Economics for Business and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Economics for Business and Management - Essay Example According to Anderton (2000), the consumers are the ones who determine what is to be produced hence determine allocation of resources leading to allocative efficiency. The demand for goods and services by consumers triggers the producers to increase production thus engaging more factors of production in the process. The income earned by the factors determines the amount of consumption by individuals; the more the income, the higher the consumption or demand. At the initial stage, competition by consumers for scarce resources pushes the prices up. The law of supply states that the higher the price, the higher the quantity supplied thus the producers increase production and get more profit. Since there are no barriers to entry in a free market, more producers may enter the market attracted by the abnormal profits (Griffiths & Wall, 2008). In the long run, supply will increase more than demand and the firms will start competing for the few buyers pushing the prices down. A fall in price means the profits also decline leading to reduction in production by firms and exit from the market by others. An optimum allocation of resources occurs where demand by consumers interacts with supply by producers. The resources are used to produce the goods that are most in demand by consumers hence resources are transferred from one use to another which is more profitable. As such, some people are made well off while others are made worse off. For example, if a firm decides to change the technology used in production it will employ individuals who have such skills and those who don’t possess the required skills are declared redundant and lose their wages. The firm can also use new equipments. High prices make some consumers to afford goods while others cant due to amount of income held by individuals. According to the law of demand, the lower the price the higher the quantity demanded. A reduction in production by producers may force prices up as consumers compete for the goods. The high prices in turn lead to cut in consumption. The producers therefore must innovate ways of producing goods at low cost hence low prices for goods and increased demand. This leads to productive efficiency of the economy (Griffiths & Wall, 2008). Competition by firms leads to innovation as firms try to gain competitive advantage. They thus produce high quality goods to the advantage of consumers. Lipsey & Chrystal (2007) argue that the free market gives better information on changing market conditions thus allowing buyers and sellers to make informed decisions. For example, when prices are low it signals that there is high supply in the market and an incentive for buyers to buy more. High prices indicate scarcity of goods and hence an incentive for sellers to sell more and make profit. High prices also induce firms to employ more factors of production. Due to availability of information, decision makers respond quickly to changes in consumer demand (Vidler & Grant, 2003) . The free market system also allows consumers to have a variety of choices from different firms. Q1 (b): How Market Failure Occurs and how Government can Correct Market Failure Market failure is due to inefficient functioning of the markets. A market should be able to resolve the questions of

Impact of Leonardo Da Vincis Inventions

Impact of Leonardo Da Vincis Inventions Engineering Drawings To be a proficient engineer, it requires a person to develop and possess various skill sets. The understanding of the various concepts and knowledge presented to them is crucial as well as it would allow them to apply it to their work as a practicing engineer. Some engineers may consider their best tools to be a piece of paper and a pencil. Possessing the ability to graphically communicate their ideas by sketching or drawing them, allows some of these ideas to come to life. Best known for his paintings of the Last Supper and Mona Lisa, Leonardo Da Vinci was more than just an artist, he was also an inventor and to some he is considered to be the worlds most famous engineer. His fascination for knowledge and his ability to bring his ideas to life shows that he is the epitome of an engineer. Only at the age of fifteen is when Leonardo was progressing in advancing his artistic skills under his teacher, Andrea Del Verrocchio. By 1482, Leonardo had chosen to move to Milan, Italy from Flore nce (which at the time was considered to be a more militaristic city than Florence), to work for Duke Ludovico Sforza as a military engineer. From there, Leonardo was able to innovate the war machines used by the military at the time. He essentially paved the way for some of the common weapons used in the modern day military. One of his war machine inventions was called the 33-Barreled Organ. Leonardo got the idea for this weapon when he saw that a cannons shot may not be as accurate and took quite some time to reload in battle. He figured that if a soldier could reload the weapon and fire at the same time, it would prove to be much more effective in the battlefield. The guns design consisted of a wheelbarrow like structure with big wheels and attached to it in the middle were the thirty-three guns split into three rows, which meant eleven shots were possible with just one row. It also had a rotating wheel to allow one row to fire while the other was being prepared for the next round. Leonardos idea for this barreled gun was it is now seen as the machine gun in modern day military. Another military innovation from Leonardo was the Armored Car, also known as the military tank in modern times. Leonardo thought to himself that if the soldiers could get closer to the enemy frontlines as well as their artillery that meant no soldier could stop their attack and would be forced to scatter. The armored car featured multiple cannons around the vehicle, thus giving the soldiers inside a firing range of three-hundred and sixty degrees. The shape of the vehicle consisted of a cone with a view port for a soldier to direct the vehicles motion. However, it was discovered there was an issue within the vehicle that would not allow it to move in a forward motion. Some suggested that da Vinci might have sabotaged his own design to discourage the war machine from ever being built. (Leonardo da Vincis Armoured car invention, 2008). As Leonardo was developing other war machines, he had decided to take an existing idea and improve on it for use on the battlefield. He took the soldiers average crossbow and decided to create a giant version out of it. Leonardo had claimed that this weapon was the best way to terrify the enemy. The Giant Crossbow was measured to stretch as far as 27 yards across the field. It consisted of six wheels, three on each side, to ensure mobility during the battle. It also had to be made of thin wood to allow the crossbow to have some flexibility. But the issue was, where Leonardo would create large enough arrows for use in battle. Instead, the crossbow launched large pieces of stone and at times, flaming bombs. To launch the object, it required the soldier to wind back the bow and then use a mallet to push the pin out of place for the weapon to fire. Leonardo had also improved another commonly used weapon during the war. In his observations, he found that the cannons shot may not be accurate and was too slow to reload after each shot. This