 227-243. Medler, D. A. , & Binder, J. R. (2005): MCWord: An on-line orthographic database of the English language. Schneider, W. , Eschman, A. , & Zuccolotto, A. (2002). E-Prime User's Guide. Pittsburgh: Psychology Software Tools, Inc.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Marketing research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Marketing research - Essay Example the marketing feedback progression, marketing research offers decision makers with information on the usefulness of the existing marketing strategies and provide comprehension of the required modifications. Second, marketing research is the most important instrument for discovering new opportunities in the marketplace. Research plays a significant role in the development of marketing strategies for all kinds of organizations. Similarly, marketing research is essential for recognizing the target market for a product or service along with the effectiveness of pricing strategy, promotional activities and distribution of the products and services. Thus, marketers should consider marketing research an essential tool for effective marketing. Businesses, in the cotemporary world, are very different from those of the past. Business today is far more aggressive in their search of success. With the development of the Internet, competitiveness has gone global. A business that wants to continue to be competitive and be successful will need to understand the products and services that their target market needs and desires. This kind of information can only be obtained from marketing research. Not only will they need to understand what products and services should be introduced in the market, but also the success of their existing products and services. Information regarding what the company is doing right and what it could use to make their products and services better is fundamental to a business’ success. Therefore, it is only with the accurate information that companies can develop their marketing strategies or adjust the existing ones (Pride & Ferrell 2007). Philip Kotler (2006) defined marketing as â€Å"a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through developing, providing, and exchanging products and services of value with others. It is the process of planning and performing, pricing, promotion, and delivery of

Thursday, September 26, 2019

What Did Jeffersonian Republicans Thought about the War of 1812 Term Paper

What Did Jeffersonian Republicans Thought about the War of 1812 - Term Paper Example The war of 1812 can rightly be renamed the Republican’s War as the Republicans successfully waged the war even though the Federalists opposed it. In the preceding pages, I would investigate and analyze the course of the war of 1812 and prove this hypothesis.Americans’ confidence in the viability of their republican form of government had begun to erode in the early nineteenth century under the pressure of foreign affairs. Great Britain and France, bled white from butchering one another in the Napoleonic Wars and each desperate for advantage, were assaulting the merchant vessels of the United States. The English first started to impress sailors from American ships in 1803. Then in a series of Orders in Council over the next few years they blockaded the European continent, denied to American merchants the wartime carrying trade, and began to seize American ships with their commercial loads. Napoleon responded with the Berlin and Milan Decrees, edicts which blockaded the B ritish Isles and prohibited all neutral trade with them. The French by 1806 also began to confiscate trade vessels of the United States. From 1803 to 1807 the Republican administration of Thomas Jefferson relied upon protest and negotiation in attempting to moderate the maritime policies of the European belligerents. This strategy failed.In December of 1807, the Republicans took a new tack. Determined to find an effective American policy somewhere between war and submission, Jefferson and his Congressional followers enacted the famous embargo. This measure prohibited American ships from traveling to foreign ports, and foreign ships from gathering any cargo in the United States. Designed to bring Great Britain and France to reason by economic pressure, the measure instead prompted economic hardship, political discontent among mercantile interests, and a widespread smuggling trade within the United States. The embargo’s unpopularity brought its repeal in fourteen months, and th e subsequent enactment of weaker forms of commercial restrictions. All of these policies were ineffective. But they did succeed in creating, especially among Republicans, a profound crisis of confidence over the vigor of American republican government. If the foreign affairs conundrum had helped raise tensions in American political economy by turning it inward toward production and the home market, it also raised larger and even more unsettling questions: could the United States wage war and survive? And if it could not, did its republican structure deserve to survive?

Gangs in America Why are they so out of control Essay

Gangs in America Why are they so out of control - Essay Example Gang problem in New York and California have been a long persisting issue. When comparing to others states in the US, juveniles and young adults joining gangs in these states are quite noteworthy. Notably, in majority cases, the common cause for participating in gang violence has been concentrated on sourcing money through illegal means within a short-term period. To be mentioned in this regards, California accounts for low rate of employment and low education standards that in turn substantiates the motives of young people getting involved in gang violence to suffice their economic requirements. However, in the case of New York, the motive has been identified to be more social and persisting as a trend among the youngsters (Sherwell, 2013). Concerning the legal issues associated with gang crimes, the foremost concern arises regarding social security of the community people. To be noted, as guns and other life-threatening weapons become readily available among criminals and gang memb ers, social security is hindered in the community, raising risks of domestic terrorism and various other crimes. In addition, young members of the society are also likely to become more vulnerable to gangs, hampering the stability of the society as well as its legal system at large, which will be a long-term challenge (Greenfield, 2012). To counter the issues raised by gang crimes in the society, legal authorities in New York and in California have been taking major decisions through courts, which in turn have imposed massive impressions on the nature and trends of gang violence in these states. Correspondingly, a direct influence of these court decisions can be witnessed on the strategies taken to demoralize gang involvements amid the society. For instance, the government in the US has taken effective and useful steps to reduce the crime in the nation, empowering law enforcers (Richard, 1999).

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The future of the internet Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The future of the internet - Research Paper Example Dan Nosowitz suggests â€Å"we sometimes forget that in no other part of our lives can we be completely anonymous.† If individuals are not afforded privacy in their physical lives outside their home, why should the Internet being any different. The Internet is still relatively new. The changes that are made every day, with technological advances, create an ever evolving entity. This makes the future of the Internet more hopeful, despite the problems needing to be solved. http://www.springerlink.com/content/h136p002m5783v77/ Online. This online journal source gives practical math solutions for future Internet traffic. The paths TCPs travel are examined. Solutions for making this process more efficient are given. Despite being a complex idea, Farooq explains the concept so easily most individuals can understand. 13(3). International Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing. Online. 17 Mar. 2010 http://www.springerlink.com/content/u2m057304x40m224/ Online. Although this is an older source it is important to the future of the Internet. The views of the Internet in 1996 were idealistic. Many of the objectives like faster Internet speed, expansion, and marketing possibilities have been realized. This shows that predictions about the Internet can be accurate. Feb 2010. Fastcompany.com. 17 Mar. 2010 http://www.fastcompany.com/1554403/does-the-future-of-the-internet-require-the-end-of-anonymity Online. This article is about the technological advances making Internet users more visibly known. Today Internet users are becoming more and more visible. In the future, anonymity on the Internet will be almost impossible. York: Yale University Press, 2009. Print. Professor Solove addresses the problem of blogs, social websites, and chat rooms. Everything written on the web has the potential of being saved by another user. Many Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter users freely give information about themselves. This

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Final Research paper Ryves Youth Center Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final Ryves Youth Center - Research Paper Example ought by family members, peers, and social circumstances on a regular basis such as substance abuse, violence, or extreme poverty† (Miller 10)} are faced with complex issues that pose hardships in their life. These problems are largely felt by the family members, relatives and the society. In order to help these â€Å"at risk youth†, many youth centers have been established in the United States. Among these centers is Ryves Youth Center which offers services to children described as â€Å"at risk†, who have experienced physical and sexual abuse, illiteracy, and substance abuse among others. Since its establishment in 1982, Ryves Youth Center has been in the front line to offer guidance and assistance to these young Americans. Most of the children who go to Ryves Youth Center can be categorized as â€Å"at risk youth† as they come from single parent homes, from a poor background and with no one to turn to. For this category of children, Ryves hall take cares of them. Most of these students enter Ryves hall with low esteem, lack of education, hunger, and obviously face unemployment. Some of the activities offered by Ryves hall include basketball, volleyball among other recreation activities. Therefore, it can be argued that Ryves hall is part of the change desired to change the lives of these young Americans. In corroboration with Ryves Youth Center, is the Ryves Community Optimistic Club. The club was established in 2011. Its mission is to assist the youths of the Ryves region by supporting Ryves Youth Center. Ryves Youth Center accepts children from all backgrounds regardless of their social, religion or economic status. According to Ryves Community Optimist Club, approximately 95% of the youth who go to Ryves youth center live below the poverty line and the majority of them are homeless (Para 4). Ryves Community Optimist Club attempts to provide help to the youth center in order to assist them realize their dreams and meet their needs. This includes facilitating

