How important are parents in a child’s life? Essay

Parents How important are parents in a child’s life? In my opinion, parents are extremely important in the raising of a child. Without the presence of a parent, a child will have a very difficult time growing up. There are essential things that a child has to be provided with. Those needs, I classified them into three important categories: Love Love is absolutely necessary in a good parent-kid relationship. It helps form stronger and better relationships. Things that parents do out of love will make kids appreciate them more. A lot of times discipline lessons, though sometimes harsh, are included in the â€Å"love package†. Kids may not appreciate this right away, but in the long run they will realize their mistake and they will be thankful for those few slaps across the butt or the face. Most of the time a little discipline is all you need to make sure that kids stay on the right road in life. Support Kids need support in order to survive in the â€Å"real world†. Parents are the only ones that can give them support in the arising of their lives. Kids will need emotional support to face some of the problems earlier in their life, because of sheer lack of experience. Not knowing how to solve some of the life’s problems would only help them get hurt. That’s when the parents play the key role in their life. Parents can talk one-on-one with their children, with patience and understanding. This is very important. When a child needs advice, or needs to open up, it is very important for parents to be wise and understanding. Criticism and getting mad will never bring closeness between a parent and a child. Another example of support is financial. Financial support is something not all parents can give, but if they can do it, then it would really help the kid. When I say financial support I do not mean giving them spending money any time they ask for it. What I mean is more like money for school activities and funds for later  education in their life. This will give them many opportunities as they go through life. It is up to the children to take advantage of those opportunities. Sacrifice Good parents sacrifice many things in order to provide for their kids. Sometimes they will miss an important social event just so that they could stay home and help their kids with the homework or they would get off early from work, despite the managers warning, so that they would be at their kid’s game and cheer them on. Some people would call this sacrifice, but I say they are wrong. It is a good investment in a relationship. Kids will grow up appreciating their parents. I could not imagine a parent-kid relationship without love, in my opinion it would not be a relationship. Kids without support would be like young plants without a pole for support, they would just fall over and dry out. Sacrifice from the parent’s side helps kids realize that there will always be someone at their side when they need them. In conclusion I think that these three categories are a must for a parent.

Memo Report †Starbucks

As you previously requested I have worked out a memo report on; what Starbucks have done in the past, what they are doing now and how we can learn from them. It is very important to notice what competitors do when there are uncontrollable market conditions, so there can be an easier adapting process. Starbucks have 11. 000 stores worldwide, and they serve more than 40 million customers each week and even with these enormous numbers Starbucks continues to grow. The reason Starbucks is still growing is that; people loves the products that Starbucks provide, but there is more to it, Starbucks is also a very beloved brand. They have a wide product range and they are very innovative, constantly making new products to keep on being interesting. The clever thing about this is that you never get tired of the brand because it’s constantly developing itself, making it a very effective business strategy. In my opinion there is the possibility of following the example that Starbucks have set, it’s impossible to argue with the logics of a constantly extending product range that is both innovative and high quality. Starbucks meet the customer’s needs before they even know that they need it. They come up with ideas faster than most other coffee places, making it virtually impossible to criticize the depth of their product range as it is constantly expanding. An example of the creative side of Starbucks could be the new â€Å"Instant coffee† that Starbuck have just added in their product range. The product consists of a small packet of coffee that a customer can carry with them and make coffee almost everywhere, all they need is water. It would of course be a great idea to be more innovative at Cafe Nero, as it would satisfy a wider range of customers. However one must have in mind that Starbucks is a gigantic worldwide chain and therefore can afford to have whole departments only created to make new products. It is, therefore, not possible to be as innovative as Starbucks, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying. I suggest that we should look at what Starbucks have done, for example with the â€Å"Instant coffee† but while we do that we also have to remember that our brand name have to remain ours, eaning that we cannot try to copy what competitors do, but that we have to invent our own success. There is another very important aspect; the present consumer trends and the economic downturn that should not be forgotten when we consider how we can be more successful. When people become more afraid of their future economic situation they will be less likely to spend money, meaning that a very logic proposa l would be to lower the prices on our products. Coffee is becoming more and more like a culture, for some even an addiction, some people can’t even start their day before they have had their morning coffee. With this in mind, one could make the easy conclusion that there is a demand for coffee and that we could therefore raise our prices. However, I believe that both our current and future customers would appreciate a lowering of our prices, so in a short-term period it would probably lower our income, but I believe that on long-term it would make more customers and make our current customers happier and more loyal to our brand. When the economy eventually starts getting better, maybe even turning to an economic boom it would be a possibility to slowly raising our prices back to a more normal level because people feel more safe about the future and therefore will be more likely to spend money. When looking at the present consumer trends I think it’s safe to say that consumers love variation and creativity. There isn’t a very large market for regular coffee anymore; consumers want to see different products and experience different flavors. The point of this is that Starbucks adapt to this trend by constantly trying to innovate their brand with new products, but at the same time they stay true to their brand and they don’t compromise on quality; that is what made their success. These things that I have lined up are what I have found that we at Cafe Nero can learn from Starbucks, I personally believe that Starbucks is a good source of inspiration and admiration as they have succeeded in so many ways. But what we also have to remember is that we also have to stay true to ourselves and not become something that we are not. Let Starbucks be Starbucks, and let us be Cafe Nero.

New Directions and Challenges of Social Sciences Assignment

New Directions and Challenges of Social Sciences - Assignment Example The fact that it has been labeled soft science can affect the perceived value of the discipline as well as the amount of funding available to it (Bernstein, 1983). A perfect example is during the late 2000s recessions where social science disproportionately cut from funding compared to mathematics and natural science, which was never touched. Numerous proposals were made for the National Science Foundation to cease funding all social sciences since they make no impact to development. Secondly, social sciences progress is considered nonlinear because many new ideas have to lead to revolutions while others have had lengthy gestation periods and ultimately met a protracted resistance (Bernstein, 1983). Furthermore, other new ideas have attained overly rapid and faddish acceptance that is usually followed by a quick dismissal. Bernstein further asserts that an earlier generation of research in retail management documented a myriad of characteristics attached to scientific progress, but it was never followed by trans-disciplinary studies that tested and developed the general theories that cropped out. Additionally, social sciences such as retail management deal with people. As such, it becomes difficult in isolating all the variables that may influence the outcome of any social science research. In fact, controlling the variable may even alter the results thus it is hard to devise an experiment in any a soft science. The last two decades, the science of retail management has indeed gained relevance and developed the wealth of instruments. Of great importance are the techniques that are used in carrying out an objective research. In spite of using research as a tool for finding answers to business problems, there still one big challenge: explicit assumptions. Most of these tacit assumptions undermine research more so, in retail management (Collins, 2001). Â  

Civil war and reconstruction Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Civil war and reconstruction - Term Paper Example Therefore, the paper will focus on explaining the reason why the system failed and the reason behind the North winning the war, and it will explain the extent of the war and the reconstruction that followed in order to resolve the issues that created the breakdown. After the elections in 1860 to the presidency of Republican Abraham Lincoln, there was a succession in the southern states from Federal Union in 1861, though it focused on establishing the independent Confederacy of state for protecting the slavery. On the other hand, the Northern Unionists focused on unconstitutional secession, whereby they were willing to apply the military force to keep the South in the Union. However, the Southerners who had no slaves were against the threatened Federal coercion. This resulted to a costly and bloody civil war and numerous American were killed in the Civil War, since the nations, wars were combined (Dew, 5). Southern region became overwhelmed by war and this resulted to a burden by debt due to misgovernment and demoralization by a long period of racial warfare. There were harsh penalties imposed on Southern white leaders, and they humiliated the discrimination against blacks. This led to the â€Å"Jim Crow,† which was experienced during the nineteenth century, whereby the Southern states had isolated public facilities that abolished black accessibility to numerous public amenities such as restaurants, hotels and parks. Reconstruction is judged insensitively by comparing it to the moral transparency related to the Civil War, due to the dark moments of political divergence, dishonesty and deterioration. During the period of reconstruction, slaves were granted their freedom, but not equality, whereby the North failed to address the economic needs of the freedmen, and this effort indicated the inadequacy to the desperate needs of the former slave for institutions. This relates to institutions that offer political and economic opportunity or

Music Tastes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Music Tastes - Assignment Example Did the musicians seem well prepared for the concert?)   ***Compare the pieces from this performance with other compositions you have studied in class, noting similarities and differences. (Note: In selecting a composition from class, you may want to look for a piece by the same composer, from the same style period, or of the same genre as the piece(s) from the performance.)   ***Describe the behavior of the performers and the audience. What, if any, interaction occurred between the two? What kind of behavioral expectations do performers and audiences bring to the concert? How are these expectations satisfied or frustrated?   On October 15, I attended a concert by the NDR Symphony Orchestra of Hamburg at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The performance consisted of only two pieces, yet both were met with enthusiastic applause and praise. †¨Ã‚   The first piece performed was the Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, with the violinist Midori as the featured soloist. The piece was divided into three movements, the first being Allegro moderato. The Concerto opened with the orchestra playing a crescendo until the appearance of the soloist, who presented the principal themes. From this point, the texture varied between the monophony of the solo violin and the homophony heard from the full orchestra. The melody introduced by the violin was then repeated in various instruments with large contrasts in dynamics and tempo, although the predominating tempo was allegro. When the solo violin returned it was accompanied by the other violins playing a background of staccato notes. The high point of the first movement occurred when the solo violin produced an extremely high pitch in pianissimo and slowed down to a static pace, demonstrating her ability on the instrument. This movement ended with the entire orches tra playing fortissimo with a strong beat.  

