Bosom Friend

About my bosom friend Jenia Frankly speaking, I chose Jenia, because she is my bosom friend. Moreover, we were studying at the same school, but to tell the truth, we know each other since we were preschoolers. But Jenia became my best friend only in the 10 th form. Jenia is a slim, pleasant – looking girl of about 17. Jenia is tall; she has a strong attractive body. Jenia is always elegant; her clothes are the latest fashion. Her features are very delicate she has sand shoulder – length hair and green eyes.Her eyelashes are long and thick. Her face is oval and she has a straight nose. Jenia has got a puffy and well-cut lips and she always has a sunny smile. To cut a long story short, Jenia is very beautiful girl. But I think, inner beauty is more important than physical one. Jenia is very tactful, generous, kind-hearted, but she isn’t shy at all – she is a chatterbox and know – all. She is always ready to help her friends. She used to help me at the math lessons.Math is her favorite subject, but I am, on the contrary, hate this subject. Jenia has in a habbit of helping her parents. Jenia is a person I associate with hobby. Hobby is what a person likes to do in his spare time. Hobbies differ like tastes. Jenia and I like handmade. We are interested in felting. Moreover, we have already done several funny animals, such as red cat, lion, rabbit, penguin , panda and etc. These toys we presented to our relatives and friends. I addition, Jenia goes in for sports and she is fond of tourism.Unusual as for girl, but she was in hikes several times, exactly 11. They were different categories of difficulty, it depends of place and distance. I think, it’s exciting hobby, and next spring I’ m going to join her. Jenia always tries to do her best to help somebody when he or she has some problems. What I like in her is that she always keeps her word and never boats. There is a proverb: a friend in need is a friend indeed. And I c ould say, these words are about my friend as Jenia, because she is a true one.

Philosophy- Locke Hume and Kafka

1. Explain how Locke and Hume view personal identity, or the â€Å"Self†. How do you see Kafka’s â€Å"Metamorphosis† as exemplifying these philosophical themes? You may choose Locke or Hume or both, or argue why you see neither of their theories as showing up in Kafka’s work. Locke’s theory of personal identity does not rely on substance to explain personal identity. Locke’s theory is person one at time two is the same person as person two at time one if and only if person one and person two are both persons and person one can remember at time two (his doing) what person two did or felt or what have you at time one.Hume’s theory of the self-held that the self is nothing but a bundle of experiences or perceptions linked by the relations of causation and resemblance; or, more accurately, that the empirically warranted idea of the self is just the idea of such a bundle. In â€Å"Metamorphosis† Kafka takes on Locke’s view of the self. Kafka illustrates that Gregor Samsa is the same person as he was when he was human even though he has changed into a bug.Kafka does this by showing that Gregor still has the same thoughts, memories, and tries to continue the same routine even though he has become a bug. Gregor stills tries to wake up and catch the train for work, he still knows how his sister, parents, and boss will act, and he still has the same feelings and emotions towards his life and the people who are in it. All of these explain go along with Locke’s view of the self verses Hume’s theory.

Barriers Faced by Human Service Workers Essay Example for Free

Barriers Faced by Human Service Workers Essay â€Å"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. † – Albert Einstein Human service workers act as a liaison between clients in need and the agencies clients seek to obtain help from, and while human service workers strive to provide services in an adequate and timely manner this is not always possible. Human service workers are human therefore there can be a large margin of error. All human service agencies are subject to barriers that prevent perfect service from being rendered. While certain barriers do exist in the human service field improvements can be made that can lead to greater service. In today’s society technology is dominating the workforce causing former work methods to become obsolete. While technology is constantly changing the changes made are often for the better, allowing companies to thrive and overcome existing barriers once faced. Technology not only benefits â€Å"business† companies, but also greatly improves the barriers faced by human service workers. One potential barrier that human service agencies can face is falsification on company records. Falsification of records can prove fatal, especially in Child or Elder Protection cases. While falsification of records may not be the human service workers intention it can indeed be committed when time restraints prevent case workers from visiting their clients in a given time frame. In August 2006 lack of time and falsification of records proved fatal for 14 year old Danieal Kelley of Philadelphia, Pa. Danieal Kelley a then 14 year old cerebral palsy victim died from neglect at the hands of her own mother. The nightmare of forced starvation and infection that killed Danieal while under the protection of the city’s human service agency is documented in a 258 page grand jury report that charges nine people, her parents, four social workers, and three family friends- in her ghastly death† (CBS3,2008). In the case of Danieal Kelley â€Å"the department of Human Services received at least five reports of Danieal being mistreated between 2003 and 2005†(CBS3, 2008), and while social workers were assigned to Daniela’s case, none appeared to follow through. According to CBS3 news it’s suspected that after Danieal’s death Mickal Kamuvaka the company director of the agency in charge of Daniela’s case held a â€Å"forgery fest† in her office where she had employees â€Å"concoct almost a year’s worth of false progress reports†(CBS3, 2008). The fact that no one took time to protect Danieal sheds light on the terrible fact that â€Å"some† social workers falsify documents to protect themselves. In order to prevent future case like Danieal’s its imperative that a system be in place to prevent social workers from simply doctoring records when it’s convenient for them. A method that could be used to track the whereabouts of said social workers could be a G. P. S. Agencies could provide social workers who are required to make home visits with cell phones implanted with G. P. S. systems. The tracking system could be used while the social workers are on the clock to ensure that home visits are indeed being made within the required time frame. This tracking system could prevent workers from falsifying documentation because their whereabouts would be known ahead of time. An online G. P. S. racking system called World Tracker Web GPS (webgpstrack), which allows devices to be tracked through internet access. According to Mobile GPs online, â€Å"Web GPS Track is a self contained hardware and software package that allows a user to track his assets from anywhere through an internet connected PC† (Mobile GPs, 2008). The Web GPS Tracker works by using the world tracker and a SIM card from a local GSM wireless network carrier. Once the SIM card is inserted into a cell phone, GPS tracking can begin. One’s location can then be accessed by using platforms such as Google maps. This small device can be a very helpful tool in the human service field when it’s necessary to obtain truthful information about a workers true whereabouts. Web GPS Track can become expensive depending on the number of units needed for a given agency. The cost includes a onetime purchase fee of the World Tracker unit which is $350 each. An additional on time subscription fee of 99. 89 per unit is needed to activate the account. Additional fees include a monthly service fee of 19. 98 per unit, a onetime SIM card fee ranging between $25 and $ 50, and any SMS service fee charged by a local service provider. While the cost of GPS tracking can be expensive, it can prove beneficial when proper records are needed, and it may save an agency from facing a large lawsuit because of false documentation, it could also prevent another case of Danieal Kelley. Another potential barrier faced by human service agencies is Intellectual Property Theft. â€Å"Intellectual property is anything from names, images, symbols, and designs used in commerce, intellectual property is considered a valuable asset and most organizations have protected their intellectual property from infringement by others† (Hefter,1995). Intellectual property theft becomes possible when secure information is left unattended and within reach of possible culprits. Some ways that intellectual property may get out is through emails sent to incorrect recipients, when confidential information is left in common areas, or left laying on printers or scanners. Information can also be lost when employees speak on their cell phones in public areas. Intellectual property theft in the human service field can wreak havoc on clients. Personal information can fall into the wrong hands whether it in a domestic violence shelter or and employment shelter. While intellectual property theft is very serious solutions exist that can help combat Intellectual Property Theft. Aside from agencies limiting access to non business related websites to help prevent being hacked, a program called Symantec Data Loss Prevention which is used by leading technological companies can also be used as a safety measure. â€Å"Symantec Data Loss Prevention protects companies from malicious employee behavior, pirating, or accidental leaks that expose confidential information† (Symantec Security, 2008). Symantec Data Loss Prevention works by â€Å"1. Discovery; the software finds confidential data where ever it’s stored, creates an inventory of sensitive, and automatically manages data clean up. 2. Monitor; SDLP helps a company understand how confidential information is being used whether the user is on or off the cooperate network, and gain enterprise visibility. 3. Protect; SDLP helps companies gain visibility into policy violations to proactively secure data and preventing confidential data from leaving an organization.   4.  Manage; SDLP helps companies define universal policies across an enterprise, remediate and report incidents, and detect content accurately within one unified platform† (Symantec Security, 2008). A program offered by Symantec is Norton Internet Security which performs the necessary features above. The cost of the Norton software is fairly inexpensive costing 69. 99. This cost allows a computer to be fully protected for a year before needing to renew the software subscription. Norton is inexpensive software which will help rotect company files and serves as a valuable investment, whether in a corperate office or a human service agency. Another potential barrier faced by human service agencies is the loss of data. As technology becomes more prevalent in the workforce more records are being transferred from paper to computers. As with any form of technology the possibility of records being lost is very real if computers crash or other technological difficulties arise. The best way to protect data is to always backup files. A number of technological software exist that can do this. For agencies using windows, â€Å"The windows server backup software can be used to automatically and continuously backup a number of devices like NAS,CD/DVD, hard drive and tapes† (Computer Customizing, 2008). One form of windows backup software is Acronis True Image which creates a replica of the disk image of the windows server. According to Computer Customizing this backup software helps aid in server disaster recovery by creating backups on a number of media, SAN volumes, and NAS. This software also restores huge databases and all the individual files with instant bare metal restore (Computer Customizing, 2008). This software will help protect all important files preventing valuable files from being lost. Human service workers and human service agencies are bound to face barriers on any given day and while this is an unavoidable truth there are solutions that can allow for a faster paced, safer, and more ethical workplace. While the vast majority of services rendered by human service agencies are completed by hard working human beings, technology is paving the road for a more effective work environment as long as agencies properly utilize the technological tools that are becoming available at a lightning fast rate. Technology is the way of the future and needs to be embraced in order to keep up with the times and not get lost in an overflow of paperwork which distracts from the true purpose of a human service worker which is to be an advocate for those in need. Barriers Faced by Human Service Workers. (2017, Feb 23). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Small Self-Sustaining Community Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Small Self-Sustaining Community - Term Paper Example Certain principles will be put into consideration when setting up a community which is sustainable and self sufficient. All the stakeholders including government, business people, locals and infrastructure should be put into consideration when coming up with the plan for the project. Engagement and collaboration between stakeholders will result into a holistic, long term and long lasting plan. The community must exist for future generations by not exhausting water, air, land and other ecological resources, which support the existence of that community. As a planner I will put into consideration the needs of all the professionals who will move in to work in the community, plus the needs of the locals. This will include daily activities such as going to school, work and accessing recreation facilities. The plan will nourish social integration. Transport and businesses will be put up in close proximity with one another. Transport systems will therefore be crucial to aid movement. There will be rapid rail system in place and scheduled bus services. All this transport systems will run on green energy. Since residents do not have to travel long distances, there will be no need for them to use personal cars, hence saving on fuel and in the end less harm to the environment in form of global warming. Residents will be able to walk and cycle, transport means which saves on energy. Greening of the community will be a priority, therefore green landscapes, balcony and roof top agriculture will be a common practice. Education of the community on environmental preservation will be a enhanced to enable this shift to sustainability. The buildings that will come up will be energy efficient for example correct insulation and solar power installation. Housing will shift from suburbs which lead to deforestation to high density buildings within the town centre to ease movement. Solid waste management will be a priority. The four Rs for example reducing and recycling will be put into consideration, this will minimize on the waste generated and that is released into the environment by the community. Composting of kitchen waste which is biodegradable will be a major way of managing waste; this is a natural process of organic waste decomposition. The end product is then used for growing of organic food instead of using chemical fertilizers which are harmful to the environment. The process of collection, transportation, recycling and disposal of waste will be handled in an ecologically friendly way to minimize pollution. Sewerage is another waste product that should be handled with care. This is because of the risk it poses to the health of the community and ecology if not handled with care. This waste presents an opportunity for treatment of the waste water which will then be used for other purposes for example irrigation in food growing. Employment opportunities will also be created in the process hence improvement in living standards. Care will however be taken to ensure that this water does not get into contact with clean drinking water because it would lead to contamination. Clean energy production and use will be a major component in the design of the city. Going green in terms of energy use is no longer an option., there should be a shift from use of non renewable energy sources to renewable sources of energy, for example hydroelectricity, geothermal energy and tidal energy. Energy to be used in the community wil

