Delta Airlines Organizational Behavior - 3537 Words

Delta Air Lines: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Study Group Research Paper Management and Organizational Behavior School of Business and Mass Communication Delta Air Lines: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow A company must have a clear vision for success in order to succeed: a realization of what has worked for the company in the past, an understanding of the standing of the company today, and a vision for where the company will be heading tomorrow. Delta Air Lines is the epitome of a company that realizes what it takes to succeed with a clearly defined pathway to operational successes. Delta’s road to operational success has been a journey for the company; ever-changing and consistently moving forward. Through trails and reevaluation,†¦show more content†¦The perception and expectations of the flight attendants was constantly changing. For years prior to the civil rights movement, Delta imposed strict rules on the women to include prohibition of children and marriage fearing such would interfere with work. As an added bonus, Delta used the womens availability as a way to lure businessmen to fly with Delta to be able to pick up eligible women (Whitelegg, 2011). According to one flight attendant, being associated with the airlines turned out to be a happy hunting ground for marriage partners for lots of young men and women with healthy hormones and honorable intentions† (Whitelegg, 2005, p.16). Recognizing this, the image of the flight attendants become provocative as their uniforms became less formal. However, women still found their jobs were liberating because they were breaking the traditional model and perception of womens place in society. Deltas corporate social responsibility was not questioned because the social etiquette for young women during this time was to get married. According to Nelson amp; Quick, ethical conduct at the individual level can translate into social responsibility at the organizational level (p.60). As the United States culture changed from a society primarily dominated by whiteShow MoreRelatedCustomer Service And Cargo Operations1421 Words   |  6 PagesOperations, said. â€Å"We appreciate the hard work of our employees and think the SkySpa will add real value to the airport work environment† (as cited in Thomas, 2015, para 8). Providing such an atmosphere and a place of retreat for their employees shows that Delta cares about the health and well being of their staff. According to Delta’s S.V.P Allison Ausband stated the following: making sure our employees are well taken care of and have the tools to look and perform their best is something we’re proud to doRead MoreOrganizational Behavior Of The Aviation Industry1647 Words   |  7 PagesOrganizational Behavior Issues in Aviation BA520 with Dr. Rosemarie Reynolds Joshua Jecha, Zhiyuan Lu, Xinlei Yang 10/1/2014 â€Æ' Abstract The aviation industry, due to its fast paced and extremely performance oriented nature, is an ideal example of how proper organizational behavior lends to the growth, and ultimate success of a company. Often, mitigating operational hurdles and constraints becomes the focus of leadership in this industry as problems such as financial limitations continuallyRead MoreDiversity, Gender Diversity And Human Rights1837 Words   |  8 PagesDelta has shown great support for human rights and has supported the rights of their employees; their vision and decisions have had positive implications for their business and managerial practices. The founder of Delta, C.E. Woolman states, Happy Employees Make Happy Customers Make Happy Shareholders (Kaufman, 2013, p.28). It is implicit that Delta cares about their employees and understands the importance of carrying out and using diversity practices within their business. Cultural diversityRead MoreDelta Air Lines Communications And Decision Making2387 Words   |  10 Pages Delta Air Lines: Communications and Decision Making Annie Mullins, Camaryn Jackson, Marinela Prifti and Bree Hood Brenau University May 13, 2015 â€Æ' Delta Air Lines Communications and Decision Making C.E. Woolman, the first leader of Delta Air Lines, believed that the company should take care of its employees so that, in return they would take care of customers. At the root of this care included effectively communicating with his teams and empowering them to make the right decisions. AsRead MoreAl Frameworks For An Organization Successful1751 Words   |  8 Pagesal frameworks needed to make an organization successful. The objective of this particular assignment is to survey Delta Airlines, Inc. to gather an understanding of the company’s management system. The survey is also intended to allow the student to learn how the company’s management system influences and motivates its employees. The management system at Delta Airlines has always been founded on a â€Å"family-oriented† approach; with an emphasis of long-term job security in exchange for employee loyaltyRead MoreAirline Business : Jet Blue Airways2095 Words   |  9 Pagesspecifically the airline business. Air travel remains a large and growing industry. It facilitates economic growth, world trade, international investment and tourism and is therefore central to the globalization taking place in many other industries. The commercial aviation industry in the United States alone has grown dramatically since the end of World War II. In the past decade, air travel has become more and more popular and has a growing increase of 7% per year (The Airline Industry). TravelRead MoreCustomer Relationships Of Southwest Airlines1467 Words   |  6 PagesThis paper will address the customer relationships of Southwest Airlines based on the following benchmarks: Employee Relationship, Sales Marketing/Competitive Advantage, Value Creation, Internal External Environmental Factors, Ethical Issues, and Customer Orientation. Research from Southwest Airlines’ website, Indeed.com, Dallas Morning News, JetBlue, Spirit, Forbes, Investopedia.com, Yourbusiness.com, Ethicsdiscovery.com, and Contemporary Selling Building Relationships, Creating Value 4th EditionRead MoreClassic Airlines Benchmarking2219 Words   |  9 PagesGeneric Benchmarking Worksheet Task A: Problem/Opportunity Statement Instructions for Task A: In the Response row, write out the problem/opportunity statements for the scenario for each of the team members. Response to Task A: Classic Airlines will become a profitable and successful organization by establishing better relationships with its internal and external customers. Generic Benchmarking—The purpose of generic benchmarking is to identify potential solutions to the problem statementsRead MoreSouthwest Airline Merger With AirTran Essay1450 Words   |  6 PagesSouthwest Airlines has come from an underdog to being one of the best airlines in the industry. This reputation translates from its strategic management of resources. The Co-founder and former CEO, Herb Kelleher, established a unique corporate culture that leads to high customer satisfaction, employees’ morale, and one of the most profitable airlines in the industry (Jackson et al., 2012). The corporate culture concentrates on empowerment the workforce. It shows through Southwest Airlines core valuesRead MoreBusiness Strategy Of Southwest Airlines1633 Words   |  7 PagesSouthwest Airlines is currently facing a multitude of challenges to its historically successful business strategy that have created concerns about its ability to grow in the future. These challenges are both external and internal. External challenges include leaner competitors. External challenges include leaner competitors, higher gas prices, and limited growth opportunities. Internally the company face challenges such as reducing costs, keeping its unique culture intact, changes in the

Black Mirror, By Suzanne Collins, And Harrison Bergeron Essay

Technology has made numerous positive contributions to society in a very short period of time. Although, it also has a way to be intrusive and frightening. Three in class stories that display the fictional victimization of lower status people through technology are: â€Å"Repent, Harlequin!† said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. A Netflix series and British television program called Black Mirror by Charlie Brooker also expresses many of the same recurring themes of technological based exploitation in Episode 2 ‘Fifteen Million Merits’. There are multiple overlapping themes between these four pieces of work and today’s society. The description of Black Mirror episode 2: ‘Fifteen Million Merits’ is â€Å"In the near future, everyone is confined to a life of strange physical drudgery. The only way to escape is to enter the Hot Shot talent show and pray you can impress the judges.† Each member of this fictional world must earn points by watching forced programming such as the reality show ‘Hot Shot’, and riding a stationary bike that powers this technology based world. The points pay for food, personal hygiene products, and different applications and channels that they can play on the screens throughout the building and cells they are confined to. However, some of the programs force you to watch. One example is a pornographic program called â€Å"Wraith Babes† that will demerit points if you do not allow it to