The Conception of International Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Conception of International Justice - Essay Example It was revised and translated in both 1975 and 1999 but was originally published in 1971. In this theory, Rawls tries to find a solution on the issue of distributive justice by utilization of the social contract. This theory results in the formation of another theory known as Justice as Fairness, which deals with the difference principle and liberty principle (Freeman 2007, p. 10). Justice as Fairness is John Rawls’ political conception of justice. It encompasses two main principles of Equality and Liberty (Rawls 2001, p. 73). The principle of Equality is further divided into the Difference Principle and Fair Equality of Opportunity. He organized them in a prioritizing order as from the Liberty Principle to Fair Equality of Opportunity and finally to the Difference Principle. In case of a conflict in practice, the priorities determine the order of principles. He makes use of the social contract device, inquiring what principles of justice people agree to when making and design ing humanity. Justice as fairness presents a description of human nature further than the traditions of greedy egoist or saintly altruists and believing that human beings are both reasonable and rational (Thomas 2007, p. 54). Human beings become rational to achieve ends they want to meet, but they get reasonable when the ends become cooperatively possible by sticking to mutually suitable regulatory principles. In the Liberty Principle, Rawls claims that every human being has the same and equal right to essential liberties, and became confident that some freedoms and rights are basic than others. In this theory, he eloquently described the Liberty Principle as a broad, fundamental liberty compatible with others and later amended it in Political Liberalism. It involves the freedom of association, expression, conscience, and democratic rights as well as personal property right (Rawls 2001, p. 40). In this theory, Rawls presents economic and social inequalities in a manner that they app eared either of the greatest importance to the least advantaged, dependable with the immediately savings principle, or emotionally involved in positions and offices unlocked to everyone under the circumstance of reasonable equality of opportunity. He argued that this principle guarantee liberties that signify meaningful options to everyone in a society and confirm distributive justice. Fair Equality of Opportunity Principle maintains that positions and offices should be open to the entire citizens regardless of their ethnicity, social background or sex. Here, he argued that a person should get effective equal opportunity like any other of similar natural ability rather than having solitary right to opportunities. The Difference principle allows inequalities that work only to the advantage of the worse off. He brings out the argument about the system where the wealth gets accurately diffused up. Rawls asked himself several questions including the question about how the society would get stable by the use of the principles of justice. He later came up with lecture notes containing the solutions of the above question. The lecture notes were titled Political Liberalism. In Political Liberalism, Rawls pioneered the ideas of both the public reason and overlapping consensus. The scheme of public reason dealt with the regular reason of all citizens (Freeman 2007, p. 127). The overlapping consensus told mostly about how different citizens hold different philosophical and religious

The analysis of the lecture about Human Rights and The Expirence of Essay

The analysis of the lecture about Human Rights and The Expirence of exile - Essay Example In particular, the Iraq Jews are an example of how human rights violation can be rampant in a political system that is not just. The presence of Jews in Islamic world can be traced back in the days of Abraham, Sarah, Rachel, Jacob, David, and Solomon. The Jews and Christians in Iraq were treated as second-class citizens because of their religious affiliation. This shows high level of religious discrimination that was experienced by these citizens who are not actually Muslims. The Jews in Iraq because of their religion were subjected to limited economic opportunities. This cuts across in all sectors of economy and even property ownership. Genocide of Jews in Germany during the Second World War is only but just an example of religious persecution. In the human scriptures though there is no exact word human rights but that does not imply that they do not advocate for equality. For instance, in Exodus and Deuteronomy the laws advocate for slave justice and equality. These scriptures try to caution that everyone is equal. The law of equality is written in every human being’s heart. This means that it should be a natural thing for a person to treat the other with equality regardless of religious affiliation. In any social set up there should be guidelines or provision that should guard or protect the right to any religion. Countries should embrace many religions to avoid religious conflict experienced in most North Africa states in the recent past. The constitution should be in the forefront to promote democracy in all aspect of life. If this is well captured in the constitution then let be assured that the society will be peaceful. Religious discrimination can lead to exemption of basic economic rights. For instance, the Jews living in Iraq, their accounts were frozen. Their schools were closed down and their property seized. This is just a demonstration of how bad the condition can get in a society that does not embrace

You have been appointed as a Marketing Consultant. In this role you Assignment

You have been appointed as a Marketing Consultant. In this role you are required to prepare a three-year marketing plan for Bonobos in the U.K market - Assignment Example But according to Dunn there was a gap for the fashion companies which took inputs but created something which a consumer can never do on its own. Thus the company to fill this gap established community driven platform where the customers through social media, purchase behaviour and commentary would affect the offerings made by the company. Eventually the company’s goal evolved from merely solving men pant problem to solving men shopping problem. Bonobos.com also provides access to products which are mad locally but lacked an optimal distribution and promotions; these items were termed as ‘Stuff’ which included belts, shoes and accessories. Bonobos used social media sites to promote its products which proved to a success for the company. These communities enabled Bonobos to markets its products and sell them without investing any dollar in traditional form of promotional techniques. Bonobos used Twitter, Facebook and the company’s blog to promote and gather inputs from the customers. In the first year of its business the company earned net revenue of $1.6million selling almost 30,000 pairs of pants. By 2009, Bonobos introduced trousers at a low price and Dunn expected the company to finish between $3.5millions to $4.5millions (Kinsey, 2009). Internal Environment refers to the internal factors of a business which are generally controlled by the business itself. It refers to the environment that exists within the organisation. The internal environment includes objectives of the organisation, its managerial policies, different departments of the company, the employees and the management of the organisation, brand image as well as corporate image, relationship between labour and management, physical resources which includes infrastructure, vision of the top level management, research and development of the organisation, and the working conditions of the organisation. Human resource an important component of the internal environment is largely

Sensors and Control Systems (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) Lab Report

Sensors and Control Systems (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) - Lab Report Example Rotating a DC electric motor’s rotor like tacho generators will produce electricity and voice-coil speaker can also act as microphones. It consist of a nickel wire of 0.5-1 mm diameter kept stretched between the poles of a permanent magnet and having a small stylus rigidly attached to it at the mid-point. The wire is prestressed by twisting it, before being installed into the position. Two pick-up coils of fine wire are wound round the wire on either side of the mid-point. Any displacement of the stylus to one side or the other increases the torsion on the side and decreases it by an equal amount on the other side. This results in an increase of magnetic flux in one-half and a decrease in the other half. The corresponding induced emfs are in phase opposition and are processed by suitable networks as in the case of linear variable differential transformer. It is used as phonograph pick-up and is designed to have flat frequency response over 150 Hz- 15 kHz frequency range. Due to the nonlinearity and hysteresis in the performance, it is normally limited for use when time- varying torsions of small amplitude are to be measured. It was discovered in 1879 and belongs to one of the galvanomagnetic phenomena in which the interaction between the magnetic field and the moving electrical charges results in the development of forces that alter the motion of the charge. When an external magnetic field is applied to the current carrying hall element perpendicular to the current flow a Lorentz force acts on the current due to which a voltage called hall voltage is generated perpendicular to both the current and the magnetic field. This voltage is so small and needs amplification. If an electric current flows through a conductor in a magnetic field, the magnetic field exerts a transverse force on the moving charge carriers which tends to push them to one side of the

Macro Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Macro Economic - Essay Example However, later a twin debt blow has been considered as one of the most prominent reasons behind the debt crisis. The twin blow came out of the banking crisis together with the previously mentioned extremely high sovereign debt. The European Central Bank (ECB) launched the single currency (euro) in 1999 along with the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), aiming to gain monetary efficiency. An Economic and Monetary Union offers a series of monetary efficiency gains in forms of accounting ease among the member states that in turn reduces opportunity cost of transforming one currency into another, development among member states would be at par owing to reduction of any possible economic shock (that are often regional in nature), member states under an Economic and Monetary Union following a common currency would also abstain from intra inflow and outflow of speculative capital, furthermore policy formation among member states would be coherent and coordinated in nature that will eventuall y usher better economic growth and development. While fiscal irresponsibility on the part of periphery countries has been considered by many analysts as the root of the ongoing crisis, this paper argues that the impact on capital flows within the euro-zone of financial deregulation and liberalization and of the adoption of the common currency was critical in exacerbating a growing competitiveness gap between core and periphery countries and explaining the evolution of the crisis. Debt crisis unfolds- credit failures The crisis in Europe began when financial markets lost confidence in the creditworthiness of PIIGS countries (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain) and interest rates on government bonds soared to astonishing levels that forced the governments of these countries to seek bailouts from the international community, including the European Community, the IMF and the European Central Bank (ECB), collectively known as Troika. This was the period of the great financial cri sis of 2007-08 which also affected the US economy. All began with the credit markets and spread to the other sectors of the economy owing to large scale defaulters of loans (ch 31). As determinants of growth, one can say that demand is important for supply or production to expand. The ongoing debt crisis began with defaults of mortgage loans the demand for which led to a rapid boom in the housing sector which led to the final illusion when defaulters began to rise (ch 25). It is often been opined that the utopia of a welfare state amidst the current era of globalization that fuels on competitiveness (both are diametrically opposite in nature) and populist policies like raising the wage of the public sector employees in turn cumulatively burdened the governments with high level of debt. This phenomenon is most evident among periphery countries and can only be reckoned as fiscal recklessness. It is evident from the above argument that fiscal disciplines on behalf of the periphery coun tries would restore Euro its previous status without any additional measures and to be precise further fiscal incentive. What lies beneath? – Expectations and mal-adjustment A deeper analysis of the dynamics underlying the current Euro crisis exhibits that financial deregulation and liberalization was a major cause of the crisis in periphery countries in the euro-zone. Driving up expectations owing to a sudden boom can

