Information Security The Physical Security Factor

Today, more than ever before, healthcare organizations are increasingly becoming dependent on computer-based systems to access critical patient data and provide treatment solutions remotely via virtual private networks (VPNs).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Information Security: The Physical Security Factor specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Consequently, any kind of disruption targeting these information systems may occasion consequences ranging from inconvenience to catastrophe (Loch, Carr Warkentin, 2002). But while research in both academia and industry has developed effective technological and software-based solutions to protect information systems against possible threats and attacks (Stajano Wilson, 2011), only a handful of the articles found in various databases pay close attention to the physical aspect of information security (Huigang Yajiong, 2010). This paper is devoted to outlining some of the fund amental steps that need to be considered for the physical security of computers used in an urgent care center to access patient data and their email system via a VPN. Stajano Wilson (2011) note that effective countermeasures against security threats to information systems depend on first strengthening the human element to make users understand how they can naturally fall victim to fraudsters. This therefore implies that users, in this case physicians and other health practitioners, need to be exposed to some form of training on how they can use the system without compromising the security aspect of the network. For instance, system users could be exposed to formal training on how to discard used electronic media containing sensitive patient information through available techniques instead of leaving the information on the computer drives.Advertising Looking for essay on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Purging is one such technique that could be used by the practitioners to completely erase sensitive files which may have been deleted from the computer drives but not overwritten with other data (Walters, 2007). From a holistic security engineering standpoint, computers are often vulnerable to instances of theft and other possible attacks if the immediate physical environment is not secured (Stajano Wilson, 2011). This therefore implies that doors leading to the computer rooms must not only be secure, but must be kept under lock and key and windows adequately grilled to curtail any occurrence of unauthorized access to the computer rooms (Walters, 2007). Indeed, many organizations have a policy that restricts entry to the computer and server rooms to authorized personnel, in most occasions a systems analyst or administrator. It should be noted that this aspect of physical security is fundamentally important since all the other factors are dependent on how safe the computer or server room is from possib le attacks and illegal access. Engaging trained security personnel and dogs to physically protect the information systems is yet another physical aspect of information security that is intrinsically important yet seldom considered by many organizations (Loch et al, 2002). Patient data is sensitive in nature, thus the need to engage all efforts that may be deemed necessary to protect the computers from theft or illegal access. Consequently, trained security personnel forms a critical aspect of the physical security of information security needed to secure the computer rooms and the immediate environment from possible attacks, which may result in the theft of computers and by extension the loss of critical data (Perrig, Stankovic Wagner, 2004). Dogs are always useful in repelling thieves from accessing the urgent care center.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Information Security: The Physical Security Factor specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/pag e Learn More Access to computer areas and server rooms should be restricted through the use of identification badges or authorization cards to ensure that only the authorized health practitioners gain access to these critical areas (Perrig et al, 2004). For instance, the organization may invest in electronic identification badges that must first be accepted by the system or the door lock for them to gain access to the information stored in the computers. Research has demonstrated that identification cards and access control points inarguably decrease the possibility of attackers to physically tamper with information stored in computer systems or to even have access to areas where such computers may be located (Loch et al, 2002). Physical security of information systems cannot be complete without engaging the authentication processes via personal identification numbers (PIN), passwords, computer locks, and other devices that may be used to limit access to authorized us ers only. According to Renaud De Angeli (2009), â€Å"†¦authentication is required to verify that the user’s proffered identity is valid† (p. 135). It is only plausible for physicians and other health practitioners using the VPN to access sensitive patient data to memorize their PINs and/or passwords rather than writing them down on a piece of paper because such information could be accessed by other employees or external individuals harboring ulterior motives. Computer locks could always be employed to prevent other employees or strangers from gaining access to the data stored in the computer or from manipulating computer hardware configurations with the aim to steal data or remotely control the computer system (Stajano Wilson, 2007). Lastly, the environmental factors need to be effectively controlled to make the physical security of information systems a reality.Advertising Looking for essay on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Instances of fire outbreak, flooding of computer areas and server rooms, extremely high temperatures, electricity variations and other environmental concerns need to be effectively managed to prevent loss of use and loss of productivity of the information systems (Perrig et al, 2004). For instance, flooding of the server room may occasion protracted dysfunctions of the server system, leading to loss of connectivity and subsequent loss of access to critical patient data even among the authorized users. Going by this example, therefore, the urgent care center should invest in an effective drainage system to prevent instances of flooding. Reference List Huigang, L., Yajiong, X. (2010). Understanding security behaviors in personal computer usage: A threat avoidance perspective. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 11(7), 394-413. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database. Loch, K.D., Carr, H.H., Warkentin, M.E. (2002). Threats to information systems: Today’ s reality, yesterday’s understanding. MIS Quarterly, 16(2), 173-186. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database. Perrig, A., Stankovic, J., Wagner, D. (2004). Security in wireless sensor networks. Communication of the ACM, 47(6), 53-57. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database. Renaud, K., De Angeli, A. (2009). Visual passwords: Cure-all or snake-oil? Communications of the ACM, 52(12), 135-140. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database. Stajano, F., Wilson, P. (2011). Understanding scam victims: Seven principles for systems security. Communications of the ACM, 54(3), 70-75. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database. Walters, L.M. (2007). A draft of an information systems security and control course. Journal of Information Systems, 21(1), 123-148. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier Database. This essay on Information Security: The Physical Security Factor was written and submitted by user Jameson Bell to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Best Book Blogs for Avid Readers