Monday, September 23, 2019

Working with Leading People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Working with Leading People - Essay Example A few months ago, 63 people applied for the post but only a handful applicants came anywhere near the required standard. Clearly something is not going well. You have been appointed as a HR officer, tasked with improving the standard of recruitment and selection in the company. 1. Prepare a job advertisement for a Marketing Manager for Delicious Food. Delicious Foods UK requires a Marketing Manager to spearhead and executive strategies such as planning, market research, promotions, sales, advertising and PR for the Organization. Candidate should be able to educate and motivate the sales team. Ideal candidate should have at least five years of experience in the relevant field which demonstrates pro-activity, team management and positive sales results. The Marketing Manager will be responsible for key marketing functions like planning marketing strategies, conducting research, advertising and promotions, public relations. The role also involves managing the productivity of the marketin g team and carrying out period reviews of all the marketing activities. 1. Provide an example of a marketing activity that you have successfully carried out in the recent past. 2. What are some of the typical challenges that you face in marketing? 3. Give an example of a situation where a marketing campaign that you handled was not a success. Give reasons. 4. What would be the first few things that you would do if appointed as the Marketing Manager of Delicious Foods? ... Secondly, the preliminary interview would be more comprehensive so that only the best of the lot move to the main interviews. The third step would be to make sure that two rounds of interviews are conducted by senior Marketing officials who would be able to gauge whether the candidate meets the necessary brief. 3. Discuss the legal, regulatory and ethical considerations in recruitment and selection process. As per the employment legislation, an employer is bound to provide certain specific rights to the employee. Therefore, an employer should always provide the right to equality and a workplace without any discrimination (Williams et al, 2010). This should also be applicable during the recruitment process. In addition, many organizations are also likely to face conflict of interest during the recruitment process because of previous associations. Such conflicts also should be avoided and a fair and equal chance should be given to all the candidates. 4. Evaluate the key factors that ar e essential for the success of the recruitment and selection processes in organizations. The key factors that are essential for the success of the recruitment and selection process of any organization include the availability of budget and resources, ensuring that the procedure is carried out with fairness in an ethical manner, detailed process of arriving at job description and role description, comprehensive and evaluative interview process and employee friendly hiring process (Hughes and Rog, 2008). In addition, it is also necessary that these processes are carried out in such a manner that everyone gets equal opportunities. 5. â€Å"One-fourth of interviewers around the world look at candidates' pages on social networking websites to gather information on

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Natural Environment and Campbell Soup Essay Example for Free

Natural Environment and Campbell Soup Essay Why do some business firms pursue a triple-bottom-line outcome while others focus only on profit maximization? Please, use a real company example to illustrate your points. The triple bottom line outcome focuses on the concept where firms are environmentally conscious and socially responsible by achieving a balance between profits, avoiding damage to the environment, and achieving social benefits (Douglas, 2012). Traditionally, firms focused on profit maximization to achieve profits to pay out dividends and capital gains so shareholders can buy things. In a recent article, Nursing Homes are overbilling Medicare . 5 billion a year for treatments patients don’t need or never receive. When nursing homes where for-profit, 30% of claims sampled were considered improper while non-profit nursing homes estimated only 12% (Waldman, 2012). Jill Horwitz, a professor at the University of California stated that for-profit health care providers are more likely to pursue money in any way possible, even by pushing the legal envelope (Walkman, 2012). There are still for-profit companies who pursue a triple-bottom-line outcome. Campbell Soup Company has been environmentally conscious and socially responsible since 1953. The Campbell Soup Foundation has been supporting local communities where employees live and work financially. Campbell Soup’s headquarters is located in Camden, New Jersey where they donate approximately $1 million each year to impact the local residents in a positive manner (Campbell Soup Foundation). They focus on hunger relief, childhood obesity and youth-related programming. Not only does Campbell Soup invest in its local communities, they also partner is many non-profit organizations like the Boy Girls Club and the United Way. Customers can influence firms to pay more attention to the preservation of the natural environment by emphasizing how important the community and environment in which they live are. Many organizations are now trying to go green. They are making products that use fewer materials and are less harmful to the environment. If customers refuse to buy products from organization that do not value the environment, organizations will change to customer’s needs. Along with not buying products, customers should not invest with companies who do not value the environment and communities. â€Å"Economists incorporate the triple bottom line into their models of business decision making by assuming that many individuals will buy shares in companies that achieve the triple bottom line outcomes they want and will sell shares in companies that do not† (Douglas, 2012. Pg. 7). References Campbell soup foundation. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.campbellsoupcompany.com/Foundation.aspx Douglas, E. (2012). Managerial Economics (1st ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. This text is a Constellationâ„ ¢ course digital materials (CDM) title. Waldman, P. (2012, December 31). For-Profit Nursing Homes Lead in Overcharging While Care Suffers. Bloomberg. Retreived from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-31/for-profit-nursing-homes-lead-in-overcharging-while-care-suffers.html 1. Firm Objectives Why do some business firms pursue a triple-bottom-line outcome while others focus only on profit maximization? Please, use a real company example to illustrate your points. Guided Response: In 300 words or more, please, provide your response to the above discussion question. Comment on how customers can influence firms to pay more attention to the preservation of the natural environment. Respond substantively to at least two of your classmates’ postings. Substantive responses use theory, research, and experience or examples to support ideas and further the class knowledge on the discussion topic. 2. Decision Making Under Uncertainty To save on gasoline expenses, Edith and Mathew agreed to carpool together for traveling to and from work. Edith preferred to travel on I-20 highway as it was usually the fastest, taking 25 minutes in the absence of traffic delays. Mathew pointed out that traffic jams on the highway can lead to long delays making the trip 45 minutes. He preferred to travel along Shea Boulevard, which was longer (35 minutes), but rarely had traffic jams. Edith agreed that in case of traffic jams, Shea Boulevard was a reasonable alternative. Neither of them knows the state of the highway ahead of time. After driving to work on the I-20 highway for 1 month (20 workdays), they found the highway to be jammed 3 times. Uncertainty is when the potential outcomes are not predictable and/or the probabilities of these outcomes are not estimable ahead of time (Douglas, 2012). * I-20 = 25 minutes w/o delays (25 minutes * 365 days = 9,125 minutes) * I-20 = 45 minutes w/ delays * Shea Boulevard = 35 minutes w/o delays * 1st month of travel there where 3 traffic delays assuming 20 workdays each month 1. Assuming that this month is a good representation of all months ahead, should Edith and Mathew continue to use the highway for traveling to work? * 3 jams (workdays) * 45 minutes = 135 minutes * 17 workdays * 25 minutes = 425 minutes * Total = 560 minutes compared to * 20 workdays * 35 minutes = 700 minutes when taking Shea Boulevard. Edith and Mathew should continue to use the highway because they save 140 minutes each month. 2. How would you conclusion change for the winter months, if bad weather makes it likely for traffic jams on the highway to increase to 6 days per month? * 6 jams (workdays) * 45 minutes = 270 minutes * 14 workdays * 25 minutes = 350 minutes * Total = 620 minutes compared to * 20 workdays * 35 minutes = 700 minutes when taking Shea Boulevard. Edith and Mathew should still continue to take I-20 during winter months because they will continue to save time. They will save 80 minutes of time taking the highway during winter months. 3. How would your conclusion change if Mathew purchased a new smart-phone app that could show the status of the highway traffic prior to their drive each morning, thus reducing the probability of them getting into a jam down to only 1day per month (where on this day, the app showed no traffic jam, but a jam developed in the meantime as they were driving along the highway). The conclusion would change in that Edith and Mathew should take Shea Boulevard on days in which they know there is an accident ahead of time. Either way they should continue to take the highway unless they discover accidents ahead of time. Non-Winter * 1 jams (workdays) * 45 minutes = 45 minutes * 17 workdays (highway) * 25 minutes = 425 minutes * 2 workdays (Shea Boulevard) * 35 minutes = 70 * Total = 540 minutes compared to * 20 workdays * 35 minutes = 700 minutes when taking Shea Boulevard. Winter * 1 jams (workdays) * 45 minutes = 45 minutes * 14 workdays (highway) * 25 minutes = 350 minutes * 5 workdays (Shea Boulevard) * 35 minutes = 175 minutes * Total = 570 minutes compared to * 20 workdays * 35 minutes = 700 minutes when taking Shea Boulevard. 4. Further, comment on how the conclusions of this problem will change if there was no uncertainty and the highway always had traffic jams, whereas Shea Blvd was always traffic jam free? Is this scenario realistic and why? Respond substantively to at least two of your classmates’ postings * 20 workdays * 45 minutes (I-20 w/ jams) = 900 minutes. * 20 workdays * 35 minutes (Shea Boulevard) = 700 minutes. If this was the case, Edith and Mathew would take Shea Boulevard every day. The scenario can be realistic because construction could incur at some point throughout the year cause delays and an increase in accident rates. References Douglas, E. (2012). Managerial Economics (1st ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. This text is a Constellationâ„ ¢ course digital materials (CDM) title.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Impact Of Variations On Project Performance