The effect of Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The effect of Globalization - Essay Example The effect of Globalization One of the obvious aspects of global concern that has been profoundly affected by globalization is citizenship; with global interrelationships, it is becoming increasingly hard for nations to maintain their sovereignty in the global system, and  eventually  national citizenship is lost. Nations in the global system are obliged to systems and decisions of mutual interest, and to a certain level, security and wellbeing of the citizenry is never assured. National citizenship is thus affected and determined by external conditions in the global system, and in this regard, entitlements of  national  citizenship  are lost. National citizenship is crucial in the sense that it assures individuals belongingness, a surety that they are protected by their countries in exchange for loyalty to them. In this respect, the state is obliged to secure the rights of their citizenry within their borders, and the citizens have a responsibility to their countries. However, with the rise of global ization, national citizenship is destabilized due to movement towards integration and interconnectedness of nations on an international level. The role of globalization in undermining the citizenship of individuals can be regarded clearly from a socio-economic perspective; the global economic system presents tough conditions of trade that lead to stiff completion between nations. Economic decisions and measures are taken at a global level, and individual nations have no control on the laws governing trade and exchange in the global markets. In this regard, the states cannot protect their citizens against liabilities and risks of losses in the global economy.3 Citizens are on their own in the global markets, and their economic prospective is determined by global forces of trade, with little intervention from the individual’s countries. Largely, domestic economic policies are derived from the global market conditions, and this undermines national sovereignty and national citize nship accordingly. Countries are eventually forced to sacrifice their social-economic goals in favor of global ones, and to this effect, the preference for effective ways of production such as cheap labor directly affects the well fair of citizenship. For instance, in the case of outsourcing for labor, the countries have no power to ensure employment to the citizenry, thus leading to loss of jobs to foreigners and unemployment.4 With the ease of movement and interaction of people and businesses across boundaries, there is an obvious loss of cultural uniformity. Nationhood can no longer be defined in the global system as cultures are easily diffused and  eventually  abandoned all together with a preference for more superior ones. In this respect, globalization undermines the cultural uniformity of individual nations as global norms and ideals override the national ones. There is a move towards the establishment of universal citizenship, one that is one, which by cultural barriers and boarders; this means that national identities are dismantled and lost all together. Citizens can no longer identify with national values and ideals, and in this

Global Business Context Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global Business Context - Outline Example The main purpose of this document is to develop a set of parameters by which an ideal country can be chosen for locating the business. The rate of economic growth in southeast Asia is quite low in comparison to other countries. Therefore, its GDP per capita had been falling to a certain extent behind that of Indonesia, Brazil and China. It has been stated by OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development) that those countries possessing more than $ 8,000 of per capita income are classified as high income countries. Therefore, the product of global venture is likely to succeed if the country has more than $8,000 of per capita income. The development of the product along with the sales and marketing of the product requires high skilled employees especially for the purpose of designing and engineering services. Therefore, the staff must possess good communication services. It is the ubiquity of the mobile phones that causes changes in the cultural norms. Although the chips will add new features to the mobile phones, most of its features may not be accepted universally. Therefore, there is socio-cultural impact of the chip on the buyers. Yes, the demand for the product is sensitive to recession because during the times of recession, the buyers may undo the purchase of cell phones and therefore have an impact on the mobile chip as well. The product requires high level of financing in order to get off the ground. It has been noted that most of the mobile chip companies, such as Nokia are investing huge amount of money to expand its operations. The companies compete in terms of both price and non price competition. They try to reduce the overall cost of operation and therefore lower the price of their product. In addition to this, the companies try to make the product attractive by adding new features to it on a regular basis. Based on your research summarised above, in this box you must now

Should same-sex marriage be legalized Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Should same-sex marriage be legalized - Essay Example The reproduction objective of sex can be met only through the sex between a male and female whereas in order to achieve psychological pleasure, sex can be performed even without a gender barrier. Lesbianism and Gayism were established in the contemporary society because of the changing concepts about sexuality. Same sex marriage is a common thing nowadays in most of the advanced societies (See appendix for more details). The call for legalization of same sex marriage is increasing day by day. â€Å"As of Sep. 15, 2010, gay marriage is allowed in five US states (MA, CT, IA, VT, and NH) and the District of Columbia whereas 30 states have constitutional amendments banning gay marriage† (Should gay marriage be legal?). This paper critically analyses same sex marriage and tries to answer the question; â€Å"Should same sex marriage be legalized or not† â€Å"A benefit to heterosexual society of gay marriage is the fact that the commitment of a marriage means the participants are discouraged from promiscuous sex† (Bidstrup). Proponents of same sex marriage argue that sex related diseases can be reduced a lot by encouraging same sex marriage. Normal sex has little meaning in same sex marriage. In normal marriages, sex is often performed even without the mutual agreement. Either the husband or wife, at times performs sexual activities mechanically in order to satisfy the partner. Such mechanical or forceful sex relations are less in same sex marriages. Same sex married couples always perform sexual activities with the mutual consent and hence both the partners can enjoy the sexual pleasure whenever they engage in sexual activities. Sex has nothing to do with the reproduction. Reproduction has only secondary importance in sexual life considering the importance of psychological pleasure derived out of the sex activities. Psychological dimensions of sex are more important than the physiological or reproductive dimensions of sex. Sexual

Organizational Design, Culture, and Adaptation Essay - 1

Organizational Design, Culture, and Adaptation - Essay Example This program, Diabetic Rewards Issued via Everyone (DRIVE) Day, has specific goals aimed at helping patients control their disease through various activities planned on this particular day on a monthly basis. Moreover, Drive Day especially helps in providing care to diabetic patients that do not have insurance coverage, or have low insurance coverage, those from low income groups and all other patients. The idea and design of this initiative resulted from a thorough study of historical data. The Drive Day is conducted on the first Thursday of every month post noon for about 4 hours. On this day, patients that walk in are made to undergo a series of procedures and examinations, post which their condition is assessed for further treatment. This program is conducted by a team of doctors, nurses and attendants from the AHC that take turns every month to conduct the Drive Day based on a pre-planned procedure in a systematic fashion. A total of seven stations with few sub stations cater to the Drive Day activities with each station managed by a team of physician, nurse and attendant. Patients are registered and sent for further study by physicians for their vitals, blood glucose levels and other related tests. These observations made by the physician at every station are accurately recorded on a progress note, which is retained by the patient and used by the physicians to prescribe treatment and to observe improvements. Besides these, the Drive Days are made more attractive and encouraging to the attendees through voluntary activities such as cookery classes, exercise, yoga and group activities to resolve queries from patients and their family members. The Drive Day program certainly has the potential to improve awareness related to diabetes management and its associated problems besides providing accessible and affordable care to existing diabetic patients that are otherwise deprived of the required attention. Secondly, this program will also help doctors devote mor e time to greater number of patients and save waiting time for patients as well as minimize wastage of time waiting that would otherwise occur due to missed appointments or lesser number of patients walking into the clinics for regular visits; in short, this program would improve doctors’ efficiency. The most interesting aspect of the Drive Day initiative is that this program provides an excellent platform to improve awareness related to healthy nutrition, lifestyle, and other health precautions that are required in present-day life, which will also help in managing and preventing early diabetes. The Drive Day initiative would improve doctors’ efficiency and effectiveness. Efficiency would improve because the way the event is managed invites more number of patients as well as incites them for repeating their visits. Effectiveness would be high because patients tend to take ownership to attend the Drive Days; secondly, voluntary activities such as cookery and exercise w ould improve their participation. As per

CASE ASSIGNMENT MODULE 4 Union Organizing Essay

CASE ASSIGNMENT MODULE 4 Union Organizing - Essay Example Current Issue: The case does not provide a clear idea of the current issues within the company. However one of the many possible issues in the company is the fact that the employees have already been faced with a major change in the company without any prior notice or even a chance to discuss the change. The company has had a change in the teams, change job titles, work assignments and the pay structure, and the only thing that was very strongly communicated to the employees was, â€Å"this is how it will be†. This has obviously caused a major uproar among the employees and has also led to a distasteful change for the employees. This can be one of the possible reasons for the employees to take a serious decision and work towards unionization. Plan: The first step that needs to be taken here is to identify the source of the issue. To do so, the first step will be to conduct a meeting with all the managers and team leaders across the organisation. Here the main task that will be given to all the managers will be to bring out the possible reasons that the employees have chosen and are attempting this change (Grossman). This will further be followed by a report stating the worse case scenarios of the implementation of the unions both for the company as well as the employees. Here several different elements like the policy details as well as the company have a number of policies against the unionization. The next step will be to bring in a training professional to assist the managers and every top level management in terms of responding to the employees and the unions (Gerson). Here a detailed understanding of unionisation and the impact it has on the company will be discussed. These supervisors should also be trained properly in responding to questions from employees about unions.  Ã‚  Another crucial aspect of the overall scene is the need for good communication with the employees and also an attempt of the organisation to take up the responsibility to un derstand the needs of the employees (Gerson). Here to do so, the managers can include individual meeting with the employees or team meetings where everyone can voice their concerns. Also, a complaint redressal team needs to be included in the company to help get all the issues and complaints that the employees are facing and to address them well at the earliest. The company also needs to focus on the supervisor training and as explained by Gerson (1998), â€Å"employers who fail to provide supervision with periodic labor law training are asking for trouble. Once a union campaign is under way, it may be too late to provide the necessary training. Often, legal mistakes made at the beginning of a union drive can seriously undermine an employer's ability to counter the union's organizing efforts† (Gerson). It is crucial to look at all possible areas where the possible issue arises from, hence one of the many which can be a cause is the issue of low pay for the employees. Hence he re the focus will be to check and in any case try and make the work place a more flexible and also better, pay structure, benefits, and working conditions for the employees (Grossman). Also, it is important to note that competition information is also an essential aspect of the business and needs to be considered as well (Segal). Also, to help ensure that the company is working in line and effectively,

Business opportunities in the leisure goods and activities industry Essay - 1

Business opportunities in the leisure goods and activities industry - Essay Example Even in the leisure industry, there are two types of recreation: firstly, when an individual participates in a physical activity such as playing football, cricket, hockey, tennis, squash, playing some music through piano, flute etc., doing some sort of gardening or acting. The other type of recreation is where the individual is not physically involved. Rather, it is the mental activity such as watching television, playing games on computer, listening to music, attending concerts, or going to a restaurant. The first type of recreation is very rewarding and motivating. On the other hand, the latter makes people feel good and relaxed. Huge amounts of income are being spent on activities such as eating, drinking, and watching movies in cinema. FACTORS AFFECTING LEISURE INDUSTRY Leisure goods and activities industry is no doubt expanding but, these sectors are greatly influences by the recessionary pressures. The most common factor that affects this sector is the disposable income. Althou gh, everyone pays attention to this sector but the expenditure is highest in those regions where consumers have plenty of time and money. For example, the UK boating industry acts as an area of strength for the UK manufacturing sector. The leisure boating sector is becoming around ?2 billion turnover industry. The industry which makes the greatest turnover and also generates job opportunities is the strength of a country. The growth of this industry has also increased the tourism activity in UK. Tourism activity is interrelated with other businesses, government and also the local residents. Tourism industry attracts a lot of labor and generates high income. Therefore, spending in the tourism industry benefits the economy on the whole. It also buys goods and services from others businesses and pays out salaries to the employees. This further buying of goods and services is known as the secondary sales and creates a secondary economic effect. It creates additional income and job oppor tunities in those sectors which provide to the tourism industry. The tourism industry would generate business for the beverage industry, the snack industry, construction industry and the government also. In UK, the imports of sporting goods, musical instruments and toys were ?6.6 billion in 2005 where as the exports were ?803 million. TRENDS IN LEISURE INDUSTRY Sports goods form a large proportion of the leisure goods industry. Sports are a major part of the entertainment culture. It is not linked to one industry, rather, a range of different industries are involved. Throughout the world, sports form a major part of the sales and purchases of a country. Taking an example of New Zealand, the gross output of sports sector increased by 2.5% per annum from 1996 to 1999, and it became the largest contributor of the sports clothing manufacturer. Real value added was up by 0.4% p.a. of the physical leisure industry. Nominal household expenditure increased by 16.6% p.a. over the period of 1 996-1999 in the coaching services and clubs sector (Goodchild et al. 2000). There is an increasing trend of leisure and entertainment as the technology has improved. Even though the leisure goods industry has been increasing but in 2011, the toys industry of the U.S. market has declined. The major manufacturers of the toys are the Chinese industry where inflation has hit very strongly. This inflation has