Best Book Blogs for Avid Readers For those of us lost in the world of fiction, the question will always be, What should I read next? To that end, we search the depths of second-hand bookstores. We scour our local libraries, or the Amazon best-seller list and recommended purchases. We do this not simply to find a book that we will enjoy, but almost always to find a novel which strikes the same spark in our heart as the last masterpiece (the one which has now been read so often and so thoroughly that the pages have come loose in their binding).To that end, Silent Book Club, Bookanista and Book Smugglers are here to help. These three websites scratch the itch of the endlessly-reading reader; and they provide more than just a blog – they provide a cozy community of fellow readers.Silent Book ClubSilent Book Club is a website for readers like us (often introverted, sometimes too introverted) to come together and discuss their current favorite novels, and to find the next piece of fiction that really blows us away. The website boasts more than thirty active chapters, from London, England to Nagoya, Japan, which come together (usually monthly) to discuss their latest read. Silent Book Club has an active Facebook group, and they post regularly on Instagram and Twitter.For those of us with our fingers on the pulse of the book world, Silent Book Clubs use of social media is indispensable. It keeps its readers up to date on events, meetups and attractions in the world of reading and publishing. Still, the book club is growing, and though it has already stretched worldwide, the presence of a chapter in your hometown might be lacking. No matter! Silent Book Club will help you set up your own official chapter, and help you create a new tradition (your own personal meetup) in your neighborhood.This all seems too good to be true, and of course, cynical minds immediately begin whirring: we ask questions about where the site finds its profits, or what supports this community. The answer is that they run a small merchandise shop, and those proceeds go toward supporting volunteers, which keep the whole community running smoothly. Its a cute little e-shop with a selection of kitschy bookmarks, postcards and handbags (and, of course, the occasional book).Other than these optional purchases to support the community, all the services offered by the silent book club are free of charge. In fact, without even submitting an e-mail address, you can browse their calendar of meetups and find the one nearest you. This great community provides the opportunity, without commitment, for us to crawl out of our favorite arm-chair (the one we sunk into years ago and have now fortified with a particular side-table for our tea, an arm upon which the cat perches, and a bag at the side filled with knitting projects).On top of this call to action, to bring us out to the meetups, the silent book club boasts a warm blog: a welcome resource for readers. Each article is written by volunteers from the various si lent book club chapters, and if you start your own chapter, then you can contribute to the blog yourself. Though often insightful, because of the volunteer nature of the contributions, updates are sporadic – sometimes they come too fast to keep up with, and other times lag to only a single update each month. Still, when the articles are posted, they offer unique insight into the author of the post, and that writers book club.One recent article, written by the organizer of the Portland, Maine chapter, gives a wonderful overview of influential poets throughout the years. It was written for poetry month and includes excerpts by which to judge each of the poets, and gauge ones interest before delving more deeply into their works.Most articles discuss comfortable topics like what to read next and offer insightful critiques written on new works of fiction. Others delve into matters of political interest, in the reading and writing world. For example, a short series of posts called Read the World, gives details about historical publishing in nations and geographic areas, and suggests where one might begin if they want to explore the fiction of a certain area. Further still, other posts discuss the rise of audiobooks, and their place in the silent book club; they give details on how to host your own silent book club, and what makes the meetups successful. Other articles address the We Will Not Be Silent campaign, which offers a toolbox to activists, as well as hard-hitting subjects such as the effect of literature on children and on developing minds.Finally, I have personally found Silent Book Clubs presence on Facebook to be incredibly beneficial. The core Facebook group @silentbookclub is one resource: it offers updates on all the events which the silent book club promotes, and it helps us introverts look ahead to getting out of the house (and plan out our busy week so we can make time for the meetups); it brings book news like releases and author interviews conveniently into our Facebook feed; and it gives the opportunity (without being pushy) to participate in demonstrations or political activism.Beyond this core group, however, are a network of smaller silent book club groups, one for each chapter. These are usually beyond amazing. Just by making a quick search in Facebook, I stumbled on three silent book club chapters, all with very active Facebook groups. One was in my home city, and each of the other two were within quick driving distance. These sub-communities are the result of the natural branching and expanding of a good idea. Like a good book, readers know that a good idea should be shared.BookanistaThe writers at Bookanista.com refer to their site as a web magazine (as opposed to a blog). This professional demeanour isnt simply a pretentious grab for new readers: their posts are closer to scholarly journal entries than the topical discussions of many bloggers, and they take a deep dive into each discussion.That being said, it s less likely that youll find a new read in a quick skim of Bookanista. The themes and discussions on the site are often much wider, addressing issues of mental illness and gender in novels, and delving into ideas such as ambiguity in writing, and the pitfalls of considering everyone who writes a poem, a poet. With an archive stretching back to 2015, and an extensive collection of short stories and extracts, Bookanista has content to spare. There is bound to be something on the site which snags any readaholics imagination, and because of their reputation, Bookanista is often one of the first sites to get review copies and exclusive excerpts from new authors.Similarly, if you are the kind of reader who devours all the works of an author before moving on, but youve run out of your favorite writers works, then Bookanista might be able to find you a new literary love. Their author interviews are a source of insight into the latest trends in publishing and up-coming novels. They often ob scure the work itself in favor of addressing the authors method, or their stylistic choices. Rather than attempt to describe the works of each author, they let the novels and short stories speak for themselves, publishing short pieces of fiction alongside interviews and articles. Everything on Bookanista is free, and well worth a look.The Book SmugglersTheBookSmugglers.com describe themselves as, A book review blog specializing in speculative fiction and popgeekery for all ages since 2008; A digital-first publisher of speculative fiction and nonfiction since 2014; the 2017 Hugo Nominee for best Semiprozine; and a duo of awesomely badass book nerds. Their blog posts focus on new works, but especially science fiction and fantasy. For those looking for their next great read, their current headlining article is a piece called X Marks the Story, which seeks to pair the reader with excellent short fiction, to hopefully bridge the gap between great novels.On top of their blog, the book smu gglers are a publishing house with a focus on digital press. They offer book reviews for newly published novels, and support authors by showing off full and partial works on their site, in addition to longer works published by the book smuggler online imprint.Like Bookanista, the book smugglers host a collection of short fiction on their site in a section called Gods and Monsters. This section is worth a quick look, and if you are a fantasy or science fiction buff, it warrants a much longer look. The short stories included in Gods and Monsters are each written by different authors, but always play with similar themes. From religion, to humanity, to serial killers or werewolves, each story is focussed on gods and monsters, either literally or figuratively (or both). Just a quick glance at this portion of the site will find you in the company of dozens of well-polished, professionally edited shorter fictions.The wider communityThe blogs discussed here are not where these communities e nd. Silent book club, Bookanista and The Book Smugglers have a network of readers which place an emphasis on doing. Each of these sites is concerned with getting out of your chair and making change alongside like-minded individuals – or just on getting out of the house and swapping books with new friends. To this end, Silent Book Club is anything but silent within the Twitterverse. They have cultivated a massive network of friendships, bringing together dozens of sites, each with a similar attitude towards reading. Each of these three excellent blogs boast very active Twitter handles. Silent Book Club at @readwinerepeat, @bookanista, and @booksmugglers bring together a wealth of related content and inspiring images. Browsing through their combined Twitter profiles is a sure method to link a reader to a community in their geographic area, or a cause which interests them and brings them out of their shell. We all have something which gets us fired up and out of the house, and t hese communities provide valuable links to those places and people which help to establish communities of readers.In short, reading can be isolating, but it can also be the bridge of shared experience that brings like-minded individuals together in service of a cause, or to discuss the matters which are important to us. Getting out of our arm chair may be a bit uncomfortable, but so long as it means a quiet read, with those who had to struggle out of their own comfy armchair; and as long as it means a glass of good wine, and the presence of good companions; as long as the silent book club, Bookanista and the book smugglers are asking these things of us, I think we can find some time to meet in the real world (or at the very least on twitter), even if it is only to discuss the fictional worlds we love.

Business Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business Report - Essay Example This helps us to engross in a business scenario design and recommend substitute strategies ensuring a comprehensive market appraisal. Later in the document contains the endorsements for the modifications in the structure of the organization, bearing in mind the finest probable manner of handling the business collection and human possessions. An investigation is commenced with the financial assets and broad-spectrum corporation possessions as well as product expansion founded on the gaining of innovative understanding (Augustin, 2011). Consequently, the document recommends designing the impression of strategic alteration in operational administration, and scrutinizes any global plans for the firm. Precisely, this analysis offers in depth strategic SWOT analysis of the corporation’s businesses and operations. The firm’s explanation delivers a perfect and impartial opinion of the company’s key strengths and weaknesses and the prospective opportunities and threats. T his will aid to express strategies that supplement the trade by allowing you to comprehend their followers, patrons and competitors better. Introduction Sainsbury was established in 1869 and nowadays functioning in over 1,106 hypermarkets and suitability stores. The company has around 157,000 employees in all over the World. The slogan of the company is that we (the company) place our clients at the heart of the whole thing we fix and have devoted in their stores, their contemporaries and their channels to distribute the greatest likely shopping experience. Their resilient philosophy and values are the part of their uniqueness and essential to their success (Rowley, 2003). Core values The core values of the company are given as: Accomplishment improved every day – the company emphasizes on enlightening its facilities. Countless services drive sales, however, there is a condition that better provision is pointing to higher sales. Discrete accountability team delivery even thou gh teamwork is invigorated, right a distinct in the firm has accountability in the conference service standards. Retain it modest, humble and well-organized services are obtainable (j–Sainsbury, 2013). Admiration for the discrete employee – each discrete worker within the company is appreciated for his extravagance services. The income of the business is intended for dissemination and improvement of the corporation (Yong, James, Kevin, and Donna, 2011,). Strategy The values of the J Sainsbury are the section of their extended term strategy of development. The company is ready to review and reinforce their strategy, in order to create a decent business sense and provision of an actual competitive benefit (Wrigley, 2000). Business Performance The J Sainsbury has had one more efficacious year, outdoing the flea market in what residue a hard trading atmosphere. Their segment of the grocery shop is the uppermost for an era at 16.8% and they are at the moment the UK’s second major grocer ensuing 35 uninterrupted quarters of like for like sales progress. We endure to aid customers Live Well for Less and stared like for like auctions up 1.45 for the 28 weeks up to 28 the September 2013 (Francis, 2011). Business case The J Sainsbury recognizes as true as their values and their 20 x 20 sustainability obligations play an immense part in their accomplishment. They deliver opportunities for the employees to discriminate themselves with client, dealers,

