Questions On Security Assessment Services - 1386 Words

Security Assessment Services Checklist and Auditlist related points for an organization called â€Å"Cvent†, whose core business is SaaS and Mobile Application related to System Application Domain. Hence we need to make sure that the application servers are physically and virtually secure and provide round the clock availability and reliable data integrity. There should also be a checklist to ensure due privacy and confidentiality of client data. ïÆ'Ëœ Physical Security The organization should make sure that the severs, firewalls and mainframes should be placed in safe and secure area. So the following checklist should cover aspects pertaining to physical security like: †¢ Are the application servers hosted in a safe and secure environment? Yes/No †¢ Are the mainframe machines placed in a cool and secure environment, as they tend to get quickly overheated? Yes/No †¢ Do the mainframes have alternative power backup to support the outages in power? Yes/No †¢ Does the hosting space for Application servers provide reserve power backup for servers in case of power outage? Yes/No †¢ Is there a backup and recovery policy in case of hard drive or failure of any other device? Yes/No †¢ Do all the people who enter the application server room have valid/authorized access to work in the room? Yes/No †¢ Does the people who attend to the mainframe server room have valid/authorized access to work in the room? Yes/No ïÆ'Ëœ Network Based (Attack Penetration) Anything that is accessible via the internetShow MoreRelatedRisk Assessment Tools1220 Words   |  5 PagesRisk Assessment Tools All of the tools perform the same basic function; however, they perform them differently (Schreider, 2003). Each product is a questionnaire based on the type of organization, asset value, etc. More sophisticated products also allow importation or links to data from penetration tests, intelligence reports, and other risk-gathering formats. 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Growing volume and sophisticationRead MoreIs4550 Week 5 Lab1611 Words   |  7 Pagesand Audit an Existing IT Security Policy Framework Definition Learning Objectives and Outcomes Upon completing this lab, students will be able to complete the following tasks: * Identify risks, threats, and vulnerabilities in the 7 domains of a typical IT infrastructure * Review existing IT security policies as part of a policy framework definition * Align IT security policies throughout the 7 domains of a typical IT infrastructure as part of a layered security strategy * IdentifyRead MorePrivate Security Expert : Security Worker Broke Cardinal Rule1033 Words   |  5 PagesThe article, â€Å"Private security expert: Security worker broke cardinal rule,† describes an incident in Austin, Texas, where an off-duty police officer is working as an armed security officer for a local car dealership. The officer intervenes in a burglary attempt and ends up shooting the suspect with his service weapon. 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Globalization And The Global System - 1343 Words

Globalization one of the most controversial and widely recognized term, and is biggest threat to liberty in the 21st century. The consolidation of power and wealth into the hands of a few has absolutely no benefit, except of course to the power hungry CEO s of transnational’s looking to suck the life out of every nation they can exploit. Despite the propaganda from the global elite it s done nothing but destroy the middle class in United States and any other industrialized nation. It will eliminate more cultures and enslave more people than even the most ambitious tyrant from history. Globalization is uneven and incomplete because the pace of globalization varies over time, and not all societies are fully integrated into the global†¦show more content†¦It is clear that the unchecked growth of financial capitalism is not the only outcome of today’s crisis and that regulations are necessary at all levels to meet the challenges of globalization. Increasing internationalization of the three circuits of capital is driving globalization: International trade (the global marketplace), international finance (the global casino) and international production (the global assembly-line), and the concomitant, increasing international concentration and centralization of capital. This characteristic of contemporary globalization, which distinguishes it from previous periods of international economic integration, has been a major contributor to the break-up of the institutional pillars of the postwar productive order, and is propelling further globalization. More than one billion people live in extreme poverty, which is defined by the World Bank as subsisting on less than one dollar a day. In 2001, fully half of the developing world lived on less than two dollars a day. Yet poverty rates are much lower today than twenty years ago. In the last two decades, the percentage of the developing world living in extreme poverty has been cut in half. While poverty rates were falling, developing countries became increasingly integrated into the world trading system. Poor countries have slashed protective tariff s and increased their participation in world trade. If we use the share of exports in gross domestic

Colonialism Free Essays

Colonialism Colonialism is the establishment, exploitation, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. colonialism was a central part of an earlier form of globalization. Also referred to as the first globalization this phenomenon of modernity, is Justified by having said it brought various advances and progress to backward countries. We will write a custom essay sample on Colonialism or any similar topic only for you Order Now Due to imperialist lack of long- term objectives and resources, some of these backward countries were abandoned and left in states of anarchy, forced to accept the vicious loan/debt cycle. Colonialism’s main defect in that period was that the colonies starved of resources, thus leaving the process of de-colonization the imperialist option. This effect of colonial experience was tragic and of relevance still, as these third world countries now experience a modern-day form of slavery, ‘debt slavery’. The incompetence of the imperialist leaders, and their confused policies are the reason debt slavery exists Colonialism culturally brought enlightened progress, with the introduction of Christianity and medicine. The foreign presence was of economic benefit as this is a ecessary phase of ‘globalization’, but this was inadequate of all that was required. In practice the imperialists generously offered conservative authority figures at most. Motivations of imperialism came from a rivalry between Britain and Germany, sided with Italy. Britain was threatened and felt they wouldn’t be safe without colonies, whereas their rivals wanted to gain control over colonies to emphasize nationalism. Greater economic competition, ideas of racial superiority and anxiety led the European powers to erratic improvisation: based on the need to meet the latest rises in the motherland. Essentially this was all that was important, securing the future of the home country. With continual arguments by the leaders, â€Å"Are colonies worth it? † there was no sense of moral duty but the notion of self-satisfaction. They did all that would benefit their own situation and safeguard their future. Colonies were a status symbol. deas of racial superiority originated from the theory of Charles Darwin. The European powers applied this to races of people. This was their justification. Other races were inferior and they would help them. A tropical colony is colony where there is a large native population which outnumber the whites, but where the whites run the colonies. For example Nigeria. ln the article ‘The World in 1800 , it discusses how slavery was popular also on the grounds of inf erior race and an extraordinary Justification developed on religious argument. The European powers also had a high idealism on the genuine spreading of Christianity. It was dedication to duty that missionaries were continually sent to West Africa to help the inferior after many white men would die upon arrival due to the unfamiliar climate. They had to govern them well. These attitudes allowed slavery to continue and the leaders to have no remorse when abandoning the colonies and coming to their financial aid where their generosity was not recognised, as their aid always produced them economic benefits. De-Colonization came about in three shock waves. Russia’s defeat in the Russo-Japanese war 1904and the most influential the impact of World The Japanese tougnt an anti-colonial war whether they intended to or not. This had ended the effectiveness of European control. It proved they were not invincible. In most cases of forming the colonies into independent nations, the colonies were not ready to be left on their own and suffered from extreme poverty. How to cite Colonialism, Papers