Carbon, Phosphorus, and Nitrogen Cycles Essay Example for Free

Carbon, Phosphorus, and Nitrogen Cycles Essay Humans impact the cycles in different ways. All three elements are affected by us as humans and our activities. Humans can either hurt the ecosystem or we can help it. The cycles include in our ecosystem are Nitrogen, Carbon, Phosphorus. They are all important to us and all living things to go hand in hand to survive on earth and to work together to produce new materials. All three of the cycles have been tremendously sped up by our human impacts. The carbon cycle is very significant to us as humans; it’s made up of several processes from our forests to our oceans. The cutting down of our trees, the carbon cycle is in danger or being disrupted. It has been found in very large amounts in our atmosphere in a form that can be directly taken in from our plants; the carbon has a limiting factor in the growth of our vegetation. The Phosphorus Cycle is the representative of the cycles of all the biologically important mineral nutrients. Of those elements that have their own origin in our rocks and soil minerals in our atmosphere such as our iron, calcium, and potassium. We generally focus on this cycle because it has a shortage that tends to be limited in a number of the ecosystems. This cycle can cause excess stimulate that have unwanted algal growth in our freshwaters. Nitrogen is an important factor for the importance of the bacteria that is in our driving cycle to fertilize our soul to produce plants with the air needed to grow.

The Marketing Strategies In The Toyota Company Essay Example for Free

The Marketing Strategies In The Toyota Company Essay Toyota Company for the past many years have been known for its quality products and reliability. But the very creativity of Toyota in its businesses and projects which touches every aspect of life was hardly seen by the people. It is when the company tried to create an image for themselves showcasing their eco-friendly activities like participation in motor sports and also practiced corporate philanthropic acts. Toyota managed to develop great principles and philosophies which helped in the manufacturing of the various exclusive models of the Toyota Production System. Toyota’s success of the tools and the technologies is due to the following 4 P’s model which they follow very rigidly. Philosophy à   The company philosophy states that they have to drive the market by satisfying the stakeholders of the company who are customers, society at large, community and its associates. Process à   Following the right kind of process will yield better results in the short term and long term improvement process. People and Partners à   More skilled and confident people who have the zeal to learn and grow in the company help and value the organization success. Problem Solving à   Organizational learning and experiences take place only if there is a control mechanism for solving the problems and the issues. Continuous improvement is still a better option which has been opted for. Toyota designs its strategies based on the concept of breaking down the jobs to develop specific work assignments which would be provided to the respective audience who will have the effectiveness in performing the task. Training processes needs to be sharpened by Toyota to meet up to its expectations. Toyota believes in developing the people by its rigorous and continuous problem solving mechanism which is in place. Toyota since 2003 has been considered as the world’s second carmaker lagging behind GMC. With the attractive designs in its technology, Toyota has been regarded as the best among the auto consumers across the globe. It has made the reputation and brand not only for its attractive designs in the vehicles but because of its affordable prices, branding process and the marketing techniques that have been followed. It has been successful in being different from other automakers because of the differential pricing mechanism. The segmentation and the targeting measures have been streamlined in way that each customer’s needs and wants have been effectively satisfied. Toyota uses a strong definition to describe its business entity by marketing its business line as being fuel efficient, environmentally friendly and having better quality products and also it marketed as being a funny and entertaining in terms of its promotional campaigns. Although Toyota gained enough revenue because of this unique selling proposition, still the masses considered it as only a fun company. Hence it decided to start up a new brand named Lexus targeting the luxury car market which it thought of marketing as a separate company with no relation to Toyota. This project was successful because of it better customer support services and a strong distribution network. Despite all the innovativeness shown, Toyota faced a crunch and a problem in their Demographic segmentation with reference to the age factor. It targeted an average age to be 47 as compared to the industry average to be 45 and hence choose to design a marketing campaign for the youth segment to influence them in buying Toyota products. Thus it started manufacturing and designing sports utility and youthful models to target the younger youth segment. To make this youth project a success it promoted its products on youth oriented media like MTV, sports channels; highlighting its brand philosophy on the websites in a flamboyant and a loud manner and by sponsoring various live programs. They were so practical and disciplined in their marketing tactics that they followed the concept of no negotiation in their prices and also providing no pressure on the customers to force their buying there by encouraging vehicle customization for its customers to enforce their purchase decision. The success of Toyota is regarded for its ability to identify the newer growth opportunities thereby achieving greater market development and product development thus capturing them in a timely phased manner. It also concentrated on downsizing wherever required so as to minimize on the resources which did not produce results. The unique characteristics of Toyota’s marketing strategies is that it has kept aside the traditional marketing tactics like surveys or focus groups or case studies but has adopted techniques like participating in parties, clubs, art galleries :thus helping in creating a balanced rapport with the youth. Toyota felt that the marketers shouldn’t use marketing gimmicks to attract the customers but to devise strategies which convey the messages in a straightforward, authentic and undemanding manner. Publicizing their product range in music CDs was another plus point for the company. Websites were the point of grievance handling and a focal point for providing feedback and suggestions in an interactive manner. Toyota thus has created a niche for themselves because of its economies of scale, global brand name and highly equipped and skilled engineers, all of which have been contributed in the best manner to showcase the company positively. References: Cina, M. (2002). â€Å"Toyota Uses Unique Marketing Strategy For Scion.† Retrieved on April 4, 2008, from Popular Mechanics Web site: http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/1270196.html Liker, J. Et al (2005). â€Å"The Toyota Way Fieldbook† 1st Ed, New York: McGraw Hill. Wittens, S. Et al (2006). â€Å"Toyota: Developing Strategies for Growth† Retrieved on April 4, 2008, from Life in Motion Web site: http://lifeinmotion.wordpress.com/2006/12/23/%E2%80%9Ctoyota-developing-strategies-for-growth%E2%80%9D/

