Unified standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Unified standards - Essay Example System wide rules imply standards imposed across the entire enterprise. In view of the fact that the classical IS function has been decentralized to accommodate distributed systems, assess who should be in charge of developing and enforcing such broad standards.First of all, I want to mention that the unified standards are essential for any kind of information systems. Standards provide external interfaces for the distributed systems so they can connect to other information systems, perform data exchange and provide necessary feedback, for example in case of failure.As its website says, ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world's largest developer of standards. Although ISO's principal activity is the development of technical standards, ISO standards also have important economic and social repercussions. ISO standards make a positive difference, not just to engineers and manufacturers for whom they solve basic problems in production and distribution, but to so ciety as a whole.The International Standards which ISO develops are useful to industrial and business organizations of all types, to governments and other regulatory bodies, to trade officials, to conformity assessment professionals, to suppliers and customers of products and services in both public and private sectors, and, ultimately, to people in general in their roles as consumers and end users.ISO standards contribute to making the development, manufacturing and supply of products and services more efficient, safer and cleaner.... u (1998, para.3) writes in Netsurfer Focus, "The only safe computer is a dead computer." But of course there are some steps to protect data and computers of company's information system. As Yoo (n.d.) writes, all systems consist of three components, the software and hardware parts, the people, and the procedures. The same is true of computer and network systems. Securing computer system means security of the software and hardware, trustworthiness of the people who use and manage it, and reliability of the procedures for using and managing the system. In this issue, most companies are mainly focus on secure software and system management practices. But for complete evaluation of the security of networked system the other components should be considered. Firstly, employees of the company must be aware of the risk of sharing passwords or the use of simple dictionary-based passwords and of the implications of opening questionable programs or attachments in their e-mail that may contain extremely dangerous viruses. Secondly, level of risk should be evaluated. Network administrators are not security professionals, and therefore their primary mission is not establishing a secure network, but rather a functional one. What must be evaluated is how much risk is acceptable, and therefore what level of functionality will be sacrificed to ensure a reasonably secure network with an acceptable level of risk. Thirdly, information systems and networks must be designed and implemented to establish a strong foundation and architecture to incorporate security. The identification of access points into a network and establishing the appropriate access controls such as firewalls and monitoring solutions is necessary. Also, updating and patching software is essential to prevent known

Growth Hormone in Psychological Processes Research Paper - 6

Growth Hormone in Psychological Processes - Research Paper Example Excessive production of growth hormone gets caused by the growth of a benign tumor in the somatotroph cells. This condition gets referred to an adenoma. A tumor of the islets of Langerhans or the lung which produce Growth hormone-releasing hormone can also stimulate excessive production of growth hormone. The growth hormone interacts with insulin through the IGF axis. The liver secretes insulin like growth factor 1- IGF-1, in response to secretion of the growth hormone (Juul & Jens, 2000). The IGF axis interaction is vital in the inhibition of cell death and promoting cell proliferation. IGF-1 is necessary for achieving maximal growth. Gigantism can get more complicated to treat than dwarfism. This is so because some forms of dwarfism get caused by insufficient production of growth hormone. These forms of dwarfism can become rectified by providing the patient with growth hormone (Artwelle & Vislon, 2008). Gigantism, however, results from the overproduction of growth hormone. This can become hard to correct as it is more difficult to place the excess growth hormone in the required normal range. The metabolic rates in a giant also become hyper abnormal, this contributes to a less life expectancy for giants. The pituitary gland gets located in the brain. It is divided into the anterior and posterior lobe. The pituitary gland secretes prolactin hormone, which stimulates the production of breast milk and the control of menstrual periods (Ho, 2011). Prolactin activates the mammary glands to generate milk. During pregnancy, prolactin concentrations rise causing enlargement of the mammary glands. Also produced in the pituitary gland is the hormone vasopressin. Vasopressin also gets referred to as anti-diuretic hormone. This hormone encourages water retention by the kidneys. This hormone works in the kidney’s collecting ducts to stimulate reabsorption of water by the body.