Technology and Decision Making Essay Example for Free

Technology and Decision Making Essay The quality of patient care, communication between health care staff, and the safety of patients has greatly improved since the onset of technology. Through the improvement of information technology, the ability to collect data and manage the decisions based on the data collected has enhanced in the clinical setting as well as in the business portion. Health care informatics incorporates theories from informational science, computer science, and cognitive science (Englebardt Nelson, 2002). This information helps to gather and process it in order to make an informed decision. Important information could be missed if the data is ignored. Some of the most recent technology which includes the internet and cell phones has made it possible to access information quickly in order to make the best decision for the patient in order to provide good quality care. Technology changes every day and it is important to keep up with these changes that will help support clinical decisions made by the caregivers. This paper on informatics will show the systems and information theories, the DIK model, and the role of the expert system in nursing care and medicine. System and information theories System. â€Å"A system is a set of related interacting parts enclosed in a boundary† (Englebardt Nelson, 2002, p.5). There are many types of systems which include but are not limited to: computer systems, school systems, health care systems, and people. Systems can be living or nonliving, open or closed. Closed systems do not act with the environment whereas open system have the ability to act with the environment. Open systems can be used to understand technology and those individuals associated with its use. This type of system takes input from the environment, processes it, and then returns it back to the environment as output, which serves as feedback. This theory can better help the individual understand the way people work with systems in the health care industry and allow for a visualization of the whole picture. A common term using in computer science is GIGO, â€Å"garbage in, garbage out†. This applies in the sense that a system is only as good as its user. If the user is inputting garbage, or poor quality data, the computer is likely to output the same. A system requires an accurate source in order for accurate material to be produced as a result. Open systems have three types of characteristics which include: purpose, functions, and structure (Englebardt Nelson, 2002). The purpose is the reason for the existence of the system or the program and is most often stated in the organization’s mission statement. This is true for health care organizations, churches, and schools. For example, the mission statement of the local public health department to promote health, prevent illness, and control communicable disease by providing quality services, health education, and environmental services for the community. Computer systems are often classified by their purpose and may have more than one purpose. By selecting a purpose that all individuals agree upon within the organization, a system can be chosen. It is important to take the time to identify the purpose with all those who will be using the system. Functions identify the methods in which the system will achieve its purpose. â€Å"Functions are activities that a system carries out to achieve its purpose† (Englebardt Nelson, 2002, p.6). When a computer system is chosen a list of functional specification must be put in writing to identify each function and how it will be performed. Systems are structured to allow the functions to be carried out. Some examples of structured systems include the nursing department. The nurse in charge will assign patients to the staff nurses with the purpose to provide care. The charge nurse will ensure that the team is functioning with the ability to provide the care the patient needs and deserves. Two different models can be used to visualize the structure of a system: hierarchical and web. In the hierarchical model, each computer is a part of the local area network (LAN) which in turn is part of a wide area network (WAN) that is connected to the mainframe computer system. The mainframe is the leader of the system or lead part. The web model functions much like that of a spider-web. It has the capability to pass information to many departments that may use it for different purposes. For example,  laboratory results may be sent to the pharmacy to calculate a medication dosage and patient vitals may be sent to another department for review and use. â€Å"A system includes structural elements from both the web and hierarchical model† (Englebardt Nelson, 2002, p.7). Everything living or nonliving are in a constant state of change. Six concepts are helpful in understanding the change process: 1)dynamic homeostasis, 2)entropy, 3)negentropy, 4) specialization, 5)reverberation, and 6)equifinality. Dynamic homeostasis consists of maintaining an equal balance within the system. At times, increased stress can throw off the balance and cause challenges to the organization. A health care informatics specialist’s job is to decrease the stress and restore the balance within the organization. Entropy can be best described as the tendency of the system to break down into parts. This can be the loss of some data when transmitted from one department to another. All systems, living or nonliving, reach a point where they are no longer repairable. When this point is reached, a system must be replaced. Negentropy is the opposite of entropy and is best described as the system’s ability to multiply and become more complex. As the size of the health car e industry grows, so do the health care information systems. Information technology. â€Å"Information technology has the potential to greatly streamline healthcare and greatly reduce the chance of human error. However, there is a growing literature indicating that if systems are not designed adequately they may actually increase the possibility of error in the complex interaction between clinician and machine in healthcare† (Borycki, E., Kushniruk, A., Brender, J., 2010, p. 714). The term information has more than one meaning and the term information theory refers to multiple theories. The two common theoretical theories of information theories are: Shannon and Weaver’s information-communication model and Blum’s model (Englebardt Nelson, 2002, p. 10). The information theory was presented as a formal theory in 1948 with a publication by Claude Shannon titled â€Å"A Mathematical Theory of Communication†. In this theory, the sender is the originator of the message and then the encoder converts the message into a code. A code can be a number, symbol, letters, or words. The decoder then converts the message to a format that can be recognized by the receiver. Shannon was a telephone engineer and explained this theory in a way that the decoder was the  telephone converting sound waves into a message the receiver could understand. â€Å"Warren Weaver, from the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, provided the interpretation for understanding the semantic meaning of a message† (Englebardt Nelson, 2002, p. 12). He used Shannon’s works to explain the interpretational aspects of communication as each individual perceives things different from the next. Different types of circumstances may occur causing a message to be interpreted wrong. For example, if a physician is using medical terminology that the patient cannot understand there is definitely a communication problem. If the patient cannot hear what is being said because the ear is not transmitting sound, then there is a different type of communication problem. The message must convey meaning and produce the intended result. Bruce L. Blum defined three types of health care computing applications called Blum’s Model. He grouped these applications in data, information, or knowledge. Data are those things such as height, weight, age, and name. Information is defined as data that has been processed. Knowledge is the relationship between data and information. Using these concepts, it is possible to identify different levels of computing and automated systems. Data, Information, and Knowledge (DIK) model Healthcare informatics can be explained using a model consisting of three parts: data, information, and knowledge (Georgiou, 2002). The three parts are demonstrated using a hierarchy pyramid. Data is the platform in the model, representing the foundation. Data is represented as facts and observations, but without supporting context, the data is irrelevant. Until the information is validated or manipulated the data is not significant, once it is manipulated, the data can provide value to the user. Information is the product of data once the data has been manipulated. The result of data and information is evidence-based knowledge. Evidence based knowledge can be used to support evidence based medicine. Some individuals feel that too much focus has been put on data, limiting the ability to practice medicine as a science. Instead, the use of data suggests that medicine is being practiced based on statistics instead of science. Yet, the same critics will use the same hierarchy of data, information and knowledge to treat a patient that develops a fever after hip surgery. The fever alone does not provide significant information but combined with information of a  recent surgery, a physician will test further for signs of infection. The end result is the knowledge of why the patient is feverish. Viewing informatics in the form of the decision-information-knowledge (DIK) model allows individuals to see the process as a whole. The data must be accurately representing what is occurring or the information will not be accurate. The statement, â€Å"dirty in, dirty out,† can be applied to the platform of the model. It is essential that clean data be entered into the system, allowing clean data and information to be produced. The product, knowledge, can then be substantiated through the evidence produced. Just as evidence is used to make clinical decisions, the DIK model is used, in conjunction with the scie ntific information, to build evidence based medicine. Health informatics involves spreading and distributing information as just one piece of the process of producing knowledge which is multifaceted (Georgiou, 2002). The role of expert system in nursing care and medicine Nurses and other health care professionals make decisions on a daily basis that affect patients’ care and treatment. Nurses and health care professionals are not expert in all areas of nursing care and medicine. Health care workers specialized in certain area or field of medicine or nursing are not always readily available to everyone. Expert systems have been developed to assist medical and health care providers with decisions about care and treatment of patient. An expert system is a knowledge-based computer program designed to â€Å"enhance the