DOS And Unix Essay Research Paper Compare free essay sample

DOS And Unix Essay, Research Paper Compare and Contrast Microsoft DOS with UNIX As is implicative of its name, an operating system ( OS ) is a aggregation of plans that operate the personal computing machine ( Personal computer ) . Its primary intent is to back up plans that really do the work one is interested in, and to let viing plans to portion the resources of the computing machine. However, the OS besides controls the interior workings of the computing machine, moving as a traffic director which controls the flow of informations through the system and initiates the starting and fillet procedures, and as a agency through which package can entree the hardware and system package. In add-on, it provides modus operandis for device control, provides for the direction, programming and interaction of undertakings, and maintains system unity. It besides provides a installation called the user interface which issues bids to the system package. Utilities are provided for pull offing files and paperss created by users, development of plans and package, pass oning between users with other computing machine systems and pull offing user demands for plans, storage infinite and precedence. There are a figure of different types of runing systems with changing grades of complexness. A system such as DOS can be comparatively simple and minimalistic, while others, like UNIX, can be slightly more complicated. Some systems run merely a individual procedure at a clip ( DOS ) , while other systems run multiple procedures at one time ( UNIX ) . In world, it is non possible for a individual processor to run multiple procedures at the same time. The processor of the computing machine runs one procedure for a short period of clip, so is switched to the following procedure and so on. As the processor executes 1000000s of instructions per second, this gives the visual aspect of many procedures running at one time. User plans are normally stored on a difficult disc and demand to be loaded into memory before being executed. This presents the demand for memory direction, as the memory of the computing machine would necessitate to be searched for a free country in which to burden a users plan. When the user was finished running the plan, the memory consumed by it would necessitate to be freed up and made available for another user when required ( CIT ) . Procedure programming and direction is besides necessary, so that all plans can be executed and run without struggle. Some plans might demand to be executed more often than others, for illustration, printing. Conversely, some plans may necessitate to be temporarily halted, so restarted once more, so this introduces the demand for inter-program communicating. In modern runing systems, we speak more of a procedure ( a part of a plan in some phase of executing ( CIT, 3 ) ) than a plan. This is because merely a part of the plan is loaded at any one clip. The remainder of the plan sits waiting on the disc until it is needed, thereby salvaging memory infinite. UNIX users speak of the operating system as holding three chief parts: the meat, the shell and the file system. While DOS users tend non to utilize the term meat and merely sometimes use the term shell, the footings remain relevant. The meat, besides known as the ? Real Time Executive? , is the low-level nucleus of the OS and is loaded into memory right after the burden of the BIOS whenever the system is started. The meats handles the transportation of informations among the assorted parts of the system, such as from difficult disc to RAM to CPU. It besides assigns memory to the assorted system-level procedures that occur whenever the computing machine does anything. The meat is besides responsible for scheduling the CPU? s operations and for allowing the shell entree the CPU ( PC Mag, 1 ) . The shell is the seeable user interface to the OS and is a plan that loads on top of the operating system and offers users commands that lets them entree the OS. Strictly talking, the shell is an input public-service corporation that offers entree to the operating system. Technically talking, the shell, being a separate plan, is non a portion of the OS at all. In the UNIX universe a figure of shells are available, among them the Korn shell, the C-shell, the Bourne shell and the Bourne Again shell ( yes, truly ) . In DOS, the criterion shell is COMMAND.COM, once more nil more than a plan. As different versions of command.com came with different versions of DOS, each added new bids and new things that could be done by the user. For illustration, DOS 4? s COMMAND.COM added the /P switch to DEL to verify each omission, and DOS 5? s COMMAND.COM provided the ability to screen the end product of the DIR bid. HISTORY An acronym for disc operating system, the term DOS can mention to any operating system, but is most frequently used as stenography for MS-DOS. Originally developed by Microsoft for IBM, MS-DOS was the criterion operating system for IBM-compatible computing machines. The initial version of DOS was slightly unsophisticated and resembled another operating system called CP/M. Subsequent versions have become progressively sophisticated, nevertheless DOS remains a 16-bit operating system without support for multiple users or multitasking. The earliest signifiers of DOS were rough and utilized merely a few bids, but as computing machines became more advanced, so did DOS. By maintaining up with engineering, DOS was implemented into more? user friendly? runing systems. However, as more sophisticated runing systems were released, DOS became less of import. ? Today, hackers involved with the latest OS trends gag that DOS stands for? Dad? s Operating System? ? ( Comerford, 23 ) . In 1980, IBM asked the Microsoft Corporation to bring forth the operating system for its first personal computing machine, the IBM Personal computer. Prior to this, a company called Seattle Computer Products had sold an operating system called 86-DOS to Microsoft. Microsoft hired the writer of 86-DOS, Tim Paterson, in April of 1981 to modify the system, and renaming it MS-DOS ( Microsoft Disk Operating System ) , it was released with the IBM Personal computer. Thereafter, most makers of personal computing machines licensed MS-DOS as their operating system ( Brittanica, 1 ) . Restrictions of the early Personal computer? s hardware were a large influence on MS-DOS. Although the 8088 theoretical account computing machine had a 1Mb reference infinite, IBM decided to apportion the first 640K of this to RAM, and the remainder to ROMs, picture boards and other things. Consequently, MS-DOS was set up to back up plans whose maximal size was 640K. Version 1.0 of DOS was released along with the IBM Personal computer in August 1981. It occupied 12K of the systems 640K of memory, was slightly compatible with CP/M and, much like CP/M, supported merely a individual directory. By contrast, even the first version of UNIX had a full hierarchical file system. In add-on, Version 1.0 supported merely a 160K individual sided 51/4-inch floppy floppy. Version 1.1 was released by Microsoft in October 1982 and supported double sided 320K floppies. Aside from repairing some bugs, this release was similar to Version 1.0. Releases such as 1.1, in which the figure to the left of the denary point is the same as the old version depict comparatively minor alterations from the old release. By contrast, Version 2.0 was mostly a new system. In March 1983, IBM introduced the PC/XT, its first personal computing machine with a difficult disc. It came with a new discrepancy of MS-DOS, Version 2.0. In this version, Microsoft incorporated many thoughts from the UNIX system for which it was besides a seller. For illustration, integrating minor alterations, the MS-DOS file system was taken mostly from UNIX. In add-on, the shell was improved, and Version 2.0 supported a new floppy floppy format, the 360K every bit good as user installable device drivers, print spooling, system constellation and memory direction. At this point, Microsoft disk operating system was established as the dominant operating system in Personal computer market. In August 1984, IBM released its first 286 bit based Personal computer, the PC/AT. The PC/AT supported memory up to 16 Mb and had the ability to run multiple plans at one time. However, the version of MS-DOS that shipped with the PC/AT was 3.0, which supported neither of these. Rather, it ran the PC/AT in a manner that simulated the 8088, merely faster. Since the PC/AT came with a 1.2Mb disc thrust, battery backup clock, and constellation information in the CMOS, support for these devices was added. What # 8217 ; s more, difficult discs larger that 10Mb were now supported. In add-on, the bid processor ( shell ) was removed from the operating system and made into a separate plan. In November 1984, 3.0 was replace by 3.1 which provided the first support for networking. In 1987, IBM came out with the PS/2 line of Personal computer which shipped with MS-DOS 3.3, supplying support for both 720K and 1.44Mb 31/3 floppy disc thrusts. With Version 4.0, Microsoft added the DOS shell, a bill of fare driven shell instead than the old keyboard driven 1s. In add-on, it now provided support for difficult thrusts larger than 32 Mb. A major new release, MS-DOS Version 5.0 was shipped in April 1991. Although this was the first version that made any serious usage of the drawn-out memory, it still had the limitations that plans could non transcend 640K. However, it had the ability to locate most of MS-DOS itself in drawn-out memory, so about 600K of the lower 640K was now available for user plans. Version 5.0 besides came with a utile Aid public-service corporation, to help new users. For the first clip, MS-DOS was sold in shops to the populace ( old versions were merely sold to computing machine sellers who delivered them with their machines ) ( CIT, 1-3 ) . The MS-DOS 6 household provided more memory direction for applications such as Microsoft Windows. In add-on, newer public-service corporations were provided for disk-defragmentation, file compaction, file backups and anti-virus checking. Other fluctuations of MS-DOS exist, such as PC-DOS by IBM, DOS-V, Dr. DOS and others. There is even a FREE DOS available on the Internet as an MS-DOS ringer. Although it can still be found on many computing machines, MS-DOS is technically an disused operating system, being replaced by Microsoft Windows. For personal computing machines, MS-DOS is a individual user, individual tasking operating system. Single user means merely one individual uses the computing machine at a clip. Single tasking means that it basically runs one application plan at a clip, and has no built-in support for running more than one application plan at the same time ( CIT, 2 ) . If we want to look at the basic DOS operating system itself, there is no demand to look further than three system files, command.com, Io.sys and ( in DOS6.x and before ) Msdos.sys. These files are important in DOS versions up to 6.22. Io.sys represents the lowest degree of the interface and contains the modus operandis necessary for interfacing the OS with the system? s BIOS. It implements MS-DOS as seen by the hardware and has default drivers for console show and keyboard, pressman, consecutive communications, clock, and a boot disc thrust. Msdos.sys handles the higher-level modus operandis such as change overing bids from applications into instructions for Io.sys. It implements MS-DOS as seen by application plans. It supports file and record direction, memory direction, character device input and end product, executing of other plans, and entree to a real-time clock ( CIT, 3 ) . Both of these files are in the root directory, and both are hidden from position by default. The thought is that you are non suppose to see them, so that you wear? Ts do anything destructive to them ( such as canceling them ) . They are besides read-only so that they can? t be deleted by chance. Command.com is the shell plan which interprets user bids, presents