Performance Management And Improvement In Larsen And Toubro Management Essay

Performance Management And Improvement In Larsen And Toubro Management Essay Introduction The purpose of this assessment is that to identify and analyze the Human Resource policies adopted in the companies and determine whether these policies are appropriate or not based on the current market trends. The investors will be interested in certain way how the company os performing , for this the HR policies adopted by the company plays an important role. Selection and recruitment Flexible Work arrangements Performance management and improvement. Grievances I have taken into consideration the various Hr policies that I plays an important role in the companies not only the one that I will be discussing in this assignment but to other companies as well Here I have focused on the HR polices of a MNC company which is into various sectors of business , here The attention would be on the IT sector of that company. Larsen Toubro Limited (LT) Background Information. Larsen Toubro Limited (LT) is a company which is ito various sectors such as in manufacturing, engineering and also in IT . It is Multinational company , which has a branch in London UK its IT sector. This company on the overall has a strong customer focused approach and c class quality in all major lines of its industry. Larsen Toubro Limited (LT) has offices and branch which is globally spread .The company has around 11590 employees. LT Infotech focuses on Information technology and software services Business Model Larsen Toubro Limited (LT) offers three different business models or strategies that the clients can switch between them. Here each model benefits are unique , the clients can choose the best model at any point of time , to suit its business plans. Onsite Services In this model , the LT engineers are sent to the clients team at the clients location . here in this the client representative or the project manager of LT manages the project in the clients location .This model is suitable for onsite consulting with the clients customers for clients platforms and products. Offshore services Under this model the LT engineers develops the products required by the client on a need basics. A client representative would be doing the project co-ordination on the clients side. GLOBAL PERSENCE LT has its offices located globally.The company is into international business and the revenues has been growing steadily due to overseases business. The company has manufacturing facilities in India, China, Oman and Saudi Arabia. It has a global supply network with offices in 10 locations worldwide, including Houston, London, Milan, Shanghai, Seoul. Clients Its clients include industry leaders like Marsh McLennan, Standard Life, Travelers, Chevron, Freescale, Hitachi, Sanyo , Lafarge , ABSA , CitiGroup, Barclays , eCORPUS, Marathon and Qualcomm among others. Competitors BHEL Suzlon Energy BEML BGR AIA Engineering Alfa Laval1, Praj Industries Shriram Future Plans A blueprint for the next phase of growth till 2015, named Vision 2015, at Larsen and Toubro Ltd is being drafted and will be ready by March 2010. The company is planning to focus on segments traditionally dominated by foreign defence equipment makers and state-owned companies., . The company also hopes that the nuclear program will be in place once the new government assumes power. By signing pacts with three companies in the nuclear energy space, LT has hedged its risks as a nuclear equipment maker. It has put in place a nuclear equipment forging shop in Hazira in Gujarat at an investment of Rs1, 500 crore. This is in addition to a defence shipbuilding yard near Chennai at a cost of Rs1, 500 crore. As per plan, the company will create three operating companies to look after defence, aerospace and nuclear power sectors for effective operations. HUMAN RESOURCE INTRODUCTION The company considers people as the most important asset . they have teams with a diverse profile that include people from various backgrounds such as technologist and architects .The company choose people that are motivated in them self and have a strong sense of commitments with their clients. The people of these company have a nark in which they can tackle clienst and going for an extra mile for appreciations The company is maintaining a strong value driven professional work environment where every employee feels respected and fulfilled. The company follows a competency development approach which would allow them to maintain the talent the company has made. Selection and recruitment Larsen Toubro InfoTech always employees the candidates based on the merit and competence. The company also look for certain other qualities as well in an individual such as analytical ability Communication and innovation skill in practical problem solving. The Larsen Toubro InfoTech gives a very high importance for the candidates academic excellence. Why careful selection is required by LT InfoTech? The company is highly recognised and the quality standards are very high, in this company performance is important because having the employee with the right skill and right knowledge will be good as the firm will not suffer in the long run. Cost is another important factor because it will cost the employer a to recruit and hire people.. Larsen Toubro Infotech follows a competency-based recruitment philosophy, wherein Competence based job analysis basically means writing job description based on competencies rather than job duties. Thus kind will emphasis what the employees must be capable of doing rather than having a list of duties he or she must perform. Normal this competence based job descriptions describes job in terms of measureable, observable, behavioral aspects. This type of HRM policy would play participant roles while still allowing for evolution. All processes are geared to achieve our objective of attracting and selecting the best and brightest talent, while ensuring a best fit of the profiles. Typically the company recruits 75% of the candidates through various campuses and 25% of them through web based recruitment. Since web based recruitment is very common in UK and worldwide in advanced countries. Lots of companies pull information from web based sites. Larsen Toubro InfoTech offer of employment is a combination of multiple factors. It includes the value of the Larsen Toubro InfoTech brand, the opportunity to work with the best in class people who have graduated from top universities, an opportunity to work in multiple environments, and has world-class software development centres Objectives Recruitment procedure includes a simple description for job covering such as key activities, tasks, skills required, expectations, deliverables and safety considerations. When advertising, avoid discriminatory language e.g. young person. Recruitment process may include an application form, interviews , practical testing ,references checks , right to work in UK. Give the successful candidate a letter of appointment setting out clear terms and conditions. This includes the nature of employment e.g. permanent part time, casual. The letter should include a Larsen Toubro InfoTech come note and start details. Once the candidate has accepted, contact the unsuccessful candidates as a matter of courtesy Critical analysis Recruiting good candidates is every companys job. Human resource manager usually take the lead and coordinates the required activities , but every employee, every manager and every supervisor of the company has a role and share in the benefits of recruiting best applicants for the required position in the company. While I understand any company requires good applicants and candidates , In an interview we usual come across HR managers and several other employees of the company in the interview room , I usually find that employer usually throw questions at the candidate primarily aimed at tripping the candidate off rather that finding out what they could offer through their skills. Usually I have noticed that the HR manager of any company usually ask their own favorite questions. But the strategy applied by this company seems to be the best and most competitive in almost every aspects. This strategy applied by the company I understand that the HR team Knows the job requirements Know what skill is required fot that job They know what they are looking for in the candidate They know how to structure an interview By the application of the above strategy of this company(competency-based recruitment philosophy) Manager can quickly find out who would be best for the job. The can find out important thing from the candidate such as Knowledge and experience Overall motivation to succeed Poise and confidence Communication Intellectual capacity Personality Factor Goals ambition From this I understand that this competency-based recruitment has a interview plan about which we can draw the candidates general strength amd limitation . This competency-based recruitment finds the employees who will be technically be competent and fit the company culture. Recommendations High performance work system: This kind of recruitment and selection application would help the employees to work in a self motivated way. The team member would have better communication effiency as because the all have the same sets of knowledge. More strategic: This would help the organization to have a better ways of recruiting people by describing their job in a more measurable , observable behavioral competencies an employee must exhibit to do a job well. Performance management: Basing the employees training, appraisal and rewards on fostering rewarding the skills and competencies he or she needs to achieve his or her goals. Flexible Work arrangements Larsen Toubro Limited (LT) expects its employees to maintain a high standard of conduct and work performance to make sure the business maintains its good reputation with customers and clients. Good personal conduct contributes to a good work environment for all. Based on the responsibilities carer and private life the employees, the employees will require flexible work arrangement from their employer. The employees are given the freedom to send in their request based on their requirements. But the company will also have to look into the employments opportunity act , Larsen Toubro Limited (LT) Will look in to the request based facts and circumstances , later decide whether to accept or reject the request of the employee. Objectives The employees s environment of the work in the company and their responsibilities The Kind of situation the employee would be in if he does not fulfil the family or carer responsibilities The Financial strength of the employer The Kind of business the employer is in and the circumstance of work environment The impact on business if the employer has this flexible work arrangements The impact on business if the employer does not have this flexible work arrangements Apart from these objectives under the National Employment Standards , only a certain set of employees will have the right for this flexible work arrangements such as if the employees has served the organisation for 12 months ,secondly if they have a child who is under the school age, thirdly if and only if they also have c child who is under 18 and physically challenged. Employees must put such a request in writing. Which would involve an application form? Larsen Toubro Limited (LT) will response to their queries in a matter of 21 days in writing if the leave is granted or not . Larsen Toubro Limited (LT) will also provided in writing as why it was refused based on their business norms . Here in this company this flexible work arrangement will not be a hurdle at the times of promotion or responsibilities.. The company will treat all the employees equal including those who have these advantage of flexibility. Critical analysis: What I evaluate from this is that flexible work schedules have positive effects on employee producitiy , job satisfaction This has become quit popular in the last few years trying to reduce staff cost without having to make redundancies during recession. It can also help provide staff cover outside normal working hours and reduce the need for overtime. This kind of work flexibility will have the following benefits such as They will be a reduction in absenteeism which are unplanned ,lateness and slo stress This will improve the staff availability and travel shift work. The employees commitment would increase so this would increase the efficieny of the organization. Give suitable work hours which would be beneficial for the employer as well. The employee can work while kids are at school The employee can do more part-time work e.g. 2 days and 3days Longer hours less days There is a dramatic change in many of the organization in the recent years when they have introduce this flexible work arrangements, but this has improved the overall productivity , commitment and output of the employees. This provides the employees relaxation in terms of task duties and responsibities and also provided the employees with a opportunity to work away from campus. I analysis that Flexible working opportunities can benefit everyone employers, employees and their families. Most employers now recognize that it makes good business sense to provide flexible working opportunities for their staff. The flexible work arrangements have changed over the years in United kingdom where in 17.7% of men and 26.7% of women were employed with flexitime arrangements in the United Kingdom, Recommendations What I think is best is they should conduct a survey as to what the employees require The Survey should state what is needed and the staff would really respond is a appropriate way, which would provide an insight on culture of the organization. This type would also improves ways of getting worked done so the building or the floor is utilized to its full capacity . Work during quiet periods Working in this type of nature would increase the amount of work and making maximum use of the human resource. Fox example, if you are in customer service this would help a person make use of this time in paper work when the phones re not ringing Work-life balance This way of working environment would create a balance in work life which will help morale, motivation and commitment to the organization. This would help a person focus on his/ her work more effectively, than changing their focus elsewhere. This would help in increasing the business reputation of the employer as a whole Impact on your employers business This system has a major impact on the business , they are possibilities that the application might get rejected based on the business grounds of the organization. Cost of keeping the workplace open for longer There will be cost incurred in opening the workplace for longer, which could be a loss for the company , think about the security they need to provide we need think about these costs by the adavantage of this. Keeping track of hours worked The company may argue that it will be difficult to keep a track of hours the employee is trying to work .This might lead to confusion in the ending during the time of payment. Responding to customer needs I refuse the concept of to work flexitime as it will have an impact on the ability of the business to meet customer demand. I would Point out the business to would respond better to customer needs if more hours of the day is available two Performance management and improvement Traditional the organization conducted the performance in an disorganized manner and they would listen to the higher sub ordinates and take their orders these were considered as performance indicators. The formal system of appraisal followed by the Indian companies was considered as a confidecial report.. The purpose of Performance management and improvement is to improve the efficiency of the employees. The company encourage the employees to give feedback to management . The company employees will undergo a formal kind of performance review by their immediate managers based on the performance of that employee for that particular period 4 times in a year. The company follows the critical incident method , the manager keep a recorded of positive and negative contribution of the sub-ordinate s work related behavior .And discuss the performance based on this examples. objectives The software company like L T the project manager of that particular team would handle this performance review and here will be particular time set by the management of the company for this . The manager that is project manager would meet openly and constructively discuss the performance of that employee usually a general discussion. Based on the performance training would be given for that employee if their performance is very bad The manager should make a note of that team should have notes and copies that which is required to should to the higher authourity. L T uses this performance e to improve the performace of the company .If the company is not happy with the performance of the employee the company may end that employees employment.Depending on the circumstance , the performance improvement action may include warning , councelling or retraining. LT requires a ceratin minimum standard of performance which will be made clear to the employees that this would also help in appaerisal. But if the employee does not meet to the standards of the company LT will take apporaite action or in cases of serious misconduct or brech of policy may dismiss the employee. Every employees of LT must understand their responsilities and it is expected out of the by the company to meet the standards as required by LT. The comaony also provides a chance to the employee to defend themselves befor any action could take place. Performance improvement objectives LT will identify the employess who are in shortfall of performance and give them a chance of improvement. The manager will keep on eye on their improvement and based on their state of performance would sugeet them approate action such as training If the employees was given a verbal warning the manager will make of note odf the date and mark it. The manager will allow the employee to respond before making a decision and consider the employees responses. The employee may have a support person present at such meetings. The manager will decide if more action is needed. They will continue to support the employee and note the support they give, for example, training or counselling. The warning must clearly define: the deficiency a clear explanation of the expected standard by when the employee needs to achieve it how the business will help the employee achieve the improvement required consequences of failing to improve. Critical analysis The performance management system has a lot aof advantage for the company as it would be beneficial to the employess and the organisation as awhole. The employees will be working for themselves as well as for their individual teams thus improving the levels of communication. This is a type of goal alignment means having a process in place that allows any manager to see the link between employees goal and those of the teams and organisation. This type of performance evaluation in the organisation would help work flow, process control and return on investment on on ehich the company is targeting for would be linked in a meaningful way in achieveing the company overall performance. But not all the employees would be benefited from this system. We need to understand as to why this performace improvement is required . Firstly because they serve a useful career palaaning purpose . they provide an opportunity to review the employees carrer plan in light of his or her ahrenght or weakness. Secondly this would help the manager and his/ her sub ordinate to develop a proper plan to identify the sub ordinates deficiency and reinforce the right strategy in overcoming that defiencey. Thirdly this would help the employer to turn their strategics goals into specific employees goal , this can be done only if the performance is reviewd periodically. Critical Incident method has several advantages such as this makes tghe supervisor think all over the year about the appraisal of the sub ordinate. It also provided examples of good and poor performance that the supervisor can use to explain the persons rating But the down side of this critica incident menthod would be that the manager cannot use this foe comparing employees performace ith others. Recommendations. It help in setting the organisational goals Setting the departmental goals Define expected results Helps in performance Review Helps in providing feedback Standards may be unclear; halo effect, central tendency, liency, bias can also be problem Difficult to develop Can cause disagreement among employee and may be unfair if all employees are, infact excellent Time consuming Difficult to rate or rank employs relative to one another. Grievances Larsen Toubro Limited (LT) supports all the employees of its organisation to wite a grivence report to their manager if any decision on the of the management of the company is affecting their employement and what make them feel unfair. They can also compliat if the performance improvrment action against them is not suitable. Larsen Toubro Limited (LT) makes all possible attempts to solve the grievance of the employs in many possible ways .The manager would have the grievance that to the next possible level of authority for more discussion on this, have it sorted ouit as soon as possible . Managers will do their utmost to action grievances objectively, discreetly and promptly. Be aware that grievances that are misconceived, vexatious, and lacking substance may result in disciplinary action being taken against the employee lodging the grievance. Objectives The employer should solve this grievance as soon as possible .This should be informal and verbal. If this could not be achieved then the then grievance should be solved in a formal way and this process is continues. To start with the formal grivence investigation the compliant should be given in writing , with all the details , date , location and how they have tried to solve this problem in an informal way . If the grievance still cant be resolved, refer the matter to the most senior manager for consideration and a final decision. A grievance taken to this level must be in writing from the employee. Visit the work area of the grievance. Determine whether they were any witness. Fully examine the report of the grievance. Critical analysis A grievance is obviously problem encountered by an employees of any organisation. Sometimes there might exist bad relationship between the manager and the sub ordinates, there will be conflicts between the team members . problem employees are yet another cause for grievances shoot up in the company, these kinds of employees are always unhappy. These are individual who by nature it self are negetative , dissatisfied and prone to complaints. Yet the strategy introduce by these company its very good what I felt wa that the company should be careful while handling a grievance because they should not loss out any of the other good employees, in facta very good procedure indeed. Recommendation The best ways to handle the grievance s to build up an environment in such a way that the grievance would never occur. CONCLUSIONS Larsen Toubro Limited (LT) expects its employees to maintain a high standard of conduct and work performance to make sure the business maintains its good reputation with customers and clients. Good personal conduct contributes to a good work environment for all. This HR policy and procedure of Larsen Toubro Limited (LT) provides the policies and procedures for managing and developing staff. It also provides guidelines Larsen Toubro Limited (LT) will use to administer these policies, with the correct procedure to follow. In fact the above few mentioned facts are one among the HR policies, time to time it will be necessary to modify and amend some sections of the policies and procedures, or to add new procedures The main benefits are that it: assists the company to meet its legal obligations is a proven way to help managers and supervisors make consistent and reliable decisions helps give each employee a clear understanding as to what is expected and allowed