meant that if the shot missed, the soldiers would be lacking in damage. He also found that the cannon lacked sufficient mobility in the battle. He designed instead a faster and more lightweight version of the cannon. But it did not just consist of one cannon, it included three cannons. Due to how lightweight it was, it made mobility on the battlefield much easier for the soldier. This also meant that the soldier could fire multiple shots at once as well and at a much faster rate compared to its predecessor. Seventeen years later, Leonardos time as a military engineer under the rule of Ludovico Sforza had come to an end once the French had invaded Milan. This left Leonardo to pursue other projects and come up with new inventions while travelling to other cities. Leonardo ended up designing an invention known as the ornithopter or known as the flying machine. His inspiration for this machine came from birds and kites. He had hoped one day the average man could fly as high as them in the sky. He specifically studied how the birds would use their wings to fly and would apply the concept into his design. However, it would become quite more apparent that the design of the wings, resemble the wings of a bat. The wingspan of the ornithopter was beyond thirty three feet. The material he used in the design of the wings consisted of pine and raw silk. This allowed the wings to be light and allow it to be easily carried by the wind. He would then have the pilot sit in the center between the wings a nd push a pedal in an alternating fashion while the machine flapped its wings. But Leonardos interest in flying did not stop there, he had come up with another invention. This time, Leonardo came up with the Parachute, not specifically the one seen in modern day, but the early sketch of a parachute. His idea of the parachute would come from a tent made of linen, sewn together to make sure all its openings were not letting air through and it would have a wooden frame which allowed the person to attach some rope to it to be able hold on. He believed at the time, that this device would allow a person to be able to jump from nearly any height without injury. But, at the time there were not any extremely high up places that were viable enough to be used for testing. It was not until the year 2000, when a known daredevil by the name of Adrian Nicholas decided to try Leonardos design of the parachute. Critics doubted his design would work and would put Adrians life at risk. But after jumping from 3000 feet above ground, Adrian proved that Leonardos design was successf ul. He also discovered that the ride to be smoother than the ripcord parachute found in modern times. But, the weight of the parachute was a concern since it could potentially injure the user as they land. Near the end of the fifteenth century, Leonardo had come up with another invention that was seen once again as ahead of his time. Using gears, pulleys, and cables, he was able to create a robot knight. By taking a knights suit and fitting it with the gears, pulleys, and cables, he was able to give the suit the ability to move various parts such as the arms and legs using different pulley systems within the suit. It could also perform human like actions such as sitting down and standing up, moving its head, and opening its mouth piece. But since then, Leonardos full drawings could not be found together, but rather, scattered designs in his notebooks. However, in 2002 a NASA roboticist by the name of Mark Rosheim took Leonardos design and was able to create a prototype out of it. As he was building the prototype, he discovered how Leonardo designed the robot to be easily built. This truly showed how Leonardo was a man ahead of his time. This allowed people in modern times now to take i nspiration from Leonardos Robotic Knight and to apply similar concepts to what is created today. It would be quite challenging to imagine life without some of the designs that Leonardo Da Vinci had created which helped pave the way for some of the modern day inventions. One may question what the world would be like in terms of technological and architectural advances had people neglected his work or he chose to not share his ideas. One can come to the conclusion that Leonardo Da Vinci was more than just an artist, but he was also an innovator that was way ahead of his time. References ENGINEERING.COM. (2006, October 12). Leonardo da Vinci > ENGINEERING.Com. Retrieved from http://www.engineering.com/Library/ArticlesPage/tabid/85/ArticleID/34/Leonardo-da-Vinci.aspx Leonardo da Vincis Armoured car invention. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.da-vinci-inventions.com/armoured-car.aspx Wight, C. (2009, March 4). Leonardo da Vinci from inspiration to innovation. Retrieved from http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/leonardo/leonardo.html Universal Leonardo: Leonardo da Vinci online à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º welcome to universal Leonardo. Retrieved from http://www.universalleonardo.org/ What is Leonardos robotic knight invention? Retrieved from InnovateUs, http://www.innovateus.net/innopedia/what-leonardos-robotic-knight-invention

Self Taught Guitarist :: Music Musician Instruments Essays

Self Taught Guitarist I believe that every person has the ability to learn how to play an instrument. With enough practice, dedication and the right information, which is easy to asses via the web, you can accomplish almost anything. There are many web sites dedicated to all guitar playing levels. It is just a matter of finding the right one (or ones) for your needs and areas of improvement. Out of most web sites that I researched, there are two that I choose to talk about. These are Guitartricks.com and Cyberfret.com. Both of these websites have very good and extensive information that could keep any guitarist of any level entertained for weeks. One of the websites is also very interactive, meaning that you can post your own music on the web site for others to see and play. The topics range from beginner’s lessons to scales and even reading music! Both websites use tablature to show their audience different compositions, practice exercises and other user postings. Tablature is a series of six lines which represent the six strings on the guitar. Each line has a specific note which are E, A, D, G, B, and E from the bottom up. Then, numbers are placed on the lines to represent when and where your fingers have to be on the frets. The numbers represent the frets (frets are like keys on a piano) on the guitar and range from one all the way to twenty-two or twenty-four, depending on the guitar that you use (some guitars have twenty two frets and some have twenty-four). A very good aspect of Cyberfret.com is that it uses the treble clef as well in many of its lessons. The treble clef is a more professional and sophisticated way to write music. It is how Beethoven and J.S. Bach kept their countless inventions and masterpieces alive over so many years. Nevertheless, both of the websites focus on tablature in their beginnerâ€⠄¢s section, as well as tuning and naming all the parts of the guitar. Their content for a beginning audience is excellent and would facilitate anyone’s first understandings of the mechanics of the guitar. Since every person has their own style of music, the first thing I took into consideration when evaluating Guitartricks.com and Cyberfret.com was their assortment of styles to research.