Discussion Board 7-1 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Board 7-1 - Research Paper Example Test administrators began by ensuring that test takers who were ostensibly adolescents understood the purpose of the measurements. In addition, test administrators informed the students about their rights throughout the test process. The measurement process used scales, including Morally Debatable Behaviors Scale-Revised (MDBS-R) for rating attitudes, emotions and other behaviors (Cohen, Swerdlik & Sturman, 2013). The psychological measurement session also employed the use of the Likert scale that enabled critical understanding of specific behaviors. The assessment was generally correct and successful bearing that approved individuals later demonstrated the detected characteristics. The psychological measurements conducted in the educational context to determine appropriateness of students to high school disclosed many insights about tools of measurement. One of the insight is that the interview is a very crucial assessment tool that may not miss in a psychometric. Actually, interview forms the basis of every assessment as test administrators have to interview to gather basic and vital information from clients (Cohen, Swerdlik & Sturman, 2013). Another insight is that case history data is an important source of data about test takers considering that it carries true and accurate information. During the assessment of students to join high school, medical reports, recommendation letter by elementary teachers concerning conducts and abilities of the students and academic reports acted as sources of case history data. Further insight is that Likert scale is an efficient means of measurement as it enables test takers to make quick and usually correct ranking of thei r abilities. In future when involved in psychological measurement of clients, one should consider interviewing and case history data as basic assessment tools. For quicker and inclusive assessment, an individual should consider using

Reflective Writing Assignments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Reflective Writing Assignments - Essay Example However, there should be a limit to the free will since it can be disastrous at times (Campbell 9). A world without free will but with only good things happening is an incomplete world. This is because free will is an important component of life, and thus without it life can be sometimes unbearable. Conversely, a world where the presence of free will leads to occurrence of bad things is not good either. This is because people misuse the free will accorded to perform evil actions that may sometimes end up being disastrous (Campbell 13). This is because everyone perceives free will as the right to behave or do things that only pleases without considering the impact of such actions to fellow human beings. However, when comparing the two scenarios, it is better for one to live in a world without free will but has good things happening to him rather than live in a world with free will but the freedom makes him do evil things that at times prove disastrous. A world without free will is goo d since even though a person is denied the freedom of choice, he is not exposed to bad things associated with free will. For instance, a person can live without free will but he is properly treated and therefore, exposed to good things. This is because the person is only denied freedom of choice while accorded other good things of life, which might make life more bearable. This is true since at times the presence of free will exposes an individual to bad things; for instance, freedom of choice might lead a person to make wrong decisions with grave consequences (Campbell 18). Consequently, a world with free will is not good and forms a dangerous place since the freedom makes an individual perform evil actions. Thus, the free will leads to the occurrence of bad things with grave consequences. For instance, a world where each person is permitted to kill, maim, or even oppress one another is a bad place to live in since life becomes unbearable. In such world, people become revengeful an d so evil because there is no law or person dictating the free will. Therefore, since no human being prefers facing or experiencing bad things in life, it is better to live in a world with lots of good things but without free will. This is because there is more suffering in a world with free will since every person does what pleases him or her without considering the consequences of such action to other people within the surroundings (Campbell 25). For instance, in a world without freedom, an individual might decide to play booming music late in the night without considering the unnecessary noise and inconveniences caused to the sleepy neighbors. In a retaliatory attack, the neighbors might decide to attack and severely beat him since there is no law restricting them from doing such an action. From the two scenarios, it is clear that although free will is important in the world, too much of it is so dangerous since it can lead to the occurrence of bad things. Due to such scenarios, it is better to live in a world where freedom is restricted to avoid occurrence of bad things attributed to the free will. At least such a world will have minimal records of bad things occurring and this will make life at least bearable and enjoyable. (634 words) Q2. Is it okay to spend one being in order to save one thousand human beings? Is it okay to assassinate one human being in order to save one thousand human beings? Is it okay to draw up a battle plan that deliberately costs the lives of