the shell prompt, and conta Immigration and Naturalization Services a set of internal bids. The remainder of MS-DOS consists of a figure of public-service corporation plans. Although DOS had cornered the Personal computer market, UNIX was still dominant on the larger workstations. The birth of UNIX in 1969 provided the universe with its first modern operating system. An synergistic multi-user operating system, UNIX was ab initio developed by coders for their ain usage. Working for Bell Laboratories, Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie created UNIX as an operating system for the PDP-7 computing machine. Designed as a simplification of an operating system named Multics, UNIX was developed in Assembly linguistic communication, a crude computing machine linguistic communication specific to one type of machine ( Osiris, 1 ) . However, Thompson developed a new scheduling linguistic communication? B? which Ritchie enhanced to? C? , and in 1973 this was used to rewrite UNIX which lended the OS portability ( Linux Intl. , 1 ) . The original design doctrine for UNIX was to administer functionality into little parts, the plans ( Theochem, 1 ) . In this manner, functionality could be achieved by uniting the little parts ( plans ) in new ways. Furthermore, if a new plan were to look, it could be integrated into the system. UNIX was slow to catch on exterior of academic establishments but shortly was popular with concerns every bit good. The first five versions were portion of an internal research attempt of Bell Labs, and it was non until the 6th version, called UNIX Timesharing Sixth Edition V, that UNIX was widely distributed ( Osiris, 1 ) . Relatively recent developments are graphical interfaces ( GUI ) such as MOTIF, X Windows and Open View. UNIX has two major versions. One, jointly developed by UNIX Systems Laboratories ( USL ) and by AT A ; T research workers together with Bell Labs, generically known as System V, is the commercial version and is the most widely distributed by major makers. The 2nd, developed by the University of Berkley and Berkley Software Distribution ( BSD ) , is the educational version and is wholly focused on research. The USL version is now on its 4th release, or SVR4, while BSD? s latest version is 4.4. However, there are many different versions of UNIX besides these two. The operating system has been licensed to several makers who in bend developed their ain versions of UNIX, based on System V or BSD, but adding new features. Most versions of UNIX developed by package companies are derived from one of the two groupings and, recent versions of UNIX really incorporate characteristics from both of them. However, UNIX has had an unregulated history with over 200 versions ( Berson, 16 ) bing today. The UNIX system is made up of three primary constituents, the meat, the shell, and the public-service corporations ( which includes the file system ) . The cardinal portion of the OS, the meat is the first plan to get down when the system is turned on and the last plan to make anything when the system is halted. In add-on to scheduling undertakings, it manages data/file entree and storage, enforces security mechanisms and performs all hardware entree. The name? KERNEL? represents the fact that it is a plan designed as a cardinal karyon, around which other maps of the system were added. The bosom of the operating system, it non merely interacts straight with the system? s hardware, but presents each user with a prompt, interprets bids typed by a user, executes user bids and supports a usage environment for each user. The two most common shells are the Bourne shell, default for the System V, and the C-shell used chiefly with the BSD version ( Osiris, 1 ) . The utilities consist of file direction ( rm, cat, cubic decimeter, rmdir, mkdir ) , user direction ( passwd, chmod, chgrp ) , process direction ( kill, PS ) and printing ( LP, troff, Pr ) . In order to obtain a basic apprehension of the UNIX operating system, it is necessary to touch upon several of the chief features that have permitted it to stay competitory through the old ages. 1. Advanced Administration of Processes UNIX has a procedure director known as Process Scheduler, which handles the allocation of clip to each of the procedures harmonizing to the precedence it was assigned. 2. Multiprocessing Many UNIX discrepancies allow the usage of assorted processors to put to death user undertakings. This agencies that UNIX has support for symmetric processing, with which it can take advantage of the fact that there are two or more Central processing units in the machine. 3. File Management The hierarchal files system that UNIX runs, every bit good as file entree control and directory control have served as theoretical accounts for the bulk of modern runing systems such as MS-DOS, OS/2 and even Windows NT. 4. Utilities Access For the UNIX operating system, each of the machines devices, whether it be a difficult thrust, pressman, modem, etc. is seen as a file. Thus, entree to any device is carried out as entree to a file. This is possible through the fact that UNIX differentiates between sorts of files. In fact, the procedures themselves are seen as files, which permits the constitution of another of import Unix characteristic, interprocess communicating. 5. Virtual Memory The fact that UNIX has practical memory allows the figure of procedures being executed to necessitate more memory than exists in the machine. 6. Graphic Interface Although non precisely a fresh feature of UNIX, most versions now have a in writing interface. 7. Interplatform Support This is another characteristic that was added to UNIX which lends the capableness to put to death plans from other platforms ( DOS and Windows ) , within the UNIX environment. 8. Network The usual UNIX communications protocol is TCP/IP. This allows discrepancies of UNIX based runing systems to communicate between themselves or with other platforms ( Osiris, 1-2 ) . Contrast Both DOS and UNIX present a figure of similarities, several of which shall be addressed here. First, both systems are synergistic, intending that the shell nowadayss a prompt and delaies for the user to come in a bid. After the return or enter key is pressed, the shell processes the bid and when the bid is finished, the shell re-displays the prompt. Second, DOS batch files and UNIX book files can be used which can hive away normally used bids in a file, which when executed, runs each bid as though it has been typed from the bid line. A sequence of bids can be executed by put to deathing the file which contains the bid ( s ) . Third, the handling of files in both DOS and UNIX is simplified by utilizing wild-card characters to fit files which match specific forms. Besides, with both runing systems, users can custom-make and command the behaviour of the shell by utilizing particular variables that the shell supports, such as the prompt ( 20,1 ) . In add-on, both systems make usage of? pipes? whose symbol is a perpendicular saloon ( | ) . With this convention, the end product from one bid becomes the input for another bid. Several unsimilarities are deserving observing. As was antecedently mentioned, DOS is a individual user, individual undertaking operating system. Its user interface is non instance sensitive, which means that bids may be typed in either upper instance, lower instance or a combination of the two. UNIX nevertheless, is a multi-user, multi-task OS. Non-interactive undertakings which do non necessitate keyboard input can be run in the background as a separate undertaking while the user continues working with other synergistic plans ( 20,1 ) . Differing from DOS, its user interface is instance sensitive, intending that merely upper or lower instance bids must be used. APPLICATIONS A ; COMPUTER TYPES Whereas DOS has been used chiefly on Personal computers and standalone computing machines, UNIX can be run on single- or multi-user computing machines of all sizes with a broad scope of microprocessors ( Flynn A ; McHoes 319 ) . UNIX is the widely supported operating system in the field of computing machine scientific discipline, used extensively in concern every bit good as educational establishments. Conversely, DOS is used chiefly in concerns with older computing machine systems. BENEFITS A ; DISADVANTAGES The major advantage that DOS has over UNIX is its basic simpleness. Between this and the unsophisticated bids presented by the user interface, it is a comparatively simple OS to larn. DOS besides has the advantage of leting the user to make an environment tailored purely for the peculiar undertaking they wish to carry through. In add-on, one can custom-make DOS to accommodate the current hardware. This can be accomplished with bids such as day of the month, clip, prompt, way, set, assign and subst. Unlike DOS, UNIX? s chief characteristic is that it is a multi-user system, intending more than one user can utilize the machine at a clip when supported via terminuss provided by a series or web connexion. Offering true pre-emptive multi-tasking, UNIX can run more than one plan at a clip with a CPU that services all applications every bit. In add-on, it has a hierarchal directory construction which supports the organisation and care of files. Other advantages are that it has been in the market for a figure of old ages, and is hence considered a stable merchandise. Besides, due to the fact that the meat is in? C? , UNIX works in merely about every machine in the market, one time once more, doing it a portable system with a aggregation of really powerful public-service corporations. Besides, there are many applications developed for DOS and UNIX which fall into the class of? shareware? available via the Internet ( 8,1 ) . As with advantages, both DOS and UNIX have their portion of disadvantages. It can be said that DOS has two chief drawbacks. Since MS-DOS was originally written for a peculiar household of microprocessors, it displays an unbelievable deficiency of flexibleness and limited ability to run into the demands of coders and experient users ( Flynn A ; McHoes, 265 ) . UNIX besides has several really distinguishable disadvantages. First, novitiate users find its bids are about deep which is interpreted as being non- ? user-friendly? . Second, the fact that there exist so many versions of the operating system means that package manufacturers must do several versions of their applications to cover the greatest figure of possible users. Third, UNIX is a big operating system, and depending on the figure of services installed and the maps used, infinite used on a difficult thrust may change from 20 Mb to 300 Mb ( Osiris, 1 ) . Benson, Alex. Client/Server Architecture. Gainesville: U P of Florida, 1992. Comelford, Richard. ? Operating Systems go Head to Head? , IEEE Spectrum. Dec 1993, pp 23-25. Flynn, Ida M. , and Ann M. McHoes. Understanding Operating Systems. Second erectile dysfunction. Boston: PWS, 1997. Greenfield, Larry. Unix: The User? s Guide. University of Deuselldorf. [ Accessed 3 September 1998 ] . *http: //www. Theochem.uni-duesseldorf.de/docu/user-guide* Introduction to UNIX. University of Guadalajara. [ Accessed 3 September 1998 ] . hypertext transfer protocol: //osiris.staff.udg.mx/man/ingles/introduccion.html ? Microsoft Corporation? Brittanica Online [ Accessed 20 September 1998 ] . *http: //www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g? DocF=micro/711/22.html* Operating Systems Introduction, 5 3.2. Central Institute of Technology. [ Accessed 5 September 1998 ] . *http: //www.cit.ac.nz/smac/os100/unix01.html* Randall, Neil. ? So, What? s an Operating System, Anyhow? ? PC Magazine 5 May 1998. *http: //www.zdnet.com/pcmag/pctech/content/17/tu1709.001.html* [ Accessed 6 September 1998 ] . STScI UNIX Users Guide. Space Telescope Science Institute. 24 September 1998. [ Accessed 3 September 1998 ] . *http: //ra.stsci.edu/documents/UUG/UnixGuide.book_65.html* UNIX History. Linux International. 14 November 1997. [ Accessed 3 September 1998 ] . *http: //ir.parks.lv/li/Resources/LDP/guide/section2_4_1.html*