Impact Of Variations On Project Performance Given a well-structured schedule of works, the maximum project performance could be achieved if the work progress flows smoothly within the time frame and within the budget. However, it is rare that a project performs according as scheduled due to several reasons such as market conditions changes and Variations on the design drawings or contract. Therefore, the occurrence of Variations has negative impact on project performance. Thomas et al (2002:144) believe that variability generally impedes project performance. Ibbs (1997:308) concluded that Variations have tremendous effect on the project performance as the negatively affect the productivity and cost. Arain Pheng (2005:285) argued that Variations are unwanted but inevitable reality of any construction project. Hanna et al (2002:57) indicated that projects impacted by Variations causes the contractor to achieve lower productivity level than planned. There are 16 effects identified from the literature review, as shown in Figure 1 is discussed bellow. Delay in payment: Delay in payment occurred frequently due to Variations in construction projects (CII, 1990a). Variations may slow down the project progress, leading to delays in achieving the targeted dateline during construction (CII, 1995). Eventually, this may affect payment to the contractors. These delay may causes severe problems until it end up in delays in payment to the subcontractors; this is because the Contractors may not be able to pay the Sub-Contractors unless they get paid by the Employer first. Quality degradation: If occurrence of Variations is frequent, they may affect the quality of works. According to CII (1995), the quality of work was usually poor because of frequent variations because Contractors tended to compensate for the losses by doing short cut works. Productivity degradation: Interruption, delays and redirection of work that are associated with Variations have a negative impact on labour productivity. These in turn can be translated into labour cost or monetary value (Ibbs, 1997b). Hester et al. (1991) argued that the productivity of workers was expected to be greatly affected in cases where they were required to work overtime for prolonged periods to compensate for schedule delays. Thomas and Napolitan (1995) concluded that Variations normally led to disruptions and these disruptions were responsible for labour productivity degradation. The most significant types of disruptions were due to the lack of materials and information as well as the work out of sequence. Lack of material was reported as the most serious disruption, because labours could not continue their works and end up idling while waiting for the materials to be available. Hence, to manage Variations, one needed to manage these disruptions. However, the disruptive e ffects could not be avoided in many instances. Rework and demolition: Rework and demolition are frequent occurrences due to Variations in construction projects (Clough and Sears, 1994). Variations which are imposed when construction is underway or even completed, usually lead to reworks and delays in project completion (CII, 1990a). Rework and demolition are potential effects of Variations in construction, depending on the timing of the occurrence of the Variations. These effects are to be expected due to Variations during the construction phase. This is because the Variations during the design phase do not require any rework or demolition on construction sites. Logistics delays: Logistics delays may occur due to Variations requiring new materials and equipment (Fisk, 1997). Hester et al. (1991) observed that logistics delays were significant effects of Variations in construction projects. Logistics delays were experienced in construction projects where Variations in the construction phase required new materials, tools and equipments. Tarnish firms reputation: Variations are referred to as a major source of construction claims and disputes (Fisk, 1997; Kumaraswamy et al., 1998). The claims and disputes may affect the firms reputation negatively, due to unable to solve sever Variation cases. Variations also increase the possibility of professional disputes. Conventionally, Variations present problems to all the parties involved in the construction process. Poor safety conditions: Variations may affect the safety conditions in construction projects (OBrien, 1998) as changes in construction methods, materials and equipment may require, therefore additional safety measures are needed during carrying out the construction phase. Poor professional relations: A construction project is not a mere brick and mortar brought together. Rather, it creates professional relationships between parties to the contract. Each project successfully completed constitutes an added experience to participants and their reputation builds up. But disputes may arise between parties to the contract owing the occurrence of Variations. Misunderstanding may arise when the Contractor is not satisfied with the judgment of the consultant in terms of a fair valuation of a Variation. Bower (2000:264) argued that parties to a contract have been left to argue over the cost, time effects and due compensation of a Variations. Since the Contractors are pessimist of the outcome of the negotiations, they usually allow higher value than the real cost incurred. Bower (2000:264) opined that this causes the contention between parties as the Contractor continually push the client to settle the claim for additional costs while invariably feeling that the reimbursement has been insufficient. As a consequence, this can be very damaging to relationship between all parties representatives (Bower 2000:264). Charoenngam et al (2003:197) remarked that disputes between the Employer and the Contractor can occur if the Variations undertaking is not managed carefully. Harbans (2003:42) warned that unless a mutually acceptable solution is agreed by the parties, valuation of Variations would remain at the forefront of disputes and claims making their way ultimately to arbitral tribunals or the corridors of justice. Ssegawa (2002:92) revealed that more than one-third of disputes occurs pertain to how to ascertain losses arising from Variations. The excessive occurrence of Variations due to design errors or omission may undermine the professionalism of the designer. Furthermore, workers get demoralised when they demolish a portion of work that has already been done. Additional payments for contractor: Additional payments for the contractor can be a potential effect of Variations in construction projects. Variations are considered to be a common source of additional works for the Contractor (OBrien, 1998). Due to additional payments, the Contractor looks forward to Variations in the construction project because contractor benefits from the additional profit on Variations. Disputes among professionals: Like poor professional relations, disputes among professionals are also potential effects of frequent variations in construction projects. The disputes over Variations and claims are inevitable and the Variation clauses are often the source of project disputes (CII, 1986a). Clear procedures presented in the contract and fair allocation of risks can help in resolving disputes through negotiation rather than litigation (CII, 1986a). Frequent communication and strong coordination can assist in eliminating the disputes between professionals. Completion schedule delay: Various authors agree that Variations could be one of the reasons behind project time overruns or delays (Chan Yeong 1995:467, Mohamed 2001:1). It is said that a project that finished within the shortest time could, achieves some monetary savings. Unfortunately, each additional day due to occurrence of Variations on a project implies additional money. Variations issued during any various phases of construction gives negative affected to both projects completion time and cost increase (Koushki 2005:292). Hanna et al (2002:63) revealed that the more the Variations occurrence the more significant productivity losses. The productivity is the amount of output over a unit of time.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Statistical Analysis of Cricket Matches