Pervious concrete and traditional concrete

Pervious concrete and traditional concrete CHAPTER 1 Introduction Background to Research Problem Once it has been established that a car park or driveway is required, it is then very important to ensure the client assesses which material of surfacing is required. The client needs to prioritise what is most important to them regarding time, cost, and availability and how sustainable the material may be. Majority of contractors within the UK construction industry will use traditional concrete with regular drainage systems unaware that pervious concrete is available (Offenburg 2008). Therefore, it is important to examine and perform a comparison between traditional and pervious concrete regarding cost, availability, durability, maintenance and sustainability. Pervious concrete is fairly easy to define; it is concrete that allows water to flow through it. Where traditional concrete is a very solid material, pervious concrete leaves void spaces throughout, allowing water to flow through it. Pervious concrete has a low water to cement ratio and contains none, or very little sand. It typically has a void content of 15% to 25% creating a structure resembling a Rice Krispies ® treat, allowing as much as eight gallons of water per square foot to pass through per minute (McMillan 2007). This type of concrete is traditionally used in driveways, car parks, greenhouses, pedestrian walkways and roads with light traffic. However, it can also be utilised for a variety of different paving projects. Pervious concrete has been around for approximately 20 years but has only recently started to expand further into the market due to the material meeting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) storm water regulations. The increase in demand for pervious concrete used on projects has increased extensively in the US within the last three to four years, which during the last year has caught on here in the UK construction industry. The reason as to why the material has caught the eye of the UK construction industry may be due to the tremendous potential the material has had on scaling back the negative impact that traditional concrete has had on the environment, by eliminating storm water runoff, removing pollutants and even recycling the storm water captured. However, many developers fail to see beyond costs of impervious implementations and therefore adoption has been slow. Traditional concrete has been around for decades and has been the most popular type of concrete used in the UK, however a reform was needed as traditional concrete has many negative impacts such its negative effect on the climate and its ineffective drainage issues. Pervious concrete can be used in most situations as an alternative to traditional concrete. (Buller 2006). However the there are many issues which The core purpose of this research report aims to identify how pervious concrete compares to traditional concrete in relation to costs, availability, durability, maintenance and sustainability in the UK. Strategic Aim To conduct a survey to investigate how the pervious concrete has impacted the UK construction industry and how it compares to the already established traditional concrete in terms of cost, availability, durability, maintenance and sustainability. Tactical Objectives 1. To determine if pervious concrete is just as strong and durable as traditional concrete. 2. To analyse the costs involved in producing and constructing both materials. 3. To examine the available certified skilled contractors who are available to lay the products. 4. To critically analyse future outcomes of the pervious product and see if it measures up to traditional concrete in the long run in aspects of durability, maintenance and overall long term savings 5. To evaluate the sustainable properties between pervious and traditional concrete. Research Hypothesis The use of pervious concrete over the world has been on the increase over the past few years. While pervious concrete has become more and more popular, there are still many questions to be answered regarding the application of it before it becomes a widely accepted material. This dissertation will now go on with a critical review of the literature to investigate the real differences between pervious and traditional concrete. The methodology which has been used and the reasoning behind this will follow in a chapter. The final chapter of the dissertation will draw a conclusion from in depth information and results gathered subsequently recommendations will be made. CHAPTER 2 Literature Review Critical Review This section of the dissertation will look at the literature relating to pervious concrete and traditional concrete. It will review both materials in terms of terms of cost, availability, durability, maintenance and sustainability in the UK. Finally, this section seeks to understand if pervious concrete is just as good as traditional concrete and understand the subsequent attainments and problems with both materials. There has been a lot written on traditional concrete worldwide as its such a popular material however pervious concrete has little information available in the UK and most information is based from the USA where pervious concrete has been tried and tested and put into use. Concrete plays an essential part in civil engineering with most structures using it in one way or the other. Its evolution dates back to the Roman Empire as it was widely used in most Roman structures, thereby moving from stone and brick construction. However, since then the face of construction has radically changed with buildings built over tens of floors regularly and tunnels built underwater using pre-cast concrete. Hence, the array of construction materials available, including concrete, have evolved significantly since and improved. Concrete plays a very important role in the UK economy. It contributes to almost 10% of the overall economic growth and employs a significant amount of labour. According to Sustainable Concrete (2010), the UK exported 535,000 tonnes of ready-mixed concrete, which was worth  £9million to the economy. Traditional concrete is the most basic form of concrete and is very easily available for consumers. According to Popovics, S. (1992, pp. 1), concrete is composed of three to four basic ingredients. These include: * Hydraulic cement, otherwise known as Portland cement * Mineral aggregates * Water * Admixtures Hydraulic cement is one of the key constituents to forming concrete and greatly impacts the strength of the resulting mixture. Schwartz (1993, pp. 91) states ratio of Portland cement in concrete directly affects the strength and cost of the concrete. The more cement in a mix, the stronger and more expensive it is. Mineral aggregates typically consist of gravelled stones or stone-like solids. The purpose of aggregates is to significantly reduce the required content of cement, the costliest component within concrete. Additionally, it helps a constructor minimise the creep, or deformation caused over a long time, caused by the resulting mixture. Popovics, S. (1992, pp. 275) state that aggregates occupies roughly three-fourths of the total concrete volume. By adding water to this mix, the loose mixture of cement and mineral aggregates gel into a thicker and more solid mix. Schwartz (1993, pp. 91) states water/cement ratios may go from high-strength concrete, to 8.5 to 1 for a low-strength mix. By adding too little of the water, one can risk making the concrete too weak. Thus, based on the concretes usage and cost constraints the mixture of the underlying constituents can be varied. It is possible to engineer the mixtures property based on its intended use by adding admixtures. Perkins (1997, pp. 22) defines admixtures as a chemical compound that is added in small proportion to the concrete mixture to produce a desired characteristic. The types of admixtures used are accelerators, set retarders and water reducers. For example, the purpose of accelerators is to increase the initial reaction between the cement and the water, whereas the set retarders do the exact reverse. According to Perkins (1997, pp. 22), UK is well behind Continental Europe, USA and other developed markets in terms of extent of usage of admixtures within concrete. For decades, concrete has been one of the preferred construction materials owing to its excellent technical properties. One of its main traits is its high compressive strength due to which it is used in applications such as columns. However, its tensile strength is roughly one-tenths of its compressive strength. Thus, in order to improve its tensile strength it is reinforced with steel, which creates a strong bond with concrete. When loaded over a long period, traditional concrete can prove to be susceptible failure and in some case even eventual failure. From a UK context, concretes performance against cold and wet weather would be crucial. Pigeon et al (1995, pp 33) state that concrete can freeze in its saturated state and cause tensile stress within the material due to the formation of ice crystals in the pores of the concrete. However, if the concrete is not cured or reinforced effectively then it could cause its performance to weaken and, under worst cases, eventual failure. Typically, the strength of concrete is measured by its compressive strength, which is its strongest feature. According to Abeles et al (2003, pp. 21), strength of concrete increases with age, with the rate of increase dependent on the quality of cement and aggregates used. The content and cost of the concrete can be varied depending on its application. Commercially, the strength of concrete is quoted based on its weight and the compressive strength it would attain after 28 days. For example, C20 concrete would stand for a normal weight concrete and a compressive strength of 20 N/mm2. NRMCA (2003) quote that concretes compressive strength can be varied from 2500 psi, or 17 Mpa, for residential concrete to 4000 psi, or 28 Mpa, upwards for commercial structures. The variation in strength is primarily due to water-cement ratio, admixtures and curing process among others. Availability of concrete for commercial purposes typically depends on the constituents and the location of the building works. For example, admixtures work best when introduced immediately after the wetting of the cement and might require the mixing to be done on-site rather than in a factory. Additionally, the location of quarries and sourcing of materials (Contract Journal, 2008) is crucial in understanding availability and the distribution pipeline. Most UK concrete companies are fully capable of sourcing all components of concrete themselves. For example, Brett Group, one of UKs leading construction groups, provides customers with a wide range of options from type of aggregates to the type of job. However, it is even more dependent on its usage. For use in residential repairs, it is usually procured from local stores by components and mixed on-site, whereas if it is for a larger project then it would be pre-cast and delivered by the manufacturers. For example, the construction of Eurotunnel was made possible by use of pre-cast concrete supports embedded on a concrete track. Maintenance of traditional concrete is crucial to provide long-term serviceability for users. Failure to implement an adequate control process can result in expensive repairs. In some cases, cracks can start to appear on the concrete as load starts to increase over time. This would necessitate usage of sealants, which act to bridge the cracks with an adhesive material. In the UK, some of the common failures of concrete (St. Astier, 2009) are due to: * Poor maintenance incorrect diagnosis * Inefficient waterproofing capabilities causing excessive penetration of moisture * Excessive carbonation or chloride levels Traditional concrete is a resource and energy dependent material, as it requires material from large quarries and factories to prepare the concrete. The UK construction