Marketing research - Woolworths South Africa free essay sample

The Existing Gaps Between The Producer and The Consumer] Retailers can be considered as middlemen or go-betweens, whereby they acquire an array of consumer products from suppliers and then offer these to the public at a retail price (Cant Van Heerden, 2010). It is not common practice for the consumer to go directly to production houses and make their purchases, as that would be rather inconvenient, time-constraining and perhaps even expensive when considering the distances and number of trips that need to be made. This gives rise to particular gaps between the consumer and the producer, namely: space, time, information, ownership and value, all of which can be closed by retailers (Cant Van Heerden, 2010). The space gap is the actual physical distance between the manufacturer and consumer (Cant Van Heerden, 2010). One way in which Woolworths successfully bridges this gap is by means of store numbers and locations. Unlike most other retailers, who typically approach production houses, such as Nestle or Albany, to buy their products and re-sell them, Woolworths is a brand of producer in itself. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing research Woolworths South Africa or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page If consumers seek out their goods and services then no middleman is required; the company caters for easy customer access. However, as a producer of goods (not a retailer), Woolworths transports their retail products from their production/distribution warehouses, via road (trucking), to bridge the existing geographical gap. The second gap is the time gap. This comprises of seasonal and/or perishable goods which are not consistently available and require measures such as importing or freezing so that consumers may have access to them (Cant Van Heerden, 2010). Woolworths imports, freezes and refrigerates as means of closing the time gap because they offer a significant amount of perishable and/or seasonal goods, such as fruit, vegetables, seafood, meats and cheeses. For example, avocado pears are only available here in the first nine months of the year and therefore had to be imported from Spain to meet consumers’  demand for it (Anon, TasteMag Online, 2010) Woolworths abides by the relevant guidelines to ensure that when their local or imported produce is in transit or at their outlets, the cold storage is correct. They do so to prevent decay, prevent loss of firmness and shape, to retain taste, and so on, so that there is no barrier between their consumers and the products that they want. The third gap is the information gap. Typically, consumers are unaware of the utility, features, prices and so on, of current and new products. If there were no advertisements and marketing done, consumers would have to literally stumble upon a product and further enquire, or hear it from other people who have experienced it. Any business enterprise would do poorly if this remains unresolved. Thus, the gap is the ignorance of consumers and the bridging is done by marketers (Cant Van Heerden, 2012). Woolworths regularly endeavors to inform their customers and the general public about products and services on offer, which is achieved through advertising. They do so via newspaper, magazine and pamphlet (print), as well as via television and the internet (media). Apart from the creative, enticing, concise and informative ads, Woolworths goes a step further. On the majority of their products itself, if not all of them, they include what I perceive as relevant information. Take a bottle of their Acacia Honey, for example. As a consumer, I became aware of this offering by means of a newspaper advert, however, adverts, by nature of them, do not give detailed information. On the bottle itself there’s clear indication of the product being strictly vegetarian (a common query with vegans); there’s indication that the product is ‘badger friendly’ (for consumers who need to know whether the manufacturing of the product tallies with their ethics or belief systems); there is a piece of product information which informs the consumer that, should the honey crystallize, it is not a cause for concern or indicative of spoilt honey; there are a serving suggestions, as well as a ‘food for thought’ section. All of this is done above and beyond the typical information that legislation requires on products. Thus, they bridge the information gap in two ways. The forth gap between consumer and producer is the ownership gap. If a consumer desires to own a house, he has to pay for it and wait for the title deed to be in his name (Cant Van Heerden, 2010). The interim and any pending actions between a consumer’s actual state and desired state, in terms of purchasing, are what form the ownership gap. Woolworths offers products at their outlets and caters for means of paying for it. There are clearly designated paying terminals in every store, which are equipped with cash registers, card machines and adequately skilled staff. This facilitates the exchange that the consumer wants to make; handing over their money in return for ownership of products. The ownership is displayed through till receipts or proof of card purchases, which Woolworths gives to the customer. To further facilitate exchange and bridge the ownership gap, they also offer financial services and assistance, whereby should consumers require cash loans to make purchases; they can provide them with the loan. The retailer also has a system in place which allows customers to technically ‘purchase’ products without paying upfront and this is done by means of store cards and accounts. Whilst there is a delay in actual ownership, this is one more way of closing the gap. The fifth gap is the value gap. As stated by Cant and Van Heerden (2010), a seller and a buyer must decide on an acceptable rate of exchange, and should the buyer agree on a set price, it means that the buyer attaches the same value on the product as the seller does. ‘Price vs. Quality’ is one of the salient considerations which go into the purchasing of goods and services and the onus is on the retailer to convince the consumer. As touched on under the information gap, Woolworths takes great care to produce effective marketing. If their advertisements are studied, it is often apparent that the product which is being marketed is worth the price. The retailer’s marketing team churn out creative, tasteful, relevant and concisely informative advertisements. They pay attention to detail and aesthetics, and like most marketers, strive to tap into consumers’ psychology. Subtle coercions done by retailers are generally effective, and, in my opinion, if their turnover and popularity are anything to go by, they are definitely successfully bridging the value gap as well. [Question 2 – The Marketing Activities Carried Out By Woolworths] Marketing activities are those activities used to transfer the market offering to the buyer and fall into three categories, namely: primary, auxiliary and exchange (Cant Van Heerden, 2010). The primary marketing activity is transport and the purpose of it is to deliver the product to the consumer safely and timeously (Cant Van Heerden, 2010). Any means of appropriate  transport can be used e.g. road, sea, air freight and rail. Woolworths largely uses road transport where the shuttling of goods between production houses, distribution centers and retail outlets are done with a fleet of trucks. Whilst the company aims for speedy and safe delivery, extenuating circumstances at times may delay transportation. The type of vehicles used ensures the safety of the goods. Woolworths’ employs the use of advanced trucks which are equipped to cater for the secure storing of goods, as well insulation and refrigeration of them where necessary. In 2010, Woolworths became the first South African retailer to adopt the ecoFridge refrigeration systems in their vehicles (Hartigh, Media Club South Africa, 2010). This system allows for more effective temperature control which a variety of Woolworths’ goods require. The retailer also uses sea freight to conduct the primary marketing activity. This is for the fresh produce that is imported from overseas locations. The next marketing activity is referred to as auxiliary and comprises of the following: sourcing supplying of information, standardization grading, storage, financing and risk-taking (Cant Van Heerden, 2010). Sourcing and supplying of information pertains to the seller knowing who and where potential customers are and, thereafter, conveying the relevant information to potential buyers through advertising or personal selling (Cant Van Heerden, 2012). Woolworths has carried out extensive marketing research in order to assimilate their target market and potential customers. This has been done through quantitative and qualitative data collection, surveys, the studying of market trends and consumer behaviors, identifying demands and unexploited markets, testing prototypes and so on. This task is carried out by the marketing management employed by Woolworths. A broad category of their consumers are considered to be upper and middle class individuals who seek out quality goods and services. Once the foundation is laid and objectives are defined, marketing management go on to supply potential consumers with the information that they want them to know. This is done via marketing activities such as commercials, campaigns and printed media. The second factor under auxiliary activities is standardization and grading. This refers to the classifications of retail products to assist consumers in distinguishing between the ever-increasing numbers of differentiated  products (Cant Van Heerden, 2010). Woolworths has such a large and vast range of products and services on offer, that it wouldn’t be conducive to discuss each one. However, examples will further illustrate the practice and necessity of this auxiliary activity. Woolworths’ eggs are differentiated in type and if no labeling is present to indicate to the customer about the quality and attributes of the eggs, the customer will be clueless and dissatisfied. Thus Woolworths uses grading guidelines to indicate the standard, quality and type of the different eggs to the customer, e.g. Grade 1, Grade 2, Jumbo, Extra-Large, Organic and such. This gives the control back to the customer whereby he/she makes an informed, willing decision. Other examples of items that are graded at Woolworths include wines, certain fruit and vegetable, meat, poultry and condiments. The majority of their edible products is of organic standards and indicated accordingly. The third auxiliary factor is the storage of goods and the closing of the time gap (Cant Van Heerden, 2012). As discussed under the time gap in the prior question, certain produce requires the appropriate storage so as to ensure consumers get a regular, fresh supply of goods. Woolworths uses large warehouses to simultaneously store and preserve their products for various periods of time. These warehouses are constructed or sought with the most stringent guidelines in place pertaining to features, insulation, durability and efficiency. The online Food and Beverage Reporter (2007) discussed one of Woolworths’ storage and distribution centers; at the time, the 78 000 sq meter building was the largest retail distribution centre in South Africa and the storage area was one of the largest insulated structures in Africa (Breda, Food and Beverage Reporter Online, 2007). As the years have gone by the magnitude and effectiveness of storage carried out by Woolworths has increased to facilitate the huge numbers of goods which go in and out of their warehouses. Thereafter is the aspect and activity of financing. According to Cant and Van Heerden (2010), there are a number of costs incurred in the transferring of products from seller to buyer, all of which are usually financed by financial institutions, and these costs must be kept minimal so as to ensure customers are offered viable retail prices. Woolworths has demonstrated its financial prowess by convening the cost variables of local international suppliers, corporate social responsibility, high quality products and amazing advertising, and then  still somehow stipulating reasonable retail prices. I was unable to ascertain what the clear financial goings on were, regarding their bankers, portfolio managers, financial institution and such due to that info being typically unavailable to the general public. However, I do posit that what would matter more than the bank or financial institution employed is the sound financial sense of the individuals who control the fiscal operations at Woolworths. The last factor under auxiliary marketing activities is risk-taking. There is a substantial amount of risk concerning the loss or damage of goods, these of which are extended to both the retailer and consumer and therefore necessitates the procurement of insurance (Cant Van Heerden, 2010). Woolworths use both road and sea for transportation of their goods and should something untoward occur, such as the ship sinking or a truck catching on fire, the goods being carried will be damaged or lost entirely. Woolworths strategically pays monthly dividends towards insurance policies which in turn will refurbish them with the full amount, provided that those particular goods were covered by the policy. Any retailer should ideally be proactive and/or have a contingency plan regarding the risk being carried. With regards to the consumer carrying any risk, depending on Woolworth’s retail policies it may or may not have a warranty. Then again, warranties generally cover problems that arise from a faulty product or poor workmanship and such, not if the consumer meets in an accident or has a calamity at home whereby the product gets damaged in their personal capacity. The last of the three distinguished marketing activities is that of exchange. Exchange refers to the buying and selling process where ownership is transferred from person to the other (Cant Van Heerden, 2010). Woolworths’ purchasing department concerns itself with the buying activities whilst the marketing department deals with selling activities (Cant Van Heerden, 2010). The buying and selling process occurs between Woolworths and their suppliers, as well as between Woolworths and their customers. The principle of exchange is the same but the actual activities differ, in the sense that the way the retailer deals with the supplier is in the form of a customer and when consumers are part of the exchange process, the roles are reversed and Woolworths cannot demand anything as such but simply welcome sales assist where required. [Question 3 – Woolworths’ Marketing Orientation] The marketing orientation of a business strongly influences the marketing activities that it carries out (Cant Van Heerden, 2010). There are four main competing orientations, namely: production, sales, marketing, and societal marketing –orientations (Cant Van Heerden, 2010). Based on the knowledge that I have gathered on Woolworths and the four main orientations, I posit that Woolworths’ marketing orientation is a societal marketing one. In fact, as a consumer of theirs myself, their marketing activities and vivid focus on eco-friendly and sustainable practices all make much more sense now. According to Cant and Van Heerden (2010), this orientation convenes the satisfaction of consumers’ needs, wants, and demands, the business’ endeavors to improve society’s well-being, as well as the company’s profit seeking activities. I perceive that this type of marketing orientation lends itself to those organizations who don’t merely comply with basic corporate social responsibility, but who firmly and genuinely believe in ethical business practices amongst other things. Woolworths feels very strongly about both; they visibly act on their passions and don’t just forward lip-service. The retailer launched a 5 year plan called The Good Business Journey which outlined the targets and commitments of the business specifically related to business development, community development and environmental sustainability (Anon, Woolworths Online, 2012). As per my own understanding, the marketing orientation that a business chooses to abide by serves as a guideline where the business’ marketing objectives are outlined and can be referred back to each time, so as to keep the business centric to its stipulated objectives and desired outcomes. This displays similarities to business mission statements, however, this orientation is meant to give external factors (pertaining to society and the environment) an equal value as the internal goings on of a business (consumer satisfaction, maximizing business profit, exploiting opportunities, etc.). Cant and Van Heerden (2010) state that the organization should firstly determine the requirements of their target markets, then go on to deliver their services and wares in such a manner that the prosperity of both the consumers and society is improved. This would require the business to further multi-task more than a regular business would, whereby they have to effectively integrate their efforts towards two different entities. Whilst a tedious task, Woolworths  left no stone unturned to meet this challenge.

Animal Testing

Animal Testing Stroll down the health and beauty aisles of your local grocery store and you are likely to see a plethora of products you use on a daily basis. From shampoos to hair sprays and styling gels, concealers to nail polish removers, these are all products that aid us when it comes to our outer beauty. When deciding upon which shampoo to purchase, what goes into your decision making process? Is it the scent of the shampoo? How well the product cleans your hair and how it feels afterwards? Or do you even take into consideration whether it would irritate your scalp? What many do not take into consideration, is whether or not the product has been tested on animals. Envisioning a laboratory in which rabbits are bleeding as a result of poisonous chemicals being injected into their skin is not a pleasant thing to think about when buying health and beauty products, but it's a reality.Animal,Porkey Pig, Lobund-WistarAnimal experimentation, also known as vivisection in the animal rights community, h as become an accepted practice of cosmetic manufacturers across the globe and has stirred many ethical debates. These debates cause us to rethink the question: "Should animals continue to be used for scientific or commercial testing?"To animal activists, the answer is clear: absolutely not, animal testing is cruel and inhumane. According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), millions of cats, dogs, mice, primates, rats, rabbits, and other animals are locked away in laboratories across the country for the sole purpose of experimentation. These creatures live out the rest of their lives locked away in cages, which are stacked one on top of another in a plain cold room. Imagine spending the remainder of your life locked behind bars in a jail cell or confined to a hospital...

