MGT Individual Project 5 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MGT Individual Project 5 - Research Paper Example The study reflects the principles of qualitative and quantitative analysis which are used in business cases. It states that both the methodologies are equally important in conducting the research where a combination of both the methodologies helps in improving the quality of the research work. The study concludes with an insight into the importance of critical thinking in the decision making of the businesses. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Sekaran & Bougie Research Process 5 Analysis 8 Quantitative Methodology 16 Qualitative Methodology 16 Critical Thinking in Business Cases 17 Conclusion 17 References 19 Introduction Decision making is an important activity in the business world. It is required at all levels of the organization. Even the low level supervisor needs to make various decisions in everyday business activities. Decision making is encouraged at all levels where the business owners are mainly responsible for all the decisions being taken in the businesses. The decision making is mainly a cognitive process which results in choosing of courses of action amongst various alternative scenarios. In each and every decision making process there is a final choice and the output can be the resultant of the opinion or action of such choice. From the cognitive perspective, decision making is mainly a continuous procedure which can be incorporated in interaction with environment. From the normative perspective, it is the analysis of individual decisions associated with the logic in decision making and its rationality. It can be defined as the problem solving activity which gets terminated when satisfactory solution is obtained. The decision making procedure can be rational, irrational, on the basis of tactic assumption or explicit assumption. The business development always arises from collective decision making of the management along with the staff. The programs, strategies and policies are always converted into effective course s of actions by means of proper decision making. The progress in any organization from one particular success and performance level to another arises from the effective decision making. The efficiency in the management of any business enterprise increases along with the application of practical and progressive principles and policies. If these ideas are implemented within the processes of an organization it would result in the increase of efficiency followed by achievement of success in the market. Sekaran & Bougie Research Process According to Sekaran & Bougie (2010) the research process is a step by step process where all the steps are essential for achieving success in the research process. An analysis should always be based on the basis of each and every step presented in this research process. It states that the research analysis should present a comparative analysis of how nicely the authors of the chosen research study have fulfilled the research work. The focus of the analys is should lie in the research process more than on the research content. The analysis should deal with the obedience to the research process stated by Sekaran & Bougie. All the steps and sub steps act as the stepping stones in the research process. The research process is a step by step procedure comprising of eleven steps. While analysing, the research work should have the following contents Problem Statement Literature Review Generation or Development of