Public Enterprises

What are the Objectives of Public Enterprises? SOUMYA SINGH In India, public enterprises have been assigned the task of realising the objectives laid down in the Directive Principles of State Policy. Public sector as a whole seeks: (a) to gain control of the commanding heights of the economy, (b) to promote critical development in terms of social gain or strategic value rather than on consideration of profit, and (c) to provide commercial surplus with which to finance further economic development. The main objectives of public enterprises in India are as follows: 1. Economic development:Public enterprises were set up to accelerate the rate of economic growth in a planned manner. These enterprises have created a sound industrial base for rapid industrialisation of the country. They are expected to provide infrastructure facilities for promoting balanced and diversified economic structure of development. 2. Self-reliance: Another aim of public enterprises is to promote self-reliance in strategic sectors of the national economy. For this purpose, public enterprises have been set up in transportation, communication, energy, petro-chemicals, and other key and basic industries. . Development of backward Areas: Several public enterprises were established in backward areas to reduce regional imbalances in development. Balanced development of different parts of the country is necessary for social as well as strategic reasons. 4. Employment generation: Unemployment has become a serious problem in India. Public enterprises seek to offer gainful employment to millions. In order to protect jobs, several sick units in the private sector have been nationalised. 5. Economic surplus: Public enterprises seek to generate and mobilise surplus for reinvestment.These enterprises earn money and mobilise public savings for industrial development. 6. Egalitarian society: An important objective of public enterprises is to prevent concentration of economic power and growth of private mon opolies. Public sector helps the Government to enforce social control on trade and industry for ensuring equitable distribution of goods and services. Public enterprises protect and promote small scale industries. 7. Consumer welfare: Public enterprises seek to protect consumers from exploitation and profiteering by ensuring supply of essential commodities at cheaper prices.They aim at stabilising prices. 8. Public utilities: Private sector is guided by profit motive. Therefore, it is reluctant to invest money in public utility services like water supply, gas, electricity, public transport. Therefore, the Government has to assume responsibility for providing such services. 9. Defence: Government has to set up public enterprises for production of defence equipment. Supply of such equipment cannot be entrusted for private sector due to the need for utmost secrecy. 10. Labour welfare: Public enterprises serve as model employers.They ensure welfare and social security of employees. Many public enterprises have developed townships, schools, college and hospitals for their workers. Role and Rationale of Public Enterprises The public sector has been playing a vital role in the economic development of the country. In fact the public sector has come to occupy such an important place in our economy that on its effective performance depends largely the achievement of the country's economic and social goals. Public sector is considered a powerful engine of economic development and an important instrument of self-reliance.The main contributions of public enterprises to the country's economy may be described as follows: 1. Filling of gaps: At the time of independence, there existed serious gaps in the industrial structure of the country, particularly in the field of heavy industries. Basic and key industries require huge capital investment, involve considerable risk and suffer from long gestation periods. Private sector concerns do not come forward to establish such industr ies. Public sector has helped to fill up these gaps. The basic infrastructure required for rapid industrialisation has been built up, through the production of strategic capital goods.The public sector has considerably widened the industrial base of the country and speeded up the pace of industrialisation. 2. Employment: Public sector has created millions of jobs to tackle the unemployment problem in the country. Public sector accounts for about two-third of the total employment in the organised industrial sector in India. By taking over many sick units, the public sector has protected the employment of millions. Public sector has also contributed a lot towards the improvement of working and living conditions of workers by serving as a model employer. 3. Balanced regional development:Private industries tend to concentrate in certain regions while other regions remain backward. Public sector undertakings have located their plants in backward and untraded parts of the country. These a reas lacked basic industrial and civic facilities like electricity, water supply, township and manpower. Public enterprises have developed these facilities thereby bringing about complete transformation in the social-economic life of the people in these regions. Steel plants of Bhilai, Rourkela and Durgapur; fertilizer factory at Sindri, machine tool plants in Rajasthan, precision instruments plants in Kerala and Rajasthan, etc. are a few examples of the development of backward regions by the public sector. 4. Optimum utilisation of resources: Public enterprises make better utilisation of scarce resources of the country. They are big in size and able to enjoy the benefits of large scale operations. They help to eliminate wasteful completion and ensure full use of installed capacity. Optimum utilisation of resources results in better and cheaper production. 5. Mobilisation of surplus: The profits earned by public enterprises are reinvested for expansion and diversification. Moreover, public sector concerns like banks and financial nstitutions mobilise scattered public savings thereby helping the process of capital formation in the country. Public enterprises earn considerable foreign exchange through exports. 6. Self reliance: Public enterprises have reduced considerably the need for imports by producing new and better products within the country. These enterprises are also earning considerable amount of foreign exchange through exports. 