Central African Republic Free Essays

Central African Republic is the landlocked country located in the center of Africa. The country lies largely in the savanna zone of Africa. The north part is treeless, whereas the southern portion of the country contains dense tropical rainforests. We will write a custom essay sample on Central African Republic or any similar topic only for you Order Now The climate is too bad and moist because it covered with waterways and mountains. The population of the country is moderately populated. Agriculture is the largest sector and basis of Central African Republic because it situated on a fertile pleatue and abundant in water resources. So, in upcoming paragraph I will explain the population growth, components of population growth, total fertility rate, life expectancy and population pyramid of the Central African Republic in the year 1997, 2017 and 2037. In 2017 the population of the Central African Republic is increasing because the death rate is low constant and low during this year. On the other hand the birth rate is also decreasing but still higher than the death rate. According to, demographic transition theory the country is in phase 3 which is called transitional stage. Demographic transition is a model of population change in which high birth and death rates are replaced by low birth and death rates (Knox, Marston and imort .p.g.90). This happens due to improvements in hygiene (e.g. Availability of clean water and basic sanitation), nutrition and health services. Besides the decreasing birth rate; the population is still high due to the change in family pattern and also government spend less money on child benefits and maternal grants. The most common way for demographers to graphically represent the composition of the population is an age-sex pyramid, which is a representation of the population based on its composition according to age and sex. In an age-sex pyramid of Central African Republic there is baby boom appears in all the three years. Moreover, there is high fertility rate and low mortality rate in all three years. The average life expectancy (average no.of years a member can expect to live at current death rates.) of the people is 70 years and the death rate is approximately same in all the three years.in 2037 there is high dependency rate as compared to other years because there is more people in the youth charot than the people in the working class.(census, bureau). As according to population pyramid graph of the Central African Republic they predict that In 2037, there will be high population in the age group of 0-14 as compared to the other age group because birth rate seems to be increasing in the years 2017and 2037 and due to this there is more people in younger age group as compared to working class.Similarly,in 2037 this younger age group grow up and join the workforce but still there is high population in younger age group and consistency appears in the people of old age group. And due to this there is high dependency rate in the year 2037(census bureau). A demographic transition is a â€Å"model of population change in which high birth and death rates are replaced by low birth rate and death rates† (Knox, Marston Imort pg.90). According to demographic transition theory in 2017, Population of Central African Republic lies in transitional phase (phase 3). Population trend increase in the year 2017 whereas birth rate and death rate decrease. Total population of demographic republic was 5,625,118 and its birth rate was 34.3 and death rate 13.2 this is because of industrialization. Most people focus on their carrier and they believe in family planning because due to industrialization life become more expensive.(census, bureau) Economic: Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry and mining, remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African Republic (CAR), with about 60% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates more than half of GDP. Timber and diamonds account for most export earnings, followed by cotton. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR’s landlocked geography, poor transportation system, largely unskilled work force, and legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies. Factional fighting between the government and its opponents remains a drag on economic revitalization. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs (2018, economy and trade). Due to the poor facilities people are not able to survive longer and the population seems to be less in the old age group. Social: Gender equality is only a dream for women in the Central African Republic, although, in comparison to other countries in the sub-region, the country has made a lot of progress. Women are treated as inferior to men both economically and socially, and women in rural areas suffer more discrimination than their urban counterparts. About 60 to 70 percent of urban women attend primary school as opposed to 10 to 20 percent of their rural counterparts. As the CFR is the developing country there is equal participation of the male and females in workforce appears in the year 2017 and 2037 as compared to 1997( 2018,women in business). On the home front, the entire family is involved in infant care. Infants are traditionally weaned only when they are about two years. There are only a few childcare units, and Christian missionary schools typically operate them. Due to these facilities available to them they are able to have more child. In its survey of 191 countries, the World Health Organization ranked the Central African Republic’s health care system second from the bottom in overall performance. Medical facilities are extremely limited in the Central African Republic, and the quality of care is unreliable.  Sanitation levels are low, and drinking unfiltered tap water is inadvisable.  About 25 percent of funding for health care in the country comes from outside aid (2018, health care). Due to this people are unable to survive longer and their average life expectancy is less in all the three years. Environmental: Central African Republic is a landlocked country located north of the equator, in almost the precise center of Africa. The climate is largely tropical, however, there are differences between regions in the north and south of the country. In general the climate is hot with an average monthly temperature recorded in the capital, Bangui, of 25 °C (77 °F) or more all year-round(2018,climate). Due to bad climate condition there is less population in the tropical area. Over the next 15-20 years the biggest demographic challenge for this country is to increase the average life expectancy of the people so that the population growth is equal in all age groups. This is the biggest challenge because of poor health conditions and services and inadequate food distribution in society and as well as there is lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality rate ,high death rates and lower population growth going on currently in CFR. In the end, Central African Republic is progressing country and the government is working on providing better health and food facilities to the people and the population get balanced in all age groups in upcoming years. Due to this population will able to survive longer and more and more start joining the workforce. WORK CITED Central African Republic. (2018). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/Central-African-Republic/108327#40682.toc Knox, P. I., Marston, S. A., ; Imort, M. (2015). Human geography: Places and regions in global context. Global Road Warriorâ„ ¢. (2018, October) Central African Republic: Economy and Trade. World Trade Press. Retrieved from www.globalroadwarrior.com/#mode=country;regionId=28;uri=country-content;nid=1.04;key=facts-economy Global Road Warriorâ„ ¢. (2018, October) Central African Republic: Women in Business. World Trade Press. Retrieved from www.globalroadwarrior.com/#mode=country;regionId=28;uri=country-content;nid=20.33;key=women-business Global Road Warriorâ„ ¢. (2018, October) Central African Republic: Climate. World Trade Press. Retrieved from www.globalroadwarrior.com/#mode=country;regionId=28;uri=country-content;nid=63;key=climate-overview U.S. Census Bureau.(2018). International Programs: International Data Base. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/datatools How to cite Central African Republic, Papers

Security and privacy issues in Internet of Things

Question: Discuss about the Security and privacy issues in Internet of Things. Answer: Introduction The world of technology is advancing at a tremendous speed. Every other day there is a specific technology being launched somewhere. Among the technologies that are taking the world by storm is the Internet of Things (IoT) (Gartner, 2013). In this paper, we explore more on the topic. Some research questions that will be answered in this include What is IoT? What are the security and privacy issues that are facing IoT? How are these issues being addressed? Which are some of the technologies being used in IoT? Overview of Internet of Things (IoT) What is IoT? Every day, a person, whichever part of the world they are in, uses a smart device. It might be a mobile phone, smart TV, a vehicle, camera etc. A smart device can be said to be anything that contains electronics, sensors, software and can be connected to a network (Gartner, 2013). The term IoT in this case refers to the interconnection of these 'things'. Once they are online they are able to collect and exchange data without any human intervention. In the recent years, terms such as smart homes have emerged and all this is because of IoT. Applications of IoT While this technology has seen extremely use in home, other fields have not been left behind. Some areas it has been incorporated include: Health sector-Every other second, the world is faced with a high number of people requiring medical attention (Kumar Patel, 2014). The problem is the field is faced with lack of enough expertise. To deal with this IoT has been incorporated in making systems that are used in remote monitoring of patients health, diagnosis and consequently the delivery of correct drugs to patients. Home automation- One is able to connect all objects they own ranging from appliances, automobiles to livestock. Retail shops- People no longer use bar codes to monitor the movement of their goods. With the onset of RFIDs (Radio Frequency Identification) and other devices, retail shop owners are able to monitor their stock and get real-time data to make necessary decisions. Hardgrave (2015). A perfect example is the use of IoT in Walmart Supply chain management. Industry automation - Industries are automating most of their processes to improve efficiency. Manufacturing and Logistics- Areas such as machine to machine interaction and tracking of goods in transit has been made better with IoT. Privacy and Security Issues in IoT Gartner (2013) oversees a world where more than 26 billion devices will be connected to the internet by the year 2020. Still, some researchers have taken this number a notch higher to 50 billion devices at the same time (Cisco 2016). This is a scary thought keeping in mind every other day the world is waking up to people being hacked, their identity stolen and such issues. Still, there will be huge amounts of data being produced every second and the world is yet to bring about applications to process this large amount of data effectively and efficiently (Xia, Yang, Wang Vinel, 2012). Below, we look at some of the issues facing IoT as far as both privacy of users and devices is concerned. Privacy Most of the smart devices used today collect at least one piece of personal information, say ID numbers, date of birth, names etc., from the user. Now, imagine all the devices you have that are connected to the Internet and just think of how much of you have put online. Scary, no? As if this is not enough, often this information is transmitted without encryption over networks. This should become a concern to every person. Hackers on the other hand couldn't have seen better days. From the rise of the Anonymous group and whistle blowers who are leaking confidential information (as seen just before the US general election where Hilary Clinton's past emails were aired to the public), its evident hactivism is taking shape and the privacy of the people has never been under attack more than today (Ntuli Abu-Mahfouz, 2016). On misuse of information, a classic example is where Politicians use the information you provided to your ISP to determine your location and frequently send you messages requesting you to vote for them. It leaves one wondering, if a mere politician can access this information, how many more dangerous people can access and use this information to harm you in some way. Security The current level of technology allows room for securing servers, personal computers, and other devices with the best security protocols and practices (Staff, 2015). However, the security of IoT devices is a tad hard to maintain seeing that it uses bi-directional communication whose security is still blossoming and seldom sufficient. Some security issues facing IoT include: Insecure web interface- Among the 10 top vulnerabilities outlined by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) have been fueled by insecure web interfaces found on most IoT devices. Insufficient authentication- The moment devices allow a user to login with a lame password such as 123456 or jeremy, means that hacking such a device is a piece of cake. Hacking Issues such as ramsomware, DDoS (Distributed Denial Of Service) attacks, identity theft and such, have been on the rise as a result of the availability of devices all over the internet. Problem with this is some devices are critical and when they are tampered with dire consequences result. E.g. a health monitoring system. In addition, the data they often hold is sensitive and can be used for malicious activities by notorious criminals. Security Measures Being Adopted in IoT Inasmuch as it seems almost impossible to secure IoT devices, there are measure that have (are) been put in place to ensure the security of these devices is maintained. Among them there is: End-to-end encryption To ensure end to end security, technologies such AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) are being integrated with the existing standards (Staff, 2015). This technology ensures than only those devices with encryption keys can transmit and decrypt data from the source device. Device status monitoring- Each and every device connected to the internet should have a way of monitoring their presence. If all of a sudden it goes offline, the owner should have a way of knowing immediately it stops submitting data and the reasons behind the sudden change in status (Kumar Patel, 2014). If it's say a smart TV, offline status could mean someone's tampering with it or there's power/ internet outage at home. IoT metadata tracking technology applies in this case. Education of the users Recent trends show that one of the main reason why most of these devices are prone to security attacks is because most of the users don't know how to set them up right. Educating the users on the threats and possible ways of keeping themselves safe has come in handy in reducing attacks and creating a better security informed generation. Ban on Open Inbound Ports in Devices- traditionally, these are the ports that have been used between communicating devices. The problem with them is they demand to be left open, always which created a vulnerability for intruders (talk of malware infections, DOS attacks, compromise in data etc.) to gain access. By not using these ports, and instead using outbound connections, security is guaranteed. End to end penetration test This test should be performed to identify early some of the vulnerability that could be existing in a given IoT device interface and appropriate mitigation measures applied. Token Base Access Control- In this technology, the network acts as a traffic cop in the sense that it determines which device can transmit data, with who and which devices are actually allowed on the network. Technologies Associated with IoT and their application in Real World IoT Analytics Given that these devices are producing immense amounts of data every second comes the need for systems to analyze this data and give useful information for major decision-making. E.g., a health monitoring system should be able to monitor the body activities of an individual and communicate any sudden changes that could signal an attack or onset of a disease. Distributed computing stream platforms (DSCPs) They process the high rate data streams provided by IOT devices to perform tasks such as pattern identification and real-time analytics. Business can use this technology to make market predictions (Jones, 2015). Conclusion The world has completely opened up to IoT. Each and every day more devices are being developed and even more are being connected to the internet. Its the reality at hand. There are so many benefits that have resulted from this interconnection. However, as seen in this research, this has brought about challenges and problems to the people with it. From hacking to data theft, challenges issues are getting worse by the day. The world thus needs to focus more on improving the security in IoT devices. Reference Gartner, J. R. (2013). Gartner Says the Internet of Things Installed Base Will Grow to 26 Billion Units By 2020. Kumar, J. S., Patel, D. R. (2014). A survey on internet of things: Security and privacy issues. International Journal of Computer Applications, 90(11). ISACA, C. (2015). 5, 2012. Jones, L. K. (2015). The insecurity of things: How to manage the internet of things (Doctoral dissertation, Utica College). Staff, F. T. C. (2015). Internet of Things: Privacy and Security in a Connected World. Technical report, Federal Trade Commission. Ntuli, N., Abu-Mahfouz, A. (2016). A Simple Security Architecture for Smart Water Management System. Procedia Computer Science, 83, 1164-1169. Xia, F., Yang, L. T., Wang, L., Vinel, A. (2012). Internet of things. International Journal of Communication Systems, 25(9), 1101. Glossary IoT- Internet of things DSCP- Distributed computing stream platforms AES- Advanced Encryption Standard RFIDs- Radio Frequency Identification DDoS- Distributed Denial Of Service