Evaluation of Vodafones Strategic Capabilities

Evaluation of Vodafones Strategic Capabilities Vodafone is a well-known mobile network operator headquartered in Newbury, England. It is recognized as the largest telecommunications network company all over the world on the basis of its turnover. Currently, the company has equity interests in twenty-five countries and Partner Networks in another forty-one countries (Vodafone 2011). It is the second largest mobile telecom group throughout globe after China Mobile. The firms success is due to its strategic capabilities and their link with significant external and internal factors. Nowadays for surviving in an intense competition, it is essential that firms must be innovative but it is also essential to identify what makes a firm innovative. As well, it is also vital to identify that what are the resources that make a substantial contribution in a firms innovation capabilities. In regard to business these innovation capabilities are also known as a firms strategic capabilities. The success of a firms strategic capabilities depends on its ability to link it with its internal and external factors that influence the setting of its business objectives and policies. In the light of resource based theory, the strategic capabilities of Vodafone can be assessed by identifying its current resources and capabilities as a successful player in telecommunication network industry (Ordanini Rubera 2008). Subsequently, the effects of its key resources on its strategic capabilities need to be identified in relation to its link with external and internal factors. Throughout company long history and success its resources are classified in two categories that are: Tangible resources: The company tangible resources can be classified into four categories that are financial, physical, organisational structure and technological resources. Intangible resources: Intangible resources can be classified into people-dependent and people-independent resources (Bakar Ahmad 2010). All these resources are not having same importance to company strategy as financial, structure, technological are highly important whereas physical resources is having ordinary importance to it. On the other hand, people dependent and people-independent resources like human and innovation resources and reputation and organisational culture all are having high importance to Vodafone strategy. In regard to these resources, the company is significantly able in developing several strategic capabilities that can be analyzed with the help of its value chain activities that are primary activities and support activities (Bakar Ahmad 2010). Activities or organisational functions direct its employees towards the development of capabilities so it is essential to identify capabilities in regard to companys primary and support activities. One of the substantial strategic capabilities developed by Vodafone in regard to its operations is providing telecommunication services at low cost with guaranteed quality. In regard to technological development, the company have become able to exploit technological opportunity and developing and applying technologies (Donaldson OToole 2007). For handling human resource management, it has developed its capabilities in concern of recruiting and training competent personnel for technological innovation and motivating compensating all employees for more and more technological innovation (Dodourova 2003). In regard to its infrastructure related activities, it has developed capabilities like recognizing and promoting the aspect of innovation, financing and planning for technological innovation, integrating all functional departments, evaluating technological innovation, legal support to it, and attaining essential government support to finance and protect its technological innovation (Dodourova 2003). The discussion of company strategic capabilities and resources depict that almost all its strategic capabilities are grounded on technological innovation that are highly supported by its innovation-friendly tangible and intangible resources. Due to this extreme association between resources and capabilities, the company have become able to handle its external and internal environment that can be understood with subsequent tools like PEST and SWOT analysis: PEST analysis Political factors: Several political factors related to regulations, infrastructure, and health issues affect Vodafone business objectives and policies but with its strategic capability of recognizing, financing, planning, integrating, assessing, and legal and government support it become able to effectively deal with these external issues and develop effective business strategy as per the industry trends and environment (Donaldson OToole 2007). Economic factors: Economic factors like high cost of licences, the bidding war for 3G and constant price wars between providers also critically affect company and its business plans but with its strategic capabilities of technological innovation Vodafone has become able to serve its customers with more surprising and advanced services (Dodourova 2003). Its technological development operations related capabilities are significantly assisting it in resolving economical issues from its external environment. Social-cultural factors: Socio-cultural factors like health issues, demographics and social trends also affects company operations that it critically handled with the help of technological innovation in regard to its human resources and technology development (Lynch 2006). Technologies offered by Vodafone are assured and approved that assist it in handling health related issues and its employees are highly dedicated and committed for technological innovation that assist in handling changing demographics and social trends. Technological factors: Technology related issues that affect company operations and business plans are excessive technological change in mobile phone industry, the introduction of 3G and several other advanced aspects (Dodourova 2003). All these external environment related issues are handled by Vodafone with its technological innovation capability that has been developed by exploiting technological opportunity and developing and applying technologies. SWOT analysis: Another contribution of Vodafone strategic capabilities is in concern to the management of its internal environment that is highly essential to link it up with external environment. With the help of its strategic capabilities, the company has become able to maximize its strength and existing opportunities like global experience, establish itself across several countries, exploring new technologies related to telecommunication and mobile, and increase its size of the market and as well as its market share (Bakar Ahmad 2010). As well, due to its technological innovation capability it has also become able to establish itself at a good global platform, standardized customer relationship management and attaining high operations margin (Dodourova 2003). In addition to this, the company has also become able to minimize its weaknesses and threats to external environment like high capital expenditure, huge RD and infrastructural costs, legal issues, selection of appropriate technologies, political and social regulations, and increasing competitors (McLoughlin Aaker 2010). It has all become possible due to its strategic capabilities developed throughout its different primary and support activities and continuous support from its tangible and intangible resources. All the above identified strategic capabilities assist firm in handling its external as well as internal factors that in turn assist it in the development of appropriate business objective and plans for present and future success of the company. Critical Appraisal of Vodafones Business Performance since 2008 Vodafone is one of the worlds largest mobile communications companies on the basis of revenue. From, its inception it is operating with a vision to become communication leader in a significantly connected world (Capon 2008). In its initial year, it confronted substantial difficulties throughout its business performance but in last some years it has attained immense success due to its several distinct strategic initiatives (Sandbach 2009). Since 2008, the company is doing quite well but still it confronted several failures related to intense competition, emergence of advances communication technologies, and continuous changes in customer preferences (Lynch 2006). For handling failures related to competition the company adopted three generic strategies for competitive advantage. For handling excessive competition and market pressure, the company made use of cost leadership strategy and differentiation in spite of focus strategy. In regard to its problem of competition, the company cost leadership strategy was highly helpful. One critical success attained by the company in this period was to become a firm with truly international customer base (Sandbach 2009). It become possible for Vodafone due to its appropriate strategies like differentiation and cost leadership strategy. In present also, this strategy is highly helpful for the company in dealing with the issues that may arise with number portability. Number portability means customers can switch to anyone who provides a reliable and cheapest service (Vodafone Annual Report 2010 2011). By competing on its cost leadership, Vodafone can direct itself towards higher unit profits that in turn will help it in attaining competitive advantage through decreasing costs. Another imperative success that company has attained in last 3 years is a good global platform which integrates its existing future network systems and heightens its ability to launch products with a concentration on both market speed and the ability to deliver it throughout all group network (Lynch 2006). It is done with a strategic initiative of differentiation. The differentiation along with marketing strategy and effective marketing mix helped Vodafone in serving its customers with added value through their wide range product features and quality that is significantly different from its competitors (Curwen Whalley 2010). The company strategic initiatives and their success and failures can also be understood effectively with the help of BCG matrix that depicts the companys market share and growth rate: Relative Market Share (Cash Generation) High Low Stars Multimedia messaging Question Marks 3G Vodafone Live Cash Cow SMS Dogs Analogue services High Market growth rate (Cash Usage) Low Vodafone BCG Matrix The BCG matrix depicts Vodafones portfolio that in turn demonstrates its products stand. Boston matrix represents the companys portfolio according to where the products and services stand in regard to market share and growth (Johnson 2008). This matrix shows that the company is operating by attaining a balance. Although, it has also confronted troubles in some last years in regard to 3G and Vodafone live that can also be depicted as a problem child or question marks. For effective future success in regard to the existing problems, the company should decrease its investments into its analogue services and in its place it should make use of money from cash cow SMS to reconstitute the problem child and maintain the star multimedia messaging in the high market share/high market growth area (Lynch 2006). In addition to these strategy models, the company performance since 2008 can also be understood with the help of different tools of financial analysis. By analysing subsequent financial ratios in terms of liquidity profitability, efficiency and return to investors it will become easy to identify that how well company managed its performance: Liquidity Ratios Current Ratio: The current ratio for Vodafone decreased from 5.40 to 5.00 in 2009 and 4.99 in 2010. It depicts that in terms of liquidity this period was not as good as throughout these years the company capability to pay its liabilities has decreased (Vodafone Annual Report 2010 2011). Quick Ratio: Vodafones quick ration fall from 5.38 in 2008 to 4.98 in 2009. This in turn also decreased slightly with 4.97 in 2010. This decrease shows that since 2008, the company ability to pay current liabilities without depending on the sale of inventory has also not attained any improvement (Luetjen Maatwk 2011). Profitability Ratios Gross Profit Margin: Vodafones gross profit margin over the three years has fallen slightly from 38.30% in 2008 to 37.00% in 2006 to a further 33.80%. It is the result of uninterrupted rise in the cost of sales. Although company margins are falling but its ratios are much better than its competitors that demonstrate that industry is at its matured stage and regularly the company is making use of new marketing strategies to bring down its cost. Operating Profit Margin: The company operating profit margin has fallen from 28.32% in 2008 to 14.28% in 2009 that in turn again rose to 21.32% in 2010. This was due to company approach towards market trends and existing competitors moves (Luetjen Maatwk 2011). Net Profit Margin: The company net profit margin has fallen initially from 19.4% in 2008 to 7.51% in 2009 and afterwards it improved to 19.38% in 2010 that was due to companys use of appropriate generic strategies and marketing strategy (Vodafone Annual Report 2010 2011). Return on Equity: The return to equity was also fallen from 8.83% in 2008 to 3.63% in 2009 but again with appropriate strategies it was increased to 9.49% in 2010. Efficiency Ratios Stock Turnover: The company stock turnover has increased continuously in the three years from 85.08 in 2008 to 99.56 in 2009 and 102.71 in 2010. This shows that throughout this three years period the company has effectively converted its stocks into revenue and as well it also made an effective use of its working capital that is critical for attaining success in present intense competitive environment (Luetjen Maatwk 2011). Debtor Turnover: The debtor turnover of the company has fallen slightly from 5.42 in 2008 to 5.35 in 2009 and 5.06 in 2010. It depicts that Vodafone is having high efficiency in regard to credit management. Asset Turnover: The asset turnover of the company is almost similar in three years as it was 0.28 in 2008, 0.27 in 2009 and again 0.28 in 2010. This ratio of company depicts its performance in generating sales from the assets at its disposition. Investment Ratios The Company earning per share has confronted both the increase and decrease from 2008 as in 2008 it was 12.56. In 2009 it reached at 5.84 and in 2010 it reached at 16.44. In addition to this, its price earning ration also confronted increase and decline. In 2008, it was 2.52 that increased to 3.14 in 2009 and again decreased to 1.35 in 2010 (Vodafone Annual Report 2010 2011). The companys use of appropriate strategies in comparison to its competitors assisted it in attaining this position. With the analysis of different financial ratios of the company, it can be said that the company performance since 2008 was a mix of success and failures. In this period the company did not confronted any severe failure in spite of just some minor business and competition related troubles (Wilson Gilligan 2005). Also, the company efforts made throughout this period were highly effective as due to this only it become able to make an effective use of its working capital. Development of a Potential Future Strategy for Vodafone With detailed discussion of company strategic capabilities and performance since 2008, it becomes apparent that company is doing very well but several times it is also troubled with intense competition and several other factors like increasing costs, emergence of advance communication technologies and changing preferences of customers (Dibb Simkin 2010). Till now, the company made use of cost leadership and competitive strategy that significantly helped it in attaining its specific business goals and objectives but it also need to be updated continuously. In regard to grow its position in international and global markets it is vital that the company operate with a potential future strategy that can be developed effectively with the help of Porters Diamond that in regard to Vodafone is as follows: Porters five forces Subsequent five forces make a direct effect on Vodafones strategic competitiveness that in turn will assist in determining a potential future strategy for the company: Competitive rivalry: In telecommunication market in which Vodafone operates competition is quite high and basically it comes from its competitors O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Virgin. In this market rivalry is high and there is no brand loyalty that exhibits that there exist little differentiation in spite of price (Dibb Simkin 2004). For handling this rivalry and growing in international markets the company should expand its operations in more and more developing nations. Buying power: In the market Vodafone is operating buying power is quite high and it could be understood with the measures of number of customers that disconnect throughout a year. This also depicts that rivalry in industry is high. Customers have several choices and new packages in regard to new tariffs and new phones (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson 2009). For surviving in this kind of market it is vital to have continuous upgrade and expansion in developing countries for maintaining company position at global level. Power of suppliers: In addition to high buyer power, the telecommunication market also operates with strong suppliers power. In this regard, as Vodafone is a cost leader, it operates with margins higher than their competitors. This assist it to attract price increases from its suppliers more comfortably than its competitors (Dibb Simkin 2010). Being an extensive, leading competitors of the mobile telephone industry, Vodafone is able to hold its supplier cost down and attain profit but this situation would not remain in long-term if company is not able to main its position in global and international markets. For this it is vital to enter different developing countries. Threat of substitutes The company threat of product substitutes is low and it is due to its focussed cost leadership strategy. This strategy makes it difficult for others to produce similar products and services at a lower rate with same economies of scale (Fransman 2002). Threat of entry Although the threat of new entrants in industry is low but this situation need to be maintained by Vodafone by reducing its cost below of its competitors. This could be done by maintaining eminent level of efficiency and extending its place and position in different international and global markets (KÄÂ ±mÄÂ ±loÄÅ ¸lu, HNasÄÂ ±r NasÄÂ ±r 2010). With the help of this porters diamond analysis, it becomes evident that the most potential future strategy that can be adopted by Vodafone is expanding or concentrating more on developing countries. This analysis assists in identifying the suitability of selected potential future strategy. With this analysis it becomes evident that in present, Vodafone is able to maintain its position and attain significant competitive advantage with the help of focussed cost leadership strategy but the situation will not remain same in future. In future competition will get more intense and in that environment a firm that have strong international level presence will be able to operate. So, it is quite helpful for Vodafone to operate with a strategy of concentrating more on developing countries (KÄÂ ±mÄÂ ±loÄÅ ¸lu, HNasÄÂ ±r NasÄÂ ±r 2010). This strategy will also assist the company in increasing its profitability and cost-benefit that is related to the acceptability of a strategic option. Until or unless a strategic option s not acceptable it is not beneficial to use it. With this future strategy, the company will become able to reduce its costs and increase its benefits and shareholder value (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson 2009). In addition to the suitability and acceptability of this future strategy, adoption of this strategy is also feasible. As in present also company is operating in several global locations so it is not so difficult for it to concentrate more on developing nations (Dibb Simkin 2004). It serves its customers with low prices that would also be beneficial for it to expand in developing nations. In this way, it can be concluded that concentrating more on developing markets is a quite effective potential future strategy for Vodafone and for its assured future success.