7. Socialistic pattern of society: Public sector is an instrument for realising social objectives. Public enterprises help to check concentration of wealth and private monopolies.These enterprises can serve as powerful means of economic and social change. 8. Public welfare: Public enterprises help in the establishment of a welfare state in the country. These enterprises supply essential commodities at cheaper rates. A proper balance between demand and supply is created to protect consumers against exploitation by profit hungry businessmen. Public enterprises also protect and promote the interests of workers. Criticism of Public Enterprises [Arguments against Public Enterprises] Public enterprises are opposed on account of weaknesses in their organisation and working.These enterprises generally suffer from the following problems: 1. Delay in completion: Often a very long time is taken in the establishment and completion of public enterprises. Delay in completion leads to increase in the cost of establishment and benefits extracted from them are delayed. 2. Faulty evaluation: Public enterprises are in some cases set upon political considerations. There is no proper evaluation of demand and supply and expected costs and benefits. There are no clear cut objectives and guidelines. In the absence of proper project planning there is under- utilisation of capacity and wastage of national resources. . Heavy overhead costs: Public enterprises often spend huge amounts on providing housing and other amenities to empl oyees. Though such investment is useful for employees but it takes away a large part of capital and the project suffers from financial difficulties. 4. Poor returns: Majority of the public enterprises in India are incurring loss. In some of them the profits earned do not yield a reasonable return on huge investment. Lack of effective financial controls, wasteful expenditure and dogmatic pricing policy result in losses 5. Inefficient management:Due to excessive centralisation of authority and lack of motivation public enterprises are managed inefficiently. High level posts are often occupied by persons lacking necessary expertise but enjoying political support. 6. Political interference: There is frequent interference from politicians and civil servants in the working of public enterprises. Such interference leaves little scope for initiative and freedom of action. Public enterprises enjoy little autonomy and flexibility of operations. 7. Labour problems: In the absence of proper man power planning public enterprises suffer from over-staffing.Jobs are created to fulfil employment goals of the Government. Guarantee of job in these enterprises encourages trade unions to be militant in pursuing their aims. Growth of Public Enterprises in India At the time of independence, public sector in India was confined mainly to railways, communications, defence production and public utility services. Since then the growth of public enterprises has been very rapid. Now public sector consists of public utilities (e. g. , railways, post and telegraph, etc), manufacturing concerns (e. g. , BHEL, SAIL, etc. ), trading organisations (e. g. STC, MMTC, etc. ), service organisations (e. g. , NIDC, RITES, etc. ). SAIL, a Maharatna Company of Govt. of India, is the world's leading and India's largest steel producer with an annual turnover of around Rs. 50,348 crore (FY11-12). It operates and owns 5 integrated steel plants at Rourkela, Bhilai, Durgapur, Bokaro and Burnpur and 3 special s teel plants at Salem, Durgapur and Bhadravati. As part of its global ambition the Company is implementing a massive expansion plan involving project work of building/adding new facilites with emphasis on state of the art green technology.List of Maharatna, Navratna and Miniratna CPSEs As per available information (as on February, 2013) Maharatna CPSEs Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited Coal India Limited GAIL (India) Limited Indian Oil Corporation Limited NTPC Limited Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited Steel Authority of India Limited Navratna CPSEs Bharat Electronics Limited Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited National Aluminium Company Limited NMDC Limited Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited Oil India LimitedPower Finance Corporation Limited Power Grid Corporation of India Limited Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited Rural Electrification Corporation Limited Shipping Corporation of I ndia Limited Miniratna Category – I CPSEs Airports Authority of India Antrix Corporation Limited Balmer Lawrie & Co. Limited Bharat Dynamics Limited BEML Limited Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited Bridge & Roof Company (India) Limited Central Warehousing Corporation Central Coalfields Limited Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited Cochin Shipyard Limited Container Corporation of India Limited Dredging Corporation of India LimitedEngineers India Limited Ennore Port Limited Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited Goa Shipyard Limited Hindustan Copper Limited HLL Lifecare Limited Hindustan Newsprint Limited Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited Housing & Urban Development Corporation Limited India Tourism Development Corporation Limited Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Limited IRCON International Limited KIOCL Limited Mazagaon Dock Limited Mahanadi Coalfields Limited Manganese Ore (India) Limited Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemical Limited Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited MMT C Limited MSTC LimitedNational Fertilizers Limited National Seeds Corporation Limited NHPC Limited Northern Coalfields Limited Numaligarh Refinery Limited ONGC Videsh Limited Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited Projects & Development India Limited Railtel Corporation of India Limited Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited RITES Limited SJVN Limited Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited South Eastern Coalfields Limited State Trading Corporation of India Limited Telecommunications Consultants India Limited THDC India Limited Western Coalfields Limited WAPCOS Limited Miniratna Category-II CPSEsBharat Pumps & Compressors Limited Broadcast Engineering Consultants (I) Limited Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited Ed. CIL (India) Limited Engineering Projects (India) Limited FCI Aravali Gypsum & Minerals India Limited Ferro Scrap Nigam Limited HMT (International) Limited HSCC (India) Limited India Trade Promotion Organisation Indian Medicines & Pharmaceuticals Corporation Limited M E C O N Limited National Film Development Corporation Limited National Small Industries Corporation Limited P E C Limited Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Limited