Important Factors to Consider for Choice of a University

How Saskatchewan Got Its Name

How Saskatchewan Got Its Name The province of Saskatchewan is one of the 10 provinces and three territories that make up Canada. Saskatchewan is one of three prairie provinces in Canada. The name for the province of Saskatchewan comes from the Saskatchewan River, so named by the indigenous Cree people, who called the river the Kisiskatchewani Sipi, meaning the swiftly flowing river. The Province Shares a Border to the South With the U.S. Saskatchewan shares a border to the south with the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota. The province is entirely landlocked. Residents primarily live in the southern prairie half of the province, while the northern half is mostly forested and sparsely populated. Of the total population of 1 million, roughly half live in the provinces largest city, Saskatoon, or in the capital city of Regina. Origin of the Province On September 1, 1905, Saskatchewan became a province, with inauguration day held September 4. The Dominion Lands Act permitted settlers to acquire one-quarter of a square mile of land to homestead and offered an additional quarter upon establishing a homestead. Inhabited by Indigenous People Prior to its establishment as a province, Saskatchewan had been inhabited by various indigenous peoples of North America, including the Cree, Lakota, and Sioux. The first known non-indigenous person to enter Saskatchewan was Henry Kelsey in 1690, who traveled up the Saskatchewan River to trade fur with the indigenous people. The first permanent European settlement was a  Hudsons Bay Company  post at  Cumberland House, founded in 1774, as an important fur trading depot. Ceded to the United Kingdom in 1818 In 1803 the Louisiana Purchase transferred from France to the United States part of what is now Alberta and Saskatchewan. In 1818 it was ceded to the United Kingdom. Most of what is now Saskatchewan was part of Ruperts Land and controlled by the Hudsons Bay Company, which claimed rights to all watersheds flowing into Hudson Bay, including the Saskatchewan River.

The Conformist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Conformist - Essay Example Because of this, he is assigned a duty by his bosses; to kill a professor. This is because he has some power within him and has worked with the Italian police. The period in which he worked with the police was during the reign of the Mussolini. He goes to exile to show his loyalty to the state. The movie clearly depicts the major psychological needs of the fascism of the Italians whereby conformity easily turns to obsession. The desire of the people leads them to engage in very cruel acts. Marcello’s parents do not satisfy his childhood desires and that is why he becomes greedy. He becomes very furious with people who are close to him. At home, he has a very small room where he studies with several items scattered in the house. He even enjoys the privacy to hold an old pistol that his father once had. This perhaps makes him want to join the police force. He also loves objects that are forbidden. He also evidently very possessive which later makes him suffer (Moravia and Calliope 4). Marcello marries a wife who loves him very much. He finds a strange woman, who marries him during his stay in exile. The woman does not care if Marcello is from a place she has never been to. Marcello is a competent police officer and a silent one too. He can be used to perform a duty that must remain secret. He is assigned to kill his professor, something that he is against. This makes him flee into exile. Falling in love with the woman makes Marcello want to share all that was hidden inside him. The woman is so compelling, that Marcello decides to let the cat out of the sack. Later, his life changes abruptly because of a woman. His corrupt nature reveals itself to his wife and all the people that are close to him. The philosophical needs of Marcello are to be fulfilled this time by a woman who was not initially his. He is very close to the professor who is blind. For this reason,

Stephenie Meyer - Author Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Stephenie Meyer - Author - Essay Example With no prior writing experience it is quite a miracle that she managed to enthrall her readers with her creativity. Meyer graduated in English Literature but that did not provide her a great platform to start writing, prior to writing the series she worked as a receptionist and had no firsthand experience of writing.â€Å"Stephenie born in Connecticut in 1973. Her family was settled in Phoenix by the time she was four. The unusual spelling of her name came from her father, Stephen ( + ie). Stephenie went to high school in Scottsdale, Arizona.† (Stephenie Meyer) The most fascinating thing about the story is that it was her dream which was later transformed into a full blown story; she started penning down the story for her own enjoyment but her sister after having read the story forced her to send it to various publication houses in the US. â€Å"Though I have had my name spelled wrong on pretty much everything my entire life long, I must admit that it makes it easier to google myself now.† (Stephenie Meyer) Her creativity known no bounds and this is why she is rich, famous and oozing with

How to keep your body in a good shape Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How to keep your body in a good shape - Essay Example However, one should only read that which has substantial depth and those that have mind stimulating qualities. It is also crucial to take time off cognitive activities to improve memory and other cognitive skills. This is concerning taking beaks and recesses from time to time, as they help in building one’s retention and attention span. This way, cognitive skills such as critical and logical thinking remain sharp at all times and boosts quick learning. This works hand in hand with improved task coordination, concentration, and planning. Physically, it is crucial to keep the body in good shape through physical exercises as they increase the flow of blood in the body. The first and easiest way to keep one’s body physically in shape is taking a walk in the yard or walking the dog, if you have one (Templeton). Moreover, Yoga and tai chi are good techniques for keeping the mind in motion and stretching respectively. These physical exercises not only keep the mind and blood flow active, but also ward off certain illnesses, which include Alzheimers and dementia, as well as signs of aging. This occurs due to the relationship between the brain and the cardiovascular system. The use of drugs has profound effects on our bodies concerning maintaining health. As a result, to remain in good shape it is in our best interests to control our ailments such as colds and other personality disorders without the use of drugs or medication. Because of this, the body does not develop dependency on the drugs and medication meaning that one can act and live normally in their absence. In addition, failure to use drugs cuts back on the risk of developing resistance for mainstream medication thus, boosting health. In addition, at times, drugs and medication result in treating symptoms and not the condition that one suffers from resulting in worsening of the condition. Finally, in case of safety, one should avoid