human ability to analyze, problem solve, treat, diagnose, and estimate prognosis of health-related conditions† (Englebardt Nelson, 2002, p. 114). â€Å"Nursing expert systems can improve the overall quality of care when designed for the appropriate end-user group and based on a knowledge base reflecting nursing expertise† (Courtney, Alexander, and Demiris, 2008, P. 697). Examples of expert systems include MYCIN, a system that advise physicians about antimicrobial selection for patients with meningitis or bacteremia and INTERNIST-1, a system that assist with diagnosing complex problems in general internal medicine (Shortliffe, 1986). Health care workers may not always have the knowledge base to diagnose and treat every condition or situation encountered. Expert systems are used to close the gap in knowledge providing effective, efficient, and  accurate care. The concept of expert system is driven by the desire to improve patient care, reduce cost, and disseminate expert knowledge. Expert systems are used just as x-rays and lab values are obtained to improve the human understanding of a patient’s condition. The human memory has limitations. Expert systems can be the answer to eliminating a large number of preventable medical mistakes. This system can alert health care workers about drug interactions and allergies, and provide preferable form o f treatment. Expert systems can assist in diagnostic suggestions, testing prompts, therapeutic protocols, and practice guidelines. The utilization of expert systems has an impact on the quality of care, economy, and medical education of staff. Expert systems, when used effectively can improve patient outcomes and decrease health care costs. Fewer mistakes lead to lower financial expenditures and increased profits. Improved quality of care result in improved patient satisfaction that leads to increased reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid. Expert systems can also decrease the variation in medical practice emphasizing standardized and evidence-based practice of care. Along with expert systems, decision aids and decision support systems are used to improve patient care. The use of decision aids and decision support systems Clinical decision aids help to identify solutions to clinical situations. Decision aids can be either paper-form or electronic. The electronic decision aids can be accessed via recorded media or the Internet. Decision aids are utilized to facilitate shared decisions between the patient and interdisciplinary team taking care of them. They help the patient to think about the multiple decisions they must make in the course of their treatment regimen. An example is the Ottawa Patient Decision Aid. This decision aid helps to determine whether or not patients should seek antibiotics for bronchitis. Another example is a decision aid about whether or not someone should place his or her family in a long-term care facility for Alzheimer’s disease (Englebardt Nelson, 2002). A decision support system (DSS) is an interactive, flexible, and adaptable computer-based information system (CBIS), which was made to support decision-making as it relates to the solution of an individual problem. â€Å"A clinical decision support system (CDSS) is an automated decision support system (DSS) that  mimics human decision making and can facilitate the clinical diagnostic process, promote the use of best practices, assist with the development and adherence of guidelines, facilitate processes for improvement of care, and prevent errors† (Englebardt and Nelson, 2002, p. 116). Decision support systems utilize data and provide easy user interface that permit for the decision maker’s own insights. Four components of decision support systems are user interface, model library, model manager, and report writer. User interface makes communication between the executive and decision support system. Model library includes statistical, graphical, financial, and â€Å"what if† models. Model manager accesses available models. Report Writer generates written output (Englebardt Nelson, 2002). Four types of CDSS used in patient care decision-making are systems that use alerts to respond to clinical data, systems respond to decisions to alter care by critiquing decisions, systems suggest interventions at the request of care providers, and systems conduct retrospective quality assurance reviews. Examples of nursing-specific decision support systems are nursing diagnosis systems such as the Computer Aided Nursing Diagnosis and Intervention (CANDI) system, care planning systems such as the Urological Nursing Information System, symptom management systems such as the Cancer Pain Decision Support system, and nursing education systems such as the Creighton Online Multiple Modular Expert System (Courtney, Alexander, and Demiris, 2008). The uses of technology for patient and client management As Information Technology continues to have more presence in health care, patients, physicians, and staff are benefiting from on-demand access to information anyplace, anytime it is needed. Advances in technology provide healthcare organizations the ability to improve the quality of patient care. An ultimate goal of using technology is to improve the quality of care patients receive (Become a Meaningful User of Health IT, 2010). Technology can be found patient homes, clinics, extended care facilities, and hospitals, to name just a few. As the number of chronic diseases continues to increase technologies like telemedicine and video-conferencing can improve the quality of life of patients with chronic conditions, and reduce costs caused by these illnesses (Finkelstein Friedman, 2000). Improving quality, access, and client management is done by enhancing the  exchange of information between providers, institutions, and payers, allowing patients to receive uninterrupted continuity of care. For the people living in rural areas, the restrictions placed on services and specialists can be improved using technology (Smith, Bensink, Armfield, Stillman, Caffery, 2005). Telecommunications in the healthcare environment can provide patients and providers an opportunity to meet and even exceed expectations clients and the community have. A physician accessing a patients’ record from his home can provide treatment and develop a plan of care without sitting in his clinic to access the patients’ chart. Caregivers are no longer at the mercy of ongoing education provided at a variety of locations and cost. Learning management systems available via the Internet allow staff to review material and participate in competency testing. Tools are available through the advances in technology, which allow training by developing simulations of patients used for assessment training in virtual environments, assessing cognitive skills of providers (McGowan, 2008). As technologies in healthcare continue to improve, caregivers and patients will continue to experience changes in many areas.  Communication, teaching, and documenting will be affected, which change the way clinicians provide care and the way clients will receive it. Analysis of the effect of technology on health care and health status Prior to computers and digital equipment seen in today’s healthcare facilities, most of what was done for patients was done manually. Manual processes could be time consuming and the opportunity for human error, which could affect the quality of care a patient received, was real. In a recent report from the Institute of medical care, it was stated that humans are inherently imperfect, and error is frequent in medical car (Patton, 2001). Technologies affecting patient care and a person’s health status include improvements to imaging systems, documentation solutions, and scheduling systems. Modern medicine relies on technological systems coming together: the operating room, clinical laboratory, radiology department, and radiation oncology facility each incorporate interrelated networks of technologies (Patton, 2001). Surgeries that once required large incisions can be done through microscopic incisions resulting in shorter hospital stays. Early diagnosis and improved treatment plans have been inevitably affected by technology. Although technology allows healthcare to improve access to patient information allowing easier access that is current and up-to-date there are also disadvantages to this kind of access. Consumers and caregivers have large volumes of information, which can be accessed, not all of the information accessed will be understood or accurate. Society must be aware that not all sites will be able to monitor and ensure information being accessed is credible; it is inevitable some of the information provided and retrieved will be inaccurate. Worse yet information which are by law confidential, may also be accessed without the consent of the patient. In addition to the ability to monitor healthcare information, technology may also make it challenging for physicians to practice under complete autonomy. With the increase in the complexity of technology, physicians must agree on how components relate to one another, also known as standards (Patton, 2001). As a result, some physicians can be seen resisting the adoption of new processes, but with ongoing development of user-friendly systems, resistance can be overcome. References Become a Meaningful User of Health IT. (2010). HHN: Hospitals Health Networks, 84(12), 47. Borycki, E., Kushniruk, A., Brender, J. (2010). Theories, models and frameworks for diagnosing technology-induced error. Studies In Health Technology And Informatics, 160(Pt 1), 714-718. Finkelstein, J. J., Friedman, R. H. (2000). Potential Role of Telecommunication Technologies in the Management of Chronic Health Conditions. Disease Management Health Outcomes, 8(2), 57-63. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Courtney, K. L., Alexander, G. L., Demiris, G. (2008). Information technology from novice to expert: implementation implications. Journal of Nursing Management, 16(6), 692-699. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2834.2007.00829.x Englebardt, S. P. Nelson, R. (2002).Health care informatics. An interdisciplinary approach. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier. Georgiou, A. (2002). Data information and knowledge: the health informatics model and its role in evidence-based medicine. Journal Of Evaluation In Clinical Practice, 8(2), 127-130. McGowan, J. J. (2008). The Pervasiveness of Telemedicine: Adoption With or Without a Research Base. JGIM: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 23(4), 505-507. doi:10.1007/s11606-008-0534-z Patton, G. (2001). The two-edged sword: how technology shapes medical practice. Physician Executive, 27(2), 42-49. Shortliffe, E. H. (1986). Medical Expert Systems- Knowledge Tool for Physicians. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1307157/?page=2 Smith, A., Bensink, M., Armfield, N., Stillman, J., Caffery, L. (2005, October-December). Telemedicine and rural health care applications. Journal of Postgraduate Medicine, 51(4), 286.