Factors That Influence the Development of Individual’s Self Concept Essay

Income can influence the development of individual’s self-concept in a negative and positive way whereby people with good income with be able to live a luxurious life-style, for example will be able to afford good healthy balance diet, expensive cloths, shoes and jewellery able to afford good expensive accommodations with nice furniture, expensive cars, private hospitals, can afford their children to go to private schools which will them the advantage to good education and will be able to reach their full potential in life; can afford to go on holidays. But most importantly, possessions are not the only important thing in life, as long as one is able to maintain basic standard of living. on the other people with low income will even find it difficult to maintain the basic needs of life and this will their self-esteem especially if they are surrounding by images of people who have a lot of wealth. They will be restricted from a lot of things for example, will not be able to afford nice cloths for them and their children, will not be able to afford nice secured accommodation, not be able to access higher education and in terms of sickness they will have to be on the NHS waiting until is the time for them to be treated because they cannot afford to go to private hospitals to be treated or seen by a doctor. This is why so many people on low income are dying due to health problem because they cannot afford private hospitals so they have to wait on the NHS waiting list for a year or more meanwhile the sickness is getting worse and if they are unlock by the time the NHS get to them they would have been dead. Therefore, money in an important factor that influence the development of individual’s self-concept. Media edia means things like newspapers, television, internet, sites and music and these may influence the development of individual’s self-concept in that they positively enable us to have knowledge on what is happening around the world as well as playing a big role in the development of especially teenagers’ self-esteem and self confidence in relation to how they perceive their body image and beauty because media can alternation how to look beautiful by making them eat less to maintain their body figure, body transformations an so on thereby developing their self- esteem and confidences. On the other hand media can influences the way we think and feel about ourselves as it affect the person’s perception of body image and present them with an unrealistic view of how their bodies should look like thereby making them not to appreciate who they are, causing them always want to look like others and so begin to copy what they do and how they like as well as hoe they dress hence leading them to attempt unhealthy diet that is eating less because they do not want to gain weight as they want to be models, get stressed with money to buy designer clothes and so on and if they fail to achieve what their hearts desire, their self confidence will decline as well as having low self-esteem. Also when we watch media we tend to hate certain features of our appearance for example hate your nose and admire another person seen on media causing you to go for face transformations like plastic surgeries which may have an impact on your general health as time goes on because it may cause you to develop health issues sues as developing cancer, and also the feeling that we are not good or beautiful makes us unhappy and hence gets withdrawn. Family The family in which a person is brought up in plays an important role in influencing the development of someone’s self concept because when members of your family for example your parent love and care for you, it can make you feel good about yourself and develop a sense of belonging as well as self awareness. Also parent who praise and reward their children for what they have done contribute to the development of their self-concept because rewards and praises make them love and believe in themselves that they can also do things something which makes them have a feeling being useful people as well as developing their self confidences. On the other hand poor relationship between parents and children with in the family may make children lack confidence as well as as feel unloved and valued something which can result them in not being able to form long lasting relationships in adolescent or adulthood because of the effect that was cause during their childhood of not being loved and therefore they are passing on what they experienced during childhood making them having no love for anyone. However family members who abuse and neglect their children, this affect their self-concept because it makes them feel unloved, and insecure as well as having a feeling of not belonging in the family causing them to always feel withdrawn, and isolated leading to to develop low self-esteem and having negative image about themselves as they may see themselves as being useless, not wanted and not worth of living hence leading to suicide attempt and children who think poorly about themselves always have a hard time on finding solutions to problems. Education education is another factor that influences the way we feel about ourselves in the way that the person’s idea of how they are is strongly influenced by the experience at school and later experiences at college or university can also change what we think about ourselves. However this depends on which school we have attended, which experiences we have faced and how successful we have been because when we perform well in school and be praised for that which we have achieved, it develops a sense of confidence in ourselves as well as making us feel good about ourselves by making us feel that we are important people to the society thereby creating a positive self-image. But when we do