Definition Of Good And Evil Essay -- essays research papers

Throughout human existence, questions have arisen concerning the nature of good and evil. Many scientist, philosophers, and theologians have been intrigued by these questions. Through Augustine’s Confessions and E. O. Wilson’s In Search of Nature, one is accessible to two distinct perspectives concerning the nature of good and evil.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Augustine sets up an argument in his Confession that attempts to define evil. God is the author of everything. Augustine says, â€Å"nothing that exists could exist without You [God]† (Book I, Chapter II). Nothing in this world exists apart from God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For Augustine, God is good because everything He made is good. Everything about God is good. No aspect of Him is lacking, false, or not good. However, the question of evil and from where it came still remains.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Augustine then asks himself where it was that evil came. Evil could not have come from God; it must have come from another source other than God. Because we clearly see evil in this world, did God allow it to enter? This would seem that God is not omnipotent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Originally Augustine believed that evil had substance. However, his views changed later where he says, â€Å"If they were deprived of all goodness, they would be altogether nothing; therefore, as long as they are, they are good. Thus whatsoever things are, are good; and that evil whose origin I sought is not a substance† (Book VII,...

Is Psychology a Science Essay

Psychology is commonly defined as ‘scientific’ study of human behaviour and cognitive processes. Broadly speaking the discussion focuses on the different branches of psychology, and if they are indeed scientific. However, it is integral in this to debate to understand exactly the major features of a science, in order to judge if psychology is in fact one. There must be a definable subject matter – this changed from conscious human thought to human and non-human behaviour, then to cognitive processes within psychology’s first eighty years as a separate discipline. Also, a theory construction is important. This represents an attempt to explain observed phenomena, such as Watson’s attempt to account for human and non-human behaviour in terms of classical conditioning, and Skinner’s subsequent attempt to do the same with operant conditioning. Any science must have hypotheses, and indeed test them. This involves making specific predictions about behaviour under certain specified conditions, for example, predicting that by combining the sight of a rat with the sound of an iron bar banging behind his head, a small child will learn to fear the rat, as is the case of Little Albert (1923). Also, empirical methods are used in scientific fields to collect data, relevant to the hypothesis being tested, as is the case in many psychological experiments, such as the use of brain scanning in Dement and Kleitman’s 1957 study. Science is meant to be objective and unbiased. It should be free of values and discover the truths about what it is studying. Positivism is the view that science is objective and a study of what is real. For example, schizophrenia, when diagnosed as being caused due to excess dopamine, is being studied in a scientific manner. The explanation does not take into account any cultural customs or individual differences that might lead to ‘schizophrenic’ behaviour. However, even in scientific research like this the person is doing the diagnosing has his or her own views, and may misinterpret behaviour because of his or her own subjective biases. For example, if someone talks about hearing voices, they may be referring to a spiritual experience, but a medical practitioner might well diagnose schizophrenia. So objective, value-free study is not easy, because the scientist has views and biases, and cultural or other issues are perhaps important factors. Some say that a truly objective study is not possible. In conclusion, it’s a science.

Assess the Value of the Chivalry Thesis in Understanding Gender Differences in Crime

Assess the value of the â€Å"chivalry thesis† in understanding gender differences in crime (21) The chivalry thesis is where women are treated more leniently than men by the criminal justice system. This is because of paternalism and sexism when it comes to male dominated police and courts. As a result of this, criminal statistics underestimate the true extent of female offending. This is because police officers are less likely to convict a woman of a less serious crime because it is a woman therefore are seen as more likely to just get a warning.Graham and bowling (1995) did a self-report study on 14-25 year olds and found that 55% of males and 35% of females admitted to offences in the last twelve months. This suggests that males commit more crime than women in general although this self-report study is based on the younger generations of males and females. Women are also more likely to admit to their offences, which concludes this figure is an accurate one and may suggest that the male figure could also be even higher. Another study would be the youth lifestyles survey (2000) where it was found that 11% females and 26% males committed serious crimes in the last twelve months.In general, women are seen to commit less serious crimes like shoplifting and are very rare for them to commit a violent crime. These statistics show that males are a lot more violent and are more capable of committing more serious crimes compared to women. Flood page et all (2000) found that one in eleven self-reported offences by women resulted in prosecution whereas one in seven did for males. This backs up what Allen (1987) says where women are less likely to be given custodial sentences for indictable motoring offences because they are able to talk their way out of it and apologise sweetly.This could also be the case when it comes to prosecution. As well as this, women are seen to be treated more leniently by law for example, first offenders are half as likely to be given a sentence of immediate imprisonment, where as if it was a man there is no doubt about it. Women are also seen by the police as a less serious threat compared to men and they seem to benefit from informal approaches to their offences such as just a caution or warning.Pollak (1961) states that men(including police officers) are protective towards women and are less likely to prosecute them because of this, especially if it is a typical crime that a women is seen to commit. Female defendants are treated more sympathetically unless it is a crime against children or a serious crime that is seen as a crime only men commit. Because of this protectiveness towards women and courts giving them sympathy this creates an invalid picture on crime rates.Another study would be the ministry of justice (2009) where 49% of females recorded of committing a crime received no more than a caution but in 2007 this figure was 30% which implies that this problem is getting worse year by year. On the other han d, studies by Graham and Bowling and Youth lifestyle study, both found that males tended to be involved in more serious offences, which would explain the higher proportions of men among the convicted and cautioned, also possible males are more likely than females to admit offences in self-report studies.Box (1981) did a self-report study in Britain and USA and found that statistics on gender and crime are fairly accurate. He found that women who commit serious offences are not treated more favourably than men; as well as this the lower rate of prosecutions of females compared to the self-report studies may be because the crimes they admit to are less serious and aren’t likely to go on trial. Women offenders also seem a lot more likely to show regret, which may help to explain why they are more likely to receive a caution instead of going to court instead of police and courts just being seen as protective.Buckle and Farrington (1984) found that men were twice as likely as wome n to shop lift even though official figures suggest men and women are equal. There could be many reasons for this, such as women could be a lot less subtle about it as they are seen as more innocent, whereas males hanging about browsing at things in a department store looks a lot more abnormal. Although women commit less serious crime, those who do are likely to face a serious punishment compared to the males that get convicted for the same crime.This is because it isn’t seen as an acceptable way for a women to act as it defies their feminine role of being caring and loving. Violent crimes are seen to be male crimes because it is scientifically proven that males are a lot more aggressive compared to females because of their levels of testosterone. So when women commit a violent crime, the courts come down on them like a tonne of bricks because of how unnatural it is. Carlen (1997) says that’s sentences given to women are based on the female role and the way that a cert ain female fulfils this role and her character.For example if she is an aggressive women, she will probably get a longer sentence as it strictly defies the female role, whereas if a women was very regretful about what she had done, the courts are more likely to give her sympathy and a softer sentence. If women commit a violent crime they are seen as doubly deviant because they aren’t just committing a crime they are defying their role as a women. Farrington and Morris (1983) did a study, which was the sentencing of 408 offences of theft in a magistrate’s court.They found that women were not treated any differently when it came to crimes men and women both committed as they were seen to end up with similar sentences no matter what their circumstances were. This suggests that the chivalry thesis doesn’t always apply and it may not apply at all. There is seen to be a clear divide in what is and isn’t a female crime. Crimes like shoplifting aren’t as s erious, which means that it may not always end up in court because bigger crimes come first which suggest looking at statistics from convictions and court sentences isn’t an accurate way of measuring the number of female criminals.This may be why the male statistics are always higher because they are usually the ones to commit the worse crimes. Overall I don’t think the chivalry thesis is very valid as it forgets to look at the crimes women commit that don’t get recorded as they get off with a caution. Just because it isn’t a prison sentence, doesn’t mean that the police are being lenient with women it just means that women don’t often commit as serious crimes, but they still do commit crime.