industry currently uses 400 million tonnes of resources per year, of which 10% are unused product going straight to a landfill (Sustainable Concrete, 2010). Additionally, each year structures that are beyond repair are demolished and taken to the landfills. All this combined, yield a large wastage of resources. However, instead of letting this waste go unused it is possible to re-cycle them by crushing them and using them as aggregates within the concrete mixture. According to the Concrete Centre (2010), it is their vision to ensure that by 2012, the UK concrete industry will be recognized as the leader in sustainable construction, by taking a dynamic role in delivering a sustainable built environment in a manner that is profitable, socially responsible and functions within environmental limits. Traditional concrete, despite its many advantages, does not perform well in precipitous environment. Pervious concrete allows for air and water to flow freely through the mixture. This limits the runoff from its surface and enhances drainage features. SE Cement (2008) defines pervious concrete as a mixture of Portland cement, water, coarse aggregate and almost no sand. The key feature of this mixture is that it has 15-25% void within its volume. The air pockets within the concrete allow for water to seep through the structure and perform as normal. It is also necessary to ensure that the coarse aggregates are not too loose and get carried away with water. Thus, the mixing and placing process has to be carefully carried out such that the water and Portland cement are coagulated well to form a thick paste around the aggregates. This is crucial to maintain a well-connected system of voids to ensure effective drainage of water. Pervious concrete is particularly useful in parking lots, riverbanks and areas that are highly precipitous as it limits the interference of water and easy drainage of water. According to Limbachiya (2009, pp.554), the use of pervious concrete dates back to 1852. Its use became further widespread following the Second World War and increased construction activity. According to Brandt (2009, pp. 63), the porous nature of pervious concrete makes it less strong than traditional concrete. Even then, compressive strength of 50 MPa can be reached with small size aggregates and usage of the right admixtures. The reduced compressive strength has led to its restrictive use such as roadways with low to medium traffic. However, SE Cement (2010) estimates that for most applications compressive strengths of 3.5 to 27.5 MPa will suffice. Despite its strong performance in precipitous climate, there are questions that remain to be answered regarding its durability in colder climates. Traditional concrete is subject to cracking through the normal thaw and freeze cycle that occurs in colder areas of the country. Such conditions have been simulated to test the performance of pervious concrete and it was found by Delatte (2008, pp. 118) that the durability of pervious concrete was poor when the void system was filled with water. They have also indicated that the durability was improved when the moisture in the voids was drained and the cement paste air-entrained. The mixing process and labour costs for pervious concrete are far more involved than that of traditional concrete. Thus, Limbachiya (2009, pp. 556) expects the initial costs of pervious concrete to be higher than those for traditional concrete because of the thicker installed size of pervious concrete. However, it is worth noting that the additional investment made is for a particular purpose, i.e. the porous structure of the concrete. Thus, the extra cost should be weighed against this advantage gained over its lifetime. Since pervious concrete would need to be customised for the region and application by customers, most manufacturing companies use a large distribution system to minimize delays in batching for customers. Limbachiya (2009, pp. 556) states that maintenance of pervious concrete pavements is a highly debatable subject. They proceed to state that structures not maintained well continue to perform well, although not at the initial infiltration rates which is its key objective. However, one key concern within pervious concrete is to prevent any clogging of void structures within it, as this would fail one of its objectives, i.e. to be porous. Typically, proper maintenance of pervious concrete pavements includes vacuum sweeping or power washing. Pressure washing of a clogged pervious concrete pavement has restored it to 80-90% of its original permeability (Pervious Concrete, 2009). Structures such as shopping malls and buildings have roadways and parking lots around for vehicle use. If these pavements are built using traditional concrete, then they risk flooding under heavy rain. Thus, zoning regulations necessitate controls such as retention ponds, which essentially collect the excess water on the pavements from the rain. This requires extra capital investment and resources for setting up. However, if instead of traditional concrete, pervious concrete is used to create the pavements, then the excess water on the surface percolates through the voids in the concrete into the soil underneath. This eliminates ponding on the pavement and preserves more land, capital and resources for alternate use. However, the basic configuration of pervious concrete allows all liquids to go through the voids. A more environment friendly version of pervious concrete was developed in the UK, in 1999, where in surface water is allowed to pass through to a specially engineered sub-base while oils and other water pollutants are retained (Concrete Products, 1999). This ensures that the water table under the pavement does not get contaminated. Within the UK, a unique standard for drainage technology called Concrete Block Permeable Paving (CBPP) has been set-up. According to Paving (2010), this code has been championed by all the major pre-cast concrete paving manufacturers in the UK. Such developments will be positive for the progress of the sustainability within UKs pavement community and minimise damage to the environment from constructions. Critical Appraisal This literature review has analysed the features of two popular variants of concrete traditional and pervious. In particular, it has discussed the basic composition, durability, availability costs, and finally sustainability. It has been identified that both types of concrete have their advantages and drawbacks. Sustainability remains a very important subject within the construction industry in the UK, with the government imposing landfill and aggregate taxes to discourage resource-intensive manufacturers. Additionally, manufacturers are paying increasing attention towards climate change in order to provide protection to the pavements over the life cycle rather than repairing or replacing the structure frequently. Concrete repairs have been a major issue for the UK economy. This has been further accentuated by the rapid expansion of the UK construction industry, which contributes to roughly 10% of the GDP. According to Mays (1992, pp XI), approximately  £500 million is being spent annual on concrete repairs in the UK. This clearly stresses the fact that it is essential to understand the context of concretes application, as it is better to install the right type of concrete rather than to repair and re-install at a later stage. Product Design and Methodology Scope of the Chapter In order to investigate pervious and traditional concrete a suitable and relevant methodology had to be adopted to collect information required. For this procedure the most appropriate procedures seen were a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches. This allowed quantitative information to be collected on the respondents individual experiences with both pervious and traditional concrete together with their qualitative views on its effectiveness. The data collected was from a primary source. Rationale of the Research Questionnaire To investigate pervious and traditional concrete a number of different groups within the UK Construction industry could have been sampled such as contractors, clients and designers. A poor targeting of questionnaires would have revealed a lower response rate. A person with a limited knowledge of pervious and traditional concrete could have completed the questionnaire but this would have given misleading set of results. The best solution to overcome this would be to go straight to the correct References Popovics, S. (1992), Concrete materials: properties, specifications, and testing, 2nd Edition, Noyes Publication, New Jersey Schwartz, M. (1993), Basic Engineering for Builders, Craftsman Book Company, USA Perkins, P.H., (1997), Repair, protection and waterproofing of concrete structures, 3rd Edition, Chapman Hall, UK Pigeon, M., Pleau, R., (1995), Durability of concrete in cold climates, 1st Edition, Chapman Hall, UK St. Astier (2009), Concrete Repairs FAQs, http://www.st-astier.co.uk/concrete-repair-coatings/concrete-repair-faqs (Date viewed, 24 Jan 2010) Contract Journal (2008), The market for concrete products is ever-changing, 9 July 2008, http://www.contractjournal.com/Articles/2008/07/09/60162/the-market-for-concrete-products-is-ever-changing.html (Date viewed, 27 Jan 2010) Sustainable Concrete (2009), Sustainable Concrete, http://www.sustainableconcrete.org.uk/main.asp?page=4 (Date viewed, 26 Jan 2010) Abeles, P.W., Bardhan-Roy, B.K., (2003), Prestressed concrete designers handbook, 3rd Edition, Spon Press, London Brandt, A. M., (2009), Cement Based Composites: Materials, Mechanical Properties, and Performance, 2nd Edition, Taylor Francis, UK Mays, G., (2001), Durability of concrete structures: investigation, repair, protection,2nd Edition, Spon Press, London Southeast Cement (2010), What is pervious concrete?, Portland Cement Association, Concrete Products (1999), Porous concrete promotes greener water system, 1 December 1999, http://concreteproducts.com/mag/concrete_porous_concrete_promotes/ Pervious Pavements (2009), Inspection and Maintenance, 2009, http://www.perviouspavement.org/inspection%20and%20maintenance.htm (Date viewed, 26 Jan 2010) Limbachiya, M.C., (2009), Excellence in Concrete Construction Through Innovation, Taylor Francis Group, UK Delatte, N., (2008), Concrete Pavement, Design, Construction and Performance, 1st Edition, Taylor Francis Group, UK Paving (2009), Block Paving, http://www.paving.org.uk/block_paving.php (Date viewed, 27 Jan 2010) Offenburg, M. (2008, March). Producing Pervious Pavement. Concrete International. March, 2005, p 50, Retrieved 1 November, 2009 from proqest database, p 50. Schueler, T. R, (1994). The importance of imperviousness. Watershed Protection Techniques 1(3):100-111, pp 100-105 Ready mixed concrete (n.d), Retrieved 1 November 2007 from the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association Web Site: http://nrmca.org/aboutconcrete/types.asp Naoum, S G (2006), Dissertation research and writing for construction students, 2nd Edition. EPA Storm water technology fact sheet porous pavement (1999). Retrieved 5 December, 2009 from http://www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/porouspa.pdf Natural approaches to storm water management permeable pavement. (n.d.) Puget Sound Action Team Publications. Retrieved October 2009 from the Puget Sound Action Team Online Website: http://www.psat.wa.gov/Publications/LID_studies/permeable_pavement.htm McMillian, T (2007), Comparing Traditional Concrete to Permeable Concrete for a Community College Pavement Application. 8.0 Further Reading Richard Kirkham. (2007), Ferry and Brandons Cost Planning of Buildings, Blackwell Publishing, London Chudley, R. (2002), Building Construction Handbook: Incorporating Current Building and Construction Regulations. Spons Press, London Construction News (2008), Pervious Pavements : 1st October, p32. Stenmark, C. 1995. An Alternative Road Construction for Stormwater Management. Water Science and Technology, 32(1): 79-84.