Facial Emotion Recognition Systems

Facial Emotion Recognition Systems CHAPTER-1 INTRODUCTION 1.1: Introduction Face plays important role in social communication. This is a window to human character, reactions and ideas. the psychological research shown that nonverbal part is the most enlightening channel in social communication. Verbal part offers about 7% of the message, vocal 34% and facial expression about 55%. Due to that, face is a theme of study in many areas of science such as psychology, behavioral science, medicine and finally computer science. In the field of computer science much effort is put to discover the ways of automation the process of face detection and segmentation. Several methods addressing the problem of facial feature extraction have been proposed. The key problem is to provide suitable face representation, which leftovers robust with respect to diversity of facial appearances. The method of face recognition plays an important role in peoples life ranging from commercial to law enforcement applications, such as real time surveillance, biometric personal identification and information security. It is one of the most challenging topics in the interface of computer vision and cognitive science. Over past years, extensive research on face recognition has been conducted by many psychophysicists, neuroscientists and engineers. In general views, the definition of face recognition can be formulated as follows Different faces in a static image can be identified using a database of stored faces. Available collateral information like facial expression may enhance the recognition rate. Generally speaking, if the face images are sufficiently provided, the quality of face recognition will be mainly related to feature extraction and recognition modeling. Facial emotion recognition in uncontrolled environments is a very challenging task due to large intra-class variations caused by factors such as illumination and pose changes, occlusion, and head movement. The accuracy of a facial emotion recognition system generally depends on two critical factors: (i) extraction of facial features that are robust under intra-class variations (e.g. pose changes), but are distinctive for various emotions, and (ii) design of a classifier that is capable of distinguishing different facial emotions based on noisy and imperfect data (e.g., illumination changes and occlusion). For recognition modeling, lots of researchers usually evaluate the performance of model by recognition rate instead of computational cost. Recently, Wright and Mare ported their work called the sparse representation based classification (SRC). To be more specific, it can represent the testing image sparsely using training samples via norm minimization which can be solved by balancing the minimum reconstructed error and the sparse coefficients. The recognition rate of SRC is much higher than that of classical algorithms such as Nearest Neighbor, Nearest Subspace and Linear Support Vector Machine (SVM). However, there are three drawbacks behind the SRC. First, SRC is based on the holistic features, which cannot exactly capture the partial deformation of the face images. Second, regularized SRC usually runs slowly for high dimensional face images. Third in the presence of occluded face images, Wright et al introduce an occlusion dictionary to sparsely code the occluded components in face images. However, the computational cost of SRC increase drastically because of large number of elements in the occlusion dictionary. Therefore, the computational cost of SRC limits it s application in real time area, which increasingly attracts researchers attention to solve this issue. 1.2: Psychological Background In 1978, Ekman et al. [2] introduced the system for measuring facial expressions called FACS Facial Action Coding System. FACS was developed by analysis of the relations between muscle(s) contraction and changes in the face appearance caused by them. Contractions of muscles responsible for the same action are marked as an Action Unit (AU). The task of expression analysis with use of FACS is based on decomposing observed expression into the set of Action Units. There are 46 AUs that represent changes in facial expression and 12 AUs connected with eye gaze direction and head orientation. Action Units are highly descriptive in terms of facial movements, however, they do not provide any information about the message they represent. AUs are labeled with the description of the action (Fig.1). Fig. 1: Examples of Action Units Facial expression described by Action Units can be then analyzed on the semantic level in order to find the meaning of particular actions. According to the Ekmans theory [2], there are six basic emotion expressions that are universal for people of different nations and cultures. Those basic emotions are joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and surprise (Fig. 2). Fig. 2: Six universal emotions The Facial Action Coding System was developed to help psychologists with face behavior analysis. Facial image was studied to detect the Action Units occurrences and then AU combinations were translated into emotion categories. This procedure required much effort, not only because the analysis was done manually, but also because about 100 hours of training were needed to become a FACS coder. That is why; FACS was quickly automated and replaced by different types of computer software solutions. 1.3: Facial emotion recognition systems The aim of FERS is to replicate the human visual system in the most analogous way. This is very thought-provoking job in the area of computer vision because not only it needs effective image/video analysis methods but also well-matched feature vector used in machine learning process. The primary principle of FER system is that it would be easy and effective. That relates to full automation, so that no extra manual effort is obligatory. It is also chosen for such system to be real-time which is particularly significant in both: human-computer interaction and human-robot interaction applications. Besides, the theme of study should be permitted to act impulsively while data is being captured for examination. System should be intended to evade limitations on body and head movements which could also be an important source of data about shown emotion. The limitations about facial hair, glasses or extra make-up should be reduced to lowest. Furthermore, handling the occlusions problem looks to be a test for a system and it should be also considered. Other significant features that are wanted in FER system are user and environment independence. The prior means that, any user should be permissible to work with the system, regardless of of skin color, oldness, gender or state. The latter relates to conduct the complex background and diversity in lightning conditions. Further advantage could be the view independence in FERS, which is likely in systems based on 3D vision. Face Detection As it was stated earlier, FER system comprises of 3 steps. In the first step, system takes input image and does some image processing methods on it, to detect the face region. System can function on static images, where this process is called face localization or videos where we are working with face tracking. Main problems which can be come across at this step are different scales and orientations of face. They are generally produced by subject movements or changes in remoteness from camera. Substantial body actions can also reason for severe changes in position of face in successive frames what makes tracking tougher. What is more, difficulty of background and variety of lightning circumstances can be also quite puzzling in tracking. For example, when there is more than one face in the image, system should be able to differentiate which one is being tracked. Finally, obstructions which usually give the impression in impulsive reactions need to be handled as well. Problems stated overhead were a challenge to hunt for methods which would crack them. Among the methods for face detection, we can differentiate two groups: holistic where face is treated as a whole unit and analytic where co-occurrence of characteristic facial elements is considered. 1.3.2. Feature Extraction Afterward the face has been situated in the image or video frame, it can be examined in terms of facial action occurrence. There are two types of features that are frequently used to define facial expression: geometric features and appearance features. Geometric features quantity the displacements of certain parts of the face such as brows or mouth corners, while appearance features define the variation in face texture when specific action is done. Apart from feature type, FER systems can be separated by the input which could be static images or image sequences. The job of geometric feature measurement is generally connected with face region analysis, exclusively finding and tracking vital points in the face region. Possible problems that arise in face decomposition job could be obstructions and incidences of facial hair or glasses. Besides, defining the feature set is tough, because features should be expressive and possibly not interrelated. Recognition of Expression The latter part of the FER system is based on machine learning theory; exactly it is the classification job. The input to the classifier is a set of features which were recovered from face region in the previous stage. The set of features is designed to describe the facial expression. Classification needs supervised training, so the training set should consist of labeled data. Once the classifier is trained, it can distinguish input images by assigning them a specific class label. The most usually used facial expressions classification is finished both in terms of Action Units, proposed in Facial Action Coding System and in terms of common emotions: happiness, unhappiness, fury, surprise, disgust and fear. There are a lot of different machine learning methods for classification job, viz.: K-Nearest Neighbors, Artificial Neural Networks, Support Vector Machines, Hidden Markov Models, Expert Systems with rule based classifier, Bayesian Networks or Boosting Techniques (Adaboost, Gentleboost). Three major problems in classification job are: picking good feature set, effective machine learning method and diverse database for training. Feature set should be composed of features that are discriminative and characteristic for expression. Machine learning method is chosen usually by the sort of a feature set. In conclusion, database used as a training set should be adequate and contain various data. Methods described in the literature are presented by categories of classification output. 1.4: Applications Enormous amount of different information is encoded in facial movements. Perceiving someones face we can absorb about his/her: †¢ Affective state, connected with emotions like fear, anger and joy and moods such as euphoria or irritation †¢ Cognitive activity (brain activity), which can be seeming as attentiveness or boredom †¢ Personality features like sociability, nervousness or unfriendliness †¢ Honesty using analysis of micro-expressions to disclose hidden emotions †¢ Psychological state giving information about illnesses helpful with diagnosis of depression, mania or schizophrenia. Due to the variety of information visible on human face, facial expression analysis has applications in various fields of science and life. Primarily, teachers use facial expression investigation to correct the struggle of the exercise and learning pace on a base of reaction visible on students faces. Virtual tutor in e-learning planned by Amelsvoort and Krahmer [26] offers student with suitable content and alters the complexity of courses or tasks by the information attained from students face. Additional application of FERS is in the field of business where the measurement of peoples fulfilment or disappointment is very important. Usage of this application can be found in many marketing methods where information is collected from customers by surveys. The great chance to conduct the surveys in the automatic way could be able by using customers facial expressions as a level of their satisfaction or dissatisfaction . Furthermore, prototype of Computerized Sales Assistant, proposed by Shergill et al.   chooses the appropriate marketing and sales methods by the response taken from customers facial expressions. Facial behavior is also studied in medicine not only for psychological disorder diagnosis but also to help people with some disabilities. Example of it could be the system proposed by Pioggial et al.   that aids autistic children to progress their social skills by learning how to recognize emotions. Facial expressions could be also used for surveillance purposes like in prototype developed by Hazel hoff et al.. Suggested system automatically perceives uneasiness of newborn babies by recognition of 3 behavioral states: sleep, awake and cry. Furthermore, facial expression recognition is broadly used in human robot and human computer interaction Smart Robotic Assistant for people with disabilities based on multimodal HCI. Another example of human computer interaction systems could be system developed for automatic update of avatar in multiplayer online games. 1.5: Thesis Organization The thesis is organized as follows: The thesis is opened with an introduction i.e., Chapter 1, in which it is discussed about the introduction, physiological background and facial emotion recognition systems along with the Thesis organization and the Tools used for the whole project. Chapter 2 discussed about the literature survey in which the brief explanation of previous works is given and explained. Chapter 3 discussed about the proposed system in which the each part of the face was detected and the emotion of the person is detected based on extreme sparse learning. Here we use the spatial-temporal descriptor and optimal flow method to recognize the emotion. Chapter 4 plays key role in this project which gives the information of software that used for the project i.e. MATLAB. The results and discussions are presented in Chapter 5. This chapter describes the results that are obtained for the proposed system. Chapter 6 discussed about the advantages of the proposed system and disadvantages of the existing systems. Hence the conclusion and future work, references are presented in chapter 7. Then the references are mentioned in the chapter8. 1.6: Tools Used Image processing toolbox MATLAB R2013a(version 8)

Recycling :: essays research papers

Five years have passed since the Earth Summit. Have we made any progress? Have we moved closer to the goal of sustainable development in the last five years? Is the world better off today than it was five years ago? A pessimist will say that the glass is half empty. As an optimist I prefer to say that the glass is half full. Let me count the main achievements", asserts Ambasador Tommy Koh of Singapore. The following is adapted from his article. First, the Earth Summit has brought to a final resolution the age-old debate between economic development and protection of the environment. The new wisdom is that we want economic progress, but we also want to live in harmony with nature. To be sure, Governments have to make hard choices and there are trade-offs between the two objectives. But since the Earth Summit, it is no longer possible to talk about development without considering its impact on the environment or to talk about protecting the environment without considering its impact on sustainable development. Many countries have enacted legislation to provide for environmental impact assessment. Second, the Earth Summit has empowered the environmental movement. Within national Governments, the ministries of environment and environmental protection agencies have become more important. The NGO (non-governmental organization) community has gained in stature and influence. Many countries have established national councils on sustainable development. The business community has rallied to the cause and established the Business Council on Sustainable Development. Business leaders have become aware that support for the environment is not inconsistent with profitability. Third, the Framework Convention on Climate Change has come into force. The States Parties are engaged in the difficult process of negotiating a Protocol which would contain legally binding limits on the emission of greenhouse gases. Fourth, the Convention on Biological Diversity has also come into force. States Parties are required to undertake inventories of their biological diversity. They are also required to publish Red Data Books containing their endangered species of flora and fauna. Although we continue to lose about three species of flora and fauna every day, the prospect is better today than five years ago that the world will arrest and reverse this trend. Fifth, in response to the urgent need of Africa, a Convention to Combat Desertification has been negotiated and adopted. It will enter into force in December 1997. I hope the international community will back the Convention with the requisite political will and economic resources to make it work.