not meet the expectations of education, we tend to develop negative attitudes about ourselves, for example we begin doubting our abilities to progress, we get discouraged, we loose confidence and self-esteem thereby making us become, withdrawn, and have a feeling of not belonging especially when with those who have achieved careers through education hence affecting our self concept. Also educational achievement is a positive influence on self-image because it increase out self-esteem as well as forming a positive self-image leaving a person with confidence feeling in our abilities and rise to challenges. It also influences us because it involves mixing with other people and we may compare our selves with them, learn theories and new ideas from them something which can help us to understand our lives. Peer pressure During adolescent stage, teenagers rely much on their friends and most of them follow what their friends do hence friends becoming a major influence on the development of the person’s self-concept because they can support their friend’s existing attitudes and values thereby making him/her feel good about his/her self and gaining confidence as well as making you feel you belong to their group as they support you. Also peer pressure can lead to the development of a positive image by encouraging you on how to dress nicely as well as helping you to choose which outfit can make you look nice because if you are smartly dressed, it can make you feel good inside and have confidence in what ever you do. Peer pressure also influence the way we behave in society by making us copy their behaviours whether they are good or bad just because we want to fit in their group and a sense of belonging and if you do not behave the way they want you, they may exclude you from a certain social group making you feel bad, unacceptable or failure and as a result you become withdrawn and isolated hence affecting our social development. Conclusion: there are different factors that can influence the development of individual’s self-concept and they can be influenced positively or negatively it all depends on the individual. When it comes to children and teenagers the parents have an important role to play in their children’s life; you as a parent suppose to set up a high standard behaviour and self-discipline because your children will be watching if you are a parent that wants to live life any how that will play a big role on your child/children’s behaviour; they will never respect you as a parent and they will start to look up to other people outside and also look for a role model that will be a big influence in their lives making you a second class citizen. It is therefore important to train yourself to live a good and valued life style so that you can be respected by your children, family and other people outside. You as an adult, and your children will feel good and proud when you are respected and at the same-time you are a role model to your children.

Information Systems and Security Audit Essays

Information Systems and Security Audit Essays Information Systems and Security Audit Essay Information Systems and Security Audit Essay INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND SECURITY AUDIT 1. Define the following terms: (6 Marks) -Integrity In information security, integrity means that data cannot be modified undetectably. This is not the same thing as referential integrity in databases, although it can be viewed as a special case of Consistency as understood in the classic ACID model of transaction processing. Integrity is violated when a message is actively modified in transit. Information security systems typically provide message integrity in addition to data confidentiality. Confidentiality Confidentiality is the term used to prevent the disclosure of information to unauthorized individuals or systems. For example, a credit card transaction on the Internet requires the credit card number to be transmitted from the buyer to the merchant and from the merchant to a transaction processing network. The system attempts to enforce confidentiality by encrypting the card number during transmission, by limiting the places where it might appear (in databases, log files, backups, printed receipts, and so on), and by restricting access to the places where it is stored. If an unauthorized party obtains the card number in any way, a breach of confidentiality has occurred. Non-repudiation In law, non-repudiation implies ones intention to fulfill their obligations to a contract. It also implies that one party of a transaction cannot deny having received a transaction nor can the other party deny having sent a transaction. Electronic commerce uses technology such as digital signatures and public key encryption to establish authenticity and non-repudiation. 2. Describe the function of Record Layer in SSL Architecture (2 Marks) The SSL Record Protocol provides basic security services to various higher-layer protocols. In particular, the HTTP, which provides the transfer service for Web client/server interaction, can operate on top of SSL. Three higher-layer protocols are defined as part of SSL: the Handshake Protocol, the Change CipherSpec Protocol, and the Alert Protocol. These SSL-specific protocols are used in the management of SSL exchanges. 3. List the four phases of virus nature (2 Marks) The first phase of a virus code attack is the placement of the code where it may be executed so that it can install itself in the main memory. Listed below are some methods adopted for the installation of viral code in the computer memory. The first phase of a virus code attack is the placement of the code where it maybe executed so that it can install itself in the main memory. The second phase involves saving the viral code to hard or floppy disk in such a way as to make it difficult to be detected and removed. The layout of MicroSoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) provides the following areas in a hard or floppy disk which is largely hidden from users but accessible to DOS commands only. One of the most common techniques used by virus writers is to copy Boot Sector 0 to an unused sector on the disk and then overwrite Boot Sector 0 with viral code. Whenever the disk is booted, the viral code is executed and loaded into the memory. The viral code then loads the original boot sector from its new position and passes control to it, and then system is able to continue apparently normally. The third phase involves a test for a condition which if met, will activate the virus. A condition may be a specified time, date or after a specified number of copies of the viral code have been made. The fourth and final phase is the action phase of the virus. During this phase, the virus attacks the target system and the effect of the attack may be destructive or   non-destructive. 