Aleksandr Pushkin essays

Aleksandr Pushkin essays Pushkin was a revolutionary and his liberal vies are depicted in almost all of his poems. The five poems that will be discussed in this research paper clearly present Pushkins views. The prisoner, Just There over the Crowned..., The league of ours is..., Its time my friend..., and Oh Rome- a proud land... These particular five poems by Aleksandr Pushkin, helped me in creating a more clear and perceptive image of the poet, his life, and his ideals. In the first poem the prisoner Pushkin is describing his experience in prison. Pushkin was arrested by Czar Nicholas I, for his liberal views. This poem, can be interpreted as Pushkins experience in prison. However an alternative interpretation of this poem, is that lives of the Russian people were being oppressed and their liberties were confined by their king. Were free proud birds; it is time for the friends to fly. he is inciting his people to get out of this prison Let us fly outside! This poem clearly shows Pushkins liberal and somewhat revolutionary views. His view of the current Russian governmentmonarchy is that of a prison that is denying its citizens the right to be free. In the next poem Just there, over the crowned... pushkin is defining to the monarch his role in society. According to Pushkin, its true that the king has the power to govern his people but this power is not given to him by God, but rather by the law. This law according to Pushkin should be formulated by the people, to represent the people and protect their liberties. Pushkin in this poem, is telling the Russian people that they are above the king. Oh, kings! Your crown and your throne. Not by your birth, by Law are given...where law is steadfastly set with liberty in combination. Its is understandable that Pushkin would h ...

History of WD-40

History of WD-40 If youve ever used WD-40 to oil up something squeaky in your home, you may have wondered, just what does WD-40 stand for? Well, according to the company that makes WD-40, WD-40 literally stands forWater Displacement 40th   attempt. Thats the name straight out of the lab book used by the chemist who helped develop WD-40 back in 1953. Norman  Larsen  was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion, a task which is done by displacing water. Norms persistence paid off when he perfected the formula for WD-40 on his 40th try. Rocket Chemical Company WD-40 was invented by the three founders of the Rocket Chemical Company of San Diego, California. The team of inventors was working on a line of industrial rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry. Today, it  is manufactured by the San Diego, California-based WD-40 Company. WD-40 was first used to protect the outer skin of the Atlas Missile from rust and corrosion. When it was discovered to have many household uses, Larsen repackaged WD-40 into aerosol cans for consumer use and the product was sold to the general public in 1958. In 1969, the Rocket Chemical Company was renamed after its only product WD-40. Interesting Uses for WD-40 Two of the craziest purposes for WD-40 include a bus driver in Asia who used WD-40 to remove a python snake which had coiled itself around the undercarriage of his bus and police officers who used WD-40 to remove a naked burglar trapped in an air conditioning vent. Ingredients WD-40s main ingredients as supplied in aerosol cans, according to the U.S.  Material Safety Data Sheet  information, are: 50% aliphatic hydrocarbons. The manufacturers website claims this ratio in the current formulation cannot accurately be described as  Stoddard solvent, a similar mixture of hydrocarbons.25%  petroleum  base oil. Presumably, mineral oil  or light lubricating oil.12–18% low  vapor pressure  aliphatic hydrocarbon. Reduces the liquids viscosity so that it can be used in aerosols. The hydrocarbon evaporates during application.2–3% carbon dioxide. A propellant which is now used instead of the original  liquefied petroleum gas  to reduce WD-40s flammability.10% inert ingredients.​ The long-term active ingredient is a non-volatile viscous oil which remains on the surface to which it is applied, giving lubrication and protection from moisture.​ The oil is diluted with a volatile hydrocarbon to make a low viscosity fluid which can be aerosolized to penetrate crevices. The volatile hydrocarbon then evaporates, leaving behind the oil. A propellant (originally a low-molecular-weight hydrocarbon, now carbon dioxide) creates pressure in the can to force the liquid through the cans nozzle before evaporating. Its properties make it useful in both domestic and commercial settings. Typical uses for WD-40 include removing dirt and removing stubborn screws and bolts. It can also be used to loosen stuck zippers and displace moisture. Due to its lightness (i.e. low viscosity), WD-40 is not always the preferred oil for certain tasks. Applications that require higher viscosity oils may use  motor oils. Those requiring a mid-range oil could use  honing oil.

Everybody is a Native Speaker, Nobody is a Native Writer

Everybody is a Native Speaker, Nobody is a Native Writer Everybody is a Native Speaker, Nobody is a Native Writer Everybody is a Native Speaker, Nobody is a Native Writer By Michael Does writing English cause you pain? Maybe thats because youre not a native writer of English. But then, none of us is a native writer of anything. We all learned to talk before we could write. Linguists say that, in a real sense, written English is a different language than spoken English. Thats true of every language. Writing down your words changes what youre saying. For one thing, your tone of voice disappears. Written letters and characters may not correspond directly to the sounds of speech (especially true of English, unfortunately). Readers are less tolerant of missing or added words than listeners. A speech may make sense to the original audience members and even move their hearts, but the initial transcript may seem shockingly illiterate and even incomprehensible: And the reason you know not that I would recommend no, Im serious When students have trouble learning a foreign language, its often because their teachers treat the written language as primary, when actually the spoken language is primary. Chinese was considered a forbidding language for Westerners (all those characters!) until people such as Henry C. Fenn and Gardner M. Tewksbury at Yales Institute of Far Eastern Languages had the brilliant idea of teaching their students to speak Chinese before teaching them to write it. From personal experience, I can testify that they were right. To me, Chinese is simpler and more sensible than many other languages, especially I never had to learn to write it. (I still have problems with pronouncing tones, which change the meaning. But all Westerners do.) What prompted my thinking about writing vs. speaking was a question from a reader named Linda, who read my article The Yiddish Handbook: 40 Words You Should Know, and asked, If a Jewish person was singing, what language would they sing in: Hebrew or Yiddish? I sort of thought that Hebrew was the written language, but Yiddish was the spoken language of the Jewish people but I dont really know. Thank you! I answered: They usually sing in their native language most Jews arent fluent in either Hebrew or Yiddish. But Hebrew is the official language of the state of Israel, and Yiddish is the common language of the haredi, commonly called the ultra-Orthodox. So there are popular Jewish songs in both languages. Of course, Hebrew is the language of religion, and was often considered fancier or more formal than Yiddish, so it might be used for certificates and so on. Chants and prayers during worship are in Hebrew, and Yiddish is written in the Hebrew alphabet, but Eastern European Jewish folk songs and klezmer songs usually have Yiddish titles or lyrics. Hebrew is an example of a religious language that is read more than it is spoken. In my experience, many young Jewish people learn Hebrew only well enough to read it (often shakily) for their bar mitzvah ceremony. In Eastern Europe churches, Slavic Orthodox worshippers use the Church Slavonic language, but they dont speak it outside church. Language acquisition expert Tom Brewster told me that conservative Protestant Christians are able to understand the 1611 King James Bible only because theyve become partially bilingual in Elizabethan English. Im told that citizens of Greece can understand the first century Greek Bible about as well. Just as Muslims pray in Arabic without necessarily speaking it, for centuries Roman Catholics prayed in Latin. At first the language of the church service was simply a formal version of the Vulgar Latin (sermo vulgaris, folk speech) spoken in Europe. But over the centuries, as Vulgar Latin evolved into languages such as Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan and Romansh, Catholic worshippers understood less and less of what the priest was saying. In the 1960s the Vatican began to allow the Mass to be said in local languages. Writing coaches often urge their students, Write the way you talk, and thats good advice. Your writing can be friendly and conversational, just as your speaking is. Aim to be understood, not to impress, in both your writing and speaking. But understand that written English and spoken English are two slightly different languages. When you write them down, your words can become even more expressive and precise than if you spoke them. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:15 Terms for Those Who Tell the Future"Certified" and "Certificated"List of 50 Compliments and Nice Things to Say!