Emirates airlines company analysis Research Paper

Emirates airlines company analysis - Research Paper Example Emirates Group Company has a fleet of about 169 aircrafts. The company operates in the United States, east and west Asia, Europe, Middle East, Australasia, Indian Ocean, and Africa (The Emirates Group, 2012). The Emirates Airline began in 1985, and it has its headquarters in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. The company’s main mission is to emerge the top airline in the world, which is inspired by the fact that Dubai ranks among the leading cities around the world. Emirates Airlines is owned partly by the government of Dubai and partly by a city part of the United Arab Emirates. The airline is part of the Emirates Group of companies, which began in 1959. Today, Emirates Airline can be regarded as the largest airline in the Middle East and is Dubai’s national airline. The airline is best known for its first class and business class services and has received several international awards in safety, on-time arrivals, and in-flight services (The Emirates Group, 2011). The Emi rates respects diversity at the workplace and in the management of its operations. This helps in eliminating a negative culture within an organization (The Emirates Group, 2012). ... A team work culture enables employees to pay attention to the company's goals, which enables the airline to sustain its competitive advantage. Team work produces actions that are highly coordinated. The management and employees are in constant joint efforts that enhance the quality of Emirate’s services and products (The Emirates Group, 2012). Hiring personnel at the Emirates The Emirates airline focuses more on hiring employees with significant experience in airline and travel industry. Persons interested in working with the airline apply for the preferred positions on the company’s website or by dropping their applications to the company’s offices around the world. Successful applicants are then invited for interviews test for a person’s skills, employment history, motivation, and availability. The nature of the interviews depends on the job applied for, and jobs such as those of pilots may involve intensive recruitment procedures. Interviews at the Emir ates mainly involve panel interviews, company presentations, one-on-one interviews, and group interviews (The Emirates Group, 2012). Objectives of personnel selection process The Emirates airlines recognizes that for it to achieve its strategic objectives and to secure its values, recruiting and retaining skilled and committed workforce are of the essence. Therefore, the company’s recruitment and selection procedures are structured in a way that helps the company to hire the best suited candidates for various job positions. The recruitment and selection procedures are guided by several policies. At the top, of the recruitment and selection procedures is the need to ensure that there is an equal opportunity for all applicants. Secondly, the hiring process focuses on ensuring that

Why the internet and online socialization causes social isolation, Essay

Why the internet and online socialization causes social isolation, loneliness and damages our interpersonal skills when encountering people in person - Essay Example An online social network is a website that functions like an online community of people who use the internet. There are a lot of online social websites which allow the internet users to take their membership for free and socialize with other members regarding hobbies, career, religion, fashion, politics etcetera. The users read the profile pages of other members, share views and ideas, give comments and contact them via their profiles. In short, a social networking website is a great means of bringing people of same wave length together and socializing with the outside world. However, along with all these advantages, there are some drawbacks attached with the use of these social networks the most important of which is social isolation, loneliness, anxiety (Brown). They also damage our interpersonal skills when encountering people in person. The negatives of the Internet are often hidden and indirect. Taking a closer look at the effects of the Internet on our lives, we can easily discover and agree on one drawback for sure. This essay will primarily focus on how our modern technology, the internet, sites like Facebook or Twitter, and our overall digital lives decrease the need for personal interaction and the skills that come with it. Social isolation is a condition in which an individual lacks human interaction through avoiding social contact. When there is too little interaction with people, man tends to get socially isolated and becomes depressed. This gives rise to anxiety and stress which is not manageable by the person himself. Hampton, Sessions and Her assert in their study that â€Å"Evidence from the US General Social Surveys (GSS) suggests that during the past 20 years, people have become increasingly socially isolated and their core discussion networks have become smaller and less diverse.† When a person spends hours and hours in front of the computer screen behind the objective of staying connected to the people

Leadership and Motivation job requirements Assignment

Leadership and Motivation job requirements - Assignment Example Qualifications:1. Being the head of the internal auditing office for the last two years.2. Bachelor of Commerce.3. Certification as a lead auditor in the quality management system ISO 9001:2008 from the Canadian standard association.4. Member of the international register of certificated auditors (UK).5. Special training as a certified international auditor.6. Functioning as an accounts manager for more than 12 years; attained an experience in accounting, systems analysis, and management with the ability to make relationships between different K.I.Z.A. departments. This aids in initiating and executing the auditing plan with efficiency.Vision:1. Develop new methodologies to improve the auditing process, making it easier for the organization.2. Well certified and highly trained employees that have a certification in accounting or auditing.3. The office in the future will be :i. Advisory for director general, a board of trustees, and other divisions. ii. Training section. iii. Revenue center.4. Full Automation of the auditing operation.5. Fully automated communication with other departments.6. Direct accesses to all committees related to K.I.Z.A. procedures.7. Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of systems of accounts and internal control operating within the Institute to make sure of objectives are effectively and efficiently achieved. 8. Place evaluation systems in place to ensure compliance with Institute policies, plans, and procedures as stipulated in laws and procedures issued by concerned government financial control.