Lord of the Flies Character Monolgues Essay

Jack’s monologue Oh god, what have I done? Simon, Piggy, it’s entirely my fault. I can’t express what I feel, the pain, it’s overmastering and mind numbing. Ralph if only you could understand the grief that I am going through, in-fact maybe you do? Maybe you’re hurting far more than me. Their deaths will get engraved in my conscience until the day I die. I would do anything Ralph, anything to get your forgiveness. At the moment I don’t think you can bare to look at me, I can barely look at myself. I mean how can I? I’m a murderer. Only if I had the courage to say all this to you, I know the old me would have. No-one will understand the desire and hunger I felt hunt, it was pure exhilaration. I guess that is when things began to get out of hand. My mind became warped by the desire to kill, spill blood and maim. It was over-powering I tried to control it but the day Simon died I let out all my rage. It felt good. Jealousy played its part as well; jealousy of you being leader and you liking Piggy more than me. Piggy was the easiest person to bully he was so vulnerable yet you Ralph kept sticking up for him. This made me even angrier towards him. I will pay for my sins by going to jail when I return to England but the pain in my head is nothing compared to jail. What more can I say? Only that I’m sorry†¦ Ralph’s monologue I can’t even begin the express the feeling of loss I have for both Simon and Piggy. They were my friends and they lost their lives trying to keep order. I hate Jack and I wish every day that it was he who had perished on the island and not Piggy or Simon. I suppose that I am to blame as well. Only if I had stopped Jack earlier none of this would have happened. The mere fact that I was once friends with Jack makes me sick. The flashbacks of that awful dance and Piggy tumbling off that cliff regularly haunt me. I can’t get them out of my head, maybe that’s a good thing because it means I will never forget their deaths or who caused them. The thought of Jack disgusts me, I cannot lay eyes on him for he is a murderer, a murderer who ruthlessly used his power to kill my friends. Eternity in jail is not enough for Jack, how can it be? Someone who has taken the life of another person unlawfully does not deserve the right to live. I shall write a book about my experience so that no one else has any indecisiveness about what to do in that situation. Thank God that most of the littluns are safe, I suppose they weren’t a big enough trophy for Jack to conquer. Roger has to pay as well, although Jack controlled the actions of his tribe I was always uneasy with Roger because I felt that if Jack was not there, Roger would be the one to lead their tribe. Now I hope that Piggy and Simon are living happily in heaven and when Jack dies, there is only one place he should go†¦ Roger’s monologue I shall blame Jack for killing Simon and Piggy. In court I will say that he forced me to dislodge the boulder and kill Piggy. Hahaha no one will know that it was my full intention to kill. I will play for the sympathy vote in court and put on my best act so that it is Jack who gets sent down, not me. I feel like I missed out, I could’ve tortured so many more people during my stay on the island. Oh well now its back to civilisation and rules and laws. How boring! I long for a chance to do everything again but this time I would make myself chief. I wonder what has happened to the beast. Maybe it will haunt that island forever. Now I am free because there isn’t any beastie where I live, hehe. I can do what I like. Ralph seemed a good leader at first but he was too preoccupied with the ‘fire’ and rescue. Jack was a better leader but he never fully got to that stage of really wanting to cause pain to theto the other children on the island. Instead it was always hunting with him. He wasn’t able to see that I was bored hunting pigs. I wanted to hunt littluns. Samneric’s monologue We were scared of Jack, really really scared. We hope that Ralph doesn’t think that we betrayed him. We couldn’t help it Jack forced us to join him, he said that if we didn’t he would torture us. Roger also kept making threats to us and eventually it slipped out that you were hiding nearby. Our time in Jack’s tribe was really quite boring and scary. At all times we were frightened that if we did anything wrong, Jack or Roger would hurt us. Almost all of the boys felt that way, we only did what Jack told us to do because we were scared of him, there wasn’t any other reason. Poor Piggy, he was really dear to us and we miss him loads. We should’ve pushed Roger of from the cliff in retaliation but we were too stunned at the time. The shameful nature of our actions when were with Jack cannot be excused, especially the night Simon died. We didn’t leave early that night like we had told Ralph and Piggy but we saw and took part in the dance albeit on the outside. That island made fools out of us, we hope to never return their again. Looking back it is hard to see how things turned out so bad. Probably the main reason things got out of hand was Jack’s need for leadership. Many a time we saw that Jack hated following the orders of someone else. We will try to forget this solemn event in our lives†¦ Evidence for the religious perspective: Evil within man , island= eden, forget previous life, lack of moral/spiritual guidance caused sin+ destruction, created a primitive tribe religion, only god can save 1) evil with man–> golding believes this otherwise why make the character of Simon?(he is the one who says the beast is themselves) 2) eden, hmm not always, described as scar, other island has jagged rocks etc, but simon’s hideaway eden like, fruit is mentioned a LOT. 3) god does not save, simon fails, message that Golding is saying we cannot use God as an excuse for this, we must change this ourselves 4) much evidence for lack of moral guidance, no parent to give this, children think it is ok to torture each other + all the other horrible acts committed on the island 5) jack creates a ‘rival’ religion to Ralph’s one, boys like jack’s more due to the ancestral desire for meat, hunting. Ironically, there is a sort of ‘order’ in Jack’s religion because every1 is so scared of doing anything wrong, they don’t do anything. This works against them when they are ordered to kill, etc The legal angle, Cannot be held wholly responsible due to age, did they understand right from wrong?, premeditated? 1) well, ofc they cannot be held wholly responsible, they were only 12 years old 2) they could be because certainly Roger knew right from wrong, yet still he chose wrong, jack on the other hand was blinded by his passion for hunting 3) some actions were premeditated, the trap thought of by Jack at their new hideout 4) he sed that they cud use it to kill any1 who comes 5) simon’s death was not really premeditated, the boys got swept up in a mad deep passion which caused them to kill him 6) Roger+Jack however can be convicted of Piggy’s death, not of simon’s if some1 sed that they shud be convicted of simons death then all of the boys including Ralph+Piggy wud be convicted because of the first death caused by the huge fire, hmm maybe Piggy exempt+ littluns, rest convicted The moral view–>similar to psychiatrists view and parts of religious view. The other children slowly absorb Jack’s views because he is the head of that particular family, jack however turned nasty due to a return to primeval instincts. Cruelty flourishes in conditions where there is much fear, lack of parental guidance, feeling of nothing to lose , despair Hard to see if Jack felt despair, but certainly Ralph and Piggy do, instead they do not give up hope–> golding says ‘capacity for selflessness and love’ this is shown by Piggy (towards littluns + Ralph (when he helps the crying one talk bout beastie)) Simon shows love towards all of nature, but he is not understood by others and is called ‘batty’. Again lack of parental guidance to tell them right from wrong†¦+ children not on island are ‘going wrong’ so imagine the difficulty for children on an island†¦ Humanist view: Fear- no one escapes fear, shown by the ‘beast’ not including simon (he is afraid of speaking out) Tyranny,- Jack becomes a servant of his own thirst for blood,he does not rule himself, the hunger does, gets power and the situation becomes worse, breaks away from Ralph

The 9 Worst Pieces of Advice for College Graduates

The 9 Worst Pieces of Advice for College Graduates When you’re a new graduate, everybody and their uncle has advice for you. And everyone you talk to will assure you that their advice is the key. They can’t all be right. Avoid getting advice fatigue by keeping a keen ear out for some of these clunkers. They’re usually well-meaning, but can often knock you off your path. Here are  9 of the worst (and yet very common) bits of advice to  college graduates.1. â€Å"Go to grad school†Do not pass â€Å"go.† Do not collect $200. Delay the inevitable. Stay in school and get more degrees and be guaranteed more money when you graduate the next time. Sound good? For some, it is. For some fields, a Master’s or even PhD will be required. But for others, it’s just an expensive place to hide out from the real world. Unless you’re truly passionate about a career or field of study that requires advanced degrees, do a bit of soul searching to make sure grad school is right for you before you decide to apply automatically and end up wasting years and thousands upon thousands of dollars on something you won’t use in your future career.2. â€Å"Just show up and ask for a job!†You’ve got a dream job or a dream company. Right? Everybody has a goal. But sometimes the well-meaning grandparent or drunk uncle will tell you just to go on into that office and show them what you’ve got! They’ll have to reward your gumption and enthusiasm with a job! Right? Wrong. This is a rookie move which will betray your lack of experience and knowledge of how the work world works. The more conventional job search route, albeit slow and sometimes frustrating, will work out better for you.  3. â€Å"Hide your tattoos†It probably used to be true that tattoos could disqualify an applicant. But that’s not necessarily the truth now. There are plenty of industries and more creative fields where your individual style could be an asset in showing how we ll you’d fit into a company culture. Use your discretion, obviously. But on occasion, it’s okay to bare your ink.4. â€Å"You need to get a job in your industry right away†In other words: if you get an interim job that doesn’t have anything to do with your chosen profession, you’ll have killed your chances before you’ve even begun. Not true. If you can’t find a job in your dream field right away, then you can and should look for jobs in other industries or fields that will give you a boost in skills or experience that can easily translate into the job you ultimately want. Learn as much as you can, realize that diversifying your talents and experience might even make you an asset someday, and keep an open mind.5. â€Å"You should teach†Did you study humanities in undergrad? Does no one understand why? Think you have no viable career prospects? Write you off before you’ve even begun your professional life with the assumpti on that teaching is the only job available to you? Unless teaching is actually your calling, smile and nod and walk away.6. The Get Rich Quick SchemeAgain with the drunk uncle. Or the corner-cutting acquaintance who tells you about that opportunity just too amazing to pass up. Avoid any shortcuts that people dangle under your nose. There is no instant wealth or renown to be had without hard work and perseverance. Don’t stop chipping steadily away at your goals, and don’t put all (or even most) of your savings into an investment opportunity, no matter how enthusiastic your bro is that it’s the next big thing.  7. â€Å"You have to give it your all all the time†100% or 110% all day every day for the rest of your career is actually impossible. Certainly there are times when you’ll need to go all out, and times when you’ll have to work even harder than that in pursuit of a particular project or goal. But there are other times when you’l l need to take your foot off the gas and catch your breath. It’s okay to slow your pace now and again to avoid burnout. Just choose your moments carefully so as not to interfere with your goals and progress toward meeting them.8. â€Å"Follow your bliss†Do what you love and love what you do, right? Well†¦ sometimes it’s not quite so easy as that. While following your dreams is always a good idea, don’t just expect that everything will fall magically into place because you’re pursuing something you care deeply about. You still have to be smart. Save money. Strategize how to be on solid financial footing and don’t get lazy. Risks are one thing. Being stupid and expecting the money will just fall out of the sky is another†¦\9. â€Å"Get a stable job and stay there†This is the advice of a dying generation. A stable job is great. Job security, benefits, good money. All great. But settling isn’t. If you get stuck in a job y ou don’t really enjoy and which doesn’t challenge you too soon in your career, it could really hurt both your productivity and your earning potential. Not to mention your qi. Find a balance between following your bliss and providing for yourself and your future. If you hit that sweet spot, then you’re good to go. Steady sailing from here on out.