TED talks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

TED talks - Essay Example As a means of understanding the speakers approach, this particular essay will focus upon a brief summary and analysis as well as discussion of the tactics employed by Charlie Todd and seeking to analyze whether the author agrees or disagrees with such tactics and based upon what grounds. It is the hope of this author that such a level of analysis will help the reader to integrate a more solid understanding and integration with the approach that Charlie Todd takes and whether or not such an approach is applicable within society and if so – to what degree. Furthermore, the analysis will seek to determine whether or not Todd’s approach is necessarily right or wrong. Ultimately, Charlie Todd moved to New York City as a means of kick starting an acting career. Seeing that entering the entertainment industry in New York City was much harder than he had anticipated, Todd sought to begin improv performances at various locations throughout New York as a means of integrating such a level of active acting participation directly with society; who he believed were ultimately the target market for any acting that takes place. In such a way, the â€Å"Improv Everywhere† group was born. ... Accordingly, the overall level of passion that Todd brings to the performances is ultimately infectious and helps to engage fellow shareholders within the participatory nature of his improv. A fact that strikes the viewer as odd in an ear that is so typically driven by greed and the level of money that any form of leisure or entertainment can ultimately be defined by. The joining activity which Todd relates to the viewer is ultimately the very crux of the point that he is trying to make. Rather than merely exhibiting a series of funny videos and situations to elicit a few laughs, the participatory nature of the entire experience is, according to Todd, what helps it to all make sense and be funny not only to the onlookers but also to the participants. This strikes at a central issue which helps to differentiate what Todd and his group do as compared to so many comedians within the current system. Whereas the comedian is interested in making people laugh by integrating them with jokes and/or funny situations, Todd’s improv allows both the participant and the recipient of the situation to realize and appreciate the funny and/or amusing aspects of what is taking place. Whereas Todd wanted to begin his career in New York City as an actor integrating with a traditional audience, he relates to the viewer the sudden and rather unexpected means by which this dream transformed in order to reveal his true talents and interest in the improve groups he was able to establish and direct. With regards to an analysis and statement of agreement with regards to the actions undertaken by Charlie Todd, it is the belief of this author that the improv group is ultimately a highly positive idea. Firstly, it allows individuals who would otherwise be hapless bystanders to take an active and

Health Policy Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health Policy Value - Essay Example Quality is more important to patients than any other factor in regard to health care. Spirituality demands that the society should be able to take care of the underprivileged. Members of the society should not be left to die in the emergency room based on the fact that they cannot afford insurance costs (Porter & Teisberg, 2006). I personally believe that life is precious and costly beyond price. For this reason, I think that in spite of the cost constraints that exist in the healthcare setting, people should be served and lives saved at all possible costs. A good health care system is one that engages the community’s resources wisely and ensures that the coming generations will find the same resources for their good and development. American citizens do not get quality health care for their money. The health care system in America cannot be compared to those found in other countries. Health care leaders and institutions should be careful in the way they handle health care resources to ensure that clients do not continue paying high costs for medical care. Insurance has been the main issue concerning money in health care. Every individual in the society should not be forced to have health care insurance. Uninsured clients should not be left to suffer during emergency because they did not purchase health care insurance. It would be unethical not to take care of a bleeding patient in the ER since they do not possess health care insurance. Health care should be affordable to all citizens in America (Porter & Teisberg, 2006) Quality in health care should never be associated with cost reduction. Quality should be the determining factor in health care. Physician performance improvement in health care should be based on the significance of services they present to clients. There should be measures put in place to measure quality and improvement of quality. However, quality in health care remains to be

Alfred Wegener ideas about Continental drift Research Paper

Alfred Wegener ideas about Continental drift - Research Paper Example Wegner’s ideas on plate motion were later on developed by different researchers. One of them is Kiyoo Wadati, who suggested that plate motion has resulted in often earthquakes in Japan, and those earthquakes are connected to the continental drift. He compared data from different earthquakes and identified a specific earthquake zone in the oceanic trench (Garrison, p. 70). Hugo Benioff pointed out that Kiyoo Wadati’s findings were related to the â€Å"subduction of the seafloor†("The Giants of Science"). Harry Hess was able to move beyond Wegener’s ideas and develop them in a different direction. He discovered how the seafloor spreading operates and what role magma plays in it by filling in the deep oceanic trenches ("Harry Hammond Hess: Spreading the Seafloor") Ronald Dietz arrived at the same conclusion, however the Hess owns the idea that continents move together with an attached oceanic basin on the same crust (Garrison, p.70). Tuzo Wilson analy zed Hawaiian Islands and their relation to tectonic plates. He concluded that these island were created as a result of plate’s movement northwest over the â€Å"hotspots† ("J. Tuzo Wilson: Discovering Transforms and Hotspots").

Ethical Issue relate to Women Having Children with Unkown Sperm Donors Essay

Ethical Issue relate to Women Having Children with Unkown Sperm Donors - Essay Example 645). Sperm banks get sperm donors from colleges and through the internet. Screening test carried out to ensure the sperm donor is free from genetic diseases, and is of sound mind and intelligence. A number of ethical considerations have risen because of women having children with unknown sperm donors. Sperm donation takes place through artificial insemination. A couple chooses a donor with regard to race, intelligence and good health among other issues (Liou, 2011, p. 7). Technological advancement has assisted older women to bear children. In addition, married infertile men also use sperm donation services to conceive children. The technology has been embraced by many people especially women who wish to bear children at their 40s and 50s. Nonetheless, some ethical and legal issues have emerged where a third party is involved. Therefore, when undertaking unknown sperm donation by a couple the following ethical considerations, should be considered: such as if the sperm donor has legal rights that protect him from any problems that may arise in the future (Liou, 2011, p. 7). In the past, the donors chose to remain anonymous, stating they did not want to get in touch with the donor children. However, due to the curiosity of the donor children, sperm donors have the option of either remaining anonymous or choosing their identity to be known. The donor also has the freedom of being free from any responsibility to the biological child originating from his sperm (Seibel & Crockin, 2010, p. 25). When it comes to the client seeking sperm donation services some information ought to be made available; for instance, what are the complications associated with artificial insemination. Sperm donation activity is not always successful therefore; some treatments ought to be considered before one is eligible for artificial insemination. The sperm bank availing the sperm does not give a guarantee to the client if the sperm is free from genetic diseases (Seibel & Crockin, 2010, p. 26). Even though, genetic screening test is undertaken prior to the procedure, it does not guarantee that the sperm is free from genetic diseases and abnormalities. In addition, the client is also required to be fully responsible for the donor child. The sperm donor and the client rights are usually established under a written contract, signed by the two and the doctor. The agreement ensures that the client and the sperm donor are aware of their rights with regard to the whole procedure. Sperm banks have their specifications when it comes to the sperm they take from donors. A man’s education and personal outlook are taken into consideration. Age also matters, men above the age of forty are not accepted by any sperm bank (Seibel & Crockin, 2010, p. 27). The sperm banks are required, ethically to ensure that they keep records of the number of children one person has conceived this will be used for future references. Therefore, to curb the issue of ethical controversies ethical principles ought to be applied. This will protect persons conceived through sperm donation and all the participants in the sperm donation transaction. Controlling the number of donor offspring is the first principle. Without proper control, one sperm donor can father over 150 children. For instance, in the United States the technology of artificial insemination is on the rise and the demand for donor sperm have risen, as well (Liou, 2011, p. 7). However, the demand

Genders at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Genders at work - Essay Example Griffith & Goodwin (2012) observe that the childhood behavioral patterns are carried onto the workplace culture. Segregation between the male and female groups is also a characteristic that is evident in the workplace. Men form more cohesive groups that are greatly concerned with competition and turf protection (Griffith & Goodwin, 2012). Women groups on the other hand are less cohesive but demonstrate high levels of democracy and avoidance of confrontation (Griffith & Goodwin, 2012). These characteristics are very applicable in solution development and conflict management within the organization. From the above discussion, male employees are less likely to resort to democracy compared to female employees. In the occurrence of a problem that requires a solution; male employees are more likely to resort to fast solution development choices that will not require extensive consultancy techniques. However, the female trait in avoiding confrontations would lead to the development of the fairest and most democratic choice of solution, with the aim of providing the most satisfactory solution (Griffith & Goodwin, 2012). Indeed the gender role in the workplace influences decision making processes and most especially in problem solving situations. The discussion concludes that male employees are less likely to go for an extensive problem inquiry compared to their female