Cyber Warfare: the Future of War

Cyber Warfare: the Future of War CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Karl von Clausewitz defined war as an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfill our will In order to attain this object fully, the enemy must be disarmed, and disarmament becomes therefore the immediate object of hostilities. At the end of the second millennium, this classification no longer describes the full spectrum of modern warfare. In the future, we will have the prospective to make war without the use of violence and fulfill the second half of von Clausewitzs definition-with software alone. Todays software intensive systems make this probable. Cyber describes systems that use mechanical or electronic systems to swap human control. Cyber warfare can be executed without violence and therefore the reliance on software intensive systems-cyber systems-can make nations exposed to warfare without violence. What is Cyber? Terms with cyber used as prefix are currently in vogue not only among some visionaries and technologists seeking new concepts, but even by the man in the street, and each has its own connotation. The term cyber is from Greek root kybernan, meaning to steer or govern and a related word Kybernetes, meaning pilot, governor, and/ or helmsman. Norbert Weiner first introduced the prefix in the 1940s in his classic works creating the field of cybernetics (which is related to cybrenetique, an older French word meaning the art of government). Cyber, in fact has been the most acceptable term due to the reason that it bridges the gap between information and governance, the two inseparable facets of control. The prefix therefore, is freely used in the following: Cyberspace. Originally coined by William Gibson in his science fiction novel Neuromancer, published in 1984, and defines it as that position within the computer where electronic activity / communication takes place. He further describes it as a place of unthinkable complexity. The term has given rise to a vocabulary of cyberterms such as cybercafes (cafes that sell coffee and computer time), cybermalls (online shopping services) and cyberjunkies (people addicted to being online). Cybernetics. It is the science of communication and control, which interfaces a monitor (human brain or an electronic machine) to other parts of a system. The function being, to compare what is happening in the system, to what should have happened and then draw the difference, which is passed on to the control system for rectification (feedback). It applies equally to organisations, machines and organisms. Cybernetics is also used to describe a general analytical approach to control, communication and other system technologies and attempts to link engineering disciplines with the related work of social scientists through the unifying threads of feedback in its most general aspects and through its interest in transfer of information. Cyberwar. A RAND Corporation synonym for information warfare, it is also sometime called netwar. Another school considers it as knowledge related conflict at the military level. However, Denis Quigley comes close by designating it as control warfare or leitenkreig in German. Cyberwar will be discussed more in detail later in the Study. Cybernation. Loosely used, it implies digitisation of various systems of an arrangement/organisation or super systems, where electronics links humans to machines, thereby immensly amplifying the human capabilities. It, in its most basic form, would indicate electronic automated management of information and knowledge. Cyber warfare (CW). It is a relatively new addition to the glossary of warfare. With the escalating use of computers in military and government, there has been a growing awareness of both a new susceptibility in national infrastructure and a new method of attacking ones enemies. There is the potential of using information systems to protect, control or attack information networks. CW could mean winning wars without firing shots, the shutting down of entire national infrastructures at the push of a button, and the complete exploitation or destruction of an enemys communication networks. It could mean threats from across the world by states with no ability to launch a conventional attack, or attacks by non-state actors using cheap laptops. There has also been talk of super-viruses shutting down nations, and how a disgruntled individual or small group could wage a war on a nation. CW is the new wonder weapon, and the new unknown threat. However, the concept of CW, and the technology on which it relies, is beset by vague depictions of the dangers it presents, or the benefits it offers. CW is conceptualised by security expert Amit Yoran, cyber-security chief at the US Department of Homeland Security and vice president of computer corporation Symantec, as the future primary theatre of operations. There is a consensus that CW is something noteworthy, but it is not clear if this consensus extends to a common understanding of what CW actually is. It is so new that there is no standard definition to describe it. This leads to one of the most frequent confusions regarding cyber warfare: its relation to Information Warfare (IW). IW is not unproblematic in definition, but can be understood as the offensive and defensive use of information and information systems to deny, exploit, corrupt, or destroy, an adversarys information, information-based processes, information systems, and computer-based networks while protecting ones own. While IW covers the territory of cyber warfare, it also covers a much broader mandate. Electronic (cyber) communication is only one aspect of IW, which includes all information operations in a conflict. Chinese strategist Sun Tzu and Napoleonic strategist Carl von Clausewitz referred to information operations, and the importance of such operations in war. IW predates electronic communication, and is not interchangeable with cyber warfare for this reason. CW involves units organized along nation-state boundaries, in offensive and defensive operations, using computers to attack other computers or networks through electronic means. Hackers and other individuals trained in software programming and exploiting the intricacies of computer networks are the primary executors of these attacks. These individuals often operate under the auspices and possibly the support of nation-state actors. In the future, if not already common practice, individual cyber warfare units will execute attacks against targets in a cooperative and simultaneous manner. Analyzing the Threat. In 2007, a denial-of-service attack was launched every 53 minutes. The 2007 FBI/Computer Security Institute study indicated that loss of revenue attributed to DDoS (dedicated denial of service) was approximately US$90,000 an hour for a retail catalog sales company. Malware is a common cyber-weapon. Malware (short for malicious software) is a computer program designed with malicious intent. This intent may be to cause annoying pop-up ads with the hope you will click on one and generate revenue, or forms of spyware, Trojans and viruses that can be used to take over your computer, steal your identity, swipe sensitive financial information or track your activities. At least five new pieces of malware emerge every two minutes, according to Kasperskys Internet Security Lab. One critical measure I monitor regularly is the number of significant events reported to Hackerwatch.Org. At the time Im writing this, in the past 24 hours, there have been more than 8 million sign ificant incidents reported. The warning signs are there, but the question remains: Are we smart enough to prepare? A key premise of this paper is that information processing-whether by equipment (computers) or by humans-is becoming a center of gravity in future warfare. Although there is much debate on the reality of the CW threat, the growing number of computer intrusions on government and non-government systems substantiate the fact that the threat is very real. The growing dependency on information and information based technologies have made us very vulnerable to hostile attacks Hence, our immediate goal must be to both imagine and define how foreign cyber attack capabilities might threaten information networks in India and what potential effects they might have. METHODOLOGY Statement of Problem This paper seeks to study and analyse the use of cyber warfare in future conflicts its implications on national security. To suggest Indias response to these cyber threats by outlining a clear, well defined cyber security strategy and suggest measures to safeguard own national security. Hypothesis As information systems permeate in military and civil lives, a new frontier is being crossed The Information Age- which will define the future wars. Cyber Warfare has become central to the way nations fight wars and is the emerging theatre in which future conflicts are most likely to occur. Cyber warfare will take the form of a devastating weapon of the future battlefield which will be integrated in the War fighting Doctrines of nations across the world. Justification of Study The premise of cyber warfare is that nations and critical infrastructure are becoming increasingly dependent on computer networks for their operation. Also as armies around the world are transforming from a platform centric to a network centric force there is increasing reliance on networking technology. With all the advantages of such connectivity come unprecedented challenges to network security. Threats to information infrastructure could be in the form of destruction, disclosure, modification of data and/or denial of service. A hostile nation or group could exploit the vulnerabilities in poorly secured network to disrupt or shut down critical functions. The protection of our information resources information assurance, will thus be one of the defining challenges of national and military security in the years to come. To take advantage of Information Technology revolution and its application as a force multiplier, the Nation and army in particular needs to focus on Cyber Security to ensure protection / defence of its information and information system assets. Many will argue that defence and intelligence computer systems of most countries including Idia are air gapped and thus, isolated from the Internet. It may appear convincing that by air gapping the networks and using superior technology, the risk may be reduced. However, this will not provide fool proof security. With the proliferation of technology at an astronomical rate, the threat of cyber terrorism will only increase. The air gapped networks are vulnerable from insiders, disgruntled employees and moles planted or recruited by cyber terrorists or their sympathisers to cause the intended damage. A cyber terrorist may impersonate a computer technician and call individuals within the targeted organisation to obtain information to penetrate a system. Once in possession of legitimate log on information, cyber terrorists will have Iegal access to a system and can insert viruses, trojan horses, or worms to expand their control of the system or shut it down. In Russia, hackers used a gas company employee to plant a trojan horse which gave them control of the nations gas pipelines. It is against this backdrop that it becomes imperative as a soldier to understand cyberspace, the threat that it poses and to suggest some steps in order to minimise, if not eliminate the menace that it would cause. Scope This study concentrates on the evolution of cyber warfare and the giant leaps that it has taken in the past decade. The entire spectrum of cyber conflict, including threat reality of cyber warfare being used as a potent and devastating weapon of the future battlefield has been covered. Further the study outlines the cyber warfare capabilities of select nations and how vulnerable India is to these threats. Finally the report outlines a cyber security strategy and recommendations for combating the cyber warfare threat in the 21st century. Methods of Data Collection The data has been collected through various journals, seminar papers and certain books on the subject. Some material has also been downloaded from the Internet. A bibliography of sources is appended at the end of the text. Organisation of the Dissertation It is proposed to study the subject under following chapters: Chapter I Introduction and Methodology. Chapter II The Future of Warfare. Information Revolution and Warfare. Defining Cyberwar. Evolution of Cyber Warfare. Chapter III Global Threat in Cyberspace. Threats in Cyberspae. How Real Is the Threat? Spectrum of Cyber Conflict. Recognition of the Cyber Warfare Threat. Chapter IV Combating the Threat. How Vulnerable are We? Cyber Security: A Few Initiatives. Def Cyber Warfare. Cyber security Strategy. Chapter V Conclusion. The Digital Battlefield. Recommendations. CHAPTER II THE FUTURE OF WARFARE So it is said, if you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you dont know others, but know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you dont know others and dont know yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle. -Sun Tzu Will conventional warfare remain the custom for the future or will a new wave of warfare emerge? Down through the corridors of time, wars have been fought for various reasons. Conflict arose from regional instabilities, economic and social perils, and religious animosities. In their book, War and Anti-War: Survival At The Dawn of The 21st Century, Alvin and Heidi Toffler categorize the progression of warfare into three stages or waves: agrarian, industrial, and informational. While some areas of the world still remain in the agrarian realm and some others have advanced to the industrial state, a few have broken out into a completely new era-the information age. Information Revolution and Warfare If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles .If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. This extract comes from the 6th century BC Sun Tzus The Art of War and is still as compelling today as it was two and a half millennia ago. As a matter of fact, it is in all probability safe to say that knowledge and information about ones adversary have a greater impact now than they have had at any other point in the history of warfare. At the same time, critical information is now often stored electronically in spaces reachable from the Internet, which means there is a prospective for it to leak out to ones adversary, or for the opponent corrupting it in order to affect ones decision making capabilities. There is no standardised definition of Information Warfare. However it has been defined as Actions taken to achieve information superiority by affecting adversely information, information based processes, information systems and computer based networks of the adversary, while protecting ones own information. An aim of warfare always has been to affect the enemys information systems. In the broadest sense, information systems encompass every means by which an adversary arrives at knowledge or beliefs. A narrower view maintains that information systems are the means by which an adversary exercises control over, and direction of fielded forces. Taken together, information systems are a comprehensive set of the knowledge, beliefs, and the decision making processes and systems of the adversary. The outcome sought by information attacks