4. Briefly describe the three cryptographic algorithms (5 Marks) DES This is the Data Encryption Standard. This is a cipher that operates on 64-bit blocks of data, using a 56-bit key. It is a private key system. RSA RSA is a public-key system designed by Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman. HASH A hash algorithm is used for computing a condensed representation of a fixed length message/file. This is sometimes known as a message digest, or a fingerprint. MD5 MD5 is a 128 bit message digest function. It was developed by Ron Rivest. AES This is the Advanced Encryption Standard (using the Rijndael block cipher) approved by NIST. 5. Using Diffie-Hellman Algorithm show that KA=KB , use n=7 and g=3 (5 Marks) 6. Explain the process of generating Cipher and Decrypting Cipher using RSA (5 Marks) The algorithm is based on modular exponentiation. Numbers e, d and N are chosen with the property that if A is a number less than N, then (Ae mod N)d mod N = A. This means that you can encrypt A with e and decrypt using d. Conversely you can encrypt using d and decrypt using e (though doing it this way round is usually referred to as signing and verification). The pair of numbers (e,N) is known as the public key and can be published. The pair of numbers (d,N) is known as the private key and must be kept secret. The number e is known as the public exponent, the number d is known as the private exponent, and N is known as the modulus. When talking of key lengths in connection with RSA, what is meant is the modulus length. An algorithm that uses different keys for encryption and decryption is said to be asymmetric. Anybody knowing the public key can use it to create encrypted messages, but only the owner of the secret key can decrypt them. Conversely the owner of the secret key can encrypt messages that can be decrypted by anybody with the public key. Anybody successfully decrypting such messages can be sure that only the owner of the secret key could have encrypted them. This fact is the basis of the digital signature technique. 7. Without a diagram show DES steps and list formula of determining DES 16 rounds of Permutations for left and Right Block (5 Marks) DES exhibits the complementation property, namely that if we consider a triple length key to consist of three 56-bit keys K1, K2, K3 then encryption is as follows: Encrypt with K1 Decrypt with K2 Encrypt with K3 Decryption is the reverse process: Decrypt with K3 Encrypt with K2 Decrypt with K1 [pic] where [pic]is the bitwise complement of x. EK denotes encryption with key K. P and C denote plaintext and ciphertext blocks respectively. The complementation property means that the work for a brute force attack could be reduced by a factor of 2 (or a single bit) under a chosen-plaintext assumption. DES also has four so-called weak keys. Encryption (E) and decryption (D) under a weak key have the same effect: EK(EK(P)) = P or equivalently, EK = DK. There are also six pairs of semi-weak keys. Encryption with one of the pair of semiweak keys, K1, operates identically to decryption with the other, K2: [pic]or equivalently, [pic] It is easy enough to avoid the weak and semiweak keys in an implementation, either by testing for them explicitly, or simply by choosing keys randomly; the odds of picking a weak or semiweak key by chance are negligible. The keys are not really any weaker than any other keys anyway, as they do not give an attack any advantage. 1. Describe VOIP and explain SIP session setup as applied in VOIP Security VOIP refers to Voice over internet protocol. SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is an application-layer control protocol that can establish, modify, and terminate multimedia sessions such as Internet telephony calls (VOIP). SIP can also invite participants to already existing sessions, such as multicast conferences. SIP supports five facets of establishing and terminating multimedia communications in VOIP security: User location: determination of the end system to be used for communication; User availability: determination of the willingness of the called party to engage in communications; User capabilities: determination of the media and media parameters to be used; Session setup: ringing, stablishment of session parameters at both called and calling party; Session management: including transfer and termination of sessions, modifying session parameters, and invoking services. 2. Describe various types of Wireless Security protocols WEP encryption In the WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption security method, wireless stations must use a pre-shared key to connect to your network. This method is not recommended, due to known security flaws in the WEP protocol. It is provided for compatibility wit h existing wireless deployments. Note: The router and the wireless stations must be configured with the same WEP key. WPA-Personal: password authentication, encryption The WPA-Personal (Wi-Fi Protected Access) security method (also called WPA-PSK) uses MIC (message integrity check) to ensure the integrity of messages, and TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) to enhance data encryption. WPA-Personal periodically changes and authenticates encryption keys. This is called rekeying. This option is recommended for small networks, which want to authenticate and encrypt wireless data. Note: The router and the wireless stations must be configured with the same passphrase. WPA2 (802. 11i) The WPA2 security method uses the more secure Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cipher, instead of the RC4 cipher used by WPA and WEP. When using the WPA-Personal security methods, the ZoneAlarm enables you to restrict access to the WLAN network to wireless stations that support the WPA2 security method. If this setting is not selected, the ZoneAlarm router allows clients to connect using both WPA and WPA2. 