Without Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Without - Assignment Example These new policies drained the reserves but were instrumental in activating the lender of last resort policy. Compare the Feds response in the 2007–2009 financial crisis to its response to the economic downturn of the 1930s, and how its actions in 2008 helped prevent a repeat of the earlier economic downturn. (5 points) The two crises are very similar, the cost of housing shot up in the 2007 – 2009 crises and the cost of gold had shot up in the downturn of the 1930s. Roosevelt’s New deal policy was just like the bailout that happened recently. The bailout helped the economy regain its stability and also catered for the causes of the crisis. As such, there would be no repeat of the same. Your brother knows you are taking a class in money and financial institutions and shows you the yield curves for December 4 and December 7, 2007. He asks you what might explain the shift in the curve between these two dates. What do you tell him? (5 points) Discuss the relationship between consumption growth and the returns to NASDAQ. What impact does this have on the AE curve? Using this, what do you think happened to real GDP from 1991 to 2000? (5 points) Consumption growth leads to an increase of return for NASDAQ. This causes a rise on the AE curve due to the increased productivity of the population and the need for more in consumption. The real GDP has had a constant growth over the decade running from 1991 to 2000. In the 1990s, Japan suffered what is called a â€Å"lost decade† of economic growth. In 2007–2009, the United States suffered through the worst recession since the Great Depression. Compare the causes and impact of each of these two countries experiences. (10 points) The experiences were caused by the bubble collapse, in asset price for Japan and housing for the United States. In both cases, thee was investment in the too big to fail institutions and their losses led to crises. There were

Genders at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Genders at work - Essay Example Griffith & Goodwin (2012) observe that the childhood behavioral patterns are carried onto the workplace culture. Segregation between the male and female groups is also a characteristic that is evident in the workplace. Men form more cohesive groups that are greatly concerned with competition and turf protection (Griffith & Goodwin, 2012). Women groups on the other hand are less cohesive but demonstrate high levels of democracy and avoidance of confrontation (Griffith & Goodwin, 2012). These characteristics are very applicable in solution development and conflict management within the organization. From the above discussion, male employees are less likely to resort to democracy compared to female employees. In the occurrence of a problem that requires a solution; male employees are more likely to resort to fast solution development choices that will not require extensive consultancy techniques. However, the female trait in avoiding confrontations would lead to the development of the fairest and most democratic choice of solution, with the aim of providing the most satisfactory solution (Griffith & Goodwin, 2012). Indeed the gender role in the workplace influences decision making processes and most especially in problem solving situations. The discussion concludes that male employees are less likely to go for an extensive problem inquiry compared to their female

Euro Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Euro Behaviour - Essay Example From the report it is clear that  economic performance of a trade block depend more on individual countries performance. In our analysis, we intend to evaluate euro’s performance and as such will rely more on the overall activity within member countries. Euro is not political affiliated and thus depend in multi-nation policies regarding the member countries economic performance. When crisis in economic activity within one trade block occur, the effects easily spill to the global economic and asset market. The European Union, as a trade block, has frequently suffered such.According to the report findings  the links in international financial and asset markets are key determinants of a currency’s exchange rate. Single currency or states supremacy cannot influence the rates that her currencies are accorded. Macroeconomics teaches that multiple factors are put into play in regard to determining a currency’s worth in the international market. Individual states cur rency is rated on a scale that is unanimously accepted within the trading scope against a common denomination; majorly the U.S dollar, yen or the euro. However, the rates are never constant varying on the prevailing economic performances as determined by the World Bank. ‘Purchasing power parity’ (PPP) compares rates of trade and prices within a state. Projections of future interest rates of a currency relative to nominal interests are determined by the interest rate parity. (Cumby and Obstfeld, 1982, 1-2). Therefore, at the macro and micro level performance of an economy, the policies made always have an impact to the valuation of her currency. However, the determination of these indices within an economic block like the EU is not dependent on a single country but rather on sum of the overall economic performance of the economic block. The Euro use has expanded very much within the EU region and is now estimated to be in used throughout