An outline marketing plan for the next year for Atlantic Quench 308 Essay

An outline marketing plan for the next year for Atlantic Quench 308 - Essay Example This paper will present an outline marketing plan report that suggests a marketing strategy for AQC cranberry juice for the next one year. It will highlight the positioning, marketing mix, and marketing communication strategy for the company, which will based on a provisional budget that seeks to attain 20% growth in the next one year. In the UK and across the world, juice is consumed in numerous households. However, in the past decade, the juice market has suffered the adverse effects as the popularity of diets that are low-carb in nature has increased. The constant price sales between 2008 and 2014 have declined by up to 15%, although sales are expected to increase slightly by the end of 2015 (Falguera & Ibarz, 2014: p47). Still, there has been growth in the functional and healthy juice product line with consumers presently looking for natural and healthy juices. A recent survey by Mintell (2012: p33) concluded that approximately 90% of the juice consumer market are now actively looking for products that are 100% juice, while nutrient of vitamin enhancement was essential for ~65% of consumers and 25% and 50% of consumers look for low-carb and low-sugar juice products respectively. Mintel (2012: p33) identifies relatively high consumption of juice fruit in households with high income and children, along with hous eholds with younger adults as the heads. Households with children, overall, show increased rates of juice consumption, which emphasizes the importance of young families to the fruit juice market. This paper will present a report on AQC’s marketing plan for the next year between January and December 2015. The marketing plan’s aim is to capture at least 20% of the juice industry market share within this period of one year. The juice market has a high level of segmentation with refrigerated juices holding more than 40% of the segment, while also showing an increase of 4.2% between 2012 and 2013 (statista.com, 2013:

Performance management is key to achieving sustained competitive Essay

Performance management is key to achieving sustained competitive advantage - Essay Example advantage (Amit & Schoemaker, 1993; Barney, 1991; Schoenecker & Cooper, 1998). Human capital is more mobile than other intangible resources (Teece, Pisano, & Shuen, 1997). Therefore, it may seem an unlikely source of sustained competitive advantage. Hence the organization must search for the means and ways to retain them to achieve completive advantage. Competitive advantage is gained only when the organization selects or develops these resources and structures work tasks and the reward system in ways that motivate the team to perform well and thereby contribute to organizational effectiveness (Guzzo & Shea, 1992). Some organizations reward employees financially when they demonstrate an ability to acquire and master new knowledge (Jenkins & Gupta, 1985; Gerhart, 2000; Lawler, ch-10).Also some studies like, Jackson & Schuler, 2002 considers that organizational structures for rewards improve organizational performance and proves competitive advantage rather than team effectiveness and selection and training. But according to Dobbins, Cardy, Facteau, & Miller, 1993 opinion, system factors are the only constraining influences that restrict individual ability and motivation, and result in lowered performance. Performance management involves enabling people to perform their work to the best of their ability, meeting and perhaps exceeding targets and standards, and hence the PM system involves the following components.1. The focus is on an individual's work.2. There are expectations or standards of performance.3. There are usually two sessions between the employee and the evaluator: one to establish the standards and another to review performance. 4. The evaluator is usually the person who has line management authority over the one evaluated. 5. The evaluation session usually results in some written conclusion--some paper trail regarding the performance of the person reviewed. Corporate Performance Management (CPM) has become a widely adopted strategy execution in the current day corporate scenario with systematic and integrated improvements in the management processes to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. At the core of CPM is A metrics-based strategic planning and execution framework that helps align strategic plans with resource allocation and strategic initiatives Strategic goal alignment through enhanced communication and focusing processes / resources towards organization objectives A structured information based review mechanism that provides the feedback loop and connects strategic planning to operational performance measures Eg: Infosys is a best example to observe the competitive advantage of the company that has achieved through the adoption of CPM approach. Performance management and improvement is observed as Cycle to adopt in the process with certain steps. The practice of Infosys CPM is observed through the following steps of PM cycle. 1. Performance planning: Here

Rana Plaza Factory Collapse Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Rana Plaza Factory Collapse - Case Study Example Bangladesh witnessed the deadliest Rana Plaza factory collapse in which more than 1000 factory workers were killed (BBC News Asia, 2013). On April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza factory, situated in Savar District of Dhaka, Bangladesh, collapsed for unknown reasons, killing more than 1,021 factory workers in which bodies of many dead workers were decomposed; the main reason behind the higher death toll was caused by the presence of many factories in the Rana Plaza at the time of collapse; similarly, the absence of respect for human lives can be gauged by the fact that the same building was evacuated a few days as some reports highlighted cracks in the building; later on, the factory workers were ordered by the factory owners to return to their work (BBC News Asia, 2013). This single event has highlighted weaknesses, negligence, and incompetence on the part of factory owners and related government departments authorized to ensure the safety and security of workplace environments, especially in densely populated areas. At the same time, it can also be highlighted that the role of workers cannot be undermined as they are main stakeholders.This situation has raised a number of ethical questions: Did the factory owners fulfill their legal and moral duty and role for protecting and safeguarding the lives of their workers? Did they provide enough safety and security measures? Did the related government departments or agencies ensure industrial compliance with the related code of conduct? KantianismKantianism is based on the system of wrongness or rightness of actions (Wood, 2008). Kantianism refers to respecting individuals with dignity and identifies them as ends (Gardiner, 2011). And, it has also been contended that the moral values should not be influenced by the contingency because when it affects actions, the outcome will also be influenced (Patrone, 2005). This ethical framework has numerous perspectives; each has its own rightness or wrongness.