Why Might Freudian Therapy be a Waste of Time and Money Essay -- Psych

In his book Des Bienfaits de la Depression, Pierre Fà ©dida wrote a chapter called 'Il Faut Etre Deux Pour Guà ©rir' in which he explains why it is useful to talk when you are depressed.20 Patients usually believe that talking is not the solution but that the only way to cure is to bring back the lost person/situation whose absence initially caused the trauma. Psychological pain is a human particularity and therapy is meant to heal it. Fà ©dida uses the example of drug addicts who go on detoxification. Addiction to drugs often reveals an alarming state of depression and the fact of undergoing treatment for drug addiction is the sign of distress and will to be saved. Freud used to underline how human beings have created for themselves an interior metaphorical discourse to express extremely violent issues such as love, hate, life, death, sexuality...21 Analytical cure sight-reads this metaphorical language. Patients have the tendency to try and cure themselves alone but therapy helps substract the patient to his own influence, free his from his own desease. Therapy requires the participation of two actors and recovery cannot take place if the therapist does not understand his patient's psychology and resistance to healing.22 Freud focused on studying the opposition to healing and resistance to treatment when increasing his knowledge about unconscious forces. The therapist defines healing as the goal creating the patient's resistances. Thoses resistances to therapy can be explained as follows : the fact of being cured corresponds to a change of state. Negative reactions to treatment are thus explained by a fear of losing internal integrity and eventually disintegrating. The fear of modification is extremely strong. In 1904, Freud... ...Jacob : 2001) FREUD, SIGMUND, An Outline of Psychoanalysis, (W.W. Norton & Company : New York – London), Standard Edition, 1949, vol. 23 MIJOLLA de, Alain, Dictionnaire International de la Psychanalyse, (Hachette Littà ©ratures : 2005) ARTICLES CASEMENT, Patrick, 'Beyond words – the role of psychoanalysis', The Psychologist, 2009, vol. 22, 5th May LEVY, R. & ABLON, J., 'Talk therapy: Off the couch and into the lab', 2010 WAN, William, 'Freud coming into fashion in China, Treating China's syndromes', Washington Post, October 11th 2010 WEBSITES ETHAN, 'Psychoanalysis: From Theory to Practice, Past to Present', Northwestern University http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/plaut.html http://www.psywww.com/intropsych/ch13_therapies/psychoanalysis.html http://www.apsa.org/About_Psychoanalysis/Low-Fee_Clinics.aspx http://www.npap.org/intro/faqs.html Why Might Freudian Therapy be a Waste of Time and Money Essay -- Psych In his book Des Bienfaits de la Depression, Pierre Fà ©dida wrote a chapter called 'Il Faut Etre Deux Pour Guà ©rir' in which he explains why it is useful to talk when you are depressed.20 Patients usually believe that talking is not the solution but that the only way to cure is to bring back the lost person/situation whose absence initially caused the trauma. Psychological pain is a human particularity and therapy is meant to heal it. Fà ©dida uses the example of drug addicts who go on detoxification. Addiction to drugs often reveals an alarming state of depression and the fact of undergoing treatment for drug addiction is the sign of distress and will to be saved. Freud used to underline how human beings have created for themselves an interior metaphorical discourse to express extremely violent issues such as love, hate, life, death, sexuality...21 Analytical cure sight-reads this metaphorical language. Patients have the tendency to try and cure themselves alone but therapy helps substract the patient to his own influence, free his from his own desease. Therapy requires the participation of two actors and recovery cannot take place if the therapist does not understand his patient's psychology and resistance to healing.22 Freud focused on studying the opposition to healing and resistance to treatment when increasing his knowledge about unconscious forces. The therapist defines healing as the goal creating the patient's resistances. Thoses resistances to therapy can be explained as follows : the fact of being cured corresponds to a change of state. Negative reactions to treatment are thus explained by a fear of losing internal integrity and eventually disintegrating. The fear of modification is extremely strong. In 1904, Freud... ...Jacob : 2001) FREUD, SIGMUND, An Outline of Psychoanalysis, (W.W. Norton & Company : New York – London), Standard Edition, 1949, vol. 23 MIJOLLA de, Alain, Dictionnaire International de la Psychanalyse, (Hachette Littà ©ratures : 2005) ARTICLES CASEMENT, Patrick, 'Beyond words – the role of psychoanalysis', The Psychologist, 2009, vol. 22, 5th May LEVY, R. & ABLON, J., 'Talk therapy: Off the couch and into the lab', 2010 WAN, William, 'Freud coming into fashion in China, Treating China's syndromes', Washington Post, October 11th 2010 WEBSITES ETHAN, 'Psychoanalysis: From Theory to Practice, Past to Present', Northwestern University http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/plaut.html http://www.psywww.com/intropsych/ch13_therapies/psychoanalysis.html http://www.apsa.org/About_Psychoanalysis/Low-Fee_Clinics.aspx http://www.npap.org/intro/faqs.html

A Wish of Rain :: Essays Papers

A Wish of Rain "Close your eyes and imagine," he told us. "Imagine it is late at night. A train pulls up to the place where you are standing. The doors open and the hundreds of people who were standing inside begin to jump down. A young Jewish boy of sixteen and his family are among this tired, hungry, beaten crowd. Eventually, they are separated into two lines; the boy and his father are pushed into one line, his mother and sister into the other. Then they are marched off into the night. "I was never to see my mother and sister again. I was in the line to live." The speaker, a survivor of the Holocaust, told his story and many more one bright, warm summer day at Birkenau, a concentration camp in Poland. His audience of American students listened enthralled and horrified as he told of his struggles to stay alive in the camp during World War II, the struggles of six million Jews caught up in the terror. I remember wishing it would rain. That day at Birkenau held no warmth or brightness. It was a day of realizations and acceptances. In a way, it marked a passage from innocence and naivety to a greater understanding of human nature. For me, there were no more denials. I had always known about the Holocaust, even before I took the literature course that would bring me to Poland, yet deep-down I could never truly accept it. I found it difficult to believe that one man in his hatred of all that was good and decent could condemn a people to death or that a nation could stand blindly by and let it happen. I wanted to believe in human compassion and understanding. Thus, it was easy to pretend that the stories were exaggerated or sensationalized. Now, I feel as though I know too much. I never thought I could get so emotionally involved, but after living closely with it for three weeks, I could not help but become involved. It became increasingly more difficult to deny or to remain detached once the truth began to unfold. I did not like the feelings it evoked in me or the unanswered questions it left me with. My mind balked. Yet, to run my hand over the wooden bunks in the barracks, to walk on the same hard-packed earth, to look out over barbed-wire fences and empty guard towers and just to know that I stood in the spot where they breathed their last, I believed.

Solange De Santis - Job design :: essays research papers

Introduction: Solange De Santis joined a General Motors van assembly plant in 1991. During her eighteen months at GM she suffered from boredom, strain, psychological distress, job dissatisfaction, a feeling of distrust and a lack of job security. All of these factors had a detrimental effect on her health, safety and productivity. What job re-design opportunities are available to foster a healthier and more productive workplace? In order to answer this question we adopt job and work design theory that will analyze her role and provide tangible solutions. The following three  ¡Ã‚ ®Job Design Approaches ¡Ã‚ ¯ will be explored: 1) Job rotation 2) Job enrichment 3) Teamworking. The article outlined below elaborates on three small psychological changes to make working conditions for De Santis much better, improving her job safety and productivity. We hope that ¡Ã‚ ±Little changes make a big difference in the long term. ¡Ã‚ ±(Julian Barling, Topic 9, slide 3) Job Rotation: De Santis is an autoworker on the van assembly line at the General Motors plant. She performs the same simple task, and repeats the same procedures everyday. There are no opportunities for her to learn new skills or face any new challenges. It is easy to imagine how boring and frustrated anyone in her position would become. In addition to the challenge of her routine she also works on high stress and overload because of the non-stop, always catching up nature of the assembly line. According to research, boredom can cause daydreams and strain which together can threaten her safety. These negative experiences impact her job satisfaction and motivation. What we should do is reduce boredom, strain and dissatisfaction. Through job rotation it is possible to re-design her job and make it much more interesting and fun which should reduce her current levels of boredom and stress. How is this possible? Job rotation can reduce De Santis ¡Ã‚ ¯s boredom, relieve her from repetitive movements, and increase motivation by diversifying her experience; job rotation provides the kind of flexibility and experience that will allow her to feel much more control of her work and develop important skills that can help to off-set feelings of uncertainty; job rotation also helps to improve morale, increases ownership and should enable her to reach her potential; it is also shown to lower fatigue and helps to produce greater satisfaction that reduces absenteeism/turnover problems. Therefore, job rotation can make her job healthier and more productive How to implement job rotation?