Transport Layer Network Layer Protocols Attack

Transport Layer Network Layer Protocols Attack Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1: Background Data Communication technologies and the underlying protocols in the twenty-first century is one of the critical elements that acts as the backbone for electronic commerce and use of the world-wide-web (Todd and Johnson, 2001[1]). The increase in the growth of electronic commerce as well as other forms of internet-based secure communication have increased not only the risks associated with networking related attacks that involve in the loss of personal information and possible financial loss to the victims. One of the major components in the Internet communication is the underlying protocol that governs the compilation and communication of the information from the source computer to the target and back (Nash et al, 2001[2]). The role of the protocols in the networking also has a key influence on its ability to securely deliver the information as part of the overall communication architecture. This makes it clear that the robustness of the protocol and the extent to which a given proto col architecture can resist intruder attacks through encryption efficiency etc dictates the security associated with the information transfer as argued by Todd and Johnson, (2001). In this report a critical overview on the transport layer and the network layer protocols of the TCP/IP protocol architecture is presented to the reader. The research aims to throw light on the possible security attacks on these protocols and the possible countermeasures in order to prevent such attacks. The attacks in these cases mainly concern with the infringement of the information through unauthorised access bypassing the security or breaking the encryption surrounding the information being transported. 1.2: Aim and Objectives The aim of this research is to investigate the possible attacks on the Transport layer Network layer protocols and present possible countermeasures on overcoming the threat of these attacks on the day-to-day Internet-based data communication. The above aim of the research is accomplished through embracing the research on the following objectives To conduct a literature review on the Transport and Network layers of the TCP/IP protocol architecture. To conduct a critical overview on the possible types of attacks on the Transport Layer and Network Layer protocols. To present a critical analysis on the possible countermeasures to prevent the attacks on the Transport layer protocols. 1.3: Research Methodology A qualitative approach is used to conduct the research. Since there are five layers to the TCP/IP model of which the research aims to investigate the protocols associated with the Transport and Network layer, a qualitative approach is deemed effective as the infrastructure required to simulate tests for conducting a quantitative research is limited for conducting the research. As it is also apparent that the analysis on the five layers of the TCP/IP model is beyond the scope of the research conducted in this report, the research conducted mainly focuses on the key threats and possible types of attacks on the protocols of the TCP/IP layers discussed. 1.4: Chapter Overview Chapter 1: Introduction This is the current chapter that presents the aim, objectives and brief overview on the research conducted to the reader. Chapter 2: Literature Review This chapter presents an overview on the layers of the TCP/IP model followed by a detailed overview on the key Transport layer and Network layer protocols. The chapter also presents a brief overview on the network attacks and the possible threats associated with the Internet data transfer. Chapter 3: Protocol Attacks This chapter presents a critical overview on the types of attacks on the Transport Layer and Network Layer protocols. The chapter presents a critical analysis on the methods used and the potential losses that may result due to the attacks. Chapter 4: Countermeasures This chapter presents a critical overview on the possible countermeasures that are implemented in order to prevent the attacks discussed in chapter 3. A comparative study on the countermeasures discussed is also presented in this chapter. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1: Internet Security in the twenty-first century The increase in the need for internet security from unauthorised access and malicious attacks is not only due to the need protecting personal/sensitive information of the users but also the service providers (Ganesh and Thorsteinson, 2003[3]). This is naturally because of the fact that the service providers can perform effectively only when the requests sent to the server are valid thus making justifiable use of the resources (Rayns et al, 2003[4]). The use of the resources in terms of the number of connections and the allocation of memory to cater for each connection established with the web server of the service provider is deemed to attribute to the extent to which a given website establishment performs effectively. This makes it clear that the need for internet security is not only a matter of protecting personal information but also effective utilisation of the computer resources dedicated for the purpose as argued by Rayns et al (2003). Walden (2007)[5] further argues that the security over the internet is mainly accomplished through implementing security measures on the connection-oriented and connection-less protocol used for transferring information from one end to another. It is interesting to note that the above focuses especially on the resource utilisation and protection of computer from malicious attacks through ensuring that the communication to and from the computer are not only secure but also valid. It is necessary to ensure both the validity and security of a given connection over the internet because of the former corresponds to the availability of the service whilst the later attribute to the reliability of the available service (Walden, 2007). It is also interesting to note that the prevention of unauthorised access to information systems connected to the Internet is deemed effective as opposed to implementing access control on each individual system as argued by Todd and Johnson (2001). This makes i t clear that the implementation of the security over the Internet is mainly through implementing the preventive measures against malicious attacks through strengthening the protocols used in the various layers of the TCP/IP model. As the TCP/IP model forms the basis for communication over the internet, it is apparent that the robustness of the protocols implemented in each layer of the TCP/IP stack dictates the effectiveness of the Internet security implemented (Walden, 2007). In the next section a critical overview of the TCP/IP model is presented to the reader. 2.2: TCP/IP Model ‘TCP/ IP is a set of rules that defines how two computers address each other and send data to each other’ as argued by Blank (2004) (p1)[6]. Naturally the above makes it clear that TCP/IP is merely a framework that governs the methods to be deployed in order to enable communication over the internet between two computing devices. As TCP/IP is platform independent in nature, it provides a communication framework that can be deployed across any given operating system on a computing device connected to the Internet or even a dedicated network as opposed to the World Wide Web. This further opens room for development of new protocols and communication standards/rules that can be implemented using the TCP/IP model on any one of its five layers as argued by Rayns et al (2003). Hence securing the information being transferred from one end to another over a given network or the Internet can be accomplished through implementing a combination of protocols to operate within the laye rs of the TCP/IP framework. The five layers of the TCP/IP model are Application Layer Transport Layer Network Layer Data Link Layer and Physical Layer. From the above it is evident that TCP/IP can be implemented in a given network using any number of protocols in each layer of the TCP/IP model depending upon the level of security required and the speed in data transfer. This is because of the fact that the increase in the number of protocols naturally increases the size of the data packet being transferred as part of the communication thus having a direct impact on the speed of communication as argued by Rayns et al (2003). It must also be noted that the protocols presented in each layer of the TCP/IP model shown in Fig 1 is merely a selection and not the exhaustive list of the protocol suite. From the model represented in Fig 1 one should also appreciate that the layers of the TCP/IP model are arranged in a logical fashion so that the protocols closer to the top at the layer 1 associate themselves with the computing applications that handle data encryption and security. The protocols to the bottom of the TCP/IP stack on layer 5 on the other hand associate themselves with the actual data transfer from one end to another through establishing connection and enabling communication between sender and receiver as argued by Blank (2004). As the research presented in this report focuses on the Transport and Network layers of the TCP/IP model a detailed overview on the five layers is beyond the scope of this report. A brief overview on each TCP/IP layer is presented below. Application Layer – This layer of the TCP/IP model comprises of the protocols that associate with the handling of data and the encryption of the information order to effectively transfer the information from one end to another. The application layer is also deemed as the layer of the TCP/IP model that communicates with the actual application that is handling the information prior to its transfer over the Internet. The protocols of the application layer enable the interaction between the computer and the actual web application that performs the business logic associated with the application prior to preparing the information for transfer over the Internet. This makes it clear that the application layer encryption is mainly associated with the segmentation of the data into packets and allocates the associated headers in order to enable their transfer over the Internet. This also makes it clear that the security associated with the information transfer is not implemented at the A pplication Layer of the TCP/IP model. This makes it clear that the application layer protocols are extensively used in case of client server applications where the data transfer between the client and the server is in the full-duplex mode (Feit, 1998[7]). Transport Layer – This is the actual layer that manages the connection between the two computers and the success or failure of the information being transferred as argued by Blank (2004). The purpose of the Transport layer protocol as the name suggests is to ensure the secure and successful transfer of information over the Internet between the communicating parties as argued by Ganesh and Thorsteinson (2003). The process of enabling end-to-end communication for successful data transfer is the major task that is accomplished using the Transport layer of the TCP/IP model. It is also interesting to not that the transport layer of the TCP/IP model provides the error tracking, flow control and data fragmentation capabilities independent of the underlying network as argued by Feit (1998). The transport layer of the TCP/IP model also performs the task of assigning the header to the data fragment off the overall information being transferred from one end to another. The transport layer of the TCP/IP model implements two forms of communication strategies. These are connection-oriented and connectionless implementation as discussed below. Connection-Oriented Implementation – The TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) protocol of the transport layer accomplishes the connection-oriented strategy of data communication. The connection-oriented approach o data communication corresponds to the process where a connection must be available between the communicating parties in conformance with the authentication and association rules prior to actually performing data transfer. This makes it clear that the data transfer in case of a connection-oriented approach depends on the extent to which the connection being established is live between the communicating computers. This makes it clear that the data transfer in a connection-oriented implementation can be accomplished only with the ability to maintain the connection between the computers thus making the data transfer reliable as argued by Feit (1998). This is naturally because of the fact that termination of the connection of loss of connection established during the cours e of the communication/data transfer would trigger a request to resend the information thus providing room for transferring all the information from one end to another. The session based communication strategies in terms of enabling the communication security is one of the key features of the connection-oriented implementation as prolonged inactivity or termination of the session will naturally terminate the connection established thus protecting the information transferred over the internet. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) which will be discussed in the next section depends on the establishment of a connection-oriented communication strategy in order to ensure that the communication between the two computers using the connection oriented approach will help protect the information being transferred by the transport layer protocol. As discussed earlier, the transfer of information from one end to another in a communication channel is accomplished through segmenting the information in to equal sized segments of data called packets that are assigned a header containing the details of the packet as well as its sequence in the information being transfer. The connection-oriented implementation of the transport layer has following key features Sequential data transfer – This is method which follows the First-in First-out (FIFO) strategy. Thus the sequence in which the data packets are received is the same in which it is being sent from the source computer. This approach is deemed secure to ensure that the information being transferred is not tampered with and loss of one of the packets will enable the sender to resend the entire information again. However, the major disadvantage is that the increase in the size of the information will result in poor performance in terms of speed of data transfer. Higher level of error control –As the connection oriented approach ensures that the connection established is live between the sender and the receiver throughout the entire communication process, it is clear that the error control is accomplished successfully through enabling the sender to resend the packets that were not received in the initial transfer. The control in the loss of packets using the above resend strategy naturally minimizes the error associated with the data transfer. Duplication Control – The connection-oriented strategy also has the inherent ability to eliminate duplicate data packets transferred thus allowing the connection-oriented architecture to ensure consistency in the information being transferred. Congestion Control – The TCP protocol monitors the network traffic as part of the transport layer activities. This ensures that that the session established between the sender and the receiver can transfer the required information successfully prior to reaching the session time-out situation as argued by Feit (1998). The client-server communication over the internet is a classical example for the implementation