at every level is for the enemy to receive sufficient messages that convince him to stop fighting. Information Warfare is a form of conflict that attacks information system directly as a means to attack adversarys knowledge or beliefs. Information Warfare can be prosecuted as a component of a larger and more comprehensive set of hostile activities a net war or cyber war or it can be undertaken as the sole form of hostile activities. Most weapons, a word used to describe the lethal and nonlethal tools of warfare only have high utility against external adversaries. While most often employed against external adversaries, many of the weapons of information warfare are equally well suited for employment against internal constituencies. For example, a state or group cannot use guns or bombs against its own members; however, the weapons of Information Warfare can be used, have been used, and very likely will be used against both external and internal adversaries. Information warfare as defined by Martin Libicki has seven components: Command and Control Warfare. Intelligence based warfare. Electronic Warfare. Psychological Operations. Hacker Warfare. Economic Information Warfare. Cyber Warfare. This concept of seven components is universally recognised today, as it encompasses the entire spectrum that Information Warfare offers. Besides, it strongly argues that Information Warfare is not exclusively a military function and various actors viz. the media, private industry and civil society including civilian hackers play a key role in building a nations capability to wage Information Warfare. The role of private industry has gradually been acknowledged as cutting edge information technologies become increasingly pervasive in sensors and weapon systems. The information systems while making the military more efficient also render it vulnerable to attacks on the systems itself. Winn Schwartau, also known as the Civil Architect of Information Warfare has defined Information Warfare in this very context: Information Warfare is a conflict in which information and information systems act as both the weapons and the targets. As far as the Indian viewpoint on Information Warfare is co ncerned, history amply reveals that information was essentially viewed as a strategic resource. Kautilya, the great strategist of the Maurya period, strongly advocated the need of obtaining accurate information about the enemy forces and plans of action. In fact, he is considered to be instrumental in the victory of the Mauryans and placing Chandragupta Maurya on the Magadha throne. His astute thinking on warfare and statecraft is portrayed in the famous treatise Arthshastra. While postulating that war may not always be the right option, Kautilya espoused the importance of information and knowledge in winning wars. Information Superiority and Cyber Warfare. Information Technology is a double edged weapon. It provides vast opportunities but simultaneously introduces new vulnerabilities and threats, which may arise through computers, content and connectivity or, to put it differently, hardware, software, information and networks. Information superiority over our adversaries including militant and terrorist outfits is very essential. Non Lethal information weapons can black out communication systems, destroy valuable data and cripple the nation. Therefore, we have to act faster than any adversary. This requires defensive as well as offensive cyber warfare capabilities. Cyber warfare can be a full fledged war and vital infrastructure shall get targeted. To handle cyber wars, highest national level decision making is required, in real time and with full fall back options. For this purpose, basic building blocks include excellent monitoring tools for network traffic, web sites and databases, intrusio n detection, firewalls, encryption and decryption algorithms, public key infrastructure and remote access facilities. Offensive cyber warfare spans computer crimes and information terrorism. Everyone is under threat telephone, power supply, banks, transport, and the day to day needs. lt is important to create tools, awareness, and structures to assess threats to information resources, including military and economic espionage computer break-ins, denial-of-service, destruction and modification of data, distortion of information, forgery, control and disruption of information flow, electronic bombs, etc. ln essence, the thrust of the initiatives must lead to information assurance like life assurance. Defining Cyberwar Cyber Warfare. It is the sub-set of information warfare that involves actions taken within the cyber world. There are many cyber worlds, but the one most appropriate to cyber warfare is the Internet and related networks that share media with the Internet. Cyber Warfare as related to defence forces refers to conducting of military operations according to information related doctrine. It means disrupting or destroying information databases and communication systems. It means trying to know everything about the enemy while keeping the adversary from knowing much about oneself. It means turning the equilibrium of information and knowledge in ones favour especially if the balance of forces is not. It means using information so that less capital and labour may have to be expended. Cyberwar refers to conducting, and preparing to conduct, military operations according to information-related ideology. It means disrupting if not destroying the information and communications systems, broadly defined to include even military culture, on which an adversary relies in order to know itself: who it is, where it is, what it can do when, why it is combating, which threats to counter first, etc. It means trying to know all about an opponent while keeping it from knowing much about oneself. It means turning the balance of information and knowledge in ones favour. This form of warfare may involve diverse technologies-notably for C3I; for intelligence collection, processing, and distribution; for tactical communications, positioning, and identification-friend-or-foe (IFF); and for smart weapons systems-to give but a few examples. It may also involve electronically blinding, jamming, deceiving, overloading, and intruding into an adversarys information and communications circuit s. Yet cyberwar is not simply a set of measures based on technology. And it should not be confused with past meanings of computerized, automated, robotic, or electronic warfare. Cyber warfare requires different principles of warfare which have been derived from thousands of years of experience as documented by Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, Jomini, Liddell-Hart, and others. Some of the kinetic warfare principles apply to cyber warfare while some principles of kinetic warfare have no meaning in cyber warfare. Some principles of kinetic warfare may actually be antagonistic to cyber warfare. The various characteristics and principles of cyber warfare are as under: Waging cyber war is relatively cheap. Unlike traditional weapon technologies, acquiring information weapons does not require vast financial resources or state sponsorship. Boundaries are blurred in cyberspace. Traditional distinctions public versus private interests, warlike versus criminal behavior, geographic boundaries, such as those between nations tend to get lost in the chaotic and rapidly expanding world of cyberspace. Opportunities abound to manipulate perception in cyberspace. Political action groups and other nongovernment organisations can utilize the Internet to galvanize political support. Cyber war has no front line. Current trends suggest that the economy will increasingly rely on complex, interconnected network control systems for such necessities as oil and gas pipelines, electric grids, etc. and these will become vulnerable to cyber attacks. Cyber-warfare must have kinetic world effects. Cyber warfare is meaningless unless it affects someone or something in the non cyber world. Anonymity. Cyber warfare can be waged anonymously. Anonymity is the nature of new technologies, especially telecommunications. An anonymous attack creates two problems. Not only has a states national security been breached, but there is no one to hold accountable for the attack. Offensive Nature. Information technology and computer systems are vulnerable by nature. Therefore, taking defensive measures against the information warfare threat will always be difficult and costly. Improving the defense of information systems also contributes to the security dilemma since decreasing ones susceptibility to information warfare increases the attraction of using information warfare offensively. Cyberwar may have broad ramifications for military organization and doctrine. As noted, the literature on the information revolution calls for organizational innovations so that different parts of an institution function like interconnected networks rather than separate hierarchies. Thus cyberwar may imply some institutional redesign for a military in both intra- and inter-service areas. Moving to networked structures may require some decentralization of command and control, which may well be resisted in light of earlier views that the new technology would provide greater central control of military operations. But decentralization is only part of the picture; the new technology may also provide greater topsight-a central understanding of the big picture that enhances the management of complexity. Many treatments of organizational redesign laud decentralization; yet decentralization alone is not the key issue. The pairing of decentralization with topsight brings the real gains. Cyberwar may also imply developing new doctrines about what kinds of forces are needed, where and how to deploy them, and what and how to strike on the enemys side. How and where to position what kinds of computers and related sensors, networks, databases, etc. may become as important as the question used to be for the deployment of bombers and their support functions. Cyberwar may also have implications for the integration of the political and psychological with the military aspects of warfare. In sum, cyberwar may raise broad issues of military organization and doctrine, as well as strategy, tactics, and weapons design. It may be applicable in low- and high-intensity conflicts, in conventional and non-conventional environments, and for defensive or offensive purposes. As an innovation in warfare, I anticipate that cyberwar may be to the 21st century what blitzkrieg was to the 20th century. At a minimum, it represents an extension of the traditional importance of obtaining information in war-of having superior C3I, and of trying to locate, read, surprise, and deceive the enemy before he does the same to you. That remains important no matter what overall strategy is pursued. In this sense, the concept means that information-related factors are more important than ever due to new technologies Evolution of Cyber Warfare Since the early days of the Internet, there were individuals trying to compromise computer systems security via the network. Initially their activities were limited to defacement of web pages and motivated mostly by mere thrill seeking. In the 1990s political activists realized the potential for publicity coming with the attacks, and defacements carrying a political message became more frequent (Hacktivism). The palette of attack types also widened greatly, most notably some of them became aimed at bringing services or whole systems down, by generating excessive network traffic (denial of service, email bombardments). The first reported politically motivated cyber terrorist attack using a flood of emails was carried out by the Tamil Tigers against Sri Lankan embassies in 1998. It was successful, even as it did not bring targeted servers down, because more importantly it attracted worldwide media attention to the attackers cause. Activist groups involved in other struggles around the world soon followed with similar attempts. The diplomatic conflict between Pakistan and India over Kashmir has, since the late 1990s, been paralleled by a series of mutual cyber attacks. In the Middle East, every time political or military fight escalated between Israel and Palestinians, so did fights on the virtual battlefield. Both sides have used sophisticated techniques and well planned strategies for their cyber attacks. Pro-Palestinian attacks have been carried out by a number of terrorist groups (some of which even came up with the term cyber jihad), and pro-Jewish ones might have been coordinated by the state of Israel, though there is no clear evidence to support that. Studies have shown that Israel leads the list of countries in terms of numbers of conducted computer attacks per 10,000 Internet users. This brings us to the newest trend in cyber warfare: cyber attacks carried out by hacker groups inspired, coordinated, funded and supplied with resources by nation states. They are usually large scale and prolonged operations targeting specific systems within enemy structures. Probably the first of this type of attacks took place during the NATO air strikes against targets in Former Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo violence in 2000. Targeted were all 100 of NATO servers, each subject to excessive network traffic originating mostly from Serbia, as well as Russia and China its supporters in the conflict. The cyber attacks caused serious disruptions in NATOs communication and services, lasting several days, but did not directly affect the bombing campaign. These days cyber warfare still mostly consists of uncoordinated cyber terrorism acts performed by groups whose main aim is publicity and media coverage. Gradually though the nature of cyber warfare is going to change into activities coordinated and paid for by nation states and large international terrorist networks. We can expect attacks trying to exploit vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure like telecommunication systems, airports, power plants, oil and gas infrastructure, supply of water, and military systems. In the coming years we are likely to see a quick rise in the number of cyber battles and one can imagine that in the future wars are going to be fought without dropping bombs and firing missiles. CHAPTER III GLOBAL THREAT IN CYBERSPACE Threats in cyberspace There are four fundamental categories of threats to our information and information infrastructure, characterised by the degree of structure in their attack capability and the measure of trust or access that the threat enjoys. These categories are: Unstructured External Threats. These are individual or small group of attackers who rely heavily on others tools and published vulnerabilities. They attack targets of opportunity and lack persistence against difficult targets. Structured External Threats. These are coordinated attackers i.e. hostile intelligence agencies or organised crime syndicates, which possess a deep technical knowledge of the target, strong motivation, and the capability to mount combination attacks using multiple complex tactics and techniques. Non Malicious Internal Threats. These are accidental breaches of security caused due to ignorance or malfunctioning of system. Malicious Internal Threats. Here the attackers are trusted members of the org or a less trusted support worker with some degree of access. The threats can also be classified under the following heads:

Servant Leadership Transformational And Transactional Theories Management Essay

Servant Leadership Transformational And Transactional Theories Management Essay Executive summary: Purpose of this study is to examine the similarities of Servant leadership, transformational and transactional theories and also examine the Contribution those theories make to the understanding of leadership. Introduction: Leadership has a major role in 21st century in all sectors. Here I am going to discuss about understanding of what leadership is, is there any similarities among three theorists on what fine or valuable leadership ought to be. Expectation, in the 21st Century leader should be moral, social and ethical responsible. What is leadership? Leadership is a process of influencing the people to obtain the desired goal. There are many authors giving different definition. Goleman (2000): ‘A leaders singular job is to get results. House et al (2004): ‘Leadership is the ability to motivate, influence and enable individuals To contribute to the objectives of organizations of which they are members. Stogdill (1974): ‘Leadership is an influencing process aimed at goal achievement. Johns T (2008) says: ‘A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they dont necessarily want to be, but ought to be.There are a number of types of leaders who adopt different leadership styles According to Richard Bolden (2004), Different leadership theories were revealed and classified. And also only few leadership theories reached to people. They are: Great Man Trait Contingency Situational Behavioral Participative Management ( transactional leadership theory ) Relationship (transformation , servant and team leadership) Now I am going to discuss about transformational, transactional and servant leadership. T ransformational leadership: James Macgregor Burns was the first person who forward concept of transforming Leadership. Burns (1978) states, â€Å"Transforming leadership as a process where leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of morality and motivation(p.20). Transforming leadership can answer in a relationship of mutual Stimulation and elevation that converts followers into leaders and may convert Leaders into moral agents(p. 4) and then bass b.m was developed the transformation leadership. Bass (1996), Transformational headship happens when a Leader encourage followers to share a vision, allowing them to achieve the vision, and providing the opportunity to develop their individual potential. covey (1992) says, The goal of transformational leadership is to transform people and organizations in a literal sense, to change them in mind and heart; enlarge vision, insight and understanding; clarify purposes; Make behavior congruent with beliefs, principles, or values; and bring about changes that are permanent, self-perpetuating, and momentum building(p.287).Transformatio nal leaders serve as role models , and also (Kelly, 2003) mentioning about how transformational leadership motivates its followers by following Maslows hierarchy. Transformational leader raise people from low levels of need (food, water, etc) to higher levels (self actualization). Components of transformational leadership : â€Å"Four common Is are, 1. Idealized influence : (II) Transformational leaders behave in ways that result in their being role models for their followers. The leaders are admired, respected, and trusted. 2.Inspirational motivation .(IM) Transformational leaders act in ways that inspire and encourage those around them by providing sense able and challenge to their followers, work. Team spirit is aroused. The leader gives clear information about mission, vision and expectations that followers want to meet and also show dedicationtowards goals and the shared long term plan. 3. Intellectual stimulation. (IS) Leaders encourage their followers hard work to be inventive and new, modern by questing assumptions, reframing the troubles, and approaching mature situations in new or different ways. Creativity is encouraged. Followers are encouraged to try new approach and are not criticized because they differ from leaders idea. 4. Individualized consideration .(IC) Transformational leaders pay special focus to each individuals needs and to help them achieve their higher level needs. Trace over individual talents. Being a coacher and mentor to his followers and colleagues are developed to consecutively higher levels of potential. Source: (Kelly, 2003) Characteristics of transformational leader : According to (Tichy and Devanna, 1986), they have seven characteristics to inspire their followers to achieve beyond the expectation. They visibly see themselves as change agents They are brave They believe in people They are driven by a strong set of values They are life-long learners They can cope with complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity They are visionaries Example of successful transformation leadership: There are many leaders succeed in the way transformational leadership qualities. Mahatma Gandhi is Transformational leader representing charismatic qualities. Lou Gerstner is a transformational leader retired Chairman and CEO of IBM (1993 to 2002). He entered in IBM when it was in $8.1 billion loss in 1993 after recognizing the companys problem are wrong validation, only looking for results and values. IBM had become small-minded and nonflexible (Sheppard, 2002). Lou Gerstner entirely transformed organizational culture. For example, shut down infamous IBMs dress code to reproduce better the clothing of their customers (Sheppard, 2002). Another example for transformational leader is Lee Iacocca , who is accredited with saving the Chrysler Corporation (1980-1992). Chrysler Corporation when it was on the edge of bankruptcy. He taken responsibility and he set about transforming the principles to his contiguous subordinates. He began to restructure the corporations culture. Because a tran sformational leader gives confidence to others to become transformational leaders, soon the whole organization was packed with successful leaders (Kelly, 2003). Transactional leadership: Transactional leadership emphasizes Social transaction or exchange between followers and a leader that involves involves a number of transactions based on reward. The transactional leader makes clear what he want, Performance expectations, goals, link between goals and rewards. The leader also watches followers performance And if any mistakes occurring towards the goal, the leader appear to correct (Burns 1978). In practice, these leaders use more closed and leading questions (Randell, 1997). Components of transactional leadership : (Bass Avolio, 1994) 1. Contingent rewards : It refers to a prearranged agreement : If you do as we agreed then † it specifies expectation and sets goals. 2. Active management-by-exception : It refers to behavior where the leader is actively monitoring a follower: I am seeing to it that you (do not) † the leader is strongly supervising and has specified corrective actions for mistakes. 3. Passive management-by-exception : It occurs when the leader is passively monitoring a follower: If I happen to notice that you (did not) ; the leader takes corrective action in the case of mistakes if these are found out. All these behaviors work on the principles of expectancy of reward and fear of punishment , related to needs that are lower on Maslows hierarchy Characteristics of transactional leadership: according to Marcbowles (2003), They setting a clear goal. They create targets for each individual and the team They spot performance gaps. They wont trust their followers, they monitor their performance. They take corrective actions when necessary. They gaining promise to performance and tasks through pay, reward, appreciation and honor. Example of successful transactional leadership: Transactional leadership is mostly follow by managers and CEO in many organizations in 21st century. Ezine (2010) mentioning about Steve Jobs chairman and CEO Apple inc.he got award best CEO OF 2009 by TIMES. Heis the famous transactional leader. Steve Jobs was famous for his down to world and job oriented nature of his leadership in apple computer. http://ezinearticles.com/?Leadership-StylesTransactional-Leadershipid=4262945 Servant leadership: Servant leadership sights a leader as a servant. Servant leadership was developed by green leaf in 1970, he said that The servant-leader is servant first. â€Å"It begins with the natural emotion or feelings that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then mindful choice brings one to aspire to lead. Such a person is sharply different from one who is Leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions.† (Greenleaf et al, 1998). Katzenbach and Smith (1993) highlights The importance of leaders knowing when to follow The importance of the leader acting as supportive person to their followers to achieve task rather than just directing. They propose that the leader should ask questions rather than giving answers; provide opportunities for others to lead them; Components of servant leadership: According to (Laub, 1999) cited in (Smith et al, 2004), Servant leadership has six distinct components: Respecting people Rising people Building society Displaying legitimacy offering leadership shared leadership Characteristics of servant leadership: They Serve others needs before their needs They believe in people They are very simple and caring personalities They Provide opportunities to learn and grow They create Strong interpersonal relationships divide power and release control divide status and promote others Example of Successful servant leadership: Maxwell j (2007) add the new law in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Leaders Add Value by Serving Others, he described about serving others ,can make huge values(profit) in the organization. Adding Profits by Adding Value Costcos CEO, Jim Sinegal , believes the success of Costco comes from treating his employees well. Transactional versus Transformational leadership: According to Bass (1985) transactional leader motivates subordinates by exchanging rewards for services provided. Transactional Leader mainly focused on goal. Leader has been gaining promise to performance and goals through pay, reward, recognition and praise. Transformational leaders, on the other hand, motivate subordinates to perform beyond expectations.. Bass argued that such performance cannot be achieved through transactional leadership alone. A Comparison of Transactional and Transformational Leadership: Leithwood and Jantzi (2000) end that transactional leader more generally apply teleological principles (teleology is the study of goals, ends and purposes.) Where as transformational leaders deploy deontological ethics. Servant Leadership versus Transactional Leadership: Servant leadership and transactional leadership are evident in a number of ways. Servant leaders emphasize activities that fans of well-being, while transactional leaders focus on the activities of routine maintenance and resource allocation followers of monitoring and management to achieve organizational goals. Contrary to the chief servants who influence followers through personal development and empowerment, the transactional leader influences followers through the use of rewards, sanctions, and formal authority and position to induce behavior consistent. According to Blanchard and Johnson (1985), transactional leaders create strong expectations about the behavior of employees, as well as clear guidance on employees receive rewards for meeting the expectations of transactional leader.Li Thus, leaders use transactional contingent reward behavior to implement transactions with followers to achieve work goals (Bass, 1985). Servant Leadership versus Transactional Leadership: According to the stone and his colleague point of view servant leadership and transformational leadership, both models incorporate characteristics such as value, vision, power, molding, belief, honesty, and designation (Stone et al., 2003).Transformational leadership and servant leadership have similar qualities such as individualized appreciation and consideration of followers. A Comparative Model: Servant a nd Transformational Leadership The Servant Leader model , the leaders motivation to lead occurs from a fundamental attitude of social equality. The servant leaders system believes that He or she is no better than those headed. The All associates of the organization have equal privileges to vision, value, and information. The leaders role is to make easy the appearance of a community within the organization. According to (Laub, 1999), the key inventiveness for Servant leadership is importance of people, rising people, structuring community, displaying legitimacy and sharing management†. Possible impacts of these drivers could be: higher capable people, more moral people, better negotiator, well-built interpersonal relationships, establishment of shared visions, and clear tasks. It is discussed here that these results in combination with the leader initiatives that produce them to form a spiritual generative culture. T ransformational leader model , the key initiatives for the transformational leader is II or charisma behavior, IM, IS and IC. These Components lead to: role modeling, high moral standards, caring about others needs requirements, communication of hope, shared visions, innovations, risk taking, and quizzical of practices and systems. Servant leadership tends to develop a more fixed method to the exterior environment than transformational leadership. The transformational leaders motivation is aimed at for more toward achieving targets for the organization, which will reveal on his/her capabilities, and the success of these leaders is calculated by the level to which they acquire organizational rewards. The Servant leaders motivation is mainly focus on its follower the personal growth, thus the servant leaders achievement is calculated by the level to which the follower moves on the way to self actualization. CONCLUSION Leadership is attitude not a role. Leadership in Leadership, It seems, is increasingly becoming the universal remedy of the 21st Century and its emphasis is turning towards the moral, social and ethical responsibilities of leaders. Transformational leadership is suitable for dynamic organization and servant leadership suitable for static organization such as church, non-profit organization, non-government organization. Most of leader using transactional leadership theory while they using transformational leadership.    â€Å"There is nothing as practical as a good theory† (Lewin, 1935). So Todays leaders need to be skilled in change management to adopt in any situation CHRISTINA OSBORNE (2008).