Importance of Operations Management in Organizations

Importance of Operations Management in Organizations Managers are also responsible for critical activities such as quality management and control, capacity planning, materials management, purchasing, and scheduling. The importance of operations management has increased dramatically in recent years. Significant foreign competition, shorter product and service life-cycles, better-educated and quality-conscious consumers, and the capabilities of new technology have placed increasing pressures on the operations function to improve productivity while providing a broader array of high-quality products and services. With the globalization of markets, firms are recognizing that the operations function can be used to strengthen their position in the market place. Managers in operations management play a strategic and tactical role in satisfying customer needs and making their firms strong international competitors. The role of operations management is to transform a companys inputs into the finished goods or services. Inputs include human resources (such as workers and managers), facilities and processes (such as buildings and equipment), as well as materials, technology, and information. Outputs are the goods and services a company produces. Basically, Operations management has an impact on the five broad categories of stakeholders in any organisation. The five groups are: Customers These are the most obvious people who will be affected by any business. Suppliers Operations can have a major impact on suppliers, both on how they prosper themselves, and on how effective they are at supplying the operation. Shareholders Clearly, the better an operation is at producing goods and services, the more likely the whole business is to prosper and shareholders will be one of the major beneficiaries of this. Employees Similarly, employees will be generally better off if the company is prosperous; if only because they are more likely to be employed in the future. Society Although often having no direct economic connection with the company, individuals and groups in society at large can be impacted by the way its operations managers behave. The most obvious example is in the environmental responsibility exhibited by operations managers. Company Profile CRH plc, the international building materials group, has its headquarters in Ireland and operates in 22 countries in three closely related core businesses: Primary materials Value-added building products Specialist building materials distribution. Listed on the Irish and London Stock Exchanges and on the NASDAQ in the US, CRH consistently delivers long-term growth in total shareholder return, averaging over 18% per annum since the Group was formed in 1970. CRH maintains a rigorous focus on improving existing operations through experienced local management teams. These regional platforms and management structures generate the profits, cash flow and organisational strength to support CRHs ongoing programme of development. CRH grows by investing in new capacity, developing new products and markets and by acquiring and growing medium-sized companies. This long-term development strategy is supported by occasional larger acquisitions that extend the Groups geographic reach or product range and offer new strategic platforms for future growth. Strategic Vision CRHs strategic vision is to be an international leader in building materials, delivering superior performance and growth. Current strategic objectives and appropriate tools to analyze them Most of strategic objectives are directed toward generating greater profits and returns for the owners of the business, others are directed at customers or society at large. In the case study CRH plcs ultimate objective is to deliver superior performance and growth to its customers and stakeholders in all aspects. Any strategic objectives generally measured by the following tools; Measurable. There must be at least one indicator (or yardstick) that measures progress against fulfilling the objective. Specific. This provides a clear message as to what needs to be accomplished. Appropriate. It must be consistent with the vision and mission of the organization. Realistic. It must be an achievable target given the organizations capabilities and opportunities in the environment. In essence, it must be challenging but doable. Timely, there needs to be a time frame for accomplishing the objective. After all, as the economist John Maynard Keynes once said, In the long run, we are all dead! When objectives satisfy the above criteria, there are many benefits for the organization. First, they help to channel employees throughout the organization toward common goals. This helps to concentrate and conserve valuable resources in the organization and to work collectively in a timelier manner. Second, challenging objectives can help to motivate and inspire employees throughout the organization to higher levels of commitment and effort. A great deal of research has supported the notion that individuals work harder when they are striving toward specific goals instead of being asked simply to do their best. Third, there is always the potential for different parts of an organization to pursue their own goals rather than overall company goals. Although well intentioned, these may work at cross purposes to the organization as a whole. Meaningful objectives thus help to resolve conflicts when they arise. Finally, proper objectives provide a yardstick for rewards and incentives. Not only will they lead to higher levels of motivation by employees but also they will help to ensure a greater sense of equity or fairness when regards are allocated. There are, of course, still other objectives that are even more specific. These are often referred to as short-term objectives-essential components of action plans that are critical in implementing a firms chosen strategy. Operation objectives of the Company and its success in meeting strategic objectives Key components of the strategy to achieve the set objectives are; Clearly understand the current and potential future requirements and expectations of our customers-work closely with our customers, suppliers and partners to achieve quality objectives Deliver services of market-leading quality, reliability and consistency that meet our customers requirements Implement quality management in a systematic and planned way through the application of management systems that support the delivery of the business plan Educate and train our people and partners, to support the delivery of high quality work Establish and measure performance and customer satisfaction against appropriate quality objectives and/or targets Measure service performance and customer satisfaction at an appropriate level Continually review and improve our processes and levels of service CRHs one of the objectives is to remain the employer of choice for all employees and to exceed the expectations of all our stakeholders. This implementation can be done; CRH believes that continued business success is rooted in good employee, customer and supplier relations. This is particularly true in a decentralised organisation, where management responsibility is delegated as far as possible to the local level. Company Managing Directors/Presidents are responsible for the implementation of CRH employment policies, guidelines and objectives in their areas of responsibility. They are supported in this role and in reporting at Group level by their Human Resources (HR) teams. Human Resource has a functional reporting line through Product Group and Divisional HR Directors to the Group Human Resources Director. Data is provided below on the geographic employee footprint of the Group emphasising the increasingly global reach of CRH. Shortly after CRHs foundation in 1970 the Board set a clear strategy for the development of the Group which, while it has evolved over the years, is still broadly applicable today. CRHs development strategy is based on the following: Stick to core businesses in building materials Invest at home; be the low cost market leader Develop overseas; create platforms for future growth Negotiate deals that meet the sellers and CRHs needs Devolved development teams reporting to regional and product group managers Rigorous approach to evaluation, approval and review Generally mid-sized deals augmented from time to time with some larger transactions Objective is to maintain and develop a balanced portfolio across regions, products and construction sectors Focus on performance and growth The resources, systems and tools used in the organization to support its Business Process. CRH has a three-part strategic objective for fostering new growth across its operations. Invest in new capacity Develop new products and markets Acquire and grow mid-sized companies Investment is central to growth. CRH is making four fundamental types of investments that will make continued growth possible: Invest in its employees Upgrade production facilities Improve efficiency Manage performance Invest in people The success of CRH is very much due to having talented, committed, enthusiastic and well-qualified people throughout the Group. They encourage and support the continuous professional development of the CRH team and its members. What attracts people to CRH? A competitive pay package, the opportunity to travel, a good working environment, the team philosophy, flat organisation structure, challenging work assignments and internal training programmes to prepare the next generation of leaders. Upgrade production facilities CRH re-invests capital in their existing facilities to improve energy and operational efficiency to meet future demand growth. In other words, a plant producing 500 tonnes of cement a day could easily meet local demand , but years later, the demand could skyrocket due to a building boom. If the plant does not upgrade to increase its capacity, then competitors will. Like all other technologies, methods of production can become obsolete. It takes substantial capital to re-tool an entire factory with newer, better machines, but regular upgrading is necessary to maintain and improve competitiveness. Improve efficiency One way to get more out of existing factories is to make sure they are being used to the maximum. A low capacity utilisation results in higher fixed costs per unit, which means lower profitability. Low capacity utilisation can be a result of over-supply in the market or seasonal fluctuations of demand. In Portugal, for example, the economy is going through a difficult period with construction down approximately 3.9% for 2007, reflecting reduced activity in housing and a significant reduction in public capital expenditure. However, all three of CRHs Portugese cement plants operated at full capacity by taking advantage of strong export markets. Investment in efficiency and environmental improvement programmes, to offset higher input costs and improve performance, continued at all three locations. Manage performance A strong focus on achievement against targets is part of CRHs objective of performance and growth. The ability of key players to deliver is important. CRH has implemented a strong performance management system and appraisal process. The key elements include: Planning Clear expectations and goals are set and so plans develop to achieve these. Jobs, and how they relate to the strategic objectives of CRH, are looked at. These plans set out key steps and measures for staff. The A-SMART criteria are used, i.e. Aligned, Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic and Time-bound. Coaching Observing and documenting performance, conducting reviews, as well as identifying training and development needs all provide feedback and support, and ultimately promote better performance achievement and growth. Having a mentor or coach can help staff to learn and develop, and reinforces effective and active communication and performance. Reviewing Getting results is a crucial factor of CRHs high-performance culture. What the individual achieves as well as How, are assessed and reviewed. Self-assessment, collection of information, appraisal and a review meeting all drive performance improvement. Employees have an opportunity to respond to feedback. Regular formal reviews of management development strategy are conducted by each Division with the guidance and support of the Group Human Resources Department Developing new products and markets CRH has activities in 28 countries but there is still plenty of room for expansion within those markets, and in neighbouring regions. The Groups wide spread across countries, regions and construction sectors helps to smooth the effects of industry and economic cycles. That wide spread of activities creates opportunities for further growth. Each of the Groups diverse operations across three continents is seen as a platform on which to build. CRH tailors its strategy to suit each country it operates from. An integral part of CRHs development is its investment in four fundamental areas: people, market leadership, the environment and technology. Investment in people consists of training and development to provide all employees with a platform for progress, a best practice programme to guarantee an efficient, safe and healthy place to work, and a market-based remuneration policy to attract, retain and motivate the right people. While investing in acquisitions and development projects is