Ulysses S Grant Essay -- American History

Ulysses S Grant Although Ulysses S. Grant's contemporaries placed him in the highest position of great Americans along with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, the twentieth century has seen him fade. His presidency has been almost universally condemned, and he is consistently ranked second to rock bottom Warren G. Harding in polls of historians to rate the presidents. Although his military reputation has declined as well, it nevertheless continues to win him a steady following. Even his most faithful admirers, however, tend to end their studies conveniently at Appomattox, and one senses a wide regret that Grant's public career extended beyond the Civil War. Taking note of this trend, John Y. Simon observes that some biographers "seem to have wished that Grant had accepted Lincoln's invitation to Ford's Theatre" on the night the president was shot- the night that John Wilkes Booth had intended to assassinate Grant along with Lincoln. Much of what has been passed down as an objective appraisal of Grant's presidency more closely resembles the partisan critiques that were produced by a relatively small group of performers during the 1870's-- in many ways the intellectual ancestors of the present historical profession. Although such a minority can sometimes be a source of enlightenment, in this case, it has contributed a monolithic picture of a complex era that is about as depressing as it is inaccurate. Little consideration is given the checkered nature of Grant's eight years of the Gilded Age. Michael Les Benedict observes that Grant "dominated his era, a stronger resident than most have recognized". In both the domestic and foreign realms, President Grant could claim a wide range of achievements. In the aftermath... ... the corruption / civil service reform issue was more important than such issues as Reconstruction, international crises, Indian affairs, and the multitude of economic matters, all combined. As William B. Hesseltine admits in his definitive study of President Grant, "Grant's enemies....stuffed the ballot boxes of history against Grant..." Bibliogaphy Garland, Hamlin. Ulysses S. Grant; his life and character. New York: Doubleday & McClure Co., 1898. King, Charles. The True Ulysses S. Grant. Philadelphia, London, J.B. Lippincott Company, 1914. Ringwalt, J. Luther (John Luther) Anecdotes of General Ulysses S. Grant illustrating his military and political career and his personal traits. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Co., 1886. Richardson, Albert D. (Albert Deane). A personal history of Ulysses S. Grant. Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company, 1868.

Janmar Coating case study Essay

This case is about an organization doing business on paint coatings market served by company in the southwestern United States. The organization has some challenges on how to deploy marketing efforts among the various architectural paint coatings markets served in the southwestern United States. 1. Janmar Coating, Inc. Janmar Coating, Inc. is a privately held organization produces and markets architectural paint under Janmar brand name. In addition to producing a full line of architectural coatings, the company sells paint sundries (brushes, rollers, thinner, etc.) under the Janmar name, even though these item are not manufactured by the company. 2. Architectural painting Industry sources estimated U. S sales of architectural paint coatings and sundries (brushes, rollers, paint removers and thinners, etc) to be 12 billion plus in 2004. Architectural coating are considered to be mature market with long term sales growth projected in the range of 1 to 2 percent per year. Demand for architectural coatings and sundries and sundries reflects the level of house redecorating, maintenance, and repair, as well as sales existing homes, and to a lesser extent new home, commercial, and industrial construction. 2. 0 Identify Problem 1. Competitor The competition in Architectural coating segment are increasing. Companies seeking growth and a higher sales base to support increasing costs are making acquisition. Major products of paint for the architectural coatings segment include Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, the Glidden unit of Imperial Chemicals, PPG Industries, Valspar Corporation, Grow group and Pratt & Lambert. These producers account upward for 60% of sales in architectural coatings segment. They market under their own brand names and  for retailers under private, controlled and store brand names. 2. Volatile Organic Compound (VOCs) U. S paint manufacturer are under growing pressure to reduce emissions volatile organic compound (VOCs) from paints and to limit the consumption of solvents. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has adopted a three step plan for reduction of VOCs in architectural and industrial maintenance coatings. Compliance with EPA regulations eroded historically low profit margins in paint industry. 3 DFW and Non DFW Janmar Coating, Inc.  market its paint and sundry item in over 50 countries in Texas, Okhlahoma, New Mexico, and Lousiana from its plant and headquarter in Dallas, Texas. The 11- Country Dallas – Fort Worth (DFW) metropolitan area is the major business and financial center in their company’s southwestern service area. According to Vice president of sales â€Å" we have added only five accounts in the five years; our account penetration in non DFW areas is 16%† . 3. 0 Consider relevant information There are some alternatives that should be considered: 1. Customer advertising awareness at least 30 percent among do-it-yourselfers. As per Vice President of Advertising, Ron, he believed that they must direct their efforts towards bolstering their presence in the DFW do-it-yourselfer market by at least 30 percent. The awareness is well related to paint purchase behavior. Through advertising, the customers will be aware about the Janmar Coatings’ paint as well as they have seen it been advertised via media. However according to Mr. Burns, advertising is not a good idea since he did not sure what advertising it is because 75 percent of the audience in DFW is not buying paint. He suggested that the cost of advertising amounted $350,000 used for advertising in non DFW areas. 2. Price cut by 20 percent of all paint products. Based on Vice President of Operations, he suggested that they must cut price by 20 percent on all their products to meet customers’ wants. It is because the customers are price sensitive due to the research program. Their price is still higher than a mass merchandiser’s although they have advertised price-off special. But as per Mr. Burns, their sale representative has forecasted that their demand for paint will not increase next year. Therefore, they cannot cut price this year. 3. Hire a sale representative costing $60,000 a year in non DFW areas. Vice President of Sales wants to develop a new retail account in non DFW areas after only five accounts for the last 5 years. They want to focus on non DFW areas because half of their sales and dealers exist in that particular area. It has been asking by Mr. Burns on what the sale representative will do, either focusing on retail account side or on recruiting the professional painter. 70 percent of sale is through their professional painters in DFW areas, while 70 percent of sale went to do-it-yourselfers in non DFW areas. They would need 40 percent price cut to attract contractors since they have minimum number of contractor sale in DFW and other areas. 4. Maintaining their current approach. Referring to Vice President of Finance, he want to pursue the current approach because they are in profitable based on contribution margin by 35 percent. The company just needs to monitor their margin in control their cost well. 4. 0 Choose the best alternative The best alternative is sales representative, since it focuses on non DFW areas because half of their sales and dealers exist in that particular area. 5. 0 Implementation of the alternative: Based on the case study, the way to implement the problem is through market targeting. There is the way of target the market which is: 1. Where to compete Janmar Coating Inc. needs to specify the market segment that they want to pursue. They need to make marketing improvement in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Non Dallas-Fort Worth (Non-DFW) to compete with their competitors such as Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore and Grow Group. They should pursue the 400 or so professional painting firms in DFW area and the 200 professional painters outside the DFW area or the do-it-yourselfer market. 2. How to compete Janmar Coating Inc. can compete with their rival by increasing the hiring of representative at the DFW area and non-DFW area. This strategy can make Janmar Coating Inc. customers feel convenience and can build a good relationship with them. The representative that had been hired by Janmar Coating Inc. is only eight people. Due to it, they cannot monitor each of the retail outlets all over 50 countries in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Louisiana. By adding representative and allocate them accordingly through the country, they can make a promotion aggressively and can get information about the buying trend of the consumer from the retailers. 3. When to compete Janmar Coating Inc. can start to make their new marketing targeting according to the seasonal or trend of the demand from the consumers. For an example, consumers will be attracting to purchase when there is a promotional allowances during seasonal festival such as Charismas festival. 6. 0 Conclusion: It can be conclude that to make a decision for the problem of where and how to deploy corporate marketing efforts among the various architectural paint coating, the company should adding amount of representative to make a promotion that can increase level of the awareness of the Janmar brand among the consumer. Due to the new strategy, the sales of the architectural paint coating will be increase and it can compete with the rival product. 7. 0 Reference A. Peterson, R. A. (2013). Strategic Management Problems: Cases and Comments. Pearson Education. Kerin, R. A.