Statistical Analysis of Cricket Matches Abstract The effect of playing home or away and many other factors, such as batting first or second, winning or losing the toss, have been hypothesised as influencing the outcome of major cricket matches. Anecdotally, it has often been noted that Subcontinental sides (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) tend to perform much better on the Subcontinent than away from it. In 2009, Joshi published an article in the Royal Meteorological Society Journal Weather which suggested that the prevailing weather conditions were more important to the results of the Ashes test series in Australia than were the relative strengths of the teams. In this paper, focusing on results of mens One Day International (ODI) matches involving England, I investigate the extent to which a number of factors including playing home or away (or the continent of the venue), batting or fielding first, winning or losing the toss, the mean temperature and humidity during the game, the condition of the pitch, and the strength of each teams top batting and bowling resources influence the outcome of matches. I employ a variety of Statistical techniques, and conclude that the continent of the venue does appear to be a major factor affecting the result, but winning the toss does not. In the second part of this study, I will use any significant factors to attempt to build a Binary Logistic Regression Model that will predict the chance of England winning at different stages of a game. The study also looks at using this model to consider different gambling techniques to see which would have created the most profit for past games. Introduction 1.1 Understanding the Basics of ODIs A One-Day International (ODI) is a game of cricket between two International teams. The team that wins a coin toss has the choice to either bat or bowl in the first innings. The team batting first have a maximum of 50 overs or 10 wickets to score as many runs as they can, this is more commonly known as setting a total. An over consists of 6 balls from one bowler and the following over must be 6 balls from a different bowler from the opposite end of the pitch. Each bowler is allowed a maximum of 10 overs each. The first innings will be complete when either all 300 legitimate deliveries have been bowled or all 10 wickets have been lost. The team batting second then have 50 overs and 10 wickets to score more runs than their opponents, this is referred to as chasing a total. 1.2 History of cricket formats Cricket has been a game played in England for hundreds of years, and it is believed that it may date back to 1500. However, the earliest records available are from the early 17th century. There are currently 3 popular formats of the sport played at International level and below. The longest format of the game is either called a Test Match in International cricket or a first-class match in domestic cricket. Test matches are played between two nations which have reached Test status. This is determined by the International Cricket Council (ICC). In a test match, both teams have two innings each to accumulate more runs than their opponents. Test matches have a maximum time allowance of 5 days, if the result of the game is not already decided at the end of day 5, then the match ends as a draw. Throughout history, there have been games that have lasted more than 5 days, however in recent years this has been a strict guideline. The most famous case of an extended test match was when England toured South Africa in 1939; the game was extended to the 9th day to produce a result, however when England required only 41 more runs to win, the England players had to leave the ground to catch the last ferry home and the match ended in a draw. (sahistory, 2014) First-class is a term that describes the highest level of domestic cricket played within each of the cricketing nations. Each nation has a first-class competition which must also consist of two innings each and last at least 3-days. In England, first-class cricket is a 4-day competition played between 18 counties. This was the only format of the game throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. County cricket is where all England cricketers develop their game, and Moores and Tickner (2016) say that The key to improvement is not to radically overhaul our county system. It is to embrace it. This is regarding ongoing controversy towards the argument that the English county system is at fault for Englands failures. A 2015 ar ticle written by Kevin Pietersen entitled Broken county system is damaging our national side is a key example of this, where Pietersen argues that bowlers arent quick enough and too much cricket makes county players fatigued. However, Moores and Tickner are stating that there are many talented cricketers in the county circuit, who are overlooked due to their lack of international experience, and the only way for them to gain experience is to be given a chance. They argue that the blame for Englands failures often comes through not using the top county cricketers, rather than the county system itself. The first ever official Test match was in 1877, when England narrowly lost to Australia at the Melbourne cricket ground. Then 5 years later, when England lost to Australia at home, The Sporting Times printed a mock obituary of English cricket which concluded that The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. (Lords, 2016). This was the start of the infamous Ashes series that is still contested today between the 2 nations. Limited Overs cricket was first introduced in 1951 in a small town in Kerala, India. KV Kellappan Thampuran formed the Tripunithura Cricket club before coming up with the idea of playing a one-day game. (Kerala Cricket Association, 2016). It was adopted into County Cricket in England in 1962 when the Midlands knock-out cup took place between Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottingham and was 65 overs per side. In 1969, there was a change in the law which allowed more sporting events to take place on a Sunday. (Miller and Tickner, 2016). This was an opening for Sunday League cricket, where counties would play a limited overs game on the Sunday following a first-class match in the week. The number of overs per side have since been reduced to 60, 50, 45 and 40. (BBC cricket, 2006). The first ODI was played on 5 January 1971 when the first 3 days of a test match between Australia and England were washed out, so a one-off 1-day game consisting of 40 8-ball overs was arranged. This game was played with white kits and a red ball. Soon after this, ODI cricket caught on and became increasingly popular towards the end of the 1970s, the World Series Cricket was organised and the 1979 season saw the start of coloured kits with a white ball and 50 6-ball overs in ODIs. This was an unpopular decision at the time as it was only done to fit in more advert breaks. (Jackson, 2014). However, these advert breaks allowed more money to come into the game to be spent on, not only player development, but players wages to make cricket a more appealing profession. Until these advert breaks came in, most cricketers would be working two jobs and now that cricket could be their main priority, there was a big increase in terms of fitness, technique and overall development of the game. ODIs have changed a lot since the 1970s; there are now fielding restrictions, powerplays and other factors that have led to scores increasing within 50 overs. In the 1980s a score of 250 in 60 overs was thought of as a good total, but whilst this study is taking place, in 2017, teams are looking to set a total of 300 in most matches. Below is a table taken from howstat.com showing the top 20 ODI scores in history. Table: Top 20 ODI team totals. Taken from howstat.com Here you can see that all the top 20 scores have been in the last 11 years, even though ODIs have been around for 46 years and ODIs in the 20th Century were often 55 or 60 overs. For this reason, when I investigate factors that influence the chance of England winning an ODI, I only take data from the 21st Century as I believe the statistics from earlier ODIs are almost irrelevant to todays game. Twenty20 (T20) cricket is the newest cricket format. Each side has just 20 overs each to score more runs than their opponents. However, the number of resources (wickets) stays the same, allowing for a more attacking style of play throughout the whole game since losing wickets is not as harmful to the team. The cricketing authorities were looking to boost the games popularity with the younger generation in response to dwindling crowds and reduced sponsorship. (Cricketnext, 2009). 1.3 Why ODIs? There are several reasons I have chosen to use ODI statistics rather than Test matches or T20s. The overall aim of the study is not only to find significant factors that influence the outcome of cricket matches, but also to use these factors to be able to predict the chance of England winning a game. I believe that Test matches end in a draw too often to build a win predictor, and Frank Duckworth (2001) said one of the great weaknesses of first class cricket is that the most usual result is a draw. This doesnt mean that the two sides have performed equally, but that the game was unfinished when time ran out. Through collecting data from cricinfo.com and taking the means of draws per country in test match history tells us that there is a 32.07% chance that a Test match will end in a draw. This could be due to defensive tactics as the game lasts much longer than other forms of cricket. Bad weather conditions can also take a whole day or more out of the match and this coupled with the m ore defensive style can make it harder to get a result. From the first ODI game up until the 19th July 2016, 33 out of 3764 games resulted in a tie, meaning that less than 1% (0.87%) of matches have been tied. This is clearly a much lower percentage than in test matches. Also, when an ODI produces this result, it is usually because the game deserves to be a tie as the two sides have performed equally rather than any other factors. The less ties result will allow me to build a win predictor more accurately. T20 is a relatively new format of cricket where teams go away from typical tactics and playing proper cricket shots and instead use a hit out or get out style of play. This means that it is much harder to predict who will win a T20 game as one good individual performance can all but win the game. For example, if one batsman scored 100 in a T20 match, even if the rest of the team only gained another 30 runs, a total of 130 could still win the game. Comparatively, in ODIs much more of a team effort is required, and a sustained performance is needed to win the game. There are also not as many patterns in T20 games, as usually, the whole 20 overs are spent attacking. Whereas ODIs require defence, patience, tactical field settings and tactical batting in terms of when to up the run rate. In an ODI series usually the better or higher ranked team will come out on top. However, in T20 matches this is much more unpredictable, and countries such as Afghanistan and the Netherlands have had succ ess in T20 format, despite the latter not being in the 2017 ICC ODI rankings (ICC 2017). 1.4 D/L Method One issue which has always been present in cricket is that bad weather conditions, especially rain, will often affect games, especially in limited overs cricket. For the first 30 minutes of delay there are no overs lost, then every 5 minutes after this there is 1 over lost per side. For an ODI to be completed there must be at least 20 overs per side played. There is usually no reserve day for a game that ends as a no result, due to tight scheduling. To minimalise the impact of weather factors that cannot be controlled, the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method is used to calculate the target scored for the team batting second where the rain has interrupted the game. It is a mathematical formulation that takes in to consideration how many overs and wickets remain so the game has a higher chance of ending in a result. The fundamental basis of the Duckworth/Lewis (D/L) method is that we do not correct the target by the proportion of overs lost, but by the proportion of the total run-scoring reso urces lost. (Duckworth 2001) There have been many previous attempts at creating a system to set a total so that games can be completed, including the average run rate (ARR) method and the most productive overs (MPO) method. The average run rate method was used to set a total, and it did this by taking the average number of runs scored per over x the reduced innings. The problem with ARR is that it is too simplistic, and gave an unfair advantage to the team batting second if there was rain. The most productive overs method was introduced by the Australians and it set the target to chase by reducing the total based on the number of runs scored in the most productive overs. However, this did not take in to account when the overs were lost and could result in a very unfair target. (Duckworth and Lewis 2012) As an aside, a way to solve the problems of weather affected matches could be coming in the form of indoor cricket. The first indoor match to be played was an ODI between Australia and South Africa on the 16th August 2000 (Ramaraj 2013). However, this has not caught on around the world despite the promise of a full days play. Jonty Rhodes (Grunill and Lillywhite 2005), a South Africa player in the game, said there were problems to overcome, namely the fact that players were looking up at the lights even when the ball was at head height as the lighting was not on pylons. 1.5 Initial Variables Winning the Toss The coin toss is contested between the home and away captain 30 minutes prior to the first ball being bowled. The captains will go out onto the pitch and before contesting the toss they will assess the conditions to help them make their choice of batting or bowling first. Some of the conditions they consider are also variables I have looked at in this study. In the 17th century it is believed that the winning captain also got to choose which pitch was used for the game, a job that is now left to the umpires. Hypothesis 1: Winning the toss will significantly increase the chance of winning an ODI. Batting or bowling first Upon winning the toss, the captain is left with the strategic decision between batting first or second. Some people believe that a team should bat first and produce a psychological hurdle for the second team to overcome. Other people believe that there is an advantage in batting second as the score required has already been produced. (de Silva and Swartz, 1998). Some people also believe that it is best to look at several factors before making the choice of batting or bowling first. Hypothesis 2: There will be no significant increase in the chance of winning an ODI by always batting or bowling first.       Home or Away Home team advantage is believed to be a significant factor in most, if not all sports. In a 2008 study Measurement and Interpretation of Home Advantage, Stefani says that the biggest factors believed to lead to home team advantage are travel fatigue, home team spectator support and home team familiarity. In ODI cricket, travel fatigue should not be too much of a factor as teams will usually arrive at the opposition country a week or 2 before the series. Morley and Thomas (2005) find that attendance figures at English cricket matches do not give any significant advantage to the home team. They do however state that in certain venues this may not be the case. This leaves us with home team familiarity, and I believe this factor weighs heavily in the outcome of ODI matches. The average score at a ground in England can be very different from a ground in another continent. For example, the average run rate in ODIs at the Kia Oval in London, United Kingdom is 4.84 and the average run rate in Lahore, Pakistan is 5.24. (howstat, 2017). Both grounds have been hosting ODIs since the 1970s. This means that teams must change their mindset about what is a good 1st innings total when they play away from home. Weather conditions and cricket pitches also vary in different countries and continents. There are 9 official test teams in the ICC rankings and each of these countries has a usual type of pitch. The term dead pitch is used to describe pitches that are flat and offer little help for bowlers. Dead pitches are the most common wickets that are prepared these daysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. the most common pitch type in ODIs. (cricketequipmentusa, 2017). These pitches are often found in Australia, South Africa and the West Indies. English pitches are usually encouraging for fast bowlers; pitches are often referred to as green tops. These pitches are also found in New Zealand and sometimes South Africa, they have a thin layer of grass which helps to produce swing and seam. Overcast and windy conditions are often present in England, which can correspondingly assist the ball to swing. Pitches on the subcontinent are often the opposite, where wickets are dry and dusty. The subcontinent is a term used to describe a large part of Asia, and includes the 4 big cricketing nations; India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The lack of rain in the subcontinent means no green on the pitches and the dr yness creates a lot of spin and uneven bounce. This is undoubtedly the reason why subcontinent teams have produced some of the best spin bowlers and why teams like England seem to struggle when playing away there. Hypothesis 3: England perform significantly better at home than anywhere else. Hypothesis 4: England perform significantly worse in the subcontinent than anywhere else. The first section of my study will test the variables mentioned above using a three-way ANOVA table. I test for statistical significance (