The eNotes Blog The Many Faces of SherlockHolmes

The Many Faces of SherlockHolmes In honor of the Mr. Holmes movie release this weekend, starring Gandalf Sir Ian McKellen, we wanted to look back at the various faces of Sir Arthur Conan Doyles infamous detective. The original text describes Holmes as â€Å"over six feet† tall and â€Å"excessively lean†, with sharp, piercing eyes and a â€Å"hawk-like nose† (A Study in Scarlet). But his incarnation on screen has run the gamut from young to old, bookish to brawny. No other character has been portrayed more often on the big screen- over 250 times, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Id love to know your favorite iteration, and if youre planning on seeing the film this weekend, so share your thoughts in the comments below! Basil Rathbone The Hound of the Baskervilles, etc. movies (1939-1946) Image via basilrathbone.net Rathbone’s gentlemanly portrayal is the classic that defined Sherlock Holmes for generations to come. Rathbone’s character was the first to don the stereotypical Holmes getup: deerstalker (the hat with bills in the front and back) and cape. Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes TV series (1984-1994) Image via steampunk.wonderhowto.com More arrogant than the Rathbone portrayal, Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes is also more dramatic. This iteration of the famous detective emphasizes Holmes’ friendship with Watson. Nicholas Rowe Young Sherlock Holmes  movie (1985) Image via denofgeek.com Rowe is cast as the teenage Sherlock Holmes who gives us insight into his early years of solving mysteries. His teacher describes him as â€Å"too precocious, too egotistical, for his own good†, and the mature, intense portrayal may have you wondering if Holmes was always a grownup. Michael Caine Without a Clue movie  (1988) Image via top10films.co.uk Caines Holmes is a bit more, er, bumbling than classic. If youve always secretly rooted for Robin over Batman,   or Tonto over the Lone Ranger, then this flick is for you. Without a Clues Dr. Watson, portrayed by the great Ben Kingsley, is revealed  to be the real mystery-solving mastermind. Robert Downey, Jr. Sherlock Holmes (2009)   Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) movies Image via clothesonfilm.com Perhaps one of the flashiest  takes on Holmes is Downeys  big screen version. Purists to Conans original works might snub RDJ, but others might like the fast-talking, even faster-thinking sleuth. Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock  TV series (2010- ) Image via BBC/Hartswood Cumberbatch is the Sherlock of the 2000s. He has the beloved characteristics  of the 1880s Holmes, placed in  modern London with a few dramatic quirks (such as storing everything in his Mind Palace). A bit arrogant, a bit high-functioning sociopathic, and a whole lot of brilliant. Jonny Lee Miller Elementary  TV series (2012-  ) Image via cbswatchmagazine.com Millers portrayal is another contemporary take on Holmes. A  recovering drug addict, assisting the NYPD in solving crimes,  will all the Holmes-y eccentricities. Sir Ian McKellen Mr. Holmes movie (2015) Image via eonline.com Is it possible for McKellen to disappoint? Scientifically speakingno. As for his version of Holmes, well find out!

Implications of a published quantitive study Essay

Implications of a published quantitive study - Essay Example The authors do not state precisely the data analysis methods adopted in the study. However, the authors rely on tabulation and graphical analysis of the collected data. The tables organize the results into a logical format and where trends can be observed at a glance. Also, the scatter graph provides visual correlation between the DAFNE and non-DAFNE groups. The study has several implications for the nursing profession. First, nurses must first investigate whether a patient has undergone training on managing blood sugar level before medicating them. This is because some patients have managed to balance their blood sugar using a precise mix of diet and insulin. When patient factors are not considered upon admission, patients can lose focus and control of their blood sugar due to medication and different diet at the hospital. In conclusion, the study stresses that DAFNE assists diabetes patients to manage blood sugar at home, thus reducing diabetes-related deaths. However, the study has questionable sections as noted above. Data collection methods and analysis should have wide

Open System Approach to Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Open System Approach to Organizations - Essay Example The company will be used as a case study to answer the questions in the subsequent paragraphs. An open approach system to organization implies that an organization interacts with its outside environment, which in turn influences the structure and operations of the organization. The fact that an open system interacts with the outside environment implies that an organization is an open system should always adapt to changes in the environment. For a long time, Icy Foods Ltd. has been operating on informal basis judging, by the way, operations are loosely divided into five departments with no clear-cut framework. Moreover, the company used to accept orders with less or no regard to quality or quantity specifications of the product. This lack of organization explains why the company lacked customers from major supermarket chains. The other apparent misgiving that characterized Icy Foods Ltd. is the lack of clear division of labor and specialization. This fact is inherent in the way the company conducts job rotations (Weiner, 2002). Job rotation is not a good concept because it does not give the employees the chance to gain experience in a given line of duty. The fact that the company did not embrace quality and efficiency in its operations negatively affected its business performance. Before the takeover by Megastores Plc., the company had adopted an organic organization structure in managing the various operations. The management, prior to the takeover, operated an open-door policy. The management was keen on hearing employee’s ideas on new products and operational improvements. There was also a flexible approach to handling employees’ issues such as working hours and leave. After the successful takeover, the management came up with a raft of new changes that were more bureaucratic as opposed to the organic system that the management had used to all along.

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 141

Assignment Example en ways in which supply management has an impact on a firm’s sales are associated the following activities that integrate business management process across the supply chain. Customer relationship management, customer service management, demand management, order fulfillment, manufacturing flow management, supplier relationship management, product development and commercialization and management of returns, all of which determine market demand and production capacity of an organization. Support for strategic supply chain management has to come from the top management of an organization because of several reasons. Firstly, strategic processes require decisions from the top management because they relate to the main objectives of an organization. Secondly, strategic supply chain management involves application of various tactics that heave to be authorized by the top management. Lastly, strategic supply chain management incorporates operational decisions that also have to be directed by the top management because they relate to company objectives. Supply chain management position is important in organizational structure for two major reasons. To begin with, supply chain managers ensure that customer services are boosted hence increasing an organization sales. Secondly, supply chain managers ensure that an organization enjoys high profits by ensuring that product supplies are made quickly and using the most cost effective means. Many organizations use a hybrid approach to decision-making authority in their supply management in order to make informed decisions. In this case, the supply management authorities evaluate different alternatives available for organizations and then decide on one that ensures major objectives are attained. Cross functional teams are made up of stake holders with different skills within an organization. Therefore, individual members can contribute different ideas that can be used to enhance the value of products within an organization. In