How Films Change Perception Essay

There are many ways in which movies or films may become art. Art can be expressed through color, angles, character development, plot, even scenery; or all of these combined. In the movie Il Postino there is a certain art of the film which allows the viewer to become part of the story, to fall in love as the characters fall in love, through the expression of words and moments. This paper will focus on how movies or films help in changing a person’s perspective through the use of characters, plot, scenery, camera angles, filter use, and the overall ambience of a film, mainly focusing on Il Postino. A film is a gateway by which the viewing audience is immersed in another person’s life which includes their family, their culture, and their environment. Due to the relationship which the camera has with the character, the audience feels as though they too have a bond with the protagonists of the film. By extension then, the characters’ life becomes the audience’s reality. The brilliance of movies is that there are so many ways in which to depict varied cultures and for each film there is a chance for the audience member to exchange, expound, and change their own perspective in light of the information they are given from the characters’ lives. It is through this part of the film, the expression of love in its diverse and dynamic multidimensional forms that the viewer is allowed to partake in the film, be hypnotized with the characters and it is this that makes Il Postino an art film, and how it can change an audience members own perspective. Films are not only seen as an art form, but they are also used in a cultural context in order to present to the viewing public historical events. These historical events may be subject to biases such as in propaganda films (D. W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation) or they may present documentaries in which plan objectivism is the point of the film (i. e. Bush’s Brain). A film does not only transport the viewer into different cultures but gives the world a chance to see the unfolding of history through the perspective of the people who lived through it such as films documenting the effects of Hiroshima’s bomb, and the radiation which ensued directly afterwards with first person accounts. Therefore the lens of history is unclouded with such unbiased documentaries. Films are also a means of therapy and identification. Some films are so profound in their depiction of a character’s life that the audience member completely identifies with that person and a sub-cult forms based on the movie. These sub-cults can be seen with the movies The Godfather, Rocky Horror Picture Show, or even Psycho. In these films an audience member can identify or want to encompass the way of life of these characters to such an extent that they may go and join the mafia, become transsexual, or even become an integral part of the Hitchcock fan base in which pure horror is the objective of the movie, â€Å"Shots of Gothic manors lit by lightening, of shadows glimpsed under doors, or of a hand gliding along a banister, are examples of the ‘spectacular means’ of horror; they are the kind of devices that have been used so often that they have come to define the genre of the horror movie† (White The Poetics of Horror 1). Thus, movies go beyond displaying forms of a culture and begin to instigate their own subcultures. More subcultures will form from a movie that is subjective in which the audience member can come closely to identifying with the main character. The objective films in which an more omnipresent perspective of the unfolding of the lives of the main characters is not warranted to becoming a sub cultural formation but has its own merits nonetheless. In the way in which the main character Mario lives, in his final act of love for the poet Neruda is found this close perspective of the film. It is not because the film is about poetry that makes Il Postino an art film that audience members identify with but rather is it how the characters embrace their own personalities, their own loves and destinies that transforms the film from one of typical romance into great romance. The transformation of these two protagonists is the center of making this film art. Their responses to one another, their paradigm of poetry and love of life allow the viewer that voyeuristic look into the characters’ reality. This is what art does, this is why the movie is art. Even the final act of Beatrice giving Neruda Mario’s tape recorder is an act of poetry, a final salute the two friend’s past. The unfolding of their lives becomes a poignant moment in the audience member’s lives as well since the movie showed a close perspective of the protagonists’ lives. Films also have a heavy impact on a person’s life when the point of the film is to present the audience with propaganda, especially during wartime. In the British side, the official task of the War Propaganda Bureau headed by Lord Northcliffe was to alter the minds of the British into thinking that the war’s aim was to stop the nearing catastrophe the Germans and their allies created. Indeed, the war was molded in that concept and fed to the people. However, the extent of mid-altering and opinion-swaying came to an extent never before imagined. The meaning of propaganda clearly states that it the most legal way of changing the mindsets and perceptions of people; and only a powerful institution can do such a thing, for no individual or government can uphold and spread propaganda without sufficient resources. In the aim of altering or distorting the people’s emotions, a government has to adopt utmost carefulness in order to achieve its goal of merging together all the people’s sentiments and turning it into a national mindset. Propaganda is the intentional, organized attempt to mold perceptions, alter understanding and dictate behavior to garner a response that will suffice the wishes of the propagandist. War propaganda was born in the World War I. In a war, the side which employs a more powerful and thought-penetrating propaganda despite disadvantage in strength and in number, possesses the innate advantage. This was done to maintain the morale at home and be in perfect synchronization with allies abroad. The British propaganda was the most superior and was even highly regarded worldwide even by their German foes. Propaganda, as it was utilized in World War I, was the ruination of the human soul. The British were best at doing such defilement. Lumley (1933) stated that propaganda is the intentional effort to affect the minds and emotions of people. On the other hand, the Germans at the start of the war had experienced the culmination of their government’s own propaganda, the Spirit of 1914, as German propagandists made the citizens particularly the elite classes perceives the upcoming war as a means of unifying the peoples of Europe. By the end of the war, the Germans saw it as a distant memory and a misleading notion. There one could conclude regarding the striking contrasts between the propaganda of Britain and Germany. Germany, as well as the other nations of the Central Powers led its people to believe that the war to be waged was to achieve a noble cause whilst Britain led its people to see the war as a means to putting a halt to the advance of the German militaristic menace. To guarantee that no additional or unwanted knowledge flowed into the public and for the governments to at least give the people some information just for the sake of informing them, all sorts of information were filtered. Information media were tight and under scrutiny. Media, like the newspaper for instance, print filtered news that is sanctioned by the government because if otherwise, they will be the subject of penalties. The government made people read what they only want them to read. For example in Britain, censorship was the key ingredient because newspapers were run by the media barons who were more than willing to cooperate. They helped print headlines which made emotions of the British civilians surge in anger, depicting Germans in utmost cruelty and picturing the German leaders as bellicose bullies. Inevitably, across in Western Europe the same was also happening in Germany, where the authorities propagandized the British as sadistic towards their German captives. In all of the countries, propaganda was also behind the altering of casualty figures which were lessened considerably to make the people optimistic of the outcome. Just as films are maneuvered to present a specific and altered point of view during a war, or a film presents the viewer with point of view perspective of a culture, so too does a film bring forth international cultures that reflect a specific country. This view point can be seen in films such as Amelie in which the protagonist searches the film through for a boy who dropped a picture book, and the reflection of quirky natures of the main characters is portrayed and the way in which the French easily examine sexuality in the film (as in the scene where the man works in a sex shop). Films are not only used to portray and represent different cultures to the audience but they may also be used for educational purposes. This goes beyond the scope of sex education films but can also include driving safely videos, or even military outfits gain instruction from a film on how to survive out in the wild. Despite all of the facets that a film may provide for an audience member; be it differing views on culture, educational purposes, propaganda, the main purpose, and the one that makes all of the others seemingly obsolete is that of the movie’s entertainment value. Audience members attend films in order to escape their own reality for a while, the immerse themselves in another person’s perspective, their reality. Thus, movies perform a function in society of entertainment, of escapism, of fantasy, and that is their main appeal. Works Cited Carrol, Noel. Nightmare and the Horror Film: The Symbolic Biology of Fantastic Beings. Film Quarterly. Vol. 34, No. 3. pp16-25. Spring 1981. Cull, N. J. Selling War: The British Propaganda Campaign against American Neutrality in World War II. London: Oxford University Press. 1997. Il Postino. Blue Dahlia Productions. 1994. White, Dennis L. The Poetics of Horror More than Meets the Eye. â€Å"Cinema Journal† Vol. 10, No. 2. pp1-18. Spring 1971.