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Slave Trade in 1807 Essay -- England

In order to ascertain how significant beliefs and ideologies were in contributing to the abolition of the slave trade in 1807, and the eventual abolition of slavery in 1833, this assignment will consider moral, political,economic and religious factors which culminated into these two distinct reforms. It will explore the influence of Enlightenment; the impact of non-conformists; the role of individuals and resistance from slaves themselves. Additionally, it will look at the attitudes concerning the Atlantic slave trade and slavery from different perspectives. Justifications which were gleaned from the Bible, and from Antiquity, regarding the differences between white and black people meant that for much of the eighteenth century enslaving Africans was generally accepted. However, from the 1800s these beliefs and ideologies were challenged, and both slavery and the slave trade were progressively questioned and condemned. Enlightenment thinkers were instrumental in debates in which reason and intellect were dominant. They believed that individuals had the capacity to improve both themselves, and their environment. Underpinning Enlightenment ideas were the concepts of human and natural rights. Furthermore, the idea that the fundamental right of property is one's own person diminished the argument that any attack on slavery was an attack on property. Enlightened ideas influenced individuals such as Adam Smith who was concerned with economic policy,and Elizabeth Heyrick, who was a middle-class Quaker who pushed for immediate emancipation. (Unit 16,pp.87) Anthology 4.4 (a) and (b) provides definitions of slavery and the slave trade. The principal points raised are that men were born free and equal so slavery was contrary to natural... ... ideologies which resulted in the anti-slavery stance which was integral for political reform. The abolition of the slave trade did not result in the immediate emancipation of slavery, the role of individuals who worked tirelessly with the development of campaigning techniques such as, mass petitioning, door-to-door campaigning, public meetings and the gathering of evidence were extremely valuable to the anti-slavery movement. Even still this process was a long one, and one that involved ordinary people, resistance from slaves themselves and pressure groups. Beliefs and ideologies, were therefore, the most fundamental factor for the abolition of both the Atlantic slave trade (1807) and slave emancipation (1833). The position of parliament and the enactments which resulted were heavily influenced by the beliefs and ideas of people who collectively made a difference.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Complex Causality: Climate Change Essay -- multidisciplinary perspecti

Complex events are incidents that challenge pre-existing ideas through not meeting standard expectations or solutions. Equally, due to their ‘complex’ nature they should be able to be analysed from a multidisciplinary perspective. A multidisciplinary perspective is the drawing together of methodologies from different social science disciplines (such as economics, international relations, history and political science) to analyse an event and consequently reach a single conclusion. Overall, the use of a multidisciplinary perspective (in comparison to a singular disciplinary perspective) will provide the fullest and most accurate analysis of complex events, however this can create a trade off with the complexity and time taken to reach a conclusion. Firstly, this advantage will be argued through implying complex events have complex causality that can only truly be seen through a multidisciplinary perspective. Secondly, it can be seen that all social sciences lie on a spec trum with lots of overlap and interdependence between disciplines, and therefore it is an intrinsic feature of the social sciences to view complex events through a multidisciplinary perspective. Finally, it can also be seen that each discipline has respective areas of strength as well as areas of weakness and consequently a multidisciplinary approach allows for the most accurate and broadest analysis of a respective event. This can be shown through examples of complex events such as the current problem posed by Climate Change and the unforeseen end to the Cold War in 1991. However, it is important to keep in mind that while there may be many advantages of using a multidisciplinary perspective to analysis, the ultimate purpose of this analysis is to lead to a fina... ...AEBB275/1989%20for%20posting.pdf] Gaskel, G. (2014) Thinking like a social scientist: Why methodology matters LSE100 Lecture Capture retrieved 26th March 2014 [http://moodle.lse.ac.uk] Harrison, M. (1993) â€Å"Soviet Economic Growth Since 1928: The Alternative Statistics of G. T. Khanin† from Europe-Asia Studies Retrieved 26th March 2014 [http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/academic/Harrison/public/eas93.pdf] Hoffman, M. (2013) â€Å"Global Climate Change† in The Handbook of Global Climate and Environmental Policy Memorandum of the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1989) Excerpt from ‘The Political Processes in the European Socialist Countries and the Proposals for Our Practical Steps Considering the Situation Which Has Arisin in Them’. (Cold War International Project) Sandler, T. (2004) Global Collective Action. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Routine Communication