Blackberry Webqual and Value Creation Essay -- Technology, Website, We

1 Introduction 2 Purpose of the website Before analysing the quality of the website of Blackberry and investigating their value creation, it is important to have the purpose of the website clear. The way in which a company uses it’s website is part of the business strategy. 2.1 Introduction to website purpose According to Tassabehji (2003-83) there are four main reasons to use a website: information dissemination, data capture, promotions & marketing and transacting with stakeholders. Two of these purposes for a website apply for Blackberry.com. First of all a corporate website could provide information dissemination. The information can target different stakeholders: shareholders/investors and customers (Tassabehji 2003-83). In case of the shareholders and investors information on the website could include annual reports, news about the corporation and business plans. This is different when customers are the target, since they will be more interested in information about the products, support and question solution. Secondly, Blackberry.com also uses the internet for promotions & marketing. Promotions and marketing online are available in different ways (Tassabehji 2003-91). Tassabehji (2003-91) distinguishes six different ways of online promotion and marketing: banner advertising, affil iate programmes, search registration, newsletter e-mails, and traditional marketing strategies. 2.2 Blackberry.com The main purpose of Blackberry.com is information dissemination, mostly for the customers, but they also provide some interesting information for the shareholders. Blackberry.com provides a lot of information to the customer online, including: product specifications, different kinds of support, interactive demos, manuals ... ...With those two methods, Blackberry.com encourages their customers to solve out difficulties their selves, consequently Blackberry can reduce the costs on service staff members. Apart from the online service, Blackberry also provides a lot of service via mobile network carriers, since the contract of a Blackberry is often combined with a network contract. Although tough technical problems will still be solved by the Blackberry factory itself, easier problems can be worked out by the carriers. This again results in cost reduction for Blackberry and could be seen as an efficiency resource. 4.2 Novelty 4.3 Lock-In 4.4 Complementarities Complementarities are created when one resource is getting more value when it is combined with another resource ( Zhu 2004). The value of the two resources together is more than the sum of both resources separately.

Essays --

Ernest Hemingway uses the various events in Nick Adams life to expose the reader to the themes of youth, loss, and death throughout his novel In Our Time. Youth very often plays its part in war, and since In Our Time relates itself very frequently to war throughout; it is not a surprise that the theme of youthful innocence arises in many of the stories. In â€Å"Indian Camp† the youthful innocence is shown in the last sentence of the story: â€Å"In the early morning on the lake sitting in the stern of the boat with his father rowing, he felt quite sure that he would never die.† (19) When this sentence and the conversation Nick and his father have before they get on the boat are combined in thought it shows that because of Nicks age at the time that he does not yet understand the concept of death. Throughout the book youth has a complicated relationship with aging. This can be seen in â€Å"Three-Day Blow† when Nick and Bill are drinking, acting childish and just having fun. They talk about each others’ fathers and about missed opportunities even though they cannot really understand what they are...

History of Computers: Microsoft Windows :: Computers Software Technology Essays

History of Computers: Microsoft Windows Every time I turn on my Dell computer the screen pops up that says loading Windows XP software. My roommate turns on her computer and it says the same thing, as with most people on my floor. Today this seems to be the trend with most computers no matter what brand of hardware. This was not always the case though, Windows software is actually a fairly new technology that has grown much over the years and continues to develop and change even today. I wouldn know where I would be without my Windows software, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. This software is important in so many lives and companies today that it would be hard to imagine a time without it. Windows software was not always as popular as it is today. It took a lot of work to develop this complex software. Let start by taking a brief look back on the major software before Windows, to fully understand why Microsoft Windows gradually became a total hit. Before Microsoft Windows there was MS-DOS. MS-DOS was a highly complicated operating system that often frustrated its users and was difficult to learn. Interaction with the operating system was by command line interference. Every command had to be typed in exactly right and the system was case sensitive (Campbell-Kelly 264). If anything was incorrect in the command line, then the whole command had to be retyped (264). Not only did this prove to be frustrating, but once you got the hang of this type of command typing, you would go use another program and the command set would be totally different. There were not standard interference commands and therefore every company made theirs different (265). With the hope of inventing something better than MS-DOS, in 1985 Windows 1.0 was finally released after a preemptive marketing announcement three years earlier (Rojas 828). Windows 1.0 was not well received and was no where near the capabilities of the Macintosh software which offered clear graphics and fonts. Windows 1.0 still had many of the same type of problems encountered with MS-DOS (History of Microsoft Windows).