Ict Policy and Server Room Proposal for a Small Firm

INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY POLICY DOCUMENT INTRODUCTION Information and Communications Technology Policy addresses security issues and how to effectively apply and maintain information systems, thereby facilitating protection of critical, valuable and confidential information together with its associated systems. Most people are likely to recognise the impact and severity of the loss or theft of confidential designs for a new product. However they do not always recognise the potential risk, and consequential result, of seemingly ‘innocent' activities, such as copying software or copying the corporate database onto their laptop computer or not documenting changes made to their systems. The purchase and installation of hardware and software requires those involved to consider carefully the Information Security issues involved in this process. Careful consideration of the company's business needs is paramount, as it is usually expensive to make subsequent changes. Analysis of user requirements versus the various benchmarks test results will establish the best choice of server/software to be purchased. Installation of new equipment must be properly considered and planned to avoid unnecessary disruption and to ensure that the IT & T Policy issues are adequately covered. The issue of IT consumables is looked into. These are expensive and should be properly controlled both from an expense perspective as well as an Information Security perspective. Valuable items should always be kept in a secure environment to avoid damage or loss. OBJECTIVES To develop an Information Communication Technology policy for KPLC Retirement Benefits Scheme that introduces efficient and effective use of IT systems and in turn facilitate the smooth running of the secretariat. MISSION STATEMENT To strive to provide nothing but the best means of data and telecommunications services to the secretariat as a whole. DEFINITION OF ICT POLICY A set of rules, regulations, procedures and plans of action for administration of equipment, resources, and services in the ICT section. TERMS OF REFERENCE The aim of this document is to; ) Analyse procedures and practices that are in use currently and identify those that can be reinforced or changed. ii) Work out a time plan for the smooth transition from the use of KPLC systems and resources. iii) Review implemented policies elsewhere to facilitate broad knowledge and adapt ideas suitable to our environment. TABLE OF CONTENTS INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY POLICY DOCUMENT1 INTRODUCTION1 TABLE OF CONTENTS2 PREAMBLE4 IT & T SYSTEM DESCRIPTIONS4 1. 0 PROCUREMENT OF HARDWARE, PERIPHERALS & OTHER EQUIPMENT8 1. 1 Purchasing and Installing Hardware8 1. 2Cabling, UPS, Printers and Modems15 1. 3Consumables16 . 4Working off premises or using out-sourced processing18 1. 5Using Secure Storage20 1. 6Documenting Hardware23 1. 7 Telecommunications equipment25 1. 8Other Hardware Issues28 1. 9 Disaster Recovery Plans30 2. 0 CONTROLLING ACCESS TO INFORMATION & SYSTEMS IN THE SECRETARAIT32 2. 1Controlling Access to Information and Systems32 2. 1. 5 Controlling Access to Operating System Software38 Managing Passwords39 3. 0 PROCESSING INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS46 3. 1Networks46 3. 2System Operations and Administration49 3. 3E-mail and the World Wide Web57 3. 4Telephones & Fax69 3. 5Data Management73 3. 6Backup, Recovery and Archiving75 . 7Document Handling78 3. 7. 3 Countersigning Documents79 3. 7. 5 Approving Documents before dispatch80 3. 7. 6 Signature Verification80 3. 8Securing Data83 3. 8 . 4 Maintaining Customer Information Confidentiality86 4. 0 PURCHASING AND MAINTAINING COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE90 4. 1Purchasing and Installing Software90 4. 2Software Maintenance & Upgrade92 4. 3Other Software Issues94 5 COMBATING CYBER CRIME95 5. 1Combating Cyber Crime95 5. 1. 1 Defending Against Premeditated Third Party Cyber Crime Attacks95 5. 1. 2 Minimising the Impact of Cyber Attacks97 5. 1. 3 Collecting Evidence for Cyber Crime Prosecution98 5. 1. Defending Against Premeditated Internal Attacks99 5. 1. 5 Defending Against Opportunistic Cyber Crime Attacks100 6. 0 COMPLYING WITH LEGAL AND POLICY REQUIREMENT101 6. 1Complying with Legal Obligations101 6. 1. 2 Complying with General Copyright Legislation101 6. 1. 3 Complying with Copyright and Software Licensing Legislation102 6. 1. 4 Legal Safeguards against Computer Misuse103 6. 2Complying with Policies103 6. 3Avoiding Litigation106 6. 3. 3 Sending Copyrighted Information Electronically107 7. 1 E- Commerce Issues108 7. 2 Structurin g E-Commerce Systems Including Web Sites108 7. 3 Securing E-Commerce Networks109 . 4 Configuring E-Commerce Web Sites110 7. 5 Using External Service Providers for E-Commerce Delivery Channel111 8. 7Cost Considerations116 9. 0 DEALING WITH PREMISES RELATED CONSIDERATIONS118 9. 1 Physical Security of Equipment and Assets118 10. 0 NETWORK SECURITY MEASURES122 10. 1 Data Network devices122 10. 2 System administration123 10. 3 System Auditing129 10. 4 Email Policies130 10. 5 The Internet131 10. 6Computer desktop equipment133 10. 7Human Resource Aspects Policies141 10. 8Security Policy Auditing142 10. 9Incidence Management and Responses146 Reporting an Incident146 What is Cybercrime? 151 10. 0Movement of Telecommunications Equipment155 11. 1Setting Classification Standards157 12. 0 RETIREMENT OF OBSOLESCENCE OR OBSOLETE EQUIPMENT158 12. 1 Setting New Hardware Standards158 12. 2Methods of assessing old and inapt Software/hardware158 12. 3Hardware and software obsolescence160 12. 4RBS Depre ciation Factors for Defining Old Or Inapt Equipment161 13. 0 APPENDIX 1162 13. 1 LIST OF SPARES & ACCESSORIES162 14. 1 GLOSSARY & REFERENCES163 PREAMBLE It is necessary for one to be familiar with the various Information Technology and Telecommunications Systems that the company has acquired and installed over the years. This document provides the description of the systems as well as the policies formulated in regard to these IT & Telecommunications systems. IT & T SYSTEM DESCRIPTIONS 1. Telephony The telephone network for RBS consists of the public interconnected network using automatic branch exchanges (PABX) which connects us to the public network using telecommunication service providers and private branch network (PBX) which is housed in our commercial office premises which help us communicate in the premises through extension numbers. 2. Computer Data systems These are composed of data network hubs and switches which make the Local Area Networks (LAN) and the routers which interconnect the LANs. Each LAN is composed of passive data networks, servers and PCs that use the network thus realised to exchange information and data throughout the enterprise. 3. System Software and Data System software is the general term used to describe the many software programs, drivers and utilities that together enable a computer system to operate. One of the main components of system software is the operating system of the computer e. g. Microsoft Windows ® XP Professional. 4. Data Data in the language of information technology means the individual elements that comprise the information and can be processed, formatted and re-presented, so that it gains meaning and thereby becomes information. Here we are concerned with the protection and safeguard of that data/information which, in its various forms can be identified as Business Assets or Information Assets. The term data and information can be used somewhat interchangeably; but, as a general rule, information always comprises data, but data is not always information. ICT SYSTEMS DESCRIPTIONS DESCRIPTIONS THE OF SYSTEM RBS – Open Retirement Benefits Scheme System The system is used for the administration of employee and employer contributions into the RBS Fund. It has a database for member details together with their dependants. This is used when benefits are to be calculated for deceased persons and withdrawing members. The system also has a pensioners payroll used to pay all pensioners whether retirees or widows and orphans. Group Life for all employees and the issue of Last Expense is also maintained and administered in the system. Database Management Systems The secretariat database is managed using ORACLE database management systems(DBMS). Oracle databases are relational, thus data is stored in them in row-column (table) format. All the company data is stored and managed using ORACLE. WINDOWS NT ENVIRONMENT The Window NT environment operates in domains. A domain is a collection of computers and users defined by the administrator of a Windows NT Server network that share a common directory database. A domain provides access to the centralised user accounts and group accounts maintained by the domain administrator. Each domain has a unique name. Window NT Environment In the current WAN model of KPLC there is a single master domain called KPLCSTIMA. The KPLCSTIMA is also the main account domain and KPLCNET as Internet resource domain. A child domain known as RBS. KPLCSTIMA will be created from the master domain and will have trust relationship with it. This is will give us more control of our systems and semi-autonomy from the KPLC systems. It will be installed with Windows Server 2003 standard edition operating system which will provide the following services at RBS: 1. File and Print sharing. 2. Microsoft Exchange Services – host the resident Staff member’s mailboxes and enable efficient sending and receiving of internal/Internet mail and if need be provide also storage of the mailboxes. 3. Anti-virus Software. 4. Systems Management Server for Network management. 5. Internet Browsing. 6. To allow for faster downloads of the application updates. 7. To enable the efficient installation and periodic updates of the PC anti-virus in the local area network. 8. For faster and seamless primary logon of client PC’s to the network. Our application i. e. RBS system is already running in a stand alone server and will continue that way to ensure system stability and integrity. The new system will also run on its own stand alone server for the same reason. †¢The primary domain controller (PDC) tracks changes made to domain accounts. Whenever an administrator makes a change to a domain account, the change is recorded in the directory database on the PDC. The PDC is the only domain server that receives these changes directly. A domain has one PDC. A backup domain controller (BDC) maintains a copy of the directory database. This copy is synchronised periodically and automatically with the PDC. BDC’s also authenticate user logons, and a BDC can be promoted to function as the PDC. Multiple BDC’s can exist in a domain. Client PCs Currently there are four PCs and two laptops in the secretariat all running Windows XP as the desktop operating system and networked using Windows NT operating system of the K PLC master domain. All PCs have MS Office 2003 – 2007 as an office desktop application. The PCs have between 256 and 512 MB RAM. All the PCs are running on Microsoft TCP/IP protocol and use USER LEVEL access on the network. Microsoft Exchange Server Microsoft Exchange Server is used for electronic messaging in and out of the organisation. Exchange is organised into entities called sites each consisting of one or more servers containing mailboxes and public folders. Mailboxes are where a user’s messages are kept, each user having a single mailbox whereas public folders are like notice – boards, containing information that is shared between multiple users. Intra-site communication has to occur at high speed and with high reliability. Inter-site communication can occur at lower speeds. In addition to local messaging, there is Internet messaging, implemented via the Proxy Server. Anti-Virus Software McAfee’s Total Virus Defence Software is the current company guard against viruses. The software is loaded on all the Exchange server protects against viruses distributed. A group of computers and the server that manages them is called an Anti-virus Domain. The anti – virus server downloads new version automatically from McAfee Website on the Internet. Once the new software version is downloaded, the system administrator configures it for distribution. It also alerts the system administrator to ‘pull’ the latest versions to the Anti-virus Server. Internet Microsoft Proxy Server provides an easy, secure way to bring Internet access to every desktop in an organisation. The proxy server is a gateway between the company’s network and the Internet. A gateway is special software, or a computer running special software, that enables two different networks to communicate. The gateway acts as a barrier that allows you to make requests to the Internet and receive information, but does not allow access to your network by unauthorised users. [pic] 1. 0 PROCUREMENT OF HARDWARE, PERIPHERALS & OTHER EQUIPMENT 1. 1 Purchasing and Installing Hardware This Chapter deals with the Information Technology and Security issues relating to the purchase, use or maintenance of equipment through which information is processed and stored. 1. 1. 0 Procurement of Hardware, Peripherals and Other Equipment Policy Statement All purchases of new systems hardware or new components for existing systems must be made in accordance with Information Security and other organisation Policies, as well as technical standards. Such requests to purchase must be based upon a User Requirements Specification document and take account of longer-term organisational business needs. The purchase and installation of hardware requires those involved to consider carefully the Information Security issues involved in this process. This section covers the key areas to be considered. . 1. 1 Specifying Information Security Requirements for New Hardware The purchase of new computers and peripherals requires careful consideration of the business needs because it is usually expensive to make subsequent changes. |ICT Issues to consider |Action Required | |The system must have adequate capacity or else it may not be |Estimate the current and potential load on the system. | |able to process your data. For critical applications ensure t hat the system is reliable and of | | |high quality. | | |Select a supplier with a proven ‘track record', who is likely to be | | |in business for the life of the hardware. | |Data must be adequately protected; otherwise there is a risk |Determine the type of safeguards necessary for the information | |of loss or accidental / malicious damage. concerned and ensure that the hardware is capable of supporting the | | |required features, e. g. the type of operating system and attached | | |devices. See classifying information and data | |Where hardware maintenance is poor or unreliable, you greatly|Choose a supplier with a proven ‘track record', who is likely to be | |increase the risk to the organisation, because, in the event |in business for the life of the hardware. |of failure, processing could simply STOP. |Enter into a maintenance contract at the time of purchase with a | | |suitable response time in the event of a failure. See service level | | |agreement | |T he system must be sufficiently ‘resilient' to avoid |Determine your organisation’s tolerance to system non-availability | |unplanned down-time, which can have an immediate negative |(seconds, minutes, hours or days? , and approach the design of your | |impact on your organisation |hardware configuration accordingly. | | |Consider the use of mirrored disks to guard against disk failures; | | |duplicate processors in case of processor failure; duplicate | | |configurations; and the use of an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) | | |and standby generators. 1. 1. 