What kinds of tasks fall into each quadrant? Therefore, what kinds of communications norms do we need? routine/autonomous To the extent team members are working autonomously on tasks which remain static, there is little need for a lot of cross-team communications. Communications should be: Minimalist. Local. Compliance oriented where necessary. Automated whenever possible. The danger for virtual teams is that the â€Å"disconnected† feeling of a distributed team sometimes leads to over-reporting as a strategy to give people the feeling of â€Å"knowing what's going on. Sometime team members generate a lot of reporting in order to make sure the team leader â€Å"knows† that they are working. This kind of communication creates sludge in the team's arteries. It is a common cause of information overload which can sometimes result in team members avoiding engaging in the communications which actually are important to the team. The team needs to agree on a strategy to defend itself against communication sludge! Be on the lookout for what can be eliminated. 2 of 5routine/interdependent. Team members need to provide enough information to each other about areas where their routine work is interdependent to enable them to coordinate. Communications should be: Standardized. Organized. Easy. â€Å"Pull† v. â€Å"Push† (You go get what you need when you need it rather than having it pushed at you automatically). The danger for virtual teams is that because we have technology which allows us to exchange and store large amounts of information, we do it because we can without really addressing whether doing it adds value. The team needs to agree on a strategy to manage and coordinate this communication. Choose a few, processes for exchanging critical information and make a commitment to sticking to agreements about when and what will be produced by each member of the team. emerging/autonomous When individuals (or sub groups) on the team notice changes emerging in the work they have been doing, it's critical to make this â€Å"intelligence† available to the team as a whole. Communications should be: Timely (it can't wait for the next face-to-face meeting). â€Å"Push† v. â€Å"Pull† (to make sure that nobody misses a key indicator). The danger for distributed teams is that a weak communications strategy results in missing signals where something new happening in one place is a bell weather for something that will sooner or later have an effect on other parts of the system. A team that doesn't share this kind of intelligence is less than the sum of its parts. The team needs a strategy for scanning, scouting the environment within which they are operating, noticing pattern changes to make sure that important things get up on the team's radar screen soon enough when something which has been static starts changing. But it's not enough to simply report the information, it's critical that the whole team have an opportunity to discuss its meaning.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Changes of Lifestyle for Young People Essay

Introduction There have been massive changes in lifestyle of young people a century ago and the life of teenagers today. Most of the changes are remarkable and dramatic. Nowadays, there are fresh forms of media like the internet and television. Family makeup and emphasis on values today are nothing in comparison to what they were a hundred years ago (Weil, 1997). The young people’s objectives and viewpoints are also dissimilar amid of the two periods. All these modifications have made people believe that life today for a young person is far harder than it was a hundred years ago. Evidently, there exists several distinctions between life lived by young people in older days and that lived by teenagers today. Young people a hundred years ago lived a sanctuary life in comparison to those of the current times. Today’s teenagers do not just hear of violent activities within their communities, but are also aware of what is taking place in their nations and the world at large (Shephard, 2011). This has been made possible through embracement of technology and media. Television and the internet have enabled several young adults have their lives affected in ways no one even knew probable. The world today has been compressed to one small village by satellites and technological advancements that make communication of people in different continents easy. In older days, people communicated by use of signs such as blowing of horns, lighting of smoke, using messengers to convey messages from one region to another. The use of letters and posters was extremely high. Nowadays, communication is through social media like Twitter, Facebook, email addresses, cell phones and Skype just to mention but a few. Televisions have enabled news and entertainment to be easy and interesting. It was extremely hard to locate someone with a television a hundred years ago. Only a few people possessed them and were assumed to be wealthy people in villages. Approximately 80 percent of teenagers today have access to television, have cell phones and can easily access the internet. That enhances communication for them (Weil, 1997). There are certain distinctions in household concepts of older times and present times. A young individual’s household should be the superior influence of their lives. Parents of young people a hundred years ago comprehended this, and did all they could do to make sure this happen. When one looks at what is called household today, it is not what individuals hundred years ago would term as a family. Divorce was never known in communities those days and if there was a kid, a mother and father were present too (Hoikkala & Suurpää, 2005). Teenagers were extremely keen to protect their siblings. It was not possible for children to have two mothers or fathers and had no choice between father mothers. Families today are prone to family violence, divorce cases and remarriages that make children have more than one mother or father. This has made teenagers today to ignore the concept of family values and can do whatever they wish at any time. Discipline is extremely low in teenagers today as compared to young people hundred years ago. Conclusion Life today is far away different with life lived hundred years ago especially when young people are involved. The family structures and bondages of older times were strong but today they no longer have power. Parents today do not have full authority or capacity to discipline their children. This makes them ignore the values and principles governing families. In older times, communication was poor but today communication is extremely easy since technology has made the world a small entity. Life has really changed and things are not the same at all. The more changes are experienced, the more life becomes hard. References Weil, A. (1997). Eight weeks to optimum health: A proven program for taking full advantage of your body’s natural healing power. New York: A.A. Knopf. Shephard, R. (2011). Lifestyle and the Respiratory Health of Children. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 5, 1, 7-32. Hoikkala, T., & Suurpää, L. (2005). Finnish youth cultural research and its relevance to youth policy. Young, 13, 3, 285-312.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Research Study on Gender Bias in Education Essay