The eNotes Blog 10 (Extra Cheesy) Math JokesExplained

10 (Extra Cheesy) Math JokesExplained If youre a math teacher looking for some cheesy yet relevant material, a giant math nerd, or simply  a lover of lame  jokes   check out these punny math images: 1. One of the basic trigonometric  rules is that Sin(x)/Cos(x) = Tan(x). So, sin(gerine)/cos(gerine) = tan(gerine). Mathematical and  refreshing! 2. A great joke for your calculus students using old school Pokà ©mon imagery. The derivative of e^x is always e^x.   Plus, any opportunity use  Pokà ©mon in the classroom  should be taken. 3.  The number i is an imaginary number, -1 . It is not considered a real number.   A rational number is a number that can be expressed as a fraction.   The decimals of pi  go on forever, it is impossible for pi  to be represented as a fraction, thus it is not rational. 4. To find the volume of a disk, you multiply the area of the base times the depth. The volume is pi * r * r * depth. If r = z, and depth = a, our result is pi * z * z * a. 5. A hidden joke  from Futurama: Historic √66 (sound it out). 6. What this suave guy was trying to say: my attraction to you has no limit. In calculus limits are the value that a function or sequence approaches as the input or index approaches some value.Better luck next time, maybe try a different math pick up line. Though, ladies, this line would work on me. 7. In trigonometry, sin^2(x) + cos^2(x) will always equal 1, no matter what the x is. It is based off of the pythagorean theorem. That doesn’t mean this pick up line is any better than that other one†¦. but hey, maybe its worth a shot. You never know. 8.  Two math jokes in one!  An acute angle is an angle that is less than 90 degrees.  Complementary angles are angles two angles that  add up  to 90 degrees. 9. I have to include something  xkcd.   The beautiful thing about math is that there are universal rules that apply to all situations.   There is no room for debate. â€Å"a(b+c) = ab + ac, politicize that, b******.† Randall Munroe (author of the comic) 10. A normal distribution is a bell curve.   This is what educators use for calculating standard deviations and all sorts of other fun things!!!   The paranormal distribution on the other hand is  1+1 = 2 spooky 4 me. Have a funny favorite  we missed? Let us know in the comments! Also, visit  the math  Homework Help section on and get help with your own homework problems.

Starbucks Crisis Communication Plan Research Paper

Starbucks Crisis Communication Plan - Research Paper Example   The company's guiding philosophy will be to convey details as fast as probable and updating specifics regularly as conditions change. This is to make certain about the security of the Starbuck's society and the continuous operation of indispensable services and provisions. The company's efforts to be concurrently precise and quick may imply that several communications are imperfect. Starbuck's acknowledges this, understanding that how they communicate in an urgent situation or crisis will influence the public perceptions of the organization (Timothy, 2012). Openness and swiftness are the most effectual means to keep away from lasting harm to the establishment and extensive second-guessing by the community that anticipates instant access to precise information. A superior offense is the best protection. At the same instance, the company realizes that in a disaster, people will possibly anticipate Starbucks to have more details than they may essentially know. That makes it essentia l to communicating with precision concerning what they know and not to guess regarding details they do not recognize. The organization will employ numerous platforms to get to as many individuals as possible with precise, well-timed information. This is particularly significant in the initial hours and days of an urgent situation or an emergency. The company's objective is to be open, answerable and available to all audiences while as well being watchful of lawful and confidentiality concerns.  

Case #5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case #5 - Essay Example This entails a thorough scrutiny of the subject of interconnection of computers, which facilitates flow of computer data from point to another via a well-designed set of network protocols. A significant set of sub topics have been considered for this agenda. This is to ascertain that they add great value to the final objective of this training session, which is to enhance employee knowledge of key notions behind data communication (Banzal 18). The top sub topic is definition of computer networks. In simple terms, computer networks refer to the interconnection of computers over the internet to facilitate sharing of data from one computer to another. Computer networks are of great importance to an organization in that they play a huge role in ensuring that there is a quality information-sharing platform among staff members. The second sub topic is data communication, which entails electronic transmission of computer data from one point (source) to another (destination). In essence, data communication acts as the building to enhancing the quality of the day-to-day business operations of an organization (Banzal 102). Thirdly, it is on the subject of importance of computer networks. As stipulated earlier, computer networks are of great importance to the operations of an organization. This is because they play a very important role in the delivery of fast, accurate and secure sharing of organizational data amongst the staff members. Consequently, it creates a quality platform for coming up and sharing of sound business decisions. Types of computer networks is the fourth sub topic. To be exact, there are many types of computer network in use in most successful organizations. These include the LAN, WAN, MAN, WLAN, SAN, PAN and VPN. LAN stands for Local Area Network, WAN IS Wide Area Network, MAN is Metropolitan Area Network, WLAN is Wireless Local Area Network, SAN is Storage Area Network while VPN refers to a Virtual Private