Research Investigation Essay Example for Free

Research Investigation Essay A research investigation on what specific skills an actor would need learn in order to convincingly portray the role of Silvio in Carlo Goldoni’s, A Servant of Two Masters. Carlo Goldoni wrote the comedy â€Å"Arlecchino servitore di due padroni†, which translates into modern English as The Servant of Two Masters, a commedia dell’Arte-style play. The performers of Commedia were often illiterate, and as such there was no point to write down scripts and record the performance, it was improvised and modified, preserving the aspects the audience found amusing and excluding those that were less successful. In this way, Carlo Goldoni’s writing down of the play strictly goes against commedia traditions, as it is not the way things were done when it was originally staged. Despite performing all their plays in Italian for the first twenty or so years, Commedia troops had phenomenal success, perhaps because the slapstick nature of their comedy mingled with its vulgar humor was relatively easy to follow. The themes of the play, including love, romance, deception and the status between masters and servants, combine to create an enjoyable and greatly comical performance. The play also scrutinizes social boundaries that were once present. Such as, the idea of a woman being dressed as a man this was much more controversial in the 1700’s and especially a woman who defeats a man in combat, as Beatrice (comes to Venice dressed as a man in search of her beloved Florindo, She is also a part of the first lover couple along with Florindo) defeats Silvio. Smereldina (the maid of Clarice, she is an extremely feisty and slightly bitter character who wants more than anything to find a man and get married) also confronts Silvio and scorns him, which is something unparalleled in that time, a woman of the serving class reprimanding a man of status. The play also explores the lengths people will go to for the sake of love, the hopelessness of Florindo (a man banished from his home in Turin for his murder of Federigo Rasponi, and the lover of Beatrice who comes in search of him) and Beatrice’s relationship to find each other, as well as commenting on the importance of never giving up hope, because as they are about to kill themselves they find each other again. This is also reflected in the many difficult predicaments Truffaldino (the servant of both Florindo and Beatrice, he is a mischievous, hungry man who is seeking ways to better himself, he is comic relief and also the main protagonist) finds himself in, as no matter how hopeless his situation looks, he keeps on envisaging himself getting out of his tricky situations and eventually he does get out of trouble. The behavior by those of the dominant class of the servants is a very noticeable theme of the time period, and an important social observation. The serving class of Truffaldino, Smereldina and the Porter (she carries the bags places at different times during the play and has a fairly rough time of it, carrying very heavy loads only to be ridiculed and left unrewarded for her labor) are regarded with little respect and trust throughout the entirety of the play. As the early performers of this play were more than likely lower class individuals, this play is an insightful parody of their own difficulties. Commedia dell’Arte is an Italian theater style, characterized by masked performers and improvised scenes based on simplistic scenarios. Carlo Goldoni categorized four elemental types of stock characters in Italian comedy: Pantaloon, a miserly Venetian merchant, easy to anger, disrespected by everyone and a born loser; Dottore, a pedantic lawyer-type from Bologna; Brighella, a serenading servant who enjoys thieving, and bragging; and Arlecchino, a basically thoughtless servant permanently in despair over unreturned love. A Servant of Two Masters is set in Venice in the 1700’s, and would have been performed by a travelling troop of commedia actors. As such, they would have had very limited set facilities, and their performances staged outdoors, meaning they would have to allow for surrounding noises such as wind when performing. Throughout this research investigation it will be delving into what specific skills I must learn in order to convincingly portray the role of Silvio in Carlo Goldoni’s, A Servant of Two Masters. There is a catch when one decides to take on the task and portray the role of Silvio in The Servant of Two Masters and that is that the comic instincts of a skilled actor need to conquer a tendency to be a servant to the text. It has been said that commedia is the riskiest form of comedy. That being said, it is worth the risk. When the flash of inspired improvisation hits an actor it is like a whirlwind and time seems to be in a complete interruption while a phenomenon takes place. Fortunately Goldoni’s writing is so perfectly composed and clinging to fundamental Commedia dell’Arte form that it allows one to understand how to perform below, within and around the text itself. Focusing on the lovers, they are the sons and daughters of characters who are also high on the social ladder; this is where Silvio finds himself in The Servant of Two Masters. The lovers in this play (Silvio and Clarice) are not only infatuated with each other they are extraordinarily infatuated with themselves. More often than not, they are only with one another because the other person makes them look better. They argue often, making a big melodramatic show out of their blubbering and attempting to top the others grief; yet they immediately make amends when they receive a flattering remark about their appearance. They speak in a distinguished, pretentious and flowery language: â€Å"If I could think that you desired my blood to avenge my supposed cruelty, I give it you with all my heart. But, oh God! Instead of the blood of my veins, accept, I beg you, that which gushes from my eyes.†(Goldoni 53) Silvio is traditionally costumed in the latest Italian fashions (since Italy is where Commedia originated) The Lovers elegant costumes were usually of the same color, just in case another couple of lovers was in the play too. This only reaffirms how much they were made for each other. Just like couples who wear matching outfits today. Given that Silvio is wealthy, he wears expensive clothes and jewelry, made of luxurious fabrics. Both Silvio and Clarice usually hold some kind of prop in their hand, most likely a letter to swoon over, or a handkerchief but this is of course the director’s choice. There is always a mirror somewhere on their body, being in a purse or pocket, or even hanging as a necklace around the actor’s throat. This is useful for admiring oneself, or in Silvio’s case for seeking out Clarice and adorning her through it. Unlike what most know Commedia dell’Arte to be known for the lovers do not wear masks. Rather, they wear quite a bit of makeup which in turn subsidizes as their mask. The term dreamer is a key way to understanding the lovers movement. Their feet are firmly on the ground, in a somewhat Ballet style position, but they lack firm contact with the earth because they lead with their chest and are heart heavy. Their arms are held out to their sides and curved. Their whole manner is very elegant and balletic, as they do not walk so much as glide. They never touch; to do so would cause them both to faint and or run away. It is sexually arousing for them to get very close without touching. They aren’t the brightest individuals so walking is somewhat of a challenge causing them to wobble, due to the uncertainty of their lack of contact with the ground. The posture that Silvio undertakes is that of compelling pride. His chest is naturally expanded and thrust out so that his heart essentially leads him, sometimes seeming to literally pull him across the stage. He points his toes while standing (like that of a ballet dancer), and when moving, he takes light, quick steps, giving himself a floating appearance. Overall, they simply lack contact with the ground. Their hand movements and gestures are very grand, expansive and expressive. Actors use the same dancing trainers as the wealthy individuals whom they are imitating in order to put emphasis on the absurdity of melodramatic behavior. There can be two sets of lovers in a Commedia dellArte play. The First set of lovers, usually more intelligent and serious, and the Second Lovers which in A Servant of Two Masters is Silvio and Clarice, usually whimsical and slightly silly. The second lovers in Goldonis A Servant of Two Masters are Clarice and Silvio. In research of the lovers when things are not going their way, they throw tantrums, pout, hurl insults while crying and whining. Their manner of dress and movement is highly stylized (more so than the First Lovers), making Silvio quite a narcissus. Silvio exists very much in his own world- and in his own world within that world. Self-obsessed and very selfish, he is more interested in what he is saying himself and how it sounds than in what his beloved Clarice is saying. He is primarily in love with himself, secondarily in love with love, and only without any doubt in love with his beloved. What he learns, if anything, from the tribulations of A Servant of Two Masters is the need to reverse these sickening priorities. Even though most of Silvio’s declarations would melt a heart of stone, there always seems to be a comic side to everything he says. One wonders if the explanation does not lie in the fact that love often robs the lover of all sense of his own logic, even though he may be the most rational of living men under ordinary circumstances. He does, however, come off better than most other Commedia characters: there is no viciousness in him, and less to be accused of – except for his vanity and narcissism. He represents the human potential for happiness, which is something that everyone is striving for. â€Å"Sir, I beg you, let everyone do as they will; do not be so put out about it. Now that I am happy, I want all the world to b e happy too. Is anyone else going to be married? Let them all get married†! (Goldoni 54) I have become conscious of the fact that the character of Silvio must be played as one that is over confident. He is very certain of himself and of his actions. He believes he is entitled to Clarice and is willing to fight to protect his property. Silvio is also quite protective, or even overprotective of those things which are important to him, or that he sees as belonging to him. He wishes to keep Clarice all to his own and have her within an area he feels he can keep safe. While he is protective of others, he himself shows little regard when placing himself in jeopardy. This is shows how dim witted his character truly is. The idea of defeat does not enter his mind and he is always on the front foot, unwilling to let others determine his actions, he is a very rash character. Patience is a virtue, apparently. Silvio often lacks any sense of patience which makes him a very irritable, anxious, angry and difficult to be around type of character. His shortage of patience makes him a rat her ignorant character. Silvio is always quick to act and often makes mistakes because of his unwillingness to listen to the advice or opinions of others. He is a man of action, and he needs for things to be occurring or he quickly loses any potential interest. He is quick to do battle regardless of the consequences, which shows how stupidly in love he truly is. His unwillingness to listen to an entire situation and process his next appropriate action, often get him into irresponsible situations. â€Å"†¦That wretch shall die, and my ungrateful Clarice shall see her lover wallowing in his own gore†. (Goldoni 26) Despite his quick anger and his tendency to solve his problems with violence, he is inconspicuously charming. Even though his unwillingness to listen too much besides the sound of his own voice, he is really just eager to please his lover Clarice. He has swept Clarice off of her feet and is the heartthrob of Venetian women. Some people settle down, and some people are just settling and some people refuse to settle for anything less than the feeling of butterflies, which is exactly how Silvio feels towards Clarice. He is never slow to put himself in harm’s way. He is quick to action and has little caution for his own well-being when engaging in any sort of fight, or in anything else he does. He is a man to be admired when he is at his finest, even though he is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. â€Å"I don’t care how old you are’ I have a mind to run you straight through the body†. (Goldoni 24) Through researching the character of Silvio it would be necessary to portray him as a man who struggles to hold himself in the position in which his status in society places him. He strives to be suave, cool and collected, but somewhat fights to maintain focus and is very quick to act, his actions usually end in anger and much turmoil. He is a powerful physical presence, and is one of formidable fighting skill, but is emotionally immature on many levels. His love for Clarice is one of his few genuinely mature emotions, and it is his motivation through the play. He is prone to rash, spontaneous actions, as well as to throwing tantrums such as a moody child would when things don’t go his way. This effectively suited the comedic aspect of the play while not deteriorating from the romantic story between Clarice and Silvio. â€Å"When we love we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too†. (Jeaulo Coelho)