These instructions were used as a form of deception to prove my hypothesis. My hypothesis was that women would be more affected by this deception than would the men. My results proved otherwise. Results showed there was little difference in the way the women and men performed on these tests on either version. The ANOVA testing showed these clear results. Does Performance Reflect Success? Gender biases are present in the American culture. Women are put in a stereotype as the one to stay at home cleaning and cooking while men are believed to have to bring home the paychecks. How we live though is not the only area with gender biases. There are biases when it comes to sports, who can do what jobs and even education. Women are believed to be better at the education aspects having to do with words and comprehension while men are believed to be better at numbers or math. In the research world there is much controversy on whether the bias presented is true or not. Researchers have not been able to support this belief or disregard it due to the many conflicting results. A study done with the purpose of determining whether gender expectations still exist in present time, resulted in the idea that more and more genders are becoming equal in education (Jordan 2008). It was found that both sexes are more likely than ever to complete their high school education and even be able to obtain higher degree. The study also showed the gender gap in scores on the National Association of Education Progress becoming more and more narrow over time. Jordan does not refute the idea of gender bias in education but supported the idea that it is diminishing. These two researchers on the other hand, Fisher (2008) and Johnston (2005), have studies supporting their beliefs that gender biases in teaching are simply a myth. Both constructed research to support the idea that neither females nor males perform differently according to gender expectation or that these gender expectations are implemented at all. Fisher more, specifically, researching in math and Johnston in math and education. Chapman (2012) and Goetz (1996) though, both have studies that seem to prove otherwise. Chapman conducted a study, in Canada, which lead to the belief that gender discrepancies in teaching and education focus more positively on females. Chapman believes males are the ones taking losses in education expectancies. Goetz on the other hand, researched and came up with results which led him to believe American educators focus their attention more on males allowing them a positive advantage. After learning so much from previous research it can be accurately inferred that the gender bias in education does exist. A psychologist, Ghandi (2006) stated in his study the truth behind the bias. He used this truth to conduct a study in which he found that women not only believe the bias but are subject to it when they are told they will fail due to their gender. This particular study is what laid down the foundation for my research study. All of the above researchers knew the biased existed and all tried to support it or disprove it. This research project has one purpose; to find out not if gender biases exist but whether women are affected by these gender based expectations more than men. In many colleges and universities women are very comfortable with their gender; they are powerful, and successful. There are clubs devoted to women’s sexuality, success, and even fashion senses. There are awards given to women who have gotten superior grades, been offered great jobs, or are simply a success. Knowing this, what I want to learn is whether these women who are so highly praised and allowed the same success as men are still subjects to gender based expectations, more specifically in learning and education. In my study I will be deceiving the participants into thinking that only women will be successful in this study or to another group I will be saying only men will be successful. The way this will be done is by using simple high school level math tests. Before he test I will be falsely informing half of my participants (equal number of females and males) that only men will pass this test, and then I will repeat this with the other half of my participants but falsely informing them of the opposite. The fact that I will play on women’s vulnerability will allow me to learn whether these very empowered and successful women will still be so after being told th ey will fail before even trying. My hypothesis is that these women will be affected by such a statistic and depending on the false statistic they get, they will fulfill it. Methods Participants Forty eight undergraduate volunteers (24 males and 24 females) from Bryant University took part in this study. The average age of participants was recorded at 20. 22 years (SD=1. 13). No cultural or ethnic backgrounds were recorded. With help from different psychology professors a general description was given out within psychology classes and volunteers were recruited. To these participants in particular extra credit was allotted. The rest of the participants were recruited through word of mouth and e-mail in which they were once again given a general description of the study and asked whether they would be willing to volunteer. Each participant was tested individually and required approximately 15 minutes to complete study. Materials The study consisted of participants completing a standardized math test, four survey questions, and a deceptive article which can all be found in the appendix. The math test was found in an SAT math test practice site. This math test worked as the channel for the dependent variable (result on the test). The survey questions asked were simply used for collecting information. The questions did not ask sensitive information or anything that would put any participant at risk. Finally, the short article was written by myself and is completely fictional. It falsely informed the participants on information regarding SAT tests and reported false statistics on men outperforming women for half of the studies and the opposite for the other half. This was used as the deception part of the research which inconspicuously provided the participant with the independent variable (whether females or males pass this test) Procedures Forty eight students were recruited (24 females and 24 males) from Bryant University as the participants of my study. They were all recruited through psychology classes in which Professors gave a brief overview of what my study entailed and from there proceeded to recruit. The participants recruited in such a manner were rewarded with extra credit points in their class. The rest of the participants were recruited through word of mouth and group e-mails. With each participant recruited I have a brief explanation of what the study was comprised of, what it entailed, and more specifically what each participant would have to contribute. Once I recruited all participants which were necessary I began the research itself. At the start of their participation, each participant was handed a consent for in which they were asked to read thoroughly and if they agreed to the terms and conditions they were to sign and date. In the consent form participants were informed of their ability to leave the study at any time, their entitlement to any information and debriefing, on the confidentiality of the study and many more safety factors. To show the validity of the form I signed and dated on the same page each participant did right in front of them. Each participant agreed to the consent form allowing the study to continue. Once the consent form process was finished I would hand each participant the study packet. At this point they were told that each study was to be completed alone. The packet started off with an article which was entirely false and used to deceive each participant. On it there was made up information on the performance of genders on the SAT test throughout the past years. Each participant was informed that they would not be able to continue with the packet if they did not read these instructions. Once the instructions were read each participant could continue to the next section which consisted of the survey questions. These questions were purely used to collect data for analysis. Once the second part was completed each participant would continue on to the math portion of this study. The math portion of the test was a high school level standardized math test previously tested by college level participants. Each participant completed the math portion and would come to me to hand it in. when each individual would approach me I made sure to let them know the true nature of the study and informed them of the deceit. It was very important that no participant left the study with the false idea of one gender outperforming the other. I made sure each participant was thoroughly debriefed and had any questions they had answered. Results The data were analyzed using an ANOVA with the alpha level set at . 05. The main effect of gender participation was not significant, ? (1,44)=. 12, p=. 73, ? 2=. 003 and the main effect of gender test taking was not significant, ? (1,44)=. 00, p=1. 0, ? 2=. 00. However, the interaction between the gender participation and gender test was marginally significant, ? (1,44)=2. 97, p=. 9, ? 2=. 06. Figure 1 shows a cross-over interaction in which the two variables almost perfectly interact. My hypothesis stated that women’s scores would be more affected by the test gender and the deception then would the men’s. The results of the tests did not vary according to the gender of the participant or gender of the test. My hypothesis was not supported by the above da ta. There was, however, a notable factor in the results and the fact that they were similar in score for both genders. Discussion No significant main effect for test gender or participant gender occurred in this study. When taking a math test right after reading a deceitful article about the tendency of males or females to outperform the opposite sex, neither gender’s score seemed to be affected. This particular result is not what I predicted in my original hypothesis. Straying away from my belief that women would underperform the men once they were deceived into believing they would be outperformed, the results disproved my hypothesis. This outcome is consistent with the research of Fisher (2008) and Johnston (2005) in finding there is no significant gab in the performance of females and males in the subject of math. The results are not consistent though with those findings by Ghandi (2006) a researcher whose findings state that women do poorly on math when they are told their gender is to blame. Some factors which may have led to the inconsistency between my hypothesis and my results can be attributed to the limitation when conducting this research. Being part of such a small university, my research was very limited in the sample size it could use. Three thousand undergraduate students was a small population to choose just forty eight participants from. This also lead to what I believe was a biased sample since each and every participant was also my friend. The fact that the participants had a relationship with me could have caused an over performance level which would not usually happen. Some internal validity which should be looked at was the fact that many variables were simply not recorded. These factors include the race and ethnicity of the participant, whether English was their native language, if they understood the deceiving article in the start, and whether they understood every question asked in the math portion. Another internal validity factor is the way in which data was recorded. If this study were to be repeated, observation should definitely be an alternative way of recording data. There was so much happening as I observed each and every participant complete my study. Participants would get frustrated or smile the whole way through. Sometimes they would try to help each other out when I looked the other way or simply just guessed the answers since they did not want to be taking a math test. Using a standardized that does not give anything in return to these participants, should not have been my only source of data since it was not the best way to find results. Regardless of the limitations, new studies and research in the field of gender differences in education have resulted with outcomes very similar to mine. Although my hypothesis was not supported, the consistency it has with the studies of Fisher (2008) and Johnston (2005) only come to show that this study will be supporting much research in the psychology world. My results will be one more way to support the idea that there is little or no difference in gender performance in math. In addition to replicating my results, future research might extend the finding by examining other subjects in the world of education. Expanding the testing to be possibly in language, critical thinking, sciences and also math may give a better understanding on whether there is a discrepancy in women’s performance when they are told they are going to fail. Future research might also want to expand their sample by moving to younger generations in school, possibly in igh school, and older generations in and out of school. By doing so the outcome may result more accurately and allow a better understanding of the prediction. In conclusion, gender performance on standardized math tests do not have a direct link to the subject or the belief that one gender will outperform the other. After testing 48 participants (24 female and 24 male), giving each the same exact standardized math test but deceiving each to think they would outperform or underperform the opposite sex, no gender seemed to truly outperform. Each gender resulted close to equal. The results did not support my hypothesis but it led the way to a new hypothesis and a completely new approach to this study. References Goetz, J. (1996). In Education Expert: Classroom Gender Bias Persists. Cornell Cronicle. Retrieved from http://www. news. cornell. edu/chronicle/96/4. 25. 96/gender. html. Jordan, J (2008) The Myth of Gender Bias in School. Retrieved March 8, 2012. From http://www. parentdish. com/2008/05/20/the-myth-of-gender-bias-in-school/ Fisher, M (2008) Study: No gender differences in math performance. University of Wisconsin-Madison News. Retrieved from http://www. news. wisc. edu/15412 Johnston, T (2005) No evidence of innate gender differences in math and science, scholars assert. Stanford University News. Retrieved from http://news. stanford. edu/news/2005/february9/math-020905. html Gandhi, U. (2006) Gender bias in math skills doesn’t add up, scientists say. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from http://www. theglobeandmail. com/news/technology/science/article197902. ece Chapman, A. (2012) Gender bias in education. Research Room. Retrieved from http://www. edchange. org/multicultural/papers/genderbias. html Table 1 Cross over interaction [pic] Appendix Survey questions Male/ Female (circle one) Date of Birth __________ Anticipated graduation year __________ Have you ever taken a standardized test (example: SAT) Math questions (standardized test) http://www. majortests. com/sat/problem-solving-test01 1. Of the following, which is greater than ? ? [pic]A. 2/5 [pic]B. 4/7 [pic]C. 4/9 [pic]D. 5/11 [pic]E. 6/13 2. If an object travels at five feet per second, how many feet does it travel in one hour? [pic]A. 30 [pic]B. 300 [pic]C. 720 [pic]D. 1800 [pic]E. 18000 3. What is the average (arithmetic mean) of all the multiples of ten from 10 to 190 inclusive? [pic]A. 90 [pic]B. 95 [pic]C. 100 [pic]D. 105 pic]E. 110 4. A cubical block of metal weighs 6 pounds. How much will another cube of the same metal weigh if its sides are twice as long? [pic]A. 48 [pic]B. 32 [pic]C. 24 [pic]D. 18 [pic]E. 12 5. In a class of 78 students 41 are taking French, 22 are taking German and 9 students are taking both French and German. How many students are not enrolled in either course? [pic]A. 6 [pic]B. 15 [pic]C. 24 [pic]D. 33 [pic]E. 54 6. If f(x) = Â ¦(x? – 50)Â ¦, what is the value of f(-5) ? [pic]A. 75 [pic]B. 25 [pic]C. 0 [pic]D. -25 [pic]E. -75 7. ( v2 – v3 )? = [pic]A. 5 – 2v6 [pic]B. 5 – v6 [pic]C. 1 – 2v6 [pic]D. 1 – v2 pic]E. 1 8. 230 + 230 + 230 + 230 = [pic]A. 8120 [pic]B. 830 [pic]C. 232 [pic]D. 230 [pic]E. 226 [pic] 9. Amy has to visit towns B and C in any order. The roads connecting these towns with her home are shown on the diagram. How many different routes can she take starting from A and returning to A, going through both B and C (but not more than once through each) and not travelling any road twice on the same trip? [pic]A. 10 [pic]B. 8 [pic]C. 6 [pic]D. 4 [pic]E. 2 [pic] 10. In the figure above AD = 4, AB = 3 and CD = 9. What is the area of triangle AEC ? [pic]A. 18 [pic]B. 13. 5 [pic]C. 9 [pic]D. 4. 5 [pic]E. 3