important to attain market leadership, being the leading producer with the lowest costs is also critical. This is achieved by investing in those existing businesses which offer a strong foundation for sustained and profitable organic growth while driving continuous improvement in products, processes and strong regional brands. Environmental investments programmes help us to improve optimise our use of energy and resources, and to be good neighbours in the communities in which we operate. Environmental investment includes projects to reduce dust and noise, minimise effluent and waste, improve energy efficiency, increase the use of recycled materials, and to restore worked-out facilities through extensive tree and shrub planting. Investment in technology enables us to run more efficient plants; to create more effective processes; to develop innovative products; to offer better and more focused service to customers; and to measure and communicate international best practice throughout the Group. CRH continues to invest in a wide range of projects which contribute to overall profitability, drive continuous improvement of products and processes to deliver long-term performance and strongly underpin the future development of the Group. Quality audit and review systems Evans Parker (2008) describe auditing as one of the most powerful safety monitoring techniques and an effective way to avoid complacency and highlight slowly deteriorating conditions, especially when the auditing focuses not just on compliance but effectiveness Quality audit is the process of systematic examination of a quality system carried out by an internal or external quality auditor or an audit team. It is an important part of organizations quality management system and is a key element in the ISO quality system standard, ISO 9001. Quality audits are typically performed at predefined time intervals and ensure that the institution has clearly-defined internal quality monitoring procedures linked to effective action. This can help determine if the organization complies with the defined quality system processes and can involve procedural or results-based assessment criteria. With the upgrade of the ISO9001 series of standards from the 1994 to 2008 series, the focus of the audits has shifted from purely procedural adherence towards measurement of the actual effectiveness of the Quality Management System (QMS) and the results that have been achieved through the implementation of a QMS. Audits are an essential management tool to be used for verifying objective evidence of processes, to assess how successfully processes have been implemented, for judging the effectiveness of achieving any defined target levels, to provide evidence concerning reduction and elimination of problem areas. For the benefit of the organisation, quality auditing should not only report non-conformances and corrective actions, but also highlight areas of good practice. In this way other departments may share information and amend their working practices as a result, also contributing to continual improvement. Quality culture What is Culture? Basically, organizational culture is the personality of the organization. Culture is comprised of the assumptions, values, norms and tangible signs (artefacts) of organization members and their behaviours. Members of an organization soon come to sense the particular culture of an organization. Culture is one of those terms that are difficult to express distinctly, but everyone knows it when they sense it. For example, the culture of a large, for-profit corporation is quite different than that of a hospital which is quite different that of a university. CRH Corporate Culture Local autonomy Experienced operational management is given a high degree of individual autonomy and responsibility to accommodate national and cultural needs and to leverage local market knowledge, all in accordance with key centrally defined governance, financial and CSR operating requirements Global yet local There is strong management commitment to both the local company and to the CRH Group, supported by best practice teams that share experience and know-how across products and regions. This dual citizenship motivates local entrepreneurship, while maintaining and benefiting from Group synergies. Our management philosophy could be described as global yet local. Mix of skills CRHs market-driven approach attracts, retains and motivates exceptional management including internally developed operational managers, highly qualified business professionals and owner-entrepreneurs who join on acquisition. This provides a healthy mix and depth of skills with many managers having experience of previous economic cycles. Our succession planning focuses on sharing this wealth of experience with the next generation of CRH management Perpetuating CRH culture As the Group grows, CRH make considerable efforts to ensure that the unique CRH culture is propagated into the new acquisitions, while simultaneously preserving their identity, so that the Group culture thrives from generation to generation. These efforts include training programmes, seminars, newsletters, the CSR Report and many other activities that span country, regional, international, cultural and language boundaries. These are of increasing importance as the company now grow into developing regions. Monitor systems and work activities of CRH Plc and identify the major problems affecting the systems. Also identify the opportunities your company can avail to improve business process Managing operations CRHs success as a global business depends, on its ability to face fast-changing economic conditions. CRH is a decentralised Group with many subsidiary companies operating under a wide range of local and regional brand /trade names. CRHs strategy is to build leadership positions in regional and local markets. This is done by delegating authority to the local managers. So that decisions can be made promptly by those most familiar with local economic conditions, while central support from CRH Group ensures that sustainable growth is gained in line with the Groups strategic goals. Central functions consist of the Board that sets the strategic direction for the Group, and Human Resources, Finance and IT which support the implementation of day-to-day management policy. Finally, CRHs vision can be identified as to focus globally yet manage locally. During a recession, it is important for businesses to look for new ways to maximise performance. One method is to improve efficiency across operations. Another way is to reinvest capital through the use of retained earnings/revenue reserves in its existing facilities. This helps to improve energy and operational efficiency while matching capacity to meet current and future demand. Managing suppliers Individual operating companies generate raw materials in the region in which they operate. Most of these suppliers are based in Europe or North America. Deteriorating demand in these markets needs strict expenditure controls. Managements current aim is on sourcing quality supplies to gain cost reductions and to increase efficiency. Central sourcing functions have been setup in key markets to take advantage of economies of scale and reduce the cost of purchased goods. Managing finances Recession strategies The recent banking crisis made more difficult for companies to obtain finance. Maintaining the business with liquidity and adequate cash flow is very important. However, current market conditions have made it more expensive to get financing for operations, therefore the costs of running a business is expensive and non profitable. Like other companies, CRH is focusing on maximising cash flow from operations and reducing working capital. Budgeting Cost savings Year 2008 indicates major changes in the financial, economic and business climate worldwide. Declining markets led to wide ranging cutbacks across CRHs businesses in the world. The company showed its rate of acquisition and its capital expenditure to improve liquidity and take advantage of possible further reductions in the price of assets. CRH management has also implemented other energy and cost reduction to limit the decrease in profit margins Division-wide procurement strategies and purchasing Company targets at purchasing amterials at lower cost and supply its productions in economies of scale to get the operational efficiency in its operations. Operational Excellence procedures have helped to reduce both labour and equipment costs while eliminating and minimising the waste. Reductions in fixed overhead staffing and other fixed costs have been implemented to maintain a strong balance sheet position. Raising Capital Sources of finance -CRH management undertook a successful rights issue. This allowed existing ordinary shareholders to buy more shares as a way of re-investing back into the business. The funds rose used for further acquisitions challenging industry players. In 2009, despite the very challenging trading backdrop, CRH is operating a healthy cash flow. The Group continues to identify new measures to deal with the evolving trading conditions. CRH believes that its current cash flows, together with the recent rights issue and funds raised through its borrowing facilities, are more than sufficient to meet its expenditure requirements for the foreseeable future. Financial reporting It is essential that IT systems give prompt, consistent and reliable financial reporting from the local operating units to the central Group management. Accurate financial reporting is paramount importance for management especially during difficult economic circumstances. Decisions on budgeting, raising capital and sourcing of finance all rely on accurate financial reporting. Managing people CRH employs 80,000 people in over 3,700 locations, including 35 countries. This staffs is managed through four Divisions. Company is introducing a web-based global talent management system replacing a paper-based system. There is a unique culture of performance and achievement throughout the CRH Group ensuring that, CRH has the capacity to deliver performance excellence despite of critical economic conditions The CRH management team are highly experienced and the development of talented successors is a priority for all managers. Regular formal reviews of management development strategy is done by each relevant Division with guidance and support provided by the Group Human Resources Department. CRH managers come from three very different streams, comprising: Internally developed operating managers who have room to grow in an expanding organisation Highly qualified finance and development professionals business builders with vision and future potential Owner-entrepreneurs who have joined with their companies and provide a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit. This brings forth a healthy mix and depth of skills and a wealth of experience at senior level with many senior leaders having managed through previous economic cycles. This gives them invaluable experience to deal with the current downturn enabling them to prepare for the inevitable upturn of the market. Performance management In CRHs high performance culture particularly during difficult economic times achieving results is difficult. But, CRH has adopted a strong performance management and appraisal process. Employees are given realistic goals and plans in place to achieve them. Performance is driven by appraisal, regular review meetings and self-assessment. Leadership development Management Development Programmes gives leadership training usually to middle or top level managers to assist them in upgrading their skills. These programmes have been updated in response to the changing economic climate. Staffs are encouraged to identify opportunities for business development and increased efficiency. Internal promotion is used to motivate and reward staff. Succession planning CRH places a significant consideration on succession planning. So as to develop future generations of leaders from within the organisation and maintain quality employees at all levels. Staffs are prepared for future roles by involving them with challenging assignments, coaching and formal training. Employees are educated the fact that during difficult economic times they must work within tighter financial constraints to keep operations within budget. CRH Future and Recommendation The process of maintaining superior performance and growth involves continuously investing for the future. The overall picture in 2009 is extremely challenging, having the severe impact of ongoing turmoil in financial markets across the world. There are a number of positives factors which will provide future opportunities for business, for example, Lower energy costs, Interest rate reductions Infrastructure stimulus packages in a number of countries, notably the USA. In this environment, efforts will mainly focus on implementing cost-cutting measures, reducing expenditure and preparing the business for recovery in construction markets. Regional and product diversity cater for smooth outcome of the effects of changing economic conditions and to provide multiple opportunities for growth. Management has responded vigorously to extremely challenging market conditions. All aspects of business need to be analysed and cost reduction and cash generation measures need to be in place to deal with whatever trading circumstances may evolve as the time go on.