of a connection oriented strategy in the Transport layer of the TCP/IP model. The use of the PKI in the communication is one of the key aspects of the connection-oriented implementation that makes the TCP protocol a key element in the secure data transfer strategies of the day. Connectionless Implementation – As the name suggests the connectionless implementation is the case where a dedicated connection is not required to complete the data transfer between the communicating computer as argued by Blank (2004). The User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is used in the case of connectionless implementation where the transfer of the data packets merely comprises the packet order and the source/target details alone. This makes it clear that the transfer of data can be achieved at a higher rate as the authentication and validation of the data transferred is not restricted to a time frame or the session that controls the communication. However, the major issue associated is the lack of security and inaccuracy of the data transferred. Alongside, the key issue with the UDP protocol and the connectionless implementation is the lack of traceability of the information thus resulting in a non-reliable communication channel as argued by Blank (2004). The UDP is thus deemed to be an insecure mode of communication over the internet due to the lack of security measures apart from authentication and identification of the communicative parties. It is further important to appreciate that implementing PKI using the connectionless approach would result the exposure of the information and the lack of effective acknowledgement of the authentication between the communicating computers thus affecting the information security providing room for network attacks that can directly affect the information being transferred through the connection. Network Layer – Blank (2004) argues that the network layer of the TCP/IP model performs the task of delivery of the data within the network one the data packet has reached the appropriate network subnet. This makes it clear that the network layer of the TCP/IP model plays a critical role in identifying the correct network target/destination in order to enable effective communication between the communicating parties as argued by Feit (1998). In case of the World Wide Web, the Network Layer plays the vital role of identifying the destination network and enabling the routing of the packets through the network in order to effectively reach the destination without the data being tampered by unauthorised users. The protocols that are widely used in the Network layer include the Internet Protocol (IP) and the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). The Routing Information Protocol (RIP) of the information TCP/IP model which is predominantly used in the Application layer plays a vi tal role in the network layer for enabling routing of the information across the networks in order to effectively reach the target computer in the communication channel established over the Internet. It is further critical to appreciate the fact that the routing of the packets alone is not the task of the network layer protocols but also to enable the transport layer protocol to effectively enable the communication and data transfer between the communicating computers. This makes it clear that network attacks over the internet by hackers to affect the performance of the communicating computers in order to gain unauthorised access is accomplished through manipulating the communication strategies implemented by the protocols in the Transport and Network Layers of the TCP/IP model. The access to information and the actual infringement of the information which is deemed as the consequence of the hacking or network attack is related to the infringement of the information at the applicati on layer protocols that hold the actual information being transferred (Blank, 2004). However, the attacks themselves that facilitate the aforementioned are accomplished through manipulating the procedures associated with the Transport Layer and Network Layer protocols. The attacks typically include spoofing, overloading, flooding etc., which are discussed in detail at chapter 3 of this report. The Data Link Layer and the Physical Layer of the TCP/IP model involve the actual hardware based communication strategies that are beyond the scope of this research. Hence these two layers of the TCP/IP model are not discussed any further. It is important to appreciate the fact that the top three layers of the TCP/IP stack interact frequently in order to enable the secure communication and allocation of computing resources on the computing devices involved in the communication (Blank, 2004). 2.3: Public Key Infrastructure – an overview PKI implements a form of cryptography known as the asymmetric cryptography in order to enable secure communication between two computers over the Internet as argued by Todd and Johnson (2001). This process mainly involves the use of a public key and private key that are used for encrypting and decrypting the information at the client and server ends respectively (Blank, 2004). The process of encryption is beyond the scope of this research although its role in the secure communication and the extent to which a hacker can manipulate the authentication strategies for launching an attack is relevant to the research. Hence the discussion in this section mainly concerns with the handshake and the communication strategies deployed along with an overview of the players in the PKI. This will help in identifying the various attacks plausible and the level manipulation that can be implemented by the hacker over the protocols used in order to infringe the communication between the client and ser ver computers. It is deemed that the PKI is a reliable communication strategy to implement secure communication through the use of Trusted Third Party (TTP) authentication and approval of the overall communication process between the server and the client computers. The key components of the PKI infrastructure that enable successful and reliable communication over the internet are discussed below Certificate Authority (CA) – The CA is the issuer and control of the public key and the digital certificate associated with the authentication and transfer of secure information over the connection established using the TCP protocol. The primary role of the CA is to generate the public and the private keys simultaneously for a given server computer or service provider (Blank, 2004). The public key as the name suggests is made available over the public domain for encryption/decryption of the information at the client-end of the connection. The private key is not shared and stored at the server which is used for encryption/decryption of the information as applicable at the server end of the connection established for communication. From the above description it is evident that the role of the CA in the PKI is pivotal for the effective implementation of the PKI for secure communication free of network attacks. This is because, if the server hosting the CA application is attacked either using cross site scripting or flood attacks, the public keys stored as well as the associated certificates for verification are compromised thus resulting in the hacker gaining control over the communication channel without the knowledge of the server or the client as argued by Blank (2004). This makes it clear that the security at the CA computer is critical to establish a reliable TTP computer for implementing connection-oriented communication using TCP protocol of the TCP/IP model. Registering Authority (RA) – The RA as the name implies is the verifier of the digital certificate before it is issued to a requestor as argued by Todd and Johnson (2001). The role of the RA computer in the PKI implementation is to enable an independent authorisation of the digital certificates issued thus providing a secondary verification of the information prior to communicating to the server. This presence of an independent verifying program or computer as part of the communication makes the PKI a reliable communication strategy to implemented connection-oriented communication over the internet in a secure fashion. It is also deemed to the key weakness of the PKI strategy owing to the fact that the reliability of the RA as a TTP in the communication process dictates the effectiveness of the communication and the protection of the server from intruder attacks as argued by Todd and Johnson (2001). However, the reliability of the CA or RA is not the issue of debate in this re search but the potential attacks that threaten the stability of the computers hosting the CA and RA programs in order to enable secure connection oriented implementation across the Internet. The key area where the attacks can be accomplished by hackers to disable the RA or the CA computer eventually compromising the information held within is the use process of handshake where the RA or the CA computer is expected to receive an acknowledgement (ACK) from the requesting computer for each message successfully communicated. It is through manipulating these handshake communications a CA or RA can be compromised as the communication channel is expected to open for a specific time period to receive the ACK as well as allocate sufficient resources to complete the data transfer. Abuse of this feature is one of the major areas where the connection-oriented communication faces threat of attacks. These are discussed in chapter 3 elaborately. Directories – The directories are the locations on the public domain that host the public keys for enabling the encryption of the information. The keys are normally held in more than one location in order to enable easy/quick access to the information as well as a verification strategy to ensure that the key retrieved is indeed the valid one for data transfer between the client a given server computer. Certificate Management System (CMS) – This is the application that controls or monitors the certificates issued and facilitates the verification process. The CMS forms the core of the PKI infrastructure as the CA and RA computers in the given PKI implementation are expected to host a validated CMS program to enable the connection-oriented communication between the client and the server. The key issue associated with the case described above is the fact that the CMS program itself is an independent application and hence its reliability/robustness to prevent malicious attacks alone dictates the extent to which a given CA or RA is reliable over the Internet. The key security strategy in case of the PKI implementation is the sharing of the public key whilst retaining the private key at the server computer as argued by Burnett and Paine (2001) [8]. This strategy allows the server computer to effectively encrypt or decrypt the information without depending upon the public key and hence leading a two pronged attack as the information encrypted using private key can be deciphered using the public key and vice versa. Although the use of the two independent keys helps overcome the security threats to the information being transferred, the transfer process itself is not governed by the PKI. This is the major weakness of the PKI infrastructure that allows room for malicious attacks that can hamper the performance by the CA, Ra or the host server computers as argued by Burnett and Paine (2001). From the above discussion it is evident that the security established using the PKI is mainly dependant on the following key elements of the PKI infrastructure CA and RA – The validity and reliability of these computers play a vital role in the effective implementation of the PKI. Apart from the fact that the client computer sending the information depends upon these computers security of the information in its entirety, it is also clear that the availability of these computers and their responses in terms of session time control and preventing session time-out cases are critical to enable successful communication in a connection-oriented implementation using the TCP protocol. An attack on the hosting server for the CA or the RA mainly in terms of flooding or denial of Service will result in the failure of the PKI infrastructure in terms of lack of availability. This situation is one of the major elements that must be addressed as part of the security strategies to be implemented on the transport layer protocols. Encryption Algorithm – The encryption algorithm used for issuing the public and private keys is another element that influences the security and reliability of the PKI as argued by Burnett and Paine (2001). The effectiveness of the hashing algorithm used for the purpose is not only essential for ensuring the security of the information through encryption but also dictates the size of the information for transmission after encryption as well as the speed associated with the data transfer for a given encryption strategy. As the complexity of the encryption algorithm naturally increases the size of the data being transferred thus affecting the speed associated with the communication, it is critical to establish a balance between security and speed in order to enable effective communication over an established connection. It is also important to note that the use of encryption algorithm dictates the extent to which a hacker can hack into the information that is being transfer whil st launching a transport/network layer attack as argued by Burnett and Paine (2001). It is deemed that the hackers through launching malicious attacks at the transport layer or the network layer tend to utilise the time gap to decipher the information being transferred in order to use the data for personal benefits. This makes it clear that the code hacking at the protocol level mainly attribute to the speed with which a given payload data transferred over a connection can be decrypted prior to termination of the connection itself as argued by Burnett and Paine (2001). From the above arguments we can deduce that the encryption poses the threat of single point of failure to the PKI in terms either being weak to prevent infringement or highly strong affecting the communication speed as argued by Nash et al (2001). Advantages or benefits of PKI The major benefits of the PKI include the following The TTP presence enables higher level of security through verification by independent entities in the communication process. The CA and RA in the PKI play a vital role in achieving the aforementioned. The dedication of resources for developing stronger algorithms to generate reliable public and private keys is yet another advantage associated with the PKI implementation. This makes it clear that the transport layer protocol (TCP) of the network layer protocol (IP, ICMP) weaknesses in terms of the request for resend and other key elements of connection verification can be overcome through robust algorithms. The growth f the electronic commerce at an exponential rate is one of the key factors that attribute to the availability of resources dedicated to the development of the PKI security strategies (Nash et al, 2001). The security infrastructure behind the storage and retrieval of the public keys is yet another area where the reliability and effectiveness of the PKI is evident. The fact that in case of reliable CA and RA, the security is indeed robust and the information being transferred is secure as well as the communication process as argued by Nash et al (2001). Constraints, Weaknesses and threats TTP reliability and costs – As discussed before the major issue is the TTP reliability. The involvement of the TTP not only questions the

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