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Fiscal Administration

Local fiscal administration refers to systems, structures, processes, resources, and the policy environment government the inter-governmental and inter-local fiscal relations, affecting, among others the following: o the giving of allotments and grants by the national government (NG) to local government units (LGUs); o sharing of taxing powers between the NG and the LGUs, and among LGUs units; o policy on tax rates and structure; o revenue and expenditure planning; revenue and expenditure planning; o revenue utilization and expenditure allocation; o monitoring and approval of budgets, tax ordinances and other fiscal measures; o policy on borrowing and borrowing instruments; and o appointment and supervision of local fiscal officers. The trends in local fiscal administration are inadequacy of own-source revenue to finance basic and devolved functions and thus render LGUs dependent on transfers from the NG.Reliance on few local taxes, particularly the real property tax and business tax ; and uneven level of expenditures hence, unequal access to local public services. With regards to the inadequacy of lgus, the national government must assist lgus in making development strategies to maximize the resources available. In that way, lgus can somehow sustain themselves and become less dependent to national government.It must also help in attracting investors regardless if the leaders are opposition or administration. Lgus must not sole rely on few local taxes. It must encourage business to pay honestly the taxes and give credit to those who pay on time. Those who evade must be persecuted regardless if they are powerful individuals and has connecrtion to top officials. The national government must help in regulating taxes and help in catching the big fishes.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Inflation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Inflation - Essay Example There are different reasons that contribute to inflation in any economy which varies in terms of supply and demand of commodities in supply and the means of exchange (Baumol & Blinder, 2011, p 37). According to economists, moderate or low economic inflation can be caused by the increase in demand of commodities or the scarcity on the side of suppliers. On the other hand, hyperinflation is attributed to high supply of currency in the market in which the individual who possesses it buys commodities at high prices than they ought to cost under normal circumstances. This has ever been witnessed in different countries where currencies have inflated to trigger an economic threat to the businesses within the society. In attempts to curb the inflation from rising to hyperinflation, various methods have been implemented which have led to stabilisation of the economy and improve the predictability of the market conditions. In United Kingdom, UK inflation happened and the country implemented va rious methods that led to balancing of the economy so that investors could continue to invest in that economy. In looking at the effects of inflation, it is good to consider the various things that lead to it and means that can be used to control it with a practical example of a country that has ever been affected and implemented some methods they used to control it with a focus at the advantages and disadvantages of those methods. In the economy, there are different explanations that economists give as the causes of the economic inflation that affect nation; these are given according to the different types of inflation that are found within an area. In general, the general causes of inflation plays around supply and demand of various things in the market that have direct influence of on the prices of the commodity to be bought. This means that abundance or scarcity of a particular determinant of trade i.e. goods or services and means of exchange, can cause prices of the commodities to rise within a short period. Following this perception, the abundance on the side of demand causes prices to go high because of the competition that arise from the different buyers who are interested in a particular commodity. The other perspective that causes inflation is the scarcity on the side of the supply where only little products over which buyers compete to attain making the sellers to determine the buyer through high prices that are attainable by just a few of them. From this perspective, there are two major categorisation of inflation in the economy, which are dependent on supply and demand in the market where individuals trade and which include moderate and high rate or hyperinflation (Credan, 2006, p45). Moderate inflation is caused by different situation of the demand and supply of the products in the market and can result from increase in the demand for products or reduction of supply. As a result of increased demand for goods or services, many customers that requi re a particular product contest for it financially and can lead to high prices of such products as in accordance to the law of demand that says that the higher the demand, the lower the supply and hence, the higher the price of the commodity. This results to inflation because

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Is Foundationalism or Coherentism the better model for the Essay

Is Foundationalism or Coherentism the better model for the justification of our beliefs Investigate the arguments on either side and evaluate them - Essay Example Whether B1 is not fundamental, it may have to rise from an additional belief, B2. However, B2 can give good reason for B1 simply if B2 is vindicated itself. Whether B2 is fundamental, the justificatory sequence would finish with B2. However, if B2 is not essential, we could do with a further conviction, B3. Whether B3 is not fundamental, we require a fourth conviction, and so forth. Except the resultant regress comes to an end in an essential belief, we obtain two probabilities: the relapse will either circle back to B1 or carry on ad infinitum. In relation to the relapse argument, the two probabilities are deplorable. Consequently, if there are vindicated beliefs, there ought to be fundamental beliefs (Cornman 145). This argument endures from a variety of weaknesses. Initially, we might question whether the substitutes to foundationalism are in actuality deplorable. In the current literature on this topic, we, in fact, find a highly structured justification of the situation that infinitism is indeed the proper resolution to the regress predicament. Nor must circularity be overlooked too swiftly. The matter is not if a straightforward argument of the structure p consequently p is up to standard. In point of fact, it is not. Somewhat, the matter is eventually whether, in the effort to demonstrate that belief in our abilities is levelheaded, we might make utilization of the effort our abilities deliver. If such circularity is since objectionable as a p-therefore-p conjecture, is an open query. Moreover, the evading of circularity cannot come inexpensive. Experimental foundationalists assert that discernment is a foundation of rationalization. For this reason, they require to respond to the J-query : Why is discernment a basis of rationalization? If the answer this query is to be provided without entrusting ourselves to the type of circularity reliance

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Barriers to Thinking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Barriers to Thinking - Research Paper Example Ruggiero (2009) correctly calls it, in the layman’s language, a tendency of laziness that most people are inclined to. Change by its very nature forces people to learn new ways and means and stretch ones imagination towards a new goal. One who is ready to change will inevitably initiate a process of thinking. Self-deception is the second barrier to thinking that can be seen in most of us. Finding fault in others, in circumstances for our all failures is a biggest self-deception that we resort to. That is how we pass on, very cleverly, all responsibilities on others. Self-deception is an enemy to our growth and development. At times, we conveniently forget that odds are there everywhere yet certain people do overcome them with their rightful thinking and introspection in the life (Ruggiero 2009). Riggiero (2009) advises us to abstain from taking any instantaneous viewpoint or form any opinion on any matter because that will be mostly judgmental and only out of our deep rooted old habits that we are mired of. When we are successful in this first step, then and then only, we will be able to initiate our unbiased and conscious thinking process that will gradually loosen our ties with all barriers to

Information System Risk Management Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Information System Risk Management Paper - Essay Example Threats to an organization can be both from internal sources and external. While the motives may vary, the system is vulnerable to several risks. This paper will examine the vulnerabilities, the potential threats and the levels of security that could help mitigate the risks and allow uninterrupted workflow. Risk has been defined as the chance of exposure to the adverse consequences of future events (Egbuji, 1999). The likelihood and consequences have to be understood to provide for the right security measures. For a risk to be understandable, according to the Software Engineering Institute (SEI, 2006) of Carnegie Mellon University, it must be expressed clearly. This also implies that possible losses must be identified. Risks have to be assessed continuously and used for decision-making. In the field of computer technology and the information systems, technology enhancement is an ongoing process, which further necessitates continuous risk assessment. Besides, the losses due to lack of security controls could be in the areas of production, revenue, damaged reputation, and financial performance. Benefits of proper security measures could result in enhanced operational efficiency and competitive advantages (Kim, 2006). An organization must invest in IS security and know where to cut corner s. They should be able to spell the difference between security success and disaster (Gupta and Hammond, 2006). According to SEI, seven principles provide the framework to establish effective risk management. These include having a global perspective, the system should be at par with the larger systems, forward-looking view that is identifying and anticipating uncertainties, open communication – information and communication at all levels should be free flowing, integrated – risk management should be a vital and an integrated part of management, continuous – regular upgradation and constant vigil, shared product vision – having common purpose, shared