The Orgins Of Atomic Theory :: essays research papers fc

The Orgins of Atomic Theory There is an eternal human compulsion to unlock the mysteries of our lives and our world. This search for knowledge has guided us to many beneficial new understandings. It has lead us into this new age where information is its own reward, an age where enlightenment is an end, not simply a means to an end. Enlightenment has been the aim of many great people. It has inspired many scientists and artists to construct articles of infinite beauty and value. At times this quest for understanding has been embraced by entire civilizations, and when an entire society commits to one noble cause only good can come from it. In Ancient Greece there was such a civilization, and even today we use their theories to initiate our scientific and artistic endeavors. All western thought can find its roots in the philosophy and science of the Greeks, even the way we see the world is influenced by the ideologies of Ancient Greece. The Greeks were the first to seek a greater understanding of the world, to know "why" we are not just "what" we are. The Greeks invented science and explored it in its truest form, philosophy. Through the years we have developed tools that we hope can prove or disprove various hypothesizes, to further our understanding of any number of things. We divide science into categories and then sub-divide it even farther, until we can hide the connections and pretend that they really are separate. The difference between psychology and physics is not as extreme as one would believe if they were to read their definitions. Though the means are different the goal is the same for all science: to increase our understanding of our earthly domain, and to improve ourselves. The Greeks created this guiding principle more than two thousand years ago. Greek atomic theory was not the work of a single person, in fact it was a product of many great minds. There were many fundamental ideas that formed the basis for their theory on the make up of the universe. One-hundred and forty years before Socrates there was a lesser-known scholar named Thales, and he was the Father of Philosophy. Thales was from a part of Greece called Miletus, and it was for his skill as an engineer, not as a philosopher, that he was recognized during his life. Before his time, the Greeks had no clear concept of matter, and did not use science to broaden their understanding of the universe. Because of the focus on the practical that was prevalent during that time, it was not until years later that