Analysis of Unethical Practices in Banking

Analysis of Unethical Practices in Banking The essence of this essay on management and ethics is to analyze the unethical practices in the banking industry with an aim of assessing the level of honesty in the banking activities as well as the extent to which they affect the ethical atmosphere in banks. A number of banking industry employees were interviewed, and a general conclusion that emerged in all the interviews indicated that there were various issues that required evaluation as well as. Foremost, the banking sector should to comply with the integrity principles, neutrality, dependability, transparency, social obligation, and finally on the control on money laundering. However, the manner in which this compliance is achieved arouses serious concerns as to whether it really exhibits the expected ultimate objective. Moreover, the management structure of the banking sector, like most other blue chip companies is very strict and hierarchical. In addition, the strictness results from the underlying principle of accountability, as well as transparency in the various operations within the banking industry. Nevertheless, the banking sector pays close attention to the ethical practices of various employees and customers partly as a way of creating a positive image to the public as well as to their regulators, and partly because of the need to offer services to customer in a manner that reflects ultimate respect for our creator (God). For instance, try to have an honest discussion with an employee regarding the various banking practices. in theory, the employee in question can indicate how much he/she values the ethical practices been implemented, but in terms of personal belief, a lot of employees will accept that they carry out some of those practices out of duty and not out of care for the society. T herefore, the role of this essay is to explicate the unethical issues in a bid to come up with proper recommendations. The Issue of information non-disclosure and interest rates determination Over the years, banks have undergone tremendous growth in many aspects of their operations, starting with the type of customers they deal with to the manner in which information is received, recorded, transformed, and finally used. Ultimately, banks have unraveled the whole mystery of discrimination as to what customers to offer services to or not by categorizing their clients in terms of their income structure. This classifying of customers is meant to assist in the decision making process as to what customer receives what treatment, but it is also meant to assist the banks in understanding the type of customers to offer better services to. Therefore, regulated by their policy of information non-disclosure, banks would obtain very crucial information about various customers (their age, sex, race, employment status, as well as income level) with a notion that they are adhering to the Know Your Customer policy. This information is supposed to be private and confidential. However, on c lose examination, one would realize that banks need such information to make decisions aimed at enabling them to remain in the global market while at the same time, maintaining their traditional banking principles. Consequently, the objective of this essay is to analyze the various unethical practices the employees of the bank practice, and their relevance to the community at large. Moreover, the unethical practices will be addressed in a manner that relates to ethical dilemma and decisions regarding management. Thus, to understand the conflict in terms of globalization and traditional practices, one needs to call to focus the approach exhibited by Thomas L. Friedman regarding the Lexus and the olive tree (2000). According to Thomas Friedman, the Lexus designates sustenance, affluence as well as modernization, development, computer technologies, and the burgeoning of the global markets (Friedman 51). In addition, all these principles represented by the Lexus are positive and very instrumental in the current global economy. However, on the other hand, the olive tree designates the attachment of individuals and societies towards their traditional comfort zones, or rather values of higher course; and this is where the ethical standards take presidency. Consequently, banks operate in an economy that is very volatile, and they need to ensure that various practices are done in the traditional banking manner, provision of financial services in a legal manner. This information is thus democratized, in the words of Friedman (81), and the level of privacy expressed to customers is thus questionable. This is because, they only way in which this information can be protected is by using access codes. However, any employee can be able to access this information based on whether he/she has this access codes or not. In addition, most employees in the banking industry would want to access customer information based on various reasons. One, employees are evaluated in terms of their performance to the bank; this requires that they obtain crucial information about customers in a bid to decide on what services to offer them or not. In so doing the employees end up violating the information privacy requirement that clients would wish to have. Secondly, because of the current market trends in the banking industry, services have been made available even to the lowest income earner in order for banks to exploit all possibilities in terms of lending and customer deposits. In addition, the sales team works diligently to acquire customers both in terms of deposits taking or loan advancement. Moreover, of great significance is the manner in which they obtain information about clients before they can influence them to accept the services offered by the banks. Information is actually retrieved from the database by whoever lays hands on access codes, and customers having good credit history, and huge income are contacted in order to take up loans or open up other accounts with the bank. Further, these customers are treated with respect and they are offered what has been termed as superior services, premium services. These services could range from dedicated management assistance, special separate banking premises, and other service s such as internet, meals, to name but a few. On the other hand, those customers with a lesser income level, their treatment is more general and the banks credit advance to them is highly scrutinized compared to the premium customers. A question that arises here is whether these activities are conducted in the view of the Lexus, or olive tree. On the one hand, the information obtained from customer plays a very significant role in enabling management to understand the nature of their customers in a bid to offer relevant services to them. For instance, a customer who has a higher income level could be given alternative solutions as to how he/she could better use his/her income effectively in order to generate more income. Well, this attitude implies that the bank would wish to enable the employee benefit from the global economy in terms of investment and finance. However, the manner in which this process is attained is through privacy violation, which again touches on the whole issue of values; are banks really promoting ethical values as they seemingly purport to show in their terms and conditions, or they are merely doing trying to convince customers? A question like this one could seem obvious but it is a triple bottom line question. In addition, it concerns the balance that is required between being ethically oriented and at the same time acting as a role model in the global economy. Another aspect of information disclosure relates to issuance of bank services to customers. This is done in a manner that customers should receive full information as to the commitment they are about to engage in. Besides, some information if well known to customers could send these prospective customers away from the banks. Nevertheless, withholding this information seems to be the only way out for banks to maintain their customer base. Therefore, bank employees tend to give customers critical information only when they request for it, and in case they do not, then this information is withheld. Which kind of information could banks withhold in order to maintain or attract customers? Information regarding bank charges, loan processing fees, salary processing fees, insurance coverage fees, loan payment default repercussions, interest rate computation information, to name but a few. Most of this information, if disclosed to some customers, could lead to disastrous results. Therefore, d riven by their desire to generate increased revenue and reduced costs, banks find it confortable to offer services to customers behind closed doors. Therefore, these behaviors arouse serious debate as to the role of the banking sector in promoting social wellbeing. Whereby, customers would like to maximize their utility of services from the banks, while banks on the other hand would want to maximize revenue in order to cater for the costs incurred in technology and other services rendered. Information disclosure does not have to relate to customers alone, but also to competitors. Nevertheless, there is some information which is so important to the progress of banks, and if this information goes to competitors, then the bank whose information has been violated, stands to loose. There have been instances of insider information ending in the hands of competitors without having a clue as to whoever supplied that information, and the impetus for doing so. This situation occurs in cases when some people are employed in some banks not because they want to work there but because they want to obtain important information about the organization in question. This has been deemed to occur in certain banks, which end up loosing customers because of their information usage by the competitor financial institution. On the one hand, this practice could be considered a business strategy, which could provide resourceful information for the management decision-making process. On the other hand, this could be deemed an unethical practice owing to the fact that such a practice violates banking practices of fair play. Another area of unethical endeavor is on the issue of interest rates determination. Whereby, banks usually operate in a manner that they use the base lending rates that stipulated by the banks governing body (Central Bank). These rates represent the lowest value possible for advancing loans to customers. However, banks also engender to generate maximum profits because that is their essence as business enterprises. Nevertheless, because of technological advancement, competition has become the most common war in the current society. Thus, in order for banks to come up with sound decisions pertaining interest rates, they call to focus many factors, which are of course logical. For instance, blue chip companies are given lower rates compared to the standard companies. Furthermore, companies are approved based on their performance over a certain period of time as well as their level business trend. Employees in these banks are encouraged to pursue those high-end customers, more than the r est. The banks management does not directly encourage employees to pursue high-end customers; they rather use reduced interest rates to lure these customers to obtain bigger credit from them so that the final interest rate value remains higher. On the other hand, customers with poor credit history, low-income level, and unknown business practices, are offered highly scrutinized services. For instance, their loan advancements are denied on various bases, but the bottom line is that these banks do not want to make commitments to individuals who might end up generating losses. However, when evaluating this trend from banks to offer credit to individuals with high credit worthiness, and deny credit to customer with low-income levels, issues of ethics come in. First, one could see these financial institutions offering services to individuals who do not take a damn about whether they are offered finances or not, while treating those who really need financial assistance with caution. An institution with greater social responsibility should not behave in a manner that contradicts their practices, but a balance has to be maintained between the two sides of ethics and development. Moreover, too much overreliance to ethics could lead to negligence on sustenance, opulence, technological advancement, and financial progress, which could as well offer more support to the society through social responsibility services. On the other hand, overreliance on globalization could lead to negligence of the ethical standard to treatment that banks are required to follow. The steps taken to protect customer information Information is a powerful tool for controlling individuals. Once one is in possession of crucial information, he/she can decide to do something drastic and detrimental to the other party concerned. Therefore, banks in line with the current technological advancement have fostered various mechanisms that offer more confidentiality that is appealing to its customers. This has been through the installation of new management information systems, which are highly structured and monitored. For instance, access codes are provided in a manner that each code offer access to a certain level of information to the banks employees. Employees at the top level of management are offered access to a wider range of information access because they are the major stakeholders in the decision making process of the companies. In addition, tactical level managers have authority to oversee the various progress reports of other employees. Thus, this form of management fosters accountability and responsibility in the manner in which employees treat customer information. Furthermore, this use of access codes has been facilitated by information systems that track and record various issues regarding the daily operations of the banking industry. For instance, individuals accessing computers are monitored by a system that indicates their time of access, the type of information they were accessing, and the reason as to why they were accessing this information. Hence, this management information system leads to responsibility and protection of customer information, because whoever tempers with information is dealt with accordingly. Moreover, employees are required to access only information that relates to their line of duty. Another manner in which banks are responding to efficient information management is through video monitoring. Whereby, in this manner of information policy, employees are monitored by a well-protected computer video recording system, which records the various employees and their locations as well as time. In this case, access to information on various systems is traced back quickly. Recommendations According to Thomas Friedman, there should be a balance between spiritual worthiness and the role model, which involves the olive tree and the Lexus (Friedman 512). Therefore, banks should ensure that as much as they are responding to the changing environment, they should also adopt an approach that is of social concern and ultimately, of a Godly value. Therefore, it is in the due course of responding to this ethical challenges that banks are expected to restructure their strategies in a manner that ensures that they obtain credibility with their major stakeholders, who need high return on investments, and customers who expect good services from the financial institutions. How responsive are specific banks to management restructuring? This question is well calculated owing to the impetus to discover the way forward in cases when unethical practices are observed. For instance, in most banks, like many other organizations, it is the role of the top management to foresee the process of decision-making and policy implementation in the banking industry. However, even though other employees down the line are given an opportunity to provide recommendations regarding the best course of action, their information could only be accepted or rejected based on the manner in which the tactical manager sees these recommendations. Thus, the decision-making process in the current globalized society has been, in the words of Friedman, democratized (Friedman 109). This means that most of the practices within the banking sector only reflect the perspective of the managers per se. in which case, managers have an obligation to deliver results based on the stakeholders interests as well as their interests. In addition, this might crowd off their judgments because, they might decide to use all means necessary to achieve results without bearing in mind the end result of the means in use. Moreover, employees are governed by their contractual agreement to foster the banks missions and objectives. Nevertheless, as they engender to achieve this contractual responsibility, unethical practices may ensue as mentioned above. Thus, there is need to re-evaluate their behaviors in order to recognize that no matter how much one would wish to retain his/her job, God exists, and that He requires that all actions be of value to socie ty and of value to the greater good. There are better ways of addressing issues of unethical standard that are more appealing even though risky. For instance, in the case of interest rates disclosure, individual employees in the banking sector could be required to offer their recommended interest computation strategies that do not reflect unethical practices. These recommendations could include having interests lowered but increasing penalties on defaulters, increasing interest rates and lowering processing fees, offering preferential services to high-end customers as well as ensuring that the standard customers are also given dignified services. Sometimes, issues of serving standard customers are delayed compared to those of premium customers. This level of discrimination should be reduced because it counters the whole aspect of human rights and fair treatment. The Impact of Information and Interest Rate Disclosure to the Business World Ethics plays a crucial role in our society today, not because of the immediate feeling that individuals feel after experiencing ethical practices, but because of the ultimate role, ethics plays in the society. Besides, the banking industry plays a significant role in ensuring that business practices prosper in line with the advancement in technology. Thus, it is within the banking sector that businesses derive their standard of operations. Hence, unethical practices resulting from banks signify negative role modeling. Stable business can never operate without having access to banks. In return, these banks receive important information that relates to the operations of the businesses concerned. Therefore, the information received should be kept secure and only disclosed to the government in cases when there is need for investigations as to the business practices as the government deems necessary. Furthermore, information relating to the various charges the banks make on individuals are co-operations, the disclosure of such information is important for business planning and cost estimation. Therefore, it is important that this information be readily available so that other businesses may thrive in the global economy.