4. To describe various types of Network firewalls and why they are vital component for maintaining a secure environment. Discuss how you can use various types of firewalls to be able to describe network forensics. . Explain various usage of biometrics and how they are used using real world examples IS AUDIT Case Study Background Displaytech, Inc. makes and sells with superior image quality for electronic viewfinders in consumer digital still cameras, camcorders, and mobile communication devices. Founded in 1985, it employs 50 employees at its headquarters in Longmont, Colorado. D isplaytech also has a partnership facility in Tokyo, Japan. The Challenge Displaytech experienced employee downsizing and shortly afterward hired a new management team. Its computer network was not given proper attention or resources during the transition. The new team was concerned with the systems security and stability. Displaytech wanted an unbiased assessment of the current network system with two specific goals: to identify vulnerable areas that could easily be breached and to define critical areas of the network that would likely impact the business during hardware or configuration failures. The company needed the assessment report to be easily translated into an action plan. It wanted to address network issues as quickly and efficiently as possible. The Result Mile High Networks conducted a security and stability audit of the entire network system including servers, routers and firewalls. Each component was evaluated with emphasis on device configuration and log files. Additionally, the entire network was evaluated for how the business was using resources to help identify vulnerable areas. Mile High Networks: Interviewed key department personnel to identify critical data and ascertain how the network was being used. Reviewed system logs for all network components to determine stability issues. Reviewed all network hardware identified as business critical to determine single points of failure. Evaluated all network perimeter device configurations that could make the network vulnerable. Evaluated company practices that could lead to system breaches. Assignment Assuming you are head of Mile High Networks that conducted security and stability audit. Write a comprehensive audit report giving detailed recommendations / Action plan . NB: Follow procedures of writing a academic research paper, Minimum of 8 pages. Check IS Audit power point

Free Essays on Raymond Carvers The Neighbors

Critical Essay Raymond Carver’s 1988 short story â€Å"Neighbors† displays a sure administration of theme, character, and setting. It is the tale of a seemingly typical couple, Bill and Arlene Miller, who intermittently turn the apartment of their out-of-town neighbors, the Stones, into a psychosexual playground. Insidiously at first, then with unrestraint, the house-sitters invade the Stones’ privacy: cross-dressing in their clothes, consuming drinks from their liquor cabinet, and extricating photographs that promise tantalizing thrills. Impassioned, the Millers’ make what promises to be a compelling visit to the Stones’ apartment – only to discover that Arlene has locked the key inside. Abruptly restricted from their fallen rapture, the couple huddles outside the door, feeling an ailing wind. In the exposition, Bill and Arlene are portrayed as an average married couple, living their normal everyday lives. They do not appear to have any complaints about how their lives are operating except for the fact that they â€Å"had been passed by somehow, leaving Bill to attend to his bookkeeping duties and Arlene occupied with secretarial chores† (59). The Millers’ are envious of other couples that seem to exist synonymously with them but still have a little more recreation in their relationships. By asking the couple to house-sit, the Stones’ open a new realm of fantasy for the Millers’ predictable lives by allowing them to envision themselves as characters that are different than what they have grown to be. Bill becomes deeply involved with this illusion, finding himself obsessed with the other apartment. He calls out of work and goes for a walk but does not feel adequate until he stops â€Å"at the Stones’ door on the chance he might he ar the cat moving about† (60). This depicts that he has become so infatuated with his secret life that he becomes almost climactic over the smallest details. The neighborsï ¿ ½... Free Essays on Raymond Carvers The Neighbors Free Essays on Raymond Carvers The Neighbors Critical Essay Raymond Carver’s 1988 short story â€Å"Neighbors† displays a sure administration of theme, character, and setting. It is the tale of a seemingly typical couple, Bill and Arlene Miller, who intermittently turn the apartment of their out-of-town neighbors, the Stones, into a psychosexual playground. Insidiously at first, then with unrestraint, the house-sitters invade the Stones’ privacy: cross-dressing in their clothes, consuming drinks from their liquor cabinet, and extricating photographs that promise tantalizing thrills. Impassioned, the Millers’ make what promises to be a compelling visit to the Stones’ apartment – only to discover that Arlene has locked the key inside. Abruptly restricted from their fallen rapture, the couple huddles outside the door, feeling an ailing wind. In the exposition, Bill and Arlene are portrayed as an average married couple, living their normal everyday lives. They do not appear to have any complaints about how their lives are operating except for the fact that they â€Å"had been passed by somehow, leaving Bill to attend to his bookkeeping duties and Arlene occupied with secretarial chores† (59). The Millers’ are envious of other couples that seem to exist synonymously with them but still have a little more recreation in their relationships. By asking the couple to house-sit, the Stones’ open a new realm of fantasy for the Millers’ predictable lives by allowing them to envision themselves as characters that are different than what they have grown to be. Bill becomes deeply involved with this illusion, finding himself obsessed with the other apartment. He calls out of work and goes for a walk but does not feel adequate until he stops â€Å"at the Stones’ door on the chance he might he ar the cat moving about† (60). This depicts that he has become so infatuated with his secret life that he becomes almost climactic over the smallest details. The neighborsï ¿ ½...