2 Installing New Hardware Installation of new equipment must be properly considered and planned to avoid unnecessary disruption and to ensure that the ICT Policy issues are adequately covered. (See Premises for further detail. ) Policy Statement All new hardware installations are to be planned formally and notified to all interested parties ahead of the proposed installation date. Information Technology and Securi ty requirements for new installations are to be circulated for comment to all interested parties, well in advance of installation. ICT Issues to consider |Action Required | |The equipment must be located in a suitable environment otherwise|Adhere to the specifications and recommendations of the | |it may fail. |manufacturer or supplier, e. g. for operational temperature, | | |humidity etc. | |Adequate safeguards against fire, water and electrical failure | | |should be in place. See Premises | |Any disclosure of your network diagrams, security features, |Ensure that all persons on site, whether from your own | |locations and configurations etc. exposes potential |organisation or not, have completed a Non-Disclosure Agreement | |vulnerabilities, which could be exploited. Although a Non Disclosure Agreement paves the way for legal | | |redress, it cannot protect you against actual commercial damage. | |Leaving tools, utilities and developer's kits on your new system |All new syste ms should be configured for maximum practical | |endangers the confidentiality and integrity of your data |security by the removal of unnecessary utilities, developers' | | |programs, etc. a technique known as hardening. | |Without an installation plan for the new equipment, disruption to|Ensure that all special pre-installation requirements (e. g. air | |operational systems is more likely. |conditioning) have been met. | | |Identify the precise location for the equipment and ensure that | | |the power and network cables are ready. | | |Agree a detailed installation plan with the vendor. | |Anticipate what might go wrong and consider how to minimise the | | |risks. | |Where the installation plan does not include safeguards against |Agree a detailed installation plan and document it. See Project | |the (inevitable) increased security threat resulting from |Plan | |(relatively) ‘open access' to the systems area, accidental or |Monitor progress against the plan. |malicious damage can result. |Only allow authorised persons access to the systems area. | | |To protect all parties never allow engineers to work unattended. | | | | |Breaches of Health and Safety regulations endanger the well being|Ensure Health and Safety regulations are followed when locating | |of your staff and your organisation’s commercial activities. the equipment, peripherals and cables. | | |A periodic visual inspection is beneficial also. | 1. 1. 3 Testing Newly Installed Systems and Equipment Hardware should be tested when new to verify it is working correctly, and then further tests applied periodically to ensure continued effective functioning. Policy Statement All equipment must be fully and comprehensively tested and formally accepted by users before being transferred to the live environment or user sites. |ICT Issues to consider |Action Required | |Where new equipment is not tested for critical functions before |Ensure that all new installations are thoroughly tested after | |being used, it can lead to failure and hence damage to both data |initial set-up and prior to live use. |and other linked systems. |All such tests should be in accordance with a documented test | | |plan. | |Inadequate testing can threaten the integrity and availability of|Check the test outputs to confirm the results. Ensure that | |your data. |all-key components, e. g. hard disk subsystems are included in the| | |tests. | |Devices that are known to degrade with time, e. g. printers, | | |should be tested periodically | |Where testing is performed in a manner that does not simulate |Ensure that the test plan simulates realistic work patterns | |live conditions, the results of such testing cannot be relied | | |upon. | |Poor security procedures during equipment testing can compromise |Ensure that Non Disclosure Agreement have been obtained from all | |the confidentiality of your data. |third party staff involved in testing the equipment. | |Verify that the required security configuration and safeguards | | |have been implemented for the new hardware. | | |If live data is used in the testing process for the new hardware,| | |ensure that it is closely controlled. See Use of Live Data for | | |Testing | Explanatory notes NT servers The analysis of user requirements (client base and mail sizes expected) versus the various benchmarks test results will establish the best choice of server to be purchased. For file and print server only disk space is a key requirement. IT & T Issues |Key Actions | |CPU Board |Dual CPU, redundant system components in many aspects | |Disk & Disk space |Enough storage to cater for expected growth of mail database for the next| | |fiscal year | | | | | |Redundant and RAID-5 capable | |SPEC INT2000 |Compares CPU speeds for various servers. | | | |SPEC CPU2000 |To establish best processors and server performances. | | | | |(http://www. specbench. org/) |To establish best server as per RBS requirements. | | | | | |Do sample analysis based on databases expected or consult database | | |product vendor on system demands. |TPC-C benchmark |The TPC-C benchmark measures the ability of a server to process | | |transactions in a simulated business environment, calculating both the | |See guidelines at http://www. tpc. org/ for |performance of the System Under Test and real world scenario. | |transactions per server | | | |Mail servers should handle 1500 mail user traffic simultaneously in a | | |normal business environment. | | | | |Mail servers should be capable of storing all mails processed in a normal| | |working day. | Routers |ICT Issues |Key Actions | |Router basics |Dual CPU, all redundant system components installed at time of purchase | | |in many aspects | |IOS, RAM and ROM |Latest Cisco IOS e. g. ver 12. X. , 128 MB RAM and suitable flash memory to | | |store all features of IOS. | | | | |VPN and 3-DES features enabled | |IOS compatibility |New routers should Cisco compatible to integrate seamlessly with existing| | |IOS and equipment. | |Number of WAN ports |Decide by local needs e. g. | | | | | |Hub-routers should be preferred for small LANs | |User Management |Manageable by local o r by remote interface, RMON, SNMP or network user | | |interfaces. | Hubs and Switches Item |Action | |Hardware basics |Dual CPU, all redundant system components installed at time of purchase in many | | |aspects | |IOS, RAM and ROM |Latest Cisco IOS e. g. ver 12. X, VLAN and work grouping, bridging possible. | |IOS compatibility |Cisco compatible to integrate seamlessly with existing IOS and equipment. |Protocols |Ethernet enabled | |L | | |Number of LAN ports |Decide by local needs e. g. | | |Hub-routers should be preferred for small LANs | |User Management |Manageable by local or by remote interface, RMON, SNMP or html enabled network | | |user interface. | Modems Item |Action required | |Software Compatible |Supports HyperTerminal for Windows | | | | | |Should be configurable using AT commands | |V90 |Modems should be V90 standard and downward compatible with existing V54 & V42 | | |types, etc. |2 & 4 wire |Supports two wire dialup and 4 wire leased analogue line use. | Data cabinets Equipment cabinets should be properly chosen. The current 6U cabinet is too small for any future expansion or even good workmanship to be carried out. Vendors should provide cabinet of size equal or larger than 12U cabinet. |Item |Action | |Sufficient space for equipment |The cabinet should house all the equipment and accessories at the installation| |See http://www. datacabinets. om/ |time, leave room for future expansion and provide free space for proper | | |ventilation | |Aesthetically chosen for office environment |The cabinet aesthetically coloured to match with general looks in the vicinity| | |free standing or wall mounted and should be equipped with sufficient power | | |blocks. | |Proper ventilation and humidity |The cabinet must have sufficient cooling fans. The fans in these cabinets | | |shall be designed to give minimum noise level expected in a normal office | | |environment and must be designed to keep the humidity level low. | |Designed for equipment therein |The cabinets will be used to house all the active equipment and connection | | |accessories such patch panels, Light Unit Interfaces (LIU). | | | | | |Be lockable and be equipped with some trays. LIUs, cord organisers, cable | | |straps etc. |Grounding and ESD |All cabinet shall be electrically grounded to ensure electric noise and | | |electrostatic discharge is minimised. | Server Room The following items are useful in a server room construction. |Item |Action | |Backup supply |Installation of a central UPS to back up for at least 30 minutes after an | | |outage. | |Conditioned power supply |Installation of spike protectors is necessary to ensure well regulated supply | | |free of surges and dips. |Neat and extensive cable trays |Construction of a technical (false) floor and technical roof (false ceiling) | | |to house all types of cabling and utilities such as fire hydrants, smoke | | |detectors, etc | |No electrostatic discharge (ESD) in computer centre and |Proper grounding and use of anti-static PVC tiles on floor. Each tile must be| |equipment |grounded well. | |Maintain ambient temperature |Installation of a two way redundant air conditioning system. | | |Maintain 16 ? C via room wall. | |Guard against fires and similar hazards |Installation of an automatic fire-fighting system |Use effective extinguishers that are less hazardous to |Use most inert system e. g. Inergen | |human health. |See www. inergen. com/ | |Classify room usage |Partitioning of the computer room | |Proper lighting |Supply and installation of False Ceiling | |Protection against harmful effects of fire hydrants |Supply of Gas Masks | 1. 2Cabling, UPS, Printers and Modems Cabling For best of cabling the following international standards should be incorporated when carrying voice/data-cabling works. |Item |Action | |Scope |Systems Administrator to access scope of requirements. | |Design of cabling plant and premises consideration |According to ANSI/EIA/TIA 568B & 569 standards | | |See www. ansi. org, www. eia. org & http://www. tiaonline. rg | |Implementation and workmanship of cabling works and testing |According to ANSI/EIA/TIA 606 & 607 standards of installing and | | |maintaining data/voice cabling plant. | |Network Active devices |Different vendors have preferred methods of rolling out active | | |devices try this method: | | | | | |Develop | |high-level process flow diagram for deploying new solutions | | |solution hardware requirements | | |solution management platforms | | |solution validation by pilot project | | |full solution deployment | | |document all related information for management, maintenance and | | |future extensions | UPS The following formulas are useful in determining choice of UPS. The UPS are rated in terms of steady power out put and backup time. Steady power rate is given in watts= W Backup time is given in Hours or Ampere-hour of the batteries. = Ah Backup capacity in terms of Ampere-Hour is Ah = (Watt x time) and or is computed to be Ah =3. 6 Mega joules. Power x Time = Energy (joules) Translates to Time =Ah/power E. g. StimaEIS is 7. 2-kVA load. To backup for half an hour it requires (7200 x 30 x 60 x 60)/3. 6 x106 = 216 Ah Given that each small battery is 12V with 9 Ah each then the UPS will have 24 small batteries. Similarly for rest of the computers same formula can be used. 1. 3Consumables Introduction ICT consumables are expensive and should be properly controlled both from an expense perspective as well as an Information Security perspective. This section deals with the Information Security aspects of IT consumables. 1. 3. 1 Controlling IT Consumables Policy Statement IT Consumables must be purchased in accordance with the organisation’s approved purchasing procedures with usage monitored to discourage theft and improper use. They must be kept in a well-designated store away from working area. Explanatory Notes Examples of consumables are printer forms, stationery, printer paper, toner & ink, ribbons, disks, diskettes, bar-code labels and other accessories. Item |Key Actions | |Pilfering of your consumables results in increased organisational|Safeguard Consumables against petty theft by locking cupboards, | |expense. |maintaining a register, written authorisation prior to removal of| | |items etc. Keys to be kept by the supervisor’s office. | |Consumables may be s tolen with the intent to defraud your |Take special measures to protect potentially valuable pre-printed| |organisation or customers. |forms and account for their usage. Store area should be a | | |restricted area, use gate-passes and authorisation. |Confidential data may be revealed to unauthorised persons from |Ensure that confidential information cannot be identified from | |discarded Consumables e. g. discarded draft printer output and |discarded Consumables, such as printer ribbons and floppy disks, | |test data printer output. |by destroying them. | | |Destroy or shred surplus printout / fiche containing data, | | |whether or not the data appears to be confidential – it may be! | | |See also Classifying Information and Data. | 1. 3. Using removable storage media including Diskettes and CDs Policy Statement Only personnel who are authorised to install or modify software, and staff who are authorised to transfer and update data shall use removable media to transfer dat a to / from the organisation’s network. Any other persons shall require specific authorisation. Explanatory Notes When using removable storage media, there are additional ICT Security risks associated with the portability of the media. Personnel authorised to install & modify software is the system administrator. Personnel authorised to transfer and update data shall be determined by the general manager and systems administrator. ICT Issues |Key Actions | |Loss or ‘disappearance' of disks, tapes, etc. can |Ensure that all media are stored safely and securely. | |compromise the confidentiality of the organisation’s |Make sure that all media are labelled clearly, whether physically and/or | |data. |electronically, and that they can be located easily when needed. | | |Designate key individuals to monitor the storage and use of removable | | |media. | |Damage to media compromises the integrity of your |Follow the manufacturers' recommendations when handling the m edia. | |corporate records. Take protective measures against environmental extremes of temperature, | | |humidity, dust, etc. , appropriate to the importance and sensitivity of the| | |data. | | |Consider carefully the safeguards required for any media being moved or | | |stored off-site; especially backup tapes / disks. | | |In the case of irreplaceable data, you should consider taking security | | |copies, each of which must be properly safeguarded. | |Consider using fire-resistant storage cabinets for such media. | 1. 4Working off premises or using out-sourced processing Working Off-Premises involves a broad range of Information Security risks. In addition to the obvious threat of theft of the equipment there are also significant risks to the information contained on portable equipment. It is necessary to use business centres with great care as confidential information or data can be input onto equipment that is not under your control. 1. 4. 1 Contracting or using Out-sour ced Processing The following issues should be considered if the organisation decides to utsource some or all of its computer processing. Policy Statement Persons responsible for commissioning out-sourced computer processing must ensure that the services used are from reputable companies that operate with accredited information security and quality standards which should include an appropriate Service Level Agreement. |ICT Issues to consider |Action Required | |Inadequate performance can threaten your organisation's |Determine the critical success factors for your organisation in terms of| |information processing and business operations. speed, reliability, response and ability to scale rapidly (if | | |necessary). | | |Document these factors in a Service Level Agreement with penalty clauses| | |for breaches. | |Poor reliability threatens the performance of your |Consider your organisation's tolerance to system non-availability in | |business. |seconds, minutes, hours or days? | | |Ensure that the service provider can meet these needs. | |Document these factors in a Service Level Agreement with penalty clauses| | |for breaches. | |Lack of direct control when outsourcing can compromise |Due diligence should be exercised to ensure that the outsourcing company| |data confidentiality. |is reputable and operates with adequate standards. | | |Obtain a Non Disclosure Agreement from the outsourcing company. | | |Insist on secure transmission methods between your organisation and | | |theirs, e. g. authenticated transmission with encrypted data. | 1. 4. 2 Issuing Laptop / Portable Computers to Personnel Laptops, Portables, Palmtops -or even electronic ‘organisers', which connect to and store your organisation’s data – are included within this topic. Throughout this topic we refer to them collectively as ‘laptops' Policy Statement Line management must authorise the issue of portable computers. Usage is restricted to business purposes, and users must be aware of, and accept the terms and conditions of use, especially responsibility for the security of information held on such devices |ICT Issues |Action Required | |Confidential data disclosed to unauthorised persons can |Be certain that the member of staff has a valid business reason for | |damage the organisation. |using a laptop. Maintain and update the Hardware Inventory with the | | |primary user's name and contact details | | |Ensure that you are always able to trace the physical location of the | | |laptop and that the type and sensitivity of any stored data is known and| | |properly secure. | | |Always use any ‘power-on' password feature as a simple deterrent to | | |opportunistic usage. | | |Ensure the confidentiality and security of backup files. |The use of unlicensed software can subject your |All software used on the laptop must be licensed and comply with both | |organisation to legal action |legal and organisational standards. | |Viruses, Worms, Trojans and other Malicious Code can |Scan the laptop for malicious code and viruses regularly. | |corrupt both data and the system files. |Always scan files before accepting them onto the laptop | |Theft of the laptop exposes the organisation to the threat|Ensure that the holder implements adequate safety procedures against | |of disclosure o f sensitive corporate data to competitors. |theft. | |Consider the use of securing wires or other security devices in open | | |offices. | | |Ensure that the Hardware Inventory contains relevant allocation details | | |of all computers. Insure the laptop against loss, theft and damage. | | |Be aware of any exclusion in cover. Prepare guidelines for issuing | | |portable computing equipment. |Inadequate backup and recovery routines can lead to the |Ensure that laptop computers can have their data safeguarded through | |loss of data. |regular backups. | | |Ensure that the primary user of the equipment recognises their | | |responsibilities in this regard. | Guidelines for Issuing Portable Computing Equipment Those responsible for issuing portable computer equipment must ensure that the following is complied with before issuing such equipment to employees. †¢ Ensure that adequate insurance cover is provided for the portable equipment for use in the home country and abroad. Ensure that suitable virus scanning software is present on the equipment. †¢ Supply suitable network connections and ensure that access procedures are applied if the equipment is to be connected to a network. †¢ Ensure that adequate capacity (hard disk and memory size) is available on the equipment to support business processing. †¢ Ensure that adequate backup and restore facilities and procedures are in place. †¢ Ensure that compatible versions of application software are in place. †¢ Ensure that software encryption and/or physical locking devices are in place. †¢ Ensure that adequate records of the equipment are maintained, and that the issue is authorised and receipted. Ensure that authorisation for use of portable computing equipment is received †¢ Ensure that the Terms of Use are issued and signed. 1. 5Using Secure Storage Introduction It is essential that valuable confidential or critical information or equipment is stored in a secure locati on. This section covers secure storage. Policy Statement Sensitive or valuable material and equipment must be stored securely and according to the classification status of the information being stored. Documents are to be stored in a secure manner in accordance with their classification status. 1. 5. 1 Using lockable storage cupboards & filing cabinets A lockable storage cupboard should be considered for storing sensitive or valuable equipment. A lockable filing cabinet should be considered for secure storage of paper-based files and records, or small but movable items. |ICT Issues |Key Actions | |Unsecured organisation sensitive material may be |Ensure that all sensitive material is secured in a lockable storage | |stolen from the department. |cupboard, cabinet or safe when not required. The more sensitive the | | |material, the more care must be taken in selecting the appropriate storage| | |method. | |Ensure you are aware of who is an authorised key holder to any such | | |storage cupboard, cabinet or safe. | | |Ensure that a second key is available with a trusted key holder via a dual| | |control issues process in case the key holder is unavailable or the item | | |is required in an emergency. | |Securely locked organisation sensitive material may be|Ensure that highly sensitive material including computer discs and tapes | |stolen or damaged whilst in store. |are stored in a fire rated storage cupboard, cabinet, or sa fe. Beware that| | |the cabinet itself may survive the fire but the items inside may be | | |damaged irreparably. | | |Ensure that all sensitive material is secured in a lockable storage | | |cupboard, cabinet, or safe when not required. | | |Use a storage unit, which matches the sensitivity of the material. The | | |more sensitive the material, the more care must be taken in selecting the | | |appropriate storage method. | |Ensure you are aware of who is an authorised key holder to any such | | |storage cupboard, cabinet or safe. | | |Ensure that a second key is available with a trusted key holder via a dual| | |control issues process in case the key holder is unavailable or the item | | |is required in an emergency. | 1. 5. 2 Using Fire-Protected Storage Cabinets & Safes A fire protected storage cabinet is a good way to protect sensitive material against the risk of being destroyed by fire and possible water damage from fire fighting activities. The use of safes for storage is to be en couraged. The security of the safe itself is just as critical. Policy Statement Items such as backup-tapes, microfiche, microfilm, archives, recovery diskettes, passwords, CDs for software installation shall be considered sensitive and valuable to the organisation and must be stored in fire-protected storage cabinets & safes. |IT & T Issues |Key Actions | |Sensitive data stored in fire-protected cabinets can |Ensure that all sensitive material is secured in a Fire protected | |nevertheless be damaged beyond use. Due to their possible |cabinets & safe when not required. Yearly & Monthly system & database | |additional weight, siting is a key consideration |backups should be kept away from the building | | |Ensure you are aware of who is an authorised key holder to any such | | |storage cupboard, cabinet or safe. | | |Ensure that a second key is available with a trusted key holder via a | | |data control issues process in case the key holder is unavailable or the | | |item is required in an emergency. | |Sensitive data may be lost if stolen or during transit. |Copies of archives should be kept separate from actual database backups. | |A physical log file to control backup data movement to various safe | | |locations to be kept up-to-date both with signature of security personnel| | |and person moving the backups. | | |Data Library to be up-to-date with details of backup date, type, | | |location, type & expiry date | 1. 6Documenting Hardware Introduction This section deals with hardware documentation and manuals, and also hardware inventory. It is es sential that hardware documentation is kept up to date and made available to all users as appropriate. 1. . 1Managing and Using Hardware Documentation ‘Documentation' refers to both the operator manuals and the technical documentation that should be provided by the supplier / vendor. Policy Statement Hardware documentation must be kept up-to-date and readily available to the all staff that may need it. |ICT Issues |Key Actions | |If equipment is operated incorrectly mistakes and |Ensure you receive all operational and technical manuals for each piece | |damage may result. |of equipment. | | |Store the documentation accessibly but safely. | |Systems users must be trained according to the supplier's manuals | |A failure to follow the recommended schedule of |Ensure all regular maintenance is carried out and monitored. | |maintenance runs the risk of system malfunction, which |Adopt procedures which ensure that your operators complete all | |could possibly jeopardise your busines s operation. |maintenance for which they are responsible according to the | | |manufacturer's recommendation | |Failure to operate equipment in accordance with the |Ensure you receive all operational and technical manuals for each piece | |instructions can invalidate the warranty. |of equipment. | |Ensure that such manuals are readily available and form the basis of all | | |training. | |Failure to complete and return the manufacturer's |Complete the warranty card in time and record the details in your | |warranty card may invalidate the warranty and hence |Hardware Inventory Register. | |limit the manufacturer's liability | | ] 1. 6. 2 Maintaining a Hardware Inventory or Register Introduction A register / database of all computer equipment used within your organisation is to be established and maintained. Policy Statement A formal inventory of all equipment should be maintained and kept up to date at all times. ICT Issues |Key Actions | |Theft of equipment is most likely to result in additional |Establish inventory and implement procedures for updating it. | |cost to the organisation and could compromise data security. |Ensure that you have a procedure to advise the acquisition of new | | |hardware, the disposal of old items and any changes of location. | | |Periodically verify the correctness of the inventory by checking that | | |a sample of hardware is physically present. |Inadequate insurance could render your organisation liable |Establish inventory and implement procedures for keeping it | |to loss in the event of a claimable event. |up-to-date. | | |Ensure that you periodically review the adequacy of your insurance | | |cover. | |Shortcomings in the planning of equipment replacement can |Establish an inventory and, in conformance with your IT Plan, ‘ear | |make it difficult to plan ahead for new technology. |mark' equipment for replacement and plan accordingly. | 1. 7 Telecommunications equipment (Procurement, maintenance, practices and design t elecommunications) Procurement of telecommunications system †¢ Manufacturer maintenance (internal & external) †¢ Design criteria of systems †¢ Commissioning & Decommissioning of systems †¢ Fibre optic systems Introduction This chapter deals with the Information Communication Technology issues relating to the purchase, use, maintenance and the design of equipment through which information is processed and transmitted. The systems covered include, Telephony (PAX and PABX) Data Networks Fibre Network 1. 7. 1 System Design ( Engineering) Policy statement ICT system engineering will be based on tested and proven state of the art technology for a given ICT system. Explanatory notes The systems administrator shall from time to time update her/himself with new international standards for ICT systems. She/he shall be required to come up with flexible systems that will meet the company needs at the best. |ICT Issues |Actions | |Technology |System engineering shall be based on the latest technology in the | | |required field such as Telephony. | |Company's needs (Application) |The design shall address the company needs and applications for at least| | |the next ten years. |Flexibility |The system design shall address the equipment flexibility and upgrade. | |Redundancy |The design will state the expected loading and redundancy of the | | |equipment | 1. 7. 2 Procurement Policy Statement In addition to the public and company procurement procedures, the ICT departments will specify in details the functional and capacity requirements of system before any purchase is done. Explanatory notes Before any system acquisition is done, the system administrator will be requir ed to have evaluated the company's needs. This will include system performance; reliability ultimate capacity and staff abilities included proposed training requirements. This will be in the form of Request for Proposal (RFP) documents. |IC T Issues |Actions | |Tender document |Shall have detailed system/equipment description of the performance, | | |reliability and capacity of hardware. The system life expectancy shall be| | |required | |Spares and Support |The system spares will be stated. The system support and staff training | | |clearly be addressed | |Authorised dealership/partnership |The vendor shall be required to state and prove the partnerships with the | | |manufacturer | |Tendering |The type of bidders to be invited shall be stated | 1. 7. 3 Commissioning/ Decommissioning Policy Statement System commissioning will be carried out as stipulated in the manufacture's testing/commissioning sheets for any new ICT equipment. Tests should nclude all the RFP system requirements. System commissioning is necessary to ascertain system performance all the designed parameters will be tested. After the commissioning the system passwords should be immediately changed as a security measure, to protect any data manipulation or corruption from the vendor. |ICT Issues |Actions | |Performance |All tests as per system design and manufacturer's | | |specification/performance shall be carried out. |Drawings |All system drawings shall be submitted ( at least three copies)and kept | | |in safe custody | |Equipment Cabinet keys |The equipment cabinet keys shall be handed over to the functional head | |Decommissioning |System decommissioning shall be carried out once the equipment is no | | |longer in use. | | |Commissioning sheets and drawings shall be used to determine the current | | |connection (Circuit termination) of the system. | | |The decommissioned equipment shall be removed from the Telecom room and | | |all wires/cables not used shall be removed. | |The drawings for decommissioned systems/equipment shall be retired. | 1. 7. 4 Maintenance Practices Policy Statement All ICT systems shall be maintained regularly as per manufacture's recommendations. Where system are placed in harsh environments, system maintenance will be carried out as deemed by the systems administrator. Explanatory notes All system maintenance should be done in house as much as possible. Outsourcing of maintenance (Annual Maintenance Contracts, AMC’s) contrac