The invention of the Ipod and it's impact on society Research Paper

The invention of the Ipod and it's impact on society - Research Paper Example This study explores the social context in which Apple’s iPod has gained significance in the lives of millions of users. The iPod as a technological and commercial success In October 2001, computer manufacturer Apple launched the iPod, a pocket-sized gadget that plays music that may be listened to by its wearer even while the latter is mobile. The iPod’s introductory price at $399 was considered by its critics to be a major problem since it was priced higher than many of the other music players it was competing with at the time. More importantly, the iPod was released into the market just after 9/11 and at the height of the technology slump (Economist, 2004). Instead, the iPod had instead proven to be the most popular, best-selling, and concededly the most fashionable music-player in the market. In nearly all public places, people could be seen with the characteristic white earphone leads leading to the device. The earliest models were built with a 5 gigabyte hard disk t hat could store up to 1,000 songs; the later models had upwards of 40 gigabytes and a storage capacity of 10,000 songs, when other MP3 players could only store dozens of selections at the most. Coupled with the iPod’s capacious memory is Apples’ iTunes that allows music to be downloaded at less than a dollar per track. Techno buffs point out that while the iPod is essentially a fad that may be replaced by other devises and models, it is the first music-playing device to make use of hard disk technology. In the next few years after the iPod was introduced in the market, its immediate converts belonged to the twenty- and thirty-something status-conscious young adults (Bulik, 2008), and eventually to the teen-agers whose parents could spend the nearly four hundred dollars for one device per child. These meant not only the students in college, but also their professors who used their units not only to record music, but also digital lectures and talks that they would listen to in their free time (Levy, et al, 2004). More recently, and particularly since less costly models such as the iPod Nano ($149) had been marketed, there had been growing applications for the very young. Today, nearly one-third of digital media users are ten years old and below, and more than half of them prefer the iPod (Bulik, 2008). They usually benefit from hand-me-down video iPod units when their parents switch to newer models, but which still work well. At the same time, content directed at this age group have been developed by Disney, such as customized selections from Hannah Montana, High School Muscial and Pirates of the Carribean. Other media companies are following suit. The early success stature of the iPod culture was further enhanced when celebrities began enthusing over their own units, such as songwriter Denise Rich, Will Smith who called it â€Å"the gadget of the century,† and Gwyneth Paltrow who praised iPod in Vogue and coincidentally (or not) named her b aby Apple. The device and its signature white earplug leads were seen in many movies and TV shows of the early 2000s as a common feature of daily life (Levy, et al., 2004). During the early years, the iPod had been most conspicuous in big cities and college campuses, and were patronized by students and professionals such as judges (Levy, et al., 2004). More recently, its use had spread even to unconventional locations (for a digital music player) and for reasons other than

Tower of london Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tower of london - Essay Example It has also served as a historic landmark in England because it was the venue of the execution of three of the past queens of the land. The Tower Bridge is a symbol of technological and economic superiority of the English civilization, besides being a historical landmark. The Tower Bridge stands strong today, and it is expected to continue being a symbolic structure in London. This paper reviews the technological and economic significance of the Tower Bridge of London. The technology used to develop the Tower Bridge of London surpasses many in the 19th Century. The Tower Bridge was constructed to ease traffic across the Thames because London was crowding owing to population increase. Unlike other constructions, the authorities in London took more than eight years to design the structure. Their goal was not only to develop a bridge that would solve the issues of traffic in crossing the Thames, but a structure that would stand the test of time. They wanted to develop a bridge that would be used for centuries. Horace Jones and John Wolfe Barry were the contracted architects for the bridge, and they completed the design in 1894. The framework of the Tower Bridge of London was made of 11,000 tons of steel. The bridge is 265 meters long, and it was designed in a Victorian gothic architecture. One of the most intriguing aspects of the Tower Bridge of London is the movable bridge. The bridge splits into two and is raised mechanically to accommodate the pa ssage of large boats heading to the harbor. The bridge was contracted very close to the harbor, and this brought the challenge of building it too high to accommodate the boats, but the designers came up with the moveable bridge technology. The technology remains viable to date because larger vessels have been developed and they cruise through the moveable bridge very safely. The movable bridge was initially powered by steam